Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin casted doubt on the competence of Iran-backed militias attacking American troops in the Middle East just weeks before three U.S. soldiers were killed in Jordan, according to a report. In remarks to sailors aboard the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier on Dec. 20, Austin said the “number one” reason that the militants “haven’t been effective” in their assaults up to that point was simply that “they’re not very good at what they do,” Reuters reports. A second reason, he said, was that the U.S. had taken measures to ensure “adequate force protection.” “Eventually, as we all know, they may get lucky one day and cause injury to one of our troops,” he added. “But we will stay on the balls of our feet and make sure that that doesn’t happen.” Less than six weeks later, on Jan. 28, three American troops were killed when a drone hit a U.S. base in Jordan. Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria were blamed for the deaths.