TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The three U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites were nothing new for Central Command (CENTCOM) inside MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa.

News Channel 8 On Your Side spoke with Air Force veteran Gary Clark about the situation and his time at CENTCOM.

“We were in the same situation. I mean, all I could do is reflect back on Desert Shield, Desert Storm,” Clark said. “We had plans that were with flight modification, and we were able to exercise it.”

Clark said there was always a plan on the shelf for action in the Middle East. He said they were ready to move at the president’s command.

President Trump Monday called a ceasefire, and hours later Iran launched a strike against a U.S. base in Qatar. CENTCOM defended against the missile attack.

“We will continue to aggressively defend our service members and partners in the region. Our adversaries should have no doubt about our resolve or our capabilities,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of U.S. Central Command.

Jim Cardoso is the senior director of the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. He described the conflict in the Middle East as “dynamic,” and questioned what relations look like following this situation.

“With the ceasefire, there was a few more attacks going back and forth, we’ll see. It’s hard to — you don’t want to try to predict the future in this region,” Cardoso said. “Strategy is always going to try to go towards de-escalation. Nobody wants this thing to inflame, nobody wants this thing to grow out.”