Sabrina Singh: Good afternoon, everyone. Just a few things at the top and then I'll be happy to take your questions.
So as you know, the Secretary has been on travel to the Indo-Pacific for the last week and today he wraps up his trip in Jakarta, Indonesia, throughout the Secretary's visits to India, Republic of Korea and Indonesia. The common thread across all of his engagements have been a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. He heard directly from allies and partners who expressed their support for this goal, and the Department will continue to work closely with ASEAN to promote a regional order based on the rule of law, respect for sovereignty inter territorial integrity.
Also, during his trip, the Secretary had the opportunity to speak with his counterparts from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to discuss a number of bilateral initiatives. Now, as you saw last night, President Biden and President Xi committed to the resumption of high-level military-to-military communication. Additionally, in the PRC agreed to resuming telephone conversations between their theater commanders, Secretary Austin welcomes this announcement and will meet with his counterpart when that person is named.
As these agreements were just reached yesterday, we know that we have work to do with the PRC military to solidify these principles for actions. We will keep you informed as as these procedures are codified, and when we scheduled our first meetings and calls and as Secretary Austin has said, maintaining open lines of communications between our two militaries is essential to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to a crisis or conflict.
Switching gears earlier this morning, Congress avoided a government shutdown by passing the bipartisan continuing resolution, which I believe is headed to the President's desk for him to sign this short term CR will ensure that our trip our troops and civilian workforce will be paid through the holidays. However, the department continues to urge Congress to pass a full year appropriations, which is the best thing that Congress can do for national defense, as we have long made clear operating under a short term continuing resolution hamstrings, the department's peoples and our programs and undermines both our national security and competitiveness.
We also urge Congress to pass our supplemental funding requests that would allow us to keep supporting Ukraine and Israel providing life saving humanitarian assistance across the globe and makes critical investments in the Indo Pacific. The supplemental doesn't just meet today's urgent challenges, but also invest in our industrial base here at home. Because as we send munitions from our stockpiles, the money to replenish our supplies, invest in the American industry and American workers. These investments will mean greater prosperity at home and greater security abroad. And that's why we have submitted this urgent supplemental request. Sorry, supplemental budget request to help fund America's national security needs and to stand by our partners and to invest in our defense industrial base.
And lastly, also in Congress. An additional three nominations were submitted to the Senate, which means there are now 455 nominations concerning 451 General and flag officers who are currently impacted by Senator Tom Tuberville holds. We are encouraged by the efforts in the Senate to find a way to confirm all of our qualified nominees. Given that these holes, as you've heard me say many times before, have an impact to our readiness or national security and our military families. These holes have lasted far too long and every day that goes by our department and our force suffer from them. And with that, I'd be happy to take your questions. Lita?
Lita Baldor:
Thanks, Sabrina. One quick question on China. Do you know when the last time the so called red phone or wherever it was, this call was used between the US and China and if you don't if you could just can you take that? Yeah,
Sabrina Singh
I think I took a question. Similar to that last time when I took your time. Yeah, I'm happy to take that question. Okay, yeah.
Lita:
And then the US has now shot down a drone that was headed in the direction of the USS Hudner and the Houthis also shot down a US drone. Do you believe that this drone was the USS Hudner? Because the release says that the ship took self-defense action, Do you dispute it was headed for the 100 Do you think it was or do you think it wasn't? And then, if so, at what point does the US take some sort of action against the Houthis for these two very direct attacks on the US?
Sabrina Singh
I'll take your last question first. So in terms of action, as you've heard me say before, but we always reserve the right to respond at a time in place of our choosing. I don't have anything to preview from here today. And I won't get ahead of any decisions that the Secretary or the president decides to make. In terms of the assessment that where the drone was headed. Our assessment right now is that the intended target was not the Hudner but that the drone got so close to the crew that the commander did feel it necessary to engage and shoot down the drone. And I'm sorry, did you have one more question that I'm forgetting?
Lita:
No, because it was self defense? It was self-defense, correct? Yeah. It was not targeting the Hudner and there you believe or? And assessment that it was targeted?
