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DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH: So, as we discussed late last week, US military forces continue to posture across the Middle East region to improve US force protection, to increase support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies.

Secretary Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant yesterday to reiterate the United States's ironclad support for Israel's security and self-defense against threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iranian backed terrorist groups. They discussed US force posture moves that the department is taking for defense and deterrence and reinforced the need to de-escalate broader tensions in the region, to include strong support for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Switching gears, earlier today the department and the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Niger announced that the withdrawal of US forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez is complete. This effort began on May 19th following the mutual establishment of withdrawal conditions, and coordination will continue between US and Nigerian Armed Forces over the coming weeks to ensure the full withdrawal is complete as planned. US forces are still on track to meet the September 15th deadline of a full withdrawal from Niger.

And switching gears to tomorrow, Secretary Austin and Secretary of State Blinken will co-host Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles in Annapolis, Maryland for the 34th Australia-US Ministerial Consultations.

The ministerial and related bilateral meetings will build on the commitments made during the official visit of the prime minister to the United States in October 2023 and last year's AUSMINs. Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken look forward to strengthening our cooperation on the full range of global and regional issues and deepening the US-Australia alliance with their Australian counterparts.

And finally, I'd like to take a moment to congratulate General Hokanson, the 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on his retirement last Friday after nearly four decades of service. General Hokanson graduated from the US

Military Academy at West Point in 1986, spending most of the next ten years on active duty as an Army aviator.

In 1995, Hokanson left active duty, joining the Oregon Army National Guard. Over the next three decades, Hokanson would amass more than 2,600 flight hours, including more than 50 combat flight hours as a command pilot. Hokanson served as the deputy commander of NORTHCOM, the vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, and finally as the 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau. We thank General Hokanson and his wife Kelly for their service to our nation and wish them all the best on his next chapter.

And if you have a question, if you don't mind, we'll kick it over to Luis. Putting you on the spot, but if you have nothing?

Q: I actually do have one.

MS. SINGH: Okay, great.

Q: If I stand, you can see me.

MS. SINGH: Yeah. He's just so -

Q: I'm confused. In Niger, I thought that was - today's announcement was a complete withdrawal. Was it only for the base. Is there still more to come?

MS. SINGH: It was for the base. There's still some more work to be done to finalize the full withdrawal process. There's about, I'd say, less than two dozen folks still on the ground in Niger. But we're still on track to meet that September 15th deadline.

Q: So, those two-dozen people will stay there until the 15th of September?

MS. SINGH: We'll keep you updated as we have. If - you know, if completed before September 15th, we'll let you know. But we're still on track to meet that September 15th deadline right now. There's still some administrative tasks that just need to be fully completed. And then once that's done, the withdrawal will be complete.

Q: Great. And thank you.

Q: Thank you. Can you tell us whether all of the military plus-ups in the Middle East have been completed? Were any - other than land-based fighter jets, were any fighter jets moved off any of the ships, either the ARG or the carrier? Can you say?

MS. SINGH: So, it wouldn't be - thank you, Lita, for the question. Wouldn't be best practice to kind of give you a full lay down right now, so I don't really have an update on - for you on where things are other than that - what we have already said publicly from Friday, which is that we did commit additional assets to the region. And, you know, the - I just won't get

into, you know, where they are, if they're in position right now. But we will be ready to defend Israel if needed and, of course, to defend our forces there.

Q: Can you at least say roughly the number of troops that are involved in the process? I believe that you all done that in the past.

MS. SINGH: I can't right now, but I'll keep you updated if that changes.

Q: OK. I'm just gonna pass on here for a second.

MS. SINGH: Anyone? Yeah, Dan.

Q: Thank you. Two questions.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: One, can you give us any kind of naval update? I know we had carrier that was in the Gulf of Oman. It appeared maybe it would be coming farther west toward Israel.

