JUST IN: Pentagon Holds Press Briefing As Russian Warships Approach Cuba Coast

all right good afternoon everyone uh just a few things at the top here and then happy to dive in and take your questions today secretary Austin is traveling to Brussels to host the 23rd Ukraine defense contact group tomorrow June 13th the secretary will be joined by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs General CQ Brown and Senior military officials from nearly 50 Nations to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and encourage continued support from the International Community to provide the ukrainians with the means necessary to defend their Sovereign territory also while he's in Brussels secretary Austin will participate in the NATO defense ministerial on June 14th at NATO headquarters and now switching to a few operational updates on the temporary Pier or the joint Logistics over the shore capability that is being used to Surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza as you know for the past two day for excuse me as you know for two days the temporary Pier was not operational due to high sea States as of yesterday June 11th US Central Command resumed the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza with more than 500 metric tons of Aid delivered to the marshalling area and today delivered another over 500 metric tons in as well to the marshalling area in total since May 17th Central Command assisted in the delivery of more than 2,500 meth metric tons or approximately 5.6 million pounds of humanitarian Aid to the shore for onward distribution Additionally the one remaining Army vessel vessel that was beached in Gaza on May 25th was recovered last night and we greatly appreciate the idf's assistance with recovery of that vessel Switching gears the National Guard is wrapping up its largest annual cyber exercise this weekend at the Virginia National Guard State Military Reservation outside Virginia Beach exercise cyber Shield 2024 brings together nearly 1,000 participants from National Guard units in 41 States and territories 27 defensive cyber operations elements nine International partner Nations and the active duty Air Force with a focus on defending critical infrastructure against cyber threats building off the dod's 2023 cyber strategy exercises like cyers Shield 2024 are leveraging industry-leading courses and force onforce cyber attacks simulations to grow collaborative and interoperable capabilities among local State national and international partners for unified defense and all domain deterrence and finally Abe Denmark the secretary senior adviser for OAS is departing the Pentagon we want to thank Abe for his leadership building strong coalitions bringing us even closer to two of our closest allies the UK and Australia and for strengthening security across the indopacific he was a key architect of the OAS pillar 1 optimal pathway announced by the president and and the prime ministers and instrumental in developing Advanced capability cooperation in OAS pillar 2 on behalf of the Secretary of Defense we wish him all the best in his future endeavors with that i' be happy to take your questions Lita thanks Sabrina um two things one uh when does the US expect to deliver of the new Patriot system to Ukraine and what impact does the Secretary and the military believe that will have on the war there and then uh just secondly on just to follow up on the peer um has any Aid moved from the marshalling area into Gaza that you're aware of and how big of a problem is this that Aid is just going to keep mounting do you have any sense that it will resume at all um let me take the last part first so um to my knowledge since um Aid has started flowing in from yesterday and today it's just being collected in the marshalling area getting ready for uh when the UN wfp is ready to distribute um that distribution hasn't happened to my knowledge um I'd refer you to usaid and wfp to speak more to that I know that they are conducting a um Security review so while they do that it is in the marshalling area um the good news is is that it's on the beach so it's it's a step closer to get getting to the people who need it most um but I just don't have an update on when that will be further distributed um in terms of your first question on Ukraine and air defenses I've seen some of the reporting out there um on the Patriot I don't have any announcements to make on a patriot battery today um what I can tell you and I'm won't not getting ahead of the secretary but something that he continues to emphasize when he um has host the Ukraine defense contact group is that we know air defenses are a a priority for Ukraine it's something that um they need whether it be in The Patriot or other forms and so um I'm sure that's going to be a topic of discuss discussion tomorrow at the UDC um won't get ahead of the secretary and don't have any announcements to make but we'll certainly keep you updated if there are any other additional presidential draw down packages Jen um Sabrina just to followup so of the 2500 tons that have been delivered to Gaza all are still in the marshalling area none of been distributed no so um for for better numbers on the distribution I'd refer you to the wfp and usaid to speak more to that um I'm speaking about the the aid deliveries from the temporary Pier from yesterday and today that Aid remains in the marshalling area and just collated there um the aid that was um that came off the pier before you know we had to uh what's the right word remove it and then re-anchor it that Aid had been distributed on or at least went to the warehouses and how seriously are you taking the arrival of this Russian flotilla in Havana and the exercises being T taking place in the Caribbean so we take um we've been tracking the Russians plans uh for this this is not a surprise we've seen them do this these type of Port calls uh before and these are you know routine Naval visits that we've seen um under different administrations uh we're always constantly going to monitor um any foreign vessels operating near US Territorial Waters uh we of course take it seriously but uh these exercises don't pose a threat to the United States when was the last time that Russian naval vessels were off the coast of Florida or in Cuba I'd refer you to northcom and southcom to speak more to that um I know it they have done exercises um previous years under different administrations but I don't have those exact dates in front of me Kelly um yeah just to follow up on Jen's questioning on what's happening with Russian warships moving into Cuba um it did happen in different administrations as you're saying but the timing of it happening now with what's happening in Ukraine with President