Sabrina Singh
Our assessment right now is that it was not our targeting the Hudner. But it was headed in that general direction. And also just to sorry, very quickly, go back to your first question on mil-to-mil communications. I should have also clarified that while I'm happy to take the question there, of course have been communications between our ships within the region where there are, you know, moments where you know, there is deconfliction us I think you're more specifically asking on like a high level…
Lita:
that high level that was set out a number of years ago and used on and off but
Sabrina Singh
Yeah, I just didn't want you to think like there you know there while there have not been high level mil to mil communications between the Secretary and his counterpart. At a lower levels in theater, there have been communications to deconflict from crises. Idrees?
Idrees:
Yesterday, the President made a bunch of remarks about Israel. And one of the ones he made was he talked about how doctors and nurses were now being knocked out ship, but then added that, quote, unquote, what was occurring before with indiscriminate bombing by the Israelis. Do you agree with President Biden that there were indiscriminate bombings by Israel or with Israel that was saying that their bombings were precision strikes?
Sabrina Singh
I can't remember his exact context. But I think what he was referring to and, you know, not looking at the remarks, but was that we didn't want to see indiscriminate bombing around or into the hospital. So what the IDF did was go into the hospital with more precision it wasn't, you know, I think the President references there wasn't carpet bombing around the hospital or at the hospital itself. So I don't disagree with what the President said or in his remarks, but I think what you saw when it came to the Al Shifa Hospital in particular is that the IDF was going in with with more precision. And, you know, we said all along from this podium and from others across the administration, that we'd never wanted to see a firefight within the hospital. We never wanted to see innocent civilians get caught in those crossfires. And so I think that's what the President was, was speaking to.
Idrees:
And then secondly, in your last video, you said that Hamas and PIJ were operating a command and control node from hospitals. The Israelis have put out several videos over the past 24 hours of evidence, what they say, you know, or Hamas weapons, a couple of guns, etc. But no real evidence of any command and control nodes, in the traditional sense, useless and buyer assessment. Have you asked the Israelis to provide evidence of that?
Sabrina Singh
Yeah, well, we still stand by the assessment that that I think I read out on Tuesday, which what you're referring to is that we know Hamas has used hospitals like Al Shifa to operate out of to conceal their military operations. I mean, taking a step back a hospital should never be used for that to begin with. So however you define it a command and control center node, a means of operating terrorist actions out of a hospital, that should never happen to begin with. We stand by the downgraded intelligence that I announced on Tuesday that we know they were using Al Shifa Hospital. We know that they use other hospitals in the region when it comes to conducting their terrorist organizations and attacks and so yes, we stand by that. But we know and you, I think, alluded to this as well that the Israelis are there, they are doing an assessment of the hospital, they are on the ground. And so you know, we'll continue to receive that intelligence back as we get it.
Idrees:
By releasing any evidence to that intelligence?
Sabrina Singh:
I'm not going to get ahead of anything right now. I don't have anything to preview, but if we do, you'll you will be the first to know. Liz?
Liz:
Thank you. There have been 50 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria over the last month. There's been seven Since Sunday's us airstrikes in Syria. So the rate is not slowing down these attacks. Is the Pentagon waiting for a service member to be killed before taking stronger, more effective action?
Sabrina Singh:
No, absolutely not. I mean, we would never want to see that we would never want that to be the outcome of any attack. I think, you know, taking a step back here, as you mentioned, yes, there have been 58 attacks on our service members since October 17. All of which have been unsuccessful. They have not caused significant damage to infrastructure and they have not caused significant injury to any of our service members. And all of our service members who have been injured have all returned to duty. So absolutely not.
Are we waiting for an attacker to inflict more damage to alter our response? I think you saw our responses of our last three strikes hit. One of them hit a command and control node that was operating in a safe house, the others have weapons storage facilities, and a training facility. So our attacks have significantly downgraded and degraded, I should say, the access that these militia groups have to these weapons and so we're not we're not waiting on something to act we are we have responded and if there are more attacks, we will certainly respond at a time and place of our choosing.
