Pentagon Briefing on 6/25/24

Attacks against Israel and destabilizing activities throughout the Middle East. Secretary Austin underscored the ironclad U.S commitment to Israel as evidenced in part by the extraordinary defense of Israel against an unprecedented Iranian attack on April 13th, and by the more than $14 billion in assistance in the national security supplemental. During the discussion, secretary Austin stressed that Lebanese Hezbollah’s provocations threatened to drag the Israeli and Lebanese people into a war that neither of them wants, and that such a war would be catastrophic for Lebanon and it would be devastating for innocent Israeli and Lebanese civilians. Secretary Austin also reiterated the high priority of securing the safe release of all hostages held captive by Hamas, including American citizens. He commended Minister Gallant for Israel’s support for the comprehensive ceasefire and release proposal that it is offered, which President Biden has outlined, and the United Nations Security Council has endorsed. They agree that the onus is on Hamas to accept this deal.

(01:04)
Secretary Austin stressed that principled diplomacy is the only way to prevent any further escalation of tensions in the region. Additionally, secretary Austin urged Minister Gallant to double down on efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and humanitarian aid workers in Gaza. The secretary and minister discussed ways to improve the distribution of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in dire need and to strengthen the de-confliction mechanisms for humanitarian workers. A full readout will be posted to the DoD website later today. Separately, secretary Austin also spoke by phone today with Russian Minister of Defense, Andrei Belousov. During the call, the secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. The last time Secretary Austin spoke to his Russian counterpart, then Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, was on March 15th, 2023. A brief readout will be posted to Defense.gov.

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In other news, today the department released its new information Technology Advancement Strategy titled Fulcrum. The Fulcrum Strategy provides a roadmap for better aligning DoD’s IT capabilities and resources to accelerate the Department’s modernization efforts and expand our military strategic advantage across the IT landscape. Fulcrum will assist the department in continuing the transformative change occurring throughout DoD’s IT Enterprise, while empowering DoD leaders to deliver advanced IT capabilities for our war-fighters. Of note, Fulcrum will also assist the department in our ongoing efforts to recruit and develop the best digital talent the country has to offer. A press release with further details on Fulcrum along with a link to the full strategy is available on the DoD website. Also, last Friday marked one year since the launch of the India-U.S Defense Acceleration Ecosystem or INDUSX. INDUSX is one of the ways DOD continues to help advance the initiative on critical and emerging technology between our two countries. Together with the Indian Ministry of Defense, we’re facilitating dynamic partnerships among defense technology companies, investors, and researchers.

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We’ve already convened two INDUS-X Summits, one here in Washington and another in New Delhi, and the White House just announced that a third INDUS-X Summit will take place this September in Silicon Valley. We’re very proud of what this initiative has achieved in just one year, and we’re excited for what’s ahead. A detailed fact sheet on INDUS-X is available on the DOD website. And finally, as you may have seen, we posted a statement from Secretary Austin yesterday announcing that Derek Chalet will start in July as the Secretary’s chief of Staff. Mr. Chalet has served in senior policy roles at the White House, the Pentagon and the Department of State, including his current role as counselor of the Department of State. In his statement, secretary Austin expressed his gratitude to Mr. Chalet for taking on this key assignment at such an important moment, and has previously announced Kelly Magsaman, the current chief of staff, will depart this week after three and a half years in the position since the very first day of this administration.

(04:12)
As Secretary Austin said in his June five statement, he’s deeply grateful for her tremendous service over three and a half pivotal years to him, the department and the country as the chief of staff. So on behalf of the secretary and the entire office of the Secretary of Defense, we all wish her the very best as she takes some time off before pursuing other opportunities. And with that, we’ll take your questions. Tara.

All right, that was a lot. I wanted to ask about the humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Is there a role for DoD, particularly with the coordination cell? You have some warnings today from the UN that they will just pull out of distributing aid if more is not done to protect those that are distributing it.

