1 00:00:01,779 --> 00:00:05,070 Hi , good afternoon . Happy Friday . Uh 2 00:00:05,079 --> 00:00:07,301 Thanks for being here today . I know we 3 00:00:07,301 --> 00:00:09,579 don't usually do briefings on a Friday , 4 00:00:09,579 --> 00:00:11,690 so I appreciate uh you adjusting your 5 00:00:11,690 --> 00:00:13,909 schedules . Um So first , uh starting 6 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,031 off , I'd like to acknowledge the end 7 00:00:16,031 --> 00:00:18,364 of a successful week of the NATO summit . 8 00:00:18,364 --> 00:00:20,309 As you know , Secretary Austin had 9 00:00:20,309 --> 00:00:22,364 engagements throughout the week with 10 00:00:22,364 --> 00:00:24,420 his counterparts including bilateral 11 00:00:24,420 --> 00:00:26,476 engagements and hosting a dinner for 12 00:00:26,476 --> 00:00:28,753 defense ministers on Wednesday evening . 13 00:00:28,753 --> 00:00:30,587 This week , we celebrated nato's 14 00:00:30,587 --> 00:00:32,587 historic achievements during the 75 15 00:00:32,587 --> 00:00:34,490 years since its establishment and 16 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:36,500 further deepened our bonds with our 17 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:38,759 NATO allies and other partners . We 18 00:00:38,770 --> 00:00:40,659 also reaffirmed our commitment to 19 00:00:40,659 --> 00:00:42,659 supporting Ukraine in its fight for 20 00:00:42,659 --> 00:00:44,669 freedom from Russian aggression in 21 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:46,513 support of that commitment . The 22 00:00:46,513 --> 00:00:48,736 department announced yesterday the 61st 23 00:00:48,736 --> 00:00:50,958 presidential drawdown authority package 24 00:00:50,958 --> 00:00:53,720 which has an estimated value of $225 25 00:00:53,729 --> 00:00:55,990 million . This package will provide 26 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,222 Ukraine additional capabilities to meet 27 00:00:58,222 --> 00:01:00,389 its most urgent needs and includes one 28 00:01:00,389 --> 00:01:02,444 patriot battery munitions for rocket 29 00:01:02,444 --> 00:01:04,720 systems and artillery and anti tank 30 00:01:04,730 --> 00:01:07,930 weapons for a complete listing of the 31 00:01:07,940 --> 00:01:10,051 PDAs contents . I would direct you to 32 00:01:10,051 --> 00:01:13,180 defense.gov separately this morning , 33 00:01:13,190 --> 00:01:15,559 Secretary Austin also spoke by phone 34 00:01:15,569 --> 00:01:17,791 with Russian Minister of Defense Andrei 35 00:01:17,791 --> 00:01:20,400 Beso . During the call , the secretary 36 00:01:20,410 --> 00:01:22,021 emphasized the importance of 37 00:01:22,021 --> 00:01:24,243 maintaining lines of communication amid 38 00:01:24,243 --> 00:01:26,629 Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine . 39 00:01:27,629 --> 00:01:29,685 The last time Secretary Austin spoke 40 00:01:29,685 --> 00:01:31,685 with his Russian counterpart was on 41 00:01:31,685 --> 00:01:33,851 June 25th , 2024 . And later today , a 42 00:01:33,851 --> 00:01:35,740 brief readout of the call will be 43 00:01:35,740 --> 00:01:38,889 posted to defense.gov . And finally , 44 00:01:38,900 --> 00:01:40,956 I'd like to provide an update on the 45 00:01:40,956 --> 00:01:43,067 temporary pier or the joint logistics 46 00:01:43,067 --> 00:01:45,289 over the shore capability that has been 47 00:01:45,289 --> 00:01:47,400 used to surge humanitarian assistance 48 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,239 into Gaza on Wednesday . Us central 49 00:01:50,250 --> 00:01:52,139 command personnel attempted to re 50 00:01:52,239 --> 00:01:54,406 anchor the temporary pier to the beach 51 00:01:54,406 --> 00:01:56,128 in Gaza to resume humanitarian 52 00:01:56,128 --> 00:01:58,610 operations . However , due to technical 53 00:01:58,620 --> 00:02:00,676 and weather related issues , centcom 54 00:02:00,676 --> 00:02:02,842 personnel were unable to re anchor the 55 00:02:02,842 --> 00:02:05,760 pier to the shore . The pier support 56 00:02:05,769 --> 00:02:07,658 vessels and equipment returned to 57 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:09,967 Ashdod and will remain there for now . 58 00:02:09,967 --> 00:02:12,022 A re anchoring date has not yet been 59 00:02:12,022 --> 00:02:15,039 set at this time to date . More than 60 00:02:15,050 --> 00:02:17,699 8000 metric tons or nearly 20 million 61 00:02:17,710 --> 00:02:19,766 pounds of humanitarian aid have been 62 00:02:19,766 --> 00:02:21,488 delivered from the pier to the 63 00:02:21,488 --> 00:02:23,266 marshaling area where it can be 64 00:02:23,266 --> 00:02:24,932 collected for by humanitarian 65 00:02:24,932 --> 00:02:27,043 organizations for onward delivery and 66 00:02:27,043 --> 00:02:29,759 distribution . As we said when we first 67 00:02:29,770 --> 00:02:31,937 announced this , the peer is part of a 68 00:02:31,937 --> 00:02:33,603 comprehensive response to the 69 00:02:33,603 --> 00:02:36,570 humanitarian situation in Gaza . In 70 00:02:36,580 --> 00:02:38,636 addition to enabling the delivery of 71 00:02:38,636 --> 00:02:40,747 life saving aid . Implementation of J 72 00:02:40,830 --> 00:02:42,960 lots has been enabled has enabled the 73 00:02:42,970 --> 00:02:44,970 development of Cyprus as a port for 74 00:02:44,970 --> 00:02:46,970 inspections and deliveries directly 75 00:02:46,970 --> 00:02:49,789 into Gaza aid can now be inspected in 76 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,022 Cyprus and delivered directly into Gaza 77 00:02:52,022 --> 00:02:53,856 through Israel's Ashdod port and 78 00:02:53,856 --> 00:02:57,110 crossings in the north . The deployment 79 00:02:57,119 --> 00:02:59,240 of this pier has also helped secure 80 00:02:59,250 --> 00:03:00,917 Israeli commitment to opening 81 00:03:00,917 --> 00:03:03,139 additional crossings into northern Gaza 82 00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:05,777 since the opening of these crossings . 83 00:03:05,777 --> 00:03:07,721 We've seen more trucks moving from 84 00:03:07,721 --> 00:03:09,832 Jordan directly into northern Gaza to 85 00:03:09,832 --> 00:03:11,888 help alleviate the dire humanitarian 86 00:03:11,888 --> 00:03:15,259 conditions . As we announced yesterday , 87 00:03:15,270 --> 00:03:17,380 the Peer will soon cease operations 88 00:03:17,389 --> 00:03:19,500 with more details on that process and 89 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:21,611 timing available in the coming days . 