Liz:
Totally separate on the audit. As the Pentagon just failed. Its six audit I believe. What message are you concerned that sends a bad message to us adversaries or US allies? And if the Pentagon can't have its own audit, how can the American people trust what weapons sending to Ukraine and Israel?
Sabrina Singh:
We're working on improving our process. While it wasn't the results that we wanted, we certainly are learning each time an audit passes. And, you know, it's a continuing it's a continuing an ongoing process that this building is assessing.
One of the things that the audit did do this time around was it informed how what we had for how we could supply Ukraine and then when the events of October happened and the need to assess what we could supply Israel. We were informed very much by the results of the audit from you know are are looking all across the entire administrator and Trier building here, but also what we had provided for Ukraine.
So again, it's a complicated process, and it's a complicated undertaking that this building has has done but we feel confident in what we are learning each time. Natasha?
Natasha:
The Pentagon keeps saying that there have been no serious injuries from these attacks, but more than two dozen servicemembers have suffered traumatic brain injury which seems like a very serious injury. So I'm just wondering how are you defining that and how are you defining unsuccessful and then my second question is if you have any updates on the five, the search for the search and recovery efforts for the five special operations soldiers who died last week?
Sabrina Singh:
Yeah. I'll take the last one first. So of course, I don't I can't remember if I even if I addressed this last time, but you know, that's our thoughts. And prayers are of course with the families who lost their loved ones over this last weekend and in a training incident. In terms of any updates on those service members, I would refer you to the army they would have the latest for you.
In terms of the injuries again, I know TBI, of course, that's something that anytime one of our service members is injured, whether it's serious or not. We certainly take it seriously as a department. You know, two of our service members did go to Landstuhl for further evaluation. They were returned to duty soon after. So of course we take any injury seriously, but these were not serious injuries. And I think that's important to remember, on these attacks, that these attacks have been largely unsuccessful, that they have not damaged significant infrastructure. And as a result, the United States took military action three different times and fully degraded some of their facilities. So I think in terms of our response, we've been very effective in responding back and sending a message to Iran. Konstantin?
Konstantin:
Thanks, Sabrina. On the Hudner. Can you say how close the drone got to the ship?
Sabrina Singh:
I can't say how close it got. I'm not I don't actually know how close it got. But it got close enough to the ship that the commander felt that it needed to engage the drone.
Konstantin:
And can you say what weapon system the ship used to engage the drone?
Sabrina Singh:
I can't.
Tony:
Going back to the audit–the famous failed audit.
Sabrina Singh:
Got it. I was surprised. You know, Liz took your question. I felt like I knew you're coming around to this. So yeah.
Tony:
The disclaimer issue. What are the what do the best minds in the building? Assess when you may get a clean audit opinion? How many years might that be? Since getting the sixth audit took years and years to prepare? Is there a ballpark estimate you can give? How many years will it take to get a clean audit opinion in all 29 of these component audits?
Sabrina Singh:
You know, Tony, I'm not gonna lie. I'm not an expert on the audit. But I what I can tell you is that we do have those experts in the building, and I'm not going to get ahead of them or predict on when we are going to get a clean audit. What I can say is, every time we go through this process, we are learning we are improving, and we put into place measures that certainly monitor how we spend money, but again, there are people in this building directly focused on that question.
Tony:
Can you take that question?
Sabrina Singh:
I mean, well, that's a hypothetical question that I can't really get it, get it get into and well, I can't predict the future. I can't predict when we're going to get to what you're asking and they won't be able to either. That's why each time we go through this audit process, even if it is our sixth time we keep going through the process. We keep getting better and better at it. And when we get there, Tony i i will let you know.
Tony:
It's a known unknown.
Sabrina Singh:
Okay. Yes. Yeah. Fadi.
Fadi:
Thank you so much. So you stated that you know, the Hamas were using Shifa hospitals to conduct their attacks. And then you reference the the assessment, intelligence assessment. When you when you talk about this, can you be more specific or based on your assessment? Do you have any proof that Hamas used the building itself? Which is a big building, or are you referring to the underneath the building in conducting these activities?
