Gen. Caine Goes Step-By-Step Through U.S. Strikes On Iran A.K.A. 'Operation Midnight Hammer'

Forbes Breaking News

At a Pentagon press briefing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine goes step-by-step through Operation Midnight Hammer.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

00:01Thanks for recognizing all of our folks out there doing our nation's work,

00:07and nice to see everybody on this early Sunday morning.

00:11Last night on the President's orders, U.S. Central Command,

00:14under the command of General Eric Carilla,

00:16executed Operation Midnight Hammer,

00:19a deliberate and precise strike against three Iranian nuclear facilities.

00:24This was a complex and high-risk mission

00:27carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our joint force.

00:31I want to thank every service member, planner, operator that made this mission possible.

00:37Their actions reflect the highest standards of the United States Armed Forces.

00:42This operation was designed to severely degrade Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure.

00:48It was planned and executed across multiple domains and theaters

00:52with coordination that reflects our ability to project power globally

00:57with speed and precision at the time and place of our nation's choosing.

01:02This was a highly classified mission with very few people in Washington

01:06knowing the timing or nature of this plan.

01:10I'll refer you to the graphic on the side

01:12as I walk you through some of the operational details.

01:15At midnight Friday into Saturday morning,

01:19a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States.

01:25As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise,

01:28part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy,

01:33a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners

01:39and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.

01:42The main strike package comprised of seven B-2 Spirit bombers,

01:47each with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications.

01:54Throughout the 18-hour flight into the target area,

01:57the aircraft completed multiple in-flight refuelings.

02:01Once over land, the B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft

02:07in a complex, tightly-timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms

02:14in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications.

02:20This type of integration is exactly what our joint force does better than anyone else in the world.

02:27At approximately 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time last night,

02:33and just prior to the strike package entering Iran,

02:36a U.S. submarine in the Central Command Area of Responsibility

02:40launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles

02:44against key surface infrastructure targets at Esfahan.

02:48As the Operation Midnight Hammer Strike Package entered Iranian airspace,

02:54the U.S. employed several deception tactics, including decoys,

02:59as the fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package

03:06at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package

03:10for enemy fighters and surface-to-air missile threats.

03:14The strike package was supported by U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Transportation Command,

03:21U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Space Command, U.S. Space Force, and U.S. European Command.

03:29As the strike package approached Fordow and Natanz,

03:34the U.S. Protection Package employed high-speed suppression weapons

03:39to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets

03:43employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian surface-to-air threats.

03:51We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. strike package on the way in.

03:57At approximately 6.40 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 2.10 a.m. Iran time,

04:06the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator weapons

04:12on the first of several aim points at Fordow.

04:16As the President stated last night, the remaining bombers then hit their targets as well,

04:21with a total of 14 mops dropped against two nuclear target areas.

04:28All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6.40 p.m. and 7.05 p.m. Eastern Time.

04:38Again, that's about 2.10 in the morning local time in Iran,

04:41with the Tomahawk missiles being the last to strike at Esfahan

04:46to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation.

04:51Following weapons release, the midnight hammer strike package exited Iranian airspace

04:58and the package began its return home.

05:01We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.

05:08Iran's fighters did not fly,

05:11and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us.

05:18Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise.

05:22In total, U.S. forces employed approximately 75 precision-guided weapons during this operation.

05:29This included, as the President stated last night, 14 30,000-pound GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrators,

05:38marking the first-ever operational use of this weapon.

05:42I know that battle damage is of great interest.

05:46Final battle damage will take some time,

05:49but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.

05:57More than 125 U.S. aircraft participated in this mission,

06:03including B-2 stealth bombers, multiple flights of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters,

06:10dozens and dozens of air-refueling tankers, a guided-missile submarine,

06:15and a full array of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft,

06:21as well as hundreds of maintenance and operational professionals.

06:25As the Secretary said, this was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history

06:32and the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown,

06:37exceeded only by those in the days following 9-11.

06:42Well prior to the strike, General Carrilla elevated force protection measures across the region,

06:48especially in Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf.

06:51Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks,

07:01which would be an incredibly poor choice.

07:05We will defend ourselves.

07:08The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority.

07:14This mission demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination, and capability

07:20of the United States military.

07:22In just a matter of weeks, this went from strategic planning to global execution.

07:28This operation underscores the unmatched capabilities

07:32and global reach of the United States military.

07:35As the President clearly said last night,

07:38no other military in the world could have done this.

07:44I join the President and the Secretary in being incredibly proud of the air crews,

07:49naval forces, cyber operators, planners, and support teams,

07:54and commanders who made this mission possible.

07:56It is their skill, discipline, and teamwork that makes this operation possible.

08:02I am particularly proud of our discipline related to operational security,

08:09something that was of great concern to the President, the Secretary, General Carrilla, and me,

08:15and we will continue to focus on this.

08:18As we stand here this morning, many assets are still airborne, and we have hundreds deployed.

08:24I ask that we keep our warfighters on their way home and our deployed service member in our thoughts.

08:31Our joint force remains ready to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests in the region.

Category

Transcript

Recommended