LIVE: Pentagon Press Secretary Holds Briefing (Dec. 3)

and the Department of Defense continue to monitor the developing situation in the Republic of South Korea. The United States is in close contact with the ROK government to learn more and is closely monitoring developments. As we have any updates to provide we'll be sure to pass them along as appropriate. Separately this morning U.S. Central Command forces successfully destroyed several weapon systems in the vicinity of military support site Euphrates in Syria that included three truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers, a T-64 tank, and mortars that presented a clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces. The self-defense strike occurred after the mobile multiple rocket launchers fired rockets that landed in the vicinity of MSS Euphrates and mortars were fired towards U.S. forces. We're still assessing who is operating these weapons but do know that there are Iranian backed militia groups in the area that have conducted attacks on MSS Euphrates in the past. There are also Syrian military forces that operate in the area. To be clear these self-defense actions successfully eliminated imminent threats to U.S. personnel and were not linked to any broader activities in northwest Syria by other groups. In a separate incident which I highlighted during yesterday's off-camera press gaggle on November 29 U.S. Central Command also successfully engaged a hostile target employing A-10 fighter aircraft that had posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces at MSS Euphrates as individuals were observed preparing a rocket rail. The self-defense actions likewise eliminated threats to our personnel at MSS Euphrates and again were in no way related to ongoing operations in and around Aleppo or northwest Syria. Let me underscore that the U.S. mission in Syria remains unchanged as U.S. and coalition forces continue to focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS. However we remain fully prepared to defend and protect our personnel and assets deployed in the region to include our forces deployed to Syria. For further questions I'd refer you to U.S. Central Command. Shifting gears as you may have seen yesterday the department announced the 71st PDA package for Ukraine. With an estimated value of 725 million dollars this latest package will provide Ukraine significant additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs including air defense capabilities, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, and anti-tank weapons. The United States will continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure that Ukraine has the security assistance it needs to defend itself from Russian aggression. Turning now to Secretary Austin's schedule tomorrow the Secretary will travel to West Point in New York to visit the United States Military Academy where he'll deliver a speech to the to the cadet class of 2025. He won't get ahead of his speech but you can expect the Secretary to reflect on his public service career, offer advice to the cadets based on lessons learned from the battlefield, and provide his thoughts on leadership, professionalism, and the vital work that the United States Army and our armed forces do every day to defend our nation. We'll be live-streaming his remarks on defense.gov so I would encourage everyone to watch. And lastly as you may have seen in our press release acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Miss Amanda Dorey traveled to Benin and Cote d'Ivoire this week for several engagements with the civilian and military leadership of each country. Miss Dorey's visit underscores the strong bilateral relationship between the US, Benin, and Cote d'Ivoire who are important partners in West Africa. Miss Dorey's trip enabled the Department of Defense to engage our African partners on security related issues of mutual interest such as countering violent extremism and maritime security. The trip highlights the DoD's enduring commitment to our partners in coastal West Africa and the need to work together to address shared challenges and develop innovative approaches to ensure regional security and stability. Additional information will be posted to defense.gov when it becomes available. With that, happy to take your questions. I don't see AP in the room here let me just check on the phone make sure. Such an honor. Just a few South Korea questions. Has General La Camera been in touch with his South Korean counterparts or have has there been other military-to-military communications or engagements since the martial law was declared? Thanks Oren. I'd refer you to USFK for any questions about General La Camera. Again, as I highlighted at the top, the US government writ large is in contact with the Republic of Korea and of course we'll keep you updated on that. Changes to US force posture with the number of troops we have. And have you seen any indications North Korea is poised or trying or willing to take advantage of the situation? Of course we're closely monitoring the situation but I'm not aware of any force posture changes. General Ryder, can you assure the American people that US troops in Syria are secure and defended tonight? Yes. And who do you think, can you explain a little bit more about the HTS? Are the Syrian Democratic Forces joining them in sort of potentially overthrowing Assad in these areas? Are they operating separately? Who's behind this group? Do you describe them as an al-Qaeda affiliate? Yeah, so you know I'll answer your question but I'll say up front for SDS operations I'd refer you to them. But I can tell you from what I've