1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:04,952 All right , good afternoon , everyone . 2 00:00:04,952 --> 00:00:07,119 Just have a few things to pass along . 3 00:00:07,550 --> 00:00:09,880 Let me get to your questions . Uh First 4 00:00:09,890 --> 00:00:11,946 of all , the department applauds the 5 00:00:11,946 --> 00:00:14,057 bipartisan passage in Congress of the 6 00:00:14,057 --> 00:00:15,970 fiscal year 2024 National Defense 7 00:00:15,979 --> 00:00:18,260 Authorization Act . This important 8 00:00:18,270 --> 00:00:21,549 legislation not only authorizes a 5.2% 9 00:00:21,559 --> 00:00:23,615 pay increase for service members and 10 00:00:23,615 --> 00:00:25,670 civilian employees of the Pentagon , 11 00:00:25,670 --> 00:00:27,559 but directly invests in America's 12 00:00:27,559 --> 00:00:29,615 national security and military power 13 00:00:29,615 --> 00:00:31,670 projection to meet the challenges of 14 00:00:31,670 --> 00:00:33,448 the 21st century . However , we 15 00:00:33,448 --> 00:00:35,559 continue to urge Congress to pass our 16 00:00:35,559 --> 00:00:37,670 urgent supplemental budget request to 17 00:00:37,670 --> 00:00:39,559 help stand by our partners and to 18 00:00:39,559 --> 00:00:41,670 invest in our defense industrial base 19 00:00:41,670 --> 00:00:43,670 separately . As I previewed earlier 20 00:00:43,670 --> 00:00:45,559 this week , Secretary Austin will 21 00:00:45,559 --> 00:00:47,559 travel to the Middle East region on 22 00:00:47,559 --> 00:00:49,670 December 16th to meet with leaders in 23 00:00:49,670 --> 00:00:51,892 Bahrain , Qatar and Israel in Bahrain . 24 00:00:51,892 --> 00:00:54,059 The secretary will meet with the crown 25 00:00:54,059 --> 00:00:56,226 Prince and Prime Minister to thank him 26 00:00:56,226 --> 00:00:58,059 and discuss the important role . 27 00:00:58,059 --> 00:01:00,170 Bahrain continues to play in enabling 28 00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:02,003 regional security especially for 29 00:01:02,003 --> 00:01:03,948 maritime operations . He will also 30 00:01:03,948 --> 00:01:06,059 underscore the combined maritime task 31 00:01:06,059 --> 00:01:07,892 force's vital role in protecting 32 00:01:07,892 --> 00:01:10,115 critical international waterways in the 33 00:01:10,115 --> 00:01:12,281 region . In Qatar , Secretary , Austin 34 00:01:12,281 --> 00:01:14,059 will meet with the Amir and the 35 00:01:14,059 --> 00:01:16,226 Minister of Defense to reaffirm the US 36 00:01:16,226 --> 00:01:18,281 commitment to our bilateral security 37 00:01:18,281 --> 00:01:20,115 partnership . And to express his 38 00:01:20,115 --> 00:01:21,948 gratitude for Qatar's efforts to 39 00:01:21,948 --> 00:01:24,170 facilitate the release of hostages from 40 00:01:24,170 --> 00:01:26,059 Hamas . And while in Israel , the 41 00:01:26,059 --> 00:01:26,019 secretary will meet with the Prime 42 00:01:26,029 --> 00:01:28,029 Minister and Minister of Defense to 43 00:01:28,029 --> 00:01:30,360 underscore us enduring support for 44 00:01:30,370 --> 00:01:32,426 Israel's right to defend itself from 45 00:01:32,426 --> 00:01:34,648 terrorism , reinforce the importance of 46 00:01:34,648 --> 00:01:36,648 taking civilian safety into account 47 00:01:36,648 --> 00:01:38,870 during operations and the critical need 48 00:01:38,870 --> 00:01:40,926 to increase delivery of humanitarian 49 00:01:40,926 --> 00:01:43,148 assistance . Of note . Secretary Austin 50 00:01:43,148 --> 00:01:45,203 spoke to Minister Gallant last night 51 00:01:45,203 --> 00:01:47,148 and a readout of the call has been 52 00:01:47,148 --> 00:01:48,703 posted to the dod website . 53 00:01:48,703 --> 00:01:50,648 Additionally , the chairman of the 54 00:01:50,648 --> 00:01:52,814 Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown 55 00:01:52,814 --> 00:01:55,037 Jr will join Secretary Austin in Israel 56 00:01:55,037 --> 00:01:54,930 for meetings with senior Israeli 57 00:01:54,940 --> 00:01:56,773 officials . This will be General 58 00:01:56,773 --> 00:01:58,884 Brown's first trip to the Middle East 59 00:01:58,884 --> 00:02:01,680 as Chairman Shifting gears . Secretary 60 00:02:01,690 --> 00:02:03,468 Austin spoke with Philippines , 61 00:02:03,468 --> 00:02:05,634 Secretary of National Defense Minister 62 00:02:05,634 --> 00:02:07,468 Ted Doo yesterday to discuss the 63 00:02:07,468 --> 00:02:09,523 coercive and unlawful actions by the 64 00:02:09,523 --> 00:02:11,468 People's Republic of China and the 65 00:02:11,468 --> 00:02:13,579 South China Sea over the weekend , he 66 00:02:13,579 --> 00:02:15,190 expressed us support for the 67 00:02:15,190 --> 00:02:17,357 Philippines in defending its sovereign 68 00:02:17,357 --> 00:02:19,579 rights in accordance with international 69 00:02:19,579 --> 00:02:21,468 law . Emphasizing that the United 70 00:02:21,468 --> 00:02:23,579 states' commitment to the Philippines 71 00:02:23,579 --> 00:02:25,634 remains ironclad . A full readout is 72 00:02:25,634 --> 00:02:27,690 available on defense.gov and finally 73 00:02:27,690 --> 00:02:29,801 acting under Secretary of Defense for 74 00:02:29,801 --> 00:02:31,690 policy , Sasha Baker met with the 75 00:02:31,690 --> 00:02:33,523 Republic of Kosovo's Minister of 76 00:02:33,523 --> 00:02:35,579 Defense here at the Pentagon earlier 77 00:02:35,579 --> 00:02:37,690 today to reaffirm the strength of the 78 00:02:37,690 --> 00:02:39,801 US Kosovo defense relationship . Miss 79 00:02:39,801 --> 00:02:41,857 Baker expressed her appreciation for 80 00:02:41,857 --> 00:02:43,801 Kosovo's contributions to regional 81 00:02:43,801 --> 00:02:45,857 stability in the Western Balkans and 82 00:02:45,857 --> 00:02:48,134 for their enduring support for Ukraine . 83 00:02:48,134 --> 00:02:50,301 Full readout of the engagement will be 84 00:02:50,301 --> 00:02:52,523 made available on the dod website . And 85 00:02:52,523 --> 00:02:54,746 with that , we'll be happy to take your 86 00:02:54,746 --> 00:02:56,968 questions . We'll start with Associated 87 00:02:56,968 --> 00:02:58,968 Press Tara , thanks to Ro , um with 88 00:02:58,968 --> 00:03:01,199 both Chairman Brown and the secretary 89 00:03:01,210 --> 00:03:04,419 going to Israel next week just on the 90 00:03:04,429 --> 00:03:06,651 heels of the president calling Israel's 91 00:03:06,651 --> 00:03:08,860 bombing indiscriminate . Do , does the 92 00:03:08,869 --> 00:03:11,091 secretary agree with that assessment of 93 00:03:11,091 --> 00:03:13,202 this bombing ? And what more can they 94 00:03:13,202 --> 00:03:15,425 say to their counterparts to get Israel 95 00:03:15,425 --> 00:03:17,480 to take better caution with civilian 96 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,690 lives there in Gaza ? Yeah , thanks . 97 00:03:19,869 --> 00:03:21,759 So as as far as the president's 98 00:03:21,770 --> 00:03:23,937 comments , I know that the White House 99 00:03:23,937 --> 00:03:25,826 uh addressed this in , in a press 100 00:03:25,826 --> 00:03:27,937 briefing . So I'd refer you to that . 101 00:03:27,937 --> 00:03:27,740 I'm , I'm not going to speak for the 102 00:03:27,750 --> 00:03:30,210 president and look , Secretary Austin 103 00:03:30,220 --> 00:03:32,387 has been in regular communication with 104 00:03:32,387 --> 00:03:34,664 his counterpart and continues to do so . 105 00:03:34,664 --> 00:03:36,679 Uh to not only again reaffirm our 106 00:03:36,690 --> 00:03:38,801 support for Israel and their right to 107 00:03:38,801 --> 00:03:40,746 defend themselves , but also uh to 108 00:03:40,746 --> 00:03:42,968 underscore the importance of protecting 109 00:03:42,968 --> 00:03:44,746 civilians as they conduct their 110 00:03:44,746 --> 00:03:46,968 operations . And so we will continue to 111 00:03:46,968 --> 00:03:49,023 have those conversations and we will 112 00:03:49,023 --> 00:03:51,246 continue to expect that Israel conducts 113 00:03:51,246 --> 00:03:51,070 its operations in accordance with the 114 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,247 law of armed conflict just as a follow 115 00:03:53,247 --> 00:03:56,160 up on that . Um CNN has reported that 116 00:03:56,169 --> 00:03:58,910 uh a number of the munitions that have 117 00:03:58,919 --> 00:04:01,086 been provided to Israel have been dumb 118 00:04:01,086 --> 00:04:03,141 bombs that have been used instead of 119 00:04:03,141 --> 00:04:05,252 precision guided munitions . How does 120 00:04:05,252 --> 00:04:07,252 that square with the US position to 121 00:04:07,252 --> 00:04:09,086 take greater , greater care with 122 00:04:09,086 --> 00:04:10,919 civilian lives ? Again , I can't 123 00:04:10,919 --> 00:04:12,752 confirm the information in those 124 00:04:12,752 --> 00:04:14,808 reports . Um , o obviously , when it 125 00:04:14,808 --> 00:04:16,863 comes to ID F operations , I'd refer 126 00:04:16,863 --> 00:04:19,086 you to them to talk , talk about that . 