Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Press BriefingContracts for Nov. 7, 2024Military Libraries Week 2024

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH: Hello. Good afternoon, everyone. OK. Just a few things at the top and then happy to take your questions. So I want to begin first with the presidential transition. Yesterday, in a message to the force, Secretary Austin emphasized that the department will make a calm, orderly and professional transition to the next commander in chief.

Secretary Austin reiterated that the US military will stand ready to carry out the policy choices of its next commander in chief and to obey all lawful orders from its civilian chain of command to defend the United States, our Constitution and the rights of all American citizens. He also reaffirmed that the US military will, quote, continue to stand apart from the political arena to stand guard over our republic with principle and professionalism and to stand together with the valued allies and partners who deepen our security, end quote.

As the transition gets underway, the secretary has expressed his deep pride and appreciation for the department's civilian workforce and for all the brave American troops stationed at home and deployed all around the world. And just a few moments ago, Secretary Austin presided over the SOUTHCOM change of command in Florida where he commended the brave men and women of US Southern Command for defending our country with the utmost patriotism and professionalism.

Alongside Chairman Brown, Secretary Austin thanked outgoing SOUTHCOM Commander General Laura Richardson for her leadership and for the work she's done to strengthen security across the Americas and passed on leadership of US Southern Command to Admiral Alvin Halsey. A video and the transcript of the Secretary and Chairman Brown's full remarks will be available on defense.gov.

Switching gears, separately, earlier today, Secretary Austin spoke to Israel's Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. Minister Gallant has been a trusted partner and friend whose expertise and professionalism was deeply valued. The secretary expressed his hope and expectation to have that same good partnership and working relationship with Israel's next Minister of defense.

The secretary underscored that the US commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad, as does our support for Israel's right to defend itself against aggression from Iran and its proxy groups and partners. He also emphasized that the United States remains deeply committed to de-escalation in the region through a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which would

also secure the release of hostages and a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows both Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border.

In addition, the secretary relayed the importance of taking immediate steps to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. We should be having a readout shortly available on defense.gov. And finally, on behalf of the Department of Defense, I'd like to wish a happy early birthday to the US Marine Corps, which will celebrate its 249th birthday on Sunday, November 10th, semper fi. And with that--heard it from the marine right here himself.

And with that, I'd be glad to take your questions. Tara.

Q: Hi, Sabrina. On the transition, has the secretary or anyone in the department reached out to the Trump transition team so far? And are you expecting visits in the coming days?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: So in terms of outreach to the Trump transition team, we're coordinating everything right now with the White House and GSA. There are certain agreements that need to be signed and put into place before we can start that transition process. But regardless, we are committed to a professional and effective transition for the incoming administration. But for more on that, I'd have to refer you to the White House and GSA.

Q: What are the agreements that need to be signed?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I don't have more information on that. I'd refer you to GSA.

Q: OK. And then on Ukraine, the president has committed to getting the rest of the Ukraine aid out before the rest of his term. What does that mean in practical terms for you all? Is their existing stockpile that could be sent now? What options are you looking at?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: So in terms of existing stockpiles, I mean what you're seeing us continue to do is send out those presidential drawdown packages. That will continue. We still have approximately $2 billion left in USAI as well that we can commit. So you're going to continue to see packages roll out in the coming weeks before the end of this administration.

That is consistent with how we've been doing this in the past. It's something that we've done on a pretty regular almost weekly basis, but I'd remind you, it's not just the United States that's supporting Ukraine and that will continue to support Ukraine. Part of the UDCG, you have over 50 countries.

And on top of that, Ukraine has bicameral and bipartisan support in Congress. So there is an administration change that's going to happen in January, but support for Ukraine remains strong. Jen?

Q: So just to follow up on that, Sabrina, I had heard the number $9 billion in aid that would be rushed over there in the next coming months and does that mean--but there was some concern that those weapons wouldn't arrive in time before January 20th. And so is it still possible for that to be reversed or stopped? How does this work? Can you explain?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: So in terms of--so I apologize. I'm not exactly sure where you're getting the $9 billion amount front from, but I'm happy to walk you through some of the numbers that I have in front of me. We have approximately $4 billion left in the previously committed PDA that the president notified Congress that he would be spending down that authority or using that authority before the end of his term.

And then we have that USAI commitments, or approximately $2 billion in USAI funding that we will also commit to Ukraine. When it comes to presidential drawdown packages, some things can arrive within days and weeks. Some items in those packages take longer. It does matter on what's available on our shelves.

You're going to see us continue to draw that down pretty frequently. Could there be things that go out beyond January 20th? I can't say for certain right now, but we're committed to drawing down those PDA's. The USAI contracts, those could go for longer, but again, those are commitments and contracts that this administration has signed, so we would expect those to be upheld.

