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taking you to where the policies are debated and decided with the support of america's cable company. c-span, 45 y in accounting, powered by cable. >> next, defense secretary lloyd austin on the helicopter crash that killed iran's president and foreign minister over the weekend. secretary austen gives an update on the war in ukraine with general charles brown, jr..

>> the secretary and the chairman will deliver opening remarks, and then we'll have time to take a few questions. please note that i will moderate those questions and call on journalists. due to time constraints, please limit the follow-up questions to give your colleagues a chance to ask questions. secretary austin, over to you, sir. the speaker: thanks. good afternoon, everybody, and thanks for joining us. general brown and i have just come from a meeting of the ukraine defense contact group. i'm grateful to the 50 countries from around the world that joined us again the contact group heard directl, including the minister. they gave a valuable update on ukraine's defensive operations across the front line, including the new russian offensive.

we met today at a challenging moment. putin's forces have opened another front to seize sovereign ukrainian territory. the kremlin's invaders are obliterating villages and bombarding civilian infrastructure, including dams and power plants. ukraine's defenders are in a hard fight. but russian troops are paying a high price for putin's aggression. putin is betting that eventually ukraine will fold, and he's betting that this contact group will crumble, but he's wrong. and today we saw again why. ukraine is fighting for its life, which gives it the huge strategic advantage of a just cause. meanwhile, putin is trying to wage a 19th century war of

imperial aggression in the world of 2024. that's a terrible idea and a terrible strategy. ukraine's forces are fighting the kremlin's war of choice with ingenuity and skill. and they are making excellent use of the capabilities provided by the members of this contact group. we spent a lot of time today on life-saving air defense systems, which are helping ukraine stave off waves of russian missiles, rapian u.a.v.'s, and north korean munitions. we will continue to push to ensure that ukraine owns and can defend its citizens and the civilian infrastructure far from the front lines. the united states and our allies and partners worldwide remain laser-focused on ukraine's near-term requirements in khakiv

and elsewhere. we'll continue to find solutions. that's why president biden announced a $400 million security assistance package for ukraine earlier this month. it will provide critical munitions and pat right air defense systems. more high systems and munitions, more anti-armor systems and other priority requirements. and this comes on top of the $7 billion of security assistance that we've already committed to ukraine since the recent passage of the national security supplemental. we're delivering the most urgently needed capabilities, including 155-millimeter artillery rounds, and much more is on the way. contact group members also spent time today on a long-term challenge of ukraine's security. i continue to be impressed by

the work of the capability coalitions. these eight coalitions are helping to anticipate and meet ukraine's battlefield needs. they're also laying the foundation for ukraine's future force, which must be strong and sustainable enough to ward off future russian aggression. today we heard updates from the mary time coalition and integrate air and missile defense coalition. i'm also impressed with germany's immediate action on the air defense initiative. it's helping ukraine's global partners dig deeper and to find rapid and creative ways to deploy more air defense systems and provide the spare parts to sustain ukraine's defenses. meanwhile, the u.k. and norway are leading the maritime coalition in helping ukraine beef up its capabilities to fend off putin's attacks. now, those are just two of the eight capability coalitions.

and together they're providing a sturdy, flexible structure to meet ukraine's security requirements over the long haul. we'll continue to work with nations of goodwill from around the world to support ukraine's fight for survival. and we'll continue to make the case for why ukraine matters. the outcome in ukraine is crucial for european security, for global security, and for american security. none of us would want to live in a world where dictators redraw borders by force and launch wars of aggression to try to revive yesterday's 'em fires. 'em fires. so let me be clear. ukraine's partners are united. and we're determined. we're not going anywhere. and with that, let me turn it over to general brown. gen. brown: thank you, mr. secretary. good afternoon, everyone.

in an address to congress near the end of world war i, president woodrow wilson laid out his 14-point program for world peace. he asserted that political independence and territorial integrity required an association of nations, unity against authoritarian aggressors. he said, and i quote, "we cannot be separated in interests or divided in purpose. we stand together until the end." president wilson never realized his vision for a strong coalition of nations based on his 14 points. the world had to endure a second world war, a war more brutal, more costly than the first. before there was collective will to come together in common purpose. the principles president wilson championed we live in today. that order is being challenged by russia's illegal and

unprovoked attack on the sovereign nation of ukraine. ukraine defense contact group has stood together in the face of this russian aggression. it will continue to stand together to support ukraine and defend the international order. once again, i want to thank secretary austin for his leadership in this international coalition of more than 50 nations in support of ukraine. thanks also to defense minister and the ukrainian delegation who joined us today and for their leadership in ukraine's armed forces. to all the nations, thank you for your continued support of ukraine. ukraine forces are being challenged, particularly in the kharkiv region where they will defending against increased russian attacks. in recent days, russia launched a new offensive attack against kharkiv. aiming to establish a shallow

buffer zone along the ukrainian border. russia anticipates this will divert ukrainian focus and capabilities from other critical areas. ukraine has made the concerted efforts to build and strengthen defensive lines which are being tested by russian attacks. ukraine's defense munitions to protect their skies as they defend against continued russian strikes on critical civilian infrastructure. ukrainian forces are fighting hard to hold against russian advances across the front lines. ukraine's reserves and stockpiles are being challenged as they defend against russian offensive actions, which underscores the urgency of this coalition's work, to sustain ukraine. the president authorized a $1 billion military aid package for ukraine along the passage of the national security supplemental. the second aid package was authorized a little over a week ago to send additional critical

