 Good afternoon everyone. Just a few things at the top and then I'll get right to your questions. So as many of you are aware today is the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Secretary Austin released a statement earlier today on this notable milestone which is available on the DOD website. Formed in the wake of World War II, NATO promotes security in the North Atlantic area, safeguards freedom and democracy, and provides collective defense for the Alliance. Starting with an original group of 12 countries to the most recent accession of Sweden as the 32nd member, NATO was stronger and more united than ever. As we look forward to hosting NATO's historic 75th anniversary summit here in Washington this July, we will continue to strengthen our collective defense and deterrence through the development of advanced systems across all domains, combined training, and common purpose to defend each other against all emerging threats today and in the future. To quote Secretary Austin's statement, quote, America's network of allies and partners built and sustained by successive generations of wise and bipartisan post-war American leadership remains a core strategic strength that no rival can match and that no foe should doubt. Today we salute NATO's achievements and we pledge to build upon them, end quote. Today also marks the official start of Defender 24, the largest U.S. Army exercise in Europe, as ships depart the United States carrying equipment for the event. Scheduled to occur through May 31, Defender 24 will involve more than 40,000 service members from over 20 allied and partner nations demonstrating the strong defensive relationships that are the foundation of European peace. The exercise, linked to NATO's steadfast defender, consists of three sub-exercises, saber strike, immediate response, and swift response. Defender 24 focuses on strategic deployment, interoperability, and readiness while seeking to deter potential adversaries and strengthen the NATO Alliance. For questions about the exercise, I'd refer you to U.S.-European Command Public Affairs. Switching gear, Secretary Austin spoke by phone yesterday with Israeli Minister of Defense Joav Galant. The two leaders continued their regular dialogue on U.S. and Israeli efforts to ensure the defeat of Hamas and secure the release of all hostages. As was highlighted in our readout last night, Secretary Austin expressed his outrage at the Israeli strike Tuesday on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy that killed seven aid workers, including an American citizen. Secretary Austin stressed the need to immediately take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians in Gaza after repeated coordination failures with foreign aid groups. Secretary Austin also urged Minister Galant to conduct a swift and transparent investigation into this incident to share their conclusions publicly and to hold those responsible to account. Additionally, Secretary Austin again raised the need for a rapid increase of aid coming through all crossings in the coming days, particularly to communities in northern Gaza that are at risk of famine. During the call, the Secretary also reiterated U.S. support for Israel's defense against a range of regional threats. A full readout is available on Defense.gov. And to close out, sharing some good news, this week the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reached a milestone in Maui where they cleared hazardous debris from the 500th residential property since the devastating wildfires. The Army Corps of Engineers is working hand-in-hand with FEMA, EPA, the state of Hawaii, and others to ensure these sites are safe for the people of Hawaii. For more information, please contact U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs. That'll be glad to take your questions. We'll go to Associated Press first on the phone. We've got Lita. Hi, Pat. Thank you very much. A couple questions on the call he had with Galant. Can you say whether or not the Secretary is involved in any ongoing U.S. assessment to determine if Israel has made any of these tangible changes that the White House talked about a short time ago? Can you say whether the Secretary was one of the people dialed in with the President's call? The White House mentioned Secretary Blinken and others were. Was Secretary Austin also listening in on that call? And finally, did the Secretary mention at all to Minister Galant anything about the U.S. limiting or conditioning military sales on any of these improvements? Anything else, Lita? I think those are all the questions for the day. All right, so just taking it from the top. You know, in terms of the concrete steps that have been highlighted and that the White House highlighted, you know, Secretary Austin, of course, maintains a professional relationship with Minister Galant that communicate frequently, as you know. And so I expect that to be a topic of discussion going forward. In terms of today's call with the Prime Minister, to my knowledge, the Secretary was not in on that call or listening in on that call. And then as far as your last question, you know, what I've provided in the readout is what was discussed. And again, the Secretary reiterated U.S. support for helping Israel defend itself from a range of regional threats. So I just leave it there. Let me come back into the room here. Jennifer. Pat, are you rethinking the