1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:03,980 --> 00:00:06,210 Good afternoon , everyone . Uh Just a 3 00:00:06,219 --> 00:00:08,330 few things at the top and then I'd be 4 00:00:08,330 --> 00:00:10,663 glad to take your questions as you know , 5 00:00:10,670 --> 00:00:13,010 yesterday , three US service members 6 00:00:13,020 --> 00:00:15,020 were killed and dozens of personnel 7 00:00:15,020 --> 00:00:17,129 were injured from a one way attack 8 00:00:17,139 --> 00:00:19,549 unmanned aerial system that impacted a 9 00:00:19,559 --> 00:00:22,030 US military facility located in 10 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,040 northeastern Jordan near the Syrian 11 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,340 border . The names of those soldiers 12 00:00:26,350 --> 00:00:28,294 who lost their lives were Sergeant 13 00:00:28,294 --> 00:00:30,809 William Rivers , specialist Kennedy 14 00:00:30,819 --> 00:00:33,770 Sanders and specialist Brionna Moffett , 15 00:00:33,990 --> 00:00:36,560 all of whom were assigned to the 718th 16 00:00:36,569 --> 00:00:39,349 engineer company , a US army reserve 17 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,669 unit based out of Fort Moore , Georgia . 18 00:00:42,029 --> 00:00:44,251 These three fallen heroes were deployed 19 00:00:44,251 --> 00:00:46,140 to Jordan in support of operation 20 00:00:46,140 --> 00:00:48,307 inherent resolve and the international 21 00:00:48,307 --> 00:00:50,529 coalition working to ensure the lasting 22 00:00:50,529 --> 00:00:53,369 defeat of ISIS . These brave Americans 23 00:00:53,380 --> 00:00:55,491 and their families are in our prayers 24 00:00:55,491 --> 00:00:57,547 and the entire department of Defense 25 00:00:57,547 --> 00:00:59,602 mourns their loss . We also pray for 26 00:00:59,602 --> 00:01:01,658 the speedy recovery of those who are 27 00:01:01,658 --> 00:01:03,824 injured . Eight personnel who received 28 00:01:03,824 --> 00:01:05,880 injuries required medical evacuation 29 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,019 from Jordan to the Baghdad Diplomatic 30 00:01:08,029 --> 00:01:10,220 Support Center . Three of those 31 00:01:10,230 --> 00:01:12,230 patients are scheduled for imminent 32 00:01:12,230 --> 00:01:14,540 transport to Landstuhl Regional Medical 33 00:01:14,550 --> 00:01:16,900 Center for follow on care . The other 34 00:01:16,910 --> 00:01:19,110 five have been assessed for mild TB is 35 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,129 and are expected to return to duty . We 36 00:01:22,139 --> 00:01:24,250 are still assessing what happened and 37 00:01:24,250 --> 00:01:26,417 how a one way attack drone was able to 38 00:01:26,417 --> 00:01:28,361 impact the facility . Us , Central 39 00:01:28,361 --> 00:01:30,472 Command continues to investigate this 40 00:01:30,472 --> 00:01:32,583 attack and for operation security and 41 00:01:32,583 --> 00:01:34,639 force protection reasons . We're not 42 00:01:34,639 --> 00:01:36,750 going to discuss further specifics or 43 00:01:36,750 --> 00:01:38,861 measures we're taking to prevent such 44 00:01:38,861 --> 00:01:40,972 actions or future attacks . But we do 45 00:01:40,972 --> 00:01:42,917 know that Iran backed militias are 46 00:01:42,917 --> 00:01:45,139 responsible for continued attacks on us 47 00:01:45,139 --> 00:01:47,028 forces in the region . And as the 48 00:01:47,028 --> 00:01:49,361 president and the secretary have stated , 49 00:01:49,361 --> 00:01:51,528 we will not tolerate continued attacks 50 00:01:51,528 --> 00:01:53,750 on American forces and we will take all 51 00:01:53,750 --> 00:01:55,972 necessary actions to defend us military 52 00:01:55,972 --> 00:01:58,083 men and women forward deployed and we 53 00:01:58,083 --> 00:02:00,195 will do so at a time and place of our 54 00:02:00,195 --> 00:02:02,306 choosing . Now over the weekend , the 55 00:02:02,306 --> 00:02:04,417 secretary received regular updates on 56 00:02:04,417 --> 00:02:06,250 the attack against us forces and 57 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:08,250 participated in a briefing with the 58 00:02:08,250 --> 00:02:10,250 president and his national security 59 00:02:10,250 --> 00:02:12,028 team . Today , Secretary Austin 60 00:02:12,028 --> 00:02:14,139 returned to work at the Pentagon this 61 00:02:14,139 --> 00:02:16,306 morning . He hosted the NATO Secretary 62 00:02:16,306 --> 00:02:18,417 General for a bilateral meeting where 63 00:02:18,417 --> 00:02:18,320 they discussed the war in Ukraine , the 64 00:02:18,330 --> 00:02:20,429 next NATO summit and ways to further 65 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,399 strengthen transatlantic security . He 66 00:02:23,410 --> 00:02:25,466 also met with President Biden at the 67 00:02:25,466 --> 00:02:27,577 White House and later today will host 68 00:02:27,577 --> 00:02:29,632 again the the NATO Secretary General 69 00:02:29,632 --> 00:02:31,632 alongside Secretary Blinken and the 70 00:02:31,632 --> 00:02:33,188 national security adviser . 71 00:02:33,550 --> 00:02:35,328 Additionally , the secretary is 72 00:02:35,328 --> 00:02:37,439 tentatively scheduled to visit Walter 73 00:02:37,439 --> 00:02:39,550 Reed National Military Medical Center 74 00:02:39,550 --> 00:02:39,199 this evening for a follow up 75 00:02:39,210 --> 00:02:41,690 appointment as his doctors said in 76 00:02:41,699 --> 00:02:43,810 their statement on Friday , Secretary 77 00:02:43,810 --> 00:02:45,977 Austin continues to recover well , and 78 00:02:45,977 --> 00:02:47,977 is expected to make a full recovery 79 00:02:47,977 --> 00:02:50,032 following his treatment for prostate 80 00:02:50,032 --> 00:02:52,143 cancer . And with that , I'd be happy 81 00:02:52,143 --> 00:02:52,130 to take your questions up . Thank you , 82 00:02:52,139 --> 00:02:54,970 Lita . Uh Thanks Sabrina a couple 83 00:02:54,979 --> 00:02:57,669 things . Number one . since Secretary 84 00:02:57,679 --> 00:03:00,119 Austin has now returned to the building . 85 00:03:00,130 --> 00:03:02,929 Can you tell us whether or not uh we 86 00:03:02,940 --> 00:03:05,162 will be able to see him in the briefing 87 00:03:05,162 --> 00:03:07,218 room this week ? I don't have , oh , 88 00:03:07,218 --> 00:03:09,218 sorry , go ahead . Do you wanna get 89 00:03:09,218 --> 00:03:09,190 that first guide ? Sure . I don't have 90 00:03:09,199 --> 00:03:11,255 an update just yet , but , uh , it's 91 00:03:11,255 --> 00:03:13,421 something that we're certainly working 92 00:03:13,421 --> 00:03:13,000 towards and we'll keep you updated . 93 00:03:13,539 --> 00:03:15,750 And then secondly , uh , can you give 94 00:03:15,759 --> 00:03:18,240 us an update on the number of wounded 95 00:03:18,270 --> 00:03:20,559 and any breakdown between air force and 96 00:03:20,570 --> 00:03:24,149 army on that and also 97 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,000 any update on the perpetrators of the 98 00:03:27,009 --> 00:03:29,176 attack ? A lot ? There's been a lot of 99 00:03:29,176 --> 00:03:31,231 chatter about . Kh , can you tell us 100 00:03:31,231 --> 00:03:34,429 whether that is the leading suspicion 101 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,240 right now ? Sure . So , on the number 102 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:39,417 of injuries right now , we assess that 103 00:03:39,417 --> 00:03:41,528 there are more than 40 that have been 104 00:03:41,528 --> 00:03:43,750 injured . Um , we do expect that number 105 00:03:43,750 --> 00:03:45,975 to continue to fluctuate as , uh , our 106 00:03:45,985 --> 00:03:48,207 service members as you know , with TB I 107 00:03:48,207 --> 00:03:50,429 report symptoms later on so that number 108 00:03:50,429 --> 00:03:52,596 could continue to grow . Um , in terms 109 00:03:52,596 --> 00:03:54,994 of , um , attribution for the attack . 