SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Quick moment of remarks upfront that may be useful. Look, it has really been a tremendous trip so far, what a demonstration of the extraordinary power of allies and partners, and, frankly, of US leadership. So yesterday, as you know, the Secretary met with President Zelenskyy. And then President Zelenskyy, spoke to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. And it was, I think, nothing short of inspiring. He was able, for the first time President Zelenskyy, to look at all of these folks, right, 50 plus folks who have been actively and substantially supporting Ukraine. And he, and so that was, that was really tremendous. And I will just say it was a reminder of American leadership, seeing how Secretary Austin, of course, created this UDCG and how he's been able to bring together allies and partners from all over the world.
Then after that ended, we started the NATO Defense Ministerial. So the very first session was the NATO Ukraine Council. And what was special about that? One is it was actually the first one held at the defense minister level. And so Ukraine was sitting there. They were represented by Minister Umerov. And he was sitting at the table as an equal and they had a good conversation, discussing the security situation, of course, and Ukraine's ongoing reform efforts, especially in relation to interoperability. And above all, I would underscore that allies reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine.
Then we came back for the rest of the defense ministerial today. It opened up with a very moving briefing by Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant. And allies condemned the horrific recent terrorist attacks in Israel, and they expressed their support and solidarity. Then the next session of the NATO defense ministerial, really focused on taking stock of NATO's deterrence and defense efforts, with a special focus on executing the new regional plans. And then they also did a good session on NATO's current operations in the Western Balkans and in Iraq. And I will just wrap by noting, of course, as we have gone throughout this trip, Secretary Austin has been very busy working across the entire Department of Defense, to ensure that we are able to give Israel all of the support that it needs to defend itself. He has had multiple conversations with Minister Gallant since the horrific events on Saturday as well. Let me pause there and I'd be delighted to take your questions.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about first, can you give us sort of a sense of a little bit of the Minister Gallant’s presentation this morning, there was a video right, so can you just tell us a little bit about what the minister saw and what they heard from him? First, and then I have another?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Absolutely. Look, you have seen the videos of these truly despicable terrorist attacks in Israel against civilians, men, women babies, He then spoke to the allies to talk about what we have all seen, but also gave some very moving stories as well. He emphasized just how meaningful this moment is for Israel, because of the high number of casualties, because and, of course, these are casualties that are not just Israeli. They represent individuals from frankly, a number of NATO allies as well. And he expressed his appreciation for the expressions of solidarity and support that he has gotten from a wide range of folks.
Q: Did he ask for anything in particular from the partners and allies? Was there ‘we need this we need that’ anything like that, and how long was the video? Was it just a video of news reports (inaudible)?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: So he did not have any special requests, he really wanted to highlight, I think he wanted to underscore just how devastating these terrorist attacks were, and how seriously Israel will want to defend itself. And frankly, you have obviously all seen President Biden's many statements over the last few days as well, that this, that has been a huge focus for Secretary Austin in particular, making sure Israel has everything it needs to defend itself. That involves of course, security assistance, you also have seen the emphasis on some important posture movement. So of course, sending the carrier out being the kind of key example here. And really, that is to underscore a very loud, excuse me, very important message of deterrence. And to send the signal that anyone who might think it's a good idea to dramatically take advantage of this horrible set of circumstances should absolutely not do so.
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Let's do, I think that's probably fine. It was a brief video and, you know, captured just a few of the many, many, many truly horrible images that we have all seen of those events. Thank you.
Q: Thanks for doing this. So there have been some exchanges of fire between Israel and groups in Lebanon, reports earlier this afternoon of Israeli strikes on the Aleppo and Damascus airport. How, given all that, how concerned are you about an expansion of this conflict? What's your assessment of the likelihood of that at this point?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Right now, we are really focused on underscoring our support for Israel, as they defend themselves against the devastating attacks by Hamas. I have actually been in NATO meetings all day with the Secretary. So I can't speak to any of the most recent events. But I would say we are monitoring the situation very closely. Secretary Austin has been very engaged on everything happening regarding Israel with his team.
Q: Before the horrible events in Israel, there were a lot of other little smaller items and larger items on NATO's agenda. And I'm just going to go through two or three of them. You touched on them. And one was, of course, Sweden's membership into NATO. The second is Ukraine's eventual status. You know, yesterday, (inaudible) mentioned that Ukraine is on the path to NATO. But he kind of left it vague. And I had a very interesting interview with a Russian scholar about two weeks ago. And she said, the success of the summit, obviously, prior to Israel, would be seen in the faces of Zelenskyy and Putin based on the timetable for Ukraine coming into NATO. And the third one, I thought it was what happened, the Baltic Sea with the cable. Any of those things come up or can shed any light on?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: As you as you know, the United States has been really quite strong in its endorsement of Sweden and its readiness to join NATO. And so that has obviously been a topic of robust dialogue. On the pipeline incident, which I think is the third one you're referencing. Yes, both allies Estonia and Finland did raise the pipeline incident and a number of allies pledged their support with the ongoing investigation. And I think this is a topic in which we're working on learning the facts. And then I'm not sure I totally understood your second one. Will you ask me once more?
