Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Press Availability in Singapore

View Online Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Press Availability in Singapore June 3, 2024 STAFF:  Well, good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  It's my pleasure to introduce Secretary Austin.  The secretary will have some brief opening remarks, and in time to take a few questions.  Please note I will call on reporters for those questions. Mr. Secretary, over to you, sir. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III:  Thanks, Pat. Well, good morning, everyone.  Thanks for being here.  As you've seen, it's been a busy few days, and it's been great to be back in Singapore for my third Shangri-La Dialogue.  I look forward tomorrow to visiting Cambodia. You know, this is my tenth trip to the Indo-Pacific as Secretary of Defense, and we always come to the region to move the ball down the field.  Shangri-La is a great opportunity to meet with a lot of allies and partners, as — as we've all seen.  As you — as you know, I had a good conversation yesterday with President Zelenskyy and Minister of Defense Umerov. It was also great to meet with Prime Minister Wong, President Marcos, to meet trilaterally with Minister Shin and Minister Kihara.  And I'm sure you've all been following the major progress that Japan and the ROK are making together. Also had a good meeting with Secretary Teodoro, building on the really powerful (inaudible) speech by President Marcos.  Of course, I sat down with Admiral Dong from the PRC for the first time, and once again, it's just been an incredibly — it's been incredibly important that our two countries have open lines of communication, especially military-to-military communication. Now, the overall frame for our work here is what I call new convergence in the region, as you heard in my speech on Saturday.  As I said, much of our progress over the past three years has been driven by our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, so we're investing in regional capability.  We're transforming our force posture.  We're working together with our allies and partners like never before, and many of our friends are working with each other in new and important ways.  So we've accomplished a huge amount since President Biden took office, and we're delivering real results. There's a lot going on in the world right now, but this region remains our top priority.  So we're proud of what we're building together with our allies and partners, and it's built to last. And with that, I'll stop and take a few of your questions. STAFF:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  Our first question will go to CBS, Ellie. Q:  Mr. Secretary, Israel has now targeted population centers in Rafah despite months of warnings from President Biden, from you, from Secretary Blinken.  Why does the administration, aside from that one shipment, continue to send offensive weapons to Israel instead of using that supply as leverage? SEC. AUSTIN:  Ellie, we've been clear from the — the very beginning that we're going to support Israel's effort to defend itself, and we've done just that.  What we're seeing in the Rafah area, I would still characterize as a limited operation.  They've been operation — operating principally along the border with some limited operations that have gone a bit further, but still, I would characterize it as a limited operation. Now, what we've been focused on throughout, Ellie, is — is protection of the civilians that are in the battlespace, and I've talked to my counterpart about this a number of times; need to — to move those civilians out of the battlespace before any operations that are conducted.  And so we've also been clear about the fact that unless you do that, it would be a major mistake to conduct a major military operation into the center of Rafah.  That would put a large number of civilians at risk. Again, the focus is on the protection of civilians in that battlespace, so we've not seen what I would characterize as a major operation yet.  So we — we'll continue to monitor this very closely. Q:  Is Israel doing enough now to protect those civilians? SEC. AUSTIN:  They are doing more to clear the civilians out of that space and civilians have migrated a way from the city of Rafah.  There are still some in and around Rafah.  What we'd like to see and you've heard me say this before is Israel conduct a different type of operation, more precise, if they're going to conduct operations, with less collateral damage.  And so we would hope that they would do that, going forward. STAFF:  Next question, we'll go to The Economist, Anton. Q:  Mr. Secretary, thank you.  You spoke about the dangers in the South China Sea yesterday. I wanted to ask you a couple of things following on from that. From June 15th, the Chinese have said they will start arresting trespassers in waters that they deem theirs.  Are U.S. — are the U.S. and allies trying to do anything more to try and help the Filipinos preserve their EEZ?  And China's also complained about the deployment of Typhon systems in the Philippines, saying they are destabilizing.  Do you accept that characterization?  