According to Ukrinform, Reuters stated this in an article.

Some troops deployed in combat zones may soon be ordered to surrender their personal phones.

In a letter, Admiral Cooper said Iran has gained an advantage by being able to monitor the effectiveness of its attacks almost in real time through news reports and journalists' publications that include "reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops."

"The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries," Cooper wrote in the letter dated July 28.

As an example, he cited a video recorded using Meta smart glasses equipped with a built-in camera.

"Video captured from a service member's Meta glasses was posted on Instagram showing where and how the individual had evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack," Cooper noted.

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According to Cooper, without such publicly available material, Iran would have found it much more difficult to assess the effectiveness of its strikes because of electronic countermeasures and other operational tactics employed by U.S. forces.

He urged military personnel to strengthen their operational security practices.

CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins described the message as "a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security. This is one of many opportunities Admiral Cooper has used to convey operational priorities."

To date, 18 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 600 wounded during the conflict with Iran, which began on February 28.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted during the night of July 29 to strike several U.S. military bases in the Middle East with ballistic missiles. U.S. forces intercepted all missiles launched from Iranian territory.

Earlier, Admiral Brad Cooper had also recommended that U.S. military and political leaders end the bombing campaign in the Strait of Hormuz area, arguing that it had reached the limits of its effectiveness.

Photo: AA