 All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Happy New Year. Just have a few things to provide at the top, and then we'll get to your questions. First, on behalf of Secretary Austin and the Department, our hearts are with the Japanese people after their tragic earthquake earlier this week. The United States and Japan share a deep bond of friendship that unites our people and our Japanese ally graciously hosts thousands of US service personnel and family members. As you've heard from the president and the US ambassador, our military forces in Japan are ready to assist as needed. Second, I'd like to recap a few significant developments that occurred over the holidays. On December 28, the offices of Special Trial Council reached full operational capability, shifting prosecutorial discretion for 13 serious offenses away from the chain of command. This is the most important reform to our military justice system since the creation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice in 1950 and aims to help strengthen accountability and increase service members' trust in the fairness and integrity of the military justice system. This milestone follows through on Secretary Austin's commitment that we must do more as a department to counter sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military. Separately, on January 1st, the US Navy announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group will redeploy from the Eastern Mediterranean to its home port as scheduled to prepare for future deployments. As was highlighted in Navier's press release, we continue to retain extensive US military capability, both in the Mediterranean and across the Middle East. This includes the current deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East, the deployment of additional cruisers and destroyers in the Mediterranean and Middle East, and the recent arrival of the USS Baton and USS Carter Hall in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Notably, the USS Baton and USS Carter Hall join the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde and have consolidated as the amphibious ready group in the Eastern Mediterranean along with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The ARGMU consists of three ships, more than 50 aircraft and approximately 4,000 sailors and Marines that provide sea-based expeditionary forces capable of conducting a wide range of missions in support of our regional deterrence efforts. As we have done since Hamas's brutal terrorist attack on October 7th, DOD will continue to leverage its collective force posture in the region to deter any state or non-state actor from escalating this crisis beyond Gaza. And finally, I can confirm that on January 4th, approximately 12 p.m. Iraq time, US forces took necessary and proportionate action against Mushtaq-Jawad Qazim al-Jawari, a.k.a. Abu Taqwa, who is a Harakat al-Najjuba leader. Abu Taqwa was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel. The strike also killed another Han member. It is important to note that the strike was taken in self-defense, that no civilians were harmed, and that no infrastructure or facilities were struck. With that, I'll be happy to take your questions. We'll start with Associated Press. Tara. How'd you know, Ryder? Happy New Year. Happy New Year. I wanted to talk about the warning that the US sent yesterday with allies to the Houthis about not conducting an additional attacks on ships. And then you see just hours later, there's an attempted attack with an unmanned surface vehicle on ships in the Red Sea. What are the options for the US at this point? And will those options also include potentially addressing Iran's role in supplying the Houthis with these weapons? Thanks, Tara. So as you've heard us and others say within the US government, we are approaching this from many different facets to include sanctions, but from a DOD standpoint, of course, working closely with the international community to establish a coalition to help deter Houthi efforts and reassure mariners as they transit this vital seaway in the Red Sea. So we're gonna continue to work very hard at that. Deterrence in and of itself, or excuse me, presence is a deterrent in and of itself. And so we expect to continue to see the coalition, the international coalition grow in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian. As you heard, Vice Admiral Cooper, the NAVSN commander say earlier today, over 20 nations so far have joined. And again, we expect to continue to see that grow. This is a issue that affects the entire international community. The economic impact, never mind the dangerous, unlawful behavior, is something that we're all taking seriously and that requires collective action. Todd, what sort of options would there be militarily? Because obviously the statement didn't stop the Houthis from sending an armed drone towards ships again today. Yeah, I'll let the statement speak for itself. And I'm not gonna speculate or get into hypotheticals about potential future military operations. Jennifer. I'm gonna come right back to you. Pat, I'd just like to follow up on the January 4th strike targeting Atutakwa. What kind of weapon was used? Was it a Hellfire missile? Why now? Is this the beginning of a new campaign to target the leaders? And this group that you've targeted in terms of planning, it's not Koteb Hezbollah, which has been behind a lot of the attacks. Why not? Yeah, thanks Jennifer. So I'm really not gonna have more specifics to provide in terms of what