Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has been receiving daily updates on the response efforts to Hurricane Helene as well as preparations for Hurricane Milton. This morning, in advance of Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida, Secretary Austin convened a meeting with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady, U.S. NORTHCOM Command commander Gregory Guillot, National Guard Bureau Acting Vice Chief LTG Jon Stubbs and other senior DoD leaders to discuss the latest Department efforts to support the federal, state, and local response to Hurricane Helene, plus DoD actions underway in advance of Hurricane Milton to be prepared and enable a rapid disaster response as part of whole-of-government efforts. The Department continues to be engaged with interagency partners in support of FEMA, the White House, state, and local governments, and the Secretary and his team are also focused on DoD personnel and their families who may be impacted by the hurricanes.