PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: All right. Good afternoon, everyone. I’ve got a fair amount to pass along today, so I just want to say thanks in advance for your patience. Lots to talk about.
So, first I want to bring up one item. As you know, we have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 US troops deployed to Syria. In light of the situation in Syria and the significant interest, we recently learned that those numbers were higher, and so asked to look into it. I learned today that in fact there are approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria.
As I understand it and as it was explained to me, these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments. And as you know, for many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time. But given that this number is significantly higher than what we’ve been briefing, I wanted to let you know as soon as I found out this information.
I will say that there are diplomatic and operational security considerations oftentimes with our deployments and some of those numbers, and it’s certainly the case here. But again, given that there is significant interest in Syria, given what we have briefed previously, I wanted to make sure that you had the most up to date information.
I will also highlight that, again as it was explained to me, these forces, which augment the Defeat ISIS Mission, were there before the fall of the Assad regime. And I’ll be happy to answer any questions on that when we get to the Q&A.
I also want to address upfront a potential government shutdown and the implications should a shutdown occur. As we are a planning organization, the department has conducted prudent planning and preparations for a potential shutdown, and our senior leaders have updated our contingency plans.
Secretary Austin and DOD leaders are monitoring the situation closely and remain committed to doing everything possible to mitigate the significant impacts that a lapse in funding and subsequent shutdown would have on the department. In the event of a lapse in funding and a shutdown of the government, the Department of Defense will continue to carry out our fundamental responsibility and mission to defend our nation and the American people.
Military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty, would continue to report for duty and carry out assigned missions worldwide to defend our nation and protect our national security interests. However, it’s important to note that military personnel would not be paid until new funds are appropriated by Congress. Additionally, civilian personnel, including military technicians who are not necessary to carry out or support accepted activities, would be furloughed with a lapse in appropriations.
Objectively speaking, a lapse in funding will cause serious disruptions across the Defense Department and is still avoidable. Therefore, DOD urges Congress to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on fiscal year 2025 appropriations and avoid a CR, or worse, a government shutdown.
Shifting gears, yesterday the department submitted to Congress and published its annual report on the military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China, commonly known as the China Military Power Report.
This Congressionally mandated report charts current — the current course of the PRC’s national economic and military strategy. It also highlights insights into the People’s Liberation Army strategy, current capabilities and activities, and its future modernization goals.
The CMPR illustrates why the 2022 National Defense Strategy identified the PRC and its increasingly capable military as the department’s top pacing challenge. Please visit defense.gov for more information on the report.
Keeping in the Indo-Pacific region, tomorrow US INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Paparo will preside over the ceremony where General Paul LaCamera will turn over command of United Nations Command, ROK-US Combined Forces Command, and US Forces Korea to General Xavier Brunson and who was the Commanding General of First Corps. On behalf of Secretary Austin and the entire Department of Defense, we want to extend our thanks to General LaCamera for his leadership and lifetime of service to our nation. And we salute General Brunson as he takes command. As you’ve heard us say, our commitments to the US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad.
Separately, as is tradition today and tomorrow, Secretary Austin and Deputy Secretary Hicks will reach out to and speak with service members representing each branch of the US Armed Forces to wish them Happy Holidays and to thank them and their families for their service, sacrifice and commitment to our nation.
Earlier today, Secretary Austin spoke with Marines from Task Force 61/2, Second Marine Expeditionary Brigade deployed to Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy supporting US sixth fleet and the US European Command Area of Responsibility. The Secretary also spoke with Guardians from the 53rd Space Operations: Squadron Detachment station in Landstuhl, Germany to maintain military satellite communications and the EUCOM AOR. I’d like to note that Secretary Austin’s call with these guardians comes just one day before the US Space Force will celebrate its fifth anniversary.
As you know, the US Space Force was established on December 20, 2019 with the recognition that space is a national security imperative. It’s an increasingly critical domain, not only for US military operations, but for the safety, security, and prosperity of all Americans and for people around the world.
US Space Force Guardians are an integral part of today’s joint force serving across the globe, operating, and defending the critical space systems that our nation and the world rely upon. So on behalf of the Secretary and the entire DOD, happy birthday to the US Space Force and Semper Supra.
