Good afternoon , everyone . I hope you
had a restful Thanksgiving holiday . I
have just a few things to get to at the
top and we'll get right to your
questions today . The United States
airlifted 24.5 metric tons or more than
£54,000 of un humanitarian supplies to
provide vitally needed medical supplies ,
warm clothing and food and nutrition
assistance to the people of Gaza . At
the request of USA ID , these supplies
were transported via A US Air Force C
17 Globemaster aircraft and arrived
today in Egypt where they will be
transported via ground into Gaza and
then distributed by un agencies .
Additional flights are expected in the
coming days and this aid is in addition
to the more than £500,000 of food
assistance delivered by the United
States last week via USA . ID
contracted aircraft to Al Arish Egypt
for onward travel to Gaza . For more
information about these ongoing efforts .
I would refer you to USA ID .
Separately secretary Austin will travel
to California December 1 through second
on Friday . He will host the Australia
uh host Australia's Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Defense
Richard Marles and U K's Secretary of
State for Defense grant shops at
Moffett field to discuss the Australia
United Kingdom , United States Security
Partnership or Aus on the campus of Dod
S Defense Innovation Unit . The
Secretary also spend time with diu
personnel who are accelerating the
adoption of leading commercial
technology throughout the US military
and growing the national security
innovation base . Secretary , Austin
will then travel to Simi Valley to
deliver a keynote address on Saturday
at the 2023 Reagan National Defense
Forum where he will emphasize America's
global leadership and strength at home
at a time of testing , as well as the
department's efforts to build enduring
advantages through accelerating force
development , capitalizing on the
latest technology and making
investments in the department's people .
The trip announcement with additional
details will be posted to the dod
website today and with that , I'm happy
to take your questions . We'll start
with associated Press T up Ryder .
Thanks for doing this . Um Just on that
aid shipment is that the first time
that A US military aircraft has been
used to fly uh aid to for
Gazans ? Yes , that is correct
in terms of humanitarian assistance .
I'm sorry , in terms of humanitarian
assistance , aid , correct ? Ok . And
then secondly , um with the cease fire
announcement , it seems like there has
been no attacks on us bases in Iraq and
Syria since last week . Have uh our
facilities , have they been reaching
out at all to groups in the area to
make sure that that peace lasts or is
there any communication at all ? Thanks
Tara . So uh as you highlight , uh
there have been no attacks on us forces
in Iraq and Syria since November 23rd ,
uh since the operational pause began in
Israel , uh again , our forces are
there for one reason and that's to stay
focused on the defeat ISIS mission .
And so uh we will continue to focus on
that mission as well as ensuring that
our forces are protected . Should there
be any additional attacks ? We would
certainly hope that that's not the case ,
but we will be prepared to respond
accordingly if there are any additional
attacks on our forces . All right , let
me go back to the room here , Jennifer .
Um Pat , I'd like to ask you about the
ballistic missiles that were fired by
the Houthis . Um , just on Sunday . Do
you consider that the US Navy was the
target of those missiles ? And what
evidence do you have that they were or
weren't ? And why is the US not
responding to these kind of persistent
probing of US forces ? So , a couple
updates on that front . So as it
pertains to the uh the incident with
the the missiles right now , our
current analysis is that we know that
there was at least one missile fired .
We're continuing to look into that
whether it was one or two , but we know
that there was at least one missile .
Um And we also at this point , assess
that the , the vessels uh the Mason and
the Central Park were not the intended
targets . Uh That said , uh I can't
speak for what the intended targets
target was . Uh And would have to refer
you to the , the Houthi rebels to talk
to that . But how can you say that the
US S Mason or Central Park were not the
target ? What would be the target ?
That's a great question . It's
something that we're continuing to
analyze as , as you've heard us say
this , this missile landed
approximately 10 nautical miles away
from these vessels . Um But again ,
current assessment right now is that it
was not specific , the ships were not
specifically being targeted is the US
planning any sort of military action
against the Houthis . Well , look when
it , when it comes to our forces , as I
highlighted , we're going to do
whatever we need to do to ensure that
they stay protected . I'm not going to
telegraph or forecast or speculate on
any potential strikes that we might
take in the region other than to say we
will do what's necessary to protect our
forces . The IRGC released some footage
of some drone video of the USS
Eisenhower passing through the Strait
of Hormuz . Were you aware that there
was an Iranian drone up above the I ?
