Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds Press Briefing

Sept. 3, 2024

PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY AIR FORCE MAJ. GEN. PAT RYDER:  All right. Well, good afternoon, everyone. I have just a few things at the top, then we'll get right to your questions. First, the Department of Defense continues to monitor developments in the Middle East. On Sunday, Sept. 1, Secretary Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, regarding Israel's recovery of the remains of six hostages in Gaza murdered by Hamas, including the 23-year-old American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

The secretary passed along his deepest condolences to the families of all of the slain hostages and he expressed outrage at their vicious, illegal and immoral execution at the hands of Hamas. The secretary affirmed that Hamas leaders must be held accountable for the murder of these innocent civilians. And Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant once again reaffirmed their mutual commitment to swiftly reaching a ceasefire deal to secure the release of all the remaining hostages.

A readout of the secretary's call has been posted to Defense.gov. Separately, on Sept. 1, USCENTCOM forces, partnered with Syrian Democratic Forces, captured an ISIS leader and facilitator, Khalid Ahmed al-Dandal, who was assessed as helping ISIS fighters after escape from a Raqqa detention facility in Syria.

CENTCOM issued a press release with additional details, so I'll refer you to that, but the operation highlights CENTCOM's ongoing efforts to support our SDF partners to mitigate threats of future escapes by ISIS detainees from SDF detention facilities in Syria and to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.

Turning to the Red Sea. On Sept. 2, Iranian backed Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers transiting this vital waterway. The Panama flagged and owned Greek operated motor vessel Blue Lagoon One was struck by two anti-ship ballistic missiles and the Saudi flagged owned and operated motor vessel Amjad was struck by a one-way attack uncrewed aerial system.

This of course follows the Aug. 21 attack of the Greek owned motor vessel Delta Sounion. These reckless attacks of terrorism by the Houthis continue to destabilize regional and global commerce, while threatening the lives of innocent civilian mariners, as well as maritime ecosystems.

Currently, private companies are examining salvage options in the southern Red Sea for the disabled motor vessel Delta Sounion, which is still on fire and threatens the possibility of a major environmental disaster. The U.S. will continue to work with international partners and allies to protect maritime commerce and mitigate potential impacts to the environment despite the irresponsible and careless actions of the Iranian backed Houthis.

And finally, looking ahead, Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Brown will travel to Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday to host an in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Sept. 6. This will be the 24th meeting of the UDCG since Secretary Austin formed the international group in April of 2022. The secretary and chairman will join ministers of defense and senior military officials from nearly 50 nations to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the continued close coordination by the international community to deliver to Ukraine the support it needs to defend itself.

And with that, I'll be glad to take your questions. We'll go to AP, Tara.

Q:  Thanks, Gen. Ryder. I wanted to ask about the two Marines who were assaulted in Turkey, if you could give us an update on their condition and speak in general about their reaction to the assault, not making — escalating it into something bigger and what sort of impact it might have on future shore leave or future port visits in Turkey?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. Thanks for asking the question. So first of all, the two Marines are safe. They were aided by other Marines in the area and subsequently taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution but were not injured and they have subsequently returned to the USS Wasp. I can tell you that local Izmir police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cooperating in an investigation of the incident.

No Marines have been detained by authorities and those involved are cooperating with investigators. In terms of the reaction of the Marines, certainly, very proud of the professionalism of our service members and — and most importantly, that they're safe. This is clearly a troubling incident. We are grateful for the support of the Turkish authorities who are looking into this, and I'll leave it there.

Q:  Will it have any residual impact such as leave or the ability to go outside the gate at Incirlik?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  That's really a question for the local commanders and USEUCOM. Of course, every situation is judged based on its own merits. Force protection is always a consideration, and any commander has the authority to — to make those kinds of decisions, but again, I'd refer you to EUCOM for anything on that.

Thank you. Go to Idris.