In continuing the holiday spirit, Deputy Secretary Hicks will conduct calls tomorrow with airmen from the 40th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Soldiers from the second Security Force Assistance Brigade at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti and sailors aboard the USS Gettysburg deployed to the EUCOM AOR. A readout of all of these holiday calls will be made available on the DOD website.
And finally, in honor of our cameraman in the back of the room there, it’s Christmas time and that means that the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD, which is tasked with monitoring and defending the airspace of the US and Canada, takes on a special additional mission this time each year. On December 24, NORAD will track the journey of a very special Aviator Santa as he makes his way around the globe.
And if you see red and green lights in the sky, that’s probably him. Please note that this is an authorized object in the sky and not an unmanned aerial vehicle. So please check twice. We kindly ask that those observing Santa’s sleigh refrain from reporting him to the FAA or FBI starting at 0600 Eastern Standard Time.
Kids, families and Santa’s fans worldwide can track his journey by calling one 877-HI-NORAD or (877) 446-6723 to speak with an official Santa tracker. You can also follow Santa’s journey online throughout the day at NORAD.Santa.org. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, joyous holidays and Happy New Year.
And with that, I’m happy to take your question, Lita. Thank you.
Q: Thank you, Pat. On Syria, can you explain a little more fully, First of all, why we hadn’t heard this number before? But secondly, who are these forces? Is this special operations forces? Are any there in an effort or part of an effort to find Austin Tice? And I guess I’m just a little confused. You said this was before the fall? So this isn’t in response to unrest and disruptions, correct? This is in response then to what?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Correct. So again, a couple of things. So as I highlighted for deployments and as you know, having followed these for a while, it’s not uncommon as units come in and out, the replacement in place, transfer of authority, those kinds of things. There will oftentimes be a bump, right? So the total number of forces officially deployed to Syria is 900. So that in and of itself in terms of the additional numbers, as you know, over the years that can fluctuate.
Obviously given the current situation in Syria, just very recently I was made aware of the fact that, hey, maybe there’s more forces than just a small number or you know what would normally be considered, you know, around the 900 range. So we asked to look into it, got those numbers today significantly higher than 900, which is again why we wanted to let you know.
Now those forces, what they’ve been doing is all focused on the defeat ISIS mission and again that core 900, approximately 900, those are going to be your longer term deployers, right, nine to 12 months as I understand it versus temporary forces which are going to rotate in on a 30 to 90-day basis.
Again, as it’s been explained to me that are there to meet any type of emerging mission requirements associated with the defeat ISIS mission. Predominantly Army forces. And, you know, I’m not going to be able to provide a breakdown of conventional versus special operations forces. But all of those forces focused on the defeat ISIS mission.
Again, as I understand it, a certain element of this also goes into diplomatic and operational security concerns as it relates to the region. But again, given the difference in the number that we’ve been providing have made the decision, I made the decision, to go ahead and give you that number so.
Q: Just so I’m clear, are you suggesting this 1100 is RIP/TOA?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No, I’m not. I’m just saying that traditionally, as we track deployments, right, When we say approximately 900, sometimes that’s going to fluctuate up to 1,200, 1,300 as units go in and out. But obviously these numbers, the additional numbers, again as I understand it, are considered temporary forces that are there to support the D-ISIS [Defeat-ISIS] mission, to support the forces that are deployed there longer term to include, you know, I’m sure a certain element of that would be RIP/TOA, but a lot of those forces are going to have already been operating there, you know, coming in and out and doing those kinds of things.
Q: Can you say when? Like how long ago this happened?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don’t have a specific date provide, Lita, but my understanding is it’s been for a while. So clearly before the fall of the Assad regime. So, yeah.
Q: What’s a while?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don’t have a number to provide, but again.
Q: [Crosstalk] more than double the number of troops that we’ve been told for quite some time. So are we talking about this has been going on for months? For years? Is it something that just happened this summer? I mean, we need a timeframe I think is fair.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I think it would probably be fair to say at a minimum months. I’ll go back and look, but, yeah, it’s been going on for a while.
Q: And what assurances can you give to the Kurdish SDF right now that the US isn’t planning to pull out or leave?