90 00:03:21,869 --> 00:03:24,091 We're very proud of our service members 91 00:03:24,091 --> 00:03:26,147 and all those supporting this effort 92 00:03:26,147 --> 00:03:28,369 and who have enabled vital humanitarian 93 00:03:28,369 --> 00:03:30,480 assistance to get into ga to those in 94 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,990 Gaza who need it most without a doubt , 95 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,167 lives have been saved because of their 96 00:03:35,167 --> 00:03:36,889 work and commitment under very 97 00:03:36,889 --> 00:03:39,039 challenging conditions . And as 98 00:03:39,050 --> 00:03:40,828 hundreds of thousands of people 99 00:03:40,828 --> 00:03:42,883 continue to face emergency levels of 100 00:03:42,883 --> 00:03:44,949 food insecurity across Gaza , the 101 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,182 United States will continue to take all 102 00:03:47,182 --> 00:03:49,460 possible action to ensure increased aid 103 00:03:49,470 --> 00:03:51,692 flows are sustained at the scale needed 104 00:03:51,692 --> 00:03:53,789 to meet the needs on the ground . As 105 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,839 we've said from the beginning , dod 106 00:03:55,850 --> 00:03:58,017 will continue to work closely with USA 107 00:03:58,017 --> 00:04:00,239 ID and others in the Middle East region 108 00:04:00,239 --> 00:04:02,294 to support these important efforts . 109 00:04:02,294 --> 00:04:04,350 And with that , I'd be happy to take 110 00:04:04,350 --> 00:04:06,517 your questions . I believe we have a p 111 00:04:06,517 --> 00:04:06,160 joining us on the phone today . So I'll 112 00:04:06,169 --> 00:04:09,679 turn , turn it over to TC . Hi , 113 00:04:09,690 --> 00:04:12,679 Sabrina , thanks for doing this . Um So 114 00:04:12,729 --> 00:04:14,951 just on the pier , you said no decision 115 00:04:14,951 --> 00:04:17,570 has been made on it , but it sounds 116 00:04:17,579 --> 00:04:20,420 like it might just be too much between 117 00:04:20,429 --> 00:04:22,596 the Sea States and the small amount of 118 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:25,359 aid left to make it . Uh makes sense to 119 00:04:25,369 --> 00:04:27,369 reattach . Is , is that kind of the 120 00:04:27,369 --> 00:04:29,369 deliberations that you all guys are 121 00:04:29,369 --> 00:04:31,480 going through right now ? Thanks Tara 122 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,647 for the question . So certainly , um C 123 00:04:33,647 --> 00:04:35,813 states environmental factors are going 124 00:04:35,813 --> 00:04:37,925 to be um taking it into consideration 125 00:04:37,925 --> 00:04:40,091 um when it comes to the re anchoring . 126 00:04:40,170 --> 00:04:42,392 Um , I , again , as I said at the top , 127 00:04:42,392 --> 00:04:44,614 a re anchoring date has not been set at 128 00:04:44,614 --> 00:04:46,880 this time . Um , when and if that does 129 00:04:46,890 --> 00:04:48,890 happen , we'd be , of course , uh , 130 00:04:48,890 --> 00:04:51,001 certainly to keep you updated on that 131 00:04:51,001 --> 00:04:53,168 front . And did you have another one ? 132 00:04:53,168 --> 00:04:55,390 I do a couple . Um , so , but is one of 133 00:04:55,390 --> 00:04:57,557 the options you're thinking is just at 134 00:04:57,557 --> 00:04:59,779 this point because the weather is going 135 00:04:59,779 --> 00:05:01,834 to get worse and you've never really 136 00:05:01,834 --> 00:05:04,057 been intending to have it last later in 137 00:05:04,057 --> 00:05:03,950 the summer anyway , that this might be 138 00:05:03,959 --> 00:05:06,519 the end of the pier . Yeah , I 139 00:05:06,540 --> 00:05:08,790 appreciate the question again . Can't 140 00:05:08,799 --> 00:05:10,577 predict the weather . Um , it's 141 00:05:10,577 --> 00:05:12,743 something that we are assessing , uh , 142 00:05:12,743 --> 00:05:14,910 day by day . Uh , we know for the next 143 00:05:14,910 --> 00:05:17,077 few days there are gonna be higher sea 144 00:05:17,077 --> 00:05:18,910 states that would not allow a re 145 00:05:18,910 --> 00:05:21,132 anchoring to be possible . Um , again , 146 00:05:21,132 --> 00:05:23,243 at this time , uh , I just don't have 147 00:05:23,243 --> 00:05:25,609 more information to provide on when and 148 00:05:25,619 --> 00:05:28,359 if a re anchoring date , um , has been 149 00:05:28,450 --> 00:05:30,880 or will be possible if a re anchoring 150 00:05:30,890 --> 00:05:33,057 does happen ? Of course , as we always 151 00:05:33,057 --> 00:05:35,223 do , we would read that out to you and 152 00:05:35,223 --> 00:05:37,390 anything additional and then I'll come 153 00:05:37,390 --> 00:05:39,612 in the room just one last . Um Does the 154 00:05:39,612 --> 00:05:42,369 Pentagon have any uh of its own 155 00:05:42,380 --> 00:05:44,589 intelligence corroborating that Russia 156 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,220 tried to um assassinate 157 00:05:48,679 --> 00:05:50,790 arms makers , Western arms makers who 158 00:05:50,790 --> 00:05:52,623 are assisting with the effort in 159 00:05:52,623 --> 00:05:54,679 Ukraine ? And was this brought up in 160 00:05:54,679 --> 00:05:56,901 Austin's call with his counterpart ? Uh 161 00:05:56,901 --> 00:05:59,079 Thanks Ta for the question in terms of 162 00:05:59,089 --> 00:06:01,500 um any further details on the call . 163 00:06:01,510 --> 00:06:03,621 I'm just not gonna be able to provide 164 00:06:03,621 --> 00:06:05,788 that on at this time . Um I think what 165 00:06:05,788 --> 00:06:07,954 you're referring to is um uh I've seen 166 00:06:07,954 --> 00:06:10,121 some of those reports . Uh Of course , 167 00:06:10,121 --> 00:06:12,177 we always with any of our allies and 168 00:06:12,177 --> 00:06:14,399 partners , um always share intelligence 169 00:06:14,399 --> 00:06:16,621 and information , but I just don't have 170 00:06:16,621 --> 00:06:18,843 more to add at this time as well . I'll 171 00:06:18,843 --> 00:06:18,750 come in the room , Warren , one peer 172 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:20,871 question and then one question on the 173 00:06:20,871 --> 00:06:23,038 call with the Russian counterpart , uh 174 00:06:23,290 --> 00:06:25,346 whose decision was it to , to end or 175 00:06:25,346 --> 00:06:27,568 not extend the peer operation ? Is that 176 00:06:27,568 --> 00:06:29,790 a general Kerri decision ? Is that , is 177 00:06:29,790 --> 00:06:31,957 that SD or is that the president ? And 178 00:06:31,957 --> 00:06:34,012 when was that decision made to , I'm 179 00:06:34,012 --> 00:06:36,179 sorry to end . So as we , as we always 180 00:06:36,179 --> 00:06:38,401 said , the , the pier is temporary , um 181 00:06:38,401 --> 00:06:40,623 a decision , it's not just one person , 182 00:06:40,623 --> 00:06:42,623 it is a collective decision that is 183 00:06:42,623 --> 00:06:44,846 made . And of course , a recommendation 184 00:06:44,846 --> 00:06:47,068 comes up from the commander all the way 185 00:06:47,068 --> 00:06:49,290 up to the secretary . Um We always said 186 00:06:49,290 --> 00:06:51,457 that this pier was temporary and given 187 00:06:51,457 --> 00:06:53,123 the um sea states the weather 188 00:06:53,123 --> 00:06:55,179 conditions that we know we're always 189 00:06:55,179 --> 00:06:54,904 going to get worse throughout the 190 00:06:54,915 --> 00:06:58,785 summer . Um The , the mission of the 191 00:06:58,795 --> 00:07:00,851 pier will be concluding at , at some 192 00:07:00,851 --> 00:07:02,906 time soon , but I just don't have an 193 00:07:02,906 --> 00:07:04,962 exact date for you . And then on the 194 00:07:04,962 --> 00:07:07,128 call with the Russian counterpart with 195 00:07:07,128 --> 00:07:09,128 Minister Belus , um this is now two 196 00:07:09,128 --> 00:07:11,295 calls in 2.5 weeks , was this was this 197 00:07:11,295 --> 00:07:13,573 one also initiated by Secretary Austin ? 