Sabrina Singh
Well, I think if I'm not mistaken you can correct me but I think Al-Shifa hospital actually is multiple buildings. So what we know is Hamas was using Al Shifa Hospital. I can't tell you specifically if it's just one building or multiple, but we were using the hospital to operate out of.
That should stand alone as a place of concern. You have many injured civilians getting treatment there. You have babies who are just born. I don't think operating a terrorist cell out of a hospital is a way to conduct any operation, but they were doing that. So it's important to point that out. But in terms of more specifics on when we're in the hospital, that that I don't have that still something that I seen the IDF is there and doing their assessment of, you know, where the Hamas leadership was operating out of but what I can say and what I've said before is that we know that they were operating out of that hospital.
Fadi:
So when you said we don't want to see a firefight inside the hospital,
Sabrina:
I said that on Tuesday, yeah.
Fadi:
And again today. So this way it is rated the hospital there was no firefight because they didn't find any Hamas fighters. Does the Pentagon support these types of activities by the IDF rating hospitals?
Sabrina Singh
Well, look, that's something for the IDF to really speak to we have been very clear with our Israeli counterparts with Minister Golan, the Secretary has engaged with him almost regularly, almost daily, that innocent civilians, people in hospitals that are seeking care, their lives need to be protected, and they need to be that the IDF as they conduct their operations, need to uphold humanitarian laws and the law of war. But that's how complex and complicated this entire operation is for the IDF. The fact that you have a terrorist organization embedded, or at least using an operating out of a hospital that makes any operation for any military in the world incredibly complex. And so that's something that the IDF would have to speak to in terms of their operations, but we never want to see any type of terrorist organization operating out of a hospital using it as a command and control center, because it does put innocent lives at risk and that's what they were doing. That's they're putting these people are using them as human shields. You know, for for what, and so I think it's just important you make you raise an excellent question, but I think it's also important to remember why these people were put in that position to begin with.
Waafa:
Thank you. So can you please update us on the department level of engagement in daily military operations in Gaza. And also when you say you're engaged, like there's daily interaction or you reach out to the Israelis? On a daily basis? Do they actually listen to you when you raise concerns or ask questions about the military operations?
Sabrina Singh
Sure, so as as you mentioned, and I've said we we do have daily conversation or near-daily conversations with the Israeli government, that's from the secretary. But of course, there are levels all across this government that are also having those conversations. I'm not going to go into more details of those conversations other than you know, we do put out a read out each time, you can certainly see a common thread of what we're emphasizing in those readouts that yes, Israel has the absolute right to defend itself against the horrific terrorist attack that happened on October 7.
But of course, we are urging as always, in every single call that humanitarian laws, innocent civilians must be taken to account for any operation. You know, we do feel like they've been receptive to us they they continue to engage in our calls. And that's a good sign. We want to keep those lines of communication open. And I'm sorry, you had a first question that I'm sure so from the Secretary and then of course, there are levels below him that engaged with their Israeli counterparts. It's not just from the Secretary's level, of course, we have our policy team here. The Joint Staff engages, you know, on their side. So it's multiple, multiple levels, not just happening at the secretary level.
Waafa:
Yeah, so So when you say you have daily discussions, and can you please give us a sense about like, how, like, what's next? What are the goals of the Israelis? What's the way ahead? Like, on the day 41 or 42? I believe the Israelis couldn't achieve much but killing civilians so far. So do they share their goals when they will with you on a daily basis?
Sabrina Singh
So again, I'm not going to get into the private conversations. We have readouts that we put out after every call. And then we have engagements below the secretaries level that continue at at all different levels and you know, pretty regularly. I'm just not going to get into any further details of those calls. We don't we're not the IDF. We're not on the ground, we're not in their operations, but we certainly ask the questions that we feel that we need to ask. We push where we feel that we need to push. And that's what good partners do. And so I'll just leave it at that, Chris. Oh, did you have one more? Okay, one more, and I'll go to Chris.
Wafaa:
I just want to ask you about you still have the same level of concern about a wider conflict in the region, even though like Hezbollah didn't show intentions to really engage in a comprehensive war with Israel so far.