SECRETARY MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, right now there are no plans to cease the Defeat ISIS mission. I mean, again ISIS continues to maintain or to pose a significant threat. So right now no plans that I’m aware of to stop that mission.
Q: About 500 SDF have left their posts in terms of guarding the ISIS camps. Are US forces going to take their places?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, our focus is again, I mean working with the SDF but Jennifer, I don’t have anything for you in terms of relocation of US forces within Syria.
Q: Thank you. On Ukraine, how would a potential shutdown affect aid to Ukraine, specifically, deliveries of PPE packages? In the past, the administration has exempted, if I’m not mistaken, Ukraine operations from the potential shutdown. Are you prepared to do something similar now as well?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Let me take that question for you to get an accurate answer for it.
Q: I have several more on Ukraine, two on PDA related things. So a senior defense official told us earlier this week that DOD likely will not be able to use all of the $5.6 billion in aid for Ukraine by the end of this administration. However, NSC officials tell VOA that the Pentagon will be able to do this.
So can you give us more clarity on that? Are you still committed to using all of the $5.6 billion by January 20th?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I would say is, you know, we’re committed to spending as much of that as we can to get security assistance to Ukraine as quickly as we can. And of course we’ll keep you updated on that front. All right. Natasha?
Q: Thanks, Pat. Are you all reviewing other deployment numbers to make sure that they’re up to date and accurate? For example, has the number of troops that are currently in Iraq changed?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I will take that question and come back to you on it, right? Okay. Yes, ma’am?
Q: Thank you. Yesterday, Turkish defense officials emphasized that until PKK/YPG disarms and its foreign fighters leave Syria, Turkey’s preparations and measures will continue. Do you have any current assessment of the foreign fighters numbers with the YPG/SDF.
MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: I don’t have that to provide from here. Thank you.
All right, Wafaa, and then I’ll go to the phone.
Q: Thank you, General. Two topics, first Yemen and then Lebanon. On Yemen, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Houthis today that they will pay a heavy price. Do you have an assessment on maybe is — the Houthis could be the next Israeli target after Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza?
MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: What I would say, Wafaa is, first of all, I won’t speak for Israel in terms of its operations. They certainly have a right to defend themselves. And as you know, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel. And so, the Houthis should not be surprised if Israel exercises its inherent right of self-defense. But as for any potential future operations, I’d refer you to Israel.
Q: Would you support a large scale operation by Israel like in Lebanon?
MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: Yeah, I’m just not going to get into hypotheticals or speculate.
Q: And then Israel is conducting almost daily controlled demolition of civilian infrastructure, houses and villages — Lebanese villages on the borders. The Lebanese government considers this as clear violation of the ceasefire agreement. How do you assess these actions by Israel? Do you have concerns that these actions might put the agreement at risk?
MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: What I would say, Wafaa, is right now it’s our assessment that the ceasefire does continue to hold. Obviously, it’s, we believe, in everyone’s interest to ensure that that ceasefire continues. And we’ll continue to consult closely with partners in the region, to include Israel and Lebanon, toward that end.
Let me go to the phone here real quick. Jared, Al Monitor.
Q: A question on the de-ISIS numbers. One, why announce this now?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, I explained that. I learned the number today. And again, as somebody who’s been standing up here telling you 900, I wanted to get you what we had on that.
Q: Ok. And then can you give us an update on the ceasefire between the SDF and the Turkish backed forces west of the Euphrates? And does DOD have any role in enforcing or upholding that?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: To my knowledge we do not, Jared. As you know, the State Department has been consulting, of course, with our Turkish partners, allies. My understanding, again, and State Department can go into much more details, is that that ceasefire is continuing to hold. It was extended. It continues to hold.
You know, again, our forces in Syria are focused on the defeat ISIS mission. Obviously, we don’t want to see fighting between SDF and Turkish backed forces in Syria. You know, security and stability are incredibly important, particularly at this fragile time right now in Syria. And so, again, we would encourage all parties to preserve that peace and stability in support of the people of Syria.
Ok, let me just go to the phone here again real quick, make sure these people are not in the room. Jeff Schogol?
Q: Thank you. Regarding Syria, can you say why CENTCOM felt it needed an extra 1,000 troops, albeit on a temporary basis?
