June 11, 2021
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace today to discuss progress in the retrograde from Afghanistan and other issues of mutual interest. Secretary Austin expressed his appreciation for the U.K.’s commitment to our defense partnership and looks forward to seeing Secretary of State Wallace at the NATO Summit in Brussels on June 14, 2021.
June 11, 2021
PRESS SECRETARY JOHN F. KIRBY: Hey, how you guys doing? Happy Friday. A couple things here at the - at the top. Today the department is announcing a new $150 million package as part of the Ukraine security assistance initiative to help Ukraine's forces preserve their country's territorial integrity and to improve interoperability with NATO.
The package includes capabilities such as two counter-artillery radars, some counter unmanned aerial systems, and secure communications. It will compliment the $125 million package that we announced back in March. This package is made possible after the Department of Defense in coordination with the State Department was able to certify that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act.
The department continues to encourage Ukraine to enact reforms that are in line with NATO principles and standards to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Just to remind, the United States has committed more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014 and will continue to strengthen our strategic defense partnership, including through the provision of defensive, lethal assistance. We'll post the full announcement on defense.gov after the briefing.
In accordance with President Biden's January 20th proclamation, the department has developed a plan for redirecting funds and repurposing contracts that are connected with the border barrier construction. We announced, as you know, on April 30th the cancellation of all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds that were originally designed and meant for other missions and functions.
So the Deputy Secretary today has approved a plan to use the $2.2 billion in unobligated military construction funds that were previously made available for border barrier construction to restore funding in this fiscal year for 66 projects in 16 countries, 11 states and three territories.
The decision to restore this funding was based on operational and component priorities. You can see our - her memo on defense.gov now, the - I - it's - it's up on the website, and if you look at the - the attached memo, you'll see the whole list of - of projects that - that'll be restored.
On DEFENDER-Europe 21, it wraps up this weekend. We've been talking about it a lot over the last few weeks. Tomorrow, the U.S. Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment will begin a four day road march, traveling through Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic as they redeploy to Germany.
Sunday is the final day of DEFENDER-Europe 21, with the completion of the command post exercise, and that will include a distinguished visitor media day hosted by NATO's Multinational Corps Southeast in Bucharest, Romania and will be attended by the Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Since the first day, DEFENDER-Europe 21 demonstrated our forces' ability to serve as the combined joint forces land component commander and command and control large scale ground combat operations across multiple theaters, in support of NATO and our own National Defense Strategy.
On behalf of everybody here at the department, the Secretary would like to say thank you to all our men and women, allies and partners, who played a critical role in making this year's DEFENDER-Europe 21 such a success.
On other exercises, NORAD exercise Amalgam Dart 21-1 began yesterday and continues through June 18th. Amalgam Dart occurs along North America's northern approaches and will have American, Canadian and allied participants. It will involve a live fly component on the 14th and 15th of June, with U.S. and Canadian fighter and support aircraft.
The Amalgam Dart exercise series is a multi-NORAD region activity to enhance Canadian and American air asset interoperability in the execution of NORAD's aerospace warning and aerospace control missions in the defense of Canada and the United States.
In recent years, NORAD has been developing its Arctic defense capabilities by using training opportunities such as this exercise to improve its capability and capacity, by leveraging Canadian, American, as well as allied assets to defend our northern approaches.
With that, we'll go to questions. I think, Lita, you're first and you're on the phone, right?
Q: Yes, I'm on the phone. John, a couple of quick questions on the border funding. Can you say whether or not the department had to pay any penalties or - to get out of any contracts? Was that still pending, so could this number - this amount increase?
Secondly, is all of this diverted construction money or is the department going to be able to recoup any of the drug fund money that it spent? Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: On the - the first one, I'm not aware of any penalties, Lita, I'll check on that, but I want to stress that the - the $2.2 billion that we've restored of the $3.6, which was the - the previous administration - moved from construction projects, that $2.2 billion was unobligated. So that money is now going to be put forth on 66 projects. There were all - a total of 123 projects that - military construction projects that the - the Trump administration canceled to apply the funds for the - the border wall. So more than 50 of the 123, the - the funds dedicated - were - would have been dedicated to those more than 50 - had been dedicated to - to border wall construction.
I - I'm not even aware, Lita - and again, I'll check on this - that contracts have to be - or are being canceled. We'll check on that. But again, just to stress, the $2.2 billion is unobligated. That had not - not been used at all for any border wall construction. And as you know, we ended that border wall construction back in April.
