Good afternoon , everyone . Just a few
things here at the top and we'll get
right to your questions . This morning ,
Secretary Austin had his first
engagement with Admiral Dong Jun ,
Minister of National Defense of the
People's Republic of China via
teleconference . From here at the
Pentagon . The two leaders discussed us
PRC defense relations and regional and
global security issues . During the
discussion , Secretary Austin
emphasized the importance of continuing
to open lines of military to military
communication between the US and the
People's Republic of China . He also
underscored the importance of respect
for high seas , freedom of navigation
guaranteed under international law ,
especially in the South China Sea and
reiterated that the United States will
continue to fly sail and operate safely
and responsibly wherever international
law allows . Secretary Austin also
discussed Russia's unprovoked war
against Ukraine and expressed concerns
about recent provocations from the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea .
In addition , the secretary reiterated
that the United States remains
committed to our long standing one
China policy , which is guided by the
Taiwan Relations Act , the Three US
China joint communiques and the six
assurances . And he reaffirmed the
importance of peace and stability
across the strait , the department will
continue to engage in active
discussions with PR C counterparts
about future engagements between
defense and military officials at
multiple levels as agreed to by
President Biden and Pr C President Xing
Jiping in November 2023 . A full
readout of today's call is available on
defense.gov switching gears . Secretary
Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of
Defense Jav Gallant last night to
discuss the aftermath of Iran's
unprecedented April 13th attacks which
as you know , us , Israeli and partner
forces thwarted in a combined defensive
operation during the call . The
secretary reiterated steadfast us
support for Israel's defense and
reaffirmed the strategic goal of
regional stability as you saw from our
call readouts posted yesterday ,
Secretary Austin continues to
communicate with leaders throughout the
Middle East region and beyond to
emphasize that while the United States
does not seek escalation , we will
continue to defend Israel and us
personnel . Separately , Secretary
Austin also spoke with Ukrainian
Defense Minister , Rustam Umarov
earlier today to discuss the situation
on the ground and reaffirm our
unwavering commitment to Ukraine's
defense capabilities and fight for
freedom from Russian aggression . A
full readout will be posted today on
the dod website . And then finally
looking ahead to tomorrow , Secretary
Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff , General CQ Brown Junior
Junior will provide testimony before
the House Appropriations defense
sub-committee at 10 a.m. on Capitol
Hill regarding the fiscal year 2025 dod
budget request with that I'd be happy
to take your questions . We'll go to A
P LITA . Thanks , Pat . Um , the
secretary has been speaking to , uh Mr
Lot quite frequently . Um , has he
spoken to him again today ? Are there
plans to do another call today ? Uh ,
he has not spoken with him today . Um ,
and I don't have a call to read out .
Of course , we'll , we'll keep you
updated . And can you describe in any
way what the secretary leaves
is whether or not the Israelis and
Minister Gallant are heeding us
entreaties to not trigger a
wider conflict in the Middle East . Is
there , is there a sense that Israel is
listening to that message ? Um Well , I
appreciate the question . I don't , I
don't want to speak for Israel , of
course . Um You know , the , the
secretary has been very clear in his
conversations with Minister Gallant per
our readouts uh that we uh will firmly
support Israel's defense . Um But
you've also heard us say that we do not
want to see a wider regional conflict .
Uh And I'll just leave it there . Is it
expected that Israel would give the USA
heads up if it does a counterattack and
give the US um any formal warning ? Uh
as , as I'm sure you can appreciate , I
can't go into specific uh diplomatic uh
discussions . Uh Again , we maintain
frequent contact . Uh not only with our
Israeli partners but our partners
throughout the region . Thank you .
Thank you , General So according to the
readout in what you just stated that um
the secretary reaffirmed the strate
strategic goal of regional stability uh
in light of this uh call is um
Secretary Austin , uh more or less uh
hopeful that this goal can be achieved .
Um Well , look , I'm not gonna uh
characterize uh the Secretary Simon
other than to say what , what we've put
out there , we've been working very
hard uh for many months to prevent a
wider regional conflict in the region .