Sabrina Singh
Yeah, we absolutely have concerns of this widening out to a wider regional conflict, which is why we have positioned the assets in the region that we have with our two carrier strike groups with more aircraft in the region, with the 26th MEU also there, that remains on task but you know, in case needed. Absolutely. That's why we're concerned. And that's why you you saw the Secretary at the direction of the president serves these assets to the region to make a statement and to make a statement to Iran that getting involved or seeking a wider regional conflict is not the right course of action. Now we'll go to Chris.
Chris:
I just wanted to pick apart of the grade versus deterrence element. Okay. You said they were significantly greater these malicious capabilities. If the department deems these and present these strikes are necessary in the future. How feasible is it for the United States destroy, blow up enough of their capabilities, then, you know, they want to, they can attack us forces?
Sabrina Singh
Well, that's just getting into details that I not going to speak to because that gets to also an intelligence assessment. So what I can say is that when you're asking about decreed degraded versus deterrence, I mean, we degraded these facilities enough that they can't use them anymore. So they're completely destroyed. So the ammunition or the weapons storage facility that is in Syria that we just hit this past Sunday, those weapons are no longer usable. That means that those who whatever groups were using those and wanting to inflict harm or more attacks on our troops can't use them anymore. So that's completely degraded their ability of at least another site to inflict damage on our troops.
Joseph:
One on the drone MQ-9 Can you, can the Pentagon publicly attribute that to Houthis? Did they launch a drone.
Sabrina Singh
I think it's I mean, we know it came from Yemen. Again, we're still doing an assessment of the attribution, but I would have no reason to doubt that it would have come from the Houthis but it's not like they sent a note with it.
Joseph:
Second one on Israel, senior
Sabrina Singh
<aybe that was more flippant than I needed to be but you know what I mean, like we're still doing an assessment of, of the of the ownership of you know, who launched the drone, but we do know it came from Yemen.
Joseph:
And earlier today, senior defense official said that this department is involved in tracking civilian casualties in Gaza, obviously, as a result of both sides, but also the Israeli strikes going on in Gaza. Can you assist chasm, Oh, can you elaborate at all? And is there a report that's going to be coming out? We were over a month into the conflict now.
Sabrina Singh
I'm not sure what you're referencing by keeping track of civilian casualties in Gaza.
Joseph:
Based on military support.
Sabrina Singh
I haven't seen that. I mean, again, we we do our own assessments, but I have nothing to read out of as we get information. You know, again, we're not on the ground here. We know that. The health ministry does put out civilian casualty numbers, but that is run by Hamas. So we have to, you know, of course, take that with a bit of a grain of salt here, but I don't have an independent assessment on our site that we're doing right now.
Joseph:
Are you asking the Israelis? That obviously they can't keep track of every single one. When they're this high, the number of you guys asking them to keep track?
Sabrina Singh
That's not I mean, that's something that is going to be very difficult to keep track of. And that's not something that I think we're directing them to do, but something that I think most armies you know, in their operations would keep track of just, you know, general casualties, but we're not asking for a count every day. Again, we do our own assessments, but I just don't have anything more for you on that. Yeah.
Reporter:
North Korea announced that they successfully test (unknown) for ballistic missile. What do you think that this ends is related to the Russian technology and it's going to be revealed from Russia?
Sabrina Singh
That I can speculate on? I'm not sure. Yeah. Yes.
Reporter:
Thank you, Sabrina. Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu, he shared a detailed animation, and the Ibis well of the Shifa Hospital and a detailed drawing of the Hamas possible you know, garrisons underneath the hospital building. Okay, so, so far, we saw only a couple of videos, established by or broadcasted by the idea of social media shows us couple of assault rifles only, since you have very close contact with your Israeli counterparts. Do you have any information about solid proof of these animations that the Israeli Prime Minister shared?