I'm sorry, what was your second question, Lita?
Q: The - the second was does this preclude any of the drug fund money from also being restored? Is that money all gone or is there a possibility some of that could also be recouped?
MR. KIRBY: You mean counter-narcotics funds? Is that what you're talking about?
Q: Yes.
MR. KIRBY: Let me take that one. I do not have - I don't - I don't know. Our announcement today is really just about these military construction projects, so I don't have a good answer for you on that. I'll take it. Tony?
Q: ... one follow up on the funding issue. Would the $2.2 billion - would that be going strictly to unobligated military construction projects or could it be going to Research & Development and Procurement?
MR. KIRBY: It's - it's meant for these military construction projects. So again, there were 123 total that money was taken away from. More than 50 of that - more - 50 - more than - the money is supporting more than 50 of those projects was used - already obligated and used for the border wall construction that we, again, terminated on April 30th.
There are 66 remaining projects that were not - that - that funds were not obligated for and so that - the - the $2.2 billion, that's going to go - that's going to go to those - to those 66, and they're all listed on our website, you can look at them all. There are some examples that OMB put out in their press release, too - you know, gun range on a base, an elementary school for primary students in Germany. They're all there on that list. That - the - so that money is being put back into those 66.
And we determined what the - what 66 were going to get the $2.2 based on, you know, talking to the services and the military departments, as well as our operational commanders cause sometimes - you know, since the original intent was made for those projects, operational requirements have changed. So we did this all across the department to make sure that we chose those carefully.
Q: And a follow up - yesterday's hearing at the SASC, the issue of the sea-launched - a cruise - nuclear cruise missile came up, very contentious. The Secretary seemed to suggest that the department is - supports that program now, pending a Nuclear Posture Review.
Was I listening to - was I hearing him correctly, that at this point, the department does support that weapon that had been proposed by the Trump ...
MR. KIRBY: I think what the Secretary said was the - the - you know, we - he certainly supports modernizing the triad ...
Q: Right.
MR. KIRBY: And that as part and parcel of that effort, we do have a -- you know, we're going to conduct a nuclear posture review. He's not going to get ahead of that. But that, you know, he wants to make sure that as we think about modernizing triad and as we work through this nuclear posture review that we make sure we have the right mix of proper capabilities to defend the country. That's what he was saying yesterday.
Q: Because he did say -- Senator Fischer asked, do you support the request? And he said, yes, we do, the current budget request.
MR. KIRBY: Of course he supports the president's budget request. Of course he does. That was the whole purpose of the hearing. But he also wanted to make clear that we've got a nuclear posture review we're going to conduct. And he also is in favor of modernizing the triad.
Q: Right. OK. Fair enough.
MR. KIRBY: OK? Let me go here. OK. Thanks. OK, Sylvie, AFP?
Q: Yes, hello. John, do you have a reaction to the decision of the French president to reduce the military deployment in Mali and to end the (inaudible) operation?
MR. KIRBY: Well, obviously that's a decision for the French government to speak to. It's their national decision and we certainly would defer to them on that. What I can tell you is that we're going to continue to assist building partner capacity in Africa, and that would include building partner capacity to conduct counterterrorism operations. And we'll continue to provide a measure of support, the kind of support that we've been providing to the French as they need it in the region.
Q: And so you would -- do you think this -- the fact that they decided to end the operation means that the operation failed?
MR. KIRBY: Sylvie, again, I'd let French government characterize this decision. That's really not for us to speak to. We remain committed, for our part, to counterterrorism operations with partners in Africa. And a big part of that is helping them build their own capacity to conduct those kinds of operations. And that -- that's going to remain a focus. We're still dedicated to that task.
Gordon?
Q: Yes, my understanding was that some of the recommendations from the China task force were classified and some of them were unclassified. I don't know if you've spoken to this since the briefing the other day. But can you share any of the unclassified recommendations or how should we expect those to become known?
MR. KIRBY: Gordon, the directive that the secretary signed after receiving the recommendations of the China task force is a classified directive. So I don't think it's fair to say that at this time some are unclass and some are class. The directive he issued is a classified directive.
What I said the other day, and I'm happy to repeat again today, is that I can characterize some of the initiatives such as the secretary directing himself in this memo to take a personal and an individual effort in leading the development of some of the operational concepts, some of the prototyping, and some of the exercises that the department will probably take a look at going forward.
