[MILITARY REPORTS]

Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session – 19 May 2026

2026-04-28T01:25:24Z

â¢ Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session â 19 May 2026

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Press Release

28 April 2026

Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session â 19 May 2026

NATOâs highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet on 19 May 2026, at the Chiefs of Defence (CHODs) level. The Chair of the Military Committee (CMC), Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, will preside the meeting, with the participation of the 32 Allies, along with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Alexus G. Grynkewich, and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Admiral Pierre Vandier.

During the first session of the Military Committee in CHODs Session (MCCS), SACEUR will brief on NATOâs path to further strengthen the Allianceâs deterrence and defence. Allied CHODs will also discuss the status of ongoing NATO-led missions, activities and operations.

Following, the MCCS will welcome Mr. Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, for a discussion on the Allianceâs political objectives, priorities and milestones on the way towards the NATO Summit in Ankara.

In the second formal session, SACT will provide an updated overview of how NATO is evolving its Defence Planning Process to better integrate emerging technologies, innovation, and operational lessons, accelerate capability delivery, and help Allies reach capability targets faster, with a force mix better aligned with the evolving character of war.

The third session will be the NATO-Ukraine Council (in CHODs session), when the MCCS, together with the Chair of the European Union Military Committee (CEUMC) will discuss with the Ukrainian CHOD (connected via VTC) the current situation along Ukraineâs front lines and beyond, including the global implications of the war. Continued NATO and EU support to Ukraine will also be on the agenda.

NATO-EU cooperation will be the focus of the last session. Allied CHODs, senior authorities and CEUMC will discuss opportunities for a deeper and closer collaboration between the two organizations, across a wide range of issues, from defence industry to military mobility.

CMC, SACEUR, SACT will hold a Joint Press Conference at the end of the sessions.

View the full programme

Media Opportunity

Tuesday 19 May 2026

0800 Livestreamed Opening Remarks by:

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee.

1545 Livestreamed Press Conference with

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC).
General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)
Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT)

The press conference is the only opportunity for media to attend in person. Media representatives wishing to attend the press conference who do not already hold a valid, annual pass, are invited to contact the NATO IMS Public Affairs and Strategic Communications (PASCAD) Office via email (pascad@hq.nato.int) with the completed accreditation form (below) no later than 1200hrs (Brussels Time) on Monday, 11 May 2026.

Media accreditation forms

Please download the accreditation form and send it via email with the required attachments: English | French

In case of any issue, please email pascad@hq.nato.int

Once approved, media passes will not be mailed to applicants, but must be collected in person, on the day of the event, at the Guard House South, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III, Brussels, upon presentation of a valid ID card / passport, along with a valid national Press pass (or accreditation letter from a recognized media organisation), and a copy of the confirmation email of successful accreditation.

Passes must be always worn visibly during the stay at NATO Headquarters. Security personnel may ask to check another form of ID, at any time. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site. Media representatives are also advised to arrive at NATO Headquarters with sufficient lead-time to complete their in-processing.

The opening remarks delivered by CMC will be streamed live on the NATO website.

The press conference will also be streamed live on the NATO website and the live feed will be provided to EBU.

Video footage will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

Imagery

Following each event, photos, video and audio files will be made available on the NATO IMS webpage www.nato.int/ims, as well as on the relevant event page for the MCCS.

Social Media

Latest information and photos from the MCCS will be posted on the following X accounts: @CMC_NATO and @NATO_PASCAD.

Please use the hashtags #NATOCHoDs and #NATOMC when posting about the NATO Military Committee.

Media Enquiries:

Capt (N) Giovanni Galoforo, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff.

Tel: +32 2 707 5983

E-Mail: Galoforo.Giovanni@hq.nato.int

LTC Balkus Tomas, Deputy Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff.

Tel: +32 2 707 1029

E-Mail: Balkus.Tomas@hq.nato.int

Find more background information about the NATO Military Committee

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing

2026-04-24T10:27:30Z

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing

April 24, 2026

SECRETARY OF WAR PETE HEGSETH: Â Well, good morning. Unlike the endless wars of the past that dragged on for years and for decades with little to show for it, Operation Epic Fury has delivered a decisive military result in just weeks. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, as the President has pointed out, all took years, decades, vague missions, shifting sands, little to show for it. Operation Epic Fury has been laser-focused from the very start, as I've said to all of you.Â

Clear mission objectives and, ultimately, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. It's a bold and dangerous mission, a gift to the world, historic, courtesy of a bold and historic President. That mission continues today in this new phase, as Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal.

As part of that effort, the United States has imposed an ironclad blockade that grows more powerful by the day. From the Gulf of Oman to the open oceans, our Navy is enforcing this blockade without hesitation or apology. Now, as usual, there's a lot of false information out there. I'll say this, every ship, every ship that the US believes meets our criteria, either Iranian ships or to and from Iranian ports, has been turned around. As of this morning, 34 total.

Non-Iranian vessels are allowed to transit, and many have, including overnight. Not only is the blockade growing, in fact, a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days, but this growing blockade has also gone global. Just this week, we seized two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect. They thought they'd made it out just in time. They did not.Â

We seized their sanctioned ships and we will seize more. Our blockade is growing and going global. America's military is unmatched, projecting power, denying passage to adversaries, and protecting our interests at the time and place of our choosing.

No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy. To the regime in Tehran, the blockade is tightening by the hour. We are in control, nothing in, nothing out. Iran's battered military, the IRGC specifically, has been reduced to a gang of pirates with a flag.

They cloak their aggression in slogans, but the world now sees them for what they are, criminals on the high seas. They don't control anything. They're acting like pirates, acting like terrorists. They're the ones who lay indiscriminate mines, who shoot at random ships, who killed 45,000 of their own people, innocent protesters in the course of weeks, their own people. They are the bad actors.Â

The vessels that the Iranians seized in recent days, a couple of them, they're not American ships, they're not Israeli ships, they're just random ships that drove where they drove their little speedboats up to and shot at those ships with AK-47s. Anyone with a speedboat, a gun, and the wrong intentions can do that.

They know that we, the United States of America, control the flow of global shipping, and we know that they know. Their real navy is at the bottom of the Arabian Gulf. It's worth saying again, for 47 years, Iran has been at war with America, killing our citizens, our soldiers, and our allies, while previous administrations looked the other way.

The real endless war is the war that Iran has waged on us for 47 years. President Trump is the only president with the guts and moral clarity to finally do something about it. I see it every day behind closed doors; President Trump's fortitude is unshakable and his mission is crystal clear. President Trump said it again yesterday, we have all the time in the world, and we're not anxious for a deal. And I hear him say it every day in private as well.Â

Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely, as we said previously, choose wisely at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon and in meaningful and verifiable ways. Or instead, they can watch their regime's fragile economic state collapse under the unrelenting pressure of American power.

A blockade as long as it takes, whatever President Trump decides, because the bottom line remains the bottom line, Iran will never get a nuclear bomb. The choice is theirs, but with this blockade, the clock is not on their side.

Moreover, President Trump has authorized the United States Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats that attempt to put mines in the water or disrupt passage through the Strait of Hormuz, to shoot and kill. Our commanders have clear rules of engagement. If Iran is putting mines in the water, or otherwise threatening American commercial shipping or American forces, we will shoot to destroy, no hesitation, just like the drug boats in the Caribbean.Â

It's also worth saying, this should not be America's fight alone. We barely use the Strait of Hormuz as a country. Our energy doesn't flow through there, and we have plenty of energy. Just look at the new global Congo line headed to Texas, a beautiful picture.
Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free-riding is over. America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal, and who understand that being an ally is not a one-way street, it's a two-way street. We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe, and getting a boat.

This is much more their fight than ours. On this core mission, America's will is unshakable, our capabilities unmatched. Our blockade is only growing and going global. And as the President said, we have all the time in the world. Iran has a historic chance to make a serious deal, and the ball is in their court. Either way, the War Department stands ready for what comes next, locked and loaded. May God continue to bless our warriors each and every day and on each and every mission. Mr. Chairman, over to you.

GENERAL DAN CAINE: Â Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here. Today marks 55 days since the President of the United States ordered major combat operations against Iran. Today, and this morning, the Joint Force remains postured and prepared to recommence major combat operations on the order of the president.