110 00:03:55,065 --> 00:03:58,029 Uh , we know this is an I RGC backed 111 00:03:58,039 --> 00:04:01,509 militia . Uh , it has the footprints of 112 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,050 Katab Hezbollah , um but not making a 113 00:04:04,059 --> 00:04:06,281 final assessment on that . Um Our , our 114 00:04:06,281 --> 00:04:08,281 teams here are continuing to do the 115 00:04:08,281 --> 00:04:11,440 analysis , but we know that um Iran is 116 00:04:11,449 --> 00:04:13,929 behind it . And um certainly as , as 117 00:04:13,940 --> 00:04:15,940 we've said before here in this , in 118 00:04:15,940 --> 00:04:18,549 this briefing room , um Iran continues 119 00:04:18,559 --> 00:04:20,781 to arm and equip these groups to launch 120 00:04:20,781 --> 00:04:22,503 these attacks . Um And we will 121 00:04:22,503 --> 00:04:24,559 certainly hold them responsible just 122 00:04:24,559 --> 00:04:26,615 clarification . You , you said , you 123 00:04:26,615 --> 00:04:29,649 know , Iran is behind it , you know , 124 00:04:29,660 --> 00:04:33,640 that Iran and or Iranian leaders were 125 00:04:33,649 --> 00:04:37,130 actually behind this attack as in 126 00:04:37,140 --> 00:04:39,350 planned co ordinated or directed it . 127 00:04:39,359 --> 00:04:41,399 We know that Iran certainly plays a 128 00:04:41,410 --> 00:04:43,521 role with these groups . They arm and 129 00:04:43,521 --> 00:04:46,089 equip and fund these groups . I don't 130 00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:47,989 have more to share in terms of an 131 00:04:47,989 --> 00:04:49,989 intelligence assessment on uh if uh 132 00:04:49,989 --> 00:04:51,989 leaders in Iran were directing this 133 00:04:51,989 --> 00:04:53,989 attack . But what I can tell you is 134 00:04:53,989 --> 00:04:55,859 that um we know these groups are 135 00:04:55,869 --> 00:04:58,660 supported by Iran and therefore they do 136 00:04:58,670 --> 00:05:00,892 have their fingerprints on this . But I 137 00:05:00,892 --> 00:05:02,892 can't tell you more in terms of who 138 00:05:02,892 --> 00:05:05,003 directed the attack . Jen Sabrina did 139 00:05:05,003 --> 00:05:08,049 this drone take off from an I RGC base 140 00:05:08,059 --> 00:05:11,049 in Syria ? I don't have more on the 141 00:05:11,059 --> 00:05:13,226 point of origin just yet of where this 142 00:05:13,226 --> 00:05:15,226 attack originated from . And was it 143 00:05:15,226 --> 00:05:17,281 human error that failed to recognize 144 00:05:17,281 --> 00:05:19,392 that this was an Iranian drone coming 145 00:05:19,392 --> 00:05:21,281 to the base ? It's something that 146 00:05:21,281 --> 00:05:23,503 central command is looking into to find 147 00:05:23,503 --> 00:05:25,503 out exactly what happened . Um As I 148 00:05:25,503 --> 00:05:27,615 mentioned at the top um they're doing 149 00:05:27,615 --> 00:05:29,448 the assessment on this . They're 150 00:05:29,448 --> 00:05:31,670 working through what they need to do to 151 00:05:31,670 --> 00:05:33,892 make sure our service members , whether 152 00:05:33,892 --> 00:05:35,948 being in Jordan , Iraq and Syria are 153 00:05:35,948 --> 00:05:35,920 further protected , but I just don't 154 00:05:35,929 --> 00:05:38,096 have more to share at this time . What 155 00:05:38,096 --> 00:05:40,318 kind of drone struck the base ? Is this 156 00:05:40,318 --> 00:05:42,373 the same kind of Iranian drone being 157 00:05:42,373 --> 00:05:44,262 used by the Russians in Ukraine ? 158 00:05:44,262 --> 00:05:46,429 That's something that we're looking at 159 00:05:46,429 --> 00:05:48,651 right now . We're assessing the drone , 160 00:05:48,651 --> 00:05:48,269 but I don't have more to share just yet 161 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,271 just to follow up . You said Iran was 162 00:05:51,271 --> 00:05:53,604 behind the attack . What does that mean ? 163 00:05:53,604 --> 00:05:55,829 Have you seen evidence of financing or 164 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:57,850 directing anything specific to this 165 00:05:57,859 --> 00:05:59,748 attack ? Not just generally , but 166 00:05:59,748 --> 00:06:02,049 specifically . So maybe I need to 167 00:06:02,059 --> 00:06:04,130 clarify further from what Lida had 168 00:06:04,140 --> 00:06:06,720 mentioned . We know that Iran funds 169 00:06:06,730 --> 00:06:09,010 these groups like Katab Hezbollah . We 170 00:06:09,019 --> 00:06:11,260 know that these I RGC backed militias 171 00:06:11,269 --> 00:06:13,491 are the ones responsible for attacks on 172 00:06:13,491 --> 00:06:15,760 our troops in Iraq and Syria . Beyond 173 00:06:15,769 --> 00:06:17,436 that , we're , we're doing an 174 00:06:17,436 --> 00:06:19,769 intelligence assessment . We don't have , 175 00:06:19,769 --> 00:06:21,880 I don't , I can't give you today that 176 00:06:22,470 --> 00:06:24,799 we just know that Iran funds these 177 00:06:24,809 --> 00:06:26,865 groups like Kata Hezbollah and other 178 00:06:26,865 --> 00:06:29,031 groups that have attacked our forces , 179 00:06:29,031 --> 00:06:31,198 but I don't have more to share on as a 180 00:06:31,198 --> 00:06:33,309 general matter . Yes . And the second 181 00:06:33,309 --> 00:06:35,365 thing is you've talked about how the 182 00:06:35,365 --> 00:06:37,587 conflict is contained . The Gaza Israel 183 00:06:37,587 --> 00:06:40,149 conflict is contained now that us 184 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,216 troops have been attacked in another 185 00:06:42,216 --> 00:06:44,327 country . Are you willing to say that 186 00:06:44,327 --> 00:06:46,549 the conflict is no longer contained and 187 00:06:46,549 --> 00:06:48,604 it's spreading . I wouldn't say that 188 00:06:48,604 --> 00:06:50,827 the conflict is spreading in that we've 189 00:06:50,827 --> 00:06:52,959 seen over 100 attacks on us forces , 190 00:06:52,970 --> 00:06:55,309 unfortunately , over 100 attacks on us 191 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,309 forces in Iraq and Syria . And of 192 00:06:57,320 --> 00:06:59,690 course , now in Jordan , um , we don't 193 00:06:59,700 --> 00:07:02,033 want to see a widening of this conflict . 194 00:07:02,033 --> 00:07:04,200 We don't see this conflict widening as 195 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,256 it still remains contained to Gaza , 196 00:07:06,256 --> 00:07:07,922 but this attack was certainly 197 00:07:07,922 --> 00:07:09,978 escalatory in that . it killed three 198 00:07:09,978 --> 00:07:11,867 service members , three of our US 199 00:07:11,867 --> 00:07:13,644 service members . And um as the 200 00:07:13,644 --> 00:07:15,709 president has said , we don't see 201 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:17,887 conflict , we don't want to see a wide 202 00:07:17,887 --> 00:07:19,998 wide , a widening of a regional war . 