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
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Secretary Austin has established a Warfighter Senior Integration Group to address the growing threat posed by uncrewed weapon systems . This group will bring together senior leaders to develop solutions for countering these threats , with a focus on uncrewed aerial systems . We ' ll provide updates on their progress in the coming months . Also , the All - domain Anomaly Resolution Office released the first volume of their Historical Record Report on unidentified anomalous phenomena ( UAP ) . After reviewing classified and unclassified archives dating back to 1945 , they found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology being accessed or reverse - engineered by the U . S . government or private companies . You can read the report on defense . gov or the AARO website . Hey everyone , good afternoon . I ' ve got a lot to cover today , so let ' s dive right in . The Office of Strategic Capital just released its first investment strategy , which aims to attract private capital to support national security . The report outlines priority technology industries and how the OSC plans to encourage private investment in them . You can find more details on the department ' s website . Hey , I ' ve got an update on the V - 22 ' s return to flight . The Naval Air Systems Command gave the green light today for the V - 22 Osprey to start flying again . They took a careful and data - driven approach to prioritize the safety of our aircrews . It was a joint effort with the U . S . Air Force - led investigation , which figured out what went wrong . The grounding gave them time to review everything and come up with measures to safely get the V - 22 back in the air . For more info , you can check with NavAir and the respective services . I ' ll have a diagram posted for you to see . And if you have any questions , fire away . On a different note , U . S . Central Command forces dropped off some much - needed meals in Gaza for the fourth time today . A C - 130 from the Air Force delivered 11 , 500 meals , bringing the total number of meals dropped by the U . S . to over 124 , 000 so far . These airdrops are part of ongoing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza . Just want to clear up that reports of civilian casualties from our airdrops are false . All eight bundles landed safely . Basically , they ' re gonna set up a temporary pier out in the ocean where big ships can unload their cargo onto smaller ships . Then , those smaller ships will take the cargo to a temporary bridge thingy to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza . Right now , we ' re still figuring out who exactly is gonna help with this , but some folks from the Seventh Transportation Brigade Expeditionary out of Joint Base Langley - Eustis in Virginia are gonna be involved . It ' s important to note that there won ' t be any U . S . troops on the ground in Gaza . The U . S . military will be providing support from offshore . We ' re also working with other countries to help run the bridge thingy and get aid into Gaza . As for security and aid distribution , we ' re still making plans and talking to our partners in the region . We ' ll have more details on that later . In terms of timing , we ' re trying to get this set up as fast as we can , but it ' ll probably take a few weeks . And once it ' s up and running , we could be delivering over two million meals a day to the people of Gaza . Alright , now let ' s open it up for questions . So basically , we ' re looking at around 1 , 800 feet long causeway that will be two - lane and will be built at sea and then driven into the ground from offshore . We ' re coordinating with partners in the region to handle the security and distribution of aid without needing U . S . forces on the ground . Aid will be loaded onto ships in Cyprus , taken to the causeway , and then distributed into Gaza . Israel and other partners are involved in the security details , and there don ' t seem to be any restrictions on what can come through the pier . U . S . military personnel will only be involved in getting the aid to the causeway , not in distributing it . RYDER: Yep , that ' s right . Q: Oh , so who will be providing security besides Israel? GEN . RYDER: We ' re still figuring out the details with our partners in the region , including Israel , about who will handle security . We ' ll have more info on that later , but that ' s the general idea . Q: Will Israel decide who provides security? GEN . RYDER: We ' re working with partners in the region , so I ' ll leave it at that for now . Luis Q: Can you give us an idea of how many troops will be involved in JLOTS , how long it will take for them to start operating , and how long it will take to get to this location? And will there be maritime security for the forces offshore? GEN . RYDER: We expect over 1 , 000 U . S . forces to be part of building this capability . It will likely take a few weeks , maybe up to 60 days , to deploy the forces and set up the causeway and pier . We ' re starting right away to get things moving . In terms of security , I can ' t go into specifics for operational security reasons , but security measures will definitely be in place for our forces . Q: ( Inaudible ) about partner nations on the ground and security measures , but you can ' t discuss specifics . GEN . RYDER: Right , these forces will have their own security measures in place . I just can ' t go into details about that . Jennifer Q: How much will this operation cost? And if Israel is involved in land security , why not use existing ports like Ashdod and Ashkelon for aid delivery? It seems like a lot of effort for a short - term solution when people are in need . GEN . RYDER: This operation is part of a larger effort by the U . S . to increase aid delivery to Gaza , both by land routes and airdrops . The President has emphasized the need for more aid to reach Gaza quickly . This capability allows us to deliver a significant amount of aid in a short amount of time . GEN . RYDER: We ' re currently exploring contingency options to ensure the safety of our personnel at the embassy . GEN . RYDER: I don ' t have an exact measurement , but they won ' t be going on the shore , that ' s for sure . Q: Regarding the UFO report , why should Americans trust that the Pentagon investigated itself and found no evidence of alien life? GEN . RYDER: This is a military capability , so there will be an active military component involved . We ' ll provide more details later . Q: Lastly , can you share any information about the support DoD is providing in Haiti? Q: Also , will it be servicemembers or contractors constructing the pier? GEN . RYDER: Look , the AARO Office used a rigorous scientific approach to investigate all past U . S . government efforts and