198 00:07:13,573 --> 00:07:15,795 And , and it certainly seems like these 199 00:07:15,795 --> 00:07:17,962 are more common than they've been over 200 00:07:17,962 --> 00:07:20,184 the course of 2.5 years of the last 2.5 201 00:07:20,184 --> 00:07:22,351 years . Is , is this to be expected to 202 00:07:22,351 --> 00:07:22,079 continue , will there be a more regular 203 00:07:22,089 --> 00:07:24,470 pace of , of discussions here between 204 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,536 the two ? This call was initiated by 205 00:07:26,536 --> 00:07:28,799 the Russian Minister of Defense in 206 00:07:28,809 --> 00:07:31,190 terms of future calls ? You know , of 207 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,311 course , nothing to announce , but as 208 00:07:33,311 --> 00:07:35,779 the secretary has said , and um what I 209 00:07:35,790 --> 00:07:37,846 also mentioned at the top is that uh 210 00:07:37,846 --> 00:07:40,440 maintaining lines of communication is 211 00:07:40,450 --> 00:07:43,140 incredibly important right now . Um And 212 00:07:43,149 --> 00:07:45,260 so if there are future calls , we'd , 213 00:07:45,260 --> 00:07:47,316 we'd read those out as well . Reason 214 00:07:47,316 --> 00:07:49,316 given I just don't have any more to 215 00:07:49,316 --> 00:07:51,538 provide at this time . Thanks , Sabrina 216 00:07:51,538 --> 00:07:53,593 President Zelensky has insisted that 217 00:07:53,593 --> 00:07:55,920 lifting all restrictions so Ukraine can 218 00:07:55,929 --> 00:07:58,100 strike military targets within Russia 219 00:07:58,109 --> 00:08:00,630 would be a game changer and that 220 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,807 Ukraine needs to hit those targets and 221 00:08:02,807 --> 00:08:04,807 able to win . What's the Pentagon's 222 00:08:04,807 --> 00:08:06,807 assessment of that ? So I think the 223 00:08:06,807 --> 00:08:10,290 president spoke to this um uh very 224 00:08:10,299 --> 00:08:12,077 directly yesterday at his press 225 00:08:12,077 --> 00:08:14,010 conference . Um Our policy hasn't 226 00:08:14,019 --> 00:08:16,480 changed . Uh We do allow those cross 227 00:08:16,489 --> 00:08:18,720 border strikes when Russia is attacking 228 00:08:18,890 --> 00:08:21,057 uh from the other side of the border . 229 00:08:21,057 --> 00:08:23,890 And as the war has changed , um we have 230 00:08:23,899 --> 00:08:26,010 changed , our policies have adapted . 231 00:08:26,010 --> 00:08:28,010 Um And you've seen that play out in 232 00:08:28,010 --> 00:08:30,177 Kharkiv and it could expand into other 233 00:08:30,177 --> 00:08:32,749 areas . But right now , um we not 234 00:08:32,758 --> 00:08:35,818 authorized the use of attack for deep , 235 00:08:36,179 --> 00:08:38,828 deep strike capabilities within Russia . 236 00:08:39,018 --> 00:08:41,240 Um And I have to remind you , they have 237 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,407 other long range capabilities that are 238 00:08:43,407 --> 00:08:45,629 not provided the United States . Um But 239 00:08:45,629 --> 00:08:47,629 in terms of our policy that has not 240 00:08:47,629 --> 00:08:49,685 changed . So , so what's this coming 241 00:08:49,685 --> 00:08:51,907 from then ? Because throughout the week 242 00:08:51,907 --> 00:08:51,859 at the NATO summit , Zelensky was 243 00:08:51,869 --> 00:08:54,749 pretty adamant that this is a game 244 00:08:54,758 --> 00:08:58,088 changer . Uh So , so , so is that just 245 00:08:58,098 --> 00:09:00,619 not true ? Look of , of , of course , 246 00:09:00,630 --> 00:09:02,741 you're going to advocate on behalf of 247 00:09:02,741 --> 00:09:04,852 your country . Uh You know , we don't 248 00:09:04,852 --> 00:09:06,741 take any issue with that . Uh Our 249 00:09:06,741 --> 00:09:08,940 policy still remains the same . Uh We 250 00:09:08,950 --> 00:09:11,006 believe that Ukraine continues to be 251 00:09:11,006 --> 00:09:13,172 successful in the battlefield with our 252 00:09:13,172 --> 00:09:15,228 policy in place . We've been able to 253 00:09:15,228 --> 00:09:17,172 see them hold and strengthen their 254 00:09:17,172 --> 00:09:19,344 alliance around her . Um Could our 255 00:09:19,354 --> 00:09:21,864 policy , could they be allowed to use 256 00:09:21,875 --> 00:09:24,465 it into other areas ? Um we're always 257 00:09:24,474 --> 00:09:26,674 adapting and as the war has changed , 258 00:09:26,684 --> 00:09:29,135 um our policy has changed . Um But of 259 00:09:29,145 --> 00:09:31,034 course , we are always mindful of 260 00:09:31,034 --> 00:09:33,256 escalation and that's something that um 261 00:09:33,256 --> 00:09:35,312 is the reason why we have the policy 262 00:09:35,312 --> 00:09:37,630 the way it is Constantine . Thanks . Um 263 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:39,750 You mentioned , you should have said 264 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,020 that if the pure is re anchored twice , 265 00:09:42,030 --> 00:09:44,869 is there a world where the re anchoring 266 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,213 attempts are scrubbed ? And this is the , 267 00:09:47,213 --> 00:09:49,324 you know , the pure has done the last 268 00:09:49,324 --> 00:09:51,158 work . It it will do . It really 269 00:09:51,158 --> 00:09:53,047 depends on the sea states and the 270 00:09:53,047 --> 00:09:55,380 environment . And right now , obviously , 271 00:09:55,380 --> 00:09:55,145 I can't like that . Um What we are 272 00:09:55,155 --> 00:09:57,322 committed to is making sure that every 273 00:09:57,322 --> 00:10:00,104 single piece of aid , metric ton of aid 274 00:10:00,114 --> 00:10:02,784 that is in Cyprus is moved into Gaza . 