On April 8th, the president announced a cease fire. And last week, at the president's direction and on order of the secretary, US CENTCOM began enforcing a blockade against all commercial vessels going into and out of Iran and their ports. Simultaneously, the US military, in support of the US Department of Justice, was ordered to conduct maritime interdiction operations against sanctioned and dark fleet vessels globally. This operation also began on April 8th. And what I'd like to do this morning is update all of you on those actions and activities.Â

First, as I mentioned, US Central Command continues to maintain a strict blockade on all the ports. We're enforcing the blockade across the board against any ship of any nationality that is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory.

We're closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade area when this blockade was ordered. And as everyone saw this past weekend, we're prepared and postured to intercept them. As of this morning, 34 ships have met the US blockade and made the wise choice to turn around.

One ship did not, and that ship was the motor vessel Touska. Over several hours this past Sunday, April 19th the US conducted maritime interdiction operations against the Touska, whose crew attempted to breach the blockade line. The Touska is a large container ship, about 965 feet long, or about the same size as a United States Navy aircraft carrier, and over 100 feet wide.

The operation began about 4:00 am Eastern Standard Time, when the United States Navy destroyer approached her and the crew and the vessel ignored warnings. And I've described how the destroyer force is operating in the area prior. Um, upon intercept and coming within visual range, American forces began to issue several clear and unambiguous warnings, and informed the vessel and their crew that they were in a violation of the US blockade and directed the ship to turn around.

Over a six hour period, the vessel and her crew repeatedly ignored US warnings. And then the US Navy destroyer executed a series of pre-planned, carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots. The vessel and her crew continued to ignore warnings. And after exhausting all other measures, CENTCOM authorized disabling fire against the Touska.

US sailors warned the crew of the Touska to abandon the engine room and at approximately 9:00 am eastern time, the destroyer disabled the Touska's engine by firing nine inert rounds from the destroyer's mark 45 five-inch guns, precisely into the engine room and engine space on board the Touska. Not surprisingly, the vessel then reported issues with their engine, went dead in the water and began to comply with US directions and orders.

At 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, CENTCOM ordered United States Marines to seize the ship. Via helicopters, US Marines maneuvered quickly to the disabled ship, boarded her from fast ropes via helicopter infiltration methods, and took custody of the ship. The ship and her crew remain safe in US custody today.

Let me now turn to global operations in the Pacific, and I want to highlight that this is a major interagency effort between the United States military, the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice. On Monday, April 20th, US INDOPACOM forces, in support of a Department of Justice request, interdicted the motor tanker Tifani, which was transporting sanctioned Iranian oil.

The Tifani is a very large crude tanker, VLCC for short, and is also about the size of a US aircraft carrier, and capable of transporting approximately two million barrels of oil. At approximately 11:30 pm Eastern Time, US military forces and law enforcement forces also went to the ship via rotary wing platforms, fast roped onto her deck and secured her.Â

After the ship was secured, a US Navy control team embarked aboard the Tifani, Tifani or Tifani, and assumed control of the ship at 4:00 am Eastern Time on April 21st. A Navy control team is comprised of sailors led by a boarding officer that assumes control of a sea ship in order to secure the crew, the cargo and the vessel, and disposition of that first vessel is still pending. The next interdiction occurred on Wednesday, this past Wednesday, 22 April, when INDOPACOM conducted yet another interdiction, again at the request of the US Department of Justice. This time, the stateless motor tanker, Majestic X, also known as The Panics, also in the Indian Ocean.Â

This is, again, a VLCC, or very large crude tanker. At approximately 11:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, US forces began the interdiction, again, using rotary wing assets to get to the ship, got on board and secured the bridge. Both ships, the Tifani, the Majestic X, and their crews, remain in US custody. And we will continue to conduct similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the dark fleet.

The actions by our service members and our law enforcement partners demonstrate the incredible discipline and dedication and professionalism of our Joint Force, and highlight the global reach of American combat power. The Joint Force remains on ensuring the Iranian regime cannot harm our interests or those of our allies and partners.

And I'll highlight that Iran has repeatedly sought to offensively and proactively expand the conflict by aggression against its neighbors and its attacks on global shipping through the strait. To date, Iran has attacked five merchant vessels, seized two of them that were attempting to transit the strait, and these include ships that Iran itself had cleared to proceed.

Now, as I always do, I want to honor members of the Joint Force. Today, I want to highlight and proudly describe the essential role of our intelligence enterprise and the role that they play in conducting our military operations. The totality of their work is the culmination of days, months, and in many cases, years of work by our uniformed and civilian intelligence professionals.

We have been able to do the work that we are ordered to do because America's intelligence force, including our core collectors and analysts, have spent decades searching for every loose thread. From the determination of a particular intelligence requirement, to that piece of intelligence being collected in the field by a military or interagency case officer, to the rigorous analysis that goes into reporting on that finding, those team members spend their careers answering the incredibly important questions that we must attempt to answer before, during, and after operations. They live in the enemy's mind. Normally located behind the green door or behind the vault door, in dark, windowless rooms across the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, are world-class intel members from DIA, our service intelligence components, NSA, NGA, CIA, NRO, and in the case of the operations that I've just described, the Office of Naval Intelligence, all work tirelessly to sift through the mountains of collected information using tools, tactics, techniques and procedures that I'm not going to discuss today.

The sun never sets on these world-class professionals, and their goal is every minute of every day to be on the account. And they know the enemy. They know their combat capability, their weapons, their industrial and economic systems and they know their leaders, their leaders' pattern of life, where they go, what they think, and what they do. Thanks to their work, we know Iran and it is an incredible work that they do.

Again, none of our operations that we've conducted during my time in this job could have done â could have been done without the service of these intelligence professionals. And the distance from those core collectors and those analysts to those Patriot crews for defending US forces forward, or the fighter pilots, is incredibly small.

Every single day, as their motto say, they are committed to excellence in the defense of the nation and to securing the future and they're doing the work of the nation. Before I close, as I do every time, I want to highlight and remember our fallen. Today, I want to highlight the 63 victims of the terrorist bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut, which occurred 43 years ago, just a few days ago, on April 18th, 1983. At that time, this was the deadliest attack on a US diplomatic mission, and this was the first attack conducted by Iranian-backed forces on Americans.

The suicide bomber detonated a vehicle borne improvised explosive device out in front of the embassy, killing 63 innocent people, including 32 Lebanese, 14 visitors and 17 Americans. And among those lost, members of the Joint Force to include three Army soldiers and one United States Marine. We remember their names, Sergeant First Class Richard Twine, Staff Sergeant Ben Maxwell, Staff Sergeant Mark Salazar, and United States Marine Corporal Vincent McMahon.

Today, we remember them. We carry on their memory and the memory of all our fallen and remain grateful for their sacrifice and that of their families who continue to show us what courage looks like. As we continue to press forward and maintain these operations, the Secretary, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I are deeply humbled by the spirit, tenacity and commitment and grit of the 2.8 million members of our Joint Force. The Secretary and I thank every member of the Joint Force engaged in this operation, every warrior who remains deployed or who is supporting from here at home.

Thank you to you and thank you to your families. Sir, I'll turn it back over to you.

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We'll take a few questions.

Q: Â Thank you. In your estimation, have there been increased or decreased instances of Iranian vessels either approaching or trying to breach the blockade the longer it is in effect? And another question about the mine threat. Has the mine threat been neutralized enough to facilitate freer flow in the Straits?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Well, to the second question, first of all, we are seeing vessels transiting. There are paths that are open, and part of what the President is threatening is ensuring if there's attempts to lay recklessly and irresponsibly lay more mines, we're going to deal with that. It's a violation of the cease fire.

So transit is occurring, much more limited than anybody would like to see, and with more risk than people would like to see, but that's because Iran is doing irresponsible things with small fast boats, crafts, like I said, with weapons on them. These are commercial ships, in some cases, cruise ships, cruise ships that came through, being threatened by these.

So as far as breaching the blockade, it's been a pretty consistent. There were a number of ships at the beginning. Then you had the interdiction that the Chairman described, where we took out the engine room and disabled that ship. I think that sent a very clear sign that this is not a fake blockade, this is a real, full blockade. We'll use up to and including lethal force if necessary.

And that stopped and other ships have taken note of that. So any ships that have attempted, there's been levels of escalation, but none that far and they've turned around, absolutely. Yes.

