Admiral Brad Cooper joins Hegseth in Tampa as Iran offensive enters sixth day
admiral brad cooper stood beside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Tampa on Thursday as the U. S. war against Iran continued for a sixth day. The briefing took place at U. S. Central Command headquarters, where Iran is hoping the United States cannot sustain the operation, while Hegseth insisted the U. S. can “sustain the fight for as long as it takes. ” The appearance marked the first time Cooper has given a press briefing since the campaign began over the weekend, with the Pentagon’s top civilian leader and the Central Command commander framing what comes next.
Admiral Brad Cooper outlines the next phase
At the Tampa briefing on Thursday, Hegseth said, “Our timeline is ours and ours alone to control, ” and added that the U. S. has “no shortage of munitions. ” Cooper, commander of U. S. Central Command leading U. S. forces in the Middle East, said the next phase of the operation will focus on trying to “systemically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability. ” He said the mission is currently underway but will “take some time. ”
The campaign is formally named Operation Epic Fury. One day earlier, Hegseth said the mission was “just getting started. ” He also announced Wednesday that an Iranian warship had been sunk by a U. S. torpedo, calling it the first time the U. S. Navy has sunk a warship with a torpedo since World War II.
Casualties and the scale of the buildup
Officials also addressed losses in the conflict. Six U. S. Army Reserve members have been killed in the ongoing war with Iran. Hegseth said the deadly incident happened when an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait.
Cooper’s Tampa appearance follows a Monday night video update he released on social media, where he expressed condolences for the six service members killed over the weekend and provided an operational snapshot. In that earlier update, he said the U. S. had struck nearly 2, 000 targets with over 2, 000 munitions.
In the same operational update, Cooper said more than 50, 000 troops, 200 fighter aircraft, two carrier strike groups, and bombers from the U. S. are participating, “representing the largest buildup by the U. S. in the Middle East in a generation. ” Thursday’s briefing was his first live press engagement since the campaign began, now placing those figures in a forward-looking frame as the operation shifts to its next phase.
Immediate reactions from the podium in Tampa
Hegseth’s message in Tampa emphasized endurance and control. “Our timeline is ours and ours alone to control, ” he told reporters Thursday, underscoring that the U. S. intends to dictate the pace of Operation Epic Fury. He also said Iran is hoping the U. S. cannot sustain its operation, while arguing the opposite: that the United States can keep going “for as long as it takes. ”
Cooper’s key operational takeaway was the stated aim of the next phase: the effort to “systemically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability. ” He cautioned that the work underway “will take some time, ” signaling an extended campaign focus even as the conflict moved through its sixth day.
Quick context and what comes next
The war against Iran entered its sixth day on Thursday, March 5, 2026, and the Tampa press briefing took place during Hegseth’s visit to U. S. Central Command headquarters. Cooper had previously issued a Monday night video update with condolences and operational details, but Thursday marked his first press briefing since the campaign began.
Next developments are expected to center on the phase Cooper described—actions tied to dismantling Iran’s missile production capability—while senior officials continue to publicly stress sustainment, control of the timeline, and the ongoing pace of the operation. As the Pentagon’s leadership returns to the cameras, admiral brad cooper is now positioned as the operational voice for the campaign’s next stage, even as officials acknowledge it will take time.