Sabrina Singh
I cant speak to the animations or video that you're speaking? I just haven't seen it so I'm not I'm it's hard for me to respond to exactly what you're referencing. We were very clear when I came out on Tuesday and can reiterate that we know that the hospital was used as a operation center for Hamas they using it they were had their you know, I don't know if leadership but they had they had you know, militants in their operating out of the hospital but I don't have more for you in terms of what you're referencing in terms of the video. Sorry. Yeah.
Reporter:
I have a couple on Ukraine, so please provide a preview of the next Ukraine defense contact meeting, I believe is going to be the last meeting this year. So what's the focus going to be on and do expect to hear any announcement about new aid packages and cetera?
Sabrina Singh
So I don't have a announcement yet for the next Ukraine defense contact group, but you know, that they meet monthly and so I think we should expect an announcement within the next few days of when the next one will be in terms of aid packages. You've seen us rollout pretty consistently aid packages for Ukraine. We have had to parse down our support on our security assistance for Ukraine because we don't have additional funding because the supplemental hasn't been passed. So we just rolled out our last presidential drawdown authority and I believe that was last week. Look, when we're ready to roll out the next one. We certainly will. We know that Ukraine continues to face and continues to endeavor and it's counter-offensive and they need continued support on a regular basis. So we know that we have to do that we know that we have to continue to meet their needs. And that's something that certainly will be discussed at the next Ukraine defense contact group. But in terms of a package preview, I just don't have more for you to announce today.
Reporter:
How long can you support Ukrainian till before the Congress looks into new funding? Because like the last packages were thinner and thinner, we saw…
Sabrina Singh
Well, that's because we don't have a supplemental. I mean, frankly, that that is why we requested an emergency supplemental package to provide funding for or sorry, security assistance to Ukraine and also to backfill our own stocks. The supplemental, again, is is in Congress, we continue to urge Congress to pass a supplemental, you know, a supplemental is put put forward and, and package together, because it's an emergency request. It's not part of the budget process. And so we have a large amount that we want Congress to authorize for Ukraine, and for Israel and foreign investments in the Indo-Pacific. And of course, you know, for our own investments in our defense industrial base. So that's something that we're going to continue to urge Congress to pass, but you're absolutely right. You have seen smaller packages, because we need to parse these out. Because we don't know when Congress is going to pass our supplemental package. And so we're continuing to talk with allies and partners. We're not the only country here, contributing to Ukraine's urgent battlefield needs. As you know, that Ukraine contact group is, you know, over 50 nations. So it's not that it's just the US supporting Ukraine, but the President has been very clear that we are going to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. And so that means, you know, Congress passing our supplemental request, and we hope that they do that soon.
Reporter:
For how long do you think you still have them before Congress looks into that, like, it's gonna be weeks months or?
Sabrina Singh
Well, again, each package varies by dollar amount. So you've seen some smaller packages, I'm not going to forecast how long that's going to last. That's certainly when do the Ukrainians any good that when that would really benefit the Russians. And so I'm just not going to be able to, you know, give you a timeline on how long we're going to be able to have these packages. Continue to go forward. But what I can say, and what I will continue to say is that we need Congress to pass that supplemental request. Yes.
Reporter:
You keep talking about the intelligence in the past tips that you believe the intelligence believes Hamas has used hospitals. Do you have intelligence that they currently are?
Sabrina Singh
I have only the intelligence that I read out the downgraded intelligence that I read out yesterday, or sorry, I'm, I'm sorry on Tuesday. Past tense, present tense, I don't want to parse out words here, but we know that Hamas has been using the hospital, the Al Shifa Hospital and other hospitals in Gaza. I'm not going to get into more specifics on, you know, what they're doing now we're about all of that we know that the IDF has taken control of Al Shifa Hospital. So I don't have more to share with you on that front.
Reporter:
It matters because under international law, you have to have proof that a combatant is is currently right then in that moment in the hospital, in order to strike…
Sabrina Singh
Yeah, again, when we read out the downgraded material, we felt very confident that Hamas was using that hospital to conduct its operations. And as you saw in open source, there have been evidence of that that the IDF is showing now.
Reporter:
Well and that's what I want to ask you. How would you characterize the video of the the idea of release they said it's irrefutable proof that Hamas was their view? Does the US agree?