127 00:04:19,086 --> 00:04:21,252 Um , but , but you know , the American 128 00:04:21,252 --> 00:04:23,475 way of war , you know , the way that we 129 00:04:23,475 --> 00:04:25,586 fight and the uh the emphasis that we 130 00:04:25,586 --> 00:04:27,752 place on precision . Uh And again , uh 131 00:04:27,752 --> 00:04:29,808 underscoring since this campaign has 132 00:04:29,809 --> 00:04:31,865 begun , the importance of protecting 133 00:04:31,865 --> 00:04:33,910 civilians . Secretary Austin talked 134 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,198 about this uh during his Reagan speech , 135 00:04:36,198 --> 00:04:38,420 again , highlighting not only the moral 136 00:04:38,420 --> 00:04:40,309 obligation but also the strategic 137 00:04:40,309 --> 00:04:42,531 imperative in terms of uh ensuring that 138 00:04:42,531 --> 00:04:44,753 civilians can be safe that humanitarian 139 00:04:44,753 --> 00:04:46,753 assistance can get in . Uh And that 140 00:04:46,753 --> 00:04:48,809 Israel can defend itself from future 141 00:04:48,809 --> 00:04:51,031 attack by Hamas . Let me go to Jennifer 142 00:04:51,031 --> 00:04:53,142 General Ryder . I'm a little confused 143 00:04:53,142 --> 00:04:55,790 why you can't confirm . This is an ODNI 144 00:04:55,799 --> 00:04:57,910 intelligence report on half the 145 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,750 munitions being dumb bombs being used 146 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,589 by the Israelis . Um If you can't 147 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,822 confirm it , is it not true or you just 148 00:05:05,822 --> 00:05:07,656 won't speak about intelligence , 149 00:05:07,656 --> 00:05:09,822 Jennifer , I'm gonna have to refer you 150 00:05:09,822 --> 00:05:12,044 to the intelligence community . I don't 151 00:05:12,044 --> 00:05:14,211 have information on Israeli operations 152 00:05:14,211 --> 00:05:16,211 nor the , the rate by which they're 153 00:05:16,211 --> 00:05:20,130 using uh munitions and particular types 154 00:05:20,140 --> 00:05:22,362 of munitions . Again , as it relates to 155 00:05:22,362 --> 00:05:24,473 this particular report , I just can't 156 00:05:24,473 --> 00:05:26,640 confirm whether it's accurate or not . 157 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:28,696 And in terms of the houthi threat to 158 00:05:28,696 --> 00:05:30,862 shipping , there's been another attack 159 00:05:30,862 --> 00:05:33,869 on a ship in the Red Sea . Two former 160 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:35,991 Centcom commanders say that there are 161 00:05:35,991 --> 00:05:38,279 things that the US military could do to 162 00:05:38,290 --> 00:05:40,457 take out some of the missile launchers 163 00:05:40,570 --> 00:05:44,269 that are coastal in Yemen . Why is that 164 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:46,390 not being done at this point ? Well , 165 00:05:46,390 --> 00:05:48,446 as I've mentioned before , uh we are 166 00:05:48,446 --> 00:05:50,612 actively uh addressing this issue . Uh 167 00:05:50,612 --> 00:05:52,779 and right now the primary mechanism by 168 00:05:52,779 --> 00:05:54,946 which we're doing that is working with 169 00:05:54,946 --> 00:05:57,001 international allies and partners to 170 00:05:57,001 --> 00:05:59,223 further bolster the maritime task force 171 00:05:59,223 --> 00:06:01,279 that will address this problem . I'm 172 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:03,223 not going to speculate or forecast 173 00:06:03,223 --> 00:06:05,390 other actions that we might take as it 174 00:06:05,390 --> 00:06:07,612 relates to uh potential strikes against 175 00:06:07,612 --> 00:06:09,557 Houthi targets , other than to say 176 00:06:09,557 --> 00:06:11,779 again . First of all , we're gonna take 177 00:06:11,779 --> 00:06:14,001 whatever necessary actions are required 178 00:06:14,001 --> 00:06:16,279 to protect our forces . And number two , 179 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:18,501 we're gonna continue to take this issue 180 00:06:18,501 --> 00:06:20,723 very seriously because as I highlighted 181 00:06:20,723 --> 00:06:22,890 earlier in the week , it's not uh just 182 00:06:22,890 --> 00:06:25,112 a US problem . This is an international 183 00:06:25,112 --> 00:06:23,989 problem and it requires an 184 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,660 international solution . All of this is 185 00:06:26,670 --> 00:06:28,448 underscored by the fact that we 186 00:06:28,448 --> 00:06:30,670 recognize uh the tensions in the region 187 00:06:30,670 --> 00:06:32,837 right now . Uh And we want to continue 188 00:06:32,837 --> 00:06:34,948 to stay very focused on ensuring that 189 00:06:34,948 --> 00:06:37,140 this does not broaden into a wider 190 00:06:37,149 --> 00:06:39,529 regional conflict . How many partners 191 00:06:39,540 --> 00:06:41,651 are there in this maritime task force 192 00:06:41,651 --> 00:06:43,429 who are dealing with the Houthi 193 00:06:43,429 --> 00:06:45,707 missiles in particular ? Yeah , thanks . 194 00:06:45,707 --> 00:06:47,762 Um I don't have anything to announce 195 00:06:47,762 --> 00:06:47,019 right now . But again , in the very 196 00:06:47,029 --> 00:06:49,029 near future , we'll have a lot more 197 00:06:49,029 --> 00:06:50,973 information to provide . Let me go 198 00:06:50,973 --> 00:06:53,140 ahead and put alarm and come back over 199 00:06:53,140 --> 00:06:55,307 here . Um Just uh on one of the taking 200 00:06:55,307 --> 00:06:57,307 questions , um the answer they said 201 00:06:57,307 --> 00:06:59,196 that the civilian harm mitigation 202 00:06:59,196 --> 00:07:00,973 response team is looking at the 203 00:07:00,973 --> 00:07:00,825 international , the Amnesty 204 00:07:00,835 --> 00:07:03,057 International report about Israel using 205 00:07:03,057 --> 00:07:05,279 white phosphorus , I believe and taking 206 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:07,365 that into um into their advice that 207 00:07:07,376 --> 00:07:09,487 they give to senior dod leaders . I'm 208 00:07:09,487 --> 00:07:12,592 wondering if is that team the one that 209 00:07:12,601 --> 00:07:14,851 is responsible for more broadly , 210 00:07:14,861 --> 00:07:17,028 looking at this question of whether or 211 00:07:17,028 --> 00:07:18,917 not whether Israel is sticking to 212 00:07:18,917 --> 00:07:20,972 International Humanitarian law or is 213 00:07:20,972 --> 00:07:23,139 there another team that's in charge of 214 00:07:23,139 --> 00:07:25,139 doing that for dod ? Um I , I think 215 00:07:25,139 --> 00:07:27,250 you're kind of conflating a couple of 216 00:07:27,250 --> 00:07:29,305 things there , Laura , but um really 217 00:07:29,305 --> 00:07:31,417 the civilian harm mitigation response 218 00:07:31,417 --> 00:07:33,750 team uh as we've talked about before is 219 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:35,982 is standing up a center of excellence . 220 00:07:35,982 --> 00:07:38,093 Uh that will look at best practices . 221 00:07:38,093 --> 00:07:40,204 It will look at the body of knowledge 222 00:07:40,204 --> 00:07:42,093 when it comes uh to civilian harm 223 00:07:42,093 --> 00:07:44,910 mitigation . Uh And it will use lessons 224 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:47,690 learned and also current operations to 225 00:07:47,700 --> 00:07:50,079 inform the types of advice and policy 226 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:52,431 uh that the department will implement 227 00:07:52,431 --> 00:07:54,153 when it comes to civilian harm 228 00:07:54,153 --> 00:07:56,376 mitigation . Uh And so as it relates to 229 00:07:56,376 --> 00:07:58,487 the Amnesty International Report , of 230 00:07:58,487 --> 00:08:00,487 course , that's part of the broader 231 00:08:00,487 --> 00:08:02,542 body of knowledge that's out there . 232 00:08:02,542 --> 00:08:04,653 Certainly , again , there's not going 233 00:08:04,653 --> 00:08:06,820 to be a formal review but that will be 234 00:08:06,820 --> 00:08:09,042 uh one of many um documents called from 235 00:08:09,042 --> 00:08:11,279 the public uh information Space , so to 236 00:08:11,290 --> 00:08:13,290 speak , to help inform their 237 00:08:13,299 --> 00:08:15,632 understanding of subject matter experts . 