Q:  Over the weekend, Britain suspended 30 arms export licenses to Israel, essentially because they couldn't certify that it would be used under international humanitarian law. Does the secretary believe that every weapon that the U.S. is providing to Israel is being used correctly under international humanitarian law?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, thanks Idris. As you know, our State Department has processes to look into those kinds of questions, the same as we do for any security assistance that we provide to other nations around the world. Those processes are ongoing. As of now, we have not determined at this point that Israel has violated international humanitarian law, but those assessments, to include those of the State Department looking at allegations, are still ongoing.

Q:  Just follow up, you mentioned, I think it was the Amjad tanker. The shipping company that owns it said it was not targeted in the Red Sea, had not been hit and was continuing under its own power to its destination.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  So my understanding it is continuing on. It still has the crew on.  As far as any additional questions on that, I'd refer you to CENTCOM.

Q:  CENTCOM's statement says it was hit?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Correct.

Q:  But they're saying they weren't hit.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. The information I have is factually correct, as I know it. But of course, again, I'd refer you to CENTCOM for further details. Thank you. Joseph, and then we'll go to Carla.

Q:  Thanks. Last week we asked if the Israelis had informed you all ahead of their operations in the West Bank. The department was still trying to gather more information as to what was going on or what they were doing. Do you guys have any answers or information as to what they're trying to do?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Thanks, Joseph. I — I don't have any updates to provide as — as we highlighted in the readout that we put out between — in the call between Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant, Secretary did convey his condolences for the three Israeli police officers that were killed in an apparent terrorist attack in the West Bank.

Also, he expressed his concern over the rising tensions and the increased terrorist activity there. We have, of course, made very clear from a U.S. government standpoint, our policy as it relates to the West Bank and when it comes to settler violence and no expansion of — of settlements.

Q:  Just a second one, on — back to the Houthis. Has there — it's been about, I think, eight or nine months since — since the U.S. began strikes on Houthi targets and trying to deter further attacks. We're continuing to see those attacks. I mean, you mentioned two tankers that were hit. We got the Sounion potentially spilling, creating an environmental disaster.

Is there any reevaluation from the department to potentially alter the campaign or to change different types of military operations to further deter or to send a message or degrade further these capabilities of the Houthis?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, thanks. It's a great question and I can tell you that we're constantly evaluating the situation and it goes back to what it is that we're working to do, which is to preserve freedom of navigation and to degrade and disrupt Houthis capabilities, and we're doing that. We are disrupting and degrading, and you can see this in the press releases that CENTCOM puts out in terms of degrading some of their capabilities and also taking self-defense strikes to prevent missiles from launching. That said, obviously, as evidenced by what I read out earlier, some of those missiles and some of those drones are making their way through and we're going to continue to work with the international community to protect those shipping lanes.

But the onus is on the Houthis, again, to look at the impact that they're having, not only in the short-term, but on the long-term as it relates to the environment, the economy and the — the safety of those that are transiting this important waterway. So we're going to continue to keep after it, recognizing that again the strategic objective here is freedom of navigation through this vital waterway.

Thanks. Carla.

Q:  Thanks. First a follow up with what you told Tara. You said the two Marines are safe. There had been some social media reports saying that three were assaulted. You're tracking two?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  I was tracking that two — two U.S. Marines from the 24th Maritime Expeditionary Unit.

Q:  Thank you, Pat. And then on the Russian ballistic missiles that hit the Military Institute of Communication in Poltava. I'm sorry if I'm messing that up. Does the Pentagon know where those missiles originated, and does this attack, has it shifted the thought process here at the Pentagon of potentially allowing Ukrainians to use ATACMS to hit missile sites inside Russia?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, thanks. I don't have any information to provide in terms of the specific origin of those missiles other than again, as you highlight, these are Russian missile attacks. And again, just demonstrates the brutality, the viciousness of these assaults to include on civilian infrastructure. And as we go into the winter, Russia targeting infrastructure, energy infrastructure, that will be vital as it gets colder in Ukraine.