275 00:10:02,984 --> 00:10:05,151 Um So whether that be through the port 276 00:10:05,151 --> 00:10:07,484 of Ashdod or through the temporary pier , 277 00:10:07,484 --> 00:10:09,262 no matter what the aid that was 278 00:10:09,262 --> 00:10:11,373 assembled , um will get to the people 279 00:10:11,373 --> 00:10:13,373 who need it most . And can you just 280 00:10:13,373 --> 00:10:15,373 speak a little bit more into the uh 281 00:10:15,373 --> 00:10:17,428 about the decision making process in 282 00:10:17,428 --> 00:10:19,484 terms to cease operations ? Was that 283 00:10:19,484 --> 00:10:21,540 because of these challenges with the 284 00:10:21,540 --> 00:10:23,762 sea state and the environmental factors 285 00:10:23,762 --> 00:10:27,450 or was it because aid in in uh Cyprus 286 00:10:27,460 --> 00:10:29,571 is dwindling and nearing , you know , 287 00:10:29,571 --> 00:10:31,516 sort of the end of that ? Well , I 288 00:10:31,516 --> 00:10:33,627 think it's important to remember that 289 00:10:33,627 --> 00:10:33,479 we always said this was a temporary 290 00:10:33,489 --> 00:10:35,711 operation , it was always going to have 291 00:10:35,711 --> 00:10:38,169 an end date . Um That exact end date , 292 00:10:38,219 --> 00:10:40,219 you know , I , I don't have for you 293 00:10:40,219 --> 00:10:42,386 right now , but we'll keep you updated 294 00:10:42,386 --> 00:10:44,497 on that . Um I think it's also really 295 00:10:44,497 --> 00:10:46,608 important to remember that during the 296 00:10:46,608 --> 00:10:48,608 course of um the time that J Lo has 297 00:10:48,608 --> 00:10:50,330 been operating , you know , we 298 00:10:50,330 --> 00:10:52,330 acknowledge that there have been um 299 00:10:52,330 --> 00:10:54,552 bumps in the road , we have had to take 300 00:10:54,552 --> 00:10:56,608 it offline . There have been repairs 301 00:10:56,608 --> 00:10:58,830 that needed to be made , but you cannot 302 00:10:58,830 --> 00:11:00,997 discount the fact that we were able to 303 00:11:00,997 --> 00:11:02,997 get nearly 20 million pounds of aid 304 00:11:02,997 --> 00:11:04,663 into Gaza . Um And for onward 305 00:11:04,663 --> 00:11:06,830 distribution , we got it and of course 306 00:11:06,830 --> 00:11:08,941 to the marshaling area um that aid is 307 00:11:08,941 --> 00:11:11,052 going to save lives . So I think it's 308 00:11:11,052 --> 00:11:13,108 important to remember that um in the 309 00:11:13,108 --> 00:11:15,386 context of the temporary pier , uh one , 310 00:11:15,386 --> 00:11:17,719 it was always going to have an end date . 311 00:11:17,719 --> 00:11:20,052 Two , we're working on other avenues in , 312 00:11:20,052 --> 00:11:22,163 in , in ways with USA to get aid into 313 00:11:22,163 --> 00:11:24,265 Gaza . And then three of course , um 314 00:11:24,275 --> 00:11:26,497 this was always going to be a temporary 315 00:11:26,497 --> 00:11:28,755 uh method . Um I will go back to the 316 00:11:28,765 --> 00:11:30,932 phones and I'm happy to come back into 317 00:11:30,932 --> 00:11:33,729 the room here . Um Idris Reuters . Yeah , 318 00:11:33,739 --> 00:11:35,683 two quick questions . Um The White 319 00:11:35,683 --> 00:11:37,739 House uh earlier this week announced 320 00:11:37,739 --> 00:11:39,795 some long range fires being moved to 321 00:11:39,795 --> 00:11:42,789 Germany , um sort of , you know , on 322 00:11:42,799 --> 00:11:44,688 and off and then eventually being 323 00:11:44,688 --> 00:11:47,000 placed there in 2026 . Um What's the 324 00:11:47,010 --> 00:11:49,559 message the US is , is trying to send 325 00:11:49,570 --> 00:11:51,848 with those long range fires in Germany . 326 00:11:51,848 --> 00:11:53,848 And secondly , the announcement was 327 00:11:53,848 --> 00:11:55,959 made by the White House unless I have 328 00:11:55,959 --> 00:11:58,181 missed something . The Pentagon has not 329 00:11:58,181 --> 00:12:00,403 put anything out on that . Is , is , is 330 00:12:00,403 --> 00:12:02,626 there a new policy that the White House 331 00:12:02,626 --> 00:12:04,570 is going to announce force posture 332 00:12:04,570 --> 00:12:04,530 movements , not the Pentagon if you 333 00:12:04,539 --> 00:12:06,650 could give any more details on that ? 334 00:12:06,719 --> 00:12:08,830 Uh Thanks Ari . Well , you know , the 335 00:12:08,830 --> 00:12:10,719 president uh was leading the NATO 336 00:12:10,719 --> 00:12:13,179 summit uh this week . Um He announced 337 00:12:13,190 --> 00:12:15,809 it , we of course when uh rotations 338 00:12:15,820 --> 00:12:17,987 happen , uh we do announce that either 339 00:12:17,987 --> 00:12:20,042 in a statement or , or uh you know , 340 00:12:20,042 --> 00:12:22,549 reading it out from the podium . Uh But 341 00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:24,726 again , as you mentioned , this is not 342 00:12:24,726 --> 00:12:26,948 something that's happening until 2026 . 343 00:12:26,948 --> 00:12:29,059 Um So give us a little time here . Um 344 00:12:29,059 --> 00:12:31,226 As , as you also mentioned , these are 345 00:12:31,226 --> 00:12:33,799 um episodic deployments and will help 346 00:12:33,809 --> 00:12:36,630 inform planning for ensuring future um 347 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,849 stationing . Um And we are , you know , 348 00:12:39,859 --> 00:12:42,081 in terms of the message that it sends , 349 00:12:42,081 --> 00:12:43,581 uh we are working in close 350 00:12:43,581 --> 00:12:45,248 collaboration with the German 351 00:12:45,248 --> 00:12:47,415 government and the army to continue to 352 00:12:47,415 --> 00:12:49,526 finalize these details . Um but it is 353 00:12:49,526 --> 00:12:51,919 about shoring up support um within 354 00:12:51,929 --> 00:12:54,096 Europe . And that's something that not 355 00:12:54,096 --> 00:12:56,207 only you saw with this announcement , 356 00:12:56,207 --> 00:12:58,373 but with what the president um and the 357 00:12:58,373 --> 00:13:00,540 secretary in their engagements uh with 358 00:13:00,540 --> 00:13:02,707 NATO um with their counterparts at the 359 00:13:02,707 --> 00:13:04,849 NATO summit all this week . Um ok , 360 00:13:04,859 --> 00:13:06,915 I'll take another one from the phone 361 00:13:06,915 --> 00:13:08,970 here , Jeff Shoal task and purpose . 362 00:13:09,010 --> 00:13:11,250 Thank you very much and I stand with 363 00:13:11,260 --> 00:13:13,359 all the Military times reporters and 364 00:13:13,369 --> 00:13:15,313 sightline union reporters laid off 365 00:13:15,313 --> 00:13:17,313 today . I understand if you have to 366 00:13:17,313 --> 00:13:19,425 take this question when the president 367 00:13:19,425 --> 00:13:21,510 said that us and Chinese military 368 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:23,929 leaders now have direct access . Did he 369 00:13:23,940 --> 00:13:27,780 mean there's now a hotline between us 370 00:13:27,789 --> 00:13:30,520 and Chinese leaders or that uh mail to 371 00:13:30,530 --> 00:13:32,820 mail , communications have reset to a 372 00:13:32,830 --> 00:13:35,210 time before . Uh Speaker Pelosi visited 373 00:13:35,219 --> 00:13:37,500 Taiwan . Thank you . Thanks Jeff for 374 00:13:37,510 --> 00:13:39,510 the question . I don't have to take 375 00:13:39,510 --> 00:13:41,566 that question . I would refer you to 376 00:13:41,566 --> 00:13:41,330 the White House to speak more to the 377 00:13:41,340 --> 00:13:43,719 President's comments . Uh Last question , 378 00:13:43,729 --> 00:13:47,140 uh Jeff Zelden vo A Sabrina , thanks 379 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,391 the UN . This week issued a report on 380 00:13:49,391 --> 00:13:51,502 Afghanistan and it indicated Al Qaeda 381 00:13:51,502 --> 00:13:53,558 is sending more operatives there and 382 00:13:53,558 --> 00:13:55,669 opening new training camps . And also 383 00:13:55,669 --> 00:13:57,447 said that Isis K has managed to 384 00:13:57,447 --> 00:13:59,169 infiltrate some of the Taliban 385 00:13:59,169 --> 00:14:01,336 ministries and also pushing to Central 386 00:14:01,336 --> 00:14:03,502 Asia and is even running a special ops 387 00:14:03,502 --> 00:14:05,880 force in Iran . How concerned is the 388 00:14:05,890 --> 00:14:07,840 Pentagon about Al Qaeda and Isis K 389 00:14:07,849 --> 00:14:09,960 operations out of Afghanistan ? And , 390 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,071 and what if anything at this point is 391 00:14:12,071 --> 00:14:15,039 the Pentagon doing to push back as a 392 00:14:15,049 --> 00:14:17,520 second unrelated question . Has the 393 00:14:17,530 --> 00:14:19,586 Pentagon been impacted at all by the 394 00:14:19,586 --> 00:14:22,599 AT&T breach that was disclosed ? If so , 395 00:14:22,609 --> 00:14:24,887 what is the Pentagon doing to mitigate ? 