Press Release
☷Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj Gen Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing
U.S. Department of Defense ( By Press Release office)
Mar 15,2024
| 5| 0
Moving on , the Department of Defense also announced additional security assistance to Ukraine . This is the 55th tranche of assistance , worth up to $300 million , and includes air defense , artillery , and anti - tank capabilities . The package includes Stinger anti - aircraft missiles , ammunition for HIMARS , artillery rounds , anti - armor systems , small arms ammunition , and more . We were able to provide this assistance without impacting U . S . military readiness , thanks to negotiated savings on previous contracts . However , we still need Congress to pass DOD ' s supplemental request . In other news , today U . S . Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force did another combined airdrop into northern Gaza , dropping over 5 , 280 pounds of food including rice , flour , pasta , and canned food . This makes it the eighth humanitarian assistance airdrop since March 2nd , providing relief to those affected by the conflict . C - 130s have dropped over 204 , 000 meals , 48 , 000 bottles of water , and more than 5 , 000 pounds of food items . Today ' s PDA package is helpful for Ukraine ' s forces , but it ' s not enough . Congress needs to pass the supplemental quickly to meet their needs on the battlefield . Happy to take questions now . Let ' s start with AP , Lita Baldor on the line . So basically , we were able to find some cost savings that allowed us to provide a small amount of security assistance to Ukraine without hurting military readiness . This is just a temporary solution until we can get the necessary funding through a supplemental . As for future aid , we ' re not currently looking for more cost savings on other contracts . And sorry , but I can ' t give specific numbers on the aid we ' re sending or the dud rate of the munitions for security reasons . Thank you . Just a quick question about the aid to Gaza and then a question about Ukraine . So , you mentioned 60 days from last Friday , but now you ' re saying just 60 days . Is it 60 days from today or last Friday? GEN . RYDER: Around 60 days from last Friday . So , they should be operational within 60 days from when the announcement was made . And as for the Ukraine aid , we can ' t give a specific date for when the artillery rounds will arrive , but rest assured it will be quick . It will provide some much - needed capability to Ukraine , but they will still need more support . Regarding the HMC meetings with the Iraqi government , we don ' t have any new updates to share at this time . As for the increase in funding for Iraq and the Kurdish Peshmerga in the budget , we value our partnership with Iraq and remain committed to supporting their security needs . As for staying until 2025 , we can ' t make any decisions until after the HMC discussions . I don ' t have anything right now because you ' re asking me to guess about the future . We do have a long - standing security relationship with Iraq , but I ' ll just leave it at that . Let me quickly check the phone . Jeff Schogol with Task & Purpose , go ahead . Do we have any ATACMS in this security package? Thanks . Yeah , Jeff , I don ' t have any announcements about ATACMS . As I mentioned earlier , this package includes critical munitions like additional ammunition for HIMARS , the 155 millimeter rounds that Ukraine desperately needs right now . But there ' s nothing to announce about ATACMS . Let me go to the next question . Patrick Tucker from Defense One , go ahead . That was actually my question , but I ' ll follow up . Given the current state of the front line and the situation with Ukrainian and Russian supplies , is there any urgency to provide them with something different , like ATACMS? Are there any discussions about different packages that can be sent now that the battlefield doesn ' t look as favorable for Ukraine? Thanks , Pat . So what we ' re announcing today is what we can provide unexpectedly . We were able to gather the funds to give them these critical capabilities right now . What we really need is for the supplemental to be approved so that we can provide the long - term capabilities they require . Again , there ' s nothing to announce today regarding ATACMS . But we ' ll definitely keep you updated on any developments going forward . Next question , please . Thank you , General . You mentioned it takes 60 days to build a pier to deliver aid . Why aren ' t we using Ashdod pier? It ' s a pier about 30 kilometers north of Gaza in Israel , which seems like an easier option to use an existing pier instead of building a new one . Yes , that ' s the mission the Department of Defense has been given . It ' s a capability we have . As I mentioned , it will enable the delivery