PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: Hope you all had a good weekend. Just a few things at the top and then we'll get right to your questions. So, first up, the secretary and the chairman returned to Washington on Friday following a very successful 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
They were joined at Ramstein by defense leaders from some 50 nations in reaffirming the international community's unwavering support for Ukraine. And as you heard Secretary Austin highlight in his press briefing, this coalition has committed over $106 billion in security assistance for Ukraine to date, and the international community remains unified and resolute in its support to the people of Ukraine as they continue to fight for their freedom and sovereignty.
Discussions at the meeting emphasized bolstering Ukraine's defense capabilities, particularly air defense and artillery, as well as efforts to support Ukraine's defense industrial base for long term resilience. And while at Ramstein, we also announced an additional PDA package for Ukraine with $250 million. It includes capabilities such as air defense missiles, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.
Secretary Austin greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet in person with President Zelenskyy and Minister Umerov during the UDCG, and underscored US commitment to support Ukraine for the long haul.
Finally, moving on to news of the day, Secretary Austin will welcome His Excellency General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense for Vietnam, and his delegation to the Pentagon this afternoon. The two leaders met most recently at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus in Jakarta, Indonesia in November of '23. And topics for discussion will include overcoming war legacies and advancing defense cooperation as both of our nations work toward a shared vision of a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific. We'll have a readout of that meeting on our website later today.
With that, we'll take your questions. Tara?
Q: Good morning. All right. So, can you talk about the potential withdrawal of troops from Iraq? And do we have a timeline? What can you say about this right now?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, nothing to announce today. The US-Iraq Higher Military Commission executive working group continues to have their discussions. And so, when we get to the conclusion of those, we may have more to provide, but nothing to announce.
Q: So, is the story inaccurate?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Again, I'm not going to get ahead of the HMC. And, you know, as was clearly stated in the joint statement put out by the President and President Sudani, the two leaders reaffirmed that they would review the factors to determine when and how the mission of the global coalition in Iraq would end and transition in an orderly manner to our enduring bilateral security partnership in accordance with Iraq's constitution and the US-Iraq strategic commitment.
Q: So -- but are there any movements now to reduce the number of forces from the 2,500 number that we always report on?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, and I don't have any announcements to make in terms of any force posture adjustments at this time.
Q: Ok.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thanks. Yeah.
Q: Can you give us an update on the service member that was detained in Venezuela? Has Defense Department been in touch with him? Have -- has anyone from the US government been able to visit him?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I'd refer you to the State Department for more details. The Navy is fully cooperating with State on this as they look into the situation, but they would be the ones to talk to in this case. Thanks.
Will?
Q: A House Republican report on the Afghanistan withdrawal reports that the US prioritized the withdrawal over the safety of US personnel and did not adequately prepare for a NEO. From the department's perspective, is the criticism valid or accurate?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I would tell you, Will, is that, again, you know, the US military obviously was engaged in Afghanistan for 20 years. We went there with the mission of preventing another attack like what we saw on 9/11 and we have not seen an attack like that since. And so, in that regard, you know, certainly our forces were able to prevent al-Qaeda from conducting this kind of heinous terrorist attacks.
And, you know, as you heard us talk about last week, the secretary's immensely proud of all the service members who served there. And of course, we honor all those that we lost there. And I'll just leave it there.
Q: Can I follow up there?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Sure.
Q: Congressman McCaul yesterday said that we're going to be looking forward -- looking into the DOD's activities, roles in the -- in the withdrawal. Have they presented you guys with a set of documents they want or any demands for testimony, other than General Donahue and a couple others who have been named?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I can tell you that the Department has been fully supporting the investigation the entire time, providing requested information. I'm not aware of any new requests at this point in time to the department. But again, we'll continue to fully comply and provide information that's required.