396 00:14:25,489 --> 00:14:27,609 Uh Thanks Jeff for the question um on 397 00:14:27,619 --> 00:14:30,239 the AT&T breach . I'm I'm not aware of 398 00:14:30,250 --> 00:14:32,306 an impact to the department , but of 399 00:14:32,306 --> 00:14:34,306 course , this is developing in real 400 00:14:34,306 --> 00:14:36,639 time . So , um if there is an impact we , 401 00:14:36,639 --> 00:14:38,806 you know , we can let you know on that 402 00:14:38,806 --> 00:14:41,239 um when it comes to Isis K um and just 403 00:14:41,479 --> 00:14:45,150 the proliferation of um you know , 404 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:47,376 ISIS , not just in Afghanistan , but 405 00:14:47,376 --> 00:14:49,869 you're seeing also um throughout Africa , 406 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,713 it is something of course , that 407 00:14:51,713 --> 00:14:53,658 remains top of mind for the United 408 00:14:53,658 --> 00:14:55,769 States , which is why uh you have our 409 00:14:55,769 --> 00:14:58,366 mission in Iraq and Syria to continue 410 00:14:58,375 --> 00:15:00,676 that , that fight against ISIS . Uh 411 00:15:00,685 --> 00:15:02,629 It's something that we continue to 412 00:15:02,629 --> 00:15:04,645 monitor . Um And whether it be from 413 00:15:04,656 --> 00:15:06,823 Africom or Centcom , uh it's something 414 00:15:06,823 --> 00:15:08,934 that we take very seriously . So , of 415 00:15:08,934 --> 00:15:10,989 course , we're concerned with , with 416 00:15:10,989 --> 00:15:13,045 any proliferation of any uh plots or 417 00:15:13,045 --> 00:15:15,212 plans against um us service members or 418 00:15:15,212 --> 00:15:17,323 partners in lies around the world and 419 00:15:17,323 --> 00:15:19,267 it's something that we're going to 420 00:15:19,267 --> 00:15:18,942 continue to watch . All right , I'll 421 00:15:18,952 --> 00:15:21,119 come back in the room here . Yes . And 422 00:15:21,119 --> 00:15:23,341 then I'll come over to you . Yeah , you 423 00:15:23,341 --> 00:15:25,396 said that the surge of aid had saved 424 00:15:25,396 --> 00:15:27,563 lives . It's estimated that the amount 425 00:15:27,563 --> 00:15:29,674 that was unloaded into the marshaling 426 00:15:29,674 --> 00:15:31,785 area was the equivalent of one day of 427 00:15:31,785 --> 00:15:35,161 pre war aid delivery into Gaza of that . 428 00:15:35,171 --> 00:15:37,115 Then do you know how much actually 429 00:15:37,115 --> 00:15:39,302 reached the people of Gaza who , whose 430 00:15:39,312 --> 00:15:42,289 lives were saved ? How many ? So for , 431 00:15:42,299 --> 00:15:45,940 in terms of um so maybe I can explain 432 00:15:45,950 --> 00:15:48,549 to you our role in distributing an aid 433 00:15:48,559 --> 00:15:51,349 and then what us A's role and WFP and , 434 00:15:51,359 --> 00:15:54,440 and the UN is so what we have done is 435 00:15:54,450 --> 00:15:56,561 facilitating the aid getting into the 436 00:15:56,561 --> 00:15:58,820 marshaling area in Gaza . Once it gets 437 00:15:58,830 --> 00:16:00,663 to the marshaling area , it gets 438 00:16:00,663 --> 00:16:03,119 distributed out by WFP or contracted 439 00:16:03,130 --> 00:16:05,352 drivers , that us aid has been in close 440 00:16:05,352 --> 00:16:07,241 coordinations with , it goes into 441 00:16:07,241 --> 00:16:09,297 distribution centers within Gaza and 442 00:16:09,297 --> 00:16:11,408 then gets further distributed out . I 443 00:16:11,408 --> 00:16:13,574 don't have account for you of how many 444 00:16:13,574 --> 00:16:15,741 lives have been saved . But what I can 445 00:16:15,741 --> 00:16:17,797 tell you is that people are hungry . 446 00:16:17,797 --> 00:16:17,760 There are people in need of that food 447 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,039 and we delivered nearly 20 million 448 00:16:20,049 --> 00:16:22,216 pounds of food to the people in Gaza . 449 00:16:22,216 --> 00:16:24,729 So we are saving lives . I think it's 450 00:16:24,739 --> 00:16:27,109 important to remember that . And um 451 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,630 what you saw with our forces is running 452 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:31,584 towards the problem . We created a 453 00:16:31,584 --> 00:16:33,751 solution . We believe it was a success 454 00:16:33,969 --> 00:16:35,969 one follow up . Did anyone at the 455 00:16:35,979 --> 00:16:38,770 Pentagon research Summer Mediterranean 456 00:16:38,780 --> 00:16:41,590 sea conditions before embarking on this 457 00:16:41,599 --> 00:16:43,821 project ? There's a sense that you were 458 00:16:43,821 --> 00:16:45,821 taken completely by surprise and in 459 00:16:45,821 --> 00:16:48,043 fact that J Lo is completely unsuitable 460 00:16:48,043 --> 00:16:50,043 for the conditions off the coast of 461 00:16:50,043 --> 00:16:52,299 Gaza . So um we are planning 462 00:16:52,309 --> 00:16:54,880 organization . We have uh folks all 463 00:16:54,890 --> 00:16:57,130 around the world that uh operate uh 464 00:16:57,140 --> 00:16:59,140 within the eastern med at any given 465 00:16:59,140 --> 00:17:01,307 time . Of course , we are aware of the 466 00:17:01,307 --> 00:17:03,196 sea conditions within the Eastern 467 00:17:03,196 --> 00:17:05,251 Mediterranean . Um We are not shying 468 00:17:05,251 --> 00:17:07,473 away from the fact that there have been 469 00:17:07,473 --> 00:17:09,696 higher sea states that have um at times 470 00:17:09,696 --> 00:17:11,918 disrupted delivery of aid and have made 471 00:17:11,918 --> 00:17:14,251 it harder to get aid in . But I , again , 472 00:17:14,251 --> 00:17:16,859 I would say , uh to you and on some of 473 00:17:16,869 --> 00:17:19,439 these questions to do nothing would 474 00:17:19,449 --> 00:17:21,509 have been a failure to be part of a 475 00:17:21,519 --> 00:17:23,999 solution , that success . And that's 476 00:17:24,009 --> 00:17:25,787 what you saw with our personnel 477 00:17:25,787 --> 00:17:28,009 delivering that aid into Gaza inquiry . 478 00:17:28,009 --> 00:17:30,176 Now , as to where this $230 million of 479 00:17:30,176 --> 00:17:32,009 taxpayer money actually went and 480 00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:33,787 whether it was worth it and the 481 00:17:33,787 --> 00:17:35,898 decision making process behind it , I 482 00:17:35,898 --> 00:17:38,009 think it was worth feeding people who 483 00:17:38,009 --> 00:17:37,958 needed it most . Yeah . All right . 