of up to 2 million meals per day . But I understand that there are other efforts as part of a broader international effort to provide aid to Gaza . As for that specific facility , I don ' t have any information to share . But in addition to our maritime efforts and airdrops , USAID is working with partners in the region to open and expand land routes . We will continue to do our part as the Department of Defense , recognizing that this is a larger effort involving many parties . Thank you . Q: So , we can ' t use that pier because Israel won ' t let us , right? GEN . RYDER: I don ' t think Israel has said yes or no . The Department of Defense has been given the mission to provide this capability . It ' s something we can do , so we ' re gonna do it . Let ' s move on to Luis . Q: General , who started this review of the assessment of the costs? There have been reports that it could be as high as 400 million . Does that mean there ' s an extra hundred million that you ' re holding onto? GEN . RYDER: Yes , as far as I understand it , Luis , this is just part of the accounting process . When the services receive funding for replenishment , they negotiate contracts . It ' s not unusual to find cost savings and return those funds to the department . In this case , since it involved multiple contracts , it became clear that there would be funds available . We made the decision to use them with confidence . However , I don ' t think we ' ll be able to do similar things in the future . It wasn ' t a top - down initiative from the secretary , but rather something that became apparent as the services looked into it . The goal was to find financing that could support Ukraine in the short term . Let ' s go back to the phone . Chris Gordon from Air & Space , you ' re up . Q: Now that you ' ve found these funds , are you looking for more savings? Are there potential savings in other services , not just the Army? GEN . RYDER: Again , Chris , as I mentioned before , this isn ' t a sustainable way to support Ukraine . It seems like a one - time deal for now . However , we ' ll continue working closely with Congress to secure the necessary funding . Winning this fight is crucial not just for Ukraine , but also for international security , including the security of the United States . Alright , let ' s take a couple more questions . Yes , sir . Q: Thank you . I apologize . So , regarding the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act , the final version of the DOD ' s 2024 defense bill includes equipping Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces with air defense systems to defend against missiles , rockets , and unmanned systems . Do you have any practical information on this?GEN . RYDER: Well , we ' re still waiting for the 2024 budget to be passed , so that ' s the first step . We ' re hoping Congress will pass the budget soon , and then we can discuss further . Thank you . Last question . Carla Q: Alright , I ' ll wrap up with three questions . First , General Kurilla recently mentioned the importance of interdiction efforts to secure the Red Sea and prevent Iran from resupplying . Have there been increased U . S . interdiction efforts to address this?GEN . RYDER: Thanks for the question , Carla . It ' s definitely an important mission that we ' ve been working on in the Middle East for quite some time . U . S . Central Command forces have been collaborating with partners in the region to address interdiction efforts . We have a responsibility to prevent illegal shipments of arms from reaching terrorists , and we ' ll continue to work closely with our partners to deter and prevent this from happening . Q: Great . Moving on to Ukraine , there are reports of two Patriots being destroyed in eastern Ukraine . Can you confirm this , and is there a plan to replace them , considering the importance of air defense?GEN . RYDER: I suggest checking with the Ukrainians for information on their equipment status . Q: Lastly , regarding the latest aid package for Ukraine , there have been concerns about the risk of giving part of the remaining $4 billion in the PDA without a replenishment plan . But is there a risk in providing Ukraine with surplus items from the Pentagon ' s stockpile that the Army no longer uses , such as 155mm cluster munitions or M113s?GEN . RYDER: I ' m not sure I understand your question . RYDER: Yeah , so basically , we ' re providing combat - ready capabilities to them for the battlefield . We ' ll work with our allies to get them what they need quickly , either from our stockpiles or through contracting . If the Army confirms they ' re not using certain equipment , we may consider sending it to Ukraine . We ' ll find ways to support their needs effectively . Thanks , everyone . Appreciate it .
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information:
Direct link to press release:
Click here .