203 00:07:19,998 --> 00:07:22,053 Um but we will respond at a time and 204 00:07:22,053 --> 00:07:24,053 place of our choosing not spreading 205 00:07:24,053 --> 00:07:25,998 when troops literally have died in 206 00:07:25,998 --> 00:07:27,942 another country . Well again , but 207 00:07:27,942 --> 00:07:29,831 they've also been launching these 208 00:07:29,831 --> 00:07:32,109 attacks since October 17th . And again , 209 00:07:32,109 --> 00:07:34,220 we can't discount the fact that these 210 00:07:34,220 --> 00:07:36,387 attacks are incredibly dangerous , put 211 00:07:36,387 --> 00:07:38,553 our service members at risk , but they 212 00:07:38,553 --> 00:07:40,387 have not uh up until yesterday , 213 00:07:40,387 --> 00:07:42,820 inflicted lethal harm . They have been 214 00:07:42,829 --> 00:07:45,450 predominantly minor injuries and minor 215 00:07:45,459 --> 00:07:47,410 uh minor damage to infrastructure 216 00:07:49,589 --> 00:07:52,170 if you could address the broader 217 00:07:52,179 --> 00:07:55,089 trajectory for American forces in Iraq 218 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:58,609 and Syria . And will these attacks um 219 00:07:59,130 --> 00:08:01,690 affect the ongoing discussions between 220 00:08:01,700 --> 00:08:03,922 the United States and the government of 221 00:08:03,922 --> 00:08:06,033 Iraq about the future of the American 222 00:08:06,033 --> 00:08:08,089 presence there ? Or you know , there 223 00:08:08,089 --> 00:08:10,256 have been some reports that the United 224 00:08:10,256 --> 00:08:12,144 States is reviewing plans for the 225 00:08:12,144 --> 00:08:14,367 future troop presence in Syria . Um Can 226 00:08:14,367 --> 00:08:16,422 you , can you talk about uh how this 227 00:08:16,422 --> 00:08:18,700 will or will not impact that on those 228 00:08:18,709 --> 00:08:20,709 deliberations ? I think what you're 229 00:08:20,709 --> 00:08:22,709 referring to is the higher military 230 00:08:22,709 --> 00:08:24,987 commission that we discussed last week . 231 00:08:24,987 --> 00:08:27,209 Um So we're focused on working with our 232 00:08:27,209 --> 00:08:29,431 Iraqi partner partners regarding how to 233 00:08:29,431 --> 00:08:31,542 respond to the attack that um claimed 234 00:08:31,542 --> 00:08:33,705 uh three US service members . Uh We 235 00:08:33,715 --> 00:08:36,065 remain committed to the H MC process . 236 00:08:36,075 --> 00:08:38,734 Um And we'll continue to focus on it at 237 00:08:38,744 --> 00:08:41,094 the appropriate time . Um I don't have 238 00:08:41,104 --> 00:08:43,455 anything to preview on troops levels or 239 00:08:43,465 --> 00:08:45,632 changes in Iraq and Syria , but we are 240 00:08:45,632 --> 00:08:47,798 committed to the H MC process and that 241 00:08:47,798 --> 00:08:49,798 is ongoing . I mean , but could you 242 00:08:49,798 --> 00:08:52,080 just say , I mean , would I be right to 243 00:08:52,090 --> 00:08:55,760 say that this um lethal attack on 244 00:08:55,770 --> 00:08:58,419 American forces ? Um and the potential 245 00:08:58,429 --> 00:09:00,318 for a response which , you know , 246 00:09:00,318 --> 00:09:01,873 President Biden has kind of 247 00:09:01,873 --> 00:09:04,479 foreshadowed explicitly . Um Would you 248 00:09:04,489 --> 00:09:06,656 say that it will not have an impact on 249 00:09:06,656 --> 00:09:08,878 us plans for the troop presence in Iraq 250 00:09:08,878 --> 00:09:11,211 and Syria or is it too soon to say that ? 251 00:09:11,211 --> 00:09:13,211 Well , I think it's too soon to say 252 00:09:13,211 --> 00:09:15,267 that . And also I would say that you 253 00:09:15,267 --> 00:09:14,950 have to remember that the H MC was 254 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,020 already happening and was something 255 00:09:17,030 --> 00:09:19,086 that was announced back in August of 256 00:09:19,086 --> 00:09:21,260 2023 . The attacks on October 7th did 257 00:09:21,270 --> 00:09:23,437 delay some of those conversations from 258 00:09:23,437 --> 00:09:25,437 happening and the discussions um uh 259 00:09:25,437 --> 00:09:27,437 from starting with H MC , but we're 260 00:09:27,437 --> 00:09:29,659 still committed to that process . We're 261 00:09:29,659 --> 00:09:29,330 still committed to working with the 262 00:09:29,340 --> 00:09:31,760 Iraqi government . Um And we are going 263 00:09:31,770 --> 00:09:33,992 to continue to do so , but I don't have 264 00:09:33,992 --> 00:09:36,103 anything more to preview on what that 265 00:09:36,103 --> 00:09:38,437 means for our , our force levels . Yeah , 266 00:09:38,437 --> 00:09:40,548 Megan Can the Pentagon confirm any of 267 00:09:40,548 --> 00:09:42,603 the reports that the reason the drum 268 00:09:42,603 --> 00:09:44,770 wasn't shot down is because the troops 269 00:09:44,770 --> 00:09:44,619 on the ground thought that it was a 270 00:09:44,630 --> 00:09:46,630 returning American drum . I've seen 271 00:09:46,630 --> 00:09:48,797 those reports again . That's something 272 00:09:48,797 --> 00:09:51,019 that central command is assessing right 273 00:09:51,019 --> 00:09:50,750 now . But I don't have more to share at 274 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:52,871 this time . So to follow up on that , 275 00:09:52,871 --> 00:09:55,093 you say that this is escalatory because 276 00:09:55,093 --> 00:09:56,927 troops have now died um in these 277 00:09:56,927 --> 00:09:58,982 attacks . But it's not a spread even 278 00:09:58,982 --> 00:10:00,871 though it happened in a different 279 00:10:00,871 --> 00:10:03,038 country . Is there any indication that 280 00:10:03,038 --> 00:10:05,149 this attack , either the equipment or 281 00:10:05,149 --> 00:10:07,669 the way it happened ? Any of that was a 282 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:09,623 different kind of attack than what 283 00:10:09,623 --> 00:10:11,735 we've been seeing in Iraq and Syria ? 284 00:10:11,735 --> 00:10:13,679 Or was it simply an escalation and 285 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:15,909 people died because they weren't able 286 00:10:15,919 --> 00:10:18,030 to shoot it down ? They didn't detect 287 00:10:18,030 --> 00:10:20,086 it the way that they are in Iraq and 288 00:10:20,086 --> 00:10:19,840 Syria . To my knowledge there was 289 00:10:19,849 --> 00:10:21,849 nothing different or new about this 290 00:10:21,849 --> 00:10:23,627 attack that we've seen in other 291 00:10:23,627 --> 00:10:25,516 facilities that house our service 292 00:10:25,516 --> 00:10:27,627 members . Unfortunately , this attack 293 00:10:27,627 --> 00:10:29,793 was successful , but we can't discount 294 00:10:29,793 --> 00:10:31,905 the fact that other attacks , whether 295 00:10:31,905 --> 00:10:34,895 it be Iraq or Syria were not intended 296 00:10:34,905 --> 00:10:37,016 to kill our service members . It is a 297 00:10:37,034 --> 00:10:39,755 true tragedy that three of our service 298 00:10:39,765 --> 00:10:42,354 members died . And of course , Central 299 00:10:42,364 --> 00:10:44,375 Command is looking into what can be 300 00:10:44,385 --> 00:10:46,552 done when it comes to our air defenses 301 00:10:46,552 --> 00:10:48,441 and looking into this incident to 302 00:10:48,441 --> 00:10:50,552 determine how best we can move or how 303 00:10:50,552 --> 00:10:52,924 best we can further strengthen our air 304 00:10:52,934 --> 00:10:55,265 defense systems . Was this base less 305 00:10:55,275 --> 00:10:57,497 well protected than other bases