Biden taking off for the G7 in Italy meeting with world leaders and not Vladimir Putin is this seen as some sort of muscle flexing on the side of Russia you know i' refer you to the Russians to speak to their own operations and exercises um it certainly wouldn't come of as a surprise to us if we see um more activity uh around the United States and you know they do have a a global exercise that will I think likely culminate uh this fall um something that we're going to continue to monitor again I think what's important here is that um what Russia is doing and these exercises they don't pose a threat to the United States but of course we're going to continue to Monitor and have they gotten close to I know we've have our us ships kind of repositioned in the area monitoring it have they gotten close or can you say how close they've gotten to to our ships I don't have those specific I would direct you to northc and southcom as well to speak more to that I just don't I just don't have that right now Constantine did I see you have had a question right there um so just continuing on that line of questioning um are you able to say what the US military responded with so I mean we're continuing to monitor um I can tell you that the Navy's us second Fleet us fourth Fleet US Coast Guard Atlantic area and Canadian Joint Task Force Atlantic are conducting routine operations throughout the Atlantic but we're going to continue to monitor uh you know what's happening in the region but that's all I have in terms of specifics and then One Last Detail are you able to say how close the Russian ships got to the coast of Florida I don't have those specific details I direct you in northcom for that um I'm just going to go to the phones and then happy to come back into the room uh F mansur Al jaer okay maybe not uh adri Ali Reuters two quick questions are you aware if any of the aid either becoming inedible or unusable because it's been in the marshaling area or in warehouses for so long and is a secretary frustrated with either the world food program or usaid um for apparently not foreseeing um some of the challenges that they're now facing in delivering the aid that's just collecting in the marshalling area uh thanks adri so in terms of um the actual Aid um I can't really speak to that I would direct you to us Aid and and the world food program to speak more to the specifics on um the donations and if you know some of the concerns there but uh to my knowledge the aid that has moved on um and off the pier uh from yesterday and today has been Aid that um when the wfp is is ready to continue forward with onward distribution uh will be used well and and get into the hands of the Palestinian people that need it most um in terms of your question of there any frustrations um they're not I mean this is we're working hand and glove with us Aid um who has been a great partner in um calling together different nations different NOS to donate Aid to a population that desperately needs it um we are the conduit for getting that Aid to the people who need it the most um but us Aid has been instrumental in making sure that we are getting those donations from other countries um and NGS as well so we certainly value their partnership um the wfp of course is taking the security measures that they need to do and the reviews that they need to do in order to feel safe and secure and to operate within Gaza um we're not standing in the way of that uh we are just ready and waiting to um help with getting aid from Cyprus to the temporary Pier into the marshalling area so that Aid can get to the people that need it most um happy to come back in the room Janie thank you Saina and the two question us and South Korea had the nulear consultative group I mean NCD group meeting at the so listening the review of the US and R joint statement said that the joint guidelines on North Korea's nuclear weapons has been completed what are the specific uh details I have anything to read out of a specific meeting Janie I'm I'm not exactly tracking what what you mentioned but um of course we're always monitoring what's happening on the peninsula um and aware of you know dprk's provocative activities over the last few days and weeks but I don't I don't have anything specifics on a on a meeting that you just mentioned why do uh senior office recently mentioned about if China and Russia do not reduce their nuclear weapons us might you know increase nuclear deployment the US will adjust it nuclear I mean nuclear postal capabilities or what is mean uh thanks Janie for the question uh bit of a hypothetical there as you can appreciate uh just not going to not going to get into more specifics but uh we're always assessing um you know what Russia what the PRC are doing um I don't have any announcements to make in terms of for Force posture changes to our own nuclear posture um or changes to our nuclear posture I should say um but you know we're going to continue to Monitor and and I just don't have anything more for you on that yes thank you um um the Prime Minister Netanyahu has uh said that Israel is prepared for a strong action in the northern part of the border with Lebanon um and yesterday we heard that secretary Austin he already discussed with his Israeli counterpart the efforts to deescalate tensions along the Israel Lebanon border so my question um do you have do you worry about any maybe potential War more dangerous in that uh specific area and what tools uh does the Secretary Austin have he can maybe prevent that area from getting more escalation thank you yeah no thanks for the question um as you saw we put out a readout of secretary A's call with Minister Gant um this was something that was discussed we are seeing um an increase in activity in the north um and we don't want things to escalate into a broader regional conflict um and that's something that is not new that's something that we've said from the very beginning um from when Hamas first you know launched its brutal attack on October 7th we we never want to see an escalation of tensions in the region and we took very specific steps from the beginning um with the secretary making that decision and and of course with the president um to have the Ford go into the Eastern Med um we're going to continue to urge for deescalation um that was something that the secretary spoke with Minister Gant about at length yesterday um I'm not going to get into more specifics of the call itself um but we don't want to see a wider regional conflict and that's why we do want to see a deescalation of tensions in the region can I follow if there is a deal uh do you expect if there's a deal uh to u a ceasefire deal uh will happened in Gaza do you believe that will deescalate uh this uh area the tension