Yeah. So there is a role when it comes to getting aid into Gaza for the Department of Defense, and it’s exactly what we’re doing. We are working with the U.S inter-agency as well as other international agencies and partners to facilitate the flow of aid into Gaza. Certainly, as I highlighted during the discussion today with Minister Gallant, that was on the agenda, was to discuss ways to ensure that aid can get to the people who need it most. But from a DoD standpoint, to get to the crux of your question, there’s no plans, for example, to put U.S military forces on the ground in Gaza. We’re going to continue to work with humanitarian organizations via USAID and other regional partners to ensure that we can find a way to get that aid to the people who need it most.

But is there more, potentially, that could be done through the coordination cell? Because some of the concerns or complaints is that they don’t have enough direct communication with IDF.

Well, again, as I mentioned here, that’s one aspect of it, is looking at those mechanisms. I think probably the most important aspect though would be the other thing that I mentioned, which is a ceasefire and the onus is on the Hamas. So if a ceasefire could be put into place right now, that would greatly facilitate the security and safety considerations on the ground, which would further facilitate the flow of aid. Tom.

Pat, along these lines, could you give us an update on the pier? Is it still moving aid? If so, how much? And also, again, if the U.N decides to stop delivering aid, what does that mean for the operation of the pier? Will you curtail the amount of aid you’re sending to the Marshall area or will you stop? Does that have an effect on your operations?

Yeah, so a few things. So first of all, yes, the pier is operational. It resumed operations again today. As you know, yesterday they took a day to do some scheduled maintenance on the pier. But the bottom line is, yes, it’s operational, aid is flowing across the causeway. CENTCOM per standard will be issuing updates in terms of the amounts. I can tell you right now two dates since May 17th, they’ve delivered more than 6,800 metric tons or 15 million pounds of humanitarian aid ashore for onward delivery. Now, your question about the amount of aid. Again, back to my earlier comment. The DoD is working with the inter-agency and international NGOs to facilitate the delivery of aid, and so that’s our role in this, is to help get the aid there, whether it’s via the maritime corridor, whether it’s via air or preferably land routes. And so, again, we’re going to continue to work with those agencies who are the ones that are out there that are doing the hard work to facilitate those donations, but bottom line is we’ll be standing ready to help get the aid there.

(07:57)
Now last thing I’ll say on that is, again, to underscore, this is a temporary pier. So this is a temporary solution to help rush aid into the zone. Again, recognizing the dire security situation there. But again, we’re going to continue to look at all ways to get aid into Gaza.

If the UN stops delivering food, will you just continue moving humanitarian aid to that marshalling area? Or you basically say, if they’re not delivering aid, we’re going to have to at some point stop?

I mean, certainly we’ve got to take into account the capacity of the marshalling area. We’re not quite there yet. So again, we’re going to continue to be in communication with the U.N, with World Food Program, USAID and look at those things. Ultimately though, I think we all want the same thing, which is to make sure aid can get to the people who need it in Gaza. Idris.

You mentioned civilian casualties was an issue that was discussed this morning between Austin and Gallant. Did the secretary receive any commitment

… or assurances from the Israeli defense minister to reduce civilian casualties?

Yeah, I’m not going to be able to go into more details in what I provided in that readout there, Idrees, and I don’t want to speak for Minister Galant, other than to say again that this is a priority for Secretary Austin in terms of protecting civilians. And that is something that has come up in every single conversation that they have.

[inaudible 00:09:24] secretary feel that it’s a priority for the Israelis as well?

I’m not going to, again, characterize Minister Galant’s words. I think the secretary recognizes that his message is being received loud and clear. And again, we’re going to continue to highlight how important it is. I mean, you heard it in his opening comments, right? It’s both a moral obligation and a strategic imperative.

And the Russian defense minister, who initiated the call?

The secretary did. Yep. Let me go to you, sir.

Rashid Jaafar, Al-Ghad TV, Egypt. The secretary has indicated that diplomacy is the best way to prevent the recent tensions between Lebanon and between Hezbollah and Israel from escalating into a full-blown war. What has been discussed in the talks between the secretary and his Israeli counterpart on this issue?

Well, again, as I highlighted at the top, we think that no one wins if there’s a broader regional conflict. And so that’s something that the Department of Defense and the United States has been working very hard at ever since Hamas’s attack on October 7th. And so the secretary has been clear, both publicly and privately, that we firmly believe that a diplomatic resolution to the tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border are the way to go and to prevent a potential escalation. And especially in this type of situation where there’s a risk of miscalculation that no one wants to see. So let me go to the phone here real quick. Lara Seligman, Politico.