484 00:17:37,968 --> 00:17:40,135 Yeah , Erin . And then I'm coming over 485 00:17:40,135 --> 00:17:42,135 here kind of a follow up . How many 486 00:17:42,135 --> 00:17:44,357 days has the pr been functioning ? Like 487 00:17:44,357 --> 00:17:47,430 getting a off uh the pier on the land ? 488 00:17:47,510 --> 00:17:49,732 I believe it was a , I believe it was a 489 00:17:49,732 --> 00:17:51,899 total of 20 days since it was anchored 490 00:17:51,899 --> 00:17:55,439 on um uh in , in mid May that it's 491 00:17:55,449 --> 00:17:57,239 taken food off of the pier and 492 00:17:57,250 --> 00:17:59,709 delivered it onto shore 20 days total . 493 00:18:00,390 --> 00:18:03,939 Well , two separate things . So the 494 00:18:03,949 --> 00:18:06,060 functionality of the pier , it's been 495 00:18:06,060 --> 00:18:08,520 operable for about 20 days . You have 496 00:18:08,530 --> 00:18:11,219 to remember that aid started to move 497 00:18:11,229 --> 00:18:13,396 when we moved the pier back into Ash . 498 00:18:13,396 --> 00:18:15,673 Uh uh a few weeks ago , back to Ashdod , 499 00:18:15,673 --> 00:18:17,673 there were those contracted drivers 500 00:18:17,673 --> 00:18:19,618 that started moving aid out of the 501 00:18:19,618 --> 00:18:21,507 marshaling area into distribution 502 00:18:21,507 --> 00:18:23,729 centers because the marshaling area was 503 00:18:23,729 --> 00:18:25,840 essentially at capacity . So that was 504 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,007 happening while aid was not moving off 505 00:18:28,007 --> 00:18:30,173 the pier because there was essentially 506 00:18:30,173 --> 00:18:32,229 um you know , it was , it was pretty 507 00:18:32,229 --> 00:18:34,396 full , but I , you know , there wasn't 508 00:18:34,396 --> 00:18:36,507 a need to necessarily move Aidan at a 509 00:18:36,507 --> 00:18:39,150 rapid pace . Great . Yes . How does the 510 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,160 Department of Defense of the United 511 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:42,938 States see the current security 512 00:18:42,938 --> 00:18:45,049 situation in Western Balkan primary ? 513 00:18:45,049 --> 00:18:47,310 And Koso and me in this sense , how the 514 00:18:47,319 --> 00:18:49,569 Washington see military cooper in 515 00:18:49,579 --> 00:18:51,900 communication with Serbian authorities 516 00:18:51,910 --> 00:18:53,810 about to preserve stability and 517 00:18:53,819 --> 00:18:55,930 security partnership and the prospect 518 00:18:55,930 --> 00:18:58,719 for improving cooper . First , I should 519 00:18:58,729 --> 00:19:00,840 have said welcome . I believe we have 520 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:02,951 some folks joining us from abroad and 521 00:19:02,951 --> 00:19:05,173 I'm sorry , I didn't catch your name in 522 00:19:05,173 --> 00:19:07,586 Serbia . Thank you and thank you for 523 00:19:07,595 --> 00:19:10,365 joining us today . Um So look , we 524 00:19:10,375 --> 00:19:13,046 acknowledge that um our , our two 525 00:19:13,056 --> 00:19:15,446 countries , there's been increased mill 526 00:19:15,456 --> 00:19:17,595 to mill Cooper operation and are on 527 00:19:17,605 --> 00:19:19,827 track for over 100 military to military 528 00:19:19,827 --> 00:19:23,635 events in 2024 . Um That's a nearly 25% 529 00:19:23,645 --> 00:19:25,765 increase from last year and that 530 00:19:25,776 --> 00:19:27,806 includes uh bilateral training , 531 00:19:27,816 --> 00:19:29,872 multilateral exercises like Platinum 532 00:19:29,872 --> 00:19:31,927 Wolf that I think you've covered and 533 00:19:31,927 --> 00:19:34,205 high level visits between both nations . 534 00:19:34,205 --> 00:19:36,722 Um Serbia , Serbia's um active Cooper 535 00:19:36,732 --> 00:19:38,399 operation with NATO is also a 536 00:19:38,399 --> 00:19:40,621 cornerstone of our defense relationship 537 00:19:40,621 --> 00:19:42,676 en enabling the Serbian armed forces 538 00:19:42,676 --> 00:19:44,510 valuable contributions to global 539 00:19:44,510 --> 00:19:46,399 security through participation in 540 00:19:46,399 --> 00:19:48,871 numerous eu and un peacekeeping 541 00:19:48,881 --> 00:19:50,992 missions . So we're going to continue 542 00:19:50,992 --> 00:19:53,182 to further deepen our cooper operation 543 00:19:53,531 --> 00:19:56,131 um and uh through , you know , mutually 544 00:19:56,141 --> 00:19:58,052 beneficial bilateral multilateral 545 00:19:58,062 --> 00:20:00,501 exercises . I got a situation in the 546 00:20:00,511 --> 00:20:03,420 Balkan primary . So we acknowledge that 547 00:20:03,430 --> 00:20:05,819 there certainly are tensions within um 548 00:20:05,829 --> 00:20:08,119 the Western Balkan region and the and 549 00:20:08,130 --> 00:20:10,599 certainly over the past two years , um 550 00:20:10,609 --> 00:20:12,498 this heightened concern certainly 551 00:20:12,498 --> 00:20:14,719 underscores uh our ongoing cooper 552 00:20:15,150 --> 00:20:17,317 operation and partnership and ensuring 553 00:20:17,317 --> 00:20:19,317 regional stability . So we're gonna 554 00:20:19,317 --> 00:20:21,428 continue to monitor that Rio and then 555 00:20:21,428 --> 00:20:23,594 I'll happily come to you . Thank you . 556 00:20:23,594 --> 00:20:25,761 So now my question is about Japan . So 557 00:20:25,761 --> 00:20:27,872 there are some media reports that the 558 00:20:27,872 --> 00:20:29,983 US navies ospreys will be deployed at 559 00:20:29,983 --> 00:20:32,150 the US base in Iwakuni , Japan for the 560 00:20:32,150 --> 00:20:34,261 first time . Could you please confirm 561 00:20:34,261 --> 00:20:36,444 the report ? And also this month , Dod 562 00:20:36,454 --> 00:20:38,905 has announced its modernization plan to 563 00:20:38,915 --> 00:20:42,244 upgrade us tactical airplanes in Japan . 564 00:20:42,255 --> 00:20:44,435 So it's the potential deployment of 565 00:20:44,444 --> 00:20:47,324 navies ospreys in Japan related to this 566 00:20:47,334 --> 00:20:50,739 DOD S aircraft modernization plan . I'm 567 00:20:50,750 --> 00:20:52,750 so sorry , Rio , I'm just not gonna 568 00:20:52,750 --> 00:20:54,750 have a ton for you right now . Um I 569 00:20:54,750 --> 00:20:56,639 haven't seen that report that you 570 00:20:56,639 --> 00:20:58,639 referenced , so I just really can't 571 00:20:58,639 --> 00:21:00,528 comment on that . Um We're always 572 00:21:00,528 --> 00:21:00,310 looking to , looking for ways to 573 00:21:00,319 --> 00:21:02,430 modernize our our forces , but I just 574 00:21:02,430 --> 00:21:04,652 don't have anything more to add to , to 575 00:21:04,652 --> 00:21:06,875 what you had asked . I'm I'm so sorry . 