Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an Off Camera, On The Record Press BriefingFull List: Defense Department Awards $50 Million in Research Equipment Grants to[...]

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: As you know, today marks the one year anniversary of Hamas's terrorist attack against Israel, in which 1,200 civilians were murdered and more than 250 hostages taken, approximately 100 of whom are still being held. It's the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the end of the Holocaust.

Secretary Austin released a statement this morning, which we've posted to the DOD website, which I would encourage you to read in full. As the secretary highlights, we mourn with the people of Israel and with the families of those slain by Hamas, and we stand with the families still working with such courage to free their loved ones from Hamas captivity. We also mourn the death of every Palestinian civilian killed in the West Bank and Gaza during this awful conflict.

To quote Secretary Austin's statement, "The Department of Defense will not flinch in our commitment to Israel's security, to combating terrorism by Hamas and other fanatical groups, to deterring further aggression from Iran and to working with our allies and partners to promote stability and peace in the Middle East."

"My prayers today are with those murdered by Hamas on October 7, with the survivors and with all who are still working courageously to bring their loved ones home and end the suffering by reaching a ceasefire deal that will bring the hostages home and enable a surge of humanitarian aid. This is not just a day to mourn, it is a day to work."

Separately, Secretary Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant last night to discuss Iran's destabilizing actions in the Middle East and the current situation in Lebanon and Gaza. During the call, he reiterated unwavering US commitment to Israel's security, a ceasefire in Gaza, and a diplomatic resolution that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.

The secretary reaffirmed US support for Israel's right to defend itself, and noted that the United States maintains a significant capability in the region to defend US personnel and facilities, provide further support for Israel's self-defense, and deter further escalation. A full readout of the call is available on Defense.gov.

Additionally, Secretary Austin will meet with Minister Gallant at the Pentagon Wednesday for an official visit to further discuss ongoing security developments in the Middle East. The minister last visited the Pentagon in June, so Secretary Austin looks forward to welcoming him back to Washington DC. As you know, the two leaders talk frequently by phone, so this in-person visit provides the opportunity to continue their ongoing discussions in more depth. And we'll have more information to provide on the visit in the coming days.

Switching gears, as we highlighted in our statement yesterday, at the request of FEMA and the North Carolina governor and in close coordination with our local, state, and federal partners, DOD continues to be integrated into the efforts of local, state, and federal emergency responders to help the people of North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Nearly a thousand soldiers from Fort Liberty, North Carolina and Fort Campbell, Kentucky have been mobilized to support the residents in affected counties devastated by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. These soldiers are closely working with FEMA to provide commodity distribution to local jurisdictions designated by FEMA in close coordination with North Carolina officials.

Additionally, soldiers are assisting in the clearance of emergency routes, and rotary wing aircraft have been deployed to the region. Employment of these soldiers provides additional manpower and logistics capabilities to support local, state, and federal emergency responders, and has enabled FEMA and other interagency partners to reach the hardest hit areas as quickly as possible.

In addition, the department, working closely with FEMA and at the request of North Carolina, in close coordination with our federal, state, and local partners is moving another 500 troops with advanced technological assets to provide greater situational awareness on the ground. This will bring the total of active duty soldiers operating on the ground to approximately 1,500.

Additionally and significantly, the National Guard has activated more than 6,100 Guardsmen, hundreds of high water vehicles, and dozens of helicopters and rescue boats from 18 different states in state active duty status. These Guardsmen have been spearheading the response efforts across the impacted region and in support of their governors and communities, providing critical lifesaving and life sustaining support to the victims of this historic natural disaster.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has established 12 emergency operations centers across the southeast, with three in North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers also has emergency power teams conducting assessments in North Carolina and Georgia, as well as water/wastewater assessments, bridge and road inspections, and debris removal efforts in North Carolina and Florida.

Department of Defense will continue to stay fully engaged with FEMA and the whole of government relief efforts related to Hurricane Helene, providing capabilities that best support needs on the ground. Also on the hurricane front, DOD continues to closely monitor the track of Hurricane Milton and is closely working with FEMA and other agencies to be prepared for the potential impacts once it makes landfall. We'll be sure to keep you updated regarding any significant developments.

And finally, Secretary Austin spoke by phone with his Argentinian counterpart this morning, Argentina Minister of Defense Luis Petri. We'll have a readout of that call available later today.