And then secondly, the announcement Friday night with Secretary Austin becoming the convening authority for the KSM trial and these other two kind of overturning the plea deal. Can you give us a sense for where that's going, how you see that progressing, whether we have hearings coming, and how he's going to manage that with his - the rest of his duties?

MS. SINGH: So, in terms of the convening authority, right now that - that's an ongoing process, so I don't have much for you right now. That is back with the courts, so we'll keep you updated on that. But at this moment right now, I just don't have more for you.

In terms of where the - I think what you're referring to is where is the TR [USS Theodore Roosevelt], I would refer you to CENTCOM more or to speak to her movements. But as we did say on Friday, we are positioning assets to move closer to Israel should we need to come to the defense of Israel, so you should, you know, assume that she'll be moving closer to that direction. But I don't have her exact position right now.

Hailey?

Q: Thanks. Also on the plea deal, can you say, before Friday's statement, when did the secretary learn that the plea deal had been agreed to? And when was the last time that he was briefed on those cases? Was this - has he been getting regular updates, or has it been several weeks or months since he got an update? What was the timeline?

MS. SINGH: So, you have to - so, just separating out your two questions, you have to remember that the convening authority is independent, so it's not like he was receiving regular updates.

At the very beginning of the year, there was a set of policy principles that was presented to the department, which he rejected. That was at the very beginning of the year. But it's not something that he receives regular updates on, as it is, you know, independent, and as he shouldn't, as you know, not wanting to exert undue influence over an independent process.

In terms of when did the secretary find out, July 31st, we were flying back from the Philippines, and I believe that was a Wednesday. That was the day that we all found out, when it was made public.

Q: Okay. And then has he spoken to President Biden or Vice President Harris about these cases or about his decision to revoke the plea deal and become the convening authority, or retake that authority, I guess?

MS. SINGH: Not to my knowledge. But, of course, we made that - his decision to take back the authority public on Friday, but not to my knowledge on conversations with the White House. This was something that he decided on his own.

Felicia?

Q: Just wondering if you could give us a sense, I assume that Secretary Austin will be in this meeting at the White House later. Do you have any - is there anything you can say about what he might - I mean, I'm sure you don't want to, like, totally get ahead of it, but can you give us any sense of what to expect or what he might be going to say?

MS. SINGH: He will be in the meeting later today at the White House. Certainly, wouldn't want to get ahead of a meeting with the president and other members of the National Security Council, so I'll just leave it at that. But I think you can expect that, of course, on the table for discussion is ongoing tensions within the Middle East. I'll just leave it at that.

Idris.

Q: Where is General Kurilla right now?

MS. SINGH: I know that he's in the CENTCOM AOR, but I don't know -

Q: In the Middle East?

MS. SINGH: In the Middle East, yeah.

Q: OK. Is part of his trip and the broader Pentagon effort to coordinate with allies, and in a similar way you did pre-April 13? Is that an ongoing effort? Can you talk a bit about that?

MS. SINGH: Yeah. So, as you can appreciate, just not going to speak to anything regarding any potential operations. But in terms of his travel to the region, I'd refer you to CENTCOM for more details on that. I don't have them, so I'd refer you to CENTCOM to speak to it.

Well, - Courtney, I have not forgotten about you.

Q: On Niger, on the couple dozen people who are still there, can you say where they're located at this point?

MS. SINGH: Yeah, they're located at the embassy.

Q: At the embassy. And can you say any more about what they're going to be doing in the kind of next couple of weeks or - to prepare for the withdrawal or -

MS. SINGH: Just administrative work in preparing for the completion of the withdrawal. I don't really have more details other than that. If you want more, I'd refer you to AFRICOM to speak to just more roles and responsibilities of what they're doing on a day to day. But it's mainly administrative.

MS. SINGH: OK. Courtney?

Q: The KSM. So, if it's going back to - or the three of them, if the plea - if it's going back to the court, does that mean that the - there's no way forward for more plea agreements then, or - is that - that's over? There's no chance for the three of them to have a plea agreement?

