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Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing

Oct. 22, 2024

PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: All right. Well, good afternoon, everybody. Happy looking group today. Have just a few things at the top and then I'll be happy to take your questions.

In a powerful demonstration of the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine, Secretary Austin visited Kyiv yesterday, his fourth visit to Ukraine as secretary of defense, to meet with Ukrainian leaders and to show the Ukrainian people that we stand with them in their fight for freedom.

During his visit, Secretary Austin met with President Zelenskyy, Minister Umerov and other Ukrainian defense leaders to discuss Ukraine's strategic objectives for the coming months and other battlefield developments. He also engaged staff at the US Embassy in Kyiv and thanked them for their tireless work in support of Ukraine.

And in a major speech at the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy in Ukraine, Secretary Austin reflected on Ukraine's remarkable displays of courage and resiliency in its war of self-defense to date. He laid out how the outcome of Ukraine's fight for freedom will help set the trajectory for global security in the 21st century, and reiterated that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in the days ahead. You can read and watch the secretary's full speech on Defense.gov.

Underscoring our commitment to Ukraine, Secretary Austin also announced a new security assistance package while in Kyiv. This latest PDA package delivers Ukraine $400 million in additional capabilities, including munitions for rocket systems and artillery, mortar systems and rounds, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

The secretary is now back in Rome, Italy. He'll conclude his week of travel with a visit to the Vatican tomorrow for a papal engagement before heading back to the United States.

Turning now to the department's ongoing support for hurricane recovery efforts, as of earlier today, the National Guard has more than 1,100 Guardsmen, more than 100 high water vehicles and helicopters from three states mobilized for the response and recovery mission following Hurricane Milton. Additionally, the US Army Corps of Engineers has approximately 270 people working nine mission assignments, including temporary roof support, infrastructure assessment, debris control, flood response and more.

Also, the National Guard has roughly 2,000 Guardsmen, 65 high water vehicles and eight helicopters from nine states mobilized for the response to Hurricane Helene. The US Army Corps of Engineers has more than 450 personnel engaged in 33 missions across the region, supporting debris control, temporary power, infrastructure assessment, flood control and safe waterways assessments. Secretary Austin continues to receive updates on these response efforts, and the Department continues to be engaged with interagency partners in support of FEMA, the White House, state and local governments.

I would also like to highlight that, since early October, active duty service members in support of local, state and national partners have performed more than 100 ground missions and 70 air missions, delivering more than 270 tons of humanitarian aid overland and nearly another 200 tons through the air. To put this in terms that are a little easier to visualize, that amounts to 154,415 gallons of water, 53,232 bottles of water and 262 pallets of food, which equals roughly 20,000 meals. Additionally, these service members were active in route clearance, clearing more than 660 miles of roads and opening 27 ground routes, allowing for increased access to some of the hardest hit areas of the state.

In the coming days, following weeks of direct support to the people of western North Carolina, active duty service members will begin transitioning out of the area as a longer term recovery phase begins. This transition will be a gradual phased process that's carefully coordinated between state and local officials., US Northern Command, the dual status commander, FEMA and the federal coordinating officer. Active duty assets are released only after a comprehensive evaluation is conducted confirming with FEMA and the North Carolina governor that specific DoD support is no longer needed. The US NORTHCOM commander approves their recommendation for release of assets and civil authorities are prepared to manage recovery and sustainment operations independently from the onset of this mission.

The primary goal of DoD title ten assets and civil support was to provide immediate short term assistance, while state authorities, FEMA and other federal agencies led the recovery efforts. It's important to note that while these active duty assets may be heading back to home station, the federal mission and federal support is not ending. As active duty service members transition out, the National Guard, FEMA and other federal, state and local agencies remain actively engaged to address ongoing needs, rebuild infrastructure and aid communities and long-term recovery.

The secretary and his team are incredibly proud of the selfless service and sacrifice of all DoD service members involved in the hurricane response efforts and he remains focused on DoD personnel and their families who may be impacted by the hurricanes.

And finally, on Friday, October 18th, US strategic command announced the commencement of its annual nuclear command and control exercise, Global Thunder. Global Thunder '25, or GT '25, involves personnel throughout the strategic enterprise, including US STRATCOM components and subordinate units. The purpose of GT '25 is to enhance nuclear readiness and ensure a safe, secure and effective strategic deterrent force.