Q: Â Good morning, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Chairman. David Zere, Real America's Voice. To follow up on Alexandra's question, um, how big are these mine laying boats? Can they be achieved from fast boats? And I wanted to follow up on my last week question about as jet fuel stocks in Europe reportedly are only about six weeks left, they get most of their jet fuel from the Gulf, have any European countries reached out to assist in cordoning off the strait and participating in escorts?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â I know there's a lot of talks. You saw the, I would call it a silly conference, uh, in Europe last week, where they got together and talked about talking about maybe doing something, eventually, when things are done. Uh, those are not serious efforts yet. We would welcome that. We would welcome a serious European effort to do something about this strait and this passage, considering it's their energy capabilities that are most at stake.

I think it's a wake-up call. It's a wake-up call for countries around the world. Either you have capabilities or you don't. Otherwise, you're at the behest of a country like Iran. And the only country that can do something about it is the United States military. Do you want to talk about the mines and the small crafts?

GENERAL CAINE: Â They have a variety of smaller Boston Whaler-sized boats. We have forces up there deterring and preventing them from continuing to do that, and we'll continue to do so pursuant to the orders of the Secretary and the President.

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â But it would â reckless mining like that is a violation of the cease fire.Â

GENERAL CAINE: Â Unwise to do that.Â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â And very unwise to do, absolutely. Jerry.

Q: Â Thank you. So, uh, Pope Leo has made some comments about the war in Iran, and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops recently put out a statement suggesting that the war does not fit the requirements of just war theory. And I wondered if the Pentagon had, uh, thought about, uh, this war against the terrorist regime in Iran in terms of the framework of a just war? And if either one of you could talk about that.Â

And then just my second question would be, um, the Pentagon recently, this week, gave well-deserved, um, award upgrades to the members of Golf Company 2/1 Marines who served at HKIA and Abbey Gate during the withdrawal and evacuation. I wonder if you, Mr. Secretary, could speak a little bit about that and maybe give us a little bit more in terms of what to expect from this Afghanistan review in terms of further proper recognition and proper accountability?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Um, on the first question, Pope's going to do his thing. That's fine. Uh, we know what our mission is. We know what authority we have. We're very clear about that. We follow that, uh, the orders of the President. We've got, uh, lawyers all over the place, looking at what we're doing and why we're doing it, and giving us every authority necessary under the Constitution and under our laws to execute it. So we feel very confident across the spectrum about what we're doing and why we're doing it, and the legal justification that we're following in order to do it.Â

You mentioned the Marines at Abbey Gate, uh, and, you know, what we've undertaken at this department is a historic, uh, Afghanistan review. So we have, over the course of months, reviewed what happened leading up to and including the events at Abbey Gate and the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan. There's never actually been a full accounting in this department of the decisions that were made.

There's been sort of papered-over Congressional attempts, but never a real deep dive, where we brought everybody in to talk about what happened and why it happened. That has happened. That review will come, uh, later this summer, and I think you'll find it to be probably the most comprehensive review this department has ever done about a single series of events.

And it's because the cascading effect of what Joe Biden did in abandoning, uh, that mission the way that he did, and that disastrous withdrawal had ripple effects for our military, for our country, and for the world. That's why reestablishing deterrence is one of the core pillars of what we've been doing at the War Department, is because the world looked at that disaster and made choices, Vladimir Putin made choices, Hamas made choices, and saw that America wouldn't do anything about it.Â

Houthis shot at ships. They made choices because Joe Biden and his administration were seen as feckless and weak. And that withdrawal was a part of what the world saw, people hanging to planes as we fled. That deserves a full accounting, which is exactly what we're doing. Sean Parnell, our Chief Spokesman, one of my senior advisors, has been leading that effort, getting to the bottom of it. And one of the revelations was that those Marines at Abbey Gate who showed courage, who were out there exposed, knew there was a threat, nebulous mission, the only gate that's open, did not receive the kind of proper recognition they should have for their heroism.

So one of the early results of this Afghan review is to ensure they get the due recognition and award they deserve for the heroism and courage they showed at that gate. Despite the bad decisions of this building and that administration, those Marines acted heroically, and we're going to recognize them for that. Jerry, thank you. Yeah, right here.

Q: Â Thank you. Michael Casey with O'Keefe Media Group. Earlier this week, James O'Keefe published a story on Department of Army nuclear chief Andrew Hug, who revealed top secret national security information to a stranger he met on a dating app. Will you defer Mr. Hug for termination and prosecution?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Yeah, he won't work here anymore.

Q: Â And given the revelations, will â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â It's an easy one.

Q: Â â any changes be made to the current anti-espionage training for all Department of War employees now, given this?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, we're always on the lookout for CI threats, any internal threats, anyone talking out of school about things they should not. We take leaking very seriously here, informally or formally, which is why some of the reporting done by some of the people in here is incredibly problematic. They're willing to publish things based on classified information that would potentially harm those in harm's way.

And we think them doing so is incredibly irresponsible and unpatriotic. And I would encourage members of the press to think twice about the lives they're affecting when they publish things in their publications, like The New York Times.

Q: Â Mr. Chairman?Â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Yes. Right here.

Q: Â Was the Touska carrying dual use equipment to China?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Sir. I'm sorry, the question is right here.

Q: Â Thank you. Ryan Morgan with The Epoch Times. Earlier this week, on that topic, there was a report, I believe, with The Washington Post, that the Pentagon had briefed Congress that it could take up to six months to fully sweep the Strait of Hormuz for mines. I was wondering if you could comment a little bit more on the specifics of the timeline, the range of time that it could take, and then just a general idea of how many mines have been placed?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â We would not speculate on a timeline. I saw that report. It was based on, again, another leak from a closed door session which was supposed to be classified and apparently, allegedly, that was something that was said about we feel confident in our ability, in the correct period of time, to clear any mines that we identify. I would encourage other countries to be a part of such an effort as well, but we're tracking that very closely. Mr. Chairman, do you want to add anything to that?

GENERAL CAINE: Â No, sir. I think you covered it.Â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â OK. Right here, new members of our press corps here.

Q: Â Jacob Wasserman with TMZ DC. We have two questions. I'm going to ask the first, my colleague will ask the second.Â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Well, we'll see.Â

Q: Â You know, I've heard you talk a lot about â sorry.

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â We'll see.

Q: Â OK. I've heard you talk a lot about bombing people in places. And when you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what's going through your mind and your body? Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you're on a power trip? Just walk us through and paint us a picture â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â No.

Q: Â â of what it feels like mentally and physically.

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â It's a very TMZ question. Um, my only thought process is to ensure that our war fighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home. Uh, that they â I want them to feel empowered, to have every authority they need within our rules and within our law to bring maximum violence to the enemy, because war is violent, uh, war requires doing difficult things, but I want our people to feel empowered, so it's our guys that come home and their guys that do not.

Q: Â And second question.Â

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Sure, I'll give you one chance.

Q: Â Charlie Cotton from TMZ DC. Uh, you changed the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Would you consider changing the name again to the Department of Peace, since that's what we're all after?

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â Well, that's the pursuit. It's a great question, actually. Uh, you go from defense to war because you want to be proactive about peace through strength. And really, I gave a speech in front of generals about what the ethos of the War Department is all about, because I want it to go through every echelon of this department.

It means something, it's not just words. And when you fight a war the right way, the idea is on the other side you bring about peace. That is what we would like to see the most. In fact, I once did a video about the one institution that should win the Nobel Peace Prize every single year is the United States military, because we are the guarantor of the safety and security, not just of our country, but of a lot of people in this world.

Last question, yes, sir.

Q: Â Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. I do appreciate your time. Since February 28th, 725 drones and missiles have hit the Kurdistan region as your loyal ally, killing 22 people and injuring 100 others. Even after the cease fire, Mr. Secretary, 20 more attacks were carried out. My question is, does that ceasefire include Iraq and the Kurdistan region?

And really, what is your clear policy toward proxies? Why I am asking this question by President Masoud Barzani statement, five times targeting his office, even targeting President of Kurdistan Region residents in Duhok City.

SECRETARY HEGSETH: Â We watch it very closely, and that area and those folks, the Kurds, deal with a lot of what the IAMGs, or the proxies, are capable of doing. And a reminder of the reverberating effect of this Iranian regime, it's not just what it does to its own people, killing 45,000 of its own citizens just recently, but it's also the terror they've brought to the region.

And so getting a good deal and making sure they can't wield a nuclear weapon over top of those proxies is why this mission is such an important one. Thank you very much, appreciate it.

GENERAL CAINE: Â Thank you.

