Posted on 06/26/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed new details about the recent US military strike on Iran's nuclear program and the subsequent defense of Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar during a joint press conference on Thursday.
Gen. Dan Caine offered extensive new details about the US military response to Iran's retaliatory missile attack. "We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history," Caine revealed.
He described how approximately 44 American servicemembers manning the Patriot Missile batteries at Al-Udeid Air Base had only two minutes to respond as Iranian missiles approached. Their swift and precise action successfully thwarted the attack. The oldest servicemember involved in the defense was 28 years old, and the youngest was just 21.
Caine also noted that Al-Udeid had moved most of its occupants off base ahead of the strike to minimize potential casualties. "These awesome humans, along with their Qatari brothers and sisters in arms, stood between a salvo of Iranian missiles and the safety of Al-Udeid," Caine said. "They are the unsung heroes of the 21st-century United States Army."
Caine also disclosed that the Pentagon had been tracking Iran's Fordow nuclear facility since 2009, with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) monitoring construction specifics. Two officers had closely studied the site's geology, construction materials, and environmental cues for years. "They literally dreamed about this target at night when they slept," Caine said, adding that the team recognized early that the underground complex had no peaceful purpose.
Because existing ordnance was insufficient, DTRA worked with industry partners to develop the GBU-57, a bomb capable of penetrating Fordow's fortified depths. Caine said he recently met with the two officers behind the monitoring efforts, quoting one who said, "I can't even get my head around this. My heart is so filled with the pride of being a part of this team."
Secretary Hegseth focused his remarks on what he described as biased media coverage of the strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. "Whether it's fake news CNN, MSNBC, or the New York Times, there has been fawning coverage of a preliminary assessment from the DIA," Hegseth said, referring to a Defense Intelligence Agency report that rated the impact of the strike as "low confidence."
He contrasted the DIA's assessment with conclusions from other entities, stating that Israel's atomic energy agency found Iran's Fordow facility to be "inoperable," while the International Atomic Energy Agency reported "enormous damage."
"Time and time again, I can go down the list... those that do proper assessments recognize that what the United States military did was historic," Hegseth asserted.
He further rebuked the press for what he described as hostility towards President Donald Trump. "You, the press, specifically you, the press corps, because you cheer against Trump so hard. It's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad. You have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren't effective," he said.
Hegseth criticized the media's lack of coverage of the challenges faced by the military personnel involved. "How many stories have been written about how hard it is? I don't know, fly a plane for 36 hours? ... Have we done it 2 or 3 times? So the American people understand how difficult it is?"
"What's really happening is you're undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and incredible F-35 pilots and incredible refueling and incredible air defenders who accomplished their mission, set back a nuclear program in ways that other presidents would have dreamed," Hegseth concluded.
Following the press conference, President Donald Trump commended it, writing on Truth Social: "One of the greatest, most professional, and most 'confirming' news conferences I have ever seen! The fake news should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors and everyone else!"