I've read out is I highlighted this individual was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel. And as we've long said, we maintain the inherent right of self-defense and we'll take necessary action to protect our personnel. And who was the second person killed? It was an associate of Mr. Atutakwa, but I don't have any further details provided. Let me go to Joe. Thank you, General Reider. I wanna go back to the issue of the statement that was issued yesterday from the US and its coalition about the Houthis. Have you seen any evidence that there is a serious escalation from the Houthis over the last few days? And given the situation, could you tell us if the option of striking the Houthis is on the table or it's something just related to contingency plans? Yeah, again, Joe, I think I'll let the statement speak for itself, which again represented many nations around the world and highlighted that if these strikes don't stop, there will be consequences. But again, I'm not gonna get into speculating, forecasting or talking about hypotheticals. In terms of escalation, again, these are illegal, dangerous attacks since November 18th. There have been now 25 attacks against merchant vessels transiting the Southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. And so we have worked closely with the international community to stand up Operation Prosperity Guardian under the umbrella and leadership of Task Force 153 with the express purpose of deterring this illegal activity through the increased overall presence and also providing assurances to the maritime industry to help safeguard their transiting of that waterway. Orrin. A couple of follow-up questions on the Iraq strike. You call this a self-defense strike. What attacks was this group, Harakat al-Nujiba, responsible for and how many? Did you notify the Iraqi government in advance? And given the condemnation of U.S. strikes in Iraq that we've seen in the course of the past couple of weeks, do you think the U.S. military presence in Iraq is at risk? Have you seen attention there? Yeah, thanks, Orrin. So again, I'm not going to have any more details to provide as it relates to this particular strike and in terms of the specific attacks that Han has conducted against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. As you well know, you've been following this for a while. Those attacks have continued, putting U.S. forces in danger. And as I just highlighted to Jennifer, we maintain the inherent right of self-defense and will continue to take necessary actions to protect our personnel. But how many of the 120 attacks has this Harakat al-Nujiba done this morning? I'm not going to get into a breakdown. So as far as your other question, Iraq is an important and valued partner. Our forces are there at the invitation of the government of Iraq to help train and advise in support of the defeat ISIS mission. And so as we have been doing all along, we will continue to consult closely with the Iraqi government about the safety and security of U.S. forces. In the meantime, we will continue to stay very focused on that defeat ISIS mission. Are you able to say whether you notify the Iraqi government in advance of this? I'm not going to get into diplomatic discussions. Karla? Thank you. Question, two questions actually. First on the Red Sea operation. So Vice Admiral Cooper and you have both said that this is a defensive operation. Why is this a defensive operation? Why is this not an offensive operation? Why is the U.S. and the International Coalition either unwilling or unable to target launching areas inside of Yemen? So the express purpose of Operation Prosperity Guardian, again under the Coalition Maritime Forces, is a coalition of the willing. And so this particular operation is a defensive operation focused on helping to reassure commercial vessels as they transit the Red Sea and also helping to safeguard the lives of mariners who are sailing those ships. And so it's as simple as that. Should I interpret that as some of the Coalition did not want this to be offensive? Is that fair to say? Karla, so again, countries are going to be willing to participate in various efforts focused on very specific operational goals. And again, Operation Prosperity Guardian is a defensive coalition focused on safeguarding the commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. So that's the mission. Now, again, I'm not going to get into hypotheticals or speculate about what individual countries may or may not do as it relates to their security or the collective security. But again, for OPG, this is a defensive coalition. Thanks. And then separately, on attack. Let me go to one of your colleagues. I want to follow up on the tackums, and then I'm done. There's a Newsweek story out there that says that there's attackums up for destruction that expired attackums, US attackums that would be a significant expense to American taxpayers according to one former advisor to Ukraine's lead commander. Is this true? Are there a bunch of attackums, expired attackums, set to be destroyed? And if that is true, why would they not be going to Ukraine? Yeah. So I've seen those press reports. We looked into this, and it is not true. Those reports are false. Buddy. I have two separate topics. First, on the strike in Iraq against Awodat al-Harakat and Nijabat, last week, as you said, the US forces are inside Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government. However, Mr. As-Soudani, Iraqi prime minister, has rejected any action from US forces