Uh And we'll continue to work toward
that end . Does the secretary see uh a
way to achieve this option if
Israel decides to strike Iran ? Um Well ,
you know , again , without getting into
hypotheticals , um I guess much will
depend on , on what happens exactly and
how Iran might respond . So , again ,
as you've heard us say , while we don't
seek to escalate , we don't seek
escalation in the region . We will
continue to support Israel's defense ,
we will continue to defend our
personnel . Uh And you've also heard us
say , as I just mentioned that we don't
want to see this spiral into a wider
regional war nor do we seek conflict
with Iran . So again , we'll continue
to work toward that end . It , it's
interesting that you said this depends
on how Iran reacts , isn't it , doesn't
it depend as well on how Israel reacts ?
I appreciate you commenting on my
commentary being interesting . Um But I
mean , my words speak for themselves ,
right ? I mean , you , you're asking if
Israel does something , uh how will the
US respond ? Well , a lot will depend
on what happens and as you know , right
now nothing has happened . So we'll
have to see . Thanks Clara . Thank you .
Can you speak generally about how long
it takes to set up J lots once they
arrive ? Like typically , what kind of
time frame are we looking at ? Yeah .
So , um , you know , a lot of the
components are already in the theater .
Uh And as I'm sure you can appreciate ,
there's sort of a sequencing that will
take place to , to construct and
implement J lots . Um based on the
information that I have right now ,
we're , we're still on track uh to have
J lots achieve operating capability by
the end of the month or early May . Uh
And so what you will probably see uh in
the next 2 to 3 weeks is components of
J lots starting to be uh constructed .
Uh But again , planners are working
through those details and we'll
certainly provide you much more
information as we get closer to date
shifted though because originally it
was third week of April , then it was
end of April . Now , it's maybe early
May . I'm telling you that um you know ,
there's IOC and there's FOC um right
now we're , we're tracking that it will
be operational , which means it will
have some initial operating capability
by the end of the month . Or early May .
Uh what we said when we announced it
was that it would be operational within
60 days and we're still on track for
that . Thanks Chris uh in the
secretary's call . Um uh PR C uh
Minister today . Did he bring up the ,
the issue of the air intercepts with
American aircraft ? Um And uh
he uh press for an explanation of why
those occurred and what the , the
Chinese reasoning was for those . Yeah ,
thanks Chris . I'm really not gonna
have much more to provide beyond what
we included in our readout , as I
mentioned . Uh there , there was a
discussion uh about the fact that the
United States will continue to fly sail
and operate safely and responsibly
wherever international law allows .
Thank you , General uh Iran and Israel ,
Iran and North Korea are working
together to pursue the performance of
nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles .
And uh is it possible that these
weapons was used to , to attack
Israel ? Um I , I , you know , I can't
speculate Janie certainly . Um you know ,
when it comes to threats posed by uh
the D pr K in Iran , something that we
take very seriously , which , which
should be obvious . But again , just
for the , the sake of restating it , uh
we will continue to work very closely
with our partners , both in the Middle
East region as well as in the Indo
Pacific region uh to address potential
threats uh to our , our peoples . Uh
And work very hard towards regional
security and stability and on that
front , uh when it comes to the Indo
Pacific region , uh just to make clear
uh similar to uh our uh
ironclad defense of Israel , our
relationship and our alliance with the
Republic of Korea and Japan are also
ironclad and we will stand beside them
uh to work together towards security
and stability throughout the region one
more . Uh Do you predict that Israel or
Iran might use nuclear weapons
in the future ? Uh You know , again , I
can't get into predicting the future
Jie other than we're going to work very
hard again to , to ensure security and
stability and , and uh prevent the
proliferation of nuclear weapons or uh
two different questions ? One , is
there any more clarity or information
on whether there was or wasn't a 50 50%
failure rate from Iranian ballistic
missiles ? And second in the call
between Secretary Austin and Minister
Umarov , uh on the unwavering
commitment , we're , we're still
unclear if Congress is going to pass a
supplemental and it looks like that
commitment is very much wavering . What
did Secretary Austin tell Mr Umarov on
that ? And does the secretary believe
the , the supplemental will pass ? So ,
on that , on the 50% number , I don't
have anything uh new for you or in
other than to say , uh as I highlighted
yesterday , uh that uh
the air threats that Iran launched
toward Israel , the vast majority of
those uh were taken down . Uh and
clearly Iran failed to achieve their
objective of uh causing destruction
within Israel , you know , very minimal
damage on the ground when it comes to
the unwavering commitment of the United
States for Israel . Um I , I think it's
important , first of all , as you
highlight , I'm sorry , so many
countries to talk about today . Um The
unwavering support of the United States
for Ukraine . Um you know , look , we
absolutely need the supplemental , but
I think it's also important to look at
what the United States is doing uh with
many other countries to support Ukraine .