And do you intend to deploy the system permanently to the Philippines? SEC. AUSTIN:  Do I accept China's characterization of the Philippines' activities? Q:  No, do you accept China's characterization that the deployment of long-range strike weapons in the Philippines is destabilizing? SEC. AUSTIN:  Well, first of all, let me clear that the PRC's behavior is coercive, and it puts Filipino crews in danger.  It disregards international law.  And as you heard me say Saturday, we stand with the Filipinos, and our commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty is — is ironclad.  We've been clear about that with — with our ally, but we've also been direct and clear about that with — with the PRC as well, and that includes my direct engagement with Minister Dong, where I highlighted my concern about this issue in our meeting. As you know, we're doing historic work with the Philippines.  We're working with them to help them modernize and develop their forces, and that's — that pretty exciting.  It was great to see President Marcos here the other night, and I think he delivered a compelling message. Q:  And on missiles, sir, can you just — SEC. AUSTIN:  Everything that we do in the region, Anton, is focused on promoting peace and stability.  You know, we exercise with allies and partners routinely in the region, and quite frankly, around the — around the — the globe.  And so you know, we're focused on making sure that we can work with others to maintain and free and open Indo-Pacific region. STAFF:  Next question, go to CNN, Natasha. Q:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  Following your meeting with China's defense minister, the Pentagon said in a readout that you warned him that if Beijing continues to support Russia's defense sector, the U.S. and the international community will be forced to take additional measures. Have you seen evidence that China has begun providing lethal military support to Russia?  And what kinds of consequences is the U.S. ready to impose?  And why wait, given all of the evidence the U.S. clearly already has that China is bolstering Russia's military and — and perpetuating the war in Ukraine? SEC. AUSTIN:  So what you heard me talk about is their effort to provide support to Russia's industrial base.  And that kind of thing enables Russia to very quickly scale its efforts in producing the weapons and munitions, and it stands to lengthen the conflict. And so, you know, we've been clear about the dangers associated with this and — and also clear about the fact that if that continues — you know, continue to provide support to Russia's industrial base — then certainly there will be consequences, in terms of, well, a number of things. Q:  And sorry, just to follow up on that question about the lethal military support, you have not yet seen the lethal military aid going from China to Russia? SEC. AUSTIN:  I won't comment on any intelligence information from the podium here, Natasha, but again, what we have seen, we've been clear about.  We think I it has the potential of lengthening the conflict. STAFF:  Next question will go to (inaudible). Q:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  Firstly, to follow up on the previous question on the deployment of mid-range missile capability to the Philippines to promote peace and stability in the regions, is it likely that the U.S. will deploy such a mid-range capability missile system to Japan in the future? And secondly, since Japan and U.S. agreed to upgrade the command and control structure at the recent summit, what would be the ideal structure in Japan?  And what would be the (inaudible) timeline for the U.S. to design a new command and control structure in Japan? SEC. AUSTIN:  Yeah — and so in terms of our deployment of any troops or — or capabilities, I don't have any announcements to make today, but again, in terms of what we do as a part of exercises, we routinely deploy in certain — different types of capability and re-deploy that capability over time.  We're looking to, in our work with Japan, to strengthen, you know, our exercises, and that's pretty excited — we're pretty excited about that. So in — in terms of the command and control capability, we absolutely support Japan's decision to stand up a joint headquarters, but in terms of, you know, what we're going to do regarding a future four star billet, this is something that we're looking at very closely.  I don't have any announcements to make today.  We want to get it right the first time.  And so — but again, we are — we continue to work this issue. Q:  Just a quick follow-up.  So as you mentioned, the — do you think it's — it's ideal to deploy a four-star commander in Japan to strengthen the structure and integrate the structure in the allies? SEC. AUSTIN:  Again, I don't have any announcements to make.  This is something that we are evaluating. STAFF:  Next question will go to Defense News, (inaudible). Q:  Thank you for doing this.  How would you characterize the front lines near Kharkiv through Ukraine?  Have they started to stabilize?  And secondarily, President Zelenskyy said yesterday in the Q&A session he did after his speech that the U.S. administration's decision to allow the use of American-provided weapons across the border in a limited fashion around that — of that area is not enough.  