seen two separate things. You've got HTS operating up near Aleppo moving southwards toward Hama. This group is essentially a spinoff of al-Nusra Front which was an al-Qaeda spinoff. And so again a recognized terrorist group and part of the the morass so to speak of many different groups that have been fighting the Assad regime for several years now. The SDF of course do have personnel that are up in that area of northwest Syria but predominantly down in eastern and northeastern Syria. Our focus has been on working with the SDF as it relates to countering ISIS and that continues to be our focus. Are you seeing Iranian groups come across from Iraq? Are you concerned about again a flood of foreign fighters coming in from either Lebanon or Iraq? Jennifer, I haven't seen anything at this point to indicate anything large-scale like that. I have seen some press reports speculating that that that's a potential you know there is the potential for that but I haven't seen anything to indicate that that's the case at this point. Thanks. Just to stay on Syria, yesterday the SDF, the U.S.-backed SDF seized several villages in Deir ez-Zor from Iranian-backed or Syrian government forces and then the strikes that you just mentioned, U.S. strikes earlier today. Just want to ask what kind of coordination is taking place between the U.S. and SDF as it pertains to potentially taking over these areas that were potentially taking over areas that were previously under the control of either the Syrian government or Iranian-backed militias? Yeah as I mentioned to Jennifer, I'd refer you to the SDF to talk about their operations. Joseph, MSS Euphrates is of course down in that region and our focus is on protecting our forces and also preserving our efforts to conduct counter-ISIS operations in in partnership with the SDF. But in terms of anything that the SDF is doing, I'd refer you to them. Just one more, yesterday you mentioned the Department of Lebanon. The department was working to help ensure the Lebanese Armed Forces have the training capacity and strategy development of basically how they'll implement the ceasefire. That was agreed. You also said that the department was working with partners to help support the LAF and their ability to provide security and implement the ceasefire as well. Can you put a finer point on that and explain what exactly you all are doing from this department to help in those areas? Yeah, so recognizing that we're in the early days of the ceasefire, right, and the fact that a lot of work remains in terms of putting the mechanisms into place as far as enabling the LAF to be able to provide that security. The way that I would characterize this is almost equated to the security assistance that the U.S. provides in other places, although in this case it's obviously, you know, some significant challenges. But what General Jeffers and his team will do is work as part of the country team and with State Department and coordinating with IDF and with the Lebanese Armed Forces, France and others, to look at what are the needs in terms of training capacity for the LAF and then also strategy development in terms of how the LAF can provide security along the southern Lebanon border to essentially fill the void that's been left by Hezbollah being routed out. And so ensuring that there is a force in place that can provide security for the people of Lebanon, but also ensure that the kinds of terrorist attacks that we've seen in the past from Hezbollah can't occur. So working out of the embassy and coordinating on what those needs are and then working with other countries and the interagency to help fulfill those needs, if that makes sense. Again, much more to follow in the days ahead, but that's the basic concept. Thanks. Charlie. How does martial law impact U.S. troops in South Korea? Well, as I mentioned, Charlie, you know, we're continuing to monitor. We're in touch with the ROK. Right now there has been essentially no impact on U.S. forces. But again, you know, we'll continue to monitor and we'll keep you updated. Are they hunkering down? Has leave been canceled? I mean, if we've got army vehicles on the streets, it's going to affect U.S. forces. Yeah. So I'd refer you to U.S. Forces Korea for much more information. But my understanding is no, they're not. You know, they've not been put under any type of curfew. But obviously, in any of these kinds of situations, you want to make sure that you're paying attention, that you're checking in with your unit, making sure that there's accountability. But I'm not aware at this point of any significant impact. But again, we'll continue to monitor. Thank you. Can I ask you a question, too, about what's happening in Syria? Um, you mentioned an A-10 was used in the previous strikes. There has been video of an A-10 apparently, reportedly from today. Can you concur, agree with the video or just that an A-10 was used in these strikes as well? Yeah. So, Charlie, I don't have anything on the on the latest strikes that I talked about in terms of the aircraft. I can look into that. But I think there's been a lot of misreporting out there in terms of, you know, A-10s and what it was doing and what it wasn't doing. And as I highlighted on November 29, A-10 aircraft were used in this self-defense strike to take out a target, some individuals that were building a rocket rail, to threaten MSS Euphrates. And so, you know, those are the facts. Again, not related to what's going on in northwestern Syria. This was self-defense to protect our forces. Thanks. Can I follow up? Only if you ask a question about Korea. Yes, Korea and Ukraine. South Korean President