Q: And back in January, the inspector general had found that $1 billion worth of aid, military aid had not been accounted for. Are you concerned that rushing this next tranche there may not be accountability and that some of this drawdown could disappear?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: We're not. We are very confident in the processes and procedures and measures that we've put into place when it comes to getting aid to Ukraine and taking accountability for all of that. There have been reevaluations over time. We certainly welcome the inspector general's review of those materials, but we're confident in the transparency of that process and we're also confident in the support that Ukraine has from this administration and from Congress, that they will continue to get those, whether it's capability systems, that will continue to flow to the battlefield. Oren?

Q: Two questions. First is a follow up here. Do you have enough weapons and equipment in current stockpiles and what will be produced before January 20th to actually use the remaining $4 billion in PDA?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Well, the president made the commitment that that would be drawn--that we would use that PDA authority before the term ends. So we're always constantly backfilling and restocking our shelves. It's something that we're confident in getting those commitments to Ukraine when it comes to that over $4 billion in authority.

Q: But that doesn't answer the question. Do you actually have enough to use all of it? Are you saying you do?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: We are going to use it and the president has committed to that. And so I'm not going to get into an Excel spreadsheet of what we have on our shelves, but we're committed to providing Ukraine what it needs and that includes that $4 billion in authority.

Q: And then my other question. Thank you. We noted the awarding of lawful orders in the secretary's message to the force. President elect Donald Trump has spoken repeatedly during his campaign about how he would use the military including active duty and National Guard for domestic issues. Is the department preparing for that possibility? And what's the message to the force about how troops and commanders should be thinking through that?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: So look, I'm certainly not going to speak to hypotheticals. And the secretary pushed out a memo to the force that I think captures the sentiment of where he is and this administration. I think it's important to remember that the military is apolitical. And so as it says in his memo to the force, the US military will stand ready to carry out the policy choices of its next commander in chief and to obey all lawful orders from its civilian chain of command.

I've seen those comments, I'm just not going to go down that that road of hypotheticals. But this is certainly the finest fighting force the world has ever seen, that will continue to defend our country, our Constitution and the rights of all citizens.

Q: But given the comments that are quite clearly out there, no one is preparing or thinking through further or deeper, what those possibilities and what those lawful orders might look like and what they might not look like?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Well, it's certainly things that we take seriously, but again, I'm not going to get into hypotheticals. We are going to ensure that there is a peaceful and calm transition and set up the incoming team for the success they need to carry out the mission of the department. Charlie?

Q: Thank you. I just want to follow on from that. Are memos like that standard operating procedure?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Yeah, the secretary has sent out memos to the force on occasion.

Q: No, but in a transition, like, neither of us were here four years ago. Was it necessary? And was that a message not only to the outgoing teams but the incoming teams?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I can't speak for during the previous administration. I can only speak for the secretary. The secretary, the president members of the interagency, other secretaries, other cabinet secretaries have issued memos to their staffs before. It is not unprecedented. We've done that whether it be with an election or another major event.

You've seen the secretary issues memos to the force including some of his initiatives that he's rolled out, whether it's in the bucket of taking care of our people. Those are things that go out to the force. So it's not unprecedented. This was a message that he wanted to clearly communicate to an apolitical military and one that is going to continue to serve the next commander in chief and other administrations down the road.

Q: In that brief message, he seemed to be addressing serious concerns and he was very specific.

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Which part? Do you have more specifics?

Q: A lot of it. When he's talking about lawful transformation and the military is going to stay apolitical. It seems like this is a message not for the people in this building and people who are wearing uniforms, but the people who will be running the show from January 20th.

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Well, the message was addressed to the force. So it was a message for the force here and all around the world where our forces serve. I think the secretary also in his message to the force was conveying his deep appreciation for the military. He has served over 41 years or served over 40 years in uniform.

He understands deeply the contributions that the men and women in uniform provide every single day. He understands deeply the value that our civil servants provide every single day. I have had the amazing honor and privilege to work alongside some of these individuals, and they're going to continue to work with the next administration that's coming in. This was a message about the incoming team and the transition of power.

And we're going to make sure that the Trump transition team, when they are ready to start that transition process, it is one that we are working with them on.

Q: Can I ask an unrelated question?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Sure. Yeah.

Q: Regarding the plea deal with the 9/11 co-defendants, is the secretary ready to accept that judgment or will he perhaps pursue it further?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: So we're reviewing the decision, but I don't have anything further at this time. Tom.

Q: Thanks, Sabrina. What does it say about the state of America today that you feel it necessary to repeatedly declare that the Pentagon will make a calm and orderly transition to the next commander in chief? It should be a given, shouldn't be something you have to say from the podium?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Look, Tom, it's something that we felt the need to reiterate. I think you've seen in the past there have been transitions that haven't been seamless, that haven't gone as peacefully. We are committed to ensuring a peaceful transition and ensuring that the incoming team has the building blocks and everything it needs to be successful.