Hi, Pat. Thanks for doing this. Can you tell me what was the impetus for Secretary Austin’s call with the Russian defense minister?

Thanks, Lara. I’m not going to have anything to provide beyond what I read out at the top, other than again, the secretary believes that keeping lines of communication open are important. All right. Let me go to Jeff Shogol, Task and Purpose.

Thank you. Former President Trump has criticized the military for moving toward electric tanks. As far as you know, are there any plans for electric tanks?

Yeah, thanks, Jeff. Seen those press reports, I’m not aware of any electric tanks. I certainly refer you to the army for any questions about their acquisitions programs. Just leave it there. Janie.

Thank you, General. I have two questions on North Korea, Russia and Ukraine. First question, Russian President Putin recognize the North Korea as a nuclear state, and the US Congress is also talking about arming South Korea with nuclear weapons in response to North Korea’s nuclear weapons. What is the Pentagon’s view on the South Korea’s issue to arm itself with nuclear weapons?

Yeah, look, our policy hasn’t changed as it relates to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Again, we’ll continue to work closely with our ROK Japanese allies, and others in the region, to ensure security and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific, and I’ll just leave it there.

Quick follow-up. North Korea’s Central Military Commission announced that North Korea would join forces with the Russian military. And as part of the North Korea and Russia military alliance, a North Korean army engineer unit would be dispatched to Donetsk, Ukraine, which means occupied by Russia. It will be dispatched as early as next month. How do you assess about the rapid situation in which North Korea, Russia are moving toward Ukraine?

So just to clarify, you’re asking what do I think about Russia assigning North Korean forces to the battlefield in Ukraine?

North Korean army, even, yeah.

Yeah. Sending North… Yeah, I mean, that’s certainly something to keep an eye on. I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine. And I mean, we’ve seen the kinds of casualties that Russian forces, so… But again, something that we’ll keep an eye on.

As part of a [inaudible 00:14:31]-

Let me move on, Janie? Yes, sir.

Thank you. General, regarding to the escalation of the border between Lebanon and Israel, do you still believe that the diplomatic resolution is still possible? And today, after the meeting between Secretary Austin and his Israeli counterpart, did you see that the Israeli agree to go with Secretary Austin’s assessment about this solution as a diplomatic… do they agree with that [inaudible 00:15:02] and even though, did they agree with what Secretary Austin says about that any other war between Hezbollah and Israel could easily become a regional war?

Yeah, again, I’m not going to speak for Minister Galant or the Israeli delegation. I’ll allow them to do that. But to answer your question, yes, we do think that a diplomatic resolution is possible and that’s something that we’ll continue to work with, all parties involved, to achieve for the reasons that I spelled out. Yes, sir.

Thank you. Thank you, General Pat. My name is Mushfiqul Fazal. I’m representing South Asia Perspectives. May I know how the Pentagon navigating its military and security partnership with Bangladesh, given the US public designation of immediate past army chief of Bangladesh, General Aziz, due to his involvement in significant corruption? The country is moving in the wrong direction with extreme violation of human rights and democratic rights. Top police and RAB personnel have been sanctioned by the US, and the current regime is using the security forces to keep the power by any means.

Yeah. Thanks for the question and welcome to the briefing room here. As you’re aware, and as you highlighted, the State Department has designated General Ahmed for significant corruption. They did this back in May. That designation reaffirms the US commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law in Bangladesh, and the department supports the anti-corruption efforts that are being taken there. And I would just conclude by saying that the US does have a close bilateral defense relationship with Bangladesh in support of shared values and interests, such as a shared free and open Indo-Pacific, and maritime and regional security. So just leave it there. Liz.

Thanks. There’s a report out that the Biden administration is considering allowing US military contractors in Ukraine to help maintain US-provided weapon systems in Ukraine. Without getting into hypotheticals of what could be decided, what’s the difference between doing this and having US military boots on the ground?