238 00:08:15,632 --> 00:08:18,059 So is there a team at Dod dedicated to 239 00:08:18,070 --> 00:08:20,890 looking at whether Israel is , is in 240 00:08:20,899 --> 00:08:22,843 line with international law in its 241 00:08:22,843 --> 00:08:24,955 operations ? A again , look , I'm not 242 00:08:24,955 --> 00:08:28,260 gonna speak for uh Israel and obviously 243 00:08:28,269 --> 00:08:30,491 they can talk to their own operations . 244 00:08:30,491 --> 00:08:32,713 We're going to continue to work closely 245 00:08:32,713 --> 00:08:34,880 with them to underscore the importance 246 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:36,936 of civilian harm mitigation . Um And 247 00:08:36,936 --> 00:08:38,936 beyond that , I don't have anything 248 00:08:38,936 --> 00:08:41,047 else to provide . Thank you General . 249 00:08:41,047 --> 00:08:43,269 Let's , I just want you to speak to the 250 00:08:43,269 --> 00:08:45,213 department and , and the , and the 251 00:08:45,213 --> 00:08:47,436 Pentagon not to Israel or anyone else . 252 00:08:47,436 --> 00:08:47,320 I guess all of our questions are 253 00:08:47,330 --> 00:08:49,274 addressed to the Pentagon , not to 254 00:08:49,274 --> 00:08:51,690 Israel . So again , does the secretary 255 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:53,533 agree with the assessment by the 256 00:08:53,533 --> 00:08:55,644 commander in chief , the President of 257 00:08:55,644 --> 00:08:57,811 the United States that Israel has been 258 00:08:57,811 --> 00:08:59,867 using indiscriminate bombing against 259 00:08:59,867 --> 00:09:02,089 the population in Gaza ? Well , again , 260 00:09:02,089 --> 00:09:04,144 FDI , I'd refer you back to what the 261 00:09:04,144 --> 00:09:03,679 White House said in terms of the 262 00:09:03,690 --> 00:09:05,912 President's comments . I'm not going to 263 00:09:05,912 --> 00:09:08,134 speak to the President's comments . The 264 00:09:08,134 --> 00:09:10,246 secretary believes that Israel has an 265 00:09:10,246 --> 00:09:12,357 inherent right to defend themselves . 266 00:09:12,357 --> 00:09:14,468 You've heard him say that our support 267 00:09:14,468 --> 00:09:16,634 for them is non negotiable . They will 268 00:09:16,634 --> 00:09:18,690 continue to be uh one of our closest 269 00:09:18,690 --> 00:09:20,746 strongest partners and , and we will 270 00:09:20,746 --> 00:09:22,968 continue to help them defend themselves 271 00:09:22,968 --> 00:09:25,134 from future terrorist attacks . Well , 272 00:09:25,134 --> 00:09:25,119 if you're gonna let me finish answering . 273 00:09:25,380 --> 00:09:27,859 Ok . And the other thing again , which 274 00:09:27,869 --> 00:09:30,280 he's underscored uh on multiple 275 00:09:30,289 --> 00:09:32,799 occasions is the importance of taking 276 00:09:32,809 --> 00:09:34,698 civilian safety into account into 277 00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:37,179 operations at the end of the day . It's 278 00:09:37,190 --> 00:09:39,659 an Israeli operation to defend the 279 00:09:39,669 --> 00:09:41,780 Israeli homeland . So they are in the 280 00:09:41,780 --> 00:09:44,002 best position to talk about operational 281 00:09:44,002 --> 00:09:46,002 updates and details associated with 282 00:09:46,002 --> 00:09:48,058 those operations . And that's not my 283 00:09:48,058 --> 00:09:50,169 role . I'm a United States Department 284 00:09:50,169 --> 00:09:52,169 of Defense spokesperson and I'm not 285 00:09:52,169 --> 00:09:54,391 gonna give an operational update or get 286 00:09:54,391 --> 00:09:56,391 into detailed tactical details from 287 00:09:56,391 --> 00:09:58,725 this podium . I'm not asking about that . 288 00:09:58,725 --> 00:10:00,891 I I asked whether the secretary agrees 289 00:10:00,891 --> 00:10:03,002 with the president , the commander in 290 00:10:03,002 --> 00:10:05,113 chief and I provided . Right ? No , I 291 00:10:05,113 --> 00:10:07,169 understand and I provided you with , 292 00:10:07,169 --> 00:10:09,336 with my response , I didn't understand 293 00:10:09,336 --> 00:10:11,502 the answer again . I'm gonna refer you 294 00:10:11,502 --> 00:10:11,500 to the White House for any comments by 295 00:10:11,580 --> 00:10:14,200 the President . Thank you , Matt . Let 296 00:10:14,210 --> 00:10:16,488 me , let me go in here . Thanks , Matt . 297 00:10:16,489 --> 00:10:18,267 Um This administration has been 298 00:10:18,267 --> 00:10:20,369 critical of Russia for its use of so 299 00:10:20,380 --> 00:10:23,130 called dumb bombs in Ukraine . So is 300 00:10:23,140 --> 00:10:25,140 the use of these unguided munitions 301 00:10:25,140 --> 00:10:27,539 intrinsically reckless in your view or 302 00:10:27,549 --> 00:10:29,605 is it the manner in which Russia has 303 00:10:29,605 --> 00:10:31,716 been using them ? And without getting 304 00:10:31,716 --> 00:10:33,950 into exactly how Israel is employing 305 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:36,127 them right now , are there ways to use 306 00:10:36,127 --> 00:10:38,238 these types of munitions in a precise 307 00:10:38,238 --> 00:10:41,520 or otherwise justifiable way ? So , so 308 00:10:41,530 --> 00:10:43,530 first of all , I would say that the 309 00:10:43,530 --> 00:10:45,697 situation in Ukraine and Israel uh are 310 00:10:45,700 --> 00:10:48,159 obviously two different fights one in 311 00:10:48,169 --> 00:10:51,320 which Russia invaded uh its sovereign 312 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,630 uh democratically elected neighbor uh 313 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,919 and has employed munitions in ways that 314 00:10:57,929 --> 00:11:00,359 are targeting apartment buildings , 315 00:11:00,369 --> 00:11:03,000 schools , uh critical infrastructure , 316 00:11:03,010 --> 00:11:05,299 civilian infrastructure uh in a way 317 00:11:05,309 --> 00:11:08,530 that has been indiscriminate . Um in 318 00:11:08,539 --> 00:11:11,080 Israel , you have a country that is 319 00:11:11,090 --> 00:11:13,330 fighting to defend itself against an 320 00:11:13,340 --> 00:11:16,359 adversary that has publicly said on 321 00:11:16,369 --> 00:11:18,536 multiple occasions that they wanna see 322 00:11:18,536 --> 00:11:20,702 October 7 repeated over and over again 323 00:11:20,702 --> 00:11:22,925 and that Israel should be eliminated as 324 00:11:22,925 --> 00:11:25,036 a country . Oh , by the way , they're 325 00:11:25,036 --> 00:11:27,190 conducting those operations in a very 326 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,260 dense urban environment with an 327 00:11:29,270 --> 00:11:31,381 adversary that has intertwined itself 328 00:11:31,381 --> 00:11:33,437 within the civilian population using 329 00:11:33,437 --> 00:11:35,603 them as human shields uh when it comes 330 00:11:35,609 --> 00:11:38,840 to munitions , uh you know , obviously , 331 00:11:39,140 --> 00:11:41,570 uh every military , modern military has 332 00:11:41,580 --> 00:11:44,950 a , a variety of tools uh and munitions 333 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,179 at its disposal . Uh And the way that 334 00:11:47,190 --> 00:11:49,246 it used those uh there are different 335 00:11:49,246 --> 00:11:51,880 ways to use those uh in a way that can 336 00:11:51,890 --> 00:11:55,059 uh help enhance precision . Right . So 337 00:11:55,070 --> 00:11:57,109 again , I'm not gonna get into uh 338 00:11:57,119 --> 00:11:59,409 Israeli operations and talk about their 339 00:11:59,419 --> 00:12:01,530 tactics , techniques and procedures . 340 00:12:01,530 --> 00:12:03,697 Other than again , we have underscored 341 00:12:03,697 --> 00:12:05,863 the importance of civilian safety . Uh 342 00:12:05,863 --> 00:12:07,863 And they have told us that they are 343 00:12:07,863 --> 00:12:10,630 taking steps to mitigate civilian harm . 344 00:12:10,849 --> 00:12:13,239 Uh And again , the , the tough 345 00:12:13,250 --> 00:12:15,869 challenge that they have here is with 346 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,710 an adversary that it's on its doorstep 347 00:12:18,719 --> 00:12:20,830 that has threatened to eliminate it . 