“I interviewed HR McMaster and a few weeks later he resigned. I interviewed Sec Mattis and a few weeks later he resigned.
Everything okay?”
.@BretBaier asks about the NAS Pensacola shooter. Esper notes: “I can’t say it’s terrorism at this time.” Says we need to let investigators do their work and “not jump to any conclusions”
Does the news make you rethink deploying more troops to Saudi Arabia? Esper says no, not at all, Saudi is a longstanding partner.
The US has deployed an additional 14,000 troops to the region since the spring
On @WSJ reports that the admin is considering sending an additional 14K, Esper doubles down: these reports are false.
The forces that are already there are there to deter Iran and response if necessary.
Asked whether he expects another strike from Iran, Esper says:
“I don’t necessarily expect it but I have to plan and prepare for it.”
Notes that an attack may be more likely given the maximum pressure campaign and unrest: “You see a regime increasingly under stress.”
On North Korea, Esper says when he came into office in 2017 the US was preparing for a war on the Korean Peninsula - now that’s not the case. Gives Trump credit for preventing this - “It was the president’s intervention that got us off that path.”
On Ukraine, Esper says impeachment does not affect him because he stays “out of politics” - he strikes to keep DOD out of politics. “And I’m not going to let you drag me into it” he tells @BretBaier
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BREAKING: @secdef confirms the US is seeing evidence that North Korean troops have gone to Russia. First official U.S. confirmation.
"As we continue to look at this, there is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia," Austin said told a small group of reporters traveling with him in Rome on Wednesday. "What exactly they're doing? Left to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out. We'll have more for you on that, on that, later."
Austin said the intent of the North Korean troops is still "unknown." But if their intention is to "participate in this war on Russia's behalf, that is a very, very serious issue."
"You've seen DPRK provide arms and munitions to Russia and this is a next step."
"This is ISIS-level savagery that we have seen committed against Israeli citizens" -- senior DOD official just now.
The Pentagon is surging support to Israel's defense, including air defenses and ammunition, senior DOD official says.
DOD is contacting US industry to expedite shipping of pending Israeli orders for military equipment.
DOD is also working across the enterprise, including with US Central Command, to assess what munitions and other equipment are in US inventories that "can be made quickly available for Israel."
All of this is being done within existing authorities.
Happening now: @SecDef in Brussels announces that several countries are stepping up with new commitments of critical air defense equipment to help protect Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
-Canada committed another $500M package, including more than 200 air defense missiles
-US, UK, Denmark and Netherlands contributed funds for additional missiles
-Denmark just announced its own nearly $2.6B package for military assistance
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley says Ukrainian forces are in the "early stages" of their much-anticipated counteroffensive. "It's far too early to make any definitive assessments"
"The bombs are aloft for only 70 seconds or less and are much more difficult for Ukraine’s air defenses to track. They are little dots on radar screens that soon disappear after being dropped, Ukrainian officials said, and then they slam into villages."
"Zooming over Russian-controlled territory, where Ukrainian air defenses don’t reach, the warplanes release the bombs, which glide 20 miles or more, crossing the frontline and then striking Ukrainian territory."
"These bombs are even harder to hit than the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that the Ukrainians claim to have destroyed recently with American Patriot air defense systems."
Biden decided to tap Brown for the position over his main competitor, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, earlier this month, as we first reported, on the recommendation of @SecDef Lloyd Austin. politico.com/news/2023/05/2…
Those who know him say Brown is the right man for the job — regardless of his race. A fighter pilot w/ field experience in theaters across the globe, he served as PACAF chief, a job experts say makes him the best person to be chair while China is seen as the mil's primary threat.
In sharp contrast to his loquacious predecessor, Brown is the rare fighter pilot who listens more than he talks, according to his friends and mentors. Those who know him say he is quiet and deliberate, a careful note-taker who absorbs all the facts then takes decisive action.
Gen. Milley, Joint Chiefs chair, says one of the reasons the U.S. is not providing Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles is to make sure we maintain enough in our own inventories. Confirms our reporting @paulmcleary@alexbwardpolitico.com/news/2023/02/1…
"From a military standpoint, we have relatively few ATACMS. We do have to make sure that we maintain our own munitions inventories as well."
Milley also says that based on the massive consumption rates of ammunition seen in the Ukraine conflict, DoD is now reviewing its estimates for the key munitions required for various contingency plans.