President Donald Trump said the United States possesses the most powerful military in the world and credited investments made during his first term with strengthening the nation’s defense capabilities, remarks that came as U.S. forces continue a large-scale military campaign against Iranian targets.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump pointed to recent operations against Iran as evidence of the U.S. military’s strength. “We have the greatest military on earth,” Trump said. “And I built it in my first term, and unfortunately, I’m forced to use it now.”
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Trump’s remarks came after reporters asked about the progress of the operation roughly one week after it began. According to the president, the campaign has significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities in a short period of time. “We’ve accomplished more in one week than anyone thought possible,” Trump said. “We’ve wiped out their Navy, 44 ships. We’ve wiped out their air force, every plane. We’ve wiped out most of their missiles. You see, the missiles aren’t coming much anymore.”
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"We've wiped out their navy, 44 ships. We've wiped out their air force, every plane. We've wiped out most of their missiles." pic.twitter.com/IAQk0BrFSQ
He added that U.S. forces had also targeted production facilities connected to Iran’s missile program.“We’ve also hit the manufacturing areas where they make the missiles very hard. Their drone capacity is way down,” Trump said. “And we’ve hurt them where it hurts, including about every form of leadership you can have, we’ve wiped out.”
Operation Epic Fury began in the early hours of February 28 under the direction of the president and is being carried out by U.S. Central Command. The operation is focused on dismantling key components of Iran’s military and security infrastructure, including command centers, ballistic missile sites, air defense systems, and naval assets linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The campaign has relied on a wide range of American military capabilities, including B-2 stealth bombers, F-35 fighter jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones, Patriot missile systems, guided-missile destroyers, and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
During the exchange with reporters, Trump said the military operation was part of a broader effort to confront threats that he argued had been left unaddressed for decades.
“This is a short excursion into something that should have been done for 47 years,” Trump said. “Forty-seven years it’s taken to do this and no president had the guts to do it.”
Alongside the ongoing operations, officials have pointed to broader indicators they say demonstrate the strength of the U.S. armed forces. Defense leaders recently reported that military recruitment surged in fiscal year 2025, with all five active-duty branches meeting or exceeding their recruiting goals.
The U.S. Army recruited 62,050 service members against a goal of 61,000, reaching 101.7 percent of its target. The Navy exceeded its goal with 44,096 recruits, reaching 108.6 percent of its objective. The Air Force brought in 30,166 recruits against a goal of 30,100, while the Marine Corps met its target of 26,600 recruits. The Space Force also surpassed its goal, recruiting 819 personnel compared with a target of 796.
Across the five active-duty branches, recruitment reached an average completion rate of approximately 103 percent of planned targets. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the surge represents the strongest recruiting performance in more than a decade.
“Since November 2024, our military has seen its highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in more than 15 years,” Parnell said.
As the campaign against Iran continues, Trump framed the military operation as part of a broader effort to eliminate threats to the United States and its allies as he boasts his success in his military.