348 00:12:20,830 --> 00:12:23,052 No , by the way , again , going back to 349 00:12:23,052 --> 00:12:25,163 the October 7th attacks , how do they 350 00:12:25,163 --> 00:12:27,386 root out that adversary and ensure that 351 00:12:27,386 --> 00:12:29,552 those kinds of attacks don't happen in 352 00:12:29,552 --> 00:12:29,349 the future when they've essentially 353 00:12:29,359 --> 00:12:31,099 shield themselves . Uh And the 354 00:12:31,109 --> 00:12:33,169 Palestinian people living in Gaza , 355 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,520 thanks Tony the task for the uh the 356 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,619 revised task force 153 . Is there any 357 00:12:38,630 --> 00:12:42,419 thought of putting marine sailor teams 358 00:12:42,429 --> 00:12:44,739 on board select vessels ? You remember 359 00:12:44,750 --> 00:12:47,239 back in August , this was AAA big issue 360 00:12:47,250 --> 00:12:49,299 when Iran was attacking commercial 361 00:12:49,309 --> 00:12:51,739 vessels as putting armed us tr uh 362 00:12:51,750 --> 00:12:54,549 sailors and marines on vessels . Task 363 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,119 force . 5153 is protecting , is that an 364 00:12:57,609 --> 00:12:59,720 right now ? So , Tony , that , that's 365 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,665 not something that we're currently 366 00:13:01,665 --> 00:13:03,665 doing . Uh I don't have anything to 367 00:13:03,665 --> 00:13:05,887 read out today in terms of uh potential 368 00:13:05,887 --> 00:13:07,998 future operations or , or specific uh 369 00:13:07,998 --> 00:13:10,220 roes or tactics that we're looking at . 370 00:13:10,220 --> 00:13:12,276 Other than to say again , we'll work 371 00:13:12,276 --> 00:13:14,498 closely with our international partners 372 00:13:14,498 --> 00:13:16,387 and allies to work together uh to 373 00:13:16,387 --> 00:13:18,331 preserve stability and security in 374 00:13:18,331 --> 00:13:20,900 those vital waterways and Iran and 375 00:13:20,909 --> 00:13:23,650 Ukraine spending . You've got about 4.6 376 00:13:23,659 --> 00:13:26,640 billion in authority for PD A packages . 377 00:13:26,869 --> 00:13:29,091 Is it accurate to say that the Pentagon 378 00:13:29,091 --> 00:13:31,359 basically could parse that $4.6 billion 379 00:13:31,369 --> 00:13:34,849 out in small increments until the 380 00:13:34,859 --> 00:13:38,619 4.6 is exhausted . A series of 102 $100 381 00:13:38,630 --> 00:13:42,150 million pdas . So , 382 00:13:42,330 --> 00:13:44,441 um you know , we , we've talked about 383 00:13:44,441 --> 00:13:46,530 the fact that that we need the 384 00:13:46,539 --> 00:13:48,483 supplemental funding uh to provide 385 00:13:48,483 --> 00:13:51,530 additional support to Ukraine as we go 386 00:13:51,539 --> 00:13:55,390 into 2024 . Um we've got about 4.6 387 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,340 billion left , uh 4.4 billion left , I 388 00:13:58,349 --> 00:14:01,150 think now with the most recent PD A uh 389 00:14:01,159 --> 00:14:03,950 in presidential drawdown authority and 390 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,510 about 1 billion left in replenishment 391 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:10,010 funds . Uh And so clearly , uh as we 392 00:14:10,020 --> 00:14:13,010 get close to uh you know , the 393 00:14:14,020 --> 00:14:17,030 remaining replenishment funds , uh 394 00:14:17,039 --> 00:14:20,020 questions are , do we exceed that ? Uh 395 00:14:20,030 --> 00:14:22,086 do you know , certainly we do retain 396 00:14:22,086 --> 00:14:24,799 the option to spend the full 0.4 0.4 . 397 00:14:25,030 --> 00:14:26,974 Um But these are , these are tough 398 00:14:26,974 --> 00:14:29,197 choices because ultimately , at the end 399 00:14:29,197 --> 00:14:31,308 of the day , we start to have to make 400 00:14:31,308 --> 00:14:33,363 decisions about our own readiness uh 401 00:14:33,363 --> 00:14:35,419 and about our ability to continue to 402 00:14:35,419 --> 00:14:37,641 support Ukraine in the way they need to 403 00:14:37,641 --> 00:14:37,559 be supported on the battlefield . So , 404 00:14:37,789 --> 00:14:39,789 uh again , this is why we're urging 405 00:14:39,789 --> 00:14:41,900 Congress to pass that supplemental as 406 00:14:41,900 --> 00:14:43,845 quickly as possible 4.6 billion in 407 00:14:43,845 --> 00:14:46,330 small increments until it's exhausted . 408 00:14:46,700 --> 00:14:48,969 Uh That is an option . Um But again , 409 00:14:48,979 --> 00:14:51,035 you know , the ul ultimately , uh we 410 00:14:51,035 --> 00:14:53,257 will make , uh as we have from the very 411 00:14:53,257 --> 00:14:55,201 beginning , we will make decisions 412 00:14:55,201 --> 00:14:57,035 based on a variety of factors to 413 00:14:57,035 --> 00:15:00,169 include uh Ukraine's urgent battlefield 414 00:15:00,179 --> 00:15:02,235 needs as well as our own readiness . 415 00:15:02,235 --> 00:15:04,401 Thank you very much . Let me go to Tom 416 00:15:04,401 --> 00:15:06,346 and I'll come back to you , Jane . 417 00:15:06,346 --> 00:15:08,401 Thank you . Then I'm gonna go to the 418 00:15:08,401 --> 00:15:10,457 phone . Uh I've just noticed the new 419 00:15:10,457 --> 00:15:09,859 start on your shoulder pro probably 420 00:15:09,869 --> 00:15:11,369 very behind on this book . 421 00:15:11,369 --> 00:15:13,536 Congratulations . Thank you . Um So in 422 00:15:13,536 --> 00:15:15,369 his call yesterday with Minister 423 00:15:15,369 --> 00:15:17,536 Gilland , the secretary reiterated the 424 00:15:17,536 --> 00:15:19,647 need to protect civilians and he just 425 00:15:19,647 --> 00:15:19,489 said something similar from the podium . 426 00:15:19,859 --> 00:15:21,915 Is it the Pentagon's assessment that 427 00:15:21,915 --> 00:15:24,880 Israel is in , in any way shape or form ? 428 00:15:24,890 --> 00:15:27,239 Listening to the secretary listening to 429 00:15:27,250 --> 00:15:29,729 the US when it comes to avoiding 430 00:15:29,739 --> 00:15:32,390 civilian deaths ? Well , look , I'm I , 431 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,309 I won't speak for the Israelis . I will 432 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,039 say uh that , you know , we have seen 433 00:15:38,049 --> 00:15:41,229 them uh taking steps in terms of 434 00:15:41,239 --> 00:15:44,090 notifying civilians about uh pending 435 00:15:44,099 --> 00:15:46,321 operations . We've seen them helping to 436 00:15:46,321 --> 00:15:48,210 increase the flow of humanitarian 437 00:15:48,210 --> 00:15:51,619 assistance into uh Gaza . Uh And we've 438 00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:54,659 also again , uh seen them talking about 439 00:15:54,669 --> 00:15:56,836 taking civilians into account of their 440 00:15:56,836 --> 00:15:58,947 operations . Um But at the end of the 441 00:15:58,947 --> 00:16:01,659 day , again , we , we understand uh the 442 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,169 uh the tragic nature of any civilian 443 00:16:04,179 --> 00:16:06,729 death in Gaza , which is why we will 444 00:16:06,739 --> 00:16:08,961 continue to highlight the importance of 445 00:16:08,961 --> 00:16:11,128 taking that into account in operations 446 00:16:11,128 --> 00:16:13,072 and why we will also highlight the 447 00:16:13,072 --> 00:16:15,128 importance of continuing to ensure a 448 00:16:15,128 --> 00:16:17,295 steady flow of humanitarian assistance 449 00:16:17,295 --> 00:16:20,869 uh into , into uh the Gaza area 450 00:16:21,690 --> 00:16:23,634 assessment that Israel needs to be 451 00:16:23,634 --> 00:16:26,640 doing more . Uh Again , I'm not gonna 452 00:16:26,650 --> 00:16:30,520 go beyond what I , I think again , look 453 00:16:30,530 --> 00:16:32,697 like I talked about , I mean , they're 454 00:16:32,697 --> 00:16:34,863 in a very tough environment . Uh The , 455 00:16:34,863 --> 00:16:36,974 the , the challenge before them is do 456 00:16:36,974 --> 00:16:39,197 you allow a terrorist group to continue 457 00:16:39,197 --> 00:16:41,419 to persist uh right next door when it's 458 00:16:41,419 --> 00:16:43,530 demonstrated that it can conduct what 459 00:16:43,530 --> 00:16:45,919 has been the deadliest attack on Israel 460 00:16:45,929 --> 00:16:48,789 in its history , over 1200 people 461 00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:51,250 killed over 200 hostages , taken many 462 00:16:51,260 --> 00:16:53,427 of whom are still being held . So , uh 463 00:16:53,427 --> 00:16:55,700 we understand that they not only have a 464 00:16:55,710 --> 00:16:57,766 responsibility , they have a duty to 465 00:16:57,766 --> 00:16:59,877 protect their people from , from this 466 00:16:59,877 --> 00:17:02,229 uh terrorist group . So , um we 467 00:17:02,239 --> 00:17:04,461 understand that the difficult nature of 468 00:17:04,461 --> 00:17:06,239 that fight , uh again , we will 469 00:17:06,239 --> 00:17:08,295 continue to expect that they conduct 470 00:17:08,295 --> 00:17:10,517 their operations in accordance with the 471 00:17:10,517 --> 00:17:12,628 law of armed conflict . Janie , thank 472 00:17:12,628 --> 00:17:14,406 you , General , the White House 473 00:17:14,406 --> 00:17:16,628 National Security Council officers said 474 00:17:16,628 --> 00:17:19,109 that the sharing of missile warning 475 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:21,939 information between United States and 476 00:17:21,949 --> 00:17:25,040 South Korea and Japan will begin soon . 