Iran significantly outclassed by US martial might, admiral tells sailors in Italy visit

Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, left, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman speak to sailors during an all-hands call on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy. Caudle and Perryman were in Naples to speak with U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet officials and sailors. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

NAPLES, Italy — Iran is no match for American military forces, the Navy’s highest-ranking active-duty officer said this week.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, told hundreds of sailors at an all-hands call Wednesday that although he doesn’t take Iranian posturing lightly, U.S. forces overmatched Tehran’s threats “significantly” when it comes to capabilities.

“We have a very good approach of providing the president of the United States military options,” Caudle told an audience at Naval Support Activity Naples. “Iran knows this. So, the fact that we have that type of capability is a strong deterrent.”

The U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in June in an operation dubbed Midnight Hammer was evidence of the American military’s “capability to do things on that order and that scale,” he said.

Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman were in Naples on Wednesday and Thursday to meet with officials and sailors of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, left, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman speak to sailors during an all-hands call on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy. During the more than hour-long meeting, Caudle told sailors that the capabilities of American forces “overmatched” those of Iran. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

Uniformed sailors raise their hands during a reenlistment ceremony.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, left, gave the reenlistment oath to a group of sailors on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 during an all-hands call at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy. Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman were in Naples to speak with U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet officials and sailors. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

Uniformed sailors sit in chairs at an all-hands call.

Hundreds of sailors attended an all-hands call with Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, left, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 in an aircraft hangar at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy. During the more than hour-long meeting, Caudle told sailors that the capabilities of American forces “overmatched” those of Iran. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

The visit followed Caudle’s attendance at the Paris Naval Conference earlier in the week.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump told NBC News that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be “very worried.” Trump has repeatedly warned Iran that the U.S. has an “armada” coming to the region.

A day earlier, U.S. Central Command confirmed that a Navy F-35 Lightning II fighter jet had shot down an Iranian drone as it “aggressively” approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled to begin negotiations Friday in Oman. The administration wants Tehran to stop its nuclear program altogether and get rid of its enriched uranium, among other demands.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has beefed up naval forces in the Middle East, sending the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group with its three destroyers and Carrier Air Wing 9 into the region.

There are at least eight Navy destroyers in the area, including two more in the Persian Gulf, one in the Red Sea and two in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

All told, there are 40,000 U.S. service members throughout the Middle East stationed in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and other countries.

Caudle’s remarks Wednesday were in response to a sailor’s question about concerns that potential hostilities with Iran could ignite a broader conflict in the Middle East, putting sailors and their families there at risk.

The safety and security of U.S. forces, military families and Defense Department civilians at U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain and other locations in the Middle East is of the utmost concern, Caudle said.

He pointed to Joint Force capabilities along with strong partnerships throughout the region that allow base access and overflight of other nations.

Force protection is a persistent conversation for Caudle and the region’s top commanders as they weigh concerns and options, he said.

For example, amid escalating tensions with Iran in June, the Pentagon approved voluntary departures for military families. Many chose to temporarily return to the U.S.

But restricting dependents from accompanying sailors assigned to Bahrain or other Navy bases is not a favored option, as it runs counter to the service’s efforts to support the well-being of sailors, he said.

“Families are essential to the effectiveness of a sailor’s life,” Caudle said. “I’m not a big fan of unaccompanied tours.”

Navy