WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged Wednesday that some may still hit their targets even as he asserted that U.S. military superiority is quickly giving it control of the Islamic Republic’s airspace.
The United States has spared 鈥渘o expense or capability鈥� to enhance air defense systems to protect American forces and allies in the Middle East, Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon, days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in throughout the region.
鈥淭his does not mean we can stop everything, but we ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense,鈥� he said.
The acknowledgment that additional drone or missile strikes could cause damage and harm to troops comes as President Donald Trump and top defense leaders have warned that more were expected in a conflict that began Saturday and could last months. The U.S. and Israeli bombardment intensified and Iran hit back Wednesday, when the Trump administration revealed that a in the Indian Ocean.
鈥楾he risk is still high鈥� to American troops
U.S. service members 鈥渞emain in harm鈥檚 way, and we must be clear-eyed that the risk is still high,鈥� Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the news conference with Hegseth.
Six soldiers were killed when an Iranian drone strike Sunday in the heart of a civilian port in Kuwait, more than 10 miles from the main Army base. The husband of one of the slain soldiers, who was part of , says the center was a shipping container-style building and had no defenses.
Caine declined to answer a question about the possibility of deploying ground troops in Iran, which .
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to comment on U.S. boots on the ground,鈥� Caine said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a question for policymakers. And I don鈥檛 make policy, I execute policy.鈥�
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that it was 鈥渘ot part of the plan for this operation at this time鈥� but noted that “I鈥檓 not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table.鈥�
Hegseth suggests the conflict could last 3 weeks or up to 2 months
Hegseth also signaled a possible longer time frame for the conflict than has previously been floated by the administration, saying it could last eight weeks but that the U.S. has the munitions and the equipment to beat Iran in a war of attrition. He declined to set a specific time range, saying the specific duration of the war would depend on how it unfolds.
鈥淵ou can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,鈥� Hegseth said. 鈥淯ltimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we鈥檙e going to keep them off balance.鈥�
More forces are arriving in the region, including jet fighters and bombers, Hegseth said, and the U.S. 鈥渨ill take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.鈥�
Hegseth and Caine say US forces have enough munitions
Supplies of weaponry are not an issue, Hegseth and Caine said, with the defense secretary noting that the military used more advanced weapons at the start of the campaign but was switching to gravity bombs now that the U.S. has gained control of the Iranian sky. Stockpiles of the advanced weapons remain 鈥渆xtremely strong,” Hegseth said.
Caine said U.S. attacks on Iranian missile sites and other offensive targets have been successful enough that forces can strike deeper inland, allowing for the shift from sophisticated weapons that can be launched from far away to more traditional, precision bombs dropped by aircraft.
Caine said the U.S. has 鈥渟ufficient precision munitions for the task at hand, both on the offense and defense.鈥� He noted that the military would not be releasing quantities, citing operational security.
鈥淥ur air defenses and that of our allies have plenty of runway,鈥� Hegseth said. 鈥淲e can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to.鈥�
Trump the campaign is likely to last four weeks to five weeks but he was prepared 鈥渢o go far longer than that.鈥�
Tehran has pledge to completely destroy Iran’s military and , signaling the war was nowhere near over and could expand further. But Iran’s use of missiles and drones is putting a dent in its arsenal.
The number of ballistic missiles fired by Iran is down 86% from the first day of the U.S. military鈥檚 campaign, with a 23% drop in the past 24 hours, Caine said Wednesday, and Iran’s use of one-way attack drone shots is down 73% from the opening days. The decrease could indicate that Iran is holding some weapons in reserve to prolong the conflict.
Americans scramble to depart the Mideast
The administration promoted its the region. It had abruptly advised those in 14 countries to leave immediately even as the threat of missiles and drones closed airspace in the region and .
The State Department said it has assisted nearly 6,500 Americans since the start of the war and has began charter flights and other transportation. Caine said the military has opened up available seats as military transport planes arrive 鈥渢o try to help folks get out.鈥�
The State Department said one charter flight departed the Middle East for the U.S. on Wednesday. It did not say where the flight originated, though it has said it is arranging charter aircraft from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
More than 17,500 Americans have returned to the U.S. from the region since Saturday, including more than 8,500 on Tuesday alone, the department said. It acknowledged that the vast majority of those used commercial transportation without any government assistance.
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Associated Press writers Ben Finley, Meg Kinnard, Matthew Lee and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
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