576 00:21:06,875 --> 00:21:09,097 We're we're happy to get back to you on 577 00:21:09,097 --> 00:21:11,263 that . Yes . V Obradovic , Republika , 578 00:21:11,263 --> 00:21:13,486 Sy Telegraph , I am from Serbia . So my 579 00:21:13,486 --> 00:21:16,069 question will be about uh Serbia , can 580 00:21:16,079 --> 00:21:18,260 we expect some hardware procurements 581 00:21:18,270 --> 00:21:21,010 from USA and what can be done in that 582 00:21:21,020 --> 00:21:23,949 direction between two countries ? So as 583 00:21:23,959 --> 00:21:25,848 Serbia continues to modernize its 584 00:21:25,848 --> 00:21:27,570 military , we believe that the 585 00:21:27,570 --> 00:21:30,109 preferred option for procurement would 586 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:32,430 be NATO interoperable equipment and 587 00:21:32,439 --> 00:21:36,030 systems . Um this aligns with Serbia's 588 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:39,709 goals um and presents significant 589 00:21:39,719 --> 00:21:41,997 advantages and you're seeing that also , 590 00:21:41,997 --> 00:21:44,052 um you know , as we're continuing to 591 00:21:44,052 --> 00:21:46,163 arm Ukraine , it's , it's about , you 592 00:21:46,163 --> 00:21:48,386 know , NATO interoperability , which is 593 00:21:48,386 --> 00:21:50,552 incredibly important . Um And so while 594 00:21:50,552 --> 00:21:52,775 us and European equipment may require a 595 00:21:52,775 --> 00:21:54,941 higher initial investment , it ensures 596 00:21:54,941 --> 00:21:56,886 right now , the long term benefits 597 00:21:56,886 --> 00:21:58,608 through streamlined training , 598 00:21:58,608 --> 00:22:00,552 maintenance and interoperability . 599 00:22:00,552 --> 00:22:03,939 Great . Yes , hi . Uh please . Uh 600 00:22:03,949 --> 00:22:07,270 Could you explain uh is something 601 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,979 about the Western Balkans too ? Because 602 00:22:09,989 --> 00:22:12,250 I am from Serbia , two journalists for 603 00:22:12,260 --> 00:22:15,880 uh k uh is Bosnia and Herzegovina or 604 00:22:15,890 --> 00:22:19,329 Kosovo and Maoria greater security risk 605 00:22:19,339 --> 00:22:21,283 in the Western Balkans . So , as I 606 00:22:21,283 --> 00:22:23,450 mentioned before , um you know , we're 607 00:22:23,450 --> 00:22:25,339 certainly aware of the heightened 608 00:22:25,339 --> 00:22:27,561 tensions within the Western Balkans and 609 00:22:27,561 --> 00:22:29,728 we believe that stability and security 610 00:22:29,728 --> 00:22:32,375 is vital . Um You know , both Kosovo , 611 00:22:32,385 --> 00:22:34,995 Bosnia , Herzegovina , um they each 612 00:22:35,005 --> 00:22:37,536 face distinct challenges and so our 613 00:22:37,546 --> 00:22:39,836 role is that we are committed to 614 00:22:39,845 --> 00:22:42,202 supporting their past to greater cooper 615 00:22:42,212 --> 00:22:44,156 operation and prosperity and we're 616 00:22:44,156 --> 00:22:46,212 going to continue to work closely on 617 00:22:46,212 --> 00:22:48,434 that . Ok . Yes . And then I'll come to 618 00:22:48,434 --> 00:22:50,781 Louis . Thank you . Um Japan's Defense 619 00:22:50,791 --> 00:22:53,442 Ministry announced today um actually 620 00:22:53,791 --> 00:22:56,202 yesterday in Japan must discipline 621 00:22:56,371 --> 00:22:58,671 including the personal person who 622 00:22:58,682 --> 00:23:00,404 treated classified information 623 00:23:00,404 --> 00:23:02,942 improperly . And is there a serious 624 00:23:02,952 --> 00:23:05,041 concern in the Pentagon , especially 625 00:23:05,052 --> 00:23:07,362 when us and Japan have been trying to 626 00:23:07,541 --> 00:23:09,271 construct a robust system of 627 00:23:09,281 --> 00:23:12,650 information sharing ? Um Look , I I 628 00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:14,780 refer you to Japan to speak more to , 629 00:23:14,790 --> 00:23:16,901 you know , the security measures that 630 00:23:16,901 --> 00:23:19,012 they're , they are taking . I , I saw 631 00:23:19,012 --> 00:23:20,846 that report as well . Um We have 632 00:23:20,846 --> 00:23:23,068 confidence in our relationship with the 633 00:23:23,068 --> 00:23:25,179 Japanese government and our , and our 634 00:23:25,179 --> 00:23:27,346 militaries . Um , you know , I'd refer 635 00:23:27,346 --> 00:23:29,457 you to them to speak more to how they 636 00:23:29,457 --> 00:23:31,679 are enhancing their security measures . 637 00:23:31,679 --> 00:23:33,790 Um , but as you saw , we have had and 638 00:23:33,790 --> 00:23:36,160 continue to have great engagements . Um , 639 00:23:36,189 --> 00:23:38,411 and I'll just leave it at that . Yeah , 640 00:23:38,411 --> 00:23:40,689 Louie , and then I'll come in the back . 641 00:23:40,689 --> 00:23:42,522 Uh Thank you . I , I have uh two 642 00:23:42,522 --> 00:23:44,689 questions . One , I wanna follow up on 643 00:23:44,689 --> 00:23:46,800 Constantine's question . Um So you're 644 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,022 saying that as of right now that you're 645 00:23:49,022 --> 00:23:51,319 looking to see whether the J lot's peer 646 00:23:51,329 --> 00:23:54,109 could be operational yet again , um are 647 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:56,459 alternate methods being looked at um 648 00:23:56,469 --> 00:23:59,180 for potentially delivering some of that 649 00:23:59,189 --> 00:24:01,500 aid uh from Cyprus that you mentioned , 650 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:04,569 should that not be the case ? And I'm 651 00:24:04,579 --> 00:24:06,746 kind of framing it as a hypothetical , 652 00:24:06,746 --> 00:24:08,746 but , you know , I'm sure since you 653 00:24:08,746 --> 00:24:10,912 said this is a planning organization . 654 00:24:10,912 --> 00:24:13,079 No , I and I , sorry if uh maybe you , 655 00:24:13,079 --> 00:24:15,190 um I don't know if you heard uh me at 656 00:24:15,190 --> 00:24:17,357 the , at the top , but I had mentioned 657 00:24:17,357 --> 00:24:19,949 that one of the um ways we are looking 658 00:24:19,959 --> 00:24:21,959 to get aid into Gaza is through the 659 00:24:21,959 --> 00:24:24,050 port of Ashdod . Um You know , it , 660 00:24:24,060 --> 00:24:26,060 it's sort of a in , in its proof of 661 00:24:26,060 --> 00:24:29,770 concept um stages right now . Uh We are 662 00:24:29,780 --> 00:24:32,079 looking , I mean , what I can tell you 663 00:24:32,089 --> 00:24:35,130 is every metric ton that is on Cyprus 664 00:24:35,140 --> 00:24:36,890 or on one of our ships will be 665 00:24:36,900 --> 00:24:39,500 delivered in some way into Gaza . But 666 00:24:39,510 --> 00:24:41,566 we are looking for those alternative 667 00:24:41,566 --> 00:24:43,343 methods and once we have better 668 00:24:43,343 --> 00:24:45,232 fidelity , I will , you know , of 669 00:24:45,232 --> 00:24:47,454 course , keep you update on that . That 670 00:24:47,454 --> 00:24:47,239 leads me to my next question . So you 671 00:24:47,250 --> 00:24:49,229 established those cells um under 672 00:24:49,239 --> 00:24:52,790 General Frank uh at uh at the air base 673 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,400 there in Israel , is that functionality 674 00:24:56,410 --> 00:24:59,790 end with ? Does that mission end ? Uh 675 00:24:59,810 --> 00:25:01,977 if the J Lots Peer and when the J Lots 676 00:25:01,977 --> 00:25:04,520 pier ends on July 31st or does it 677 00:25:04,530 --> 00:25:06,641 continue in a different frame kind of 678 00:25:06,641 --> 00:25:08,863 what you're talking about through ash ? 