And with that, happy to take your questions. Lita?

Q: Pat, thank you. How concerned is the US about a potential major strike by Israel against Iran? And do you expect that is going to be a topic of discussion when Secretary Austin meets with Mr. Gallant on Wednesday? Is the US trying to sort of tamp down any sort of major strike against Iran? And I have a follow-up.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Sure. Well, broadly speaking, again, you know, we recognize Israel's right to respond to the attack that Iran conducted, the massive missile attack they conducted recently. But again, ultimately what we are working very hard towards is a regional de-escalation and the prevention of a wider regional conflict. And so, that will continue to inform our efforts and it will continue to be a topic of discussion.

As I highlighted in the topper, we still believe that diplomacy is the best way forward in terms of resolving the tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and getting people on both sides of the border back into their homes. We also still believe that a ceasefire deal is imperative in order to, again, calm regional tensions, get the hostages released, and ultimately begin to flow humanitarian aid into Gaza and the region.

Q: To date, though, in a lot of the US has not taken part in offensive actions along - with Iran - with Israel against Iran. The secretary in his statement talks about deterring aggression from Iran. Should we take that as a change in that posture?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, you know, look, several of you have asked this question. I think it's important, again, to understand that we're not going to get into hypotheticals and to focus on what we're saying, which is that we support Israel's right to defend itself, and our support to Israel's defense is ironclad. We're also going to take any necessary steps to protect our forces and our interests in the region.

But what I'm not going to do is get into hypotheticals about potential offensive strikes. That's obviously not what we're focused on. We're focused on deterring a wider regional conflict and supporting Israel's defense. Thanks.

Natasha?

Q: Thanks, Pat. So, we've gotten a sense of how the Secretary feels about Israel's operations in the north and along the border. He said that he supports the dismantling of that Hezbollah infrastructure there. But what is his opinion on Israel's operations in Beirut? Is he more concerned about those, given how many civilians they have killed and the displacement there?

Is that a strategically sound operation they're conducting, particularly when they're striking so close, in some instances, to Beirut airport, which could deter people who want to leave via these commercial options that are available from actually being able to. So, just broadly, how does he view the operations in Beirut?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, a few things, kind of peeling that back. So, number one, you know, top of mind for the Secretary of Defense when it comes to the Middle East region is the safety and protection of American citizens and our US service members. So, again, that's going to inform his calculus on, you know, how we plan and prepare.

And you know, as we've talked about before, we are working very hard to prevent a broader escalation of the conflicts that we're seeing into a wider regional war. Again, we understand and support Israel's right to defend itself, particularly from groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. But what we don't want to see are steps that are going to escalate or cause miscalculation, which, again, could have this spin out of control.

So, as it relates to things like the airport, as it relates to things like American citizens who are living in the region, again, we're going to continue to consult closely with Israel on those points, and we're going to continue to do everything we can do to ensure the safety and security of Americans and US personnel.

Q: But in terms of the strategy, you know, he weighed in on the strategy on the northern border, saying that he does believe that it's - you know, that it's something they should be doing, clearing out that infrastructure. So, in Beirut, the strategy seems to be that they're bombing these buildings where they feel like there's underground infrastructure there that Hezbollah has set up. So, does the secretary think that that is a useful -

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I mean, the Secretary has been very clear about the importance of taking civilian safety into account and planning and conducting operations, and that hasn't changed. And that continues to be a topic of discussion between him and Minister Gallant and will continue to be so going forward.

Again, if we take a step back, on a day like especially today, October 7, we understand Israel wanting to create the conditions where something like October 7, 2023, can't happen again. But we also strongly believe that it's a moral and strategic imperative to take civilian safety into account in conducting and planning those operations. And I don't foresee that changing.

Yeah.

Q: Is the US military moving any people or assets out of Hurricane Milton's way or closing down any installation?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, Jeff, I'd refer you to the services, the individual services for specifics. Anecdotally, I am aware that, you know, certain headquarters and units are taking appropriate measures, you know, in terms of their hurricane response plans to be prepared and get out of the way of the storm. But I'd really have to refer you to them for the specifics of that.

Q: Is there a task force set up, like, that the DOD is part of for Hurricane Milton?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, the department, just as we are and have been for Hurricane Helene, are working closely with FEMA and other agencies to respond - to be ready to respond to Hurricane Milton. We'll have much more information to provide on this going forward.