in Iraq 306 00:10:57,505 --> 00:11:00,309 and Syria ? Not to my knowledge . Thank 307 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,376 you . Can you talk a little bit more 308 00:11:02,376 --> 00:11:04,264 about what this unit was doing in 309 00:11:04,264 --> 00:11:06,320 Jordan ? And also you have said that 310 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:08,542 Iran has backed these groups which have 311 00:11:08,542 --> 00:11:10,764 launched these attacks . Is this attack 312 00:11:10,764 --> 00:11:12,876 that has killed three service members 313 00:11:12,876 --> 00:11:15,098 an act of war by Iran . Well , look , I 314 00:11:15,098 --> 00:11:17,489 think I said this earlier . We don't 315 00:11:17,500 --> 00:11:20,549 seek a war with Iran . We don't seek to 316 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,309 widen this conflict . We have said , 317 00:11:23,340 --> 00:11:25,760 and we will continue to call out the 318 00:11:25,770 --> 00:11:28,320 fact that Iran does fund and equip 319 00:11:28,330 --> 00:11:30,849 these , these groups and provide them 320 00:11:30,859 --> 00:11:32,880 the capabilities that they use to 321 00:11:32,890 --> 00:11:35,112 attack our service members , whether it 322 00:11:35,112 --> 00:11:37,799 be Iraq , Syria or Jordan . Um So we're 323 00:11:37,809 --> 00:11:39,920 not going to hesitate in calling that 324 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,087 out . Um But we certainly don't seek a 325 00:11:42,087 --> 00:11:44,760 war and frankly , we don't see Iran 326 00:11:44,770 --> 00:11:46,881 wanting to seek a war with the United 327 00:11:46,881 --> 00:11:50,080 States . Um We are there in Iraq and in 328 00:11:50,090 --> 00:11:53,080 Syria and um , the , I think your 329 00:11:53,090 --> 00:11:55,257 original question was , um , what were 330 00:11:55,257 --> 00:11:57,423 the service members doing there ? They 331 00:11:57,423 --> 00:11:59,646 are there in support of the defeat ISIS 332 00:11:59,646 --> 00:12:01,757 mission that is their purpose there . 333 00:12:01,757 --> 00:12:03,979 They are part of a named operation that 334 00:12:03,979 --> 00:12:06,146 this , that this department has and is 335 00:12:06,146 --> 00:12:08,423 committed to in both in Iraq and Syria . 336 00:12:08,423 --> 00:12:10,534 And so , yeah , I'll just leave it at 337 00:12:10,534 --> 00:12:12,701 that . I follow up . How is this not a 338 00:12:12,701 --> 00:12:14,701 regional war now between the United 339 00:12:14,701 --> 00:12:16,812 States and Iranian proxies in Yemen , 340 00:12:16,812 --> 00:12:19,034 Iraq , Syria and now Jordan , we're not 341 00:12:19,034 --> 00:12:21,146 discounting that tensions are high in 342 00:12:21,146 --> 00:12:23,429 the region by any means . Uh Since 343 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,059 October 17th , we've seen repeated 344 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:28,150 attacks on us forces . So we're not 345 00:12:28,159 --> 00:12:30,880 discounting the fact that tensions are 346 00:12:30,890 --> 00:12:33,099 high that these Iranian backed groups 347 00:12:33,109 --> 00:12:35,500 are targeting our military members with 348 00:12:35,510 --> 00:12:37,677 the intention of trying to kill them . 349 00:12:37,677 --> 00:12:39,950 Um But we don't seek a war . We don't 350 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:41,849 want to see this widen out into a 351 00:12:41,849 --> 00:12:44,127 broader war . Um And that's , you know , 352 00:12:44,127 --> 00:12:46,293 again , attacks on our service members 353 00:12:46,293 --> 00:12:48,750 happening in Iraq and Syria to bring it 354 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:50,538 back and to look at what's also 355 00:12:50,538 --> 00:12:52,538 happening in the Red Sea . We don't 356 00:12:52,538 --> 00:12:54,704 seek a wider war there either , but we 357 00:12:54,704 --> 00:12:56,816 are going to respond when it comes to 358 00:12:56,816 --> 00:12:59,038 commercial ships or our ships or um our 359 00:12:59,038 --> 00:13:01,469 partners vessels being targeted and 360 00:13:01,479 --> 00:13:03,710 therefore jeopardizing international 361 00:13:03,719 --> 00:13:05,663 trade and putting at risk innocent 362 00:13:05,663 --> 00:13:07,830 Mariners . Um So again , we don't seek 363 00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:10,609 war but we will take action and respond 364 00:13:10,619 --> 00:13:12,786 to attacks on our forces . Uh Yeah . J 365 00:13:13,494 --> 00:13:16,484 thank yous two questions . One in North 366 00:13:16,494 --> 00:13:19,575 Korea , one in Russia and North Korea 367 00:13:19,614 --> 00:13:22,734 launched another Sarine launched the 368 00:13:22,744 --> 00:13:25,534 cruise missile into the East coast 369 00:13:25,544 --> 00:13:28,804 yesterday . Do you assess that North 370 00:13:28,815 --> 00:13:31,424 Korea has continued , the negative 371 00:13:31,434 --> 00:13:34,575 actions will lead to vital 372 00:13:34,594 --> 00:13:37,849 military action . Yeah , thanks Janie . 373 00:13:37,859 --> 00:13:39,915 So we're monitoring these activities 374 00:13:39,915 --> 00:13:42,081 and we won't comment on intelligence . 375 00:13:42,081 --> 00:13:44,081 Uh But we've been very clear on the 376 00:13:44,081 --> 00:13:46,303 threat posed by the D pr K uh and their 377 00:13:46,303 --> 00:13:48,526 military programs and our commitment to 378 00:13:48,526 --> 00:13:50,303 the Republic of Korea and Japan 379 00:13:50,303 --> 00:13:51,803 continues to be ironclad . 380 00:13:54,469 --> 00:13:57,559 Defense Ministry spokesman 381 00:13:57,789 --> 00:14:00,919 criticized the United States saying 382 00:14:00,929 --> 00:14:04,820 that the US is dragging South 383 00:14:04,830 --> 00:14:08,130 Korea into the Ukraine conflict . 384 00:14:08,539 --> 00:14:12,130 Then he wonder that if South Korea 385 00:14:12,140 --> 00:14:15,419 supported the Ukraine , he would 386 00:14:15,429 --> 00:14:19,280 stop relations with South 387 00:14:19,289 --> 00:14:21,890 Korea . Yeah , I think quite to the 388 00:14:21,900 --> 00:14:24,549 contrary , uh you see countries all 389 00:14:24,559 --> 00:14:26,670 around the world supporting Ukraine's 390 00:14:26,670 --> 00:14:28,837 cause in the fight for their democracy 391 00:14:28,837 --> 00:14:30,726 and the fight for their sovereign 392 00:14:30,726 --> 00:14:32,837 territory . Uh We're coming up on the 393 00:14:32,837 --> 00:14:35,059 two year anniversary of Russia invading 394 00:14:35,059 --> 00:14:37,170 Ukraine . Russia is seeking help from 395 00:14:37,170 --> 00:14:39,337 partners like Iran like North Korea to 396 00:14:39,337 --> 00:14:41,281 continue to fund itself or support 397 00:14:41,281 --> 00:14:43,448 itself in its war against Ukraine . Uh 398 00:14:43,448 --> 00:14:45,559 And you're seeing like minded nations 399 00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:47,392 like the United States and other 400 00:14:47,392 --> 00:14:49,559 countries stand in alliance in support 401 00:14:49,559 --> 00:14:51,503 of a democracy and in support of a 402 00:14:51,503 --> 00:14:53,559 sovereign country who was invaded by 403 00:14:53,559 --> 00:14:55,670 its neighbor , unjustly invaded uh by 404 00:14:55,670 --> 00:14:57,837 its neighbor . And um we're very proud 405 00:14:57,837 --> 00:14:59,892 of the coalition that we've built in 406 00:14:59,892 --> 00:15:02,059 support of Ukraine . What , what's the 407 00:15:02,059 --> 00:15:03,948 total number of attacks now since 408 00:15:03,948 --> 00:15:05,726 October and the total number of 409 00:15:05,726 --> 00:15:09,030 injuries ? Yeah , just a sec here . So 410 00:15:09,039 --> 00:15:12,020 um from October 17th to January 29th . 