We have been working very diligently for a very long time now to continue to work with the international community on providing air defense capabilities for Ukraine and will continue to do that. As it relates to our long range strike policy, I don't have any announcements to make in terms of any change in policy.

Q:  OK. Thank you. And just one more is USS Georgia in the CENTCOM AOR?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  The USS Georgia is still underway. Thank you. Let me go to the phone here. Go to Wall Street Journal, Lara Seligman.

Q:  Hi, Pat, thanks for doing this. I wanted to follow up on the F-16 crash in Ukraine last week. Is the U.S. participating in any way in this investigation and will there be any changes made to the training program after this crash?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, thanks Lara. So like — like any sovereign nation that has any type of incident, they would be the lead for conducting an investigation. And so Ukraine is leading the investigation, so I'd refer you to them to talk about any details associated with that. Broadly speaking, I will tell you, across the aviation community in general and this is a generalized statement here, you're always going to learn from various incidents or engagements that get applied back into lessons learned.

But as it pertains to this particular crash, I just don't have any details or specifics to provide at this time. Let me go to the room here, Eric.

Q:  Yes, Pat, do you have an update on the seven U.S. service members who were injured in the raid that U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted late last week?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. I do.

Q:  And what caused those injuries?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. Thanks, Eric. I don't have specifics to provide to you today in terms of the causes of the injuries. I'm tracking seven total were injured. Six have returned to duty for minor injuries, in some cases to include suspected TBI. One service member was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for follow on care, in stable condition,* and that's about all I have on that.

Q:  And just as a follow up, U.S. special operations forces took the lead in this operation, in the initial attack, which was carried out over at least two days, and they were targeting apparently a very senior ISIS leader involved in the planning of external operations in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere.

Can you identify who that leader is and how serious this operation was, given that it's pretty unusual at this point in Iraq for U.S. forces to take the — at least initially, to take a lead in a mission like this?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, I'm not going to have any other information to provide beyond what's in the press release that — that CENTCOM put out. You know, and in that, I would underscore the fact that, again, this operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade their ability to plan, organize and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians as well as U.S. citizens, allies and partners throughout the region and beyond.

And so, again, we'll continue to work with our partners around the world, to include the Iraqis, when it comes to protecting the homeland and addressing threats like ISIS. Thank you.

Charlie?

Q:  Thank you, General. The Ukrainian defense minister was here last week. He said that he set forth specific targets that could be hit within Russia. Zelenskyy once again today pleaded for those longer range weapons and for the permission to use them. Is that under discussion? And when might we hear anything more about it?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. Thanks, Charlie. I don't have any announcements to make in terms of any changes in policy. As I highlighted, Secretary Austin will have the chance to meet with Ukrainian — you know, our Ukrainian partners and international partners this — later this week at Ramstein, where we'll be very focused on, again, better understanding Ukraine's security assistance needs and how best to meet those.

But in terms of any changes to our policy, I'm — I’m not going to have anything to provide. Again, there has been no changes. And as it relates to potential Ukrainian operations, I'm just not going to speculate or talk about potential future ops. Thanks very much.

Yes, sir?

Q:  Thank you, General. A quick question about the latest attack that ISIS claimed in Kabul. As you may know, yesterday a suicide attack occurred in Kabul and killed some people and injured more people. So, ISIS claimed the responsibility for that. How — what is the Pentagon's position?

Last week I think you mentioned that ISIS is a threat from Afghanistan. Can we understand the scale of the threats that the Pentagon assess — a — in terms of threats that ISIS posing against the United States national interest, or the United States partners in the region, perhaps?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. Again, I — I've seen the reports about the ISIS attacks in Afghanistan. I'd have to refer you to, you know, the Taliban to talk about that.

Broadly speaking, again, as I just highlighted, as it relates to Syria, ISIS continues to pose a threat, whether it be ISIS-K or ISIS in its other manifestations. So, we will continue to work with international allies and partners to address that threat and take appropriate action. Thank you.