477 00:17:25,310 --> 00:17:27,619 Then if North Korea launched the 478 00:17:27,630 --> 00:17:30,420 missile , the three countries 479 00:17:30,430 --> 00:17:34,229 intercepted or I'm sorry , I didn't 480 00:17:34,239 --> 00:17:36,461 understand the last part there . Yeah , 481 00:17:36,461 --> 00:17:39,949 even North Korea , the missile , the 482 00:17:40,010 --> 00:17:43,160 US and South Korea , Japan , those 483 00:17:43,170 --> 00:17:45,900 countries that intercept North Koreans 484 00:17:45,910 --> 00:17:48,132 missiles . I see . Uh I , I don't wanna 485 00:17:48,132 --> 00:17:50,299 get into hypotheticals . Uh Janie , as 486 00:17:50,299 --> 00:17:53,140 you highlight , um you know , we are 487 00:17:53,150 --> 00:17:54,928 intending to operationalize our 488 00:17:54,928 --> 00:17:57,040 trilateral sharing of missile warning 489 00:17:57,050 --> 00:17:59,050 data . I don't have anything to add 490 00:17:59,050 --> 00:18:01,383 beyond what the NSC has already put out . 491 00:18:01,383 --> 00:18:03,606 I can tell you that that we are hard at 492 00:18:03,606 --> 00:18:05,930 work on delivering on those agreements . 493 00:18:06,180 --> 00:18:08,500 We are on schedule to deliver by the 494 00:18:08,510 --> 00:18:10,343 end of this year . So as we have 495 00:18:10,343 --> 00:18:12,566 updates , we'll make sure to pass on in 496 00:18:12,566 --> 00:18:15,069 meaning is within this year or this 497 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,829 year 2023 . Thank you . Thank you , 498 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,760 General . According to us officials and 499 00:18:21,770 --> 00:18:24,530 reported by the New York Times . The 500 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,640 administration is urgent is urging 501 00:18:27,650 --> 00:18:31,339 Israel to scale down its uh 502 00:18:31,349 --> 00:18:33,569 milit ground military operations in 503 00:18:33,579 --> 00:18:36,219 Gaza is the assessment within the 504 00:18:36,229 --> 00:18:38,640 administration or the Pentagon that 505 00:18:38,650 --> 00:18:42,020 these uh ground operations are not 506 00:18:42,030 --> 00:18:45,579 achieving the goals . Um Again , it's 507 00:18:45,589 --> 00:18:47,560 not really my place to talk about 508 00:18:47,569 --> 00:18:49,736 whether or not Israel is achieving its 509 00:18:49,736 --> 00:18:51,625 operational objectives . That's a 510 00:18:51,625 --> 00:18:53,859 question better addressed by Israel . 511 00:18:54,020 --> 00:18:55,900 Um As , as you've heard , uh the 512 00:18:55,910 --> 00:18:57,790 National security adviser , Jake 513 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,699 Sullivan say , uh the topic of 514 00:19:01,709 --> 00:19:03,876 timing of operations is something that 515 00:19:03,876 --> 00:19:05,820 he will likely discuss uh with his 516 00:19:05,820 --> 00:19:08,099 counterparts or , you know , when he 517 00:19:08,109 --> 00:19:10,165 visits Israel . But I'd refer you to 518 00:19:10,165 --> 00:19:12,442 NSC for any further discussion on that . 519 00:19:12,442 --> 00:19:14,665 I still believe after like almost three 520 00:19:14,665 --> 00:19:16,780 months of fighting in Gaza that the 521 00:19:16,790 --> 00:19:19,099 goal of eliminating Hamas still 522 00:19:19,109 --> 00:19:22,180 achievable . Uh Look again , it's up to 523 00:19:22,189 --> 00:19:24,609 Israel to talk about how its progress 524 00:19:24,619 --> 00:19:27,619 on its operational goals . Um Clearly 525 00:19:27,630 --> 00:19:30,380 Hamas represents an existential threat 526 00:19:30,390 --> 00:19:32,380 to the state of Israel . And so 527 00:19:32,390 --> 00:19:34,390 understandably they are going to do 528 00:19:34,390 --> 00:19:36,446 what they need to do to prevent them 529 00:19:36,446 --> 00:19:38,779 from doing what they did on October 7th . 530 00:19:38,779 --> 00:19:41,579 And so we understand that uh and again , 531 00:19:41,589 --> 00:19:43,533 I'd refer you to them is Secretary 532 00:19:43,533 --> 00:19:46,239 Austin gonna discuss any timeline of 533 00:19:46,250 --> 00:19:48,709 the operations with the Israeli with 534 00:19:48,719 --> 00:19:50,979 his Israeli Council party . Yeah . Uh 535 00:19:50,989 --> 00:19:53,160 we'll have uh a read out to provide 536 00:19:53,170 --> 00:19:55,281 after those meetings . Um But I don't 537 00:19:55,281 --> 00:19:57,448 have anything to share right now . Let 538 00:19:57,448 --> 00:19:59,670 me go to the phone here real quick . Uh 539 00:19:59,670 --> 00:20:01,781 We've got Idris uh from Reuters Pat . 540 00:20:01,781 --> 00:20:03,892 Uh two quick questions . Firstly , do 541 00:20:03,892 --> 00:20:06,059 you have an update on the number of TB 542 00:20:06,059 --> 00:20:07,837 I cases in Iraq and Syria ? And 543 00:20:07,837 --> 00:20:09,781 secondly , uh I'm , I'm just a bit 544 00:20:09,781 --> 00:20:11,781 confused . So the current framework 545 00:20:11,781 --> 00:20:13,948 you're looking at in the Red Sea , how 546 00:20:13,948 --> 00:20:16,281 is that different from task force ? 153 ? 547 00:20:16,579 --> 00:20:18,746 Because because don't you already have 548 00:20:18,746 --> 00:20:20,801 a construct in place . So what's new 549 00:20:20,801 --> 00:20:22,968 that you're looking at ? Yeah , thanks 550 00:20:22,968 --> 00:20:25,160 you . So uh no new uh injuries to 551 00:20:25,170 --> 00:20:28,750 report uh in terms of uh Iranian proxy 552 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:32,369 attacks in Iraq and Syria . Um As 553 00:20:32,380 --> 00:20:36,270 far as uh task force 153 I did talk 554 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,560 about this a little bit uh a week or so 555 00:20:38,569 --> 00:20:42,020 ago . Um And task force 153 provides 556 00:20:42,030 --> 00:20:44,930 the framework upon which to build uh 557 00:20:44,939 --> 00:20:47,920 this international maritime task force . 558 00:20:47,930 --> 00:20:50,329 So if you think about uh the combined 559 00:20:50,339 --> 00:20:52,900 maritime forces , uh it is a , a 560 00:20:52,910 --> 00:20:56,459 coalition of 39 nations uh that can 561 00:20:56,469 --> 00:20:59,660 come together to support various uh 562 00:20:59,670 --> 00:21:01,619 regional security and stability 563 00:21:01,630 --> 00:21:03,519 requirements around the region to 564 00:21:03,519 --> 00:21:07,219 include uh safety of um 565 00:21:07,229 --> 00:21:09,285 transiting the Water , International 566 00:21:09,285 --> 00:21:11,589 Waterways in the Red Sea . And so with 567 00:21:11,599 --> 00:21:13,900 that as a framework , uh And because 568 00:21:13,910 --> 00:21:16,150 this is a coalition of the willing uh 569 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:20,150 it's up to individual nations uh uh as 570 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,890 to which parts of uh the combined 571 00:21:22,900 --> 00:21:25,439 maritime task force mission , uh they 572 00:21:25,449 --> 00:21:27,449 will support . And so again , we're 573 00:21:27,449 --> 00:21:29,727 working through that process right now , 574 00:21:29,727 --> 00:21:31,893 in terms of which countries uh will be 575 00:21:31,893 --> 00:21:33,939 participating in task force 153 and 576 00:21:33,949 --> 00:21:36,630 specifically , uh , what capabilities , 577 00:21:36,660 --> 00:21:39,689 uh and um , types of support they will 578 00:21:39,699 --> 00:21:41,921 provide . And again , we'll have more f 579 00:21:41,921 --> 00:21:43,977 uh , more information on that in the 580 00:21:43,977 --> 00:21:46,143 near future . Thank you . Let me go to 581 00:21:46,143 --> 00:21:48,310 Jeff Sel . Thank you . Can the defense 582 00:21:48,310 --> 00:21:50,459 department provide a breakdown of 583 00:21:50,469 --> 00:21:52,579 assets and personnel that will be 584 00:21:52,589 --> 00:21:54,890 involved in escorting Santa Claus on 585 00:21:54,900 --> 00:21:57,180 December 24th and 25th ? Thank you . 