Q: To push a little bit more, they -- the classified after action report, DOD has declined to refute -- review a release. Have you provided that to that committee?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: My understanding is that we have provided all of those materials through the White House to the committee. So, again, I'm not aware of any requests that we have not supported at this time.
Q: Ok. Thanks.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thank you. Yes.
Q: Going back to Tara's questioning on the reporting of the Iraq withdrawal, at what point does Secretary Austin get involved in these -- this decision-making? And is withdrawal the right word to use? Like, will all US troops leave, or what's the deal?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Again, you know, just taking a step back here, as part of the US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation dialog, we established the Higher Military Commission that will look at the transition of the global coalition into a long term US-Iraq bilateral security cooperation relationship.
And so, those conversations are ongoing, and I just don't want to get ahead of that process. And so, when we have something to announce as it relates to US force posture and presence, we'll certainly keep you updated on that. Thanks.
Phil?
Q: Ok. Just to follow up then, but when -- does the secretary get a veto on this? Does he get to weigh in on this? And then secondly, on the reports on the transfer from Iran to Russia of short range missiles, do you have anything you can say at this point?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, on your first question, I mean, the Secretary is certainly very engaged on anything when it comes to US force posture around the world. But, again, we value the work that's being done via the Higher Military Commission process. Those conversations inform senior leader decisions, ultimately which rest at the seat of government, right? So, the president and the Iraqi leadership. So, leave it there.
I've seen the press reports about Iranian missiles being sent to Russia. I don't have anything on that to provide right now, Phil. You know, certainly there's been an acknowledgment that the relationship between Russia and Iran continues to deepen. It's very concerning, and it's just another example of Iran spreading its destabilizing influence throughout the world. And so, again, it's something we're keeping a very close eye on. And when and if we have more information to provide, we certainly will. Thank you.
Sure.
Q: Pat, just to follow up on Tara's initial question, I know you have nothing to announce today, but, you know, throughout this dialog with the Iraqi government about the future and the transition of the coalition and, you know, bilateral security relations, a couple of US officials, I think State and also DOD, have said that -- that discussion of a withdrawal of US forces is not what's on the table for these conversations. Is that still true in recent months, or has there been further other movement? Or what's the update on that -- that point?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I mean, I appreciate the question, Jared. Again, taking it back to what I highlighted earlier is that the nature of these conversations are focused on transitioning from the global coalition for the enduring defeat of ISIS, you know, the current structure, to what does a longer term US-Iraqi bilateral security relationship look like.
And again, you know, the key words in there are transition, and that will obviously relate to our forces, but I'm just not going to be able to get into the details of what that looks like. We highly value Iraq as a partner. They play a very important role in the region when it comes to security and stability, particularly on the counterterrorism front. And so, we need to allow the HMC the time and space to have those conversations. And when there's something to announce, we certainly will. Thanks.
Q: Thanks, General. There were some strikes in Syria this morning. Do you have anything you can talk about?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't. I mean, I've seen the press reports, but I don't have anything on that.
Nancy?
Q: Can I ask that you -- if we could just at least take the question on this, because we have the Iraqi minister of defense coming out publicly and saying that there is a withdrawal happening, that a plan has been worked out. Reuters quotes US officials saying that something has been reached, and it hasn't been -- and the US is debating when to announce it.
I -- I think the frustration here is that we're having to depend on the Iraqi government, potentially, to tell us when US troops are withdrawing. I just wanted to ask if you could at least get us some clarity on where the deal is, if there's a misunderstanding in terms of what the Iraqi minister of defense is saying, if I could just ask that we put that forward as a request.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I can't speak for the Iraqi minister of defense. Fully understand and appreciate, and when, again, we have something to announce officially we'll certainly do that.
Q: No, I appreciate that.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: But definitely take the -- the question.
Q: I appreciate that. It's just not understanding whether it's a withdrawal or -- a total withdrawal, a partial withdrawal, where the process is. The minister of defense is suggesting that it's over. You're suggesting it's not. So, anything we can do to close that gap would be appreciated. But that wasn't my question.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Ok.