claims . They had access to all necessary information and took it seriously . The results speak for themselves . Q: Do you have any confirmation of actual casualties? The Gaza Health Ministry reported five deaths . GEN . RYDER: We have only used C - 130s for airdrops . As for this specific airdrop , the alert went out five minutes before it happened , so it couldn ' t have been us . We also have the capability to observe our bundles landing . Q: Why was the latest airdrop so small , only 11 , 000 meals? Jeff Q: Thank you . You mentioned that reports of casualties from an airdrop over Gaza are false . How did DoD confirm that its food drops landed safely? And are C - 17s being used or just C - 130s? GEN . RYDER: I can ' t confirm that . Thanks . Lara Q: Thank you . It seems like you ' re taking "no boots on the ground" literally with the pier construction near Gaza . How far will the troops be from the shore? GEN . RYDER: Well , it can vary depending on the mission and the available aircraft . So you ' ll see it fluctuate . Q: Thank you , General . You have been unconditionally supporting Israel from the beginning . What is the exact reason for choosing to send aid by sea instead of through the land? Q: When was the last time the JLOTS system was used in an operational setting? Q: Who will be the Commander on the ground , rather than the Combatant Commander? A: The JLOTS system was last used in an operational setting last year during Exercise Talisman Sabre , so relatively recently . A: I don ' t have that information right now , but we will keep you updated . Q: You mentioned a 60 - day timeframe . Is that from when all the issues are resolved? A: Well , I don ' t want to discuss potential vulnerabilities . It ' s a complex operation , and we ' re working through all the details . The key aspect here is that we ' re working with partners , allies , and NGOs in the region to implement this plan . One of our main focuses will be ensuring the security of our personnel and working with regional partners to safely distribute aid . Thank you . Q: Conservatively , Gaza needs 6 . . . Q: Can you talk about the risks or concerns the DoD is assessing with this plan? A: No , it starts from now . Q: How much will the mission cost and who will be in command? A: I can ' t speak for Israel . As I mentioned before , the president has expressed concern that not enough aid is reaching Gaza . We are in ongoing discussions with our Israeli partners and others in the region to explore more options for delivering aid via land . However , we can ' t wait around , which is why we are conducting air drops and implementing this new capability . Thank you . We haven ' t made any decisions yet about potential deployments . There have been some reports in the press about a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team . What I can tell you is that the Department of Defense ( DoD ) will not be sending troops to support Haitian national Police security operations in Haiti . We have no plans to intervene or assist the prime minister in returning to Haiti at this time . A: I don ' t have an estimate of the cost at the moment , but we can provide that information later . The mission will be under the command and control of Central Command . We will have more details about the specific command structure in the future . Regarding the European effort and other international initiatives , I can only speak for the U . S . Department of Defense and our specific role in supporting the temporary pier . For information on other efforts , I suggest reaching out to the European Union and USAID or the State Department . I ' m just gonna talk about the DoD stuff for now because I don ' t have all the details . Can you tell us who ' s gonna provide the food and put it on the ships for Gaza? Well , it ' s gonna be part of an international effort . Multiple nations are involved and we ' ll be helping with the delivery . I can ' t confirm those deaths , but I can tell you that the reports blaming our airdrops are false . The packages you saw falling to the ground were not ours . We ' re still figuring out how the aid will be distributed , but we ' re talking to allies , the UN , and other humanitarian organizations . Our focus is on delivering the aid , I can ' t speak for the Israelis . Thank you . Regarding the Osprey aircraft , we ' ve been working closely with Japan and their support has been great . Safety is our priority and we ' ve been transparent with Japan about the steps we ' re taking . I don ' t have any updates on calls between the Secretary and the Japanese Defense Minister , but we ' re committed to safety . Forces Japan has been in touch frequently to emphasize the importance of safety , and the Secretary is confident in the steps taken to ensure the Osprey aircraft ' s safety . The mission does not have a name yet , and there will be a variety of sealift required to transport forces . The unit is based at Joint Base Langley - Eustis on the East Coast , and there are already capabilities in the region to support the mission . The specifics of certain capabilities are not being disclosed for operational security reasons . As for international support , no commitments have been confirmed yet , but the U . S . military component of the mission is being handled unilaterally . RYDER: Yeah , we ' re working with partners in the region and they will speak for themselves . We ' ll keep you updated on our progress . We understand there ' s a lot of interest in the concept and its execution , especially regarding security and aid distribution , but we are confident in our ability to carry out this mission without deploying troops on the ground in Gaza . As for the Ospreys , NAVAIR can provide more details on the safety measures taken before resuming flights . Some officials did travel to Japan for this purpose . The timeline for resuming Osprey flights in Japan is a decision for the services to make . Regarding the aid mission in Gaza , there will be no U . S . military personnel on the ground , with others handling security and distribution . Aid will be screened before being loaded onto vessels . When it comes to Hamas receiving aid , you know , we ' re gonna team up with NGOs , the UN , and others to distribute the aid and do everything we can , of course . Without being there on the ground , we want to make sure the aid doesn ' t go to Hamas . But the main point here is , if Hamas really cares about the suffering of the Palestinian people , why would they want to use this aid for themselves and support their terrorist organization? Or do they actually care about the Palestinian people and want the aid to reach them? So , we hope that the deserving and needy people will receive this aid . Q: Just to confirm , the risk remains the same regardless of how these aid convoys arrive .
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