In fact , I mean , we're , we're about
to uh conduct uh the 21st
Ukraine defense contact group and two
years after Russia's invasion , you
have a coalition of nearly 50 nations
that have worked together for over two
years to support Ukraine and the United
States continues to provide a
significant leadership role when it
comes to working with those partners to
ensure Ukraine has the capabilities ,
it needs as well as helping with the
capability coalitions that looks at not
only the near term requirements but
also the long term defense requirements
that Ukraine will have . And so we
absolutely are committed to Ukraine's
defense and we will continue to work
closely with Congress to , to get the
resources we need to support them , to
getting back to JAY laws . Has the
security arrangements been worked out
about who will , you know , secure the
aid once it gets into presumably the
idea , but any other countries , we
expect to get involved in that as well .
And also as far as who will be driving
the aid and where the , you know , is
that USA ID doing that in contracting
out ? Do we have any details on the way
ahead ? Yeah , Tom . Um , we'll , we'll
certainly have much more to provide in
the near future . Um , right now , um ,
you know what I would tell you is ,
again , we're making progress on that
front , front when it comes to security .
Uh again , with the , with the
important point here that there will be
no US forces on the ground in Gaza .
Israel has signed up to provide
security . Uh And so we're obviously
working through with USA ID , who is
going to receive that aid , uh how it's
going to be uh offloaded onto land and
then distributed throughout Gaza . So ,
uh again , I'm not in a position right
now to go into much more detail than
that other than progress continues to
be made . And , and like I said , we're
on track right now . Uh for a late
April , early May initial operating
capability , let me go to Carlin and
I'll come to Consti Pat um is sitcom
Commander General Eric Corella still in
the region ? And is he still working to
coordinate a potential uh defense for
any future attacks ? Uh I'd , I'd refer
you to Sam on his specific whereabouts .
Uh I I do know that he's traveling
right now uh overseas , but I'd refer
you to them for the specifics . And
then on the video call , uh did
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
mention the surge in sales uh that you
confirmed yesterday uh that China has
been doing uh supporting Russia's war
against Ukraine . Did he mention that
at all ? And did he ask China to stop ?
Um you know , again , as I highlighted
uh in the , in the topper , um the
secretary did raise uh Russian
aggression in Ukraine . But beyond that ,
I'm , I'm not gonna be able to provide
any further details . Thank you . I'm
sorry , Constantine . Then I'll come to
your thanks . Just a quick follow up on
Tom's question . Has any decision been
made in terms of security being
provided at sea ? So , you know , navy
ships or other security arrangements
for the sea , sea , sea word component
of J Lots . Yeah . So , um you know ,
first , let me just say that when it
comes to J Lots and when it comes to us
forces supporting this effort , it's ,
it's important to understand that
safety of our forces is paramount . So
that is something that is being taken
into consideration um throughout this
planning process . Uh And so , uh in
addition to uh some Israeli support
when it comes to uh the , the maritime
aspect of security , uh certainly , you
know , uh within six fleet , we have
capabilities there as well . And uh as
I understand it the J lots , uh uh
vessels and personnel have organic um
force protection capability as well .
So again , not gonna go into the
specifics on that , but that is
something that , that is fundamental to
the entire planning of this operation .