As in previous years, GT '25 will include an increase in bomber and other aircraft flights throughout the exercise. Exercises such as GT '25, which also involves personnel from the Pentagon, reinforce the importance of resiliency throughout the entire chain of command and are key to ensuring the department's ability to continue performing its mission essential functions in any situation.

In addition to US personnel, GT '25 will involve key allied and NATO partners, including personnel from the United Kingdom, who will integrate into senior leadership teams and work across a broad spectrum of areas offering policy support and operational insight. I do want to emphasize that this is an annual exercise and is not in response to actions by any nation or other actors or current world events.

For any questions regarding the exercise, I recommend you contact US strategic command public affairs. And with that, I'll be glad to take your questions. First question will go to Lita Baldor, Associated Press.

Q: Thank you, Pat. A couple questions on the leak. Can you say whether or not the secretary has had any discussions with his counterpart or any other Israeli leaders on this leak, and to sort of fill them in on what the US at least as of now thinks happened? And has the Pentagon or the military taken any steps at this point to either determine if there are other leaks out there or to sort of stop or prevent anything additional from going out? And I have one follow up.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: OK. So just to confirm, you're asking whether or not the department has been in contact with the Israelis?

Q: Yes.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Yeah. Yes, we have, but I'm just not going to be able to get into private discussions on that. And then, I'm sorry, the second part?

Q: Can you say if it was actually the secretary that spoke with—

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: —The secretary has spoken with his counterpart, but again, I'm just not able to get into details on that.

Q: OK. And the second part was, can you talk about any steps that the department has taken either to shut down any possible additional leaks or locate where this came from?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Look, I mean, again, as you heard earlier today, the FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with the Department of Defense and the intelligence community on this. The investigation is in its first few days, so it's important to let that investigation run its course.

As it relates to the safety or the safeguarding of sensitive information, that is of course something that we take incredibly seriously here at the Department of Defense, and we'll continue to do so. But as it relates to this particular allegation, as I'm sure you can appreciate, because it's under investigation, I'm just not going to be able to offer any more comment.

And you said you had a follow up?

Q: I have one quick follow up. There's obviously been one Defense Department employee who has been named on social media. Can you say whether or not that person or anyone else has had either their security clearance limited or anything as a result of this investigation so far?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Again, as I just highlighted, this investigation is in its first few days and it's important to let the investigation run its course. To my knowledge, this official is not a subject of interest, and the department remains fully committed to supporting the investigation. And I'll just leave it there.

Q: Thanks, Pat. There have been reports of a joint US Iraq operation against ISIS and the Iraqi prime minister said that the top ISIS leader in the country was killed. What can you tell us about this?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: What I can tell you is that overnight, CENTCOM and Iraqi security forces conducted a partner raid in Iraq, targeting several senior ISIS leaders. The raid resulted in the death of multiple ISIS operatives. Post-mission analysis is ongoing, so we'll provide more details once we have confirmed information, and we'll have more to follow on that.

Q: Thank you. And on Israel, we've also seen reports that the country has requested another THAAD system from the United States. Are you tracking any such request?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: I've seen those reports, but I'm not aware of a request for a second THAAD.

Thank you.

Q: President Zelenskyy said the United States is promised $800 million to Ukraine to produce long range drones. Can you flesh that out a little bit? Will this be USIA money or some kind of FMF grant, Foreign military financing grant?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Tony. Let me take that question for you because I want to make sure we get you the facts.

Q: Can I ask you a leak question? I mean, this is a two page document. You've had instances where they share over hundreds of pages. Can you help the public understand why this two page document is causing such a kerfuffle here compared to Teixeira, Wikileaks there's been, over the decades, there's been this kind of a situation, but what made this so sensitive?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Well, again, this is currently under investigation, so I'm going to be very limited in what I can say, Tony. I would say any time there's an allegation of potential unauthorized disclosures, we're going to take it seriously. That's exactly what we're doing, and I'll just leave it there.

Q: Is this considered a media leak right now or almost a foreign—an espionage leak of a foreign government gaining documents?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Again, Tony, it's under investigation, so I'm just not going to be able to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Q: Fair enough.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Charlie.