outside the parameters of advising and assisting Iraqi forces. And he said the Iraqi government is headed toward ending the presence of the International Coalition inside Iraq. Has the Pentagon been notified or by the Iraqi government of any steps to get the US forces out of Iraq? And how do you respond to his comments on actions taken by US forces? Yeah, thanks, Buddy. So I'm not going to comment on the remarks of others. I'm not going to speculate about what the future may portend or get into hypotheticals. As I mentioned earlier, US forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the government Iraq to help train and advise in support of the defeat ISIS mission. And you've been covering this story for a very long time in terms of US presence, as have many of your colleagues here. And you'll recall it was 10 years ago this coming summer that ISIS was approximately 24 kilometers outside of Baghdad when we kicked off the counter ISIS mission after they had subsumed large swaths of Syria and Iraq. So no one wants to see a return of ISIS, which, oh, by the way, just claimed responsibility for the attacks that we saw yesterday in Iran. So our focus is going to continue to remain on the defeat ISIS mission. But again, we're not going to hesitate to protect our forces if they're threatened. Thanks for it. And a couple of days ago, Sadiq Al-Aroor is senior Hamas leader was assassinated in a strike in Beirut. And it's supposedly carried out by Israel. The US has maintained a position that you don't want to see the war in Gaza escalate either Lebanon or in the region. Was the DOD or the US government notified of this operation? And does the US administration or the Pentagon support such strikes beyond the borders? Yeah, so I don't have anything, obviously, seeing the reports on that strike. I just don't have anything to provide on that. Let me go to the phone here real quick. JJ Green from WTOP. Yeah, thanks for the opportunity. Can you characterize the strength of haircut al-Nujiba, the threat that it poses to US forces? And when you look at all the other terror organizations that are active in the region now, especially ISIS and Islamic She-Had, Hamas, Hezbollah, can you characterize what that looks like for US forces and how the Pentagon is approaching dealing with that? Yeah, thanks, JJ. As I'm sure you can appreciate, there are myriad threats throughout the region, not only to the United States, but to other countries as well. And so I won't go into a detailed briefing about terrorist groups across the AOR, other than to say, as we've highlighted in several of our press releases when we've conducted strikes in Iraq and Syria, they have been against groups that are sponsored by Iran, Iranian proxies to include Han and Qatab Hezbollah. And so those forces have represented a threat to our forces. And again, we maintain the inherent right of self-defense, and we'll take necessary actions to protect our forces. And that will continue to remain our focus, as well as doing the mission, which we're there to do, which is to help defeat ISIS. Thank you. All right, let me do one more from the phone here. Jeff Schogel, Task and Purpose. Thank you. And thanks to the audio folks for getting my mic to work. I just wanted to double check the person killed in Baghdad. I've seen his name spelled differently. I've seen it al-Saidī. I just want to make sure we're talking about the same guy. And also, this person was a commander in the popular mobilization forces. Was this also an attack on Iraqi security forces? Thank you. Thanks, Jeff. Again, I'm not going to have anything to provide beyond what I've spelled out for you. And this was a strike against a member of Han, the terrorist group that I've highlighted, the Iranian proxy group. Thank you. Tony. A couple of Ukraine questions. One of the things you did highlight in your recap was the December 27th presidential drawing on authority package 54. Is that the last package the US can give Ukraine until Congress approves the supplemental? Yeah, thanks, Tony. As you heard us say as we went into the holidays here, we have no more replenishment funds. And so right now, I'm not anticipating any new PDA announcements in terms of new capabilities, which is why we will continue to work closely with Congress and urge them to pass the supplemental. F-16 is the Ukraine. What's the latest in terms of when they would finally show up there? Sure. I don't have any specific dates to provide that training does continue in Arizona. As you know that, again, depending on the skill level of the pilot, that can range from five to eight months. And so I would expect some time later this year we'll start to see those pilots graduate, but I don't have any specifics for you. One unique question. There's this talk about military strikes. What would they be striking? What would they be striking? Are these mobile missile units that the Houdies have, or are they fixed sites the US knows about, and you're deciding what to do? Yeah, thanks, Tony. I appreciate the question. But again, I'm just not going to get into hypotheticals or speculate or forecast any potential future operations. Thanks. Nancy. I want to go back to some of the comments you made earlier about the strike in Iraq. As you know, earlier today, depending on what's unwilling to talk publicly about the strike. And now you're telling us you can't tell us the threat that demanded a self-defense strike. And can you help me understand why the US can't provide basic information about a strike that it conducted in an