Yoon Sung-nyeol declared martial law to prevent the extraction of liberal democracy. Does the United States support the declaration of martial law in South Korea? Well, again, you know, we're going to continue to monitor the situation, Janie. Our commitment to the alliance and the defense of the Republic of Korea is ironclad. But again, we'll continue to monitor, keep you updated regarding any updates on our end. In the meantime, as it relates to any type of bilateral discussions in that regard, I'd refer you to the State Department. The Ukraine issue. The Ukrainian defense minister visited South Korea recently and requested the support from South Korea. But it is not yet clear whether South Korea will accept the request. President-elect Trump has said that the new administration will end the war in Ukraine next year. Do you still think that Ukraine needs weapons aid? So, answering your question, look, the bottom line is that Russian aggression still poses a threat to Ukrainian sovereignty. The Ukrainians have demonstrated and expressed the will to continue to fight. And as Secretary Austin has said many times, Ukraine matters not only to European security, but to U.S. and international security. So we will continue to consult with our Ukrainian partners. We'll continue to consult with our allies and partners around the world. And as you know, in terms of what Ukraine needs to defend itself, and so we will continue to support them in their fight. Thank you. Lou. If you bear with me, very short questions. We're kind of rapid fire here. Are there any plans for Secretary of Defense Austin to contact South Korean Defense Minister Kim? I don't have anything to read out right now or announce in terms of phone calls, but certainly if that happens, we'll keep you updated. You talked about the Ironclad commitment. Was there a notification on the part of the South Korean military to the U.S. military, U.S. Forces Korea, that their forces might be engaged in some kind of enforcement martial law? Louis, to my knowledge, the U.S. was not notified in advance of this announcement. And was, when we talk about notifications as well in Syria, has the Syrian Democratic Forces, have they notified the U.S. of their plans with regards to the scenario that's playing out right now in Syria? Look, you know, we obviously consult closely with the SDF. Our focus in working with the SDF, of course, is that it counter ISIS mission, the enduring defeat of ISIS. And I'll just leave it there. The Reagan, Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute has publicly announced that Secretary Austin is receiving an award and is giving a keynote address in Simi Valley this Saturday. Can you confirm that that's actually the case? The Secretary will be giving a speech on Friday. On Thursday, you know, we'll have much more to talk about in terms of the trip. But yes, I mean, he is, he will be traveling to Simi Valley to speak at the Reagan National Defense Forum. But we'll have much more information to provide you on Saturday. So we'll have much more to provide on that in the very near future. All right. Let me go to my Turkish colleagues here. Yes, sir. Thank you very much, General. Congratulations, by the way. Thank you. On the birth of your son? Yes. Awesome. Congratulations. Regarding the developments in Syria, the administration has made it very clear that you're going to be protecting your personnel and your military sites. When it comes to the SDF, right now in northwestern Syria and also in other parts, a lot of groups are shooting at each other. So when it comes to the SDF, that umbrella of protection, does that cover the SDF as well? Are you saying Yeah, look, the presence of the United States in Syria is focused on the enduring defeat of ISIS. In that mission, we have a very valued partner in the SDF. But I want to be clear that our focus is on the defeat ISIS mission, and and working with coalition partners to include the SDF. So hopefully that helps to answer your question. Because that wasn't really a yes or no. So if unless it's ISIS, that is attacking the SDF, are they still under your protection that would you say that we've come to their defense? Like that? That's what I'm trying to get at, really. Yeah, I mean, as we work together to counter ISIS, we have come to the aid of SDF. You know, obviously, again, we're working together, we're partners in that. But if the question is, are we going to look at opportunities elsewhere outside of that mission set? You know, it's, we obviously have to remember why we're there and what we remain focused on. Again, we very much value the partnership that we have with the SDF. Our forces have fought alongside each other and bled alongside each other. But our focus in Syria remains the defeat ISIS mission, and that will continue to be our focus. Thank you, General. Related to Syria again, the HTS on their way to the Aleppo, they came across to SDF forces and they had a small clash and then they agreed and the SDF forces evacuated the Tal Refat area, leaving their heavy weapons to the HTS moving towards Manbij. If HTS decides to go after SDF forces in Manbij, what would be your position, to be more specific? Yeah, so I don't want to get into hypotheticals. I appreciate the question. But, you know, look, again, I'm not going to speak for the SDF. I'm not their spokesperson. Clearly, they've been operating in a very dangerous neighborhood for a very long time. And as you highlight, there are many groups that are fighting in Syria to include HTS. And so, again, the SDF have proven themselves to be very effective on the battlefield. But again, I'm not going to