He also, in this memo, tasked the undersecretary for personnel and readiness to develop some workforce plans to develop better expertise throughout the department on the issue of China and the Indo-Pacific writ large.
And so there is a -- you know, there is a series of things that we can talk about already. What I said, also, the other day is that over time as some of these recommendations get implemented and executed, we'll be able to talk about some of them, and we'll be able to point you back and say, OK, this was an outcome of what we're doing now, whatever that is, is that was an outcome of task force recommendations.
There will be other things that we will implement as a result of the task force recommendations that will remain classified and we won't be able to talk about.
Q: But something post-implementation would become by virtue of they've already been executed...
(CROSSTALK)
MR. KIRBY: Well, for instance, what -- the other thing I said was the task force recommendations will be used to inform not only the upcoming new national defense strategy, but also the global posture review. And again as we develop those products, you'll begin to see how they were informed by the work of the China task force.
Q: The posture review is still expected to land next month?
MR. KIRBY: I'd say late summer/early fall. They are still working at it.
Q: Something that we're going -- is going to be...
(CROSSTALK)
MR. KIRBY: I have no doubt that -- that we'll be able to speak to the global posture review. Of course, we'll also have to keep Congress fully informed as that work concludes. But I do suspect that that will be something we'll be able to talk about, in the aggregate, in the aggregate. OK?
All right. You guys have got to use bold markers on this, I can't read your writing here.
Stephen Losey, Military.com?
Q: Hi, thanks for taking my question. Do you have an update on the number of service members who have developed myocarditis after getting their COVID vaccines?
MR. KIRBY: Don't know if I do. Hang on. OK. I don't know if this is an update or this is what -- what we've said before, but I can tell you that we've identified approximately 30 cases of myocarditis among the more than 3.6 million doses that we have administered. We take each one seriously and we're working closely with the CDC and other federal partners, academic, medical professionals as well to ensure that we evaluate all cases consistently.
We know that medical events developing or worsening around the time of the vaccine does not necessarily mean that the vaccine was involved, but as the CDC has noted, evaluations of this important topic are ongoing and again we support that. We remain extremely confident in the vaccines themselves, and we continue to encourage people to take them.
Q: Do you know in that 30 how recent that 30 number is?
MR. KIRBY: I do not.
Yes, sir.
Q: (inaudible), so Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will meet with President Joe Biden. Before that meeting they had a phone call with Secretary Austin and Turkish minister -- National Defense Minister Akar. So I would like to ask what they talked about, you know, (inaudible) meeting, not a summit, but had they talked about S-400 and 35, because it is a big issue in Turkey and they are coming here to talk about -- you know, with the president, before President Trump, also the ministers, they are talking. So we'd like to learn the information.
MR. KIRBY: Sure, sure, I appreciate the question. The secretary is very much looking forward to attending the NATO summit with President Biden. He also enjoyed his conversation yesterday with the minister of defense. We issued a readout of that phone call. I'm not going to go beyond that readout. But they talked about a range of regional security issues that are of interest to both Turkey and the United States. OK?
Let's see, Sam LaGrone, USNI.
Q: Hey, John, how you doing? Just wanted to follow-up on some of the testimony yesterday or this week on the Navy part of the budget. So Mr. Stefany, the Acting Acquisition Chief for the Navy indicted that there was going to be yet another force structure assessment for Navy shipping. By my count I think this is the third or forth in as many years.
And OSD has been kind of taking the lead on that. We haven't seen a 30 year ship build in plan, and if there is an announcement in the force structure assessment. Can you give us a sense on who's got the ball in terms of the next ship building plan and where that's going and how that's going to be manifested itself in the next weeks? Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: There is - Sam, there is a 30 year ship building plan coming. I suspect we'll be able to transmit it to Congress in the near future. I don't want to get ahead of the process but we are - we are working with the Navy on that and we do intend to submit one. Again, I won't get ahead of the plan itself but I can - I can tell you that we are in fact moving forward on a 30 year ship building plan.
Q: But in terms of a force structure assessment, that' - I mean that's separate from the 30 year ship building plan. That's a - that's a 45 - how ever many year outlook depending on who's in-charge. Separate from the 30 year ship building plan what's - what are developments in that regard? Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: I can't speak to the force structure assessment you're speaking to that the - that the Navy mentioned. I'd refer you back to the Navy to offer you more details on that. Again, the Secretary's focused very much on a global posture review for the entire department around the world. As I said that work is proceeding, we expect it will complete sometime late summer, early fall. But again I'd refer you back to the Navy on the force structure assessment that they spoke to.