in the northern of Israel and well I think a ceasefire would certainly lead to uh a deescalation of tensions um but that is something that's still being worked as you've seen secretary blinkin is in the region um I know he made some he's he's been meeting with different partners in the region um he made some comments earlier today I don't have anything additional to add to what he said already but um certainly it could bring uh further you know it it would lead to further deescalation uh which is a good thing yes in the back thank you so much for this opportunity two quick questions sure uh some of the media reports suggest with the recent visits by the uh Pentagon defense officials in rad they held talks with the Arab military Chiefs so as meanwhile United States is engaged diplomatically with Saudi Arabia and Israel for ti normalization so is there any consideration with the defense official that uh to the normalization there is another Potential Threat in Middle East for the US so us is preparing for that no I no I think what you're referring to is um uh some of our officials just traveling within the region doing whether it's diplomatic meetings or meeting with their counterparts this is something that uh happens often and very frequently um that's not an indication that tensions are rising that is something that's frankly part of the portfolio um of where these officials sit um so no it's it's about deepening those Partnerships of course they're going to talk about and discuss what's happening in the region uh it wouldn't be imprudent not to uh so that's something that of course you know is always on the table and discussed but um no it doesn't it doesn't indicate anything one way or the other I want to ask like United States have a counter security cooperation with the Pakistan so from the month of May and uh from the timeline long ago we uh we observed that number of aial strikes happened in Afghanistan or on the neighboring uh border of the Pakistan so a number of high value targets got hit so uh I want to know like is there any intelligence sharing or coordination by United States towards Pakistan regarding the onward Pakistan um counterterrorism operations regarding TTP are the top value targets I don't have anything to add on that I mean if you're talking about our ongoing efforts to to um you know go after Isis militants or Isis senior leaders of course that's something that we continue to work on in the region but um I don't have anything more uh on that I'm sorry Tom thank you good afternoon yeah uh excuse me this morning uh Secretary General uh Stenberg and uh prime minister orbon of Hungary had a press conference where they announced that uh Hungary would no longer veto or block NATO country efforts to support Ukraine in exchange for not for NATO not considering you uh Hungary to give money and material for the war in Ukraine what's the department of defense's assessment on how this will impact now support for Ukraine among NATO Nations I'm sorry I haven't seen the the reports from this morning um I don't have anything to add to what the Secretary General and his engagement um with his the uh with Orban but um I would say that you know of course we want to see countries around the world our partners and allies continue to support Ukraine um and that is exactly what the secretary is going to be doing tomorrow with the Ukraine defense contact group but I don't have anything additional to add I'm sorry I just I haven't seen some of the reporting from that meeting yeah of course yes the day before yesterday indons Commander papar said in an interview with the Washington Post if China invade Taiwan cuia make it hellscape with Dron and as of August 20 23rd Pentagon announced that aim to deploy thousand of autonomous systems within the next 18 to 24 months so have there be any change to this plan or how do you build the feasibility of this project um I'm gonna let Admiral Pap papara uh comments stand for themselves I don't have anything to add um what I can tell you is the secretary just concluded his 10th visit to the indopacific region um something that of course was on the mind and something that he spoke to at the shangala dialogue was um our pacing challenge of the PRC so we're continuing to monitor uh what the PRC is doing in the region um some of their behavior around uh whether it be the second Thomas SCH or other um areas uh within the indopacific but I just don't have more to add onto those comments okay I'm going to see if we got F Mansour back from aler on the phones otherwise I can wrap it up hi Sabrina can you hear me now I can hear you now thank you for taking my question again um in readout from the phone call between secretary Austin and and Galant the secretary congratulated Mr Galant on the uh Rescue of four Israeli hostages an operation that Health authorities in Gaza uh says resulted in the death of more than 270 Palestinians half of them are almost half of them are women and uh children did the secretary uh discussed the um uh civilian casualties as a result of this operation and if so why wasn't it included in the readout uh thanks f for the question um the Secretary of course it's something that is always on the top of our minds um something that the secretary has brought up uh in various engagements with Minister Gan and other officials uh within the Israeli government um of course we are we are deeply concerned by um some of the reports that we are seeing out of Gaza uh when it comes to civilian casualties it's something that we're always very Frank about whenever it's a call or um a a private engagement or or publicly from here um it's something that we're going to continue to speak to the Israelis about it's something that we're concerned about um but I just don't have anything additional to add other than what we put out in the readout uh yesterday which you referenced um okay Nancy but do you know though if the secretary broached that specifically in in yesterday's call he talked about the operation broadly I'm not going to go into more specifics of the call um it is a is it was a pretty sensitive operation and we are glad to see the success of these four hostages that were returned home um blanket we are always concerned about the reports of Civilian casualties coming out of Gaza um it's something that he reiterates constantly in his calls with Minister Gant um not just him but from other officials in this building it's something that does come up routinely um I'm not going to get into more specifics but um there were certainly questions about the operations that were that were asked um and I'm just going to leave it at that okay thanks everyone

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Published: Wed Jun 12 2024