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NATO Update

2026-04-24T05:54:24Z

â¢ NATO Secretary General visits TÃ¼rkiye in preparation for Ankara Summit, underlines importance of defence industry â¢ Video - NATO's Shadow Warriors: Inside the World's Elite Special Forces

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24 April 2026

Update

NATO Secretary General visits TÃ¼rkiye in preparation for Ankara Summit, underlines importance of defence industry

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ankara, TÃ¼rkiye (21-22 April 2026) to engage with national leadership and visit an ASELSAN Technology Base. In his meeting with President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan, Mr Rutte highlighted TÃ¼rkiyeâs contribution to the Alliance and discussed preparations for the upcoming Summit in Ankara.

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NATO Allies underline commitment to implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

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NATO and the European Union call for more sustained, coordinated support to Ukraine at joint meeting

On 23 April 2026, at the Egmont Palace in Brussels, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, together with the Chair of the Political and Security Committee of the European Union, Lene Mandel Vensild, led an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council and the Political and Security Committee, with a focus on Ukraine.

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NATOâs Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia pays first visit to Armenia

On 20-21 April 2026, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton, the NATO Secretary General's new Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, paid his first visit to Armenia. He was received by President Vahagn Khachaturyan, and held meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Defence Minister Suren Papikyan, and Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan.

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NATO Nuclear Symposium concludes in Istanbul

NATOâs annual Nuclear Policy Symposium concluded in Istanbul on 22 April 2026, bringing together 150 experts from across the Alliance to exchange views on nuclear policy and nuclear deterrence ahead of the Ankara Summit.

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NATO DIANAâs Rapid Adoption Service enables first R&D contract between Allies and industry

NATOâs Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), on behalf of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), has awarded a research and development (R&D) contract to HonuWorx, a UKâbased technology company specialising in undersea robotics systems. This marks the first R&D contract awarded on behalf of a NATO Ally under NATO DIANAâs Rapid Adoption Service.

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NATOâs science programme launches SPS SPARKS magazine

Strong innovation and scientific ecosystems are crucial for maintaining NATOâs technological edge and strengthening the Allianceâs deterrence and defence. The NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme helps NATO Allies and partners develop their scientific capacities in security-related fields, while building and fostering partnerships and international collaboration.

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NATO's Shadow Warriors: Inside the World's Elite Special Forces

When the mission is too important for failure, they say: "Send us." Go inside the world's most elite military alliance and discover what it really takes to become a NATO special forces operator.

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NATO Summit media advisory - Ankara, Türkiye, 7- 8 July 2026

2026-04-22T09:09:03Z

â¢ NATO Summit media advisory - Ankara, TÃ¼rkiye, 7- 8 July 2026

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Press Release

22 April 2026

NATO Summit media advisory - Ankara, TÃ¼rkiye, 7- 8 July 2026

TÃ¼rkiye will host a NATO Summit in Ankara on 7- 8 July 2026. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General and will take place at the BeÅtepe Presidential Compound (T.C. CumhurbaÅkanlÄ±ÄÄ± KÃ¼lliyesi) in Ankara, TÃ¼rkiye.

Media accreditation for the event is now open. See details below.

An international Media Centre, designated for the accredited media, will operate at the Summit venue from the 5th to 8 July. Media representatives will access the premises through the Accreditation Office.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION IS OPEN

Media representatives wishing to cover the Summit in person (including those with an annual accreditation with NATO) will need to register online.

The deadline to register and apply for media accreditation is 7June 2026 23:59 CEST.

Media representatives need to apply as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for processing their requests. Due to high demand, late applications will not be considered.

NATO will confirm the accreditation by email, via the email address used to register, together with details about how media representatives can pick up their badges.

Due to high demand and space limitations, NATO recommends media organisations to limit their physical presence on site.

Media representatives will pick up their badge in-person in the Accreditation Office. It is mandatory to bring:

the same ID document that you used to apply for accreditation online
the same proof of media status (press card and/or Letter from your Editor) used for the registration
and confirmation email (with QR code) in order to receive your pass.

In accordance with NATO media accreditation procedures, NATO reserves the right to deny or withdraw accreditation of media representatives from media organisations who abuse their privileges, put the accreditation to improper use, or act in a way not consistent with the principles of the Organisation.

ACCESS

The Accreditation Office will be located at the Directorate of Communications (DoC) of the Presidency of the Republic of TÃ¼rkiye. The Accreditation Office will be open from Saturday, 4 July until Wednesday, 8 July.

More details available on the NATO website

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North Atlantic Council statement on the occasion of the 11th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

2026-04-20T23:39:31Z

NATO Allies underline their strong commitment to the full implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

â¢ North Atlantic Council statement on the occasion of the 11th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

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Press Release

21 April 2026

North Atlantic Council statement on the occasion of the 11th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

NATO Allies underline their strong commitment to the full implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Ever since its entry-into-force in 1970, the NPT has significantly stemmed the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, serving the security interest of all NPT States Parties, including NATO Allies. The NPT is an essential cornerstone of the global non-proliferation and disarmament architecture, and the framework for international cooperation in sharing the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology.
Todayâs deteriorating security environment poses challenges relevant to the NPT, as proliferation crises continue and escalate.
Russia has violated crucial arms control commitments and employed irresponsibly threatening nuclear rhetoric. China continues to rapidly expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal without transparency. Both have increased ties with States that seek to proliferate nuclear weapons and undermine international arms control. Allies strongly encourage the United Statesâ pursuit of multilateral strategic stability.
As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. The fundamental purpose of NATOâs nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression. Allies have always adhered to their obligations under the NPT and continue to do so. NATOâs nuclear sharing arrangements have always been fully consistent with the NPT and have been in place since before the NPT entered into force in 1970 and at the NPTâs indefinite extension in 1995. NATOâs nuclear sharing arrangements have been key in preventing proliferation, one of the NPTâs core goals.
Allies reject any attempt to delegitimise nuclear deterrence and reiterate that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons does not change the legal obligations on our countries with respect to nuclear weapons.
Allies are resolved to contribute to the preservation, universalisation, and full implementation of the NPT. Allies remain firmly committed to arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation efforts, with a focus on promoting transparency, reducing risk, and enhancing security. Allies also remain firmly committed to promoting cooperation in peaceful uses.
Allies continue to support all the objectives of the Treaty, including Article VI, with a view towards worldwide verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons, based on the principle of undiminished security for all.
We will work towards a successful NPT Review Conference, and stand ready to work with all NPT States Parties towards that same goal.

DÃ©claration du Conseil de lâAtlantique nord Ã lâoccasion de la 11e confÃ©rence dâexamen du TraitÃ© sur la non-prolifÃ©ration des armes nuclÃ©aires