Could you explain the U.S.' concern with allowing that kind of operation for weapons like ATACMS farther on?  Is the concern military utility, or is it escalation with Russia? SEC. AUSTIN:  In terms of how I would characterize the current activity on the battlefield, I think you're right.  I think what we've seen on, in the past weeks and months is Russia making incremental gains across the front line, Trace.  And we saw a concerted push here in the Kharkiv region. That activity continues, but it's slowed a bit because in the Kharkiv region, the Russians are now starting to run into the defenses of the Ukrainians, and the Ukrainians have worked hard to put in coherent defenses.  And so I think — I think this will — this will slow down the Russians' advance. And certainly, the — the permissions that the President has provided in terms of the use of our weapons in — in firing across border, I think that'll help — certainly help the Ukrainians be able to defend themselves.  And certainly, our — all of our efforts have been focused on defensive capability throughout.  And so some — if someone's shooting at you, then certainly, this gives them the opportunity to — to counter-fire. Our policy with respect to long-range strike into Russia has not changed, and so you know, that's — and I'll just leave it at that.  But I think what the president has done in terms of providing additional permissions to Ukraine, I think will will make a — a — a difference in that — in that fight. STAFF:  Last question will go to DOD News, David. Q:  Mr. Secretary, in your Saturday remarks, you emphasized growing collaborative efforts in this region to shore up all the military industrial bases, and you provided some notable examples.  So how important is that effort to fortifying deterrence and adding resilience to the region's industrial bases?  And do you see this undertaking expanding? SEC. AUSTIN:  I do think that it will expand, and I think how important is it?  It's absolutely important.  I think that we all recognize that in order to have the sufficient capacity in our respective industrial bases, we're going to have to work together going forward.  I think there's been some significant lessons learned throughout over the last couple of years.  And so we see countries working together in a more concerted fashion, developing technology, but also doing things like co-production and — and those types of things. So we see that in Europe.  We see that most especially in this region, as well.  You heard me talk about some of the things that we're working with allies and partners in this region on Saturday. But I think that that's important to ensure that we have what's necessary to continue to maintain the level of deterrence that we need. Q:  And Mr. Secretary, this is your tenth visit, as you mentioned, as Secretary to the Indo-Pacific, and that doesn't include your time you probably spent here in uniform.  So you've met dozens of your counterparts and government leaders in this trip alone.  So how important are these face-to-face visits to bolstering security in this vital region, and building trust and confidence? SEC. AUSTIN:  It's critical, quite frankly.  I think it's important to remember that every time that we come out here, we're not just coming out to conduct meetings; we're actually getting things done.  And whether it's, you know, working on deliverables for the AUKUS program, whether it's developing or agreeing to develop a capability with a country like India, whether it's ensuring that we have increased opportunities to work along with our partners in the Philippines, or doing things to pull Korea — Republic of Korea and Japan closer together. If you think about all the things that I talked about on Saturday, because of the great work of our staff, you know, we were able to — our staffs, we were able to do a number of things over a three-year period of time, three and a half years.  But it took me, in a lot of cases, to engage directly, develop a relationship to get many of those deliverables, and that's the purpose of being out here, to reassure, to make sure that, you know, our allies and partners understand that we have a shared vision — common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and that we are a Pacific nation, and we're here to stay.  We're not going anywhere.  But every time we come to the region, we're working on critical issues, and we have walked away with deliverables.  And not only that — we have provided deliverables to our allies and partners, whether it's COVID vaccines, you name it — from the very beginning. So the visits are important, but it's not just — not just visiting to visit; it's visiting to work on meaningful issues that promote stability and security throughout the region.  And again, without personal engagement, it's very difficult to do some of that.  So that's why we're here, and that's why we'll keep coming back. Q:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary. STAFF:  Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our press briefing.  Mr. Secretary, thank you very much, sir. SEC. AUSTIN:  Thanks, everybody.

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