Ennis?

Q:  Thank you very much, General. This administration has claimed that Hamas had been largely destroyed. That's why the Israeli government can be confident in signing this ceasefire agreement. But according to the latest statements from the Israeli government, the Philadelphi corridor seems to be the sticking point. Is that also your military assessment, that the retention of that corridor is key to further success or for prevention of further terrorist attacks? Is that your assessment as well, just like the Israeli government's?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  So, I appreciate the question. And as you've seen that — you know, from the White House and others, that is a point of discussion as it relates to ongoing ceasefire negotiations. What I'm not going to do, though, is provide my personal tactical assessment of the battlefield.

I think, taking a step back, a few things here. Number one, we fully support and recognize Israel's right to defend itself and to prevent the kinds of attacks we saw on Oct. 7. And so, I'll leave it up to the Israelis to talk about how best to do that, again, recognizing the fact that we all want to see a ceasefire as quickly as possible and the hostages released and returned home. And so, I know that that will continue to be a topic of discussion within those negotiations, and I'll just leave it at that.

Let me go back to the phone here. Jeff Schogol, Task and Purpose?

Q:  Thank you. Military officials recently said the number of ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria is on pace to double what they were last year. As far as the Defense Department is concerned, is ISIS a growing threat? And I — just clarification, did you say the Georgia has not arrived in the CENTCOM AOR yet? Thank you.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. Thanks, Jeff. On your last question, the Georgia is still underway. Again, we'll keep you updated in terms of its location and arrival in the CENTCOM AOR.

On ISIS attacks, you know, again, it's — it’s not a monolith. And so, without getting into a broader geographic discussion on all the various tenets of ISIS focused on Iraq and Syria, I think ISIS is not the threat that it was ten years ago, but certainly something that needs to be taken very, very seriously.

And as highlighted in the Central Command press release over the weekend, you have over 9,000 ISIS detainees being held in 20 SDF detainee facilities in Syria, which essentially creates a significant challenge for the international community in terms of repatriating those detainees. And so, that work continues in earnest via CENTCOM and our partners in the region as through — as well as throughout the world. Thank you.

Come back to the room. Yes, ma'am, Nat?

Q:  Thanks, Pat. I just wanted to follow up on the questions about the deep strike capabilities for Ukraine. Kyiv claims that they need this for their offensive in Kursk. What's the U.S. view on that? Do you agree or disagree with that assessment?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Well, again, I don't have any announcements to make in terms of any change in policy. The policy hasn't changed. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself and to protect its sovereign territory, as well as build its ability to deter against future Russian aggression. And so, again, we'll continue to consult regularly with our Ukrainian counterparts on their security assistance needs and ensure they have what they need to defend themselves. Thank you.

Sir?

Q:  Thank you very much, General. Just two questions. In 2018, I had filed a story about these two Afghan brothers, one of them was Abdul , that they had cheated the Department of Defense for $6 billion and the trial was going on in D.C. about it. Can you give me an update about that?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  I — I really don't have an update. I'd have to refer you to the Department of Justice for any questions on that.

Q:  OK. And my second question was about — and I asked you this last month as well, about the 13 soldiers that were killed in Afghanistan at the point of withdrawal. According to my journalism experience, I had suggested that another inquiry should be done, but that's, again, your department's decision on it.

But President Trump — former President Trump went to honor those 13 soldiers at the Arlington Cemetery. None of them — none of the current administration I saw that paid such a visit. Does that upset the Pentagon at all about the current administration and —

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes. Well, thanks for the question. So, a few things. First of all, Secretary Austin did issue a statement, of course, on the anniversary of the Abbey Gate terrorist attack.

As it relates to Arlington National Cemetery, as you'll recall, that was a private event hosted by Gold Star family members that had invited former President Trump to that event. Secretary Austin was not invited to that. But of course, he cares incredibly deeply about our Gold Star families as well as all of our soldiers, sailors, airmens — and airmen and Marines who served in Afghanistan, to include the 13 American heroes who died on that day. Thank you.