586 00:21:58,069 --> 00:22:00,969 Yeah , thanks Jeff . Um , unfortunately , 587 00:22:00,979 --> 00:22:02,701 that's controlled unclassified 588 00:22:02,701 --> 00:22:05,880 information . Um But I can assure you 589 00:22:05,890 --> 00:22:07,890 that we will ensure that Santa gets 590 00:22:07,890 --> 00:22:10,001 wherever he needs to go uh safely and 591 00:22:10,001 --> 00:22:12,479 securely . Um , but uh , all joking 592 00:22:12,489 --> 00:22:14,711 aside , I know that our , our teammates 593 00:22:14,711 --> 00:22:17,520 at uh NORAD , uh north com will have 594 00:22:17,530 --> 00:22:20,609 much more information to provide uh on 595 00:22:20,619 --> 00:22:23,630 Santa's trip this holiday season . So , 596 00:22:23,689 --> 00:22:27,109 uh , and uh sure he'll be on time in , 597 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:29,063 uh , in place for Christmas . So , 598 00:22:29,063 --> 00:22:31,230 thank you . All right , let me go back 599 00:22:31,230 --> 00:22:33,341 to the room here . Carl . Thanks . Um 600 00:22:33,341 --> 00:22:35,341 Major General White . Uh , you just 601 00:22:35,341 --> 00:22:37,286 told Jennifer and you've said this 602 00:22:37,286 --> 00:22:39,230 before that this department in the 603 00:22:39,230 --> 00:22:41,452 Pentagon is very focused on not right , 604 00:22:41,452 --> 00:22:43,730 broadening the wider regional conflict , 605 00:22:43,730 --> 00:22:45,952 but is there concern with the secretary 606 00:22:45,952 --> 00:22:49,430 that in , in an attempt not to broaden 607 00:22:49,439 --> 00:22:51,699 the conflict that he may not be 608 00:22:51,709 --> 00:22:54,439 properly deterring Iranian backed 609 00:22:54,449 --> 00:22:57,089 proxies from striking us forces in Iraq 610 00:22:57,099 --> 00:22:59,150 and Syria or striking commercial 611 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:02,640 vessels in the Middle East . Yeah . So 612 00:23:02,650 --> 00:23:04,900 again , look , we're , we are very 613 00:23:04,910 --> 00:23:08,250 focused on those issues . Um 614 00:23:08,260 --> 00:23:11,920 When we talk about deterrence in 615 00:23:11,930 --> 00:23:13,829 terms of preventing this from uh 616 00:23:13,839 --> 00:23:15,839 broadening into a bigger regional 617 00:23:15,849 --> 00:23:17,849 conflict , what we're talking about 618 00:23:17,849 --> 00:23:20,071 here is the conflict between Israel and 619 00:23:20,071 --> 00:23:23,050 Hamas , right ? We don't want state or 620 00:23:23,060 --> 00:23:25,260 non state actors to exploit that 621 00:23:25,270 --> 00:23:27,579 situation to cause a broader regional 622 00:23:27,589 --> 00:23:30,609 conflict uh where it goes beyond Gaza 623 00:23:30,619 --> 00:23:32,819 and to this point , uh we've been able 624 00:23:32,829 --> 00:23:35,280 to do that again . That's not to say 625 00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:37,457 that uh the challenges associated with 626 00:23:37,457 --> 00:23:40,219 Iranian proxies attacking us forces in 627 00:23:40,229 --> 00:23:44,180 Iraq and Syria or uh Houthi rebels 628 00:23:44,189 --> 00:23:46,022 firing missiles at international 629 00:23:46,022 --> 00:23:47,967 shipping . Uh are not something we 630 00:23:47,967 --> 00:23:50,133 shouldn't take serious and serious and 631 00:23:50,133 --> 00:23:52,189 aren't creating instability in the 632 00:23:52,199 --> 00:23:54,143 region , but we will address those 633 00:23:54,143 --> 00:23:56,310 problems uh in the way that we've been 634 00:23:56,310 --> 00:23:58,532 doing . Uh and we will continue to stay 635 00:23:58,532 --> 00:24:00,699 very focused on not only deterring but 636 00:24:00,699 --> 00:24:03,280 also protecting our forces and so again , 637 00:24:03,290 --> 00:24:06,130 on the back uh on the backdrop of 638 00:24:06,140 --> 00:24:08,140 making sure that this does not turn 639 00:24:08,140 --> 00:24:10,839 into a wider regional war . Thank you , 640 00:24:11,189 --> 00:24:15,170 sir . Thank you , General . Um Iraqi 641 00:24:15,180 --> 00:24:16,958 government arrested some of the 642 00:24:16,958 --> 00:24:19,660 perpetrators of the attack of this 643 00:24:19,670 --> 00:24:22,390 month that attacked the US embassy in 644 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:24,719 Baghdad . How do you see the effort ? 645 00:24:24,729 --> 00:24:27,890 And do you have any concern that the 646 00:24:27,900 --> 00:24:30,949 militant group is backed by Iran that 647 00:24:30,959 --> 00:24:34,609 attack US ? Facilities are great uh 648 00:24:35,339 --> 00:24:37,569 components of the Iraqi government 649 00:24:37,579 --> 00:24:40,650 politically and militarily effective ? 650 00:24:41,319 --> 00:24:43,041 Yeah , we , you know , as I've 651 00:24:43,041 --> 00:24:45,263 mentioned before , we do appreciate the 652 00:24:45,263 --> 00:24:47,486 support of the Iraqi government and the 653 00:24:47,486 --> 00:24:49,652 Iraqi security forces as it relates to 654 00:24:49,652 --> 00:24:51,708 uh preventing these kinds of attacks 655 00:24:51,708 --> 00:24:54,160 from occurring on uh Iraqi sovereign 656 00:24:54,170 --> 00:24:57,540 territory . And so , so , um we , we're 657 00:24:57,550 --> 00:24:59,606 very appreciative of that . Uh We'll 658 00:24:59,606 --> 00:25:01,828 continue to coordinate closely with our 659 00:25:01,828 --> 00:25:03,828 Iraqi partners as it relates to the 660 00:25:03,828 --> 00:25:05,994 safety of us forces which again , oh , 661 00:25:05,994 --> 00:25:07,661 by the way , are there at the 662 00:25:07,661 --> 00:25:09,828 invitation of the government of Iraq ? 663 00:25:09,828 --> 00:25:11,939 Uh And so , uh we'll continue to keep 664 00:25:11,939 --> 00:25:14,106 those channels of communication open . 665 00:25:14,106 --> 00:25:16,106 That said again , uh We reserve the 666 00:25:16,106 --> 00:25:18,272 right to defend our forces and if they 667 00:25:18,272 --> 00:25:20,494 are threatened or attacked , uh we will 668 00:25:20,494 --> 00:25:22,717 take appropriate actions to ensure that 669 00:25:22,717 --> 00:25:24,883 those forces remain safe . Thank you . 670 00:25:24,883 --> 00:25:26,994 Let me go to Missy . Yeah . Um I just 671 00:25:26,994 --> 00:25:28,994 wanted to follow up on , on Laura's 672 00:25:28,994 --> 00:25:31,161 question and a couple other ones about 673 00:25:31,161 --> 00:25:33,217 the um uh international Humanitarian 674 00:25:33,217 --> 00:25:35,500 Law um question on Israel , I think 675 00:25:35,510 --> 00:25:37,566 just in terms of , is there anything 676 00:25:37,566 --> 00:25:39,232 more you could say to help us 677 00:25:39,232 --> 00:25:40,788 understand what the defense 678 00:25:40,788 --> 00:25:43,479 department's role is um versus other 679 00:25:43,489 --> 00:25:46,199 departments within the executive branch ? 680 00:25:46,339 --> 00:25:48,790 Is there any sort of legal analysis 681 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,719 that's being conducted by OGC or within 682 00:25:51,729 --> 00:25:54,939 the joint staff or is there ? I know 683 00:25:54,949 --> 00:25:57,116 that the State Department is in charge 684 00:25:57,116 --> 00:25:59,609 of arms sales . Um But is there any 685 00:25:59,619 --> 00:26:01,675 role that the defense department has 686 00:26:01,675 --> 00:26:03,897 because of information sharing with the 687 00:26:03,897 --> 00:26:06,008 Israelis via mill to mill channels in 688 00:26:06,008 --> 00:26:08,920 terms of making an assessment of the 689 00:26:08,930 --> 00:26:10,652 comp the law of armed conflict 690 00:26:10,652 --> 00:26:12,708 compliance . Well , look , any , any 691 00:26:12,708 --> 00:26:14,541 time that we provide any type of 692 00:26:14,541 --> 00:26:16,486 security assistance to a partner , 693 00:26:16,486 --> 00:26:18,819 whether it's Israel or , or anyone else , 694 00:26:18,819 --> 00:26:20,819 there's an expectation that they're 695 00:26:20,819 --> 00:26:22,763 going to use those capabilities in 696 00:26:22,763 --> 00:26:24,597 accordance with the law of armed 697 00:26:24,597 --> 00:26:26,597 conflict . And so , um , you know , 698 00:26:26,597 --> 00:26:28,708 again , I don't have anything to read 699 00:26:28,708 --> 00:26:30,708 out to you . Uh , other than to say 700 00:26:30,708 --> 00:26:32,819 that we are in close contact with our 701 00:26:32,819 --> 00:26:34,986 Israeli partners , um We are confident 702 00:26:34,986 --> 00:26:36,986 that they are a modern professional 703 00:26:36,986 --> 00:26:38,986 military that is fighting a very uh 704 00:26:38,986 --> 00:26:41,152 challenging adversary in , in the form 705 00:26:41,152 --> 00:26:44,329 of Hamas . Uh and again , um you know , 706 00:26:44,339 --> 00:26:47,239 I'm not gonna get into individual uh 707 00:26:47,250 --> 00:26:49,599 operations or strikes other than to say 708 00:26:49,609 --> 00:26:51,276 that we will again have those 709 00:26:51,276 --> 00:26:53,579 conversations uh and ensure that they 710 00:26:53,589 --> 00:26:55,739 understand the importance of using 711 00:26:55,750 --> 00:26:58,400 those capabilities in accordance with 712 00:26:58,410 --> 00:27:00,577 international Humanitarian law and the 713 00:27:00,577 --> 00:27:02,750 law of armed conflict . Um I'll just 714 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:04,839 leave it at that . Did you , I guess 715 00:27:04,849 --> 00:27:06,960 just to follow up , do you , does the 716 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,071 department believe that there's um an 717 00:27:09,071 --> 00:27:12,130 obligation to conduct those uh 718 00:27:12,140 --> 00:27:15,609 more detailed or specific assessments 719 00:27:15,619 --> 00:27:18,439 prior to continuing arms transfers ? 