Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine held their first press briefing in three months at the Pentagon today, as they delivered a detailed and somewhat fiery press conference on Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The briefing came amid a relentless onslaught of debunked attacks from members of the old Pentagon press corps that walked out at the end of last year — from the Susie Wiles "smartwatch scandal" (just a Whoop fitness tracker) to the fake Cyber Command memo claiming compromised apps were leaking troop locations (quickly shut down by DoW as baseless misinformation). As I outlined previously, the legacy media's playbook of unverified smears aims to erode trust in Trump's national security team to score partisan points.
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Nothing illustrates this more than the last briefing, when legacy reporters obsessed over female involvement in combat ops. Despite the new rules at the Pentagon, today's session echoed that combative dynamic, with Hegseth slamming "foolishness" while fielding what he called “gotcha questions” from the mainstream press. RedState was in the briefing room today and has been at the Pentagon throughout the conflict. Here’s our breakdown of a briefing that left several questions unanswered:
Triumph: Operational Success Amid Daunting Challenges
Thus far, Operation Epic Fury is a masterclass in precision warfare, achieving feats that showcase American superiority under new leadership. B2 stealth bombers executed grueling 37-hour round-trip missions, dropping bunker busters on nuclear sites reduced to rubble last summer. U.S. forces also deployed the LUCAS system in combat for the first time. LUCAS is a “kamikaze” drone system reverse-engineered from captured Iranian models, but significantly upgraded for autonomous swarming that overwhelmed and saturated Iran’s air defenses with devastating effect.
ALSO SEE: Trump's Drone Revolution Leads to Debut of Reverse-Engineered Iranian Kamikaze Drones
One of the most remarkable parts of the briefing was the revelations about American cyber ops that crippled Iranian comms. As Caine detailed, US forces "delivered synchronized and layered effects designed to disrupt, degrade, deny and destroy Iran's ability to conduct sustained combat operations." This left Tehran blind and uncoordinated, which enabled air superiority during the most critical time in a vast territory. Hegseth touted the destruction of missile threats, naval assets, and the elimination of any path to "nukes," framing the operation as a decisive blow to Iran's long-standing ambitions.
He opened the briefing by walking through the grim history of Iranian militia attacks and roadside bombs that have killed and maimed American troops for decades, pointing to the persistent pattern of proxy warfare that has caused untold numbers of American casualties and civilian deaths since the early 2000s. Hegseth stressed that President Trump has been unwavering and consistent on the red line of no Iranian nuclear weapon. The case for a preemptive strike also included the regime’s massive arsenal of drones and ballistic missiles, which Hegseth described as a deliberate conventional shield built to protect and enable their nuclear blackmail ambitions.
By dismantling that shield, the United States has removed the very tools Iran relied on to pursue nukes, Hegseth argued, and now there is a path to end the cycle of Iranian aggression once and for all.
Toll: The Human Cost of War Gives Way to More Scrutiny
Despite many of the successes of the operation, the gut-wrenching reality is that the loss of American life likely overshadows that. Four US service members have fallen since the strikes began, including three at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait from an Iranian missile hit, with a fourth later succumbing to wounds. Hegseth somberly noted, "We grieve with you, and we will never forget you," while Caine warned, "We expect to take additional losses." Politically, this is the thorniest aspect; the presence of American casualties invites further scrutiny. Adding insult: Three F15 Strike Eagles were downed by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly fire mishap amid the chaos of Iranian attacks. All six crew ejected safely, but this raises serious questions about coordination with allies. What went wrong with communications between US forces and Kuwait? CENTCOM called it a "mistaken" incident, but we can expect investigations into how such errors occur in joint operations. Hegseth emphasized casualties were anticipated in this "gritty" fight, but for families and all Americans, it’s a heartbreaking reminder that wars have a price.
The briefing's low points were testy back-and-forths with multiple legacy outlets determined to ask a question despite not being called on. "We're ensuring the mission gets accomplished," Hegseth fired back at a reporter from NBC who asked about what escalations could come in the future. The combative, unprofessional tone underscores the toxic press Pentagon dynamic under the Trump administration, where reporters chase narratives over facts.
Speaking of facts, no new details emerged on claims of an "imminent" Iranian attack on the US homeland. Hegseth cited stalled negotiations and proxy threats, but intelligence briefs revealed no preemptive strike indicators, just general ballistic risks. This vagueness will fuel media storylines, desperate to paint President Trump as reckless.
In the coming days, legacy media outlets and Democrats are likely to zero in on the justification for the campaign while questioning the administration's motives. Despite the operational successes of degrading Iran's military capabilities and triggering internal regime instability, the scrutiny will persist. Ultimately, if the regime is truly toppled and the Iranian people are liberated from decades of oppression, Operation Epic Fury will have reshaped the entire Middle East. But that’s up to the Iranian people. As Hegseth put it directly: "To the people of Iran, this is your moment."
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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