DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH:. Thanks, everyone, for joining us for this gaggle. I'm going to let the secretary give some opening remarks and then we'll start with Rob for questions.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD AUSTIN: Yeah. Again, thanks for joining us on a pretty long trip, but I think we accomplished a lot. It was the last NATO defense ministerial for the Biden administration. And again, I think that was a really good engagement with a number of our allies. And following that, we had a G7 ministerial and the first-ever G7 ministerial — defense ministerial, and I think that was very, very productive as well.

You went with us as we went into Kyiv following that. We were able to engage President Zelenskyy and his leadership on a number of important issues. We announced yet another presidential drawdown package. And then finally, today finished up with a visit to the Vatican. So, again, I think it was a good trip overall.

And I'll stop there and take your questions.

MS. SINGH: Rob?

Q: Mr. Secretary, you just met with the Pope, had an audience with him. Can you share more about what you discussed? And did he talk to you about any of the conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, it won't surprise you that the Pope is very much focused on what's going on in Ukraine and also in the Middle East as well. He's concerned about humanitarian issues in both areas. And of course, we share a common desire to see these conflicts, you know, scale back in terms of the level of activity and a ceasefire in both cases.

Again, I think he'll continue to exercise his influence to do the right things, and I'll continue to do what we're doing on our end to make sure that, number one, Ukraine can defend itself and its sovereignty. And number two, as we've said a number of times, we're going to continue to support Israel and its efforts to defend itself.

We need to dial down the tension in the Middle East region, and we need to also find a way to transition in Ukraine. Now, as we've said all along, we're going to continue to support Ukraine, and they will determine when the time is to go to the negotiating table. But you've heard me say before this conflict will end in some kind of negotiation at some point. Thanks.

MS. SINGH:  Phil?

Q: Mr. Secretary, in his nightly video address last night, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy called on allies not to hide and to respond to evidence of North Korean involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine. So, I'll ask you, have you seen any evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia? And if so, what is the intent of this deployment?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, our analysts are — they continue to look at this, and we are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops that have gone to Africa. And I wouldn't — excuse me, not Africa but Russia. What exactly they're doing will have to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out. We'll have more for you on that later. But, yeah, as we continue to look at this, there is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia.

MS. SINGH: Eric?

Q: Just to follow up on that, sir, can you talk a little bit about what you understand the intent of those troops to be? And what does it say about perhaps the desperation of Putin himself to rely on these countries? What role is that? And what is the — what is North Korea getting in return for that? What's the quid pro quo for that?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: All of the things that we're trying to trying to gain better fidelity on, Eric, number one, why are the troops there. We'll continue to pull this thread and see what happens here. If they're co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia's behalf, that is a very, very serious issue.

And it will have impacts not only in Europe. It will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well. We've seen the Republic of Korea be very focused on this issue as well. So, still a lot of things to be answered, Eric. And our analysts will continue to work this, and we'll have more for you as we get more fidelity.

Q: And where are the North Koreans' motivations? Why are they doing this?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Yeah, unknown. Certainly, there is a strengthened relationship, for lack of a better term, between Russia and DPRK. You've seen the DPRK provide arms and munitions Russia, and this is a next step.

But what it means in terms of where Putin is, you know, I've — heard me talk about the significant casualties in — that he had experienced over the last two and a half years. This is an indication that he may be even in more trouble than most people realize. But, again, he went tin cupping early on to get additional weapons and materials from the DPRK and then from Iran. And now he's making a move to get more people, if that is the case, if these troops are designed to be a part of the fight in Ukraine. But we'll see. These are questions that have yet to be answered.

MS. SINGH: Natasha?

Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Two quick questions. As you're likely aware, there is a DOD official being named and accused on social media of leaking highly classified intelligence about Israel. Is that disinformation? Can you rule out that that individual is being investigated, and has the probe homed in on a suspect?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: There's no OSD official being named as a part of this investigation. So, that is not true at this point, and I've seen no evidence of that or any indication that any OSD official will be implicated as a part of this.

Q: Ok. And secondly, Israel has claimed that Hezbollah has a major bunker underneath Al-Sahel Hospital in southern Beirut. Doctors who work there have denied the allegation. Has the US seen its own evidence of this bunker underneath that hospital?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: We've not seen evidence of that at this point. But, you know, we'll continue to collaborate with our Israeli counterparts to gain better fidelity on exactly what they're looking at.

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Lara?