720 00:27:18,449 --> 00:27:20,616 Because that's , you know , some legal 721 00:27:20,616 --> 00:27:22,671 experts will say that , yes , that's 722 00:27:22,671 --> 00:27:25,079 the case . Look again . Um We are in 723 00:27:25,089 --> 00:27:27,200 almost daily contact with our Israeli 724 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,930 partners . And again , um you know , we 725 00:27:29,939 --> 00:27:32,119 are , we fully understand uh and are 726 00:27:32,130 --> 00:27:34,489 confident that the Israelis have heard 727 00:27:34,500 --> 00:27:37,079 us . Uh They have said that they intend 728 00:27:37,089 --> 00:27:39,180 to continue to conduct operations to 729 00:27:39,189 --> 00:27:42,650 take civilians into account . Um But 730 00:27:42,660 --> 00:27:44,660 right now again , we understand the 731 00:27:44,660 --> 00:27:46,660 fight they're in and we're going to 732 00:27:46,660 --> 00:27:46,459 continue to support them . Let me go to 733 00:27:46,469 --> 00:27:50,170 Louis . Um , can I ask you about , 734 00:27:50,180 --> 00:27:52,236 um , Jake , you've been referring to 735 00:27:52,236 --> 00:27:54,347 Jake Sullivan's travel to Israel . Uh 736 00:27:54,347 --> 00:27:56,402 John Kirby at the White House talked 737 00:27:56,402 --> 00:27:58,569 about how one of the messages , one of 738 00:27:58,569 --> 00:28:00,680 the discussion points today was about 739 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:02,569 the transitioning towards a lower 740 00:28:02,569 --> 00:28:04,791 intensity conflict . You have Secretary 741 00:28:04,791 --> 00:28:06,902 Austin and now General Brown going to 742 00:28:06,902 --> 00:28:08,902 Israel in the near future . Is that 743 00:28:08,902 --> 00:28:11,013 also a message that they are going to 744 00:28:11,013 --> 00:28:12,624 be bringing to their Israeli 745 00:28:12,624 --> 00:28:14,847 counterparts ? Yeah , thanks Louis . So 746 00:28:14,847 --> 00:28:16,958 again , we'll have more to provide uh 747 00:28:16,958 --> 00:28:19,069 after , after the meetings occur . Um 748 00:28:19,069 --> 00:28:21,402 But again , as I highlighted , you know , 749 00:28:21,402 --> 00:28:23,569 Secretary Austin will meet with his uh 750 00:28:23,569 --> 00:28:25,458 counterpart uh and with the Prime 751 00:28:25,458 --> 00:28:27,180 Minister and uh we'll have the 752 00:28:27,189 --> 00:28:29,729 opportunity to talk about uh the 753 00:28:29,739 --> 00:28:31,683 situation in the Middle East , the 754 00:28:31,683 --> 00:28:33,683 United States and our support uh to 755 00:28:33,683 --> 00:28:35,650 Israel . And again , emphasize the 756 00:28:35,660 --> 00:28:37,716 importance of taking civilian safety 757 00:28:37,716 --> 00:28:39,882 into account . But beyond that , I'm , 758 00:28:39,882 --> 00:28:41,827 I'm not gonna be able to go in any 759 00:28:41,827 --> 00:28:44,049 deals with . I mean , the fact that the 760 00:28:44,049 --> 00:28:46,049 top two , the top leadership of the 761 00:28:46,049 --> 00:28:48,104 defense department is going to be in 762 00:28:48,104 --> 00:28:47,839 Israel meeting with Israeli 763 00:28:47,849 --> 00:28:50,069 counterparts in the near future . Um 764 00:28:50,079 --> 00:28:52,023 You know , again , this will be uh 765 00:28:52,023 --> 00:28:53,968 General Brown's first visit as the 766 00:28:53,968 --> 00:28:57,050 chairman to the Middle East . Um So the 767 00:28:57,060 --> 00:28:59,989 secretary uh has been very engaged with 768 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,000 his counterpart , you know , he was 769 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:03,944 there in Israel six days after the 770 00:29:03,944 --> 00:29:05,889 attack . Uh and again , wanted the 771 00:29:05,889 --> 00:29:08,056 opportunity before the end of the year 772 00:29:08,056 --> 00:29:10,278 uh to be able to go and , and talk face 773 00:29:10,278 --> 00:29:12,500 to face with his counterpart . So thank 774 00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:14,556 you . Let me just uh go to the phone 775 00:29:14,556 --> 00:29:16,500 here for a couple more . Uh Howard 776 00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:18,722 Altman . Hey , thanks Matt . You know a 777 00:29:18,722 --> 00:29:21,130 few things so bear with me uh for a 2nd . 778 00:29:22,050 --> 00:29:24,469 1st of all , do you just state that 779 00:29:24,479 --> 00:29:28,030 that the um this maritime uh task force 780 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:31,410 edition will be announced um during the 781 00:29:31,420 --> 00:29:33,420 visit of the , of the secretary and 782 00:29:33,420 --> 00:29:35,642 chairman . And do you have a comment uh 783 00:29:35,642 --> 00:29:37,949 about the uh Iranian Defense Ministers 784 00:29:38,060 --> 00:29:40,469 bill threats about that task force ? 785 00:29:40,479 --> 00:29:42,646 And then separately , I'm wondering if 786 00:29:42,646 --> 00:29:44,868 you can provide any other details about 787 00:29:44,868 --> 00:29:48,619 the uh capabilities um that were 788 00:29:48,630 --> 00:29:52,109 provided to Israel for its F-35 789 00:29:52,119 --> 00:29:54,979 is uh mission data packages and other 790 00:29:54,989 --> 00:29:57,219 capabilities and , and whether any of 791 00:29:57,229 --> 00:29:59,340 that has to do with harm mitigation , 792 00:29:59,340 --> 00:30:02,560 civilian uh harm mitigation . Yeah , 793 00:30:02,569 --> 00:30:04,625 thanks Howard . So , uh again , I'll 794 00:30:04,625 --> 00:30:07,180 have more information in the , the near 795 00:30:07,189 --> 00:30:10,489 future uh as it relates to uh our 796 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:13,420 efforts in the Red Sea . Uh So again , 797 00:30:13,430 --> 00:30:15,810 nothing to announce today . Uh no 798 00:30:15,819 --> 00:30:18,699 comment to provide as it relates to , 799 00:30:18,709 --> 00:30:22,119 to any spokespersons uh foreign 800 00:30:22,130 --> 00:30:24,380 spokespersons and nothing to provide on 801 00:30:24,390 --> 00:30:27,699 the F-35s that the Israelis are flying . 802 00:30:27,709 --> 00:30:29,820 Again . I refer you to them , Chris , 803 00:30:30,849 --> 00:30:33,209 the secretary called the Iraqi Prime 804 00:30:33,219 --> 00:30:35,330 Minister on Friday . He discussed the 805 00:30:35,330 --> 00:30:37,969 attacks and the obligation for the 806 00:30:37,979 --> 00:30:40,989 Iraqis to protect us forces there . Um 807 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,056 You highlighted , you appreciate the 808 00:30:43,056 --> 00:30:45,167 support of the Iraqi government , but 809 00:30:45,167 --> 00:30:47,222 we're now at nearly 100 attacks . Um 810 00:30:47,222 --> 00:30:49,222 Does the Pentagon believe the Iraqi 811 00:30:49,222 --> 00:30:51,111 government and the Iraqi security 812 00:30:51,111 --> 00:30:53,222 forces are doing enough to protect us 813 00:30:53,222 --> 00:30:55,389 forces in Iraq ? Yeah , thanks Chris . 