allied nation's territory? Is this the expectation going forward that you'll conduct self-defense strikes, but we won't know why you're doing that? Yeah, so I appreciate the question, Nancy. I would take exception at the characterization. First of all, I'm here briefing you on the record about the strike. And if I can finish answering the question that you asked me. But the answer we got repeatedly is that you won't tell us. I provided you the information that I have available to provide. And I have answered why this was a self-defense strike, because this particular individual was involved in the planning and execution of attacks against American personnel in Iraq and Syria, which by definition is a threat, which by definition us taking action is a self-defense action. I guess what I don't understand is is it one strike that this person was involved in? Was it several? Were they deadly over what period of time? On January 4th, at 12 PM Iraq time, we took a strike targeting this individual. It killed him and an associate. There was no civilians injured, no infrastructure, and no facilities. So I mean, that's as much information as I'm able to provide. Thanks. Yes, sir. Thanks, Pat. Going back to the Red Sea for a second, Operation Prosperity Guardian, both you and Vice Admiral Cooper have described it as a defensive action. But Vice Admiral Cooper earlier this week, I believe, gave the USS Carney a combat action ribbon for its actions, or I believe in December. I mean, are US Navy ships in combat in the Red Sea? I think that the Admiral's actions speak for themselves in terms of recognizing the crew for what they've done to be able to protect not only themselves but also international commerce and mariners as they transit. So I'll just leave it at that. Thank you. Ma'am. Thank you, General. My question is about your opening remarks on Japan. So we appreciate it and hope. Pentagon or US Force in Japan received any request from the Japanese government on the Earth? Sure. So as I said earlier, we remain in close communication with the government of Japan, and we do stand ready to aid in any way that would be most helpful to Japan. I would say this could include support from US forces who are stationed there who would be able to respond at a moment's notice. At this time, I'm not able to go in any specific details, but of course, we'll keep you updated on what that could look like should we receive any specific requests. Thank you very much, Jean. Thank you, General. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. OK. Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that he would eventually unify Taiwan and put the Russian Putin, I mean, President Putin also designated Korean Peninsula and Taiwan as conflict-risk areas this year and also North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, declared that he was ready for a nuclear war against the United States and South Korea. What is the Pentagon's position on this world crisis? Yeah, so we're going to continue to stay very focused on working with our allies and our partners in the region to ensure that regional security, stability, and prosperity are the main focus. No one wants to see conflict in that region, and so that will continue to be our focus. Do you think a nuclear war can be suppressed through US extended deterrence? I believe that US extended deterrence will continue to help contribute directly towards regional security and stability. Let me go back to the phone here. Howard Altman. Thanks, Pat. Question of the answer? And Jared from All Monitor. My question has also been answered. Thank you. Take a few more. Chris. On the airstrike in Iraq, I understand your comments on the rationale. But to be very direct, did this US airstrike violate the agreement the US forces and the coalition has with the Iraqi government? The US always maintains the right of self-defense if our forces are threatened. And again, we'll continue to communicate as we have been along closely with our Iraqi partners when it comes to the safety and security of our forces in Iraq. Ro. Yeah, thank you. Just two questions. First, floor up on the US response to the airstrike in Japan. So is it agreed to say that US and Japan discussing that US is in discussion with the Japanese about what type of assistance would be necessary? Yeah, so as I understand it, US forces, Japan is in regular contact with the government of Japan to discuss how we might help should assistance be requested. But I'd refer you to USFJ for any further details. On the second question, China appointed a new defense minister in late December. So has the Pentagon requested the first contact, half-up engagement between the secretary and the new defense minister after his appointment? Yeah, so we continue to be in communication with the PRC at the working level about the sequencing of upcoming engagements. And certainly we'll share more when we have more to announce. We continue to believe that sustained communication between our two countries is important in order to prevent miscalculation and mitigate potential risk. Thank you very much. Tom. Thanks, Pat. At the end of the year, they cleared up all the holes on the military promotions. Are there any delays, holds, or otherwise, of civilian nominees for key DOs, the positions that are still remaining? There are some individuals that continue to be delayed. And again, we'll continue to work. Do you have a number on that, please? We can get that for you. Thanks very much. Thank you. I have two quick spray related