employment of the so-called Jaylots, the seaborn delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza in the wake of the World Central Kitchen disaster? No. The Jaylots continues to be en route. We expect to achieve full operations capability by the end of the month, early May, as we talked about, approximately 60 days. Although, of course, we are working to move as quickly as we can on that front. And so once operational, again, the capability that that will provide is the ability to send upwards of 2 million meals per day into Gaza. And so planning for that continues. We're on track in terms of the timeline, and we continue to work closely with partners in the region. As you've heard others say, Israel has committed to providing security on the shore for that effort. When it comes to the receiving and then onward distribution of that aid, we're working with USAID and others to finalize those details. I don't have anything to provide to you now. There are so many groups now saying they won't distribute in Gaza. They're pulling out. The UAE has just frozen relations. How do you plan to distribute aid and not have either chaos or a security situation? Yeah, again, I mean, the situation there, and of course this strike certainly doesn't make that job easier. But that has not deterred us from continuing to work with groups and NGOs to come up with solutions. That's what we've been tasked to do, and we'll continue to do that. What's the Pentagon's assessment of Israel's plan to enter Rafa? To my knowledge, we haven't seen a detailed plan at this point, as has been mentioned. We've been briefed on concepts. As you know, there was a meeting at the White House virtual meeting earlier this week to continue having that conversation. And so again, I'd refer you to Israel in terms of their plan, but we continue to highlight the fact that any operation needs to incorporate civilian safety and ensuring that, you know, humanitarian assistance can get in. But essentially no plan has been shared with you. There's no plan at this point. To my knowledge, we have not received a detailed plan. After a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the President in the statement said, you know, the U.S. will change its policy if Israel doesn't make some changes in its sort of Gaza war effort. Given that you're a planning organization, have you at least started planning and looking at what it would condition if those sort of benchmarks aren't met set out by President Biden? Yeah, thanks, U.S. At this point, I'm just not going to get into hypotheticals. And secondly, in the call yesterday, did the Secretary get a better understanding of how the Israelis could unintentionally strike three vehicles over one-and-a-half kilometers? You know, again, obviously, as we highlighted in the readout, the strike did come up. The Israelis have initiated an investigation. I think they've spoken at least initially on some of the preliminary findings. But of course, we don't want to get ahead of that investigation, so we need to wait and see what comes out of that. And last one, why does the Secretary feel that Minister Galant will now listen to him? I think the last time they spoke, the Israelis then killed aid workers a week later. So why now? Why would he listen now? Again, the Secretary and the Minister have had an ongoing dialogue. The Secretary respects Minister Galant. You know, they have obviously communicated very closely on the situation, and Secretary Austin has very clearly communicated our position on what needs to be done in terms of safeguarding civilians. And so expect those conversations to continue. Let me go to Warren. Pat, we're now roughly the six-month point of the war. Can you say, looking back, having spoken repeatedly about the need to protect civilians, do you have seen Israel take some sort of concrete steps that has improved their protection of civilians and their strikes? Because from what we see, it doesn't look like it. Yeah, well, I mean, clearly not enough has been done, which is again what I've highlighted in the readout and was part of the conversation that the Secretary had with Minister Galant. That conversation is happening at multiple echelons within the U.S. government. I mean, to answer your question, in certain areas we have seen them take action, but clearly not enough. And so, again, we're going to continue to set that expectation, and we're going to continue to have those conversations. Yes, sir. Yes, Daniel Compatangio for Italian Lassetti News Journal. I have two questions. One is about Gaza and the other one about Ukraine. The first question is, what are the steps suggested from the Secretary to de-escalate the situation in Gaza, looking to de-escalation between Israel and Iran, who is very dangerous at this time? So what are the steps suggested toward peace? And then the second question, it would be about Ukraine and Russia, the situation in Ukraine from the European perspective. Although there are a lot of A's coming in, it seems stunning. And so, again, what the Pentagon suggests to move this situation and find a solution toward peace, because Europe is afraid of a war. Sure. Well, when it comes to the situation in Gaza and, you know, broader escalation throughout the Middle East, the Department of Defense continues to remain focused on four primary areas. Number one is the protection of U.S. citizens and service members