Before April 16, the domestic conversation about AI in warfare was largely prospective — a debate about acquisition strategies, doctrine under development, and capabilities that might someday be fielded. Admiral Cooper's statement collapsed that distance. By characterizing AI use against Iran as a daily operational reality, he moved the argument from what the military could do with these tools to what it is doing with them now . The significance is not the confirmation itself — informed observers knew AI was being integrated into ISR and targeting pipelines — but…