Q: Stoltenberg mentioned yesterday, Ukraine's on a path to NATO membership. He said he was sort of betting generally it stays on the path and that NATO membership, but the last time there were concerns that there were not specific concerns about Ukrainian specific timetables or steps to that beyond what happened eliminating all the other peripheral stuff.
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Of course. Do you mind?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 2: Yeah, so I think I liked your point about, you can say something like you can see the outcome based on the face of Putin or the face of Zelenskyy. And I mean, yesterday, seeing President Zelenskyy walk into NATO headquarters, be greeted enthusiastically by all the ministers of defense of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. That was a real highlight for I think, for Ukraine, certainly for President Zelenskyy, for all of the ministers of defense who were there, (inaudible).
The fact that the allies and partners are talking about these capability coalitions and how we're going to organize for the long haul. It demonstrates to Putin he can't wait us out, and we will be able to sustain our support for Ukraine. Now, in terms of the NATO agenda, this too was very, very positive, there was a NATO Ukraine council meeting, this is something that was a political commitment by allies at Vilnius. And, you know, they're taking words and translating them into action, by actually showing this political commitment, and then showing support for the host of programs that NATO is undertaking to support defense reforms in Ukraine and to support Ukraine being interoperable with NATO forces.
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: (Inaudible) analogies to the Ukraine defense contact group, right, we've had now 16 of them, you've got 50+ allies and partners, and for a head of state, you know, really guiding his country through a war to come and speak with them. I think it is no exaggeration to say that it was a historic moment.
Q: Can you talk about that deterrence point that you made, how does an aircraft carrier dissuade Lebanese Hezbollah? And presumably, certain officials in Tehran who have contact with it?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Absolutely. Look, there should be no doubt about American power. Globally, right, look at what the United States has done, bringing together 50+ allies and partners to support Ukraine and speeding historic levels of assistance to Ukraine to be used immediately on the battlefield. And as you are asking about kinds of demonstrations of American power and resolve, the carrier is a key example of that. It is, of course, the most capable, the largest warship that the United States has. And it is a reminder that the U.S. military can be anywhere at anytime that it needs to be.
To be very clear, I think that helps underscore deterrence. I think, like were there any actors who might think that they should take advantage of the situation that's happening right now, as Israel is defending itself against Hamas and the horrific events that we saw a few days ago? It would remind them that the United States is able to support Israel with our security assistance, and also that we are able to to be present around the world when we need to be.
Q: But as you know, how does that that presence dissuade a group who has political considerations in Beirut, who has a physical control of all South Lebanon, and is weighing whether to cross the border, especially in the coming weeks as we expect. The war becomes more protracted, with more civilian casualties and the pressures in southern Lebanon and Beirut and frankly across the region will increase.
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: It would be both short sighted and misguided for any actor to try to take advantage of the situation and escalate the war and the Department of Defense has tried to support Israel in these two key ways, rushing assistance that Israel needs as quickly as possible, and being able to show that we can be present when we need to where we need to be.
Q: And then last one for me, sorry. Borrell was here yesterday, he said something like some of Israel's military decisions already are contrary to international law. He was referring to the conditions in Gaza. So I think the new ones are like 650,000, don't have water, 350,000 are displaced. And I'm sure these numbers will just increase (inaudible). But in general, are there any conditions on U.S. weapons that are being provided to Israel, when it comes to how they use them and their impact on civilians?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: I should probably let the European Union speak for itself and its comments. Right now, we are focusing on getting Israel the assistance it means as you know, we have had a long standing deep effort to provide Israel security assistance over many, many decades. And, you know, this is seen in that same vein. Do you have anything else you want to ask me about Israel?
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Q: I assume you've got to keep a close eye on the situation, I assume some of that includes ISR, like offering (inaudible) and other assets to help you do that. And then that's one question. Then second question is, if the rationale, or if the kind of thinking is bringing in a carrier brands, other stuff, potentially a second carrier (inaudible). Is there an argument that you made that some of the deterrence that was pulled out of the region in recent years potentially invited this on some level? I'm not trying to tie like, one for one thing?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: No, no, I love to hear. I think not. I mean, right. What is extraordinary about the United States military is arguably more than any other military in the world that it is able to move dynamically, right, is able to be anywhere at any time. And I think we have demonstrated that around the world for many, many decades. So I don't think that's right. I would also note that, you know, this narrative that we have not had as robust of a presence over the last few years is actually not entirely accurate (inaudible). Look, Secretary Austin is taking the imperative to demonstrate support for Israel very seriously.