Q: Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: OK. Anybody else here? No. OK, on the phones. Jeff, Task & Purpose.
Q: Thank you. As yesterday's SASC hearing shows the criticism from the right that the military is going woke and going after conservatives continues. And I just wanted to see what do you have to say to those politicians and pundits who continue to argue that the diversity and anti-extremism training over the past several months has actually weakened the military?
MR. KIRBY: Jeff, I think the Secretary handled this very well yesterday in the hearing. And I don't think that I could say anything to improve upon his own words. So I certainly would encourage you to go back and look at the transcript and - regarding the questions he got on this. The only thing that I say, Jeff, is it's not about messaging one side of the aisle or the other.
It's important - the Secretary believes it's important for the American people to know that diversity and equity and inclusion matters to the - to the United States Department of Defense. It matters to the defense of this nation. You can't on one hand say that the job is to defend the nation and develop war fighting capabilities and then not talk about the war fighters and who they are and the skills that they possess and what they represent.
Likewise, as the Secretary said himself it's not just a diverse workforce we want it's a diverse leadership that we want. That it's important for the men and women of the department to reflect the nation that they defend. It's also really important for the leaders of those men and women to reflect that same nation and reflect them. Diversity of experience, background all of that contributes to better decision making. That's not - that's a proven fact - that more diverse organizations decide better, think better and lead better, and that's the - I think the message that we'd want the American people to take away.
Q: You mentioned thirty cases of myocarditis. How recent is that figure?
MR. KIRBY: That was - I got that question already, and I - I don't know. I don't have that, I'll see if we can find out how recent it is. It's 30, I know that that's what we're evaluating. But the timeline of those 30 cases, I just don't have that.
Q: Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: Jeff Seldin, VOA?
Q: Thanks very much for doing this. Questions on Afghanistan - there were some reports earlier that the Taliban were targeting some Afghan interpreters, others who work with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Has the Pentagon been able to confirm whether or not that is indeed true? And if it's not true, is there any concern that the disinformation could hurt future efforts to work by, with, and through partners in other areas?
MR. KIRBY: From those reports, Jeff, obviously we're focused on connecting a safe and orderly retrograde, that's the mission that we've been given. And we will transition to a new relationship with the Afghan forces, one that helps them defend their country and their citizens but will be done through financial support and some over the horizon logistical support. But I can't confirm those reports.
Q: And just one other question on Afghanistan, if I may? ISIS Khorasan claimed the attack on the HALO Trust headquarters in Afghanistan. Is - are the Taliban doing enough to contain ISIS Khorasan at this point? Any updated assessment of that?
MR. KIRBY: I don't have an assessment on that attack. I certainly can't confirm the details of it. The secretary's been very clear that the violence is still too high in Afghanistan, and we all want to see that violence come down, and we still continue to believe that the best way forward in Afghanistan is a political negotiated end to this war, and an Afghan led process to do that. But again, I can't confirm the operation reporting that you've got there.
Sangmin Lee?
Q: Thank you for taking my question. I have a question about exercise of Red Flag Alaska. Can you tell me why at this time Korea and Japan forces joined? And how many airplane and crew from Korea and Japan joined? And lastly, what specific exercise they are doing at this time?
MR. KIRBY: Red flag is - it's an annual exercise, this is not the first time that we have conducted it with Japan and South Korea, that is not uncommon. Last year the exercise didn't move forward because of COVID. I can tell you that 300 service members, about 300 from Japan and from South Korea are scheduled to participate.
As for - I don't have the number of aircraft, I'd refer you to the Pacific Air Forces Command for that. But these exercises are focused on improving the combat readiness of U.S. and our allied forces providing training for units, preparing for air and space expeditionary force tasking. So it's an air exercise, again, designed to improve our interoperability with each other, and our air combat skills.
OK, last (inaudible) - I think is Laurie.
Q: Hi, John. Thank you very much for taking my question. My question involves a "Washington Post," report that Russia is going to supply Iran with advanced satellites that will give it a much better capability - surveillance capability. How concerned are you about that, particularly with regard to U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria?
MR. KIRBY: I can't confirm those reports. I mean, I'm certainly not going to speak about intelligence matters, and I think it's a great question to be put to leaders in Moscow and Tiran to speak to. What I can say is that we're going to remain focused on the malign activities of Iran in the region, and sometimes beyond the region.
