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Hegseth Says Military 101 Is “Don’t Tell Your Enemy What You’re Willing to Do or Not Do, and Don’t Tell Your Enemy When You’re Willing to Stop”

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 31, 2026
Hegseth Says Military 101 Is “Don’t Tell Your Enemy What You’re Willing to Do or Not Do, and Don’t Tell Your Enemy When You’re Willing to Stop”

During a Pentagon press briefing on March 31, 2026, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declined to provide any timeline or conditions for ending Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S.-led military campaign against Iran that began on February 28. When asked how long it would take to achieve U.S. objectives and whether a negotiated deal could be reached before those goals were met, Hegseth invoked basic military principles.

“It’s sort of military 101. Don’t tell your enemy what you’re willing to do or not do. And don’t tell your enemy when you’re willing to stop, especially an enemy that likes to hide in bunkers and try to hoard their missiles and hope you’ll wait you out,” Hegseth said. “So, that’s not a question I’m going to answer or the president has said definitively. We have our own goals and guidance and military objectives that we’re moving toward.”

The briefing came one month into Operation Epic Fury, during which U.S. forces have conducted more than 11,000 combat flights and struck over 11,000 targets while damaging or destroying more than 150 Iranian vessels. Hegseth emphasized that the United States is not disclosing its strategic limits or end points, maintaining pressure on Iranian leadership now operating from weakened positions after extensive losses at the highest levels.

The campaign has already resulted in the deaths of numerous senior Iranian figures, beginning with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on his compound in Tehran on February 28. Additional confirmed losses include key military and intelligence officials such as Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Iranian Defence Council; Major General Mohammad Pakpour, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces; and Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. In total, strikes have eliminated around 40 Iranian officials and leaders, significantly degrading the regime’s command structure.

Hegseth’s refusal to discuss timelines or potential off-ramps underscored the seriousness of the U.S. commitment. With the Iranian regime’s security apparatus under sustained attack and its top echelons hollowed out, the Pentagon made clear that operational details remain tightly held as American forces continue advancing toward their defined military objectives.