Q: Mr. Secretary, I understand you shared with the Ukrainians your DOD spend plan for the next five months for the Ukraine conflict. As you know, five months is after the inauguration of what will be a new administration. So, if Trump gets elected, will you speed up that plan to ensure Ukraine gets all the money that Congress has allocated? And how will you ensure that all of the equipment actually gets delivered, since you know that takes longer?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, as we commit the funds, Laura, I mean, everything won't be delivered immediately. So, things that we're purchasing now, for example, may wind up showing up a couple of months later. And as we laid out the plan on what we're investing in with both our USAI funds and the drawdown materials that we're providing, when we can get some of those materials refurbished and into Ukraine, and again, it's not instantaneous, it may take weeks or in some cases a couple of months. But we laid that plan out for them, and we're confident that, based upon, you know, what we've done and what we are doing that, you know, those things will be delivered on the timeline that we've outlined.

Q: But a new administration could change that and could stop those deliveries.

SECRETARY AUSTIN: They would have to de-obligate, you know, the things that we've already obligated. So, I think we're pretty sure that these materials will continue to flow.

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Chris?

Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. While you were in Ukraine, President Zelenskyy's focused on $800 million the US has pledged towards drone production. What is the purpose and goal of that? And is that just for drones, or could Ukraine use that towards ballistic or cruise missiles?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, we're going to continue to invest in their long range strike capability. Now, what we've seen is that they've developed the capability to mass produce drones that are very, very effective and that can go impressive distances. We've seen them strike targets that are 400 kilometers beyond the border, and even deeper, with precision. And they can do that at a fraction of a cost of a ballistic missile.

So, it makes sense to invest in that capability, in their ability to continue to scale. And I think that answers, addresses, the needs that they'll have not only now but long into the future.

Q: Would you say that addresses the long range strike question that we keep bugging you about?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, as we've told you so many times, the range of an ATACMS is 300 kilometers. They're striking targets that are beyond 400 kilometers with precision. So, you know, and they can do that at a fraction of the cost. So, this balances out the the balance sheet here.

And, you know, if they're going to be able to sustain their efforts, gotta to be able to afford it. And so, it makes sense for them to expand the capacity. It makes sense for us to invest in what they're doing. It works. It's effective and it's precise.

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: And the last one. Missy?

Q: Yep. Thanks so much. In Lebanon, the targets that Israel is striking in the Beirut area have widened beyond military sites. It's hitting municipal buildings and health clinics. Last night there were intense strikes on apartment buildings. And now Israel's issuing the warning, as Natasha mentioned, about this hospital, suggesting that could be a target.

And then, on the other hand in northern Gaza, you know, the UN is describing the situation there as beyond catastrophic. The UN says the IDF is, you know, continuing its offensive there, denied permission to rescue people from the rubble. Only a handful of trucks are reaching the north each day. And meanwhile, the Netanyahu government, some of the ministers today were having conversations about resettling Gaza and extending the occupation there.

All of that to say I know you are a strong supporter of Israel's self-defense, but you've also said that how they do it matters. In your view, as someone who has commanded counterinsurgency campaigns extensively, do you think that they've gone beyond self-defense on both of these fronts to something that's more punitive or indiscriminate? And are you worried that Israel's actions are weakening, not strengthening, its security in the long term?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, Missy, you've heard me say on a number of times that — a couple things. Number one, the ability to accomplish your goals militarily in terms of achieving objectives and protecting humans, protecting civilians in the battle space, those two things are— you can do both of those things. They're not mutually exclusive.

And the other thing that I've emphasized throughout, Missy, is the need to protect civilians and provide that humanitarian assistance. And this is something I talk to my counterpart about every time I talk to him, those two things. We’ve got to be more precise in our operations, and we have to make sure that we're doing what's necessary to get assistance and aid into the civilians.

Failure to do that will, you know, will create a generation of Palestinians that really will continue to resist cooperating with Israel in the future. So, you're actually increasing the numbers of insurgents in the space if you fail to do that. It's a strategic imperative, in my view.

Q: Ok. But just to clarify, in your view, are — the actions that they're taking on both strips — fronts, have they gone beyond self-defense actions?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, you know, it's one of the things in both cases that makes it more difficult is that both Hamas and LH use civilians as human shields. They put their stores of weapons in apartment buildings, beneath mosques and churches and in schools and hospitals in order to make it more difficult to strike them.

Because of that complication, you know, that has increased the occurrence of civilian casualties. I think — you know, let's not kid ourselves. This is a complicated, a very, very difficult battle space. And, you know, so we're — we need to do everything we can — the Israelis need to do everything they can to be as careful as possible to protect civilians in that battle space. But Hamas and LH make it more complicated.

MS. SINGH: Thank you all. Appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.