Their increasing ballistic missile capabilities, their support to terrorist organizations, their efforts to impede freedom of navigation in and around the region. All those things are at the forefront of the secretary's mind as we think about our operations in the central command region of responsibility, and our own force posture there. That's going to remain a key focus for the secretary moving forward. Tony?
Q: Thank you very much.
Q: John, there’s reports of an Iranian vessel that is transiting toward Venezuela, any sense, sir - is this considered a threatening move? Or part of his panoply of threats that Iran poses?
MR. KIRBY: We're monitoring this deployment of these two ships, I think, again, I believe questions should be put to leaders in Tiran about what their intent is. So I'm not going to speculate about what they think they're trying to achieve, but we are monitoring it and keeping an eye on it.
Q: Yesterday there was an exchange between Senator Hirono and Secretary Austin about the Pacific Defense Initiative. She gently pointed out that it was loaded with platforms - platform centric. I looked at it, there's like $1 billion of F-35 upgrade money in there that was already - (inaudible) in the Marine Corps, and Air Force, and Navy Air Force budgets.
He said he wanted to work with the staff to clear up perceived misalignments in this Pacific Defense Initiative. Can you address that on what perceived misalignments was he talking about?
MR. KIRBY: I think the secretary was simply making it clear that we're going to continue to work with Congress as we move through, again, the budget process here. But we are committed to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
He is very committed to the $5.1 billion in the budget dedicated to that. And I think he also wanted to make the point that the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, important as it is - and legislated as it is, is not the end-all of all our support to the Indo-Pacific region, or towards our efforts to match the pacing challenge that we see coming from the PRC.
So you also see in the budget, investments in hypersonics, 5G technology, micro electronics, we talked about nuclear modernization - you and I. Shipbuilding - additional ships for the Navy. There's a lot that will go into helping us deal with the global pacing challenge of China.
Q: Yes, but the point is it looks like you're padding the Pacific Defense Initiative with things that are already in the budget that could go anywhere. It looks like it was padding, I think that was her point.
(CROSSTALK)
Why would the F-35 ...
MR. KIRBY: The secretary - I would just say that the secretary is very comfortable with the $5.1 billion that's dedicated in the budget to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and the things therein.
Thanks, everybody. Have a great day.
June 11, 2021 | , DOD News
Melissa Dalton spoke yesterday at a House Armed Services Committee's Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing on "FY22 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities."
"We are confronted with multifaceted deterrence challenges across domains from both competitors, which add increased escalation risks, all making deterrence more challenging. Strategic risks, emanating from both North Korea and Iran, add significant complications to the strategic threat picture," she said.
For these reasons, nuclear deterrence remains the department's highest priority mission, Dalton noted, adding that more is needed to confront these growing, multifaceted threats.
The National Defense Strategy review will focus on integrated deterrence, she said, meaning an effort to address threats and opportunities across conventional, cyber, space, hybrid, information and nuclear domains, she said.
"Nuclear forces remain essential to ensure no adversary believes it can ever employ nuclear weapons, for any reason, under any circumstances, against the United States or our allies and partners, without risking devastating consequences," Dalton said.
"That is why the nuclear triad remains the bedrock of our strategic deterrence, but we must modernize our aging capabilities to ensure a credible deterrent for the future," Dalton added.
The fiscal year 2022 Defense Department's budget request for nuclear forces is $27.7 billion. It includes $15.6 billion to sustain and operate current nuclear forces and $12.1 billion for recapitalization programs.
It supports efforts to modernize the nuclear triad and ensures that modern replacements will be available before aging systems reach the end of their extended service lives, she said.
"This modernization effort is at a critical juncture," Dalton said, adding that "nuclear weapons have been extended far beyond original service lives and the tipping point where we must simultaneously overhaul these forces is now here. Updating and overhauling our nation's nuclear forces is a critical national security priority."
The department will always seek to balance the best capabilities and the most cost-effective solution, as well as to ensure the U.S. has the right capabilities to meet current and future threats, she noted.
Dalton mentioned that to ensure that the right balance of capabilities is struck, there is a pending review of nuclear policy and posture, which will be nested within the National Defense Strategy currently in development, under the direction of the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance.
The review will focus on the vital interests of the United States, along with its allies and partners, and will be informed by the current and projected global security environment, threats posed by potential adversaries and the capabilities of the United States, allies and partners to address those threats, Dalton said.