And so that is a commitment that this administration made and it's not just the secretary that you've heard make that commitment. It's the president and the vice president. And you've probably seen other cabinet secretaries make that as well.

Q: I think Charlie touched on this, but the transition in 2020 from Trump to Biden, were there any specific issues that you can recall at that point?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I wasn't here, so I can't speak to that. Janne.

Q: Thank you, Sabrina. Two questions on Ukraine and the North Korean military. Ukraine President Zelenskyy said that 12,000 North Korean troops would soon be deployed in battlefield. At the same time, he said that he knew the location of the North Korean military and that a preemptive strike was needed on the North Korean military camp before the North Korean military arrived for actual war.

Does the US agree to preemptive strikes against North Korean military?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: So Janne, what we've said pretty publicly from the podium is that we know North Korean soldiers are moving into the Kursk Oblast

within Russia and likely going to be engaged in combat. Preemptive strikes within the Kursk Oblast, I mean, the Ukrainians are operating within Kursk. They're holding their lines, but we fully expect that DPRK soldiers could be engaged in combat and if they are, they are legitimate targets. So we've been pretty public about that.

Q: The numbers reported by South Korea, United States and Ukraine are not the same. Why are the numbers on North Korean career military deployment--

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Yeah. Numbers can range based on Intel assessments and how we get data and collect data. And we certainly take what the Ukrainians or our ROK counterparts have provided, and we do our own assessments as well. Right now, we've assessed that there's probably between 10,000 and 11,000 DPRK soldiers within Kursk.

That number, as you heard General Ryder speak to on Monday, that could go up um, but that's our assessment right now. Intel is something that you interpret, so those numbers you know can range given interpretation, but that's our assessment right now.

Q: We are so confused. You guys have shared with, at least the shared information, I mean intelligence information between our alliance and United States.

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Yeah. So Janne, what I would tell you is intelligence isn't always black and white. We do our best to distill it and we do our best to disseminate it when we can and share what we know. We do it based on our assessments and what we feel comfortable with. So right now, what we feel comfortable with are the numbers I provided you. Should that change, we'll let you know. Erin.

Q: Have you guys had any policy change? Are you discussing policy change with the long range missiles in Ukraine?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I don't have any policy changes to announce from here today.

Q: Are you planning to?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I don't have anything to announce today.

Q: Also, an update on North Korea troops. Has North Korea sent any more over to the Ukraine?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: To my knowledge, there have not been more soldiers sent over from North Korea. Could we see that happen, it's something that we're certainly going to continue to look at. Putin is clearly desperate having failed in his strategic battlefield objectives. So could we see more DPRK soldiers make their way to the

battlefield, make their way to Russia for more training, we certainly could, but I just don't have any more numbers to announce today on that.

Q: So what's the total number now that we're at?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: What I said to Janne was our assessment is that there are approximately between 10,000 and 11,000 DPRK soldiers within the Kursk Oblast. Yeah, Austin.

Q: Thank you. In his speech this morning, President Biden pledged to use his time in office to the full extent. What exactly will the Pentagon do in the next 74 days to support Ukraine and make sure that every day here counts? Are you looking at new capabilities, adjusting some policies, other things? So what are the plans?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Well, we're always looking at the capabilities that Ukraine needs on the battlefield that that Ukrainian fighters are going to be able to have an impact with and that are going to make the biggest difference. I don't have a set of new capabilities or new things that we're considering today, but every time we roll out a package or do another USA commitment, it is an investment in Ukrainians who are fighting on the battlefield to be successful.

In terms of what do we have to do over the next 74 days, I mean, there's still a lot of work and just because that there is a new commander in chief coming in, in January doesn't mean that our work stops right now.

We're going to continue to work every single day. You're going to see us continue to do briefings. You're going to see the secretary travel. He'll likely have more travel in the coming month or months. And there's still a lot of work to be done and every single day we have our military stationed all around the world engaging in various operations, we're going to continue to support Ukraine. We're going to continue to engage and work to find a way to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. And of course we're always keeping an eye on the Indo-Pacific.

Q: And with the transition, how are you going to make sure that the support for Ukraine continues in the future?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Look, Ukraine has support within Congress on both sides of the aisle. I mean, republicans and democrats have made commitments in votes and in money to Ukraine. So look, there is an incoming team that that is going to have to work with Congress and there is support in Congress to continue supporting Ukraine.

I have to remind you though, it's not just the United States that's supporting Ukraine. The world is supporting Ukraine. And you've seen that with the UDCGs that the secretary convenes. You've seen deep commitments from Indo-Pacific allies as well. So I understand the focus being on the United States, but you have to remember that there is broad support for Ukraine just outside of the United States as well.