And you also mentioned that, if Congress doesn’t pass a spending bill, US troops and civilian — will not get paid over the holidays. And this is not a great time to go out — to go without a paycheck, although there’s never a good time. Do — US troops and civilians, do they have any recourse to protest that, or can they bill Congress directly for all their expenses until Congress passes a spending bill?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Jeff. On your first question, you know, again, I’d refer you to CENTCOM for specifics. But, you know, again, as — just broadly speaking as I understand it, as we have forces in Syria conducting the defeat ISIS mission, there may be capabilities augmentation that — that are required. And again, I don’t have that in front of me. Just getting these — this information today. But, again, as I understand it, primarily — not primarily, all focused on the defeat ISIS mission.
As for your second question, will US troops get paid over the holidays if there’s a government shutdown, what I would tell you is that much of that depends on the duration of a potential shutdown. As I said at the top, military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty, would continue to report for duty and carry out their assigned duties.
Without an appropriation or a continuing resolution, our troops will miss their end of month paycheck during the holiday season. Military reservists drilling after December 20 will not receive pay for those drills, and federal civilians that are required to work during a shutdown will not be paid. Civilian employees whose work is paid for from lapsed appropriations will be furloughed for the duration of the lapse, which appears to coincide with the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Ok. Let me come back in the room. Mike?
Q: Back to Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces are going to retain their positions along the Golan Heights that they took after the fall of the Assad government. The UN secretary general is criticizing it. Some of the governments in the — in Europe are criticizing. Does the US have a — have a position one way or the other on whether or not Israel should maintain these positions within the buffer zone?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I would tell you, Mike, is that our policy with respect to the Golan Heights hasn’t changed. I don’t have any comment on the announcement of people moving from inside Israel to the Golan Heights. What we’ve heard Israel say is that the deployment of its forces into that buffer zone is temporary, and we believe that the deployment ought to be temporary and that the 1974 disengagement agreement ought to be upheld. Thank you.
Q: Thank you, General. The US says that Syria shouldn’t be fragmented, the new Syria, the new government, the new country, basically, after the fall of the Assad regime. And you have a militia group that — the SDF, that you say you’re working with to combat ISIS. So, to have a unified Syria, do you have any plans at all to commit to disarming the SDF and disbanding them? The new HTS leader, Golani, also says that no armed groups will be allowed and all of them have to be dismantled. Do you have any plans at all? Because that would be a massive obstacle in the way of a unified Syria.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I think, you know, it’s a great question. I would refer you to State Department to talk about the longer term, you know, US diplomatic relations with the new government in Syria, obviously a lot of effort and work going into what that could look like.
As it relates to the SDF and the Department of Defense, right now our focus continues to be on the defeat ISIS mission, so preventing a resurgence of ISIS, certainly with the understanding that all of this is in the context of the situation in which you lay out. And — but in terms of a particular mission focus or change, I don’t have anything to announce right now. Thank you very much.
Tony?
Q: How much is a PDF — PDA authority is left to spend? Is it about $4.5 billion or so?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I’m tracking right now is total PDA is $5.6 billion remaining. USAI is $1.13 billion.
Q: Ok. So, on the 5.6, is it likely — highly unlikely that you’re going to be able to issue $5.6 billion of PDAs by January 20th?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Again, as I highlighted earlier, we are going to continue to surge as much capability as we can. Not going to get ahead of that process. You know, I think you can anticipate that we will have some additional PDA announcements. I’m not going to get into the timing of that, but certainly recognizing the fact that there is an urgent need right now in Ukraine and we’re going to remain committed to expending as much of that as we can.
Q: I need to ask you too, and you don’t know this answer, but I’d like you to get a written answer in terms of what will happen to the remaining dollars that are not put on PDA. You know, this is going to — you’re going to get a lot of criticism if you’ve got like $5 billion of authority that you didn’t use by the end of the administration. And could you get a written answer in terms of what will happen to those dollars if in fact you don’t obligate them?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I will take your question, but again, you know, recognizing the difference between authority and, you know, obligated funds. But yeah, I’ll take your question for you.
