Operation Sledgehammer

Operation Sledgehammer is a proposed name, not an active operation. On 12 May 2026, two US officials told NBC News the Pentagon was considering adopting this designation for any resumed Iran military campaign, specifically as a legal mechanism to restart the 60-day War Powers Resolution (WPR) clock from zero. The underlying logic: a new named operation constitutes a new engagement, resetting the clock the administration has already burned through under Operation Epic Fury.

Operation Epic Fury, the original US Iran campaign, launched 28 February 2026; the WPR 60-day clock lapsed 29 April without congressional authorisation. Restarting hostilities under the existing name risks constitutional challenge. The Sledgehammer rename is reported alongside Secretary Hegseth's Article 2 doctrine as one of two legal vehicles under consideration. No executive order, presidential proclamation, or congressional notification has been issued under the Sledgehammer name as of 17 May 2026. Its status is 'considered, not adopted.'

The name itself carries strategic communication weight regardless of adoption: leaking it to NBC serves as a deterrence signal to Iran (US is preparing to resume) and a domestic political marker (administration has a plan). Critics argue the WPR clock-reset rationale is constitutionally dubious; prior administrations have tested WPR limits but rarely through explicit renaming to sidestep it.