Q: That was my request. There were reports over the weekend, Russia was suggesting that it had taken or was close to taking --
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Pokrovsk.
Q: Yeah.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah.
Q: Thank you. And I was wondering if you'd get your -- the department's read on that. Is -- is Russia's description accurate, or does this -- does the US still believe that that area is contested?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, what you're seeing outside of Pokrovsk is, you know, some intense fighting. I don't have specific geographical information to provide in terms of what Russia has taken. We do know that they have in the recent past made some incremental gains as they continue their offensive heading towards Pokrovsk.
You know, the Ukrainians are putting up a tough fight, but it is a tough fight right now. And so, that's something, certainly that the Ukrainians are focused on. And the Russians -- you know, I think you've seen the Russians say that that is their main effort, and so they've doubled down on that. And so, part of the discussions at the UDCG were focused on how can we best support Ukraine in their defense in that area. So, that will continue to be something that we'll consult with them on and how best we can support them.
Q: But the US hasn't made an assessment about a major change in terms of control of that area. Is that right?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What they're doing is that the Russians are trying to fight their way to that city. They're not there yet. They're not necessarily close to taking that city. But, you know, that is definitely -- they've said publicly, in the Donbas region, that is an objective. Thanks.
Q: Great. Thank you.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Courtney?
Q: Me. Oh, just --
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yes, you.
Q: So, just to be clear, the US does not believe that Russia has taken that city, Pokrovsk, or however you say it.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Not to my knowledge, no.
Q: What -- can you say what the significance would be of -- of that, like, why that would be a potentially strategic win for Russia if they're able to take that area? What's the US assessment of that?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, you know, obviously any territory that Russia takes further, you know, expands their areas of occupation, which is certainly not a good thing. That city in particular, you know, is at a strategic crossroads, particularly in terms of lines of communication. And so, you know, clearly it's important for Ukraine to continue to hold that. And I, you know, know that they're investing heavily in trying to do that. Thanks.
Q: Just to add to the questions about the Afghanistan report, you know, I know that this has been out there for a long time, but the chairman of the HMC was on TV yesterday talking about the destruction or the missing imagery from the Abbey Gate attack. Can you just speak to that? He was, like, suggesting that it was suspicious that DOD hasn't been forthcoming on that. Can you address that?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, what I would say is that, you know, we have done an investigation. CENTCOM did a supplemental investigation, as you know. As a result of that, there was nothing found in that supplemental investigation that indicated any change to the original findings of the Abbey Gate investigation. You know, they interviewed over 190 people, were very thorough. And so, you know, the department continues to stand by the results of those investigations.
Q: But can you rule out intentional destruction of -- of imagery? Because that seemed to be what he was suggesting.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Again, I'd point you back to the report. I'm not aware of any intentional destruction of imagery. But again, I would point you back to the investigation, which was of course posted to the CENTCOM FOIA website and available for review there.
Q: Ok.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thank you. Sir?
Q: North Korea state run media released one picture today that showed that North Korea’s Kim Jong-un inspecting 12 axled mobile launcher, TEL, that this is the largest TEL North Koreans have shown so far. So, someone said this is to show that North Korea indicates that they have a lot of new ICBM than before, or someone said it's just to show the coercion to the -- South Korea and United States. Do you have any comment on this one?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't have any comment to provide in terms of particular intelligence or to talk about North Korean capabilities, other than, as you well know, it's not unusual for North Korea to use media reports and imagery to try to telegraph, you know, to the world. And so, I think, you know, I'd leave it there.
From a US standpoint, again, our focus is on working with our regional allies and partners to include the ROK and Japan on preserving regional security and stability and deterring potential attack. So, thank you.
I'll take a couple more. Quiet group this morning. It's going to be a long week.
Q: That's all right.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: All right. Thanks very much, everybody. Have a great day.