Q: On the — on the drone question, I shudder to bring this up, but you mentioned on Tuesday that anti — counter drone systems will be deployed to New Jersey this — this week or next week. Have those systems been deployed? And what’s the rule of engagement on those? And are those kinetic or fuzz buster type of equipment?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, the majority of that capability has deployed. The rest should be arriving very shortly, if not imminently and as I highlighted, earlier in the week, that will be a combination of active and passive detection capabilities as well as some capability counter-UAS capabilities which would include non-kinetic types of systems like drone busters, which essentially disrupt signals and affects the ability of these systems to fly.
Q: Thank you.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thanks very much. Kelly [Ph].
Q: Just to follow up more a bit on drones, I just wanted to ask about the federal ban on drone operations in parts of New Jersey. The government they say may use quote, deadly force against the drones if they pose an imminent security threat, who would shoot them down if it came to it, Would that be DOD assets?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So a couple of things. So first of all, I would note that that is standard security language included in national security NOTAMs and temporary flight restrictions. So FAA certainly could talk to you more about that. And as you’ve heard us say, we’re going to work closely with the FBI, DHS and FAA to make sure that we’re harmonizing our on-base efforts with anything that they’re doing off base.
And, you know, the bottom line is that our forces, our commanders if they observe UAS activity that they believe represents a threat, they have the authority to conduct mitigation operations based on the capability at their location. And as I highlighted, you know, one of those capabilities could be the non-kinetic, you know, interruption of signals, for example.
Q: Talking about a potential government shutdown, how could that impact the efforts to detect and track drones and the efforts that you are doing right now?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, I mean, if it’s, you know, we’re going to continue to do the operations as I highlighted. Military personnel are going to continue to do operations necessary to protect and defend the nation. So insomuch as we need to protect our facilities or mitigate potential threats, we will be on point doing that so.
Okay, Jennifer?
Q: Pat, it’s clear that you were surprised by the number of US troops that were in Syria, but was Secretary Austin also surprised?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: You know, I’m confident that the secretary is tracking US forces deployed around the world. Again, as I highlighted, you know, there oftentimes are going to be diplomatic or operational security considerations as it relates to the deployment of forces well.
Q: Just on that, did the secretary direct people not to make that public?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No.
Konstantin?
Q: I’m sorry. Just one other, just to clarify on this, is 2,000 now seen as the amount needed or is the department looking at any increases since things have been obviously changing over the last several weeks?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So I’m not tracking any adjustments. Again, the, you know, those additional forces there are again categorized as temporary transitional forces versus the 900, what I would call core official deployed forces. But as of right now, I’m not tracking any adjustment in that regard. Obviously, you know, we’ll see how things play out in Syria. We’ll see how the Defeat ISIS mission works out, but yeah.
Q: Just quick. Just to follow up, was the President aware that there were 2,000 US troops in Syria.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I won’t speak for the White House. Konstantin?
Q: Thanks Pat. On the shutdown is there, obviously, we don’t know how long it’s going to go. And as you say, there’s a paycheck that that is due to troops in a week and a half. So, I guess my question to you is how long can the shutdown go for before those paychecks are impacted?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, really, again, I don’t have an exact date for you Konstantin, but the bottom line is you know the end of the month. You know today was payday. So, you know, troops just got paid so that that next pay period at the end of the month that would be, you know, depending again depending on how long this goes that would be where individuals are not getting paid so.
Q: But I guess my question is how quickly can DFAS be told, okay, there’s funds and turnaround the paychecks?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I’m going to shoot from the hip here. We’re all monitoring this very closely. And as I highlighted, contingency plans in place. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure our personnel are getting paid and taken care of as quickly as we can. So again, you know, in a optimistic world this shutdown could be avoided. But if it’s not, you know, we’ll again we’ll work to make sure that our personnel have what they need to mitigate the effects so.
Q: Just one follow up on Syria. Was there any effort by any element of the Pentagon or the Defense Department to obfuscate the true number of troops there? I mean, including CENTCOM because you’ve stood up there, you’ve said 900, 900 has been the number for months and months, if not years. Surely someone could have come out and corrected that if it was known by someone in the Defense Department that that wasn’t accurate. So what was the miscommunication?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, Natasha, you know, look, again, learned the number today, provided the number today. As I mentioned in looking into this, you know part of the explanation is the sensitivity from a diplomatic and operation security standpoint. But again, given the difference in what we’ve been briefing and what the actual number is, just felt that it was important to get you that information.