Yeah , I'm aware of those reports .
We're looking into that and so don't
have anything to pass along now . But
if we do . We certainly will let you
know . Thank you . Sure . Sure . Um
Yesterday , senior administration
officials uh said that the Israeli ,
the anticipated Israeli campaign in the
South and southern Gaza can't be the
same uh as , as it was in the north in
terms of the number of people that were
displaced and in terms of the targeting
of uh hospitals , uh water and power
and un supported shelters . Can you
speak to any of the conversations that
the secretary has had with his Israeli
counterparts on that on that front ? Or
can you elaborate on sure , without
getting into the specifics of the
conversations you've seen in the
readouts that we've issued that a topic
of discussion between Secretary Austin
and the Israeli Minister of Defense
continues to be the importance of
conducting operations in accordance
with the law of armed conflict ,
protecting civilians and ensuring that
aid does get into Gaza . And so that
will continue to be a focus going
forward . We certainly do not want to
see innocent civilians being harmed or
impacted to a greater extent than they
have been already . And so that I'm
sure will continue to be a focus of our
conversation on share that assessment
that whatever if there's a campaign in
the South Israeli campaign in the South ,
that it cannot be the same as carried
out the same way it was . So it would ,
it would be inappropriate for me from
the podium as a military spokesman to
start talking about ID F operations and
what , what they should and shouldn't
do on the ground . Certainly it's their
operation . Um , but again , within the
contours of understanding the
importance of protecting civilian lives ,
innocent civilian lives while at the
same time , going after the terrorist
group , Hamas that inflicted pain and
suffering , not only on the Israeli
people , but on the Palestinian people .
Uh , you know , that will continue to
be a priority for us . Let me Haley so
much . Um I wanna ask about the um ,
source members and the TB is that we've
seen over the last several weeks . Um
Do you believe that everyone who may be
experiencing that has come forward ?
Are you seeing any more people maybe ,
um , asking to get screened and then
just given sort of the persistent
nature that we've seen of these attacks ?
Is there any proactive screening being
done instead of just waiting for people
to come to you but going to them and ,
and , you know , sort of giving them
the information to know that if they
can tell if something is wrong . Yeah ,
thanks Haley . So I don't , I don't
have any uh new updates provide in
terms of uh folks , you know , in Iraq
and Syria that , that um have been
diagnosed with TB is , you know , we've
been providing that information as it
becomes available . Uh History has
shown experience has shown that that
sometimes there are uh latent uh
symptoms and so service members
certainly are screened , especially
when you're in a deployed environment .
You know , whether that be self
reporting , uh or uh whether you know
your your teammates notice something .
So that's something that we will
continue to stay on top of . But I
don't have any new numbers to provide
beyond what we've already passed along
to you . Thanks . Go over here , Megan
or Aaron , sorry . So uh us
space com has stated the satellite that
uh North Korea um launched
did uh enters orbit .
So can you state that the satellite was
a success ? Yeah , thanks Erin . Uh So
we are aware that uh the D Pr Ks launch
of a space launch vehicle . Um Did you
know was conducted ? Um We , we're uh
aware that it did uh enter into
orbit um and um that it
involved ballistic missile technology .
Um But beyond that , at this point ,
I'm not gonna have any further details
provided there seems to be some
discrepancy because uh since it did in
our orbit , what constitutes a
successful launch . Um Well , I
I'll leave it to others to define
successful on your question . Was , did
it go into orbit ? Uh And so again , we ,
we do know that it went into orbit uh
for something to go into orbit , it
needs to escape , escape earth's
gravity and be able to be sustained uh
you know , in orbit around the earth .
So uh really it would be up to the
North Koreans to define what the
parameters of this launch were and what
they were hoping to achieve . Uh I'm
not gonna speak to that other than to
say again , we do know that it's that
it's in orbit . Uh We will continue to
stay in close consultation with our
Republic of Korea and Japanese allies
as well as other regional partners and
allies uh and , and monitor that
closely . Thank you . Let me go to the
phone here and I'll come back in the
room . Uh Phil Stewart Reuters . Uh
Yeah , hi . Uh Just trying to uh drill
into the idea that the , so these two
missiles or the missile or two missiles
that were fired uh off . Y and that was
just truly a coincidence then . Is that ,
is that the understanding ? Yeah ,
thanks , Phil . So I'm not gonna
characterize it . I'm just gonna
provide the facts as we know them and ,
and right now as we continue to analyze
this , um as I mentioned , we are aware
that there was at least one missile .