Go to Rio and then I'll go to the phone
real quick . So I have a follow up on
the secretary's call with the Chinese
Defense Minister this morning and
during the call , did the secretary
receive any explanations or any
commitment from the Chinese side
regarding the recent tensions in the
Second Thomas show in the South ? Yeah ,
I appreciate the question . I'll , I'll
let the , the PR C uh speak for
themselves again . I'd refer you to the
readout in terms of , of what was
discussed in our positions . Thank you .
All right . Let me go to the phone here
real quick . Uh JJ from WTO P General ,
thank you for the chance to do this .
Uh Two quick questions , Israel it
seems is planning a limited response to
Iran's attack . The Pentagon has said
it doesn't want a wider war . How do
Israel's plans impact the Pentagon's
plans in the region ? Yeah , a again ,
um you know , see those reports . Um
and , and certainly would refer you to
the Israelis uh JJ when it comes to uh
anything they might do . Um which of
course is an Israeli decision . Um You
know , as I've highlighted , uh we do
not seek escalation in the region . Um
But we will not hesitate to defend
Israel and protect our personnel . Um
Again , we do not want to see a wider
regional war . We don't see conflict
with Iran , but we won't hesitate to
take necessary actions to protect our
forces .
I'm sorry JJ , I can't hear you . Yeah ,
Iran and Russia have developed a , a
military partnership which may be to
Iran's benefit as is Israel prepares
for whatever response it's going to
give . Iran also helps Russia in its
war with Ukraine . So how does that
partnership impact the Pentagon's view
and plans for dealing with both of
those countries ? Well , you raise a
really good point . Uh And uh I think
it's often forgotten about the fact
that Iran has been providing Russia uh
with capabilities to include one way
attack drones as you know , uh to uh
conduct its illegal uh war inside
Ukraine . Uh And so while you see the
United States and other international
partners working together uh to promote
regional security and stability uh and
deliver humanitarian assistance , uh
You see countries like Iran uh
exporting terror and destruction .
Thank you , Eunice . This
administration has been calling for one
thing since Saturday and that , that is
the escalation , which sounds like the
perfect reasonable thing for hundreds
of millions of people in the region .
But you're also saying that we're not
going to hesitate to defend Israel . So
doesn't that give enough freedom to the
Netanyahu government to escalate this
as much as they'd like because the US
is going to be there under any
circumstances to defend . Well , again ,
certainly , uh , we don't , you know ,
the , the bottom line up front , we
don't want to see a wider regional war
and we've been working very hard toward
that end , uh , ever since the , the
Hamas Israel conflict as , you know ,
kicked off back in October . Um , and
when it comes to , uh , a potential
Israeli response , uh , again , that is
a sovereign decision for Israel to make .
Uh they were attacked by Iran in an
unprecedented attack over 300 air
threats . Um So that , that is their
decision . Um But again , we've been
very clear uh that we don't want to see
things escalate . Um What I'm saying is
that if Iran were to conduct an attack ,
another attack against Israel , uh just
to be crystal clear , the United States
uh will support the defense of Israel
just as we did this last weekend that
make a potential Israeli government
decision binding for the Pentagon .
Again , look , I'm not gonna get into
the Israeli decision making . I'd refer
you to them . Um I think we've been
very clear uh that we don't want to see
escalation that we don't want to see a
wider regional war and I'll just leave
it at that . Um Thank you . Uh So China
has continued to become more aggressive
towards the Philippines . And in the
past M MC A US , officials stated that
we'll continue to press the PR C on
those issues . Did Austin uh press him
on this particular issue ? Well , again ,
I'd , I'd refer you back to the readout .
Um You know , the secretary uh as I
highlighted , made clear in the
discussion uh that it is important uh
for the , to respect the high seas ,
freedom of navigation that is
guaranteed under international law ,
especially in the South China Sea . Uh
And , and that the United States will
continue to fly sail and operate safely
and responsibly wherever international
law allows . Correct ? But did he press
him on the uh Thomas Shoal ? Like the
Philippines ? Not just , yeah , I
appreciate the question . I'd I'd refer
you back to the readout . That's about
the extent of what I can provide today ,
Liz . And so you've said several times ,
excuse me that the US does not seek a
wider regional war . Is that a message
to Iran or a message to Israel ? I
think it's just a statement of fact ,
Carla , thank you , Pat the ID F is now
saying that an Israeli airstrike killed
a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon today .
