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Inside combat information centers, sailors tracked every vector in real time while electronic warfare teams jammed guidance signals and launched decoys into the water. Automated close-in weapons spun up, firing dense streams of metal designed to shred anything that slipped through the outer defenses. Minutes later, flashes erupted high above the Gulf as intercepts destroyed incoming missiles mid-flight. Debris scattered harmlessly across the sea. None reached the carrier. Moments after the last intercept, the battle’s balance shifted—from defense to retaliation. Cruise missiles and strike aircraft launched toward the coastal batteries that had fired first, bringing the confrontation full circle within half an hour.