Um And at this point , our , our
assessment is that those ships were not
specifically targeted uh as to what was
being targeted . Uh Again , that's
something that we'll continue to look
into . Uh so that those are the facts
as I have them right now . Ok , let me
go to Jeff Shole . Thank
you . Uh Given that the uh Pentagon is
under a continuing resolution , is it
having to move funds from training and
maintenance accounts in order to pay
for operations such as deploying um
aircraft carriers uh to the , the med
and to the , the SECA mayor .
Uh Thanks Jeff . So as you know , uh
you know , training funds and operation
and maintenance funds come from
different pots of money um as it does
relate to the situation in the Middle
East . Um We are , the military
departments are uh currently cash
flowing those requirements from
existing accounts with funding that was
provided by the continuing resolution .
And so as we go forward , uh the
military departments and us Central
Command uh will be assessing new
requirements that support both current
and future operations within this area
of responsibility uh against previously
planned requirements . And so uh that
will be important work going forward .
In the meantime , as you know , uh we
have requested supplemental funding uh
from the Congress . And so we will
continue to stay uh uh in close contact
uh with the hill to , to work through
that . And of course , as always would
advocate for a full year appropriation .
Thank you , come back into the room
here . So we were promised that the
Pentagon would provide us with more
information on the value and scope of
us military assistance to Israel since
October 7th . Is , is that information
available to you now ? Thanks ,
certainly aware of the request and I
can assure you that that is something
we're taking seriously and continuing
to work through as soon as we have that
information to provide . We'll be sure
to do that . Um And uh previously you
told us that there were us assets over
Gaza doing ISR to help with
hostage recovery . Is that activity
continuing or did the US pause that
activity as part of the operation pause
in Gaza ? Yeah , thanks . So , in light
of the operational pause , uh and in
compliance with the agreement reached
between Israel and Hamas , uh we are
not currently conducting those ISR
flights and so those have been paused
for now . Thank you . Let me go to
Nancy . I'll come back to you . I
wanted to ask for clarification on
something earlier and then I follow up
question . Uh What specifically is the
US sent to Egypt and approximately how
much is it worth in terms of the , the
humanitarian aid ? Sure . Uh so
as I understand it , and again USA ID
can provide you much more detail . Uh
It includes medical supplies to support
the health system in Gaza . It includes
ready to use food , uh foods for
displaced populations . Uh It includes
uh clothing for the uh since winter is
is upon us . And so , um
that's , that's essentially what's
being provided at this point . I do not
have a sense of when it could arrive in
Gaza . It , well , it arrived in Egypt
today . So , um uh you know , my
assumption here is that it's being
loaded onto vehicles now for ground
delivery into Gaza . So , uh you know ,
very soon and , and as I mentioned ,
and we'll have more later on this , but
there will be uh we expect additional
flights in the coming days . So we'll
certainly keep you updated on that .
And so you did know the value , I do
not know the value . And then you had
said to f that you're still working on
the number for how much equipment has
been provided to Israel . Why is it ,
can you give us a sense of why it's
taken so long to get that approximate
estimate ? I mean , with other
conflicts most notably Ukraine , that
there has been a number that's been
available on a real time basis . Why is
this different ? Yeah , thanks . So
again , we're working to get those
numbers in terms of what we can provide ,
as I understand it , part of the
complexity is the methods by which
we're providing these , some of that ,
which is already um for , for example ,
paid for through uh the foreign
military sales for military financing ,
you know , pre existing agreements with
Israel , some of it is coming from uh
stocks uh that we have in the region ,
some of it's coming from uh you know ,
us inventory . So there's a multitude
of different methods in order to meet
this urgent need . Uh And so it's not
the exact same thing as the way we're
providing assistance to Ukraine . So
this goes into the , how do you um
provide an accurate figure that
accurately reflects what we're
providing in terms of our funding
versus what Israel has funded and we're
expediting and those kinds of things .