Les pays de lâOTAN sont dÃ©terminÃ©s Ã mettre pleinement en oeuvre le TraitÃ© sur la non-prolifÃ©ration des armes nuclÃ©aires (TNP).
Depuis son entrÃ©e en vigueur, en 1970, le TNP a sensiblement freinÃ© la dissÃ©mination des armes nuclÃ©aires dans le monde ; il a ainsi servi les intÃ©rÃªts de sÃ©curitÃ© de tous ses Ãtats parties, dont les pays de lâOTAN. Le TNP est un pilier essentiel de lâarchitecture mondiale de non-prolifÃ©ration et de dÃ©sarmement, et lâinstrument qui encadre la coopÃ©ration internationale visant Ã faire bÃ©nÃ©ficier toutes les parties des usages pacifiques de lâÃ©nergie, de la science et de la technologie nuclÃ©aires.
Alors que lâenvironnement de sÃ©curitÃ© se dÃ©grade et que les crises de prolifÃ©ration sâaggravent, nous sommes confrontÃ©s Ã une sÃ©rie de dÃ©fis ayant trait au TNP.
La Russie viole des engagements cruciaux en matiÃ¨re de maÃ®trise des armements et agite la menace nuclÃ©aire de maniÃ¨re irresponsable. La Chine continue quant Ã elle dâÃ©toffer et de diversifier son arsenal nuclÃ©aire Ã un rythme soutenu, sans aucune transparence. Ces deux pays ont resserrÃ© leurs liens avec des Ãtats autoritaires qui cherchent Ã favoriser la prolifÃ©ration des armes nuclÃ©aires et Ã mettre Ã mal lâarchitecture internationale de maÃ®trise des armements. Les AlliÃ©s encouragent vivement les Ãtats-Unis Ã continuer dâoeuvrer pour la stabilitÃ© stratÃ©gique multilatÃ©rale.
Aussi longtemps quâil y aura des armes nuclÃ©aires, lâOTAN restera une alliance nuclÃ©aire. La vocation fondamentale de la capacitÃ© nuclÃ©aire de lâOTAN est de prÃ©server la paix, de prÃ©venir les actions coercitives et de dÃ©courager toute agression. Les AlliÃ©s ont toujours rempli leurs obligations au titre du TNP et continuent de le faire. Les arrangements de lâOTAN pour le partage du nuclÃ©aire ont toujours Ã©tÃ© en totale conformitÃ© avec le TNP ; ils ont Ã©tÃ© Ã©tablis avant lâentrÃ©e en vigueur du TraitÃ©, en 1970, et Ã©taient toujours valides au moment de sa prorogation pour une durÃ©e indÃ©finie, en 1995. Ces arrangements jouent un rÃ´le clÃ© dans la prÃ©vention de la prolifÃ©ration, lâun des objectifs fondamentaux du TNP.
Les AlliÃ©s rejettent toute tentative visant Ã dÃ©lÃ©gitimer la dissuasion nuclÃ©aire et rÃ©affirment que le TraitÃ© sur lâinterdiction des armes nuclÃ©aires ne change rien aux obligations juridiques qui leur incombent en ce qui concerne les armes nuclÃ©aires.
Les AlliÃ©s sont rÃ©solus Ã oeuvrer Ã la prÃ©servation, Ã lâuniversalisation et Ã la pleine mise en application du TNP. Ils restent fermement dÃ©terminÃ©s Ã contribuer aux efforts de maÃ®trise des armements, de dÃ©sarmement et de non-prolifÃ©ration, dans le but de promouvoir la transparence, de rÃ©duire les risques et dâamÃ©liorer la sÃ©curitÃ©. Ils restent en outre fermement dÃ©terminÃ©s Ã promouvoir la coopÃ©ration concernant les usages pacifiques du nuclÃ©aire.
Les AlliÃ©s continuent dâadhÃ©rer Ã tous les objectifs du TraitÃ©, y compris ceux Ã©noncÃ©s Ã lâarticle VI, lâidÃ©e Ã©tant dâÃ©liminer les armes nuclÃ©aires Ã lâÃ©chelle mondiale, de maniÃ¨re vÃ©rifiable et dans le respect du principe dâune sÃ©curitÃ© non diminuÃ©e pour tous.
Les AlliÃ©s sâemploieront Ã faire de la confÃ©rence dâexamen une rÃ©ussite et se tiennent prÃªts Ã travailler avec tous les autres Ãtats parties au TNP pour atteindre cet objectif.

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NATO Secretary General to visit Türkiye

2026-04-20T04:37:31Z

â¢ NATO Secretary General to visit TÃ¼rkiye

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Press Release

20 April 2026

NATO Secretary General to visit TÃ¼rkiye

On 21 and 22 April 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will visit Ankara, TÃ¼rkiye.

The Secretary General will meet the President of the Republic of TÃ¼rkiye, Mr Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hakan Fidan and the Minister of National Defence, General YaÅar GÃ¼ler and visit a defence industrial facility.

There will be no media opportunity.

Photographs will be available on the NATO website after the event.

For more information:

For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office

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NATO Update

2026-04-17T06:08:50Z

â¢ NATO Secretary General visits Czechia to discuss Euro-Atlantic security with Prime Minister BabiÅ¡ â¢ The Hungarian Lynx armoured infantry fighting vehicle

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17 April 2026

Update

NATO Secretary General visits Czechia to discuss Euro-Atlantic security with Prime Minister BabiÅ¡

On 16 April 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had talks in Prague with the Prime Minister of Czechia, Andrej BabiÅ¡. They discussed the current security environment, defence investment, production, and Ukraine. The Secretary General welcomed Czechiaâs commitment to the Alliance.

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NATO Secretary General welcomes additional aid at Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting

On 15 April 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte participated in a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Berlin. The meeting was jointly chaired by German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius and UK Defence Secretary John Healey. Ukraineâs Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov briefed Allies on the situation on the battlefield and highlighted Ukraineâs most urgent needs.

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NATO Allies and Industry representatives meeting on energy and critical undersea infrastructure security

On 17 April 2026, NATO Allies and industry representatives met at NATO Headquarters in Brussels to discuss the implications of developments in the Middle East for energy and critical undersea infrastructure security.

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NATO and Australia discuss defence industrial cooperation and capabilities

On 16 April 2026, NATO held its first dedicated meeting with the Australian Department of Defence to discuss opportunities to increase defence industrial cooperation and capabilities.

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12th NATO military staff talks with Pakistan

Talks included an exchange of views on Pakistan-NATO military relations, regional security and training, education and exercise activities in order to foster interoperability between NATO and Pakistan Armed Forces.

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NATO and Azerbaijan reinforce cooperation on the modernisation of defence education

Representatives from NATOâs Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate met with the leadership and personnel of Azerbaijanâs National Defence University and its affiliated military education institutions in Baku. The visit aimed to assess the countryâs ongoing reform efforts within the framework of NATOâs Defence Education Enhancement Programme.

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NATO strengthens Allied search and rescue cooperation in the North Atlantic

Dynamic Mercy 2026, an annual NATO-led search and rescue (SAR) exercise, brings together Allied naval, air, and national maritime agencies to enhance coordination and interoperability for rescue operations in the challenging environment of the North Atlantic. (Story courtesy Allied Maritime Command)

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The Hungarian Lynx armoured infantry fighting vehicle

Hungary has invested heavily in a modern tracked fleet as part of its wider defence modernisation effort, ordering more than 200 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles from arms manufacturer Rheinmetall back in 2020.

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NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit Türkiye

2026-04-17T02:22:23Z

On Saturday, 18 April 2026, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will visit Antalya, TÃ¼rkiye, to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

â¢ NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit TÃ¼rkiye

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Press Release

17 April 2026

NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit TÃ¼rkiye

On Saturday, 18 April 2026, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will visit Antalya, TÃ¼rkiye, to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.

The Deputy Secretary General will participate in a moderated discussion followed by Q&A on the topic âSecuring Europe: Unity and Strategic Renewal towards the NATO Ankara Summitâ.

Ms Shekerinska will also have a number of bilateral meetings.

Media advisory

9:00 (CEST) Panel discussion followed by exchange of views by the NATO Deputy Secretary General

Media coverage

The event will be streamed live on the Antalya Diplomacy Forumâs YouTube channel.

For more information:

For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office
For more information about the event, please browse to Antalya Diplomacy Forumâs website.

Visite de la secrÃ©taire gÃ©nÃ©rale dÃ©lÃ©guÃ©e de lâOTAN en TÃ¼rkiye

Ce samedi 18 avril, la secrÃ©taire gÃ©nÃ©rale dÃ©lÃ©guÃ©e de lâOTAN, Radmila Shekerinska, se rendra en TÃ¼rkiye pour participer Ã l'Ã©dition 2026 du Forum diplomatique d'Antalya.

La secrÃ©taire gÃ©nÃ©rale dÃ©lÃ©guÃ©e prendra part Ã un dÃ©bat dirigÃ© puis Ã une sÃ©ance de questions-rÃ©ponses sur le thÃ¨me de la sÃ©curitÃ© de l'Europe, de son unitÃ© et de son renouvellement stratÃ©gique dans la perspective du sommet de l'OTAN prÃ©vu Ã Ankara.

Mme Shekerinska aura aussi une sÃ©rie dâentretiens bilatÃ©raux.

Note aux mÃ©dias

9h00 (CEST) DÃ©bat avec la secrÃ©taire gÃ©nÃ©rale dÃ©lÃ©guÃ©e de l'OTAN, puis Ã©change de vues

Couverture mÃ©dias

LâÃ©vÃ©nement sera retransmis en direct sur la chaÃ®ne YouTube du Forum diplomatique d'Antalya.

Pour plus dâinformations

Suivez-nous sur X : @OTAN_FR

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing

2026-04-16T10:40:22Z

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing

April 16, 2026

SECRETARY OF WAR PETE HEGSETH:Â Well, good morning and, as you may have noticed, the Chairman and I are joined today by the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Bradley Cooper. He just returned from the front lines to see the troops and meet with allies and this morning, briefed us just before this briefing on the latest on all aspects of Operation Epic Fury.

So, after the Chairman concludes, we'll ask Admiral Cooper to share a quick update on the ground truth from his trip to the region as he continues to implement an ironclad blockade and ensures that our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal.

