Operation Epic Fury kicked off on February 28, 2026. By the time the Pentagon called it done on May 5, more than 50,000 U.S. service members had been pulled into the CENTCOM AOR for it. Tanker crews, Patriot and THAAD batteries, three carrier strike groups, bomber crews flying from the States, Marines on the Tripoli ARG, and a whole lot of people standing watch on bases that were taking incoming. This hat is for them.
What was Operation Epic Fury?
Operation Epic Fury was the U.S. name for the joint U.S. and Israeli air and naval campaign against Iran that began February 28, 2026. CENTCOM ran it, with the mission of dismantling Iran's missile production, air defenses, navy, and regime security apparatus. B-2s hit hardened ballistic missile facilities in the opening days. B-1s struck deep inside Iran on March 1. Navy ships launched Tomahawks, and on March 13 U.S. forces hit more than 90 military targets on Kharg Island while leaving the oil infrastructure standing. By late April the Abraham Lincoln, Gerald R. Ford, and George H.W. Bush strike groups were all in theater at once, the first time three carriers had operated in the Middle East since 2003, and CENTCOM had logged more than 13,000 strikes. Iran answered with hundreds of missiles and thousands of drones, and U.S. bases in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain took fire within hours. A ceasefire took hold in April. The Pentagon lists May 5, 2026 as the operation's official end date.
Who this hat is for
Anybody who was in the AOR between February 28 and May 5, 2026, in whatever job they had. The air defenders who ran Patriot and THAAD crews through weeks of incoming. Sailors and Marines on the Lincoln, the Ford, the Bush, the Tripoli, and the destroyers running ballistic missile defense. Boom operators, loadmasters, maintainers, 88Ms, cooks, medics, and everybody who stood a post in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, or anywhere else in the Gulf while the sirens went off. Still on active duty? It will keep. Buying for someone who deployed? You are in the right place.
One more thing. The Pentagon's own reports abbreviate it OEF. Enduring Freedom vets, you are going to have to share.
Hat details
- "EPIC FURY" in embroidery, hunter green with rust red lightning accents
- "OPERATION" and "VETERAN" in flat hunter green stitching above and below
- Natural cream crown and mesh back
- Old school duck camo bill and top button in tan, green, rust, and black
- 60% cotton, 40% polyester
- Pre-curved bill, adjustable snapback closure, one size fits all
Why old school duck camo
The spot pattern on the bill is the civilian descendant of the M1942 "frog skin" camouflage Marines wore in the Pacific in WWII. Hunters adopted it in the decades after the war and it never went away. It reads military without copying a current issue pattern, which is the point. No OCP, no MultiCam cosplay. Just a pattern with more than eighty years of history under it.
Questions we get
What dates count as Operation Epic Fury?
February 28, 2026 through May 5, 2026, per the Pentagon. Operations in the region after the May 5 end date are logged under "Overseas Operations" in the CENTCOM AOR rather than under Epic Fury.
Is there a campaign medal for Epic Fury?
Each service sets its own award eligibility and we are not the awards branch, so check your branch's current guidance. What we can verify: in September 2026 the Navy authorized the Combat Action Ribbon, the Strike/Flight Air Medal, and the V, C, and R devices for service in support of Operation Epic Fury, effective from February 28, 2026 to a date still to be determined.
Is this an official military item?
No. Tactically Acquired is a veteran-owned company, not a government entity, and this hat is not endorsed by the Pentagon or any service branch. Operation Epic Fury is the operation's public name as used by CENTCOM. The design is ours.
Who designed it?
Tactically Acquired is owned and run by a Marine veteran. We build unit and operation gear for the people who were actually there, and we get the history right or we fix it in public.
Served in it? Wear it. See the rest of the Operation Epic Fury collection.
