Growing Underground Threats Prompt Calls for Enhanced Military Capabilities
Adm. Brad Cooper, the top US commander overseeing forces in the Middle East, emphasized the urgent need for advanced weapons to target deeply buried military assets during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday. Cooper stated that adversaries, including Iran, are increasingly moving critical infrastructure underground to evade detection and destruction.
"Everybody is going underground," Cooper said, underscoring the evolving challenge for US forces.
The US recently deployed its GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs for the first time in combat during Operation Midnight Hammer last year. These strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, aiming to degrade Iran's nuclear capabilities. The GBU-57, weighing 30,000 pounds, is among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the US arsenal, capable of penetrating up to 200 feet of reinforced concrete.
However, Cooper highlighted the limitations of current capabilities, calling for increased investment in electronic warfare, counter-drone systems, and new bunker-busting technologies. The US Air Force is already developing the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP), a lighter successor to the GBU-57 designed to operate in GPS-denied environments.
Cooper also defended Operation Epic Fury, a US military campaign against Iran, which he said successfully degraded Iran's missile, drone, and naval capabilities. Despite these efforts, tensions remain high, with Tehran threatening to escalate conflicts beyond the region if the US or Israel resumes attacks.
The Pentagon's focus on underground threats reflects the shifting dynamics of modern warfare, where adversaries increasingly rely on subterranean infrastructure to shield critical assets from conventional strikes.