Q: Are there any plans, maybe new supplemental before the new administration?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I don't have anything to announce on that. I'm going to go to the phones, and I'll come back into the room here. Jeff Schogol, Task and Purpose.

Q: Thank you so much. You said that you've seen indications that North Korean troops may engage in combat in Kursk. Are you able to corroborate any reports that Ukrainians have already engaged North Korean troops in Kursk?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Thanks, Jeff. I think I said also that they are likely to engage with Ukrainians just given where they are in Kursk. I can't corroborate those reports right now. It's something that we're looking into. But I have no doubt that you will see DPRK soldiers that have moved into that Kursk Oblast start to engage or have already started to engage Ukrainians on the battlefield.

Heather, USNI.

Q: Completely different train of thought here. So the Naval Safety Center or Safety Command released its annual report, and it looks like again for the Marines and the Navy. And I'm sure this is not unique to these services, that car crashes and motorcycle crashes continue to be one of the leading causes of death.

So I was wondering if the Department of Defense is planning to do anything to work on safety revolving around people when they're driving their own personal vehicles or personal motorcycles?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Heather, thanks so much for the question. I'm sorry, I haven't seen the report, so I'm happy to take that one. Konstatin.

Q: Thanks. Just going back to Secretary Austin's memo, so one of the things that we saw the last time the Trump administration came into office was this notion of long held norms being tested, in some cases, pushed aside or broken. In the memo, Secretary Austin talks about an apolitical military, which is a norm that this country has had since its founding.

Is the secretary planning on doing anything to enshrine sort of this idea into policy, somehow shore it up so that it is not tested by the incoming administration?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH:

Look, the incoming secretary and the incoming administration will make its own policies. One policy that, as you said, is long standing history and tradition, is that the military would remain and is an apolitical entity. So we expect that to continue. What policies and new incoming administration implements, that I really can't speak to right now.

Q: Thank you.

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Noah.

Q: Thank you. A couple questions here.

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: Sure.

Q: The first, on the incoming Israeli minister of defense. Does the secretary have any plans to speak with him? Has that already occurred if I missed that?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: They have not spoken yet. I'm sure there will be a call in the future, but I just don't have anything to read out right now.

Q: Secondarily, following up on the press conference last week in which Secretaries Austin and Blinken expressed that they saw progress from Israel on humanitarian aid into Gaza, but we're still looking for more. Tell us where it is this week. Do they feel satisfied with some of the progress that they've seen since making those remarks?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I mean, no, not enough is being done. I think it's clear that the situation in Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire. That's something that Secretary Austin spoke to Minister Gallant about. And Mr. Gallant was very supportive of helping get that humanitarian aid into Gaza. Is there enough that's gotten in, no. More needs to more needs to get in and more crossings need to be open.

A few weeks ago you might remember that I mentioned that we are seeing more move out of the Erez crossing. That is a good thing, but it's not enough um. And so that's something that with the incoming minister of defense, I'm sure the secretary will, when he speaks to him, will be emphasizing as well. Jared?

Q: Hi, Sabrina. I believe an IDF major general, correct me if I'm wrong, mentioned on Tuesday in a briefing with Israeli journalists that something to the effect of, and I'm paraphrasing that the residents of parts of northern Gaza, there's no intention to allow them to return home. Did the secretary when he spoke to outgoing Minister Gallant, bring this up and reiterate the administration's opposition to permanent displacement of civilians in this conflict?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: That's something that, I mean the secretary has spoken about before, about displacements of persons within Gaza, and not just the humanitarian situation continuing to deteriorate, but also needing to ensure that proper medical treatment medical equipment can also get into to treat those civilians.

It's something that they've spoken about before. I don't have more details to provide. We will have a readout hopefully coming shortly to you, if not already in your inbox. But it's something that the secretary has reiterated in the past. I saw those comments. We want to see people--I mean, ultimately what we want to see is a ceasefire. We want to see the hostages returned home. We want to see humanitarian aid get in and of course we want to see people be able to return to their homes wherever they might live, whether it be in Gaza, on the northern Israel border.

We want to see people get back to where their lives are, of course.

Q: Do you see any evidence of the Israeli military is preventing that at this time or are there concerns within the administration that the Israeli military may not allow that after?

DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SINGH: I mean, we haven't seen that. Again, it's something that we'll continue to engage with Israeli officials on. Of course, I think the biggest thing that the secretary always is emphasizing and not just the secretary, but administration wide, is the need for the ceasefire so we can get humanitarian aid in.

And of course, securing the release of hostages. That is the most important thing that's top of mind for this administration. OK. I'm going to have to leave it there. Thanks, everyone.

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