And that is what we urge this morning, that this new Iranian regime choose wisely, which is where we'll start with a message to Iran's military leadership. To the CAGE leadership and IRGC leadership, we're watching you. Our capabilities are not the same, our military and yours. Remember, this is not a fair fight.

And we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to. While you are digging out â which is exactly what you're doing, digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities â we are only getting stronger. You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them.

You have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities. You only have what you have; you know that and we know that. You can move things around, but you can't actually rebuild. You can dig out for now, but you can't reconstitute. But we can; we are reloading with more power than ever before. And better intelligence â even more importantly, better intelligence than ever before, as you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye.

We are locked and loaded on your critical dual use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry. We'd rather not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our President and at the push of a button.

This blockade, which the Chairman will detail this morning, is the polite way that this can go. Your energy is not moving and will not move, and we can do this all day. But it's not destroyed yet â your energy industry is not destroyed yet. You'd like to say publicly, Iran, that you control the Strait of Hormuz, but you don't have a Navy or real domain awareness. You can't control anything.

To be clear, threatening to shoot missiles and drones at ships, commercial ships that are lawfully transiting international waters, that is not control, that's piracy, that's terrorism. The United States Navy controls the traffic going in and out of the Strait, because we have real assets and real capabilities, and we're doing this blockade, performing it with less than 10 percent of America's Naval power.

The math is clear, we're using 10 percent of the world's most powerful Navy, and you have zero percent of your Navy. That's real control and we have a long track record of dealing with pirates and terrorists. But there is an alternative. As our negotiators have said, you, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge. And we hope that you do for the people of Iran.

In the meantime, and for as long as it takes, we will maintain this blockade â successful blockade. But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power, and energy. And at the same time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and our friends over at Treasury are launching Operation Economic Fury as well, maximizing economic pressure across the entirety of the government. To Iran, choose wisely.

The world watched, and so did you, as the US military moved seamlessly from major combat operations to a world class blockade. We can make that transition again very quickly and even more powerfully than ever. At the direction of President Trump, the War Department will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. Never. We'd prefer to do it the nice way through a deal led by our great Vice President and negotiating team or we can do it the hard way. We urge this new regime to choose wisely.

Speaking of choosing wisely â a note to the press, to the press corps, to the American media, as I just can't help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist pedaling. Despite the historic and important success of this effort and the success of our troops, sometimes it's hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on. It's incredibly unpatriotic.

This same press corps, not this exact same press corps, but at least an older press corps, bent over backwards during the Biden administration to explain away â you explained away the disastrous and disgraceful Afghanistan withdrawal. You called it the greatest airlift in American history. It's almost like you're cheering only for one side.

This past Sunday, I was sitting in church with my family, and our minister preached from the book of Mark, the third chapter. And in the passage, Jesus entered a synagogue and healed a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees came to watch, and as the Scripture reads, they came to see whether he, Jesus, would heal him â he would heal him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him.

You see, the Pharisees, the so-called and self-appointed elites of their time, they were there to witness to write everything down, to report. But their hearts were hardened. Even though they witnessed a literal miracle, it didn't matter. They were only there to explain away the goodness in pursuit of their agenda. As the passage ends, the Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel against him how to destroy him.

I sat there in church and I thought, our press is just like these Pharisees. Not all of you, not all of you, but the legacy Trump hating press, your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors. The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative.

The hardened hearts of our press are calibrated only to impugn. I would ask you to open your eyes to the goodness, the historic success of our troops, the courage of this president, and this historic moment for a deal that could end the Iranian nuclear threat, the incredible battlefield victory laid before your eyes, the not one, but two incredible rescue missions.

Miracles, you might say, or a locked-in blockade. Or how about historic recruiting numbers? Yesterday, we announced that the Air Force and Space Force met new higher goals in FY 26, five months in advance of the end of the fiscal year â five months ahead of time. The Marine Corps and the Army will soon do the same.

Two to three years ago, we couldn't meet lower recruiting numbers, not even close. Where are the reports on that? Where's the coverage of the new spirit in the country, the new spirit in the ranks, the surge of Americans wanting to join the greatest military in the world. Nothing from the fake news. We sense a pattern.

You see, on the battlefield these are demonstrations of uniquely American capabilities, strength and resolve, it's all around you each and every day. But in the press, you only seek the negative, earning each and every day the fake news label.

But the American people with goodness in their hearts see past the Pharisees in our press. They see the goodness. You watching, you see the goodness. They see the success. They see the reality. And they don't demand perfection, and perfection is not possible on any battlefield, but they see the incredible feats that our troops accomplish every single day.

So, to those troops, stay focused, block out the noise. Stay aggressive. You are showing the world what it means to be an American warrior. You are making this building and the American people proud. We pray for you every day and we have your back in every way. And to Iran, choose wisely. I pray you choose a deal, which is within your grasp, for the betterment of your people and for the betterment of the world. In the meantime, the War Department is locked and loaded. Mr. Chairman, over to you.

GENERAL DAN CAINE:Â Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here today. Last week, the president of United States directed a ceasefire that temporarily paused major combat operations in Iran. The unprecedented effort by America's Joint Force during Operation Epic Fury set the conditions for this ceasefire.

And as the Secretary said, I'd like to emphasize during this pause that the United States Joint Force remains postured and ready to resume major combat operations at literally a moment's notice. This morning, I'd like to give you an update on the ongoing blockade in the CENTCOM AOR, area of responsibility.

On Monday, 13 April at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, at the direction of the President, America's Joint Force began implementing a blockade against Iran under the leadership of Admiral Cooper and the team at CENTCOM. Let me be clear, this blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports.

The US action is a blockade of Iran's ports and coastline, not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Enforcement will occur inside Iran's territorial seas and in international waters. In addition to this blockade, the Joint Force, through operations and activities in other areas of responsibility, like the Pacific Area of Responsibility under the command of Admiral Paparo, will actively pursue any Iranian flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.

This includes Dark Fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil. As most of you know, Dark Fleet vessels are those illicit or illegal ships evading international regulations, sanctions or insurance requirements. More than 10,000 sailors, Marines and Airmen, over a dozen ships and dozens of aircraft are executing this mission.

And let me walk you through this operation a little bit. Please go to the first slide. First to the graphic, this was taken before the blockade began. North is up. You can see the blockade line here in the center of the graphic, denoted by the red dashed line. This map is a pull from our common operating picture that we use to allow commanders and key leaders to see what is happening in near real time, we just grabbed screen grabs to highlight the actions and activities.

What is not shown is how incredibly congested this area is, and the incredible work that our sailors are doing to ensure that they can work in and around an incredibly busy water space. What is also not depicted here is the massive force of fighters, intelligence aircraft, helicopters and other embarked forces to include aerial refueling tankers that are up overhead this blockade area.

You'll note that the US forces are in blue, Iranian ships are in are in red. And as we started this blockade, there were seven ships of interest that were of concern for US Central Command. Through a variety of intelligence tools, and with the assistance of the Office of Naval Intelligence and other intelligence agencies, the force began to hunt for potential interdictors at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Next slide please. It's now 12:40 Eastern Daylight Time, two hours and 40 minutes into the blockade as attempted blockade runners attempt to hop the line. US forces began to commit; out in front of them was a range of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and tactical assets. And immediately these runners began to see, sense, and feel America's combat power compressing upon them.

The lead ship, normally a destroyer as depicted here along with air power off of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, began to move towards those ships. At each point, the United States Navy will transmit a warning. A young sailor, normally on the bridge of one of those destroyers, a junior officer, picks up that mic and transmits, and I quote, do not attempt to breach the blockade. Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure, transiting to or from Iranian ports. Turn around or prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply with this blockade we will use force.

And as this message is being transmitted, as I mentioned earlier, those shipmasters can literally see, sense, and feel the pressure around them. It's a finely tuned machine, rehearsed multiple times and executed now 13 times since the blockade has begun.

Next slide please. We're now 24 hours plus into the blockade. You can see the turning around of multiple ships, 12 of which stayed inside the blockade line, one of which not depicted off to the eastern side, turned around before even attempting it.

Any ship that would cross the blockade would result in our sailors executing pre-planned tactics designed to bring the force to that ship, if need be, board the ship and take her over. And that includes a series of escalated force options, which could include warning shots and others.