Q: So there’s a diplomatic sensitivity aspect of that?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, just no, I’m not because I’m not going to get into diplomatic discussions, but, you know, there’s just diplomatic considerations so. Janne?
Q: Thank you, General. I have a few questions on South Korea and Russia. The US Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act to station 28,500 US troops in South Korea. Do you think this will change under the incoming administration?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I appreciate the question. I’m just not going to speculate about what the incoming administration may or may not do.
Q: One more on South Korean. National Intelligence Service says at least 100 North Korean soldiers killed in fighting in Ukraine. Do you have anything on that? What is the US estimate?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yes, so, you know, we continue to observe and assess, I would say at this stage it’s our assessment that several hundred DPRK forces have been or several hundred casualties, right, which would range from killed in action to wounded. I’m not going to have a breakdown for you in terms of KIA versus wounded, but several hundred have. And as they engage in combat with the Russians, you know, we certainly would anticipate that those numbers will go up.
Q: Russian Kremlin announced that Russia would lift missile restrictions against the United States and also Foreign Minister Lavrov also said arms control was a thing of the past and that a nuclear catastrophe was possible. What is the US view on this?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, again, this kind of irresponsible saber rattling and rhetoric from a nuclear armed country is obviously unwarranted. We have not seen any shift or change in the strategic force posture of Russian forces that would necessitate a change on our end. Certainly, we’re going to continue to work with allies and partners around the world towards regional security and stability.
Yes, sir.
Q: Thank you, General. General, today Human Rights Watch in their report accuses Israel of genocide by restricting Gaza water. And this this report came after like two weeks of the letter that sent by the Secretary Austin with Secretary Blinken to Israel to do more for the civilians. First of all, do you agree with that with this report? And do you still believe that Israel has to do more for the civilians there?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thanks. Well, as you know from a US government standpoint, we do not agree with the allegations or assertions regarding genocide. We do believe that way too many innocent people have been killed or injured in this war, both Israelis and Palestinians. That was ignited when Hamas launched its terrorist attack, brutally murdered more than 1,200 innocent civilians on October 7th, 2023.
So we want to see an enduring resolution to the conflict in Gaza, which is why we continue to actively work towards an agreement to stop the war, bring all the hostages home that are still being held by Hamas.
Yes, sir?
Q: Thank you very much. [Off-mic] Has Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that the US is in direct contact with its previously designated terrorist group and State Department. Also, in my question responded that in the past our Department of State engaged with such terrorist organizations even when they had active military operations against them. So the question is also at this time involved with the Department of State officials in Syria, the engagements they have for transition of command and other things.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Are you asking me if DOD has been in contact? To my knowledge, we have not. And as you highlight, you know, State Department right now has been the lead from a diplomatic standpoint. So, I won’t speak for the State Department other than to say, again, taking a step back, big picture here, trying to work with partners in the region and actors in Syria to address how we may enable this opportunity for the Syrian people to live in security and stability after 50 plus years under the Assad regime. But again, I’d refer you to State to talk about their specific efforts.
Q: So, one on sanctions recently announced by Department of State on Pakistan long range ballistic missile. So, one of the deputy national security advisor in White House, as TRT [PH] World reported, they showed severe concerns on Pakistan’s long range ballistic missile program. And they said, like, we have concerns that they can hit long, even they can hit the United States.
So, you have a long partnership with Pakistan when Pakistan was your ally in war on terror. So, you have some assessments. You did provide some input to Department of State and with White House officials. You have some observations?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don’t. I mean, as you highlight, we value Pakistan as a partner in the region and have worked closely with Pakistan on counterterrorism efforts in the past and will continue to have those conversations. But as it — as it relates to that, I just don’t have anything.
Luis?
Q: Thank you for today’s briefing and for this update. Combatant commanders have the ability to rotate forces in and out at their discretion. Is this a scenario where that took place, where, as long as these troops are in theater, that that’s why we saw this near doubling of forces inside Syria?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don’t understand.
