TAMPA, Fla. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited MacDill Air Force Base Wednesday, meeting with troops at U.S. Central Command.
Cameras were not allowed inside the base, but remarks Hegseth made to troops were shared on the Department of Defense's official X account.
"What an incredible testament to your leadership, to your audacity, to your courage, to your toughness, to your adaptability. What the War Department can do, what the fighting men and women of our country can do is on full display through CENTCOM to the rest of the world," Hegseth said.
WATCH: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth engages with troops at CENTCOM in Tampa
Hegseth praised troops for their work over more than 100 days of operations, including major combat, a ceasefire, and a blockade.
"It has been for over 100 days from major combat operations to the ceasefire to the blockade at every turn from the admiral all the way down to every single troop in CENTCOM, you have been leading the way, charting the course for what American power looks like," Hegseth said.
The visit comes after President Donald Trump directed the U.S. to start new "self-defense strikes" on Iran on June 9, in response to Trump saying Iran downed a U.S. helicopter.
U.S. Central Command posted on social media on June 9, "The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."
Hegseth addressed the mission to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"The important mission you have undertaken and are still undertaking to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, which everyone here understands why that is so critically important," Hegseth said.
Earlier Wednesday, Hegseth also visited troops at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where an oil blockade continues. The visit came weeks after former Cuban President Raul Castro faced federal charges.
Hegseth addressed the uncertainty surrounding Cuba's future during that stop.
"What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the President of the United States and the leadership of Cuba. No matter what, the Department of War is going to be prepared and postured for any possible contingency," Hegseth said.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Chad Mills covered Sec. Hegseth's prior visit to Tampa on March 5, when the secretary held a briefing at CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, where military leaders are overseeing many U.S. operations in Iran and the Middle East.
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