411 00:15:12,030 --> 00:15:14,669 Uh , we are tracking approximately 100 412 00:15:14,679 --> 00:15:18,309 and 65 attacks . That's 66 in Iraq , 98 413 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:20,219 in Syria . And of course the one 414 00:15:20,229 --> 00:15:22,429 yesterday in Jordan . Oh , and I'm 415 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,979 sorry ? And no injuries . Um , I am 416 00:15:24,989 --> 00:15:28,250 tracking approximately , um , 80 us 417 00:15:28,260 --> 00:15:30,260 personnel have received non serious 418 00:15:30,260 --> 00:15:32,427 injuries since the attacks began . And 419 00:15:32,450 --> 00:15:35,340 then how have there been any attacks 420 00:15:35,349 --> 00:15:37,340 today ? And where , uh , there , I 421 00:15:37,349 --> 00:15:39,349 believe there was an attack earlier 422 00:15:39,349 --> 00:15:41,682 today . I don't have the exact location . 423 00:15:41,682 --> 00:15:44,109 We can get you that . Um I , I don't 424 00:15:44,119 --> 00:15:46,230 want to speculate but we , we can get 425 00:15:46,230 --> 00:15:48,175 you that information after . Yes , 426 00:15:48,175 --> 00:15:50,341 right over here . Thanks . Um You said 427 00:15:50,380 --> 00:15:54,039 just above 100 and 60 attacks . Just 428 00:15:54,049 --> 00:15:56,271 this month , there's been a little over 429 00:15:56,271 --> 00:15:58,382 50 . So there had been around 100 and 430 00:15:58,382 --> 00:16:00,869 14 or 15 from October , I guess 17 to 431 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,580 the end of last year . So , and you 432 00:16:03,590 --> 00:16:05,368 guys have responded , the , the 433 00:16:05,368 --> 00:16:07,590 Department of the US has responded to a 434 00:16:07,590 --> 00:16:10,099 few of these attacks . But the , you 435 00:16:10,109 --> 00:16:12,276 know , in order to deter and that came 436 00:16:12,276 --> 00:16:14,165 out in statements from , from the 437 00:16:14,165 --> 00:16:16,387 secretary and from other US officials , 438 00:16:16,387 --> 00:16:18,220 these attacks have continued now 439 00:16:18,220 --> 00:16:20,387 they've , you know , they've escalated 440 00:16:20,387 --> 00:16:19,969 not just into the Red Sea now into 441 00:16:19,979 --> 00:16:23,539 Jordan in a third country . Um The 442 00:16:23,549 --> 00:16:25,890 deterrence does not seem to have worked 443 00:16:25,900 --> 00:16:28,200 yet . Is the department considering 444 00:16:28,469 --> 00:16:30,469 altering or reviewing its policy in 445 00:16:30,469 --> 00:16:33,030 order to , to deter these Iran backed 446 00:16:33,039 --> 00:16:34,872 militias from , from injuring or 447 00:16:34,872 --> 00:16:37,039 killing more US troops . Yeah , that's 448 00:16:37,039 --> 00:16:38,761 ultimately a decision that the 449 00:16:38,761 --> 00:16:40,872 president is gonna make . Um , and as 450 00:16:40,872 --> 00:16:42,928 you , as I read out earlier , he has 451 00:16:42,928 --> 00:16:45,039 convened his national security team , 452 00:16:45,039 --> 00:16:47,372 uh , you know , frequently within these , 453 00:16:47,372 --> 00:16:49,428 the , these past few days . Um , I'm 454 00:16:49,428 --> 00:16:51,483 not gonna get ahead of any decisions 455 00:16:51,483 --> 00:16:53,539 that the President and the secretary 456 00:16:53,539 --> 00:16:53,479 make on this together . Um , but 457 00:16:53,489 --> 00:16:56,229 certainly , as our statement said 458 00:16:56,239 --> 00:16:58,549 yesterday , we are committed to uh 459 00:16:58,739 --> 00:17:00,906 responding and we will do so at a time 460 00:17:00,906 --> 00:17:03,128 and place of our choosing just a second 461 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,869 to go to Israel and Gaza reports in 462 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:09,890 recent days suggested that the Biden 463 00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:11,956 administration , including officials 464 00:17:11,956 --> 00:17:14,122 from the Pentagon have become more and 465 00:17:14,122 --> 00:17:16,344 more frustrated with the civilian death 466 00:17:16,344 --> 00:17:18,550 toll . And there are considerations of 467 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,449 reviewing what types of weapons , 468 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,819 weapon sales to uh to review those to 469 00:17:23,829 --> 00:17:27,719 Israel . I know FMF and separate 470 00:17:27,729 --> 00:17:29,840 part of State Department . But is the 471 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,062 Pentagon , does the Pentagon share that 472 00:17:32,062 --> 00:17:34,118 assessment ? Does the Pentagon share 473 00:17:34,118 --> 00:17:35,896 that frustration of uh too many 474 00:17:35,896 --> 00:17:38,007 civilian casualties in Gaza ? I think 475 00:17:38,007 --> 00:17:40,969 we've been pretty clear that um we 476 00:17:40,979 --> 00:17:43,050 don't want to see any innocent lives 477 00:17:43,060 --> 00:17:45,280 lost in this war and we've been very 478 00:17:45,290 --> 00:17:47,550 clear both publicly and privately with 479 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,890 our Israeli counterparts that um 480 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:52,871 innocent lives need to be protected , 481 00:17:52,871 --> 00:17:54,760 humanitarian corridors need to be 482 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:56,704 opened . Humanitarian aid needs to 483 00:17:56,704 --> 00:17:59,038 continue to flow through . Um Of course , 484 00:17:59,038 --> 00:18:01,038 we're concerned by the right by the 485 00:18:01,038 --> 00:18:03,149 death toll in Gaza . We don't want to 486 00:18:03,149 --> 00:18:06,000 see continued Palestinians get caught 487 00:18:06,010 --> 00:18:09,420 in the crossfire and , um , we've 488 00:18:09,430 --> 00:18:12,800 continued to urge Israel to protect 489 00:18:12,810 --> 00:18:14,754 those innocent civilians and we'll 490 00:18:14,754 --> 00:18:16,254 continue to do so . Well . 491 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:18,982 Clarification on the , on the number of 492 00:18:18,982 --> 00:18:21,038 injured , the 80 includes those from 493 00:18:21,038 --> 00:18:23,260 the most recent attack or not . It does 494 00:18:23,260 --> 00:18:25,316 not . I'm sorry ? Ok . Um , and then 495 00:18:25,449 --> 00:18:28,660 has , uh , has to 22 the facility been 496 00:18:28,670 --> 00:18:30,920 targeted previously either during the 497 00:18:30,949 --> 00:18:33,005 Israel Hamas War or prior to that in 498 00:18:33,005 --> 00:18:35,650 recent years . I , I can't speak to 499 00:18:35,660 --> 00:18:38,930 before October 7th . Um but since 500 00:18:38,939 --> 00:18:41,209 October 17th , when these attacks have 501 00:18:41,219 --> 00:18:44,939 happened , um no , uh Tower 22 as to 502 00:18:44,949 --> 00:18:47,060 my , to my knowledge has not been the 503 00:18:47,060 --> 00:18:49,227 target , but as you know , uh there is 504 00:18:49,227 --> 00:18:51,319 the , the al to garrison is right on 505 00:18:51,329 --> 00:18:53,569 that border . So attacks have come 506 00:18:53,579 --> 00:18:56,390 pretty close um to Tower 22 but nothing 507 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,622 that has landed on the Jordanian side . 