throughout the region. Number two is working with Israel and others in the region for the release of hostages that are being held by Hamas. And then the other two objectives are ensuring that Israel has the ability to defend itself from future terrorist attacks and broader regional threats, and then finally preventing a broader regional escalation. And so that has included, you know, not just on the Department of Defense side, but across the U.S. government, both diplomatic efforts, but then also by us having forces in the region that are able to support regional deterrence, as well as provide us options should we need to respond. Again, at the end of the day, we recognize Israel is engaged in a very difficult conflict with Hamas in Gaza. But, you know, we're going to do everything we can to, again, prevent this from spreading further. Prime Minister Netanyahu is not really listening, it looks like, to what the President is suggesting. Yeah, I can't speak for the Prime Minister. And I'm sorry, your second question. If you briefly can say something about the situation in Ukraine, the stalling of the war, what is the Pentagon is suggesting to move forward and maybe finding some sort of solution? Yeah, I mean, you know, our focus is on supporting Ukraine and its ability to defend itself and take back sovereign territory, and so that will continue to be our focus. Let me go to Missy. Hi, Chad. Just going back to the Golan call, did Secretary Austin convey the same message that Biden conveyed to Netanyahu that the U.S. policy on Gaza would depend on these particular things? No. Okay. And, you know, because the assistance to Israel is mostly military, I want to ask you the question sort of that John Kirby was asked today, which is that, you know, if they're suggesting that the U.S. could change its policy, be it to be Gaza, if Israel doesn't take these specified steps, it suggests that the U.S. could curtail or suspend military aid. Is that an accurate understanding of what that means? Well, again, like I know that Mr. Kirby spoke to this. I'm not going to get ahead of the White House on this or preview it, so I think, you know, I'll let the President's words, the White House's words stand on their own. Thanks. Thank you, General. I believe when the Secretary was at the Hill, he mentioned another, back then, 25,000 civilian death in Gaza, and he said majority of whom were women and children. And yesterday, on the call for the first time, we read that he expressed outrage at the death of aid workers. Why wasn't the Secretary outraged before yesterday? The Secretary has been clear all along that this is a tragic situation. None of us want to see innocent civilians killed in this conflict. That is a conversation that he has had with Minister Galant from the very beginning of this conflict. So to make the accusation that somehow one set of people killed is unacceptable versus the other, that's just an inaccurate characterization. I didn't make that accusation. You made that comparison. No, you made it. I would have said it, you know, I'm very frank, but thanks for making that comparison. The second question, we've been asking the same question over and over again and we received the same answer that there are no conditions on USA to Israel. At the end of the day, this is an Israel operation. Suddenly today, we hear a different tone, that there's going to be conditions if Israel doesn't do this and this and this. Would such a warning coming before today, would it have saved innocent lives in Gaza, including an American aid worker? I'm not going to get into hypotheticals, but thanks. Yes, sir. Thanks, Joe. At the White House briefing, John Kirby said that in the past couple of months the U.S. hasn't provided any emergency military aid to Israel. Is that because Israel hasn't requested any aid along those lines or has the U.S. been turning down the Israeli way? No, look, I mean, as you know, we've got a longstanding security relationship with Israel and as he also highlighted, foreign military sales, foreign military financing. Many of those requests are years in the making and so it's a combination of the two. But as we've highlighted shortly after October 7, very shortly, we were able to rush some additional security assistance to help meet Israel's immediate needs. And no additional assistance has been rushed in that way since the sort of meeting? I mean, we continue to support Israel with the capabilities that they've purchased as well as requested, but I don't have anything specific to read out to you. Let me go to Jeannie. Thank you, General. Two questions. Experts said North Korea's recent launch of a solid fuel-resistant missile could pose a threat to the U.S. air station during bomb. What is your comment on this or how did you assessment on this? Well, you know, look, we're aware, of course, of the testing. We're consulting closely with our allies in the region. But I'll just leave it at that. The second one. And President, Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be meeting in next month. And regarding what concern do you have about the military cooperation between China and Russia as well as movement in military cooperation between North Korea, China, and Russia? Well, again, look, our focus in the region is on working with allies and partners to ensure regional security and stability. And that will continue to remain our focus. Each of