Q: If you’re going to send troops from the United States or from outside of the CENTCOM AOR, that’s going to have to go through the Joint Staff. That’s going to have to be a request for forces. It’s all going to have to be approved. It’s going to require secretary’s orders. In this case, was this a rotation of forces from within the AOR, which is the CENTCOM commander’s —
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I don’t — I don’t have that level of granularity, so I’ll just talk anecdotally. It entirely could be, right? I mean, you could have forces that have a specialized capability that are already based in the AOR. And I’ll just make this up. You’re at Al Udeid Air Base and you have a specialized capability, and you’re needed to go to somewhere else in the theater to support an operation. That’s entirely possible, or it could come from stateside. It just depends on what the requirement is and what the capability is in terms of on the ground.
Q: My next question, you said you learned about it today. Was this because a question had been posed internally and CENTCOM responded today, or was this because CENTCOM informed you today proactively?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: It’s because I got word of it recently as our team was looking at this again, given the significant situation in Syria. And I asked for more information on this, recognizing that, if the numbers are not what we briefed, let’s find out what the actual numbers are and from there. And I got the numbers today.
Q: Has — Secretary Austin, does he plan to or has he spoken to General Kurilla about this?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Look, you know, Secretary Austin and General Kurilla speak about the CENTCOM AOR all the time.
Q: [Off mic] just specifically about this.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No.
Q: They have not spoken about this?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: They have not spoken about this.
Let me get to some folks that haven’t had a question yet. Yes, sir? Please ask a news question and don’t wax eloquently, I — or I will stop.
Q: Ok, sir. Pakistan intelligence — a former intelligence chief just got court martialed for corruption. How do you see such generals and the extremism, the Taliban, the terrorism thing? Does it disappoint you when you see former colleagues face charges?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: That’s really a question for the Pakistani, you know, authorities and government. I’m not going to wade into Pakistani domestic politics. Thank you.
Q: Thank you very much.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Let me go to the phone here, just take a couple more. Howard Altman?
Q: Hey, thanks, Pat. Appreciate it. I wonder, can you tell me whether there’s been any additional force protection, you know, ramp ups at any facilities in the US or OCONUS regarding drone incursions? Have any additional equipment, the drone/counter drone equipment, been sent to any facilities beyond the ones you’ve already mentioned? Thanks.
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Howard. I don’t have anything additional to pass along. I’d refer you to NORTHCOM to talk about any, you know, additional facilities that they’re looking at or, you know, movement of equipment.
And, you know, obviously as you well know, base commanders have the authority to take appropriate steps in terms of force protection as it relates to anything. And so, that’s something that’s done on a day by day basis and not necessarily managed or tracked from here at OSD. But again, I’d refer you to NORTHCOM.
Yes, sir?
Q: Thank you very much, sir. Two questions quickly. One, if you are aware of a US-India space delegation here in Washington, and space — any relations between this building and space relations?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I’m not tracking that.
Q: And the second one is that, who is helping and if this building is aware of sanctions against Iran on their nuclear program and also, of course, sanctions against Pakistan about — on their missile — long range missile program?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I’d refer you to State Department as it relates to any type of diplomatic efforts on that front. I don’t — I don’t have anything to provide from here.
Last question. Yes, sir?
Q: Thanks. Thank you very much, General. Just a follow up on the section on entities supporting Pakistan missile program. In terms of security spectrum, how does the Pentagon see any advancement in technology acquired by Pakistan to upgrade its system as it is being faced by a nuclear India — being surrounded by a nuclear India, hostile Iran, which did a provocative [Off mic] attack on Pakistan this year and destabilized Afghanistan?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, I won’t have anything to provide in terms of Pakistani or Indian weapons programs other than to say, look, we value both India and Pakistan as important partners in the region. We believe that each country has an important role to play when it comes to regional security and stability. And I’ll just leave it there.
All right.
Q: Can I make a nerdy request for a take a question?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Only because it’s the holiday season. [Laughter]
Q: Can you — I know you can’t do this right now, but can you provide to us whether or not these troop increases were specified in the orders book that the secretary has — routinely approves every week and how far back those go? Can you — can someone just get that for us when possible?
MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I’ll take the question, Lita. I don’t know to what level of detail we’re able to provide specificity. I will say, you know, broadly speaking, again without getting into classified information, that those order books are often looking at individual units or personnel, right? They’re not necessarily looking at broad numbers. All that to say, again, understand your intent and we’ll provide what we can.
Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it.