508 00:18:58,660 --> 00:19:00,699 Um Impacts have always been on the 509 00:19:00,709 --> 00:19:02,876 Syrian side except for the attack that 510 00:19:02,876 --> 00:19:04,931 happened yesterday . Great Natasha , 511 00:19:05,209 --> 00:19:07,376 thanks Sabrina . So previous drone and 512 00:19:07,376 --> 00:19:09,320 rocket attacks that have struck or 513 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,542 landed near military facilities in Iraq 514 00:19:11,542 --> 00:19:13,376 and Syria , they have not caused 515 00:19:13,376 --> 00:19:15,542 anywhere near as much damage , nowhere 516 00:19:15,542 --> 00:19:17,653 near as many casualties . Is there an 517 00:19:17,653 --> 00:19:19,876 assessment of why this particular drone 518 00:19:19,876 --> 00:19:21,765 caused so much ? I mean , over 40 519 00:19:21,765 --> 00:19:23,931 people injured three killed . What was 520 00:19:23,931 --> 00:19:25,876 different , this drone or what was 521 00:19:25,876 --> 00:19:27,931 different about the facility that it 522 00:19:27,931 --> 00:19:27,594 didn't have the kind of protection that 523 00:19:27,604 --> 00:19:29,493 other bases ? Do I think what was 524 00:19:29,493 --> 00:19:31,715 different about this attack is where it 525 00:19:31,715 --> 00:19:33,882 landed , it did impact in , um , where 526 00:19:33,882 --> 00:19:36,048 living quarters are and I believe so . 527 00:19:36,048 --> 00:19:38,104 I believe it was , uh , pretty early 528 00:19:38,104 --> 00:19:40,160 morning . So people were actually in 529 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,493 their beds when the drone impacted . Um , 530 00:19:42,493 --> 00:19:44,604 but in terms of , I mean , we've seen 531 00:19:44,604 --> 00:19:46,660 these types of attacks before . Uh , 532 00:19:46,660 --> 00:19:48,548 we're certainly , that's , that's 533 00:19:48,548 --> 00:19:50,437 something that central command is 534 00:19:50,437 --> 00:19:52,493 looking into and how they can better 535 00:19:52,493 --> 00:19:52,469 refine not only our air defenses but 536 00:19:52,479 --> 00:19:54,590 prevent future attacks like this from 537 00:19:54,590 --> 00:19:57,130 happening again . Yeah . Can I just , 538 00:19:57,140 --> 00:19:59,196 I'm gonna go over here and then come 539 00:19:59,196 --> 00:20:01,307 back . Yeah , a couple of questions . 540 00:20:01,307 --> 00:20:03,849 Um Does this review in the interim are 541 00:20:03,859 --> 00:20:06,026 their tactics techniques or procedures 542 00:20:06,026 --> 00:20:07,970 being changed to prevent this from 543 00:20:07,970 --> 00:20:10,137 happening again in the region ? Yeah , 544 00:20:10,137 --> 00:20:09,890 I wouldn't forecast that from the 545 00:20:09,900 --> 00:20:11,956 podium here . I wouldn't want to get 546 00:20:11,956 --> 00:20:14,122 ahead of anything . And how about back 547 00:20:14,122 --> 00:20:16,067 door channel discussions with Iran 548 00:20:16,067 --> 00:20:18,178 anything through the Swiss government 549 00:20:18,178 --> 00:20:18,130 at this point or I don't have anything 550 00:20:18,140 --> 00:20:20,550 to preview here ? Yeah , Felicia . Um 551 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:22,800 Do you also have a number for the 552 00:20:22,810 --> 00:20:25,079 attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of 553 00:20:25,089 --> 00:20:28,390 Aden the most recent ? Um Let me see 554 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,733 here if I do , I don't know that I have , 555 00:20:32,239 --> 00:20:34,310 let me get , let me we can take that 556 00:20:34,319 --> 00:20:36,430 question and get back to you . I just 557 00:20:36,430 --> 00:20:38,486 don't have the running total here as 558 00:20:38,486 --> 00:20:40,708 you know , there were um as recently as 559 00:20:40,708 --> 00:20:42,875 Friday , there was another attack at a 560 00:20:42,875 --> 00:20:45,097 commercial vessel that was transiting . 561 00:20:45,097 --> 00:20:44,819 Um So happy to get you those numbers ? 562 00:20:44,829 --> 00:20:46,496 Ok . And one more just on the 563 00:20:46,496 --> 00:20:48,739 secretary's meeting with Stoltenberg , 564 00:20:48,750 --> 00:20:51,380 did they talk about contingencies in 565 00:20:51,390 --> 00:20:53,723 the event that the Ukraine doesn't go 566 00:20:53,733 --> 00:20:55,733 through ? Or can you talk about the 567 00:20:55,733 --> 00:20:57,844 strategy ? I believe we'll have a , a 568 00:20:57,844 --> 00:20:59,900 larger read out . But of course , um 569 00:20:59,900 --> 00:21:02,011 something that is top of mind for the 570 00:21:02,011 --> 00:21:04,233 secretary and for many folks across the 571 00:21:04,233 --> 00:21:06,011 administration is securing that 572 00:21:06,011 --> 00:21:08,233 supplemental funding from Congress . Uh 573 00:21:08,392 --> 00:21:10,614 We have not been able to supply Ukraine 574 00:21:10,614 --> 00:21:12,670 with the PD A since December , since 575 00:21:12,670 --> 00:21:15,296 late December . Uh Ukraine is uh quite 576 00:21:15,306 --> 00:21:17,473 literally in the fight for its life as 577 00:21:17,473 --> 00:21:19,417 it continues to hold territory and 578 00:21:19,417 --> 00:21:21,473 continues to fight for its sovereign 579 00:21:21,473 --> 00:21:23,528 territory . Um and push the Russians 580 00:21:23,528 --> 00:21:25,473 back in the um in the east and the 581 00:21:25,473 --> 00:21:27,584 South . Um So we're going to continue 582 00:21:27,584 --> 00:21:29,195 to urge Congress to pass the 583 00:21:29,195 --> 00:21:31,362 supplemental budget and to give us the 584 00:21:31,362 --> 00:21:33,528 funding that we need to um start those 585 00:21:33,528 --> 00:21:35,750 PD A packages . But uh of course , it's 586 00:21:35,750 --> 00:21:37,750 top of mind for everyone you can do 587 00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:39,973 without it . No , not right now . Yes . 588 00:21:39,973 --> 00:21:41,917 Thank you . You mentioned that the 589 00:21:41,917 --> 00:21:44,084 Kataib Hezbollah has some plan of that 590 00:21:44,084 --> 00:21:45,806 attack . And you know , Kataib 591 00:21:45,806 --> 00:21:47,750 Hezbollah is a part of the Popular 592 00:21:47,750 --> 00:21:49,973 Mobilization Group and it's part of the 593 00:21:49,973 --> 00:21:52,028 Iraqi defense system . So how do you 594 00:21:52,028 --> 00:21:54,139 get engaged with the Iraqi government 595 00:21:54,139 --> 00:21:56,300 specifically on that attack on the 596 00:21:56,310 --> 00:21:58,310 attack that happened on our service 597 00:21:58,310 --> 00:22:00,532 members ? I don't have anything to read 598 00:22:00,532 --> 00:22:02,588 out when you attack that you are not 599 00:22:02,588 --> 00:22:04,754 looking in a war with Iran ? Does that 600 00:22:04,754 --> 00:22:06,921 mean that the Iran is not in the table 601 00:22:06,921 --> 00:22:09,088 when you are thinking and assessing to 602 00:22:09,088 --> 00:22:11,310 responding to that attack ? I'm sorry , 603 00:22:11,310 --> 00:22:13,421 I don't understand the question . Are 604 00:22:13,421 --> 00:22:15,670 you taking Iranian IGC as an option to 605 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:17,847 respond when it comes to responding to 606 00:22:17,847 --> 00:22:19,958 this attack that happened yesterday ? 