"Consultation with allies will be a core component of this review, and we have begun engaging with allies to ensure that their views are heard and understood before reaching any conclusions," she said.
The fiscal year 2022 Defense Department's $715 billion budget request includes $23.3 billion for the military intelligence program and defense intelligence leaders addressed the capabilities and gaps of military intelligence.
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie; Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, commander, U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency, and chief of Central Security Service; and Army Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, provided testimony at a House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations hearing on fiscal year 2022 defense intelligence enterprise posture.
The intelligence professionals at the Defense Department work every day to address the current and future threats facing the United States, said Moultrie.
The department develops its military intelligence program in coordination with the director of national intelligence to align the intelligence capabilities between defense and national priorities, while avoiding unintentional duplication, he said.
The expansion of the competitive space beyond traditional military domains and geographic boundaries increases and complicates demands for defense intelligence, collection, analysis and planning, he said.
Challenges from strategic competitors such as Russia and China, rogue states such as Iran and North Korean, and violent extremists require that the defense intelligence enterprise invest in the ability to seamlessly share and fuse information, synchronize capabilities and expand partnerships with other government agencies, the private sector, academia and partner nations, he said.
The department is taking a whole-of-government approach, which includes reviewing classification processes, pursuing wider dissemination of classified information through alliances and partnerships, and the thoughtful release to the public of certain unclassified information to support U.S. interests, Moultrie said.
The department is focused on countering insider threats through better vetting procedures and protecting its vital supply chain, he said.
"Most important to our continued intelligence advantage will be building and retaining a diverse workforce capable of meeting the new challenges of the 21st century. It must have digital literacy and advanced skills to harness emerging technologies and adapt to ever changing threat environments. It must be a workforce that is free of sexual harassment and intolerant of violent extremism, at any level, and it must also be equitable, inclusive and one [that] reflects the nation it serves," he said.
Moultrie also mentioned that the department will work closely with allies and partners in sharing intelligence.
Nakasone said the NSA's focus is on two missions: signals intelligence and cybersecurity. The signals intelligence mission achieves access to adversaries' network and data, which provides the nation with an information advantage in competition crisis or conflict.
The cybersecurity mission prevents cyber threats to U.S. national security systems and critical infrastructure, with a special emphasis on the defense industrial base, and weapons security, he said.
The NSA's military intelligence program provides resources for vital cryptologic capabilities to increase the ability of the defense intelligence enterprise to deliver accurate and timely intelligence to combatant commanders and deployed forces, he said.
Berrier said today's threat environment reflects rapid, significant technological change in adversarial challenges in every operating domain.
"I am committed to ensuring DIA is positioned to meet these challenges by modernizing key capabilities across the top secret IT network, our foundational military intelligence mission and our ballistic missile technical collection architecture," he said.
June 11, 2021 |
"The review will align with the National Defense Strategy and contribute to the department's approach to integrated deterrence," Leonor Tomero said during a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The review will be coordinated across the department, including such entities as the Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Northern Command, NORAD and the acquisition community, Tomero said.
"We'll look at the threat in the changing security environment ... how do we improve and have effective and affordable missile defense for both the homeland and regional defense," she said.
That review will be a part of the National Defense Strategy, which Tomero said should be completed by January 2022.
According to testimony filed by Tomero with the committee, the review will be guided by a handful of principles from defense against rogue states' intercontinental ballistic missiles to assure allies the U.S. continues to be committed to security partnerships.
With ICBMs, Tomero said, the missile defense review will focus on ensuring the U.S. has an affordable defense against rogue state ICBMs. There, missile defense must protect against limited attacks by those ICBMs, she said, and also limit their use as a threat.
"This protection will also contribute to diminishing the coercive potential of these states who may seek to constrain the ability of the United States to provide credible security assurances to our allies and partners during a crisis or conflict," she said.
The missile defense review will also evaluate the ability of U.S. missile defense capabilities so that the U.S. can operate with allies and partners on exercises and regional defense.
"Our regional missile defenses will continue to contribute to the United States' ability to operate throughout the world," she said. "They will enable regional and transregional military operations and exercises, providing force protection in contested environments."
Finally, the review will evaluate the continued ability of the U.S. missile defense capability to assure allies of the United States' commitment to security partnerships.
"Not only will missile defense partnerships reinforce the indivisibility of U.S. and allied joint security interests, these relationships will also provide opportunities for allied and partner cooperation, co-development, and burden sharing," she said.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Nelson Aviles participates in ground threat reaction drills at Mount Bundy Training Area, Northern Territory, Australia, May 28, 2021.