the nations that you highlighted are sovereign nations, and they're going to make decisions about who they cooperate with and who they don't. Where it becomes a problem is when we start to see malign activity in terms of providing Russia, for example, with capabilities that they're then, in turn, using to attack Ukraine. So, again, we'll continue to monitor that closely. All right, let me go to the phones here real quick. Let me go to Patty, task and purpose. Hi, Pat. So there was reporting from an Israel-based magazine, 972, about the IDF's lavender system, which found that they were systematically targeting individuals while they were in their homes at night, while their families were present, rather than military activity. I understand that you won't that you can't comment on IDF policy, but I'm wondering if you can just talk about, does the U.S. support using AI for targeting? Yeah, so I've seen those press reports, Patty. I don't have anything as you highlight. I'd refer you back to the Israelis to talk about any capabilities they may or may not have. Laura. Thank you. The Jalot's capabilities, when is that expected to arrive in Gaza, and do you have a committed partner yet that will distribute aid from this peer when it's built? I think I answered that earlier, but right now, again, we are expecting Jalots to be online by the end of the month, early May on schedule. Again, we continue to work closely with USAID and other partners, NGOs, to discuss the aid delivery and distribution. And so as we have more information to provide on that front, we will. Are you going to continue setting up the peer once they arrive if you don't have a committed partner in terms of security for the U.S. personnel setting up the peer and in terms of... Yeah, again, as I highlighted, Laura, and sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. Israel has committed to providing security onshore, so we're continuing to work with them on the details of that. And again, we're not changing the mission. We've been tasked to provide a temporary peer. Everything is on track, on schedule at this point. And so, again, as more details come in, we'll be sure to give you an update. So just to be clear, even if you don't have anybody that's going to distribute a... Yeah, I'm not going to get on hypotheticals. Well, I mean, that's not hypothetical. That's true. No, you're saying if you don't, we're not there yet. The peer has not stood up yet, and they haven't arrived in theater yet, and we're continuing to work through those things. So we'll keep you updated. Courtney. Just one clarification on that. So the Israelis have agreed to do security on the shore. Are they doing security for the distribution, though, as well? Again, we're working through all the details. Clearly, Israel will be an important partner when it comes to security for all the obvious reasons in Gaza. I'm not going to get into the specifics. Again, we're working through a lot of those details, but as this comes online, we'll have much more to say. Was that part of the conversation last night, those kinds of specifics, or yesterday afternoon with the secretary and Israeli counterpart? They did discuss maritime delivery of aid, yes. Including the IDF for providing security throughout the whole process. Well, providing security, yep. Okay, Louie. Going back to one of your earlier answers, I think the Jen's question about distributing the aid coming through the maritime corridor, you said that this strike certainly doesn't make that job easier. Can you provide some context as to what you're talking about there and how it makes it more difficult for Pentagon? Yeah, well, a couple of things, Louie. First of all, I was reading an article earlier today that highlighted the fact that this is a dangerous place. It's a combat zone. Certainly, the aid groups that are there are operating in that environment under extremely difficult circumstances. The fact that you are delivering aid within a combat zone, the fact that you saw what we saw earlier this week in terms of the Israeli strike, despite the fact that by all accounts the World Central Kitchen had coordinated with the Israelis to be able to access that area, those kinds of things need to be flushed out and ironed out to ensure that any aid distribution can safely do that. So I know that USAID and others are working closely on that issue. And I'll just leave it there. Thanks. Let me go back to Jennifer. A quick follow-up on the Lavender system. Is there any indication that the Lavender system or any AI-generated targets was responsible for this World Central Kitchen attack? Again, I can't get ahead of an Israeli investigation. I know they're looking into this, so I'd have to refer you to them. And why wasn't Secretary Austin on the call with the Prime Minister given the military component of this current operation and discussion? Yeah, look, I don't think that that's, again, unusual. I mean, we do a series of phone calls. Senior leaders do a series of phone calls all the time, depending on the topic to be discussed based on schedules, so that in and of itself is not unusual, actually. Just a quick follow-up questions. Since it's an evolving situation right now and things are rapidly changing, is the U.S. prepared to do its own investigation into the strike on the aid workers? That's my knowledge. And then also, do you have a total you could provide us of military