Chokepoint Convergence: A Geospatial Mixed-Methods Analysis of Multi-Domain Coordination in Operation Epic Fury

Multi-domain operations (MDO) doctrine has been the centerpiece of U.S. military modernization since 2018, yet Operation Epic Fury (February 28–April 8, 2026) provided the first large-scale empirical test of MDO concepts against a state adversary. This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design combining quantitative geospatial analysis with qualitative directed content analysis to examine how U.S. forces achieved multi-domain convergence to neutralize threats and control the Strait of Hormuz. The quantitative strand applied Getis-Ord Gi* hot spot analysis, kernel density estimation, space-time pattern mining, and proximity analysis to a georeferenced database of 71 strikes, 36 ships attacked, 15 maritime traffic observations, and 22 satellite damage assessments. The qualitative strand analyzed 34 official documents—operational communications, doctrinal publications, and Congressional testimony—using a 42-code framework with inter-coder reliability of κ = 0.81. Integration through joint display matrices yielded three overarching findings. First, operations exhibited a bimodal spatial distribution with a dominant Tehran hot spot (43.1% of strikes, z = 4.23, p < .001) and a secondary Bushehr–Bandar Abbas coastal cluster (29.2%, z = 3.87, p < .001), producing a discontiguous convergence zone spanning 790 kilometers. Second, the Strait of Hormuz functioned as a “strategic attractor,” with strike density 12.8 times greater than expected within 100 kilometers and a southward migration of the operational mean center from 32.59°N to 30.71°N. Third, convergence across domains was sequential rather than simultaneous, with air operations self-enabling on Day 1 while maritime effectiveness depended on prior air superiority, revealing a domain hierarchy inconsistent with MDO doctrine’s domain equivalence assumption. Sustainment emerged as the binding constraint, with 3 of 4 analytic dimensions convergent but logistics rated only as complementary. These findings advance a geographic convergence model that reorients MDO theory from technology-centric to geography-centric coordination, with implications for doctrine development, operational planning, and defense investment.