speak for them or get into hypotheticals about, you know, what ifs. So let me go to the phone. Yeah. Are you in contact with your Turkish counterpart about the recent developments in northern Syria? We are in contact with partners throughout the region, to include Turkey, to make sure that we have open lines of communication as we monitor what's going on in northwestern Syria. Of course, we want to make sure that everyone has situational awareness, particularly as it applies to our forces that are conducting the Defeat ISIS mission. Do you have communication with them as well? Let me go to the phone here real quick. Fadi from Al Jazeera. Hey, thank you, General. I have a couple of questions. So the first one in relation to the strikes today, and I think it happened in the resort area, and it happened while the SDF forces were launching an offensive against Syrian Arab Army positions in the so called Seven Villages on the eastern side of the Euphrates and the tribal army. Can you confirm that those strikes that happened today were not related to that offensive in terms of supporting SDF offensive against Syrian army positions? Thanks, Fadi. Again, I'd refer you to the SDF to talk about their operations. As I highlighted in my topper, there were imminent threats against U.S. forces at MSS Euphrates. That is why we took those strikes to eliminate those threats and safeguard our personnel. Did you receive requests from the SDF to support their offensive against the Syrian army or the tribal army in the region? Again, I'd refer you to SDF to talk about their operations. The United States military is in Syria to conduct the ISIS mission. And one question about Lebanon, if I may, General. So yesterday, Israel targeted 30 different targets throughout Lebanon. Today, again, we saw more actions in Sheba'a region in south Lebanon, in addition to demolition in different areas, including in Badoun al-Ras, of civilian infrastructure taken by the Israeli military. How confident are you that these actions taken by Israel are not threatening the fragile ceasefire that it seems so far in Lebanon? Thank you. Thanks, Fadi. So the United States has been in close touch with senior officials from both Israel and Lebanon. Both have reiterated their commitment to upholding the ceasefire that went into effect on November 26. Again, we've seen these episodic incidents on both sides of the border, but assess that the ceasefire continues to hold. And we'll continue to work towards that end from our standpoint. Thank you. Let me go to Jeff Schogol, Task and Purpose. Thank you. Regarding the November 29th A-10 strike, was this the first time in a while that A-10s have done a CAS mission in Iraq or Syria? Do you have any type of battle damage assessment of how many fighters may have been killed? And is it unusual that the A-10s were called in for this mission? Thank you. Yeah, thanks, Jeff. So, you know, I'll refer you to CENTCOM to get into some of those tactical level details. I will say, as you have, having watched the situation in Syria for a very long time, as you know, we've been conducting the counter-ISIS mission there in one degree or another for nearly a decade. A-10s have been employed in the past to support U.S. forces and help protect U.S. forces. So that in and of itself is not something new. Okay, let me go to Tara, you're here now. All right, welcome. You missed your opportunity to get the first question, but Oren stepped in for you. Bearing it up for you. All right. All right, so one on Korea. Were the initial communications between the U.S. and Korea done through mil-to-mil ties and connections instead of, like, through State Department channels? I know that there wasn't a prior notification, but did you get the first assessment of what was going on through those connections that you've made, the long-standing ties with the Korean military? Yeah, I don't have any more granularity to provide from the podium here, Tara. Again, the U.S. government is in contact, and as we have more details to provide, I'll be sure to let you know. In contact, I mean, has there been any mil-to-mil communication at this point? Yes, but I'm not going to go into specifics on who and when at this point, but again, we're in contact, and I'll just leave it there. And on Syria with the A-10s, were they selected at this point because Russia has largely pulled most of its air defenses and some of its more sophisticated weapon systems out of Syria because they've pushed it forward to Ukraine? So, I won't go into the TTPs in terms of determining which type of aircraft to use, other than to say, as you know, we have a variety of platforms in the theater, and Air Force commanders and Central Command commanders will employ the system that they deem most appropriate for the task at hand, and so that will always be the case regardless of the mission. Thanks. Let me go to Carla, and I'll try to get some guys in the back here. Just to follow on, I know that you've been in communication with the South Koreans, but have they asked for any assistance from the U.S.? I'm not aware of any at this point. Okay, and then just to follow on with Jen asking about Iranian groups crossing from Iraq into Syria, have you seen any movement from the Syrian forces or the Russian forces moving closer to U.S. troops? Can you kind of give us an assessment of what you're seeing on the ground? I don't have an update to provide. Again, you know, in terms of the situation as it's playing out in northwestern Syria, U.S. forces are obviously not in that area. We're focused on the defeat ISIS mission over in northeast and eastern Syria, and I just have