I know that General Guillot is going to be conducting a press engagement later this morning with the FEMA director. And then there will also be a FEMA press engagement later this afternoon in Tampa also with DOD representation, I believe that's at 3:30 today, to talk about preparations that are being taken.

I will say that, broadly speaking, the federal government, to include DOD, is leaning very far forward to be ready to respond to Hurricane Milton, you know, to include thinking through all the potential contingencies, search and rescue, route clearance, those kinds of things. So, we'll definitely be sure to keep you updated on that going forward.

Brandy?

Q: Thanks. Following up on that, the 500 troops - additional 500 troops and advanced technological assets that you guys sent for Hurricane Helene, can you tell us a little bit more about exactly what those advanced tech assets were, and what kinds and sizes of drones are being deployed?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, Brandy, I would refer you to NORTHCOM to get the specifics. But to your point, what they're looking at is, you know, a variety of capabilities to be able to survey the situation to be able to provide information to FEMA and other, you know, state and local authorities to help make informed decisions about how best to respond to emerging requirements, where, you know, we need to marshal resources and those kinds of things. So, they'd be able to give you more details in that case.

Q: And then do you guys have a read yet on Hurricane Helene's impact on the IT infrastructure and, like, data centers servers like that?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I do not.

Q: Ok. Thank you.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Phil?

Q: Has the Secretary sought or received any assurances from Minister Gallant that he - that the United States will not be surprised by any action against Iran?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: That we will not be surprised by action from Israel to Iran? Look, Phil, what I would tell you is, as you well know, Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant have very regular touch points. They communicate frequently.

You know, I think we've been very clear that it's helpful to be able to have awareness about activities in the region, and for several reasons. One, to ensure that we can protect Americans and US forces throughout the region in terms of potential second and third order effects, but then also as we work to support the defense of Israel. So, again, confident that those conversations will continue to happen going forward and that we'll keep those lines of communication.

Q: Just wanted to check, has there been any kind of - any change to US force posture or any other preparation for potential fallout from an Israeli response to the Iranian attack last week?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I don't have any force posture changes to announce, Will. I will tell you, you know, as I highlighted, you know, in the topper, we already have robust capability both in the US European Command and US Central Command region. So, we feel confident, as we demonstrated, you know, most recently with Iran's missile attacks, that we have the capabilities in place to protect our forces, defend Israel, and respond to a wide variety of contingencies.

Q: Then I got a second question. There's a report today that a Houthi delegation had gone to Russia and that Viktor Bout was involved in a potential arms deal with them. Is that something the Pentagon's tracking or - and - in either aspects of that - of that story?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I've seen the press reports, but I don't have anything on that.

Q: Thanks, Pat. Sort of following up on that, obviously CENTCOM announced on Friday they did a fairly large strike in - in Yemen. I guess - now that it's been a few days, can you offer any more details as to the impact of that strike? And, you know, to - to the question of Viktor Bout selling weapons to the Houthis, do you guys feel like you're having any sort of deterrent action on the Houthi operations?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, your first question first. As you know, CENTCOM conducted strikes on 15 Houthi targets in Iranian backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen on October 4th. This was across five locations. Targets included Houthi offensive military capabilities, to include Houthi training and weapons storage facilities. Initial assessments are that, you know, we had - we had good effects on that. That's about as specific as I can get.

Q: Ok.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: As always, these actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US coalition and merchant vessels.

And in regards to your second question, again, as I just highlighted there, you know, our focus continues to be on enabling freedom of navigation through the Red Sea and these waterways. We continue to focus on degrading and disrupting Houthi capability, and we do believe that we've had an impact on their ability to conduct these strikes. Clearly we have not eliminated all their capability, and we're not seeking a full out war with the Houthis, but we will continue to conduct strikes against the kinds of capabilities that we've seen them use against innocent mariners and maritime traffic as well as military vessels.

Q: Thanks, Pat.

Q: Thank you, General. So, with the stated objective of calming the tensions in the region and preventing a wider regional war, how do you break this cycle of tit for tat between Israel and Iran? Just saying Israel has the right to defend itself does not solve the issue, especially thinking that Iran attacked the first time after one of its consulate buildings was attacked in Damascus, the second time after Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran.