814 00:30:55,389 --> 00:30:57,222 So again , look , we're going to 815 00:30:57,222 --> 00:30:58,889 continue to keep the lines of 816 00:30:58,889 --> 00:31:00,778 communication open with our Iraqi 817 00:31:00,778 --> 00:31:02,944 partners . Um You know , as it relates 818 00:31:02,944 --> 00:31:05,056 to the protection of our , our forces 819 00:31:05,056 --> 00:31:07,989 in Iraq . Um I'll just leave it at that , 820 00:31:08,250 --> 00:31:10,800 sir . Staying on Iraq . Thank you , 821 00:31:10,810 --> 00:31:13,032 General . Uh I , I'm not sure if you've 822 00:31:13,032 --> 00:31:15,143 seen the results of the investigation 823 00:31:15,143 --> 00:31:17,143 that the Iraqi government announced 824 00:31:17,143 --> 00:31:19,088 about the recent attacks on the US 825 00:31:19,088 --> 00:31:21,199 Embassy and also the , the basis that 826 00:31:21,199 --> 00:31:23,500 houses the US forces . So have they 827 00:31:23,569 --> 00:31:25,347 shared the very details of that 828 00:31:25,349 --> 00:31:28,599 investigation with you ? I'm not , I 829 00:31:28,609 --> 00:31:30,665 don't have anything on that . So I'd 830 00:31:30,665 --> 00:31:32,942 have to refer to in that investigation , 831 00:31:32,942 --> 00:31:35,165 what they announced that they said that 832 00:31:35,165 --> 00:31:37,276 they arrested some people apprehended 833 00:31:37,276 --> 00:31:39,442 some people that they have connections 834 00:31:39,442 --> 00:31:41,553 with the Iraqi security forces . Does 835 00:31:41,553 --> 00:31:43,776 that concern you in any way because you 836 00:31:43,776 --> 00:31:45,720 embedded the forces with the Iraqi 837 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:47,831 security forces in the same basis and 838 00:31:47,831 --> 00:31:49,498 the Iraqi security forces are 839 00:31:49,498 --> 00:31:51,553 responsible for the security of that 840 00:31:51,553 --> 00:31:53,776 basis ? Sure , I , I , you know , I'm , 841 00:31:53,776 --> 00:31:53,540 I'm not really in a position to discuss 842 00:31:53,550 --> 00:31:55,839 an internal Iraqi investigation that 843 00:31:55,849 --> 00:31:57,849 that's really something for them to 844 00:31:57,849 --> 00:31:59,793 talk about what we're focused on . 845 00:31:59,793 --> 00:32:01,770 Again , for our forces in Iraq is 846 00:32:01,780 --> 00:32:03,836 conducting the defeat ISIS mission . 847 00:32:04,069 --> 00:32:06,969 You have a situation in which Iranian 848 00:32:06,979 --> 00:32:10,170 backed proxies are conducting uh rocket 849 00:32:10,180 --> 00:32:12,390 and drone attacks against those forces 850 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,567 that are there doing that mission . So 851 00:32:14,567 --> 00:32:16,289 again , we'll continue to take 852 00:32:16,289 --> 00:32:18,289 appropriate actions to , to protect 853 00:32:18,289 --> 00:32:20,670 those forces uh and also deter future 854 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:22,847 attacks . Now , the following question 855 00:32:22,847 --> 00:32:24,958 is , well , they don't appear to have 856 00:32:24,958 --> 00:32:27,069 been deterred . Again , I'm not going 857 00:32:27,069 --> 00:32:29,236 to talk about potential future actions 858 00:32:29,236 --> 00:32:31,291 or telegraph or speculate on what we 859 00:32:31,291 --> 00:32:33,402 may or may not do . Other than to say 860 00:32:33,402 --> 00:32:35,569 we are taking it seriously and we will 861 00:32:35,569 --> 00:32:37,624 continue to do what we need to do to 862 00:32:37,624 --> 00:32:39,847 protect those forces . The visit to the 863 00:32:39,847 --> 00:32:42,339 Middle East , will he or will we will 864 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:45,670 engage with Iraq officials on ? I don't 865 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:47,791 have anything to announce beyond what 866 00:32:47,791 --> 00:32:49,958 I've , what I've provided . So you got 867 00:32:49,958 --> 00:32:52,170 time for just a few more . I ask a 868 00:32:52,219 --> 00:32:54,979 follow up on this question . Is there 869 00:32:54,989 --> 00:32:57,140 any sort of legal requirement on dod 870 00:32:57,150 --> 00:32:59,206 that when it's evaluating whether to 871 00:32:59,206 --> 00:33:01,640 carry out an F MS provide the weapons 872 00:33:01,650 --> 00:33:03,706 in an F MS sale that there has to be 873 00:33:03,810 --> 00:33:06,650 some sort of uh agreement to use those 874 00:33:06,660 --> 00:33:08,438 weapons within the law of armed 875 00:33:08,438 --> 00:33:10,438 conflict ? Like if previous weapons 876 00:33:10,438 --> 00:33:12,604 have been determined to have been used 877 00:33:12,604 --> 00:33:12,589 outside of those boundaries , would it 878 00:33:12,599 --> 00:33:14,432 prevent a future sale from going 879 00:33:14,432 --> 00:33:16,540 through again . My understanding is 880 00:33:16,550 --> 00:33:19,359 that uh , any uh , weapons or 881 00:33:19,369 --> 00:33:21,729 capabilities that we provide to any 882 00:33:21,739 --> 00:33:23,839 partner or ally , is that those 883 00:33:23,849 --> 00:33:25,849 capabilities are used in accordance 884 00:33:25,849 --> 00:33:27,849 with the law of armed conflict ? Is 885 00:33:27,849 --> 00:33:29,627 that a requirement or just like 886 00:33:29,627 --> 00:33:31,682 something , an expressed desire that 887 00:33:31,682 --> 00:33:33,793 the department , an agreement that it 888 00:33:33,793 --> 00:33:35,960 comes up with these countries ? That's 889 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,182 a requirement . All right , let me just 890 00:33:38,182 --> 00:33:40,405 uh , one more . Yes , sir . Um We got a 891 00:33:40,405 --> 00:33:42,460 number of us naval ships in the , in 892 00:33:42,460 --> 00:33:44,682 the Middle East right now . Um How long 893 00:33:44,682 --> 00:33:46,738 do you expect to be able to maintain 894 00:33:46,738 --> 00:33:48,516 that show of force two aircraft 895 00:33:48,516 --> 00:33:50,682 carriers , a number of phds ? And if I 896 00:33:50,682 --> 00:33:52,682 could also ask , when are reporters 897 00:33:52,682 --> 00:33:52,579 going to be allowed to embark on some 898 00:33:52,589 --> 00:33:54,922 of these vessels that are in the region ? 899 00:33:54,922 --> 00:33:57,145 So we can see firsthand what's going on 900 00:33:57,145 --> 00:33:59,200 um on your , on your latter question 901 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,422 again , uh as I've talked about totally 902 00:34:01,422 --> 00:34:03,422 understand the uh desire and that's 903 00:34:03,422 --> 00:34:05,645 something that we continue to , to take 904 00:34:05,645 --> 00:34:07,811 into account . Um And , and we'll keep 905 00:34:07,811 --> 00:34:09,978 you updated on that front uh As far as 906 00:34:09,978 --> 00:34:11,899 us naval presence uh in the , the 907 00:34:11,909 --> 00:34:15,219 broader ucom Centcom region . Um You 908 00:34:15,229 --> 00:34:17,340 know , in addition to the forces that 909 00:34:17,340 --> 00:34:19,396 we have deployed there in support of 910 00:34:19,396 --> 00:34:21,451 our regional deterrence efforts , as 911 00:34:21,451 --> 00:34:23,618 you know , we , we maintain both fifth 912 00:34:23,618 --> 00:34:25,729 fleet and sixth fleet . So we already 913 00:34:25,729 --> 00:34:27,840 maintain a fairly robust presence and 914 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,118 that's just the naval presence , right . 915 00:34:30,118 --> 00:34:32,173 So in the central command uh area of 916 00:34:32,173 --> 00:34:32,169 responsibility . You also have air 917 00:34:32,179 --> 00:34:34,346 forces , obviously , marine and army . 918 00:34:34,908 --> 00:34:37,408 The important thing here is that we 919 00:34:37,418 --> 00:34:39,708 have the flexibility to be able to put 920 00:34:39,718 --> 00:34:41,885 forces where we need them when we need 921 00:34:41,885 --> 00:34:43,496 them in order to support our 922 00:34:43,496 --> 00:34:45,662 operational and strategic objectives . 923 00:34:45,662 --> 00:34:48,279 And so , uh shortly after uh Hamas 924 00:34:48,289 --> 00:34:50,989 conducted its attack uh in support of 925 00:34:50,999 --> 00:34:53,208 regional deterrence efforts is when we 926 00:34:53,218 --> 00:34:55,928 flowed those forces into theater , I 927 00:34:55,938 --> 00:34:58,160 don't have anything to , to announce in 928 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,489 terms of uh redeployments and , and 929 00:35:00,499 --> 00:35:02,555 obviously , I'm not gonna talk about 930 00:35:02,555 --> 00:35:04,277 potential future deployments , 931 00:35:04,277 --> 00:35:06,443 redeployments . Um But , you know , at 932 00:35:06,443 --> 00:35:08,610 the appropriate time , like any time , 933 00:35:08,610 --> 00:35:10,721 um certainly we'll keep you updated . 934 00:35:10,721 --> 00:35:12,999 So , ok , thanks very much , everybody . 935 00:35:12,999 --> 00:35:11,580 Appreciate it .