questions. Has committee on oversight and accountability sent a letter to Secretary Austin last month and asked to provide documents and information about the Osprey program safety and performance by today? Has the DOD responded to the request? And does the committee's investigation affect US military decision on when to resume post-play flight? Yeah, thanks very much. So the Department of Defense commits to working cooperatively with the committee to accommodate its requests and will work diligently to provide additional information as soon as possible. I don't have any further details provided beyond that at this point. Thanks very much. Got time for a few more. Yes, sir. Thank you, General. The Iraqi Prime Minister's Office statement says that Utaquah or these attacks was an attack on the Iraqi security entity that is operating within the powers authorized by the commander in chief of the armed forces. Does that concern you at all that there are some elements and people that operating under the Iraqi prime minister authorities and they are planning and are must amending to attack the US forces in Iraq? Again, look, Iraq is an important and valued partner. We work very closely with the Iraqi security forces as part of CJTF OIR and have had a relationship with the Iraqi security forces for many years supporting training and advising their counterterrorism efforts. And so we will continue to work closely with our Iraqi partners. We do know that the Iraqi security forces have continued to assist in identifying, in some cases, where these Iranian proxies have conducted attacks against US forces. And we are very appreciative of that support. And so this is an important partner to us and will continue to lean into that relationship. He also said that this will undermine the previously established understanding between the Iraqi armed forces and the coalition forces. Do you have the same concern? Again, I think I have responded to that question earlier. I'm not going to comment on the remarks of others. Thanks very much. Time for just a couple more. We'll go here and then here. Thank you, general. The recent attacks by the militia groups in Iraq on US forces seem to be more accurate than before. A recent target, a US base in Erbil, injured three US service members and one more attack in Kurdish-Pershman forces. So aren't you concerned that these militia groups have now more sophisticated weapons that can target US forces? So to date, we continue to see the one way attack drones and rockets. Again, over the course of these, largely ineffectual, but to your point, they continue to remain very dangerous, which is why we will respond seriously to any threat of our forces. We do not seek any broader conflict with Iran. We don't seek conflict with these groups, but we're not going to stand aside and allow our forces to be threatened without ensuring that we're properly protecting them. Yes, sir. You mentioned replenishment money is out. How much is left in PDA for Ukraine? Right now, we've got roughly $4.2 billion in restored PDA authority. But again, the replenishment funds are expended. Jennifer. Just to be clear, Harqad al-Nijba, is it considered to receive funding and support from Iran, or is it simply an Iraqi-based Shia militia? This is an Iranian proxy group. I'll just leave it at that. Tara. Just one off of Jennifer's. Is this group part of the PMF? Look, the Han group is a Iranian proxy group that has been targeting US forces. And so again, we took appropriate and proportionate action. Thank you. It's part of the Iraqi PMF forces. I don't have an answer to that question. The other one that I was going to ask is Ukraine. With the $4.2 billion, because there's no replenishment money, does that mean that money is essentially untouchable? Like you can't dip into the foreign money? So that is the authority to spend funds, again, without having the replenishment funds in order to actually replenish our own funds. It's the authority to spend not necessarily the funds available. Thus, we need the supplemental from Congress. OK, so you don't actually have $4.2 billion in? We have the authority to spend that from available funds but wouldn't have the ability to replenish the stocks by taking money out or taking stuff out of our inventory. So in practical terms, that means that's not money to be used. Right. Last question, Fadi. I just want to revisit the Iraq. I mean, on the one hand, you say Iraq is an important ally. You talk about how the US presence is at the request of the Iraqi government. When the Iraqi government is saying, no, you cannot take military actions inside Iraq, because this is a breach of the agreement about advising and supporting the security forces, you refuse to comment. Is there a disagreement between the Pentagon and Iraqi government about the situation in Iraq? Is it the US forces? Look, again, I'll be very clear. US forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the government Iraq. And they're there for one reason, which is to support the defeat ISIS mission. We'll continue to work very closely with our Iraqi partners when it comes to the safety and security of our forces. When those forces are threatened, just like we would anywhere else in the world, we will maintain the inherent right of self-defense to protect our forces. And so again, this was a necessary proportion and action against this particular individual who was personally involved in the planning and execution of attacks against American personnel. Thank you very much, everybody. Appreciate it.