So, how do you go from where - how do you make sure that - or how do you know Iran is not going to respond to this one and Israel is going to take another step? What is the thinking here?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Well, I think you really underscore the crux of the challenge here, right? And you and all those who have followed the situation in the Middle East for many, many years know that that's exactly the task at hand here, is how do you manage escalation? How do you manage the tensions, particularly when the chances for potential miscalculation are so high?

And so, again, this is why you continue to see us do a full court press on the diplomatic side. Military power does play an important role, but it's a whole of government effort that's really focused on, again, preventing a wider regional conflict, supporting our national security interests in terms of supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we'll continue to do that, and also protecting our forces.

Again, when you just take a step back, going a year ago today, and you look at the threats that Israel continues to find itself facing, whether it's Hamas, whether it's Hezbollah, whether it's the Houthis, whether it's Iran, we are going to continue to support their ability to defend themselves. But we're also going to continue to work with regional partners, you know, and global partners to secure regional security and stability through diplomatic means.

And, you know, that's important work because ultimately, at the end of the day, we don't want to continue to see the loss of innocent lives, whether they be Palestinian or Israeli. We want to continue to work towards resolving these tensions diplomatically, achieving a ceasefire, getting the hostages released, and then working towards a two state solution as it relates to this.

Q: And on Lebanon, today we saw the announcement from Israel. They mobilized the first Division into Lebanon. They've been using special forces units, Egoz and Golani. And with the heavy strikes on Beirut south, north, eastern sides of the country, widespread evacuation orders in tens of villages in the south, do you still believe this is a limited operation? And what does the secretary want to know from Minister Gallant when he sees him on Wednesday about their thinking about Lebanon?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, you know, and I won't speak for Israel and I won't provide an operational update, but broadly speaking here, we do continue to assess that Israel's aims are limited, you know, in terms of trying to prevent another October 7, trying to set the conditions to whereby they can deter the kinds of attacks that we've seen from Hezbollah since October 8, deter the kind of attack we saw from Hamas on October 7 a year ago.

And as it relates to, you know, the ground, they are conducting - all indications are they continue to conduct limited targeted operations across the border to remove attack infrastructure established by Hezbollah. The airstrikes, of course, Israel has said they're going after Hezbollah leaders. But again, I'd refer you to them for the specifics on that.

Missy?

Q: Hey, Pat. Thanks for doing this. Just a couple questions. On the Houthis, I don't know if we can - if you can take a question or we can try to get a little bit more information on what the five sites were, even just in terms of city or government. It would be really helpful to know, you know, roughly where those were.

Q: And if people were killed.

Q: And then - then on the Houthis, so you said that the strike was aimed at protecting freedom of navigation. Was the - was the action at all coordinated with the Israeli strikes? And then I have another question.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, what I provided right now is - is what I'm able to give you, Missy. If that changes, we'll certainly keep you posted.

Q: Yeah. Can you take the question, though, in terms of the areas?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I will take the question, sure.

And as far as this goes, you know, this is, again, part of the campaign that you've seen us embarked on and - you know, ever since the Houthis launched their - started launching these missiles attacks into the Red Sea. It's not part of a broader coordinated effort with Israel as part of their self-defense plans. And I'll just leave it there.

Q: Ok. And then the other question, sorry, on - can you just - what could you say about the Pentagon's view on the possibility that Iran could strike - target - that Israel could strike targets in Iran related to Iran's nuclear program? There's been a lot of speculation about that.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I'm sorry. In what sense?

Q: Like, what's - what - would the Pentagon support strikes by Israel on nuclear targets in Iran? What - or is it a bad idea? Anything you can say on that.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, as I'm sure you can appreciate, I'm not going to get into speculating on Israel's potential response to Iran. You know, we continue to discuss the next steps with Israel, to include steps that need to be taken to defend Israel. But, you know, I'm just not going to have anything, nor will I speculate, on what they might or could do.

I will say again, broadly speaking, and you've heard others in the US government talk about this, is, again, while understanding Israel's right to defend itself, we continue to want to de-escalate tensions broadly across the region to prevent a wider regional conflict and to get to the point where we can have a ceasefire, and have the hostages released.

