On Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Haggis released photos of his secret visit to US troops in the Middle East and held a press conference, stating that during his visit, the US military successfully intercepted two missiles. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the unpredictability of the US military in winning wars.
During a press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Haggis revealed his experiences meeting with US troops stationed in the Middle East who were carrying out the “Wrath of the Epic” military operation targeting Iran.
The Pentagon official said that during the visit, two incoming missiles were successfully shot down by the US military. He also added that he had conversations with US Air Force and Navy personnel, some of whom had “just returned from Iranian airspace.”
“I asked every young American officer, what do you need? No one said they need better equipment, no one said they need more comfortable living conditions, and no one said ‘let me go home’. Of course, ultimately we all want these needs fulfilled. They do too.” Haggis said.
“But these Americans – young and old, officers and enlisted, male and female, black and white – said to me: ‘Let us complete the mission. Give us more bombs, bigger bombs, more targets. Let us complete this mission.'”
Haggis also posted related photos of his secret visit to the US troops on the social media platform X on Tuesday, captioning it, “I witnessed these warriors with my own eyes, a group of men and women who are like brothers and sisters, each one a warrior.”
At the Pentagon press conference on Tuesday, Haggis emphasized the importance of maintaining the unpredictability of the US military.
The Pentagon has deployed a large number of US troops to the Middle East. There has been speculation about whether the Trump administration is considering ground operations against Iran. Haggis explicitly stated that the US military’s decisions will not be made public.
“If you tell your adversaries what you are willing or unwilling to do – including deploying ground troops – you cannot win a war.” He said, “Our adversaries now believe we have 15 different ways to deploy ground troops. Guess what? We do indeed.”
He added that if necessary, the US can “implement these options.”
“Or we may not need to use these options at all. Perhaps negotiations will work. Or maybe there are other methods. The key is to maintain unpredictability – of course, do not let anyone know what you are willing or unwilling to do.” He said.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Kane also told reporters at the press conference that the range of “military options available to the US military is very wide,” and the deployment of troops to the Middle East is not just to provide options for ground operations, but also for other purposes.
“I do not want to limit the president’s decision space, but there are many options, one of which (Iran should note), is that the US military is there, creating a pressure point, so they (Iran) should carefully consider the current situation, at least diplomatically.” He said.