607 00:22:19,958 --> 00:22:22,180 We're going to respond as the president 608 00:22:22,180 --> 00:22:24,347 said , and the secretary has said at a 609 00:22:24,347 --> 00:22:26,347 time when we feel that we , that we 610 00:22:26,347 --> 00:22:28,513 need to respond , I'm not going to get 611 00:22:28,513 --> 00:22:30,847 ahead of the president or any decisions . 612 00:22:30,847 --> 00:22:32,847 We don't seek a wider conflict with 613 00:22:32,847 --> 00:22:32,439 Iran . We don't want to go to , we 614 00:22:32,449 --> 00:22:34,630 don't want a war with Iran . Again . 615 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:36,751 These are Iran proxy groups launching 616 00:22:36,751 --> 00:22:38,918 these attacks on our service members , 617 00:22:38,918 --> 00:22:40,918 but we certainly don't seek a wider 618 00:22:40,918 --> 00:22:42,973 conflict , but we also own the clock 619 00:22:42,973 --> 00:22:45,140 here and we will respond at a time and 620 00:22:45,140 --> 00:22:47,362 place of our choosing . Yeah . Oh , I'm 621 00:22:47,362 --> 00:22:50,089 sorry . Well , thank you . If Iranian 622 00:22:50,099 --> 00:22:52,155 pro is carried out the attack and do 623 00:22:52,155 --> 00:22:54,619 you , do you hold Iran accountable for 624 00:22:54,630 --> 00:22:57,900 the attack ? And what , what uh like uh 625 00:22:58,229 --> 00:23:02,119 response would be uh as a , as a RTA 626 00:23:02,140 --> 00:23:04,930 against this attack ? So as you can 627 00:23:04,939 --> 00:23:07,130 appreciate , I'm not going to forecast 628 00:23:07,140 --> 00:23:09,251 what our response looks like . But of 629 00:23:09,251 --> 00:23:11,410 course , we hold Iran responsible as 630 00:23:11,420 --> 00:23:13,390 they are supporting these groups , 631 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,511 these groups that continue to inflict 632 00:23:15,609 --> 00:23:18,839 casualties on our forces , whether it 633 00:23:18,849 --> 00:23:21,510 be in Jordan , Iraq or Syria , we 634 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:23,770 absolutely hold Iran responsible 635 00:23:23,780 --> 00:23:26,719 because we know that they fund and 636 00:23:26,729 --> 00:23:29,810 train and support and equip these 637 00:23:29,819 --> 00:23:32,152 militias that operate in Iraq and Syria . 638 00:23:33,020 --> 00:23:35,719 So , yeah , thank you . So it is the 639 00:23:35,729 --> 00:23:39,400 position of the department that 640 00:23:39,410 --> 00:23:42,770 Iran is responsible for the attack that 641 00:23:42,780 --> 00:23:45,180 killed three US soldiers in northeast 642 00:23:45,189 --> 00:23:48,290 Jordan . Iran bears responsibility 643 00:23:48,339 --> 00:23:51,290 because it funds these groups that 644 00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:53,810 operate in Iraq and Syria that launch 645 00:23:53,819 --> 00:23:56,041 attacks on our service members . That , 646 00:23:56,229 --> 00:23:58,569 but this attack led to the death of 647 00:23:58,579 --> 00:24:01,050 three service members . Is Iran 648 00:24:01,060 --> 00:24:03,430 responsible for the death of these 649 00:24:03,439 --> 00:24:05,979 three service members that you just 650 00:24:05,989 --> 00:24:08,619 read their names and their families 651 00:24:08,630 --> 00:24:10,930 have been notified of their death . 652 00:24:11,099 --> 00:24:12,821 Again , Iran certainly bears a 653 00:24:12,821 --> 00:24:14,710 responsibility as they fund these 654 00:24:14,710 --> 00:24:16,329 groups that continue to use 655 00:24:16,339 --> 00:24:18,939 capabilities that they get from Iran 656 00:24:19,750 --> 00:24:21,750 and of course , killed three of our 657 00:24:21,750 --> 00:24:23,750 service members . Can I take a step 658 00:24:23,750 --> 00:24:26,500 back and just looking at last week , 659 00:24:26,510 --> 00:24:29,790 maybe from Saturday of last week , up 660 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,739 until uh Saturday ? 661 00:24:33,989 --> 00:24:36,211 Yeah , just like , yeah , or a Sunday , 662 00:24:36,211 --> 00:24:39,479 maybe this nine days . Um The US 663 00:24:39,489 --> 00:24:42,489 launched strikes in Syria in Iraq 664 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:45,199 against Houthi positions inside Yemen 665 00:24:45,219 --> 00:24:47,390 with the aim of re establishing 666 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,189 deterrents and degrade their 667 00:24:49,199 --> 00:24:51,930 capabilities of whether attacking us 668 00:24:51,939 --> 00:24:54,030 forces or shipping in the Red Sea . 669 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,430 Nonetheless , as throughout those days , 670 00:24:57,439 --> 00:25:00,859 what we saw is unprecedented escalation . 671 00:25:00,869 --> 00:25:03,036 A Al Assad was targeted with ballistic 672 00:25:03,036 --> 00:25:05,339 missiles , euphrates site was targeted 673 00:25:05,349 --> 00:25:07,780 with a drone . More US soldiers were 674 00:25:07,790 --> 00:25:10,189 injured . The Houthis went after a 675 00:25:10,199 --> 00:25:13,989 British ship after a US ship . It 676 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,550 seems to me , does the Pentagon think 677 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,119 its approach to deterrence is firing 678 00:25:19,130 --> 00:25:21,352 back ? Is it successful ? Would you say 679 00:25:21,352 --> 00:25:23,574 it's successful ? Especially when three 680 00:25:23,574 --> 00:25:25,741 soldiers were killed ? Well , I mean , 681 00:25:25,741 --> 00:25:27,463 we are assessing what happened 682 00:25:27,463 --> 00:25:29,574 yesterday and we are trying to figure 683 00:25:29,574 --> 00:25:31,800 out how a one way attack drone was able 684 00:25:31,810 --> 00:25:34,380 to evade our defenses and was able to 685 00:25:34,390 --> 00:25:36,501 kill three of our service members and 686 00:25:36,501 --> 00:25:39,689 injured dozens more . Um , to your 687 00:25:39,699 --> 00:25:42,640 question on deterrence , I can continue 688 00:25:42,650 --> 00:25:44,650 to say we don't seek war . We don't 689 00:25:44,650 --> 00:25:46,761 seek further conflict . We don't want 690 00:25:46,761 --> 00:25:48,872 to see this widen out into a regional 691 00:25:48,872 --> 00:25:50,983 conflict , but we will continue to do 692 00:25:50,983 --> 00:25:53,039 whatever we need to when it comes to 693 00:25:53,039 --> 00:25:54,869 protecting us , forces and our 694 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,109 coalition partners and innocent 695 00:25:57,119 --> 00:25:59,839 Mariners transiting the Red Sea . Um We 696 00:25:59,849 --> 00:26:02,016 believe that we have been effective in 697 00:26:02,016 --> 00:26:03,849 degrading their capabilities and 698 00:26:03,849 --> 00:26:05,793 disrupting their ability to launch 699 00:26:05,793 --> 00:26:08,829 certain attacks . Um But the reality is 700 00:26:08,839 --> 00:26:10,950 yesterday , unfortunately , they were 701 00:26:10,950 --> 00:26:13,172 successful and they killed three of our 702 00:26:13,172 --> 00:26:16,290 service members and that um is an 703 00:26:16,300 --> 00:26:18,411 absolute tragedy . Um I'm gonna go to 704 00:26:18,411 --> 00:26:20,522 the phones and then I'll come back in 705 00:26:20,522 --> 00:26:22,744 the room . Uh Laura Seligman Politico . 