Yeah, thanks for the question, Liz. What I’d say right now is just I’m not going to comment on any reports of internal discussions or proposals that may or may not be under consideration. The bottom line is, the president and the secretary have been clear that we’re not going to send US troops to fight in Ukraine and that won’t change. So I’ll just leave it there. Okay? Sir.

Regarding the DOD inspector general report on tracking funds to China for pathogen research, the report mentions there are “significant restraints” in order to track those funds. So will there be any revisions made in the future to accurately track those?

Let me take that question. I just don’t have that information in front of me, so we’ll get back to you on it. Buddy.

Thank you, General. So Minister Galant said today that the US and Israel are working

Came to achieve an agreement about the tension on the borders between Israel and Lebanon, but he added, “We must also discuss readiness for every possible scenario.” Did the secretary discuss such scenarios with Mr. Gallant? I think he was alluding to war maybe.

Well, again, as you can appreciate, I’m not going to speak for Minister Gallant or his comments. I will say again that they did have a discussion about the tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. The secretary again highlighted the importance of finding a diplomatic resolution to those tensions. It was a very frank, candid, professional conversation and robust. So, lots of discussion on the situation as it relates to Lebanon, but I’ll just leave it there.

And the secretary thanked Mr. Gallant for his efforts to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, today the Integrated Food Security Phase Class said that too, 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza face high levels of acute food insecurity and half a million are facing starvation. Was the secretary aware of these statistics before making his comments? And can you point to any specific efforts that he was talking about from Mr. Gallant to make sure food is actually and aid is actually getting to the people of Gaza?

And again, with the caveat that I’m not Israel MOD spokesperson, and I’m not going to stand up here and be Minister Gallant’s spokesperson. What the secretary was alluding to is the fact that first of all, Israel is not a monolith, and Minister Gallant, from the secretary’s perspective, has worked hard to enable the mechanisms by which humanitarian assistance can get into Gaza. For example, working to ensure that aid can get past protestors, for example, on the Israeli side into Gaza, working to get the gates open, supporting JLOTS in terms of providing security so that JLOTS can be anchored to the pier. And then, of course, supporting the coordination cell that exists. So from Secretary Austin’s perspective, Minister Gallant has been a partner we can work with in terms of identifying ways to get aid into Gaza, recognizing the challenges that still exist there, recognizing the fact that much, much more aid needs to get in. So, this will be something that they continue to talk about. Yunus.

Thank you, General. Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel is ready to fight two wars on two fronts, and today, the Israeli defense minister said in the room that they’re determined to actually establish security in the north and change the reality on the ground. So, if that were to happen with seeing from the secretary that it’s not a hypothetical anymore, but a calculation in this department that it could turn into a full-blown war in the region, if that were to happen, can Israel rely on the United States militarily? Because we’ve seen this play out before, that you said one thing, Israel do another, but you are still behind them militarily, so can that still be the case?

So I appreciate the question and I will respectfully disagree that it’s not a hypothetical. It is a hypothetical. Certainly, that is a scenario that could happen, but it hasn’t yet. And so, our focus right now is on finding a diplomatic solution to the tensions that are along the border there. And, as I highlighted at the top, our support for Israel’s inherent right to self-defense is ironclad. It will remain that way, we’ll continue to support Israel and their ability to defend themselves. But when it comes to the tensions along the border, when it comes to the broader region, we don’t want to see a broader regional conflict. And so, that will continue to be a primary focus of this department and this government. Thank you. Take a few more. Yes, sir.

Thank you. I have a question on a different topic about the launches of the Russian satellite to space, the Cosmos satellite 2576. They are supposed to be nuclear. And the question is where the Pentagon is standing with the nuclear anti-satellite program and if the Pentagon is also looking on a new cold… Not looking but is aware there might be on the verge or a new Cold War in space against Russia and China.