aid provided to Israel since October 7th? I don't have anything in front of me here today, actually. Thank you. Valerie Shelborn with USA News. Has there been any impact to U.S. operations with the Danish frigate that had the faulty missile launcher that's locking entrance to the Baltic shipping lanes? I don't have anything on that. Thanks. Let me get a couple other folks that haven't called on here. Mike. Yeah, thanks, Pat. In August 21, 2021, the U.S. launched a drone strike that killed seven children and three adults. For several days, people in this building, including your predecessor and the former chairman, insisted it was a righteous mission. Nobody was punished for it. Nobody lost their job over it. I mean, is the U.S. really in a position to be outraged about what happened in Israel since it seems to almost mirror what happened and what the U.S. did in Afghanistan? Yeah, Mike. I mean, I appreciate the question, but I'm not going to be able to talk about the past. All I can talk about today is the present, and the fact is seven civilians who are delivering food to people who are in extreme need were killed in an airstrike. So it's a tragic situation. I think we can all agree. And so I'll just leave it there. Sir. Thank you, General. Alan Fisher from Al Jazeera English. Do you remember yourself any time that the Secretary has expressed publicly his outrage at the death of aid workers in Gaza, including the more than 160 that died before the attack on World Central Kitchen? And if you can, can you point me in the direction of times where he expressed publicly his outrage at the death of aid workers before that incident? Yeah, look, the Secretary clearly feels this is an important issue. He's addressed the situation, the civilian and humanitarian situation in Gaza on multiple occasions. Nearly every single time he speaks to Minister Galant, this is a topic of discussion, and it will continue to be an important topic. Let me go to the phone here, Constantine. Just a follow-up. Can you remember any time he expressed his public outrage? Because it seems to me this is the first time he's done that when an American has died, and there's a lot of publicity globally about what's happening to World Central Kitchen. Look, again, the Secretary feels this is an important issue. I appreciate the opportunity to, you know, communicate your sentiment in that way, but I can assure you that this is an important topic for the Secretary. Let me go to ConstantineMilitary.com. Thanks, Pat. On the JLOTS plans, I know you said that plans are still ongoing and that you guys are committed to putting the system in place, but has the World Food Kitchen Strike altered those plans or caused you guys to think about any aspect of these plans differently? And sort of related to that, I suppose, can you speak as to whether those plans involve any U.S. Navy warships being present in the area? Thanks. Yeah, thanks, Constantine. You know, so the short answer is we continue to plan a pace and continue to, as I mentioned, work towards implementation of JLOTS on schedule. Certainly, like any military operation, you're going to take factors in the operating environment into consideration to include the things that I mentioned earlier as far as the security situation and ensuring that security is taken into consideration as it relates to aid distribution, and so that will be taken into account. As far as any additional assets like Navy ships, I don't have anything to announce right now, but again, we're always going to put the safety and security of our forces as a top priority in any of these operations. Thanks. Lara. Just as a follow-up, you said that the Israelis have committed to providing security for the pier. Why would you trust the IDF to protect the U.S. personnel setting up the pier when they struck the food assistance convoy after they had already cleared their route with the IDF? Look, again, I know Israel is investigating in terms of the strike on World Central Kitchen, and we trust that Israel will provide the security that we need on the shore. Let me go to Jared. Is there, nearly a month ago, a group of UN experts reported, quote, over 14 recorded incidents of Israeli forces shooting, shelling, and targeting groups gathered to receive urgently needed supplies from trucks or airdrops between mid-January and the end of February 2024. The quote goes on. Israel had also opened fire, has also opened fire on humanitarian aid convoys on several occasions, despite the fact that convoys share their coordinates with Israel. That statement was issued on March 5th. Does the department see the strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy as part of a pattern and have department officials told their Israeli counterparts to stop the IDF from firing on aid convoys or civilians gathered to receive it soon? Well, look, Jared, I think I addressed that. You know, in the top there were Secretary Austin, again, highlighted to Minister Galant the need to take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians after repeated coordination failures with foreign aid groups. And so I think our expectation is that, yes, they will obviously need to do much better when it comes to ensuring that that aid is not only delivered more frequently into Gaza, but done so in a way that's safe and secure for those who are receiving that aid. So the subject of Israeli forces open