Next slide. The final graphic shows â taken at 11:20 p.m. the night of 14 April, you can see that the captain of all â captains of all these ships have made the wise decision not to move, transit, or run this blockade. As I mentioned, so far 13 ships have made the wise choice of turning around. And as we continue to hold this blockade at the order of the Secretary and the President, any vessel that compares to comply with our instructions will be dealt with accordingly.

As of this morning, US Central Command has not been required to board any particular ships. And I'll remind you that we are also conducting similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific AOR against those ships that left that area before we began the blockade.

Before I turn it over to Admiral Cooper, I want to talk briefly today about the men and women enforcing the blockade, America's sailors and Marines, and today, particularly our destroyer and surface forces. When we talk about an American destroyer, it's important that you and the American people understand their capabilities. And Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the United States Navy surface fleet. Over 500 feet long, they displace 9,000 tons, and it is the sports car of the United States Navy.

From the keel to the mass, they stand nearly 10 stories tall, and their four gas turbine engines can drive the ship at 30 plus knots. These ships are armed to the teeth with surface to air missiles, land attack cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine rockets, torpedoes, five-inch naval guns, multiple electronic warfare systems, embarked helicopters, extending the reach and capability of each and every one of these destroyers.

But far and away, the most important weapon on board these ships is the American sailor. Over 300 warfighters are the heart and soul of these warships. At sea sometimes for months, and these ships out in the CENTCOM AOR have been out there for months, they operate around the clock in a constant state of readiness, always delivering for our Joint Force.

It's hot in the engine room. The engineering team keeps the lights on and the ship powered and able to respond to the orders from the bridge. On that bridge, our sailors maintain a constant watch, maneuvering the ship tactically and safely through always congested water space, and there is a lot out there. It is like driving a sports car through a supermarket parking lot on a pay day weekend, with thousands of kids in that parking lot as you attempt to maneuver through there to get to that ship that would attempt to run that blockade.

Down in the combat information center, the CIC, the tactical warfare center of the ship, that is where the decisions are made. As threats appear, these young sailors are making real time decisions on how to identify these threats and handle them, and they always deliver. These ships are run by the youngest sailors in our surface warfare Navy.

The helmsman, the sailor on the watch at the bridge, is normally just between 18 to 19 years old, and they are trusted to drive this warship through that supermarket parking lot without hitting anything. The conning officer, an equally young, commissioned officer who's normally just a few years out of college, is the ones that are giving that young helmsman the orders on where to take that American warship to execute the mission that the Secretary and the President has given us.

These are incredibly well-trained sailors. They are led by incredible leaders, salty, experienced leaders, and trusted with deep responsibility. And I'm so humbled and proud of America's Navy. These sailors choose to take the road less traveled to go into the historic surface Navy, and they deliver every single day.

Finally, as I often do, I want to highlight one of those surface sailors today and remember our fallen. Today we remember Ensign Robert Thompson to the US Laffey, who died on this day in 1945 in the Battle of Okinawa. He was killed while fighting a fire, along with 31 others, as two Japanese kamikaze aircraft hit their ship. He passed away one week after his 22nd birthday and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

We remember Ensign Thompson today and all of our World War II vets who continue to give us the gift of a great example. And those surface warfare sailors who are out there doing the job right now, take the courage, grit and determination that those World War II vets gave us into these actions and activities that they're tasked to do every single day. So now I'd like to turn it over to Admiral Cooper to give us a readout of his recent trip to the region.

ADMIRAL BRADLEY COOPER:Â Well, good morning. And Mr. Secretary, thank you for the kind invitation. And Chairman, great to join you. It's a real honor to be here representing the more than 50,000 American service members deployed throughout the Middle East today, supporting operations. And it's great to have the opportunity to highlight the tremendous efforts our warfighters operating forward and the important partnerships with regional allies that continue to thrive.

In fact, yesterday I returned from my second trip to the Middle East in the past 15 days, two very different visits, one during our offensive operations against Iran, and the second in this most recent trip during the ongoing ceasefire, very different. During both of my recent trips, I visited with our troops who were deployed across the region in more than 70 different locations in a distance that largely spans between Florida and Arizona.

I've long believed that every success that we have starts and ends with our people and, boy, does this shine through brightly. During these visits, I had the privilege of personally recognizing more than 100 service men and women for their extraordinary valor, their courage, and their initiative under fire and delivering fire.

And every time I interact with these young men and women downrange, I am deeply inspired by their courage, their resilience, and their unwavering commitment. The stories are remarkable. In many cases you've seen this play out over TV â fighter pilots who took out Iranian missile launchers in the moments prior to their launch against Americans and our partners, and who hit key military targets in and around Tehran on the attack more than 13,000 times.

I met with some of the teams that helped to bring our F-15 airmen home safely from Iran and heard first person accounts of the stories, absolute heroes. I spent time with our troops who are employing cutting edge tactics and technology for the first time in warfare. I won't be able to talk about what those are, but these young men and women are breaking new ground. It's incredibly inspiring.

I met with teams who launched our own one-way attack drones into Iran. These were originally Iranian designed drones; we brought them back to America, took the guts out, put a Made American stamp on them and fired them right back to Iran, very effective. Met with teams who were employing AI every single day to help us sift through vast amounts of information to help us make decisions faster. And importantly, humans are always in the loop in this process.

I met with our Space Force teams and our cyber specialists, whose work cannot be discussed, but who serve with indispensable impact. I met with our logisticians and sustainers all over the region. There is just no military that executes logistics like the US military. This group is doing exceptional work, moving thousands of tons every single day.

I met with our air defenders who shot down Iranian ballistic missiles. My message for this group in particular, is that their actions most certainly saved thousands of lives across the Middle East during Epic Fury. And all told, my personal assessment is â after these couple of trips is our troops are highly motivated, they're focused, they're vigilant and they're ready. And they're using this time to do a couple of things â we're rearming, we're retooling, and we're adjusting our tactics, techniques and procedures. There's no military in the world that adjusts like we do and that's exactly what we're doing right now during the ceasefire.

A little note about partners. My discussion with regional allies and partners, both at the senior civilian level and the senior military level, reinforced our shared commitment to regional security. But beyond that, having now fought together side-by-side, I assessed that our military partnerships are stronger than ever as we continue to maintain a very active defense posture across the region during the ceasefire. And 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 defense 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. And to give you a sense of their contribution and impact, the King and Crown Prince of Bahrain both personally knew our soldiers by name. These leaders expressed appreciation for our service members who continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in support of regional defense.

And this is a sentiment that is widely shared across every Gulf ally. I heard this message over and over again, which is, we stand with you. As the Secretary and the Chairman have said, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan have been exceptional teammates. I had a chance to meet with both their senior leadership as well as their troops, boy, equally inspiring and equally committed to mutual defense. They defended Americans and defended their own country is inspiring. And there's been no better teammate than Israel.

Together, the four best Air Forces in the world â the Israeli air force, the US Air Force and the Air Forces of the US Navy and US Marine Corps, together met and exceeded our own military objectives over and over again.

Twice in the past two weeks, I've met with the Israeli Chief of Defense to ensure that we remain closely aligned, and we do. And then finally, let me just close by saluting the brave men and women who are in uniform and who continue to answer the call with unrivaled lethality, great teamwork and resolve. We've asked them to stay ready during this period, and that's exactly what they're doing. I couldn't be prouder and I know that you and the American people share in that same pride. Thank you so much.

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â All right, we'll take a few questions. Go ahead.

Q:Â Thank you. Alexandra Ingersoll, One American News. How is the Iranians' decimated command and control affecting the ceasefire at this juncture? Ergo, how are we enforcing a ceasefire with an enemy who has virtually no command and control? And then one other question about the Houthis being â have the Houthis been an issue in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the Red Sea? Are we tracking that militarily?

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â Appreciate that. On the ceasefire front, it's right, their command-and-control capabilities are highly degraded, so their ability to talk, see, sense is the worst it's ever been. But their motivation to want to stay in the ceasefire is very high, because they understand that a violation of that ceasefire means a commencement, once again, of Admiral Cooper's forces, which went very poorly for them.

So, they have a high incentive to maintain that ceasefire, even though they can't talk and organize as well as they'd like to. And as far as the Houthis, thus far, they have stayed out of it, which of course, we think is a good decision by them. And I think it's a reflection of the fact that over a year ago in Operation Rough Rider, we had an ongoing and intense campaign that demonstrated American capabilities, which has them hesitating to want to do something on that Strait, which I think would be a poor choice. Right here.