And then lastly , you were asked about
comments that were made over the
weekend by the US that it expects or
hopes that the , any operations in the
to be at a different um tempo than they
were in the North . In Secretary
Austin's discussions with the Israeli
counterparts , has he talked about the
US providing different munitions to the
Israelis going forward to support um a
different kind of conduct of the war in
the South in terms of the types of
weapons that are used . Yeah , so I
won't get into the specifics other than
to say in , in their conversations ,
they're certainly discussing what
Israel's needs are uh again within the
broader context of um what it is
they're trying to achieve against Hamas
while at the same time ensuring that
we're taking that they're taking
civilian casualties and civilian safety
into account . I'll just leave it at
that . Thank you very much . Thank you ,
General . Uh two questions on North
Korea . North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
announced yesterday said that uh North
Korea's military satellite captured the
images of , of the White House and the
Pentagon also the US
bases . In fact , what is the United
States as to uh assessment of the , you
know , this cos they
got pictures of the Pentagon in the
White House . Um I , I don't have
any information to provide on what the
North Korean satellite has captured
imagery of . Are you still with
your allies ? I don't have
anything further to provide . I will
say that there are plenty of images of
the Pentagon and the White House online .
So I just leave it at that .
Korea is completely abolishing the
intern military agreement . Least
telling God to post to end con
concentrating troops at
military dedication line .
How do you view of the possibility
of those couriers supplies ? Yeah . So ,
you know , it's obviously something
that we're continuing to monitor
closely . I don't have any specific
information to provide right now on ,
you know , purported North Korean
deployments . What I will say again is
that us extended deterrent , our
commitment to us extended deterrence to
both the Republic of Korea and Japan uh
will remain ironclad . And as you know ,
Secretary Austin just returned from his
second trip this year to the Korean
Peninsula and he was very clear when he
was in Seoul after seven decades of
preserving peace and stability on the
Korean Peninsula , the US ro alliance
stands strong . So let me go to Joe .
Now . Can you tell me to Yemen ?
Have you seen any evidence that Iranian
operatives or experts are with the
Houthis inside Yemen to provide them
with the expertise or satellite imagery
before they launch or in the process of
launching their ballistic missiles
towards Israel or towards us
ships ? Thanks . So I don't , you know ,
have any specific information to
provide on that . I'm not going to get
into intelligence as you well know ,
the Houthis and Iran have a long
standing relationship , but in terms of
your specific question , I don't have
anything to pass along . You can say if
the Iranian as of now , they keep
assisting the Houthis with the I ,
I don't have anything to pass along on
that . Thank you . All right . Time for
a couple more tom quick follow ups
on the aid flight that landed . I'm
inferring what you said that it'll be
trucked in by , not by the US military .
The United Nations agencies will take
it on the ship . You duced that they
were not the targets . Can that means
can you rule out by your preliminary
assessment that the pirates who took
control of the ship were not directing
it toward Yemen to make it a target ?
Um , a as it pertains to the armed
individuals that uh attempted to seize
the motor vessel , Central Park . Um
You know , again , that's something
that we continue to assess . Um , as
you've heard us say right now , initial
indications are that these are Somalis .
Um They are aboard the US S Mason uh
where they're being questioned . Uh You
know , when we have more information to ,
to provide in terms of next steps on
that front , in terms of their
disposition . We'll certainly let you
know . Uh but we're continuing to
assess uh motive , um , you know ,
point of origin all those things . So
at this point , that's where we're at .
Thank you . Would you characterize the
Houthi as a terrorist group ? Um , you
know , I'll , I'll leave it to State
Department to define what is and is not
a terrorist group . Certainly . Uh ,
the Houthi rebels , uh , you know ,
have a long history of uh fomenting
instability in the region as , as you
well know . Uh but again , you know ,
um , right now we , we the United
States military are going to stay
focused on the missions that we have at
hand in Iraq and Syria . It's going to
be focused on the defeat ISIS mission
in the Red Sea and in the Arabian Gulf
and the Gulf of Aden , we're going to
continue to stay focused on working
with the international community to
ensure regional security and stability ,
whether that's transiting the
international Waterways or working with
our partners to provide air defense .
Is there still consideration of putting
them back on the terror list ? Again ,
I'd refer you to State Department for
that . All right , thanks very much .
Appreciate it .