firing on civilians gathered to receive aid, this has been a subject of discussion in the past, in past weeks and months. I think that the topic of taking civilian safety into account when conducting operations has been a topic almost since the beginning of this conflict. Thank you, sir. Thank you. I want to encourage any one of the Pacific. What does the Pentagon think about the idea voiced by Jens Stoltenberg about moving the Ukraine Defense Content Group under NATO leadership, giving the concerns about the lack of support from the United States? So I don't have any announcements to make regarding a shift in the overall, you know, management of the UDCG. As you know, Secretary Austin continues to convene this international forum. We just held our most recent session at Ramstein last month. Of course, you know, there's always conversations that are going on to look at how we can work with allies and partners to ensure that support for Ukraine is done in a systemic, sustainable, deliberate way. That's why you see things like the capability coalitions that have been stood up, the National Armaments Directors meetings. So going forward, we'll continue to work with allies and partners on that front. But when it comes to, you know, NATO playing a bigger role, I just don't have anything on that. Another one from Art Golly. So Dr. Kirby told Voice of America today that the Pentagon would have more on joining U.S., Japan, and Philippine naval operations today. Can you give us some details about those operations? So I don't have anything to announce today. We will in the very near future. So just stay tuned. Nancy. You mentioned that the Secretary wasn't a part of today's phone call with the Prime Minister. Has he been a part of any of the phone calls between the President and the Prime Minister? You're talking, like, over the history of time? Let's say since October. I don't have an answer to that. Is that something we can answer on? You know, look, you know, again, as I highlighted, there is going to be phone calls that the President does if he wants Cabinet ministers to join. You know, certainly that's his prerogative, but I'd refer you to the White House to talk about who's joining White House calls. It's really not my purview to be able to respond to the White House. Not your purview to say what the Secretary was all to call? I guess I don't understand why it's secret or unreleasable if the Secretary participates in such an important call. There haven't been that many since October. Any other questions? No, I just think I'd appreciate you taking the question. Okay, I'll take the question. Thank you. Okay. Anyone else? Yes, sir. Thank you. Just one quick question. So Ukraine has struck a number of Russian oil refineries, and it seems like they're ramping up those attacks. Has the Pentagon communicated with Ukraine about this, and do you support these attacks at all? Ukraine attacks against Russian oil refineries. You know, look, the assistance that we're providing to Ukraine is intended for them to defend their sovereign territory and to take back their sovereign territory. We don't provide any assistance for use outside of that. I'd refer you to Ukraine to talk about their operations. Certainly, our focus is on making sure that they can defend themselves. Have you communicated with them about these? We have frequent conversations with our Ukrainian counterparts on a variety of topics. Did you have one more? Yes, thank you. The administration now is willing to use leverage against Israel to enact some changes in Gaza. Fadi, again, I'd point you back to the readout, the President's phone call on the readout and just leave it at that again. I can't get into hypotheticals. I can't preview any potential future actions other than to say I'd refer you back to the President's statement. It signals a certain shift, whether this is my reading or others. What would you say led to this point to make hints at conditional support? Again, I appreciate the question. That's a presidential decision, so it's really more appropriate for the White House to address that question. I can take one more. Yes, ma'am. Thank you, General. Are the Japan-U.S. summit scheduled for next week? The security issues such as mobilization of U.S. Japan are set to expected to be a main topic. I know you're not going to get ahead of the outcome, but as DOD, what results do you expect from the summit? And a trilateral summit between U.S. Japan and the Philippines also is scheduled and considering the current situation of South China Sea, what kind of cooperation do you expect from those three countries? Sure. So, as you highlight, I don't want to get ahead of the summit other than to say, you know, we certainly look forward to the opportunity to talk with our Japanese allies and further bolster our cooperation and our relationship as one of our most pivotal allies in the region. When it comes to the United States and the Philippines and working trilaterally in the South China Sea, again as I highlighted earlier, our main focus is on working together to ensure that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, it remains open and that there's security and stability throughout the region. That is what our focus is. And so, we'll continue to coordinate with one another and look at areas where we can cooperate to ensure that that's the case. Thank you very much, everybody. Appreciate it.