Q:Â Good morning, Mr. Secretary, gentlemen. David Zere, Real America's Voice. As commercial shipping ramps up â you know, there was 130 ships a day going through. As that happens, ships have to anchor up, right, and wait to pass through the narrow strait. Whatâ is there any progress with an international force to phase out US military led escorts or other? Is anyone stepping up to do that â long term?

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â It's a great question. They should be. There's a lot of talk and what we've seen in this conflict from allies and those is a lot of talk, except for the ones that were mentioned by Admiral Cooper in the region who have been phenomenal. Other allies have talked a lot and haven't done anything.

And as the President has pointed out, this is a waterway that American commerce doesn't use all that much. We don't rely on the energy coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, but Asia does, and Europe does, and large parts of the rest of the world do. And so, their ability to muster a collective defense or a clearing of the strait would be a wonderful thing.

And we hear and see the talk about it. But when shots were fired and those countries were needed the most, they weren't there. They weren't in the strait, they weren't alongside us, their leaders weren't rallying what they have of their navies. If they decide after CENTCOM does the heavy lifting, which again, they should be able to do. We should live in a world where other countries can defend waterways, not just the United States Navy.

Should that conclude, which we believe it will, then we would welcome other countries coming in after the fact. But you can't live in a world in perpetuity â and this is a message to the rest of the world and our allies â where you just rely on America to continually do the heavy lifting.

Oh, Iran might get a nuclear bomb. Who's going to do something about it? America and America only. Other allies need to invest in their capabilities so they can project power and do basic tasks like clearing a strait. So, we're not counting on it, but it would be wonderful to see it if it ever materialized. Yes.

Q:Â Thank you, Mr. Secretary, thank you all for your time. I have a couple questions. I know you said a few weeks ago that Iran's supreme leader was wounded and disfigured. Do you have an update on whether he's even alive at this point?

And then another question for youÂ â Iranian embassy accounts are sharing an AI video of Jesus Christ kind of bloodily killing President Donald Trump. Does the Pentagon have a response to this, including the fact that this AI Jesus is casting Trump into hell?

And then finally, for Admiral Cooper, could you speak to us about the morale of the American service members that you're seeing in the Middle East? I think Americans are really interested in what their experiences and testimonies are like.

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â As far as the status of the individual you mentioned, I believe it's the same. Not a lot coming from him right now, understandably so, a lot of fear. Believed to be alive, wounded and disfigured. Status remains the same.

As far as a video like that, of course, that's disgusting and detached from reality. Iran says a lot of things in the propaganda space based on complete lies, and their actions have been lies. Oh, we don't target â we see missiles going into civilian facilities and hotels in the Gulf states. They say we don't â we only target military targets as you watch drones and missiles go into.

So, they are going to misrepresent, lie, spin in a multitude of ways, which we are quite used to. Ultimately, they need to come to the table and make a deal. And I'll hand it over to Admiral Cooper for this.

ADMIRAL COOPER:Â Yeah, I would just reiterate my previous comment, morale is very high. And anyone in the military can take about two seconds to figure out what morale looks like by meeting around with the people. And it is crystal clear these are motivated young men and women.

I had the wonderful privilege of writing a letter early on in the operation to the team forward, and I told them, this was going to be a mission of extreme consequence and serving at a time where you are making a difference, consequential, as the Secretary and the Chairman have described over and over again, is incredibly and deeply meaningful. And I think that's a key part of the drive, as well as being great teammates across the board. It's a privilege to watch.

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â Jerry.

Q:Â Thank you. Jerry Dunleavy with Just the News. I have a couple of questions. The first is some critics of the Trump administration policy, including former NCTC Director Joe Kent, have attempted to claim that the Trump administration's policy of zero enrichment for the Iranians is not actually President Trump's policy, but was foisted upon him by the Israelis. Looking back, doing a bit of a refresher for myself, I saw that zero enrichment was the Trump State Department's policy in the first admin.

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â Just stop for a second. As someone who, unlike the individual you referenced, is in the presence of the president nearly every day and has been inside every single key meeting that has happened surrounding the idea of Operation Epic Fury. Not a single thing has been foisted upon the president of the United States.

President Trump makes his own decisions about the interests of this country and defending our interests, and then working with allies and partners, in this case, Israel, who's got a lot of will and a lot of capabilities, which we're grateful for. Nothing gets foisted on President Trump. So, people who are not in those meetings who like to say things about that are just flat wrong.

Q:Â I have one for Admiral Cooper, if that's okay. Thank you, sir, and thank you for being here. So, during Operation Epic Fury, 13 US service members have lost their lives, some of them in an apparent aircraft refueling accident, and some of them from Iranian strikes, including a drone strike. I was wondering if you could share a little bit with us about how that Iranian â those Iranian strikes were able to be successful. And what lessons you've learned and how you're applying those lessons in the future to make sure that we're able to defend a little bit better against that sort of thing.

ADMIRAL COOPER:Â So, a really broad question. But first, we will always honor the fallen. And the 13 who lost their lives really helped steel the resolve and congeal the motivation of the forces that are I met many people who knew the fallen personally. I met many who were reported as wounded and are back. 90 percent of those who have been wounded have been back to duty. It gives you a sense of purpose and motivation.

We have collected dozens, if not hundreds of lessons learned. And as we sit here right now, the Joint Force across the board is taking them and very tactically applying them right now â right here, right now. If I think about a football analogy, if it's between â if it's halftime or between the third and fourth quarter, great teams are always adjusting, and we are certainly a great team. And that's what we're doing right now, taking the lessons and applying them in a meaningful way. What those are I'm not going to talk about.

GENERAL CAINE:Â I'll say they extend also outside of CENTCOM and across the rest of the Joint Force, we are a learning organization. So, adversaries around the world should recognize that and be aware of that.

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â No doubt. And likewise, I mean, the Chairman and I have had the opportunity to greet those 13 and their families at Dover, and it does steel our resolve. And I can just attest to the planning that went into every aspect of this and force protection, ensuring that CENTCOM has whatever it needs and that they're taking the proper posture, has always been a number one in this effort. Last question.

Q:Â Thank you, Secretary Hegseth. There's reporting that says US intelligence indicates China is preparing weapons shipments to Iran during this ceasefire. What's your reaction? Are these reports accurate? And what would be the consequences for the Chinese if they move forward with these shipments?

SECRETARY HEGSETH:Â Well, as you know, President Trump has a very strong and direct relationship with President Xi. And they communicated on that, and China's assured us that that indeed is not going to happen and â in the spirit of the meeting they'll have next month. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

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NATO Secretary General to visit Czechia

2026-04-15T01:52:21Z

On Thursday, 16 April 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will visit Czechia. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

â¢ NATO Secretary General to visit Czechia

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Press Release

15 April 2026

NATO Secretary General to visit Czechia

On Thursday, 16 April 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will visit Czechia.

The Secretary General will meet the Prime Minister, Mr Andrej BabiÅ¡.

Media advisory

18:35 (CEST) Joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General with the Prime Minister of Czechia

Media coverage

The joint press conference will be streamed live on the NATO website and NATO News on YouTube.
A transcript of the Secretary Generalâs press conference, as well as pictures, will be available on the NATO website. Video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

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For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office

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NATO Secretary General attends Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting

2026-04-14T05:39:05Z

â¢ NATO Secretary General attends Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting

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Press Release

14 April 2026

NATO Secretary General attends Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting

On Wednesday 15 April 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Berlin, Germany.

He will also have meetings with the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, Dr Johann Wadephul, the Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, Mr Boris Pistorius, the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, Mr John Healey and the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Mr Mykhailo Fedorov.

Media advisory

16:45 (CEST) Joint press conference by the Secretary General with the Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, and the Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

Media coverage

The press conference will be streamed live on the NATO website and NATO News on YouTube and will be made available to EBU News Exchange.
A transcript of the Secretary Generalâs press conference, as well as pictures, will be available on the NATO website. Video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

For more information:

For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office

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[MILITARY REPORTS]

Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session – 19 May 2026

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing

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NATO Summit media advisory - Ankara, Türkiye, 7- 8 July 2026

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MEDIA ACCREDITATION IS OPEN

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North Atlantic Council statement on the occasion of the 11th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

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NATO Secretary General to visit Türkiye

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NATO Update

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NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit Türkiye

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing

NATO Secretary General to visit Czechia

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NATO Secretary General attends Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting

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