Defense Secretary Pete Hengseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine held a press conference this morning following the Saturday U.S. strikes on Iran nuclear facilities.
The Secretary and Chairman layed out how the classified mission was executed while retaining the element of surprise, with “very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of this plan” and B-2 Stealth Bomber pilots having “minimal communications” as they made their 18-hour journey into Iran.
This included decoy planes flying West into the Pacific Ocean to throw off the Iranians and the public, seven B-2s carrying Massive Ordnance Penetrator ‘Bunker Busters,’ each with two crew members, “proceeded quietly to the east.” As The Gateway Pundit reported on Saturday, as many as six B-2s were detected heading towards guam, which the world believed was meant for last night’s attack.
“As the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian airspace, the U.S. employed several deception tactics, including decoys as the fourth and fifth generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface to air missile threats,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine explained.
At around 2:10am local time, the lead B-2 bomber dropped two GBU-57 Bunker Buster bombs on the first aim point at Fordow, Caine said.
Caine said the mission was executed in total secrecy and U.S. planes were “in and out and back without the world knowing at all.”
Caine added that they are “currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in” and “unaware of any shots fired at the Package on the way out.”
“Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”
WATCH:
Transcript below:
Hegseth: Last night, on President Trump’s orders, U.S. Central Command conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, in order to destroy or severely degrade Iran’s nuclear program. And as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will demonstrate, it was an incredible and overwhelming success. The order we received from our commander in chief was focused, it was powerful, and it was clear. We devastated the Iranian nuclear program. But it’s worth noting, the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people. For the entirety of his time in office, President Trump has consistently stated for over 10 years that Iran must not get a nuclear weapon, full stop. Thanks to President Trump’s bold and visionary leadership and his commitment to peace through strength, Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated. Many presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran’s nuclear program, and none could until President Trump.
The operation President Trump planned was bold, and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this President speaks, the world should listen, and the US military, we can back it up— the most powerful military the world has ever known. No other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation that the chairman is going to outline this morning, not even close. Just like Solemani found out in the first term, Iran found out that when POTUS says 60 days that he seeks peace and negotiation, he means 60 days of peace and negotiation. Otherwise, that nuclear program, that nuclear capability, will not exist. He meant it. This is not the previous administration. President Trump said, no nukes. He seeks peace, and Iran should take that path. He sent out a truth last night, saying this: “Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight, signed the President of the United States, Donald J Trump.” Iran, would be smart to heed those words. He said it before, and he means it.
I want to give recognition to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Staff, General Eric Carillo at CENTCOM, who did a phenomenal job, he and his staff, all have CENTCOM. Policy across the board, this was a joint effort and across the Pentagon effort. I want to recognize the pilots who flew those bombers, who flew those fighters, who flew those refuelers, warriors. I want to recognize the sailors on those destroyers, in those subs, on those carriers, warriors, all of them. I want to recognize our soldiers doing air defense, base defense, QRF, warriors, all of them. Every American involved in this operation performed flawlessly, and I want to give recognition to our allies in Israel as well. This is a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation so that we could be ready when the President of the United States called. It took a great deal of precision, it involved misdirection, and the highest of operational security. Our B-2s went in and out of downtown Tehran, not Tehran, excuse me, of these nuclear sites— in and out and back without the world knowing at all. In that way, it was historic, a strike that included the longest B-2 Spirit Bomber mission since 2001 and the first operational employment of the MOP, a Massive Ordinance Penetrator. The mission demonstrated to the world the level of joint and allied integration that speak to the strength of our alliance and our joint forces. As President Trump has stated, the United States does not seek war, but let me be clear, we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened. Iran. Should listen to the President of the United States and know that he means it, every word. I want to give congratulations to our Commander in Chief. It was an honor to watch him lead last night and throughout and to our great American warriors on this successful operation. God bless our troops, God bless America, and we give glory to God for His providence, and continue to ask for his protection. I turn it over now to the Chairman for specifics.
Caine: Last night, on the President’s orders, US Central Command, under the command of General Eric Carillo, executed Operation Midnight Hammer, a deliberate and precise strike against three Iranian nuclear facilities. This was a complex and high risk mission carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our joint force. I want to thank every service member, planner, operator, that made this mission possible. Their actions reflect the highest standards of the United States Armed Forces. This operation was designed to severely degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure. It was planned and executed across multiple domains and theaters with coordination that reflects our ability to project power globally, with speed and precision at the time and place of our nation’s choosing. This was a highly classified mission with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of this plan. I’ll refer you to the graphic on the side as I walk you through some of the operational details.
At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package, comprised of bombers, launched from the continental United States. As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa. The main strike package, comprised of seven B-2 Spirit Bombers, each with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications. Throughout the 18-hour flight into the target area, the aircraft completed multiple in-flight refuelings. Once over land, the B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed maneuver, requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications. This type of integration is exactly what our Joint Force does better than anyone else in the world. At approximately 5 pm eastern standard time last night, and just prior to the strike package entering Iran, a US submarine in the Central Command Area of Responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets at Esfahan, as the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian airspace, the U.S. employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as the fourth and fifth generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface to air missile threats. The strike package was supported by U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Space Command, U.S. Space Force, and U.S. European Command. As the strike package approached Fordow and Natanz, the U.S. protection package employed high-speed suppression weapons to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian surface-to-air threats. We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in. At approximately 6:40 pm Eastern Standard Time, 2:10 am Iran time, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator weapons on the first of several aim points at Fordow. As the President stated last night, the remaining bombers then hit their targets as well, with a total of 14 MOPs dropped against two nuclear target areas. All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40 pm and 7:05 pm Eastern time. Again, that’s about 2:10 in the morning, local time in Iran, with the Tomahawk missiles being the last to strike at Esfahan to ensure we retained the element of surprise throughout the operation.
Following weapons release, the Midnight Hammer strike package exited Iranian airspace, and the package began its return home. We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out. Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us. Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise. In total, US forces employed approximately 75 precision-guided weapons during this operation. This included, as the President stated last night, 14 30,000-pound GBU 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, marking the first ever operational use of this weapon. I know that battle damage is of great interest. Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction. More than 125 U.S. aircraft participated in this mission, including B-2 stealth bombers, multiple flights of fourth and fifth-generation fighters, dozens and dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and a full array of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as hundreds of maintenance and operational professionals.
As the Secretary said, this was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, and the second longest B-2 mission ever flown, exceeded only by those in the days following 9/11. Well prior to the strike, General Carillo, elevated force protection measures across the region, especially in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf. Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice. We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority. This mission demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination, and capability of the United States military. In just a matter of weeks, this went from strategic planning to global execution. This operation underscores the unmatched capabilities and global reach of the United States military. As the President clearly said last night, no other military in the world could have done this. I join the President and the Secretary in being incredibly proud of the air crews, naval forces, cyber operators, planners and support teams, and commanders who made this mission possible. It is their skill, discipline, and teamwork that makes this operation possible. I am particularly proud of our discipline related to operational security, something that was of great concern to the President, the Secretary, General Carillo, and me, and we will continue to focus on this. As we stand here this morning, many assets are still airborne, and we have hundreds deployed. I ask that we keep our war fighters on their way home and our deployed service member in our thoughts. Our joint force remains ready to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests in the region.
The post WATCH: “Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER” – Hegseth and Gen. Caine Detail Highly Classified and Sophisticated Iran Operation and Use of Decoys to Maintain Element of Surprise in “Longest B-2 Spirit Bomber Mission Since 2001” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.