Well, there’s a lot to unpack there. So, the bottom line is, we recognize that space is now congested and contested. It’s not the benign environment that it used to be. And there are actors that are looking to create conditions in space that threaten not only US national security interests, but other countries as well. And so, our focus is on protecting our capabilities, but also ensuring that space doesn’t become the kind of battleground that you suggest. So, is there a Cold War in space right now? No, but it’s certainly something that we will need to continue to stay very focused on, which is why you saw, in our case, the US military create a US Space Force several years ago. So that you have Space Force guardians who come to work every single day with the primary job of keeping an eye on the space domain, to not only ensure we understand what’s in space, but also protect our interests, and importantly, working with our allies and partners around the world to do the same. Thank you very much. Yes, sir.

Thank you very much. First our briefing with you.

Welcome.

From the Pakistan Daily. So, government of Pakistan announced a new military operation against Pakistani Taliban and allied groups. Some of them believed are also wanted for China. For example, East Turkestan Islamic Movement. So, United States, before and after the Doha agreement showed its commitment to go after IS and linked groups like ISKP, who is actively working with Pakistani Taliban in attacking civilians of Pakistan. And also, there are concerns from Chinese side. So do you think so still there is United States have something with Pakistani military on this operation, United States is aware about this, Pentagon is aware about this?

First of all, welcome. What I would tell you is, I don’t have any specifics as it relates to particular Pakistani operations, counter-terrorism operations. I would say broadly speaking, we fully appreciate and recognize Pakistan’s important role as a partner when it comes to counter-terrorism. We have a long history of working together on counter-terrorism efforts. And when it comes to regional terrorist threats, it’s certainly something that we continue to keep an eye on, especially for obvious reasons as it relates to protecting US national security interests and protecting the homeland. But the way that we do that is, we don’t do that alone. We work with allies and partners throughout the world to assess those threats and take appropriate action. So again, I don’t have any specifics on the operations that you’re talking about, but I’m confident that, at multiple levels, we’re in contact with the Pakistani government as well as other partners in the region to address potential terrorist threats. Thank you. Roa.

Thank you, General. In Okinawa, Japan, local authorities said that prosecuted, charged the US servicemen at the Air Force in Okinawa for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl under 16 years old in March, and it was revealed yesterday. Could you give us comment on this case and what do you think about the potential impact on the US-Japan relation?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any details on that. I’d have to refer you to… You said it was Air Force?

Yes.

I’d have to refer you to the Air Force for any questions on that. Thank you. Yes, ma’am.

Thanks, sir. Kimberly Underwood from AFCEA SIGNAL Magazine. I wanted to ask about the Fulcrum Strategy. As DOD continues to advance strategies and the digital workforce through the strategies, are there any broad areas that the secretary will need to iron out as far as IT or C4 technologies to take DOD into the future? And then, I had a quick INDUS 3 question follow-up.

Sure. I’m going to take your question because I want to get you a proper answer on that, but appreciate it.

And for INDUS 3, would the secretary have any advice to Silicon Valley

… companies about participating in the event, or companies that may be interested in understanding the INDUS partnership?

Yeah, well, just broadly speaking, especially when you look at the challenges that the department is facing around the world today as we implement the National Defense Strategy, it’s clear that the partnership between the Department of Defense and industry is vital. And you see this on multiple levels. And for example, through programs like DIU, or INDUS-X, or many, many others, it’s critical that we be able to work together to understand each other’s requirements. And so that’s going to continue to be a priority for this department. So thank you very much. I’ll take two more.

(27:48)
Yes, sir.

Yeah. Hi. So as you guys celebrate a year of INDUS-X, it is also a year anniversary of my colleague, Vivek Raghuvanshi, being detained by Indian authorities for the crime of journalism. So as you all celebrate this partnership with India, what conversations or assurances has the Pentagon pursued from India on press freedom and human rights in exchange for all of these partnerships?

Yeah, well, certainly I know that our state department has spoken to this, broadly speaking. Again, from a Department of Defense standpoint, we certainly support and we’ll defend an open, free, and independent press. That’s our position. So I’ll just leave it there. Noah, last question.

A couple short ones on the call with the Russian Defense Minister today. Could you tell us about how long it lasted? And then secondarily, since the focus was, in large part, you said, on maintaining lines of communication, how would you characterize those lines of communication right now?

Yeah, thanks, Noah. I do appreciate the question. I’m just not going to have any more details to provide than what I provided to you. All right, thanks very much, everybody. Appreciate it.

(28:57)
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