MS. SINGH: That's correct. The secretary has taken that decision off the table for plea agreements, or for what was presented.

Q: What about the other two who were part of the plea agreements that didn't agree to this one? Are they now off the table for plea agreements as well? Because the statement only mentioned the three.

MS. SINGH: The three? Let me take that question.

Q: Okay. And then is - I believe - I may be wrong about this, but I think the general counsel has the authority to appoint a new convening authority to that case. Is that what's likely to happen here? I may be wrong about this because this is so unnecessarily confusing, this process - the process.

MS. SINGH: It is.

Q: And especially throwing a wrench in it like this.

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: So, is that what's likely to happen, or is Secretary Austin going to start traveling to get to oversee these as the Superior supreme commander?

MS. SINGH: As I mentioned - To Dan, right now the cases are back, you know, in the court. It's still early on. So, when we have more details, let us provide that for you. But right now, I just don't have a further update on things that you're asking. But we will get back to it.

Q: Because it just seems like to make the decision to withdraw the plea or to revoke the plea agreement without a plan for how it moves forward seems - that just doesn't seem like that would have been the case. There's gotta someone who knows how this is going to go forward.

MS. SINGH: I think there are paths forward, but it's also an ongoing judicial process that I just don't know how much we - or can speak to just yet. But when we have more, and certainly when I have more information, I will do my due diligence to make sure that you are kept informed on that, as I know this is of interest to many folks in this room. But I just don't have more right now on, you know, exactly how - the next steps.

Q: But to Courtney's question, does this preclude any plea agreement in the future?

MS. SINGH: The secretary has withdrawn from pretrial agreements that were signed in those cases.

Q: Right, that were signed. Does this preclude a future plea agreement?

MS. SINGH: He wants to see these, I mean, in - and I think - let me just make sure that I have this, the statement.

Q: No, I mean he -

MS. SINGH: No, I understand.

Q: Does he go back to negotiations?

MS. SINGH: Right. Exactly.

Q: Or does he just want to take a look at it?

MS. SINGH: He believes that the families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case. So, he does if we can move to the trials. And it has been ongoing. It has been many, many years. But that is what he believes is the best course of action forward.

Q: OK.

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: So, sort of following off that point, he believes that the American public should - I mean, we're talking about legal process that has taken decades and has been one of the most

closed off and secretive processes on a base that is one of the most secretive and closed. I mean, square the circle here, like Secretary Austin believes the American people deserve all this stuff, but do we get to see these televised, and when?

MS. SINGH: Well, this a case of such significance that the secretary felt it was appropriate for the authority to rest with him. So again, in terms of future trials, what that looks like, I don't have that for you. But obviously, this was a decision that was made on Friday, and as I committed to Courtney and Lita, as we have more details to share, I will share that with you. I just don't have that right now.

Q: Can you also ask-sorry. Assuming there's a change in administration or even if there isn't, Secretary Austin is-I'm assuming that that will then move to the next Secretary of defense or does the next-the process forward is interesting here. Is there any chance that someone else could come in and allow for negotiations to restart under a new convening authority?

How would that look? Or is literally the only way that this moves forward was at the trial, which is never going to happen?

MS. SINGH: Yeah. So I think there's still a few unanswered questions that I understand folks want answers to. I don't have that right now.

Q: Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Is there anyone that can just walk us through the legal process, Sabrina?

MS. SINGH: So as soon as we have more information to provide, I certainly will. If there's someone that is available and willing-

Q: I mean, just to walk us through, what is-

MS. SINGH: Yep. Understand. Understand. I will-

Q: Not what's going to happen, just-

MS. SINGH: I will certainly see if someone is available, but again, this is a-I understand the frustration and I and I understand that I don't have all the answers for you right now. But as I get more, we will share it and if there's someone that can be made available, I will look into that.

OK. Brad?

Q: Yeah, just really quick on Niger. Did US troops leave any equipment behind, weapons, military equipment, anything when they left the bases?