Q: OK. Thank you, General. You have said that the DoD is fully supporting the investigation led by the FBI. Who at the DoD, which departments, which personnel are involved in this?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Yeah. What I would tell you, Charlie, is DoD is fully supporting. The FBI is the lead on this investigation, so I'd refer you to them for any questions.

Q: But aren't there representatives of the DoD that are part of the investigation?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: I just said that the department is fully supporting, but I'm not going to have any more details to provide beyond that. Tom?

Q: Thanks, General. Two different questions. We have a story today showing that 15 UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured when the IDF apparently deployed white phosphorus by their base in southern Lebanon this month. Can I ask what is the DoD's view on the use of white phosphorus in war? And would the Pentagon have any concerns about it being used by or near UNIFIL bases?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: So as far as Israeli operations go, Tom, I'd have to refer you to them to talk about that. Broadly speaking, white phosphorous is used essentially as a signaling capability that you can use to hone-in on targets or to also provide smoke capability. But yeah, so it does have a legitimate use in combat operations.

Q: OK. And then separately, 64 democrats in Congress yesterday wrote to President Biden calling for him to push Israel to allow unimpeded access for American and international journalists into Gaza. The letter has been endorsed by CPJ and many other journalist organizations. Does the secretary support the call for journalists to be allowed in unimpeded into Gaza?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: I don't have a comment to provide on the specific letter itself, Tom. I will say that the Department and Secretary Austin fully support a free and independent press and the important role that journalists play in providing facts to audiences worldwide, and that includes reporting from conflict zones like Gaza.

Thank you.

Q: Thanks. Just a few follow ups. On the raid in Iraq, can you tell us was the ISIS leader in the country, was he the target? Where was this raid? And was this US led or was this Iraqi led?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: So on the raid, again, we'll have more details to follow. Again, my understanding this was a partnered raid and so as we have more information to provide, we'll certainly get that out.

Q: OK. And then just to follow up on the leak, I know you mentioned that the individual is not under investigation. Just so there's no ambiguity. Are we talking about Ariana Tabatabai?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER: Again, for the purposes of reporting here. I don't want to start throwing out names to perpetuate information that, again, as I highlighted, to my knowledge the official that was being referenced is not a subject of interest. So, just leave it there.

Q: And does the Pentagon feel that the leak did originate in the Pentagon?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Again, this is under investigation, so I'm not going to have any comment to provide on an ongoing investigation.

Q: Pat, just a follow up on the leak. Can you help us understand why the Pentagon isn't conducting its own investigation? You said you're supporting the FBI. Why isn't DoD conducting its own either joint or separate investigation into the leak or how the system failed or broke down in this case?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Well, I'm just giving you a statement of fact here, Oren, and that is that the FBI is investigating the alleged leak and working closely with the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. And I'll just leave it there.

Q: On Sunday US 7th Fleet destroyer conducted the transit through the Taiwan Strait with Canadian Navy. So, what message was the US trying to send to China, given the — China's recent military drills around Taiwan?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks for the question. The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Higgins and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate HMCS Vancouver conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on October 20th through waters where high seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.

The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US and Canada's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international laws allows. So, thank you very much.

Yes, sir?

Q: Thank you, General. Yesterday Amos Hochstein, the envoy of President Biden, said in — when he was in Beirut that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah had escalated out of control. So, does Secretary Austin still — there is a pathway for the diplomatic — like, a ceasefire in any way in Lebanon?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: The short answer is yes, you know, he does. And we think that it's important that we get to a cessation of hostilities through diplomatic means as soon as possible, you know, and he's made that very clear, as has the department and other US officials. You've got Secretary Blinken, of course, in the Middle East right now working toward that end.

So, ultimately, again, we fully support Israel's right to defend itself, but we also believe that the best way to reduce the tensions that we see right now are through diplomatic means. And so, we'll continue to work closely throughout the interagency and with our partners in the region toward that end.

Q: I have another one, please, General. There are some reports claiming that the US and Israel have been — reached an understanding on the specific targets that could be for the Israeli if they want to retaliate Iranian in the maybe coming times. Do you confirm that report?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Look, I'm not going to speak for the Israelis and what they may or may not do in terms of any operations. I'd refer you to the Israelis to talk about that.

Let me go to the phone here real quick. Jeff Schogol, Task and Purpose?