to leave it there. Just a quick follow-up, Pat, to that. Why was the hotline used to call Russian counterparts on Monday? Was there a close call? What was the reason for it? No, I have operated in this space now for almost a decade, recognizing the fact that Russia does conduct operations in Syria as well in support of the Assad regime. It was deemed appropriate years ago to open this hotline, and so as you see the activities that are occurring in northwestern Syria, making sure that there's an open line of communication to prevent potential miscalculation of our forces that could be operating in close proximity. You know, traditionally that has been air operations, just given the time and space and speed at which aircraft operate, but a prudent measure to ensure that we prevent any type of miscalculation. Where's President Assad right now? I have to refer you to his public affairs team. I don't know. Thank you. Eastern Syria and the self-defense strike near a mission support site, Euphrates. How does the U.S. know what munitions and weapons were destroyed in this? Were there U.S. forces on the ground? Did they go near the village of Qashem, outside the base there? Jared, again, you know, we have a variety of means. These threats were in the proximity of MSS Euphrates, and so I'll just leave it there. Did the OIR commander tap the deconfliction line and speak with the Russians about this, these strikes or operations in this area, either by the U.S. or the Department of War? I'd have to refer you to CENTCOM on that. Chris. Thanks, Pat. There were a number of drone incursions on, over U.S. bases in England over the past 10 days, 10 days or so. Has the Pentagon determined who is responsible for those actions? As I understand it, Chris, it's still under review. Of course, working with the U.K. authorities on that. To my knowledge, there has not been another drone incursion since 26 November. So, again, we'll continue to look into this. Did the U.S. military take any additional force protection measures? Nothing beyond what we've talked about before. Again, no real operational impact on our forces. It's something we take seriously, and we're working with our U.K. counterparts to look into. Thanks. A few more. Yes, sir. Thank you, General, two questions. Multiple human abuses have been reported and carried out by the HTS and SNA. Are you in a position to take any action against these groups? Well, look, you know, the U.S. presence in Syria is focused on the defeat ISIS mission. I can't be any more clear than that. We certainly are aware that HTS is a terrorist group, but the United States is not actively involved. No, we seek to actively get involved in the civil war that has been occurring in Syria for years. I'll just leave it there. Lastly, how do you look at the statement by the Iraqi government showing support for the Syrian regime? I'm sorry, can you say that again? How do you look at the statement by the Iraqi government showing support for Assad regime? I'll let the Iraqi government speak for itself. Howard Altman, Warsaw. Thanks, Pat. I want to drill down a little bit on the strike in eastern Syria. I was told it was in support of SDF offensive against ISIS. Is that true? Is that not true? Yeah, thanks, Howard. I just answered that question. U.S. forces were threatened, and so U.S. forces took action to eliminate that threat and safeguard our forces. Thank you. Back to the room. Yes, sir. Thank you, General. According to New York Times, the IDF have established at least 19 major military bases and multiple smaller facilities throughout the Gaza Strip. This military buildup must come after destroying over 600 buildings inside Gaza. So, first of all, have you seen these reports? Do you confirm that? Have you been notified by the IDF about these bases? And do you believe there is a shifting with the Gaza situation that Gaza will be occupied for a long time by the IDF? I have seen those reports. I can't confirm them. We've been very clear that we believe a couple of things. One, that it's important that there be a ceasefire as soon as possible in Gaza and that we start to ensure an increased flow of aid into Gaza humanitarian assistance. We also don't believe that Israel should continue to occupy Gaza once that ceasefire and the threat has been eliminated from Hamas or Hamas has been defeated. But again, we'll continue to consult with our Israeli partners on that front. But the most important thing is getting to a ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and ending this terrible conflict. Thank you. Ma'am. Thank you. Can you tell us anything on regional powers supporting Tahrir al-Sham in Syria, whether Gulf states or any neighbor of Syria? I really can't. And as a Department of Defense spokesperson, it's not my place to kind of provide a briefing on the Syrian civil war, other than, again, obviously we're monitoring closely. Okay. Last question. I have a follow-up on South Korea. The Biden administration has strengthened cooperation with South Korea and Japan. To what extent are you concerned that instability in South Korea could impact the trilateral cooperation and their security in East Asia? Well, look, as I highlighted earlier, first of all, our commitment to the alliance and the defense of the ROK is ironclad. We're going to continue to consult with ROK and see how things develop. I just won't have more on that front. Certainly, the advances that have been made in terms of the trilateral relationship between ROK, Japan, and the U.S. is very important and something that will continue to be important to us. All right. Thanks very much, everybody. Appreciate it.