MS. SINGH: I'd refer you to AFRICOM to speak to that. Noah?

Q: Thank you. I'm sorry if I missed this, but do we have a final cost on JLOTS yet?

MS. SINGH: The initial cost that we had quoted, I think was $230 million. I don't have an updated cost for you right now. Some of the folks that had initially gone out on the JLOTS mission have been redeployed and have come back home. JLOTS is still in the process of being redeployed, so you might remember Vice-Admiral Cooper said that the cost of JLOTS is likely to come under that number, but I don't have the final, final for you yet as that redeployment is still ongoing.

Q: So we'll know that when the redeployment is more settled? When will we actually know that?

MS. SINGH: You'll know that when I have the number.

Q: OK.

Q: Hi. Thank you. You mentioned contingencies around Israel and Lebanon, and I know you have the capacity with the wasp [USS Wasp] there. Are you planning on evacuation of US citizens out of Lebanon?

MS. SINGH: So we are a planning organization and as you've heard us say, we plan for a range of different contingencies. I'm certainly not going to go into details on every type of scenario and plan that has been laid out. But the ARG/MEU that's in the Eastern Med has a range of capabilities, to include other things other than an evacuation if needed.

So I'll just leave it at that. Yeah.

Q: A couple of questions on the KSM, and then I had a Middle East question. What was the secretary's initial reaction? You said the July 31st, you heard about it coming back. Was he shocked or whatever? And has he called any of the families?

MS. SINGH: The secretary was certainly surprised, as we all were. And I think you have to remember throughout this entire process, this is not something that the secretary was consulted on or briefed. It was independent. And we were not aware that the prosecution or defense would enter the terms of the plea agreement.

So I think when it came through on Wednesday is when we learned about it, and he was surprised. I don't have any calls to share or to read out to you on folks that he's spoken with, other than to say that on Friday you saw the memo that he issued and leave it at that.

Q: OK. Middle East, a reality check. Do any of the assets you announced Friday, would they have any relevance if Iraq attack today tomorrow or Wednesday? You seem all weeks away. Can you give a reality check on that? And on the ARG/MEU, they had helicopters basically

and Ospreys. They don't have combat capability, but what actually would be resonant now if Iran attacked in the next two or three days?

MS. SINGH: A lot of hypotheticals that I just wouldn't get into and in terms of asking on timing, look, I don't have anything for you on that.

Q: I'm not asking when Iran's going to attack, but what would be relevant now? What defense assets are in the region that could help them with missile defense, versus on the way in a week or two?

MS. SINGH: So as you saw from the statement that that we released on Friday, the secretary has directed additional air assets to move to the region, along with a combination of destroyers and cruisers to move closer to Israel for the defense of Israel. Beyond that, I'm not going to get into more specifics.

You're also going to have the TR eventually leave the CENTCOM AOR and-

Q: Eventually.

MS. SINGH: -the ABE [USS Abraham Lincoln] will come and backfill the TR. You are very familiar with the range of capabilities on a carrier strike group, part of a carrier strike group. So, I don't need to go into those details, but should Israel be attacked, the president, the secretary, have committed to come to the defense of Israel and of course we're postured to always protect our forces in the region as well.

Q: I'm just trying to push back. The TR is in the Gulf of Oman. I mean, I'm not sure destroyers can attack missiles fired from Lebanon into Israel at that range. I mean-

MS. SINGH: Yeah, I'm just not going to get into more [inaudible].

Q: The fighter squadron, is that going to be arriving in the next day or two, because that's tangible?

MS. SINGH: Appreciate the question, Tony, but I'm just not going to get into timelines. Thank you. Jared.

Q: I don't know if you can answer this, but are the TR and the ABE expected overlap in the Eastern Mediterranean on the TR's way home?

MS. SINGH: Look, I don't have a timeline for you right now, but the ABE will be backfilling, replacing the TR. So could there be overlap, there could be, but I don't have an exact timeline for you on when one's leaving and one's coming in.