Sir, and then I'll come back to you, Charlie.

Q:  Yes. Thank you, General. Going back to Iraq, this weekend when the Iraqi prime minister received the top U.S. commander, Gen. Kevin Leahy, in Baghdad, he said that the ISIS is no longer pose a threat to the Iraqi state. Do you agree with that statement?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Look, I, you know, have provided my perspective on ISIS. I think it's something that we need to continue to keep an eye on and make sure that it does not resurge to the levels that it did back in 2014.

Look, the Iraqi security forces have done an incredible job in terms of addressing the ISIS threat, but as I highlighted, you still have these challenges in places like Syria, where 9,000, ISIS detainees and that that has to be taken seriously. So again, we'll continue to work with our Iraqi partners as well as others to address that.

Q:  And then the recent joint raid between U.S. and Iraq in Anbar, the Iraqi government and even you said that the U.S. has no combat forces in Iraq. But this time, the U.S. Special Forces in Iraq led that operation against ISIS. So has the role of the — U.S. forces' role changed in Iraq?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  No, no, it has not. And again, this was a partnered operation and as I highlighted earlier, the United States will work with partners and allies around the world. And if there is a potential threat against U.S. national security and — and partner security, we'll work together to address that threat. But no, no change.

Let me go to — I'm sorry, Charlie, let me go to Brad and then I'll come back to you.

Q:  Thank you. Just to follow up on Ukraine, can you confirm if the U.S. is preparing to send long range cruise missiles to Ukraine? There's been some reports about JASSMs, if I'm pronouncing that correctly.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, the last question, yes, JASSMs. Yes, you're pronouncing it correctly. I — I don't have any. I saw those press reports. I don't have anything, Brad, to provide on that. Again, no announcements to make.

Q:  Says the Air force guy.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Charlie.

Q:  Yes. Thanks again.  We haven't discussed Iran and Israel or retaliation in a couple of weeks, yet two carrier strike groups remain. Has there been any change about the perceived threat level there?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Well, what I would tell you, Charlie, is, again, Iran had — has indicated that it intends to retaliate, so we will continue to take that threat seriously, and I'll just leave it there.

Q:  Have you seen any changes at all that would have changed in the past 10 days or so, without getting into details?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Right. I think that we need to continue to take that threat seriously and be prepared. Again. I'm not going to speculate or get into potential or hypotheticals, rather, in terms of when and if they may attack other than the fact that they've said publicly that they intend to retaliate.

And so we will continue to take that seriously. Matt.

Q:  Thanks, Pat. There are reports that that Russian strike might have come from Crimea. So just to be clear, there are no policy restrictions that would stop Ukraine from striking Russian launch sites on Crimea because the department recognizes that as Ukrainian territory? Is that correct?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  That's correct.

Q:  Thank you.

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Let me go to the phone. Heather from USNI.

Q:  Thanks. I was just wondering if there's any policy guidance on which ships that CENTCOM might mention get hit by the Houthis. They released something this past day, last night about two ships that got hit by the Houthis, but haven't mentioned other ships in the past, so I was just wondering if you can explain why these two ships were mentioned?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  Yes, thanks, Heather.  I — I'd refer you to CENTCOM for specifics. I think, again, highlighting this at the top of the briefing, again, just demonstrating the threat that the Houthis continue to pose, not only from a mariner safety standpoint, but also from an environmental and economic standpoint in the Red Sea.

Thank you. Joseph.

Q:  Quick, I wanted to ask if there's any updates; there were two civilian Iranian mariners that were rescued by the U.S. military last week. Where are they? What's their status?

MAJ. GEN. RYDER:  I'd have to refer you to CENTCOM for any questions on that. OK. Thanks very much everybody, appreciate it.

[* Eds. Note:  Two U.S. service members were transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for follow-on care, both of whom are in stable condition. The other five U.S. service members were treated for minor injuries and returned to duty.]