Sabrina Singh
I don't think we're disputing that Hamas was using Al-Shifa hospital, I read that out on Tuesday. I said very specifically, Al Shifa is one of many hospitals in Gaza that Hamas uses to operate out of and to conduct their operations out of so I'll let the IDF speak to their broader assessment. I mean, they're still ongoing right now. But I just don't have more for you or more intelligence to share. And I'm frankly not going to do it from this podium.
Reporter:
One more, so you’re saying video of a blurred laptop of flak jacket, a handful of rifles that that backs up what you've been saying that Hamas is operating in the hospital.
Sabrina Singh
I will I'm happy to repeat what I said on Tuesday. But we the the downgraded intelligence that I read out on Tuesday, and then I will reiterate again today is that Hamas uses Al Shifa being one of them but hospitals in Gaza. To conduct and to operate out of and to further execute on terrorist actions within Gaza.
Reporter:
Do you have evidence to back that up?
Sabrina Singh:
I'm just gonna leave it at that. Thanks. Do you have a question back here? Oh, sorry. Yes.
Reporter:
You mentioned that there were like 58 attacks against us servicemembers since the 17th of October. So do you have any plans to change your posture in Iraq and Syria, especially most of these attacks happens in that these two countries? How do you see the Iraqi Government respond or react? To protect these spaces? Do you believe, believe they have the ability to protect these spaces?
Sabrina Singh
So I think your question was on force posture changes within Syria and Iraq. So I don't have any force posture changes to announce, but as you know, I can't remember the date but we did. We did announce that we were moving patriot and THAAD batteries into the region to help protect our troops with more air defense. So that's something that we have done to bolster our protection measures of our service members in both Iraq and Syria and elsewhere. And all the Patriot batteries are there and fully running. And the third battery, I believe, is still making its way over but I don't have any more force posture movements to announce.
Question
What about the Iraqi government? do think they have the ability to protect the bases that well, the US troops are being like in an Anbar or in the north of Iraq?
Sabrina Singh
Yes, we continue to work with the Iraqi government and their military in terms of protecting our troops. We are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government. So we certainly work with them and partner with them and they're, you know, the Secretary has had calls with his counterpart on making sure that our servicemembers are protected in those areas, and we continue to engage them on on in those conversations. Okay, thank you. Sure.
Reporter:
So Tuesday you said 55 attacks since October.
Sabrina Singh:
Yes.
Reporter:
We're hearing different numbers. Is that what's the latest?
Sabrina Singh
Sorry, I can give you that rundown. So as of today, there have been approximately 58 attacks. So that's 27 in Iraq and 3031 attacks in Syria.
Reporter:
Recently?
Sabrina Singh:
Yeah.
Reporter:
Based on the intelligence that was recently downgraded on Tuesday, and based on any other information that is available to you how recent that Hamas leadership, used Shifa Hospital?
Sabrina Singh
Well, that would get into further intelligence assessments that I just can't get into from from from here. Again, as I as I mentioned earlier, but and I told you, we feel very confident that Hamas was using Al- Shifa and other hospitals to conduct operations out of but just in terms of when where all of that more specifics, I just can't get into those details. Did you have a question?
Tony:
PDA Issue? Just to clarify for the record for those watching? Don't doesn't the Pentagon have about $4.9 billion of authority left? For PDAs? They just don't have they got like a billion dollar stuff to replace the equipment, but they give like 4 point 9 billion and PDAs going forward?
Sabrina Singh
Yeah, I'm not I'm not trying to minimize it. I'm just trying to tell you that. Yes, we do have $4.9 billion in from the recalculated PDA funds that we continue to draw down on that's that's what we're using. But we only have 1.1, I believe, left to restock our own inventories. And so again, we know Ukraine is going to need more than that. And so that's why we did submit that supplemental request. And a lot of that supplemental will be used also to replenish our own stocks.
Tony:
I just want to make the point that it's not it's not getting cut off yet. You got $45 billion left to play out.
Sabrina Singh
yep, that's correct. Yeah. Thank you. All right. Thanks everyone.