Q: But I want to remind you about the ISR, but positive returns for recognizing the U.S. military, very flexible to move assets around, adapt, but can you just kind of expand a little bit on why less determined sprint that way in the region? Potentially? I guess I'm just struggling with carriers, just use that as an example, are deterrence, but no carriers?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: I see what you're saying. Right? How is this not like binary? Look. As I noted, what is special about the United States military is its ability to be anywhere at anytime. And that flexibility, that dynamism that responsiveness, that is actually really crucial to showing that we understand that we are living in a complex security environment and (inaudible). And in this complex security environment, being able to respond when one needs to do so to various events that occur around the world is, is really quite critical. So it's you know, I'll give you another example, particularly given where we are sitting right now, at NATO headquarters. The US military had I think 90,000 or so troops based in Europe, before the horrific war in Ukraine kicked off. And as the war kicked off, we raced, what, like 15,000 or so troops who got here, and they got here quickly, and you have seen the success of their ability to be interoperable with our allies, of course, and to ensure that when President Biden says not one inch that is a reality. So I would sort of widen the aperture. When one looks at the U.S. military's ability to be flexible,
Q: And equipment ISR?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Yes, I would say we are helping the Israelis in a wide variety of ways.
Q: Can I just on Gordon's point, and I understand what you're saying about flexibility. But those of us who have been in and out of Middle East for a number of years, the number of troops in the force that was largely cut almost in half over a period of time. I mean, we the U.S. went from a very significant force. And then the rotations of carriers obviously pulled out, I mean, we hear this from you, from CENTCOM all the time, right? And, you know, after certain events, maybe not a surprise, but everyone has acknowledged pretty emphatically that yes, the U.S. presence in the Middle East has been lowered, specifically getting you know, going to Asia, etc, etc. And like, I mean, I just think we've lived this multiple times where pull the carrier out around us, put a carrier back in, and the temperature goes down. And there is some deterrence, which is why CENTCOM repeatedly asked for carriers over time. So just to get at the previous question --
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: Yes, and thank you for pushing that. I hear what you're saying. So first of all, this security environment looked really different when we were all sitting here a decade ago, right? The U.S. is at war in Iraq, the U.S. is at war in Afghanistan. And I think we cannot ignore those two really big pieces. And so that looks really different, obviously, in terms of the sort of shifts in our posture, and, you know, obviously, like the military historian nerds here will recall what our posture looked like in the 90s in the 70s in the 50s. So the anomaly is when the US military is fighting two wars in the Middle East, as opposed to that, that being sort of the continuity. I would also notice as you know, really well, you know, we have seen the geometries of our partners shift in the Middle East, in recent years. You've seen this, of course, with the Abraham accords that the previous administration had signed, I will say, within the Department of Defense, you're familiar probably with our unified command plan or UCP. And the shift of Israel to CENTCOM which has enabled increasing interactions among partners around the region. And, and I note that because that, you know, you're seeing kind of a level of interaction, that just looks different than we saw previously, you know, an ability to have kind of different a different level of conversations about things like integrated air and missile defense, and maritime security. You know, when I first entered the Pentagon, during the Bush administration, and you will probably remember, there was this kind of Gulf security dialogue effort, which was really trying to bring the region together on things like integrated air and missile defense and maritime security. And now, when I fast forward to where we are today, 15 or so years later, you actually see some progress on that front as well.
STAFF: So we only have two minutes left. So last question now.
Q: Yeah, thanks for coming. So the obvious question to me is, given all of that progress, and the more, you know, Embassy / State focused integration normalization, do you think any of that is at risk? War between Israel and Hamas goes for a while and creates a lot of stuff?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: I hope that our partners across the region, understand just how devastating these attacks were against civilians. And when we look what we saw in Hamas was, excuse me, what we saw a few days ago with Hamas was ISIS level. And that I mean, the images, the videos, the numbers are, frankly, mind boggling and hard, hard to wrap your head around. And I hope that our partners in the region, I hope, frankly, countries around the entire world, understand just the devastation of these terrorist attacks. And the importance of standing with Israel, as they defend themselves at this moment,
Q: Is there a worry that Russia takes advantage of this in Ukraine, assuming that people are now all that, that everyone's attention has shifted? Now to Israel?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 1: I mean, it would be pretty misguided for Russia to take that message. I just told you about us hosting 50 allies and partners to support Ukraine, which is meaningful, right, and we spend a lot of time talking about U.S. support. But obviously, having these 50 plus allies and partners supporting Ukraine as well is really meaningful. And I also just told you about how we're supporting Israel with security assistance, the United States can do both of those things. Indeed, the United States can do a whole lot more than both of those things as well. And if Putin thinks he can take this as a moment to think that our unity and our resolve is wavering, then he would be terribly short sighted. Want to add anything on that?
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL 2: I think actually, you captured it. Well, okay.
Q: All right. Well, thank you both.