Can you confirm was the secretary given
any sort of notification in his call
with his Israeli counterpart yesterday ?
That's news to me , Carly . I I'd have
to refer you to the Israelis to talk
about that . Let me go to the phone
here , Jeff Shog task and purpose .
Thank you . Just two quick questions .
Has there been any change to the US
military's footprint in . And also
there was a fire at the army's
ammunition plant in Scranton yesterday
at the risk of invoking Billy Joel . Do
we know who started the fire ?
Uh , on Nazer Jeff ? Um , no change in
the US Force Posture at this time . Uh ,
on the , uh , the fire , uh , I'd have
to refer you to the army , um , because
we didn't start the fire . Yes , ma'am .
Uh , just to clarify and follow up . So
is the message that no matter what
Israel does , if it reacts the US will
defend it regardless . Well , look , I ,
I think the president and the secretary
have been clear uh that the United
States , uh and our support for
Israel's defense is ironclad . So ,
doesn't that take away any leverage ,
you might have had to try and influence
the Israeli decision ? Look , uh ,
Israel lives in a dangerous
neighborhood and again , I think it's
important to take a step back here and
look at the US , Israel defense
relationship , the , the multi decades
long relationship that we have with
Israel . Uh And understand again , uh
that , that the United States
recognizes the neighborhood that Israel
lives in , uh the , the threats to
regional security and stability that
exist . Uh if Israel is not able to
defend itself . Uh And so I'll , I'll
just leave it there . Give them carte
blanche then just to go as big as they
want . Uh I'm not gonna get into the
hypotheticals . I like I said , you
know , whether or not Israel responds
is a , is an Israeli decision . We
don't want to see a wider regional
conflict . You , you see , uh the
Department of Defense and the broader
us , government working hard to
deescalating tensions in the region .
You can see that in all the readouts
that the secretary's had with his
counterparts uh throughout the Middle
East region and I'll just leave it
there . All right . let me go uh
Heather from us and I uh thank you so
much . Uh Just wanted to check in on
what we're seeing right now with the
houthis . It seems like they're getting
quieter . Um Do you think that's
related to what , what happened over
the weekend with Iran or are we
expecting to see more ? Um I , I don't
have any updates to provide heather uh
as it relates to the houthis clearly ,
you know , we , we continue uh to uh
have forces there that , that work
together as part of prosperity guardian
to uh deter uh disrupt and degrade
houthi capability . But , uh you know ,
I'd refer you to Centcom . They may
have more uh and heather while I have
you on the phone here too . And , and
the , and the group , I just want to
clarify a question you asked yesterday .
Uh You asked about whether or not uh
air based or excuse me , land based
seabased uh fighter aircraft . Uh I
don't think you said fighter . I think
you just said aircraft um participated
in the taking down of um , or in the
action yesterday . What I , what I
thought you were asking was , uh , were
sea based aircraft part of the
capabilities we had that were
supporting this overall effort . That
is true . Um But just to clarify the ,
the fighter aircraft that were um
participating in the operation of take
down drones were , were land based
aircraft , not sea based aircraft . So
just to clarify that . All right , any
other questions ? Last question ? Yes ,
sir . Uh Just uh thanks Pat . Uh I
didn't think of it the first time . Um
uh a point of clarification on the ,
you said there'd be Israeli support um
for the maritime aspect of security on
J lots . Um Does that include aerial
support for those ships uh such as
monitoring for threats , et cetera ?
Um You don't want to get into the
specifics in terms of air coverage . I
mean , clearly the , the United States
is going to do what we need to do to
protect our forces . Um You know , as I
understand it , Israel has signed up to
provide uh maritime security and land
based security , so just leave it there .
Ok , thanks very much , everybody .
Appreciate it .