Q: And presumably you would agree, though, that a strike on a nuclear target would not be - fall in that category.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I mean, I appreciate the question. I'm just not going to get into a, you know, thought experiment right now to speculate about potential actions that Israel could or could not take.

Q: Did the president -

Q: Pat, what does that answer mean, though, when everyone is waiting for an Iranian attack - or, I mean, an Israeli attack on Iran? What does the answer mean about de-escalation? I don't think any of us understand. You're talking about de-escalation. We're all waiting for an Israeli strike.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, and again, Phil, what you're saying is what would happen if. That hasn't happened. So, I'm not going to get into -

Q: What does the de-escalation comment mean? Like, how are we supposed to report that?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What does de-escalation broadly speaking mean?

Q: In this context.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: In this context is, again, prevent this from spiraling into a wider regional war. You know, I think we all know the consequences.

Q: A follow up on this one. Sorry.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Hold on. No. Let me get a few other folks. Nancy?

Q: I guess what we're confused is you said earlier that Israel's given the assurances that it's looking to limit this.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Who said that?

Q: You just said that the - that the US has had assurances from Israel that it wants to limit this to protecting itself, to deter Hezbollah and Gaza -

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Anyway, ok. I don't think I said that exactly, but -

Q: Ok. Well, I guess what I'm - I guess what I'm trying to understand though is to - I think Misty's question isn't a thought experiment. I think we're trying to understand what parameters were - you're talking about.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I'm saying is, and I'll say it again, and I appreciate it, the question -

Q: Well, I just want to push back on describing her question as a thought experiment.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No, I'm saying - I'm not saying your question is a thought experiment. I'm saying what - if Israel does X, Y and Z, what is the department's view on that? We're having conversations with Israel in terms of what their next steps are regarding a potential response. I'm not going to go into discussion or speculation on what Israel may do. That's a question for Israel to respond to.

And I think I've highlighted broadly speaking, from a Department of Defense standpoint, what our focus area is in terms of the broader region and what we're working towards. So yeah.

Q: In the same context, two major Iraqi militias backed by Iran, mainly Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Mujaddara, have announced that they are willing to send fighters into Lebanon. First, have you seen any evidence that there are fighters movement from Iraq into Lebanon? And have you had the chance to discuss this issue with your Iraqi counterparts?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't have anything on that, Joe, so I'm not able to answer that.

Q: Ok.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah.

Q: I have just two questions. One, the past few days, the Israeli military called on residents of areas of northern Gaza, some at least 300,000 people, to evacuate. Many of these people have been evacuated multiple times and relocated. We haven't heard a response from the department on this, you know, the Israelis going back into northern Gaza again. I mean, what is the department concerned that this is just becoming sort of endless cycle in - against - in the campaign in Gaza?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, Jared, for questions about Israel's operational approach tactics, what they're doing in Gaza, I'd refer you to the IDF. Again, you know, we've talked about - Secretary Austin has talked about the importance of conducting operations in Gaza in a way that helps to stabilize and ensure humanitarian assistance can get to those who need it.

Again, I'd go back to my earlier comments about - I'm not going to speak for the IDF, but I think, broadly speaking, what you see them trying to do here is prevent another October 7 from happening again. But I'd refer you to them to talk about their operational approach.

Q: And on the $3.5 billion the State Department released about two weeks ago now for Israel, is there any way the department can give us any insight on what is in negotiation for those purchases?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I'd have to refer you to State. Again, as I understand it, that was part of the supplemental that was approved earlier this year, so that - that's where those funds are coming from. But State Department is in a better position to talk about that specific piece.

And then we'll go - last question.

Q: No, I just have a follow up.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: And then Fadi.

Q: Yes. Thank you.

Q: I have two quick ones. So, just to be clear on the nuclear thing, President Biden said last week that he would not support - or he did not want Israel to take a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Has that view changed? And does Secretary Austin -

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: For what the President said, I'll have to refer you to-

Q: Well, does Secretary Austin - well, because, I mean, that was several days ago and things are moving very quickly here. So, does Secretary Austin at this point agree with that or has that view shifted?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I think Secretary Austin agrees with whatever the President is saying on this topic.

Q: Well, that's good for job security, but does he actually agree with it? [Laughter]

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Sure.

