Hegseth said US military leaders are closely monitoring changes in Iran’s capabilities and adapting accordingly, News.Az reports.
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“We’re making sure the theater commander has absolutely everything he needs,” he said.
According to the defense secretary, the United States had already reinforced its defensive posture in the region before the recent military buildup, discreetly deploying additional defensive assets over the past 30 days to prepare for potential Iranian actions.
Hegseth stressed that the pace and duration of military operations would be determined solely by President Donald Trump.
“The Commander-in-Chief sets the operational tempo and the terms of this fight. It’s on his terms,” he said.
The Pentagon chief also emphasized that US forces are pursuing an offensive strategy to neutralize threats before they can launch attacks.
“The best defense is good offense. We are aggressively pushing into that airspace to ensure that we control it and destroy anything that moves that would attempt to shoot us,” Hegseth said.
He added that the US military possesses highly advanced intelligence capabilities to support ongoing operations.