Q: Then kind of big picture, does the government have any indication that Iran and its proxies may avoid attacking or targeting US personnel and forces like they did in April during this retaliation?

MS. SINGH: I really can't speak for Iran, so I refer you to them.

Q: It's a pretty quick-

MS. SINGH: OK. Yeah.

Q: Quick follow up. Do you believe an attack by Iran and its proxies is imminent, against Israel to be clear?

MS. SINGH: I mean, all we can go off of, Idris, is the public statements that Iran has made. We certainly don't want to see that. We believe that the best way for tensions to calm in the region is for the ceasefire deal to be put in place to see American hostages come home. We don't want to see a wider regional conflict and that's why, over the course of time, I mean since October 8th, we have moved additional assets to the region to project a message of deterrence. We still believe that a wider regional war is not imminent. And yeah, we'll leave it at that.

Q: And then have you raised alert levels for troops in Iraq and Syria?

MS. SINGH: I'd refer you to CENTCOM to speak more on that. Kiely.

Q: One more GTMO, keep the good times going.

MS. SINGH: It's very unsatisfactory. I'm sorry. I know. I will do my best.

Q: You said that the secretary, I mean, it was kind of surprise, didn't know that the council was putting in these plea deal agreements. He clearly knew there was some discussion about plea deals if he rejected some of the agreements ahead of time at the beginning of the year, like you said. So did he think about or consider or anything taking that convening authority then when he originally rejected some of the terms of the agreement?

MS. SINGH: So there were not terms presented to him. It was policy principles, basically parameters that were presented up to the secretary, which he rejected. To your question of did he think about taking back his authority then, no. And the reason why is, this was an independent authority that was in charge of managing the case and he did not want to exert undue influence over a judicial process, but he did reject their parameters of what they had laid out.

So that kind of leads to where we got to last week. Because he rejected those policy principles to begin with, he believes that the families, the

these folks go on trial, knowing it has been a long process, but still, that is something that he believes strongly.

Q: So, he had originally not wanted to take back authority because it was an independent process and he wanted to play out.

MS. SINGH: Right.

Q: Now he has decided it should no longer be an independent process and he needs to be more involved?

MS. SINGH: Because, I mean, you have to remember, first, he established the convening authority to oversee the case. Taking back authority or influencing the case in either way is not something that he wanted to do. And frankly, we didn't know what type of agreement was going to happen if there was ever going to be one.

And I think no one knew what was announced on Wednesday was something that both sides would have agreed to in the first place. I mean, this has been ongoing for many, many years. So he made the decision that when this announcement happened, that he needed to take back the authorities and that now it's back in the courts and he believes that there should be a trial.

I know that this has been ongoing for a very, very long time. Many people here in this building have followed this, but that is where we are today.

Q: So it's okay if it's independent, as long as they do what he wants them to do. That's pretty much what we're coming down to, right?

MS. SINGH: No, I would actually say that he allowed the entire process to play out before he-

Q: Before he exerted his undue command influence over it.

MS. SINGH: Before he influenced the process in any way.

Q: Just to clarify, the policy parameters, who submitted those? Who made those recommendations? And I think I heard you say January, right?

MS. SINGH: I did not say that. It was earlier this year.

Q: OK.

MS. SINGH: Let me see. Let me just take that question on who submitted them. Matt.

Q: Thanks. On Iran, if Iran was to launch another large scale series of attacks like we saw in April, do you expect that to be telegraphed? Do you expect to see personnel and equipment being moved much like we saw in April, or do you assess that things are more or less still in place since April and so it might not get the same sort of forewarning? Can you speak to that at all?

MS. SINGH: On Iran's assets?

Q: Right.

MS. SINGH: Yeah. No, I wouldn't speak to any intel, anything like that.

Q: OK.

MS. SINGH: OK. Anything else? All right. Thanks, everyone.

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