Happening now: US @SecDef Lloyd Austin & @thejointstaff Chairman Gen Mark Milley brief following a virtual meeting of the 40+ member #Ukrainian Defense Contact Group 
.@SecDef calls virtual mtg "highly constructive", giving contact group members a chance to hear from key #Ukraine officials, inlcu DefMin @oleksiireznikov
Says attendees got a "a sharper" sense of Ukraine's needs
Says attendees got a "a sharper" sense of Ukraine's needs
.@SecDef praised countries for new pledges of security assistance to #Ukraine - "We're intensifying our efforts"
Austin said numerous countries contributing ammo, artillery
Also:
#Denmark: harpoon launcher, missiles
#CzechRepublic: attack helicopters
Austin said numerous countries contributing ammo, artillery
Also:
#Denmark: harpoon launcher, missiles
#CzechRepublic: attack helicopters
Background on the #Harpoon anti-ship missiles #Denmark is sending #Ukraine to help defend its costs...
navy.mil/Resources/Fact…
navy.mil/Resources/Fact…
.@SecDef says #Ukrainian Defense Contact Group will meet again on June 15
Total of 47 countries took part in the virtual meeting, per @thejointstaff Chairman Gen Mark Milley
Currently 102,000 US troops currently in @US_EUCOM area, per @thejointstaff Chairman Gen Mark Milley
#Ukraine ability to defend itself from #Russia "directly tied to the quantity & quality of the assistance they are receiving" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"We're very very satisfied that we had a very productive meeting but we recognize this is a work in progress" per @SecDef on support for #Ukraine
Austin says #Ukraine's needs still focused on long range fires, tanks/armored personnel carriers, UAVs
Austin says #Ukraine's needs still focused on long range fires, tanks/armored personnel carriers, UAVs
.@Secdef declines to say whether the US, other will provider #HIMARS as requested by #Ukraine but says he is constantly discussing w/#Ukraine officials
"I don't want to discuss specific systems in this forum"
"I don't want to discuss specific systems in this forum"
US missile/weapon reserves (javelins, stingers, etc) dropping due to support to #Ukraine?
"The risk to ourselves is relatively low" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"The risk to ourselves is relatively low" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"As the president said, our One #China policy has not changed" per @SecDef, asked abt @POTUS comments earlier on US helping to defend #Taiwan
US plans to aid #Taiwan if needed...
"There's a variety of contingency plans, all of them highly classified" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"There's a variety of contingency plans, all of them highly classified" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
#Odesa port "quite important to the economy of #Ukraine & well beyond" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"Right now its a bit of stalemate there...a no-go zone for commercial shipping"
"Right now its a bit of stalemate there...a no-go zone for commercial shipping"
"Our effort is to do everything that we can to strengthen #Ukraine's hands on the battlefield & at the negotiation table" per @SecDef
"What end-state looks like will be defined by the #Ukrainians and not be us"
"What end-state looks like will be defined by the #Ukrainians and not be us"
"What we will abide by is what our president decides we will do going forward" in Ukraine, per @SecDef
"This is #Ukraine's fight... They have the say-so on what end-state looks like"
"This is #Ukraine's fight... They have the say-so on what end-state looks like"
"We've seen him [#Putin] use a number of different levers from the very beginning" per @SecDef
"They [#Russia] failed" in using overwhelming force, he adds
"In terms of what his [Putin's] overall strategy is, that's unknown"
"They [#Russia] failed" in using overwhelming force, he adds
"In terms of what his [Putin's] overall strategy is, that's unknown"
"So this morning we've got, roughly speaking, 102,000 US troops in the EUCOM area of operations in many many countries" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"At sea, we have over 15,000 sailors in the Med &in the #Baltics on 24 surface combatants & 4 subs" per @thejointstaff's Milley
"In the air we have currently 12 fighter squadrons & 2 combat aviation brigades & on the ground we have 2 corps, 2 divisions & 6 brigade combat teams"
"In the air we have currently 12 fighter squadrons & 2 combat aviation brigades & on the ground we have 2 corps, 2 divisions & 6 brigade combat teams"
"It's not something that we're going to get overly excited about" adds @thejointstaff's Gen Milley on US munition reserves
"We're doing OK, and our risk is being managed appropriately"
"We're doing OK, and our risk is being managed appropriately"
US "a ways away" from sending US forces back into #Ukraine, per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley
"We're still developing courses of action & none of that's been presented yet to the secretary" he says "Those are planning efforts that are underway at a relatively low level"
"We're still developing courses of action & none of that's been presented yet to the secretary" he says "Those are planning efforts that are underway at a relatively low level"
Apparent Twitter reax from #Ukraine DefMin @oleksiireznikov to the virtual mtg of the #Ukrainian Defense Contact Group hosted by US @SecDef
US announced more aid, inlcu #Harpoon anti-ship missiles from #Denmark
US announced more aid, inlcu #Harpoon anti-ship missiles from #Denmark
https://twitter.com/oleksiireznikov/status/1528792821901164546?s=20&t=2A4AIg6ihw0EA-jWskTEBA
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