706 00:26:22,744 --> 00:26:24,744 Thanks Sabrina . I have a couple of 707 00:26:24,744 --> 00:26:26,967 questions . Can you say whether there's 708 00:26:26,967 --> 00:26:28,967 been any decisions made to send any 709 00:26:28,967 --> 00:26:31,189 additional air defenses or other forces 710 00:26:31,189 --> 00:26:33,719 to the region to beef up some of the 711 00:26:33,729 --> 00:26:35,939 counter UAs capability here ? Yeah . 712 00:26:35,949 --> 00:26:38,060 Thanks , Laura . I just wouldn't , uh 713 00:26:38,060 --> 00:26:40,060 I'm just not gonna get ahead of any 714 00:26:40,060 --> 00:26:42,282 decisions that are going to be made and 715 00:26:42,282 --> 00:26:44,171 certainly wouldn't preview um the 716 00:26:44,171 --> 00:26:46,338 repositioning of any air defenses . Do 717 00:26:46,338 --> 00:26:48,171 we have sufficient counter drone 718 00:26:48,171 --> 00:26:50,393 capability in the region to account for 719 00:26:50,393 --> 00:26:52,616 all the different bases that are , have 720 00:26:52,616 --> 00:26:54,616 come under attack recently ? Yeah , 721 00:26:54,616 --> 00:26:56,838 thanks , Laura . I mean , again , uh we 722 00:26:56,838 --> 00:26:58,893 have seen repeated attacks on our US 723 00:26:58,893 --> 00:27:01,060 service members in both Iraq and Syria 724 00:27:01,060 --> 00:27:03,005 and a majority of the time our air 725 00:27:03,005 --> 00:27:04,671 defenses have been incredibly 726 00:27:04,671 --> 00:27:06,616 successful and you've only seen uh 727 00:27:06,616 --> 00:27:08,727 minor damage to infrastructure and of 728 00:27:08,727 --> 00:27:10,671 course , um , some , some injuries 729 00:27:10,671 --> 00:27:12,838 which we all take very seriously . But 730 00:27:12,838 --> 00:27:15,060 uh for the most part , our air defenses 731 00:27:15,060 --> 00:27:14,900 have been robust and have been 732 00:27:14,910 --> 00:27:16,966 successful . I'm gonna take one more 733 00:27:16,966 --> 00:27:19,188 from the phone here . Uh Heather us and 734 00:27:19,188 --> 00:27:21,979 I thanks so much . Um , the Houthi 735 00:27:21,989 --> 00:27:24,100 Houthi leadership announced that they 736 00:27:24,100 --> 00:27:27,680 fired a ball or fired a naval missile 737 00:27:27,780 --> 00:27:30,619 at uh Lewis B Polar in the Gulf of Aden . 738 00:27:30,630 --> 00:27:32,352 I was wondering if there's any 739 00:27:32,352 --> 00:27:34,519 confirmation uh from the Department of 740 00:27:34,519 --> 00:27:36,741 Defense on whether that happened and if 741 00:27:36,741 --> 00:27:38,741 there's any damage , um , or if the 742 00:27:38,741 --> 00:27:41,019 Polar shot it down . Uh Thanks Heather . 743 00:27:41,019 --> 00:27:43,130 I don't have anything for you at this 744 00:27:43,130 --> 00:27:45,186 time . I'm happy to , we're happy to 745 00:27:45,186 --> 00:27:47,408 get back to you on that one . I'll take 746 00:27:47,408 --> 00:27:49,463 a few more from in the room and then 747 00:27:49,463 --> 00:27:49,010 I'm sorry , we do have something coming 748 00:27:49,020 --> 00:27:51,187 up soon . Yes , there's been some back 749 00:27:51,187 --> 00:27:53,131 and forth about whether the US has 750 00:27:53,131 --> 00:27:55,131 troops in Yemen . Can , you confirm 751 00:27:55,131 --> 00:27:57,187 that or do you not have us troops in 752 00:27:57,187 --> 00:27:59,359 Yemen ? Yeah , in the Red Sea and the 753 00:27:59,369 --> 00:28:01,480 Gulf of Aden , the US has carried out 754 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:03,647 pre emptive strikes , targeting houthi 755 00:28:03,647 --> 00:28:05,869 missiles before they can be launched at 756 00:28:05,869 --> 00:28:07,813 international shipping . Is the US 757 00:28:07,813 --> 00:28:10,036 going to consider launching pre emptive 758 00:28:10,036 --> 00:28:12,202 strikes when it sees potential attacks 759 00:28:12,202 --> 00:28:14,258 on its bases in Iraq , Syria and now 760 00:28:14,258 --> 00:28:16,425 Jordan . And if not , why not ? Well , 761 00:28:16,425 --> 00:28:18,647 you've seen , um , central command take 762 00:28:18,647 --> 00:28:20,536 action dynamic strikes within the 763 00:28:20,536 --> 00:28:22,849 region when we've identified , when 764 00:28:22,859 --> 00:28:25,560 we've been able to identify a potential 765 00:28:25,569 --> 00:28:28,790 uh set up of um of an attack um or 766 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,050 identified a point of origin . Um So we 767 00:28:31,060 --> 00:28:33,282 have seen some of those dynamic strikes 768 00:28:33,282 --> 00:28:35,282 in the region and I , I'm sorry , I 769 00:28:35,282 --> 00:28:35,069 don't have the exact dates when those 770 00:28:35,079 --> 00:28:37,190 happened , but they were uh late last 771 00:28:37,190 --> 00:28:39,246 year . Um I'm not gonna get ahead of 772 00:28:39,246 --> 00:28:41,301 any decisions that the secretary and 773 00:28:41,301 --> 00:28:43,523 the president are making on what future 774 00:28:43,523 --> 00:28:45,746 action looks like . Only to say that we 775 00:28:45,746 --> 00:28:48,023 of course , uh will respond when we do . 776 00:28:48,469 --> 00:28:50,691 Yeah , I'll take a few more and then we 777 00:28:50,691 --> 00:28:52,858 got to wrap . Yeah , you mentioned the 778 00:28:52,858 --> 00:28:55,080 drone impacted the living quarters . Um 779 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:57,247 Do you have any details on what , what 780 00:28:57,247 --> 00:28:56,119 kind of structure that was ? Is this 781 00:28:56,130 --> 00:28:58,352 kind of a hardened structure ? Was this 782 00:28:58,352 --> 00:29:00,574 a chew a hanger ? I was trying to get a 783 00:29:00,574 --> 00:29:02,686 better sense of why it caused so much 784 00:29:02,686 --> 00:29:02,270 damage . It was a contained housing 785 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:06,270 unit . That's right . I believe it was 786 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,391 just one that was struck . But , um , 787 00:29:08,689 --> 00:29:10,745 you know , again , we're still doing 788 00:29:10,745 --> 00:29:12,856 our initial assessment . So , uh , if 789 00:29:12,856 --> 00:29:15,078 there's more to read out , we certainly 790 00:29:15,078 --> 00:29:17,078 will . Yes , Jeff , I apologize for 791 00:29:17,078 --> 00:29:19,245 blurting out the question when you had 792 00:29:19,245 --> 00:29:21,467 said some of them were in their beds at 793 00:29:21,467 --> 00:29:21,349 the time . Usually when there's an 794 00:29:21,359 --> 00:29:23,081 indirect fire attack , there's 795 00:29:23,081 --> 00:29:25,248 something called the voice of God that 796 00:29:25,248 --> 00:29:27,415 yells incoming , incoming , incoming , 797 00:29:27,415 --> 00:29:29,470 take cover . I'm , I'm wondering why 798 00:29:29,470 --> 00:29:31,415 these soldiers weren't in the ID F 799 00:29:31,415 --> 00:29:33,581 shelter while they were still in bed . 800 00:29:33,581 --> 00:29:35,748 Yeah , it was , I believe early in the 801 00:29:35,748 --> 00:29:37,581 morning , this is something that 802 00:29:37,581 --> 00:29:39,526 central command is looking into in 803 00:29:39,526 --> 00:29:41,637 terms of how the one way attack drone 804 00:29:41,637 --> 00:29:43,803 was able to get through . Um , I don't 805 00:29:43,803 --> 00:29:45,859 have more details to provide at this 806 00:29:45,859 --> 00:29:48,192 time and when we do , we certainly will , 807 00:29:48,192 --> 00:29:48,180 will let you know . Ok , thanks 808 00:29:48,189 --> 00:29:49,420 everyone . Sorry . We've got a wrap .