Q: Thank you. Our sister publication, The War Zone, is reporting that 11,800 North Koreans have deployed to Russia to fight in Ukraine, including some that are expected to fight in the Kursk region in Russia. I want to know, now that the DoD has had time, can it say whether North Korea has deployed troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine? I know you might say this is a question for Russia and North Korea, but their public affairs apparatus is lacking. And quite frankly, you're nicer.

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Thanks, Jeff. You know, in terms of updates, Jeff, in order to give you the facts as I know them, right now we're looking into those reports. You know, as you've heard us say, that this development would mark a dangerous and highly concerning development, but we'll continue to keep you updated on information as we are able to make it available, and of course are, you know, consulting with our allies and partners in the region and around the world on this topic. Thank you.

Let me go to Mike from Washington Times.

Q: Thank you, Pat. To change the subject for a second, DJI Systems, the Chinese drone company, has filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon and Secretary Austin for your decision to designate them as a, quote, Chinese military company. They're saying it's hurt their bottom line. I was wondering if y'all have a statement or — about that. Can you confirm any of that?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Thanks, Mike. I am aware of the press reports on this, but we are not going to be able to comment due to ongoing litigation on this issue. So, just have to leave it there for right now.

Come back to the room. Janne, yeah.

Q: Thank you, General. Two questions on the dispatch of North Korean troops. North Korean fighter pilots were already training in Russia, and it was revealed that the dispatch of 1,500 special forces and several thousand ground troops and already been playing, even though the United States has, you know, surveillance, you know, tag attached. But why the White House and the State Department ignoring the answer to this? And what is the Pentagon's position on this?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: I'm not sure I fully understand your question, Janne. Can you — about North Korean pilots training and —?

Q: Fighter pilots in training at Russia already been through. But why United States surveillance assets cannot catch this issue?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Well, you know, look, clearly North Korea and Russia have a relationship. As to the eaches of that relationship and the kinds of exchanges of information and training that they've had over the years, you know, that — that in and of itself is not something that's necessarily new. But obviously, we're continuing to keep a close eye on this as it relates to the situation in Ukraine. And as I highlighted to your colleague, when we have any updates on that to provide, we certainly will.

Ok.

Q: South Korean president and the NATO secretary general had a phone call conversation yesterday, and he mentioned the possibility of providing Ukraine with weapons of mass destruction, including 155 millimeter shells. How would you react to that?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: I'll let our — you said the South Korean? I'll let the ROK speak for itself in terms of its decisions. We certainly welcome the Republic of Korea's support for Ukraine's fight for freedom and sovereignty. But I'll let them speak to any decisions they may make on that front.

Go to couple more.

Q: Yeah. I had another question I wanted to ask earlier in terms of Israeli retaliation, Iranian counter retaliation. We've seen this pattern where it's been a matter of weeks before either side would retaliate. Are you expecting that this might be more immediate, in fact possibly even simultaneous, from the Iranians if attacked?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Charlie, you know, I'm not going to speculate or try to predict the future.

Q: But you've got to prepare for it.

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: We prepare for a wide range of contingencies. And so, again, our focus has been on working with partners throughout the region to try to prevent the current tensions from spiraling into a wider conflict. I will say that that continues to be our overarching aim, recognizing, again, that Israel faces multiple threats, and we'll do our part to help support their defense. But as far as what Israel may or may not do and Iran may or may not do, I'm just not going to get into speculating or talk about hypotheticals.

Q: But, for instance, having the THAAD in place before Israel retaliates, does that play into the calculus?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Look, I think the THAAD, as we've highlighted, augments the air defense capability that we already have in the theater. And the context is twice now Iran has conducted massive missile and drone barrages against Iran. So, this augments the air defense capability that we have in the region, as well as provides additional protection for our forces and our American citizens who are in the Middle East.

Last question, Matt?

Q: Just another quick follow up on that partnered operation in Iraq. Did you have any battle damage assessment on ISIS? And were there any American or partnered force casualties that you're aware of?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: So, the mission analysis is ongoing. We do have reports of two US service members that were injured. I don't have more to provide at this time, Matt. My understanding is that both of them are in stable condition being treated for their injuries. But certainly, we'll have more to provide on that as it becomes available.

Q: Where are they being treated?

MAJ. GENERAL RYDER: Again, that's the information I have right now. We'll keep you updated on that front.

Ok. All right. Thanks very much, everybody. Appreciate it.

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