June 11, 2021
In accordance with President Biden’s direction in Presidential Proclamation 10142 issued on January 20, 2021, the Department of Defense has developed a plan for redirecting funds and repurposing contracts as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.
The Department’s plan, implemented in part as it was developed, consists of two parts – cancellation of projects and redirection of funds.
As announced on April 30, 2021, the Department of Defense has cancelled all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally appropriated for other military missions and functions.
With respect to the redirection of funds, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has approved a plan to use the $2.2 billion of unobligated military construction funds previously made available for border barrier construction to restore funding in FY 2021 for 66 projects in 11 States, 3 territories, and 16 countries.
The decision to restore funding for well-designed and executable projects was based on operational and component priorities.
Air Force Senior Airman Anabell Salcedo administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a man at a community vaccination center in St. Paul, Minn., June 7, 2021. Salcedo is assigned to the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Drew Werosta inspects the cockpit of an F/A-18F Super Hornet in the hangar bay of the USS Harry S. Truman in the Atlantic Ocean, June 9, 2021.
Army Maj. Steven Kornegay pets a camel after his promotion ceremony in Djibouti, June 9, 2021. Kornegay had a ceremony in traditional dress with Djiboutian soldiers.
Marines participate in a pass and review during a change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, June 11, 2021.
June 11, 2021
The Department of Defense announces a new $150 million package for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that includes training, equipment, and advisory efforts to help Ukraine’s forces preserve the country’s territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO.
This $150 million package represents the remaining funds appropriated by Congress for USAI in Fiscal Year 2021 and is made possible by the Defense Department, in coordination with the Department of State, certifying that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act.
The USAI package includes capabilities to enhance the lethality, command and control, and situational awareness of Ukraine’s forces through the provision of counter-artillery radars, counter-unmanned aerial systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare and military medical evacuation equipment, and training and equipment to improve the operational safety and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force bases.
These capabilities complement the $125 million USAI package announced on March 1, 2021 that included armed Mark VI patrol boats, counter-artillery radars, tactical equipment, support for a satellite imagery and analysis capability, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures.
The Department encourages Ukraine to continue to enact reforms to: better align Ukraine’s defense enterprise with the core NATO principle of democratic civilian control of the military; adopt a defense industry strategy that better supports the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, bolsters Ukraine’s economic competitiveness, and improves corporate governance; adopt foreign direct investment controls based on national security interests; increase efficiency and transparency in the defense procurement cycle; and advance human resources management reforms to align the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a Western-style career management system.
The United States has committed more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014 and will continue to strengthen our strategic defense partnership, including through the provision of defensive lethal assistance. The United States will also continue to assist Ukraine with the implementation of these reforms to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations in support of a secure, prosperous, democratic, and free Ukraine.
An Army Abrams tank fires in Adazi, Latvia, May 28, 2021, during Summer Shield, an annual exercise.
Soldiers conduct medevac hoist training with an HH-60 Black Hawk at Fort Carson, Colo., June 2, 2021.
Army Spc. Tyre Moody, left, and Sgt. Cruz Gonzalez replace a rear tire on a Black Hawk helicopter at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, June 6, 2021, while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield.
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment Thursday against Richard Charles Thomas Jr., 38, of Merced, charging him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 25, 2020, Thomas led law enforcement officers on a highspeed chase through the city of Merced. While fleeing police, Thomas threw a black bag from the vehicle. Officers recovered the bag, which contained approximately 839 grams of methamphetamine, $3,162 in cash, and personal effects belonging to Thomas.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Merced Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Massey is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Thomas faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Soldiers conduct M119 Howitzer night live-fire training at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, May 19, 2021.
Air Force Capt. Joshua Goetz uses a slit lamp to examine a Moroccan patient's eye at a military surgical field hospital in Tafraoute, Morocco, June 7, 2021. The medical treatment was part of Exercise African Lion, U.S. Africa Command's largest joint annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordan Conelly operates a backhoe during construction of a cement bunker as part of joint exercise Poseidon’s Watchtower at the Joint Okinawa Training Range Complex in Japan, June 4, 2021.
Soldiers demonstrate their insertion and extraction capabilities during a study course at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, May 27, 2021. Throughout the course, students were taught how to rig, inspect and deploy via a UH-60 helicopter.
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