ARLINGTON, Va. (NBC, KYMA) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a press briefing at the Pentagon Monday morning.

This was to discuss Operation Epic Fury, which is currently underway in Iran.

"The mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser focused...destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons. We're hitting them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically"

During the briefing, they confirmed that four U.S. service members have been killed in the operation so far, and said more American casualties are expected.

"A grateful nation honors the four Americans we have lost thus far and those injured...the absolute best of America," Secretary Hegseth expressed.

They also said Operation Epic Fury will take some time to complete.

"This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives that CENTCOM and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve, and in some cases, will be difficult and gritty work. We expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses. But as the Secretary said, this is major combat operations."

Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The names of the four service members killed have not yet been released. To watch the livestream of the briefing, see attached video.

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