Washington DC [US], April 16 (ANI): As the delicate two-week ceasefire remains in place between the US and Iran over the military operations in West Asia, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said on Thursday that the military is continually adjusting its tactics and techniques in this timeframe.
Admiral Cooper made the remarks during the recent press briefing on Operation Epic Fury.
He told the press that in the two-week ceasefire window, the troops remain highly motivated and working towards adjusting their procedures.
“My personal assessment is that our troops are highly motivated, focused, vigilant, and ready. They are using this time to do a couple of things- we’re rearming, we’re retooling, and we’re adjusting our tactics, techniques and procedures. There’s no military in the world that adjusts as we do, and that’s exactly what we’re doing right now during the ceasefire.”
His remarks come after the US said it would cease its attacks on Iranian infrastructure in the region during the ceasefire window.
Admiral Cooper also mentioned that during his visit to West Asia, he spent time with troops who are employing cutting-edge tactics and technology for the first time in warfare, met teams who launched one-way attack drones into Iran, teams employing AI to “sift through vast amounts of information to help us make decisions faster”–noting that humans are always in the loop in this process.
He also met air defenders who shot down Iranian ballistic missiles.
Speaking about the regional allies and partners of the United States in the region and how he interacted with both senior civilian-level and senior military-level officials, Admiral Cooper said that US military partnerships remain “stronger than ever”.
He said, “Having now fought together side-by-side, I assess that our military partnerships are stronger than ever as we continue to maintain a very active defence posture across the region during this ceasefire. That posture stretches across the entire Arabian Peninsula, and it runs from Northern Iraq all the way down into the Northern Arabian Gulf. In creating the largest air defence umbrella in the world across the Middle East, we embedded specially trained US military air defenders alongside our partner nation soldiers side-by-side. Literally side-by-side.”
He noted that Gulf leaders expressed appreciation for the service members in the region and reiterated how “Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan have been exceptional teammates.”
At the briefing, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned during a Pentagon briefing on Thursday, asserting that the maritime blockade against Iran will be maintained “for as long as it takes.”
Secretary Hegseth cautioned that American forces are prepared to restart military strikes should Tehran decline a potential peace agreement. “For as long as it takes, we will maintain this successful blockade,” he stated, reiterating that the “US is reloading with more power than before.”
The latest briefing comes after Gen Caine and Hegseth held their last public briefing about the conflict in West Asia earlier on April 8. (ANI)