Q: Ok. My second question, so we've been - we've been talking here about, like, active conflict in Lebanon. The Israelis announced another ground operation into Gaza. Iran fired all these ballistic missiles. Yemen's firing stuff off. Militia groups in Iraq and Syria. The US is helping with the defense. The Brits help with the defense. How is this not a regional war already? And if not, how - what else has to happen for this actually to be considered a regional war at this point?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Regional war against whom?

Q: Well, you guys are the ones who keep saying you want to prevent a regional war, but I don't understand how this isn't one already. It's like, if you're just listening to the conversation that we've been having here today, how is this not already a regional war? What more needs to happen?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, what you have is Israel conducting operations against Hamas and now operations against Hezbollah, both of which were instigated by Hamas's attack a year ago and Lebanon essentially initiating operations also a year ago tomorrow. The United States is supporting the defense of Israel. We're also protecting our forces when they come under attack, as well as through Operation Prosperity Guardian, you know, defending mariners and maritime traffic that's going through the Red Sea.

I think, again, a wider regional conflict is if we see multiple nations involved in a conflict that's a sustained conflict that could last for months or years, and that, you know, ultimately, you know, puts us into a series of, you know, escalating scenarios that - that becomes very hard to contain. So, that is what we are ultimately trying to prevent.

It's not to suggest that there's not a lot of tension, as you highlight. And we're fully aware of that, which is why you've got so many people working so hard to prevent this from becoming a wider regional war. But, you know, that's kind of how we see it right now.

Q: I just don't understand. I mean, we're - we've - you've listed off four nations that are directly involved in this conflict right now, and then a number of others that are sort of tangentially involved with the US to bring -

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I'm giving you the perspective of the department. And so -

Q: So, there's no, I guess, definition. I know that's hard to say. But in this case, what would constitute this moving into a wider regional conflict? You have to get seven countries, not six, involved? I mean, seriously, like what is -

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, again, you know, just for illustrative purposes, you know, look at the First World War, where it started as a very regional thing that suddenly you had multiple nations now involved in a four year protracted conflict, you know, that became very complicated and very hard to stop. We want to prevent that from happening.

So, all right. Last question.

Q: Yes. Thank you. So, one of the scenarios that you were talking about is potentially targeting nuclear sites in Iran. This is something that officials in Israel have called for, the government to actually take action against those sites. You have a presidential candidate here that's calling openly for that. You have politicians, representatives in the Congress. What is your, the Pentagon, position and the Secretary position? Should nuclear sites be off limit? Because, as you said, certain actions will have implications for US interests and forces in the region.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I mean, again, point you back to what the President said and the fact that we don't want to see this spiral into a wider regional conflict. So, you know, I'm just going to leave it there.

Q: Can I just - sorry. I know he had the last question. But there's the added wrinkle that the only weaponry that would even scratch Iran's nuclear capabilities are US weapons, those kind of bombs that would do the kind of destruction that would be needed if you're going to go in. So, the United States would be, by relation, attached to any kind of attack like that.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Interesting statement, Charlie. [Laughter] Thanks very much.

Q: Ok. Can I ask it in a different way? When you - you've said repeatedly that both the defense secretaries, Gallant and Austin, are in touch, and you're talking about Iran. Yet in every single major strike that we've seen since, there was no heads up. And at one point, I mean, the - Nasrallah happened while he was on the phone. So, are we suggesting that Iran is a different tier to the attacks in the past?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: In what sense?

Q: In that they're actually saying, yeah, we're going to do this, you should know about it?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: You know, without breaking down every single phone call and every single conversation, Charlie, what I would say is, again, I mean, they communicate regularly. You know, there have been a couple of instances where we either got no notice or very short notice in terms of Israeli actions.

At the end of the day, Israel is a sovereign country that, again, is focused on defending itself from the multiple threats, so I'd refer you to them. But as I also highlighted earlier, it's very helpful to us when we have enough awareness to ensure that we're taking appropriate actions to protect our forces and also support the defense of Israel.

But what I'm not going to do is get into, you know, if/then, you know, what about this, other than to say, again, we've got a fantastic line of communication with our Israeli partners. They know that we're invested in helping them defend themselves. Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant will have the chance to talk in more in depth in person this week as it relates to the broader Middle East security. And I'll just leave it there.

Q: Would now be a good time for us to write the explainer on what a massive ordnance penetrator is and what type of aircraft -

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thank you, everybody.

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