In the vein of Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 anti-war cinematic masterpiece, paths of glory lay just ahead for U.S Central Command (CENTCOM) in a, or nearly in a, full war-making posture by massive military escalation in the Persian Gulf region, including the formal declaration of a blockade on Iranian ports in the theater of war.

EVIDENCE FOR WAR-MAKING POSTURE 

Starting April 13, 2026 and enforced with U.S. naval assets, CENTCOM implemented a blockade against all vessels transiting via Iranian ports.

U.S. strategic forces have been conducting heavy, ongoing strikes into Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, with reports of engaging and disabling vessels.

By April into the first weekend of May, the U.S. has three aircraft carrier strike groups–-USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford, and USS George H.W. Bush– deployed by the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR) in concert, a trio of U.S. military power rarely seen on international waters in decades.

Official CENTCOM releases tout the “Operation Epic Fury”campaign as a sustained, glorious path to destroy Iran’s well-hidden drone, missile, and naval capabilities.

Haven taken to paths of glory. the U.S. has increased its military footprint with f-15e strike eagles deployed in Jordan and military hardware across the Middle East.

While the U.S. official topsy-turvy posture at times emphasizes deterrence and stability, the overall 2026 operational tempo of CENTCOM as America’s modern military hub of digital bureaucratic warfare shares themes with Kubrick’s Paths of Glory regarding the dangerous chasm between command decisions, characterized by direct naval blockades and kinetic strikes, the prioritization of self-image, with Trump showing his true colors by posting an image of himself wearing dark shades and holding an assault rifle in the foreground of explosive desert battle on his Truth Social platform, and dehumanization, inherent in high-level military bureaucratic detachment towards unpopular Middle East demographics and manifested in Trump’s anti-Palestinian administration.

The “Chateau” vs. White House Situation Room and CENTCOM

In Paths of Glory, shrewd generals (like Mireau) operate from........

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