679 00:25:08,863 --> 00:25:11,086 Um Well , again , speculative and , and 680 00:25:11,086 --> 00:25:14,599 not , not exactly there yet . Um The , 681 00:25:14,609 --> 00:25:16,609 the short answer is , I think there 682 00:25:16,609 --> 00:25:18,776 will be continued cooper operation and 683 00:25:18,776 --> 00:25:20,942 coordinate with the Israeli government 684 00:25:20,942 --> 00:25:23,165 to making sure that humanitarian aid is 685 00:25:23,165 --> 00:25:25,387 getting in . Um what looks like without 686 00:25:25,387 --> 00:25:24,920 the pier being , you know , when it , 687 00:25:24,930 --> 00:25:27,979 when it eventually ends and you know , 688 00:25:27,989 --> 00:25:30,211 that will be soon , but I again , don't 689 00:25:30,211 --> 00:25:32,267 have an exact date . Um I don't know 690 00:25:32,267 --> 00:25:34,267 how , you know , coordinations will 691 00:25:34,267 --> 00:25:36,378 shift in those cells . Um But again , 692 00:25:36,378 --> 00:25:38,489 it's , we are still going to continue 693 00:25:38,489 --> 00:25:40,600 to talk and work with the Israelis on 694 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:42,767 making sure that aid is getting in and 695 00:25:42,767 --> 00:25:44,933 if aid is getting in through our ships 696 00:25:44,933 --> 00:25:47,100 through ashdot , of course , that cell 697 00:25:47,100 --> 00:25:49,100 coordinate um link is gonna have to 698 00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:51,267 exist in some way and so it very might 699 00:25:51,267 --> 00:25:53,378 well be through that cell . So , does 700 00:25:53,378 --> 00:25:56,459 that mean that , um , American vessels 701 00:25:56,469 --> 00:25:58,949 may be transporting this , uh , you 702 00:25:58,959 --> 00:26:01,070 know , these shipments from Cyprus in 703 00:26:01,070 --> 00:26:03,126 the future beyond the J LO mission . 704 00:26:03,126 --> 00:26:05,349 That's exactly what we , we're working 705 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:07,526 through right now . Um This is again a 706 00:26:07,526 --> 00:26:09,803 proof of concept to try and get aid in , 707 00:26:09,803 --> 00:26:12,026 through trot and then move it down into 708 00:26:12,026 --> 00:26:14,192 Gaza . Um , we're working that through 709 00:26:14,192 --> 00:26:16,192 with the Israeli government when we 710 00:26:16,192 --> 00:26:18,081 have more , we'll certainly share 711 00:26:18,081 --> 00:26:19,970 whether that involves us ships or 712 00:26:19,970 --> 00:26:19,359 commercial ships . I'll keep you 713 00:26:19,369 --> 00:26:23,069 updated . Yes . In the back one 714 00:26:23,199 --> 00:26:25,699 TV , which is CNN affiliating the 715 00:26:25,709 --> 00:26:28,270 Western Balkans . Yeah , you just 716 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:30,391 mentioned that Serbia is sending arms 717 00:26:30,391 --> 00:26:32,502 to Ukraine . Do you know what type of 718 00:26:32,502 --> 00:26:35,910 ammunition ? No , I didn't mention that 719 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,300 I was talking about interoperability . 720 00:26:39,079 --> 00:26:41,190 So I I don't have anything for you on 721 00:26:41,190 --> 00:26:43,135 that . I let Serbia speak to their 722 00:26:43,135 --> 00:26:45,190 assistance . There was an article in 723 00:26:45,190 --> 00:26:47,357 Financial Times that Serbia is sending 724 00:26:47,357 --> 00:26:49,135 arms to Ukraine , which Serbian 725 00:26:49,135 --> 00:26:51,560 government denies and also saying that 726 00:26:51,569 --> 00:26:54,160 it's forbidden to transport arms 727 00:26:54,170 --> 00:26:57,030 through the 3rd , 3rd countries . But 728 00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,151 it's obvious that Serbia is producing 729 00:26:59,151 --> 00:27:01,096 calibers which are very similar to 730 00:27:01,096 --> 00:27:04,890 Russians , which can be used in all 731 00:27:04,900 --> 00:27:08,510 the Ukrainian military equipment . So 732 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:10,576 how do you assess that ? Do you have 733 00:27:10,576 --> 00:27:12,489 any assessment on that ? So I 734 00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:14,556 appreciate the question , but that's 735 00:27:14,556 --> 00:27:16,444 really something that the Serbian 736 00:27:16,444 --> 00:27:16,189 government would have to speak to . I , 737 00:27:16,199 --> 00:27:18,349 I am not as you are here in the 738 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:20,470 briefing room . I am the spokesperson 739 00:27:20,470 --> 00:27:22,803 for the Department of the Defense today . 740 00:27:22,803 --> 00:27:25,026 Uh Up here answering your questions . I 741 00:27:25,026 --> 00:27:27,026 would just have to refer you to the 742 00:27:27,026 --> 00:27:29,137 Serbian government for more on that . 743 00:27:29,137 --> 00:27:29,099 Did I see one more ? Yes , thank you . 744 00:27:29,380 --> 00:27:31,547 Yes . Secretary Brik announced on NATO 745 00:27:31,547 --> 00:27:34,910 summit two days ago that first F-16 are 746 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,770 en route to Ukraine . Can you confirm 747 00:27:37,780 --> 00:27:40,002 that and how many planes we are talking 748 00:27:40,002 --> 00:27:42,170 about ? I mean , I certainly can , the 749 00:27:42,180 --> 00:27:44,619 Secretary Secretary of State confirmed 750 00:27:44,630 --> 00:27:46,741 that , um , I'm just not going to get 751 00:27:46,741 --> 00:27:48,797 into specific numbers . Um , I would 752 00:27:48,797 --> 00:27:50,908 certainly let the Ukrainians speak to 753 00:27:50,908 --> 00:27:52,963 that . Um And , and when they are in 754 00:27:52,963 --> 00:27:55,630 country , that's um , always , um , 755 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:57,862 something that we've traditionally done 756 00:27:57,862 --> 00:28:00,140 with any presidential drawdown package , 757 00:28:00,140 --> 00:28:02,362 we announce some of the equipment , the 758 00:28:02,362 --> 00:28:04,529 systems , the capabilities that we are 759 00:28:04,529 --> 00:28:06,696 sending . But we do let the Ukrainians 760 00:28:06,696 --> 00:28:08,751 speak to when they are in country as 761 00:28:08,751 --> 00:28:10,529 that is an operational security 762 00:28:10,529 --> 00:28:10,439 consideration that they have to take 763 00:28:10,449 --> 00:28:12,989 into account . Um And so I , I'd refer 764 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,278 you to the Ukrainians to speak to that . 765 00:28:15,278 --> 00:28:17,500 Ok . All right . Thank you everyone and 766 00:28:17,500 --> 00:28:19,722 thank you for joining us for those that 767 00:28:19,722 --> 00:28:18,930 are coming from abroad .