capabilities to ukraine. these packages include needed weapons, such as artillery ammunition, air defense interceptors, anti-aircraft missiles, armored vehicles, javelins, and other anti-armor systems. we delivered these supplies as quickly as possible. the influx of u.s. and coalition assistance will enable ukraine to continue to withstand russian aggression. military aid to ukraine sends a clear message to the world. this coalition will not tire. we will not wave. we will not give up. our collective resolve is steadfast. we know that we cannot allow russia to rewrite borders, to force tyranny on an unwilling people, and to supplant the sovereign democratic nation. the actions of this coalition show other would-be aggressors

that we will defend international order together. our support for ukraine is not merely an act of solidarity. it is a strategic necessity that reinforces broader international security. if unchecked, russian aggression could embolden other authoritarian regimes to challenge international norms and violate the sovereignty of their neighbors. this highlights the importance of a robust and unified response. events have far-reaching consequences that impact us all. a collective action today will shape the geopolitical landscape of tomorrow. this is what president wilson understood. the safety and prosperity for all nations can not be won through unified and cooperative effort. president wilson understands that peace and security are more than just words. they require constant work and

action on the part of nations coming together for a common purpose. the ukraine defense contact group is committed to that work. thank you, and i look forward to your questions. >> first question will go to the associated press. reporter: : mr. secretary, i wanted to ask you about iran. does the pentagon have any indication that the helicopter crash in iran that killed president raisi was anything other than an accident? and have you directed any posture changes in case there's unrest following the death? and then for chairman brown, i wanted to ask you about senior airman roger fortson. what would you like to say to his family, and more broadly, what would you like to say to broad service members who are wondering if it matters where they serve? no matter what they do, there's still law enforcement that sees them as a threat. sec. austin: thanks. regarding the death of iran's

president in the unfortunate helicopter crash, we continue to monitor the situation, but we don't have any insights into the cause of the accident at this point. certainly i know the iranians are investigating, or will investigate, and so we'll see what the outcome is once their investigation is complete. in terms of our force posture, don't have any announcements to make, and again, this is something that we'll continue to watch, and up don't necessarily see any -- i don't necessarily see any broader regional security impacts at this point in time. reporter: there's no indication there was anything other than an accident that brought this helicopter down? sec. austin: i can't speculate on what may have been the cause of the accident, but again, i think we'll learn more once the iranians have investigated.

gen. brown: let me first of all pass on my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fellows. i know they're going through difficult times right now, and i also tell you that for every service member we lose, it always tears on me, because i know it impacts the family. one thing we highlight, this is under investigation, but what i would highlight is that the number of our service members and their families live in our various communities around the country. and we would hope and expect that they would all be able to be safe in those communities and those homes. at the same time, i also highlight for each one of those young people that join our service, raise their right hand to take an oath to support and defend the constitution of the united states, we want to provide them opportunities to reach their full potential. that's our focus, no matter their background: >> next question, cnn. reporter: israeli defense

minister briefed national security advisor jake sullivan on rafa plans, at least according to the readout, it seems more detailed. have you seen the plans that sullivan was briefed on, and does it meet the requirements of what you want to sigh in terms of -- see in terms of what israel wants to do before an operation in rafa? general brown, sir, as ukraine tries to defend itself against the renewed offensive in kharkiv, do you believe ukraine should be able to use american weaponry to target russian forces that are just right across the border there? is that the recommendation you would make? sec. austin: thanks. i've not seen the information that was briefed to mr. sullivan, but as you know, i talk to the minister every week, and i would expect that he would detail the information in that briefing to me as well. i'll talk to jake sullivan as soon as he's available.

but because of that, i won't speculate as to whether or not it meets any kind of requirements, but again, we've been clear about what we think is very, very important, and that is to make sure that the civilians that are in that battle space are moved out of the battle space before any activity occurs in that city. we'll see what happens. gen. brown: our focus for ukraine is to use the capabilities, tiply things that -- typically things that impact close battles. we're paying attention on what's going on in kharkiv. i won't publicly talk about what i might advise, but as we continue to support them, i'll continue to work with the secretary as we make recommendations going forward. but the key point is using the capabilities that we provided them in the close battles in areas that they are doing on the fronts that they're operating on, as well as into crimea. >> "washington post." reporter: nice to see you all.

this question is for both of you regarding going back to the rafa operation and following up on the question. the i.d.f. is announcing plans as recently as today to expand the rafah operation. and meanwhile, people that we've spoken with on the ground say that they perceive what is already a full-fledged operation, at least that's the perception on the ground. given the biden administration's statement that it will not support a full-fledged invasion of rafah without a evacuation and humanitarian plan, are you prepared to declare it's a full-fledged invasion if these actions go ahead? do you think there's a danger that the i.d.f. could sort of just do this gradually, continue to make sort of gradual expansion and incremental push into rafah in a way that falls short of a giant charge into the city and potentially try to avoid the u.s. consequences that have been threatened?

sec. austin: yeah, again, i've seen what was reported that the minister said. i look forward to talking to him about what his plans really are and also talking with jake sullivan as well. i really don't want to speculate as to whether or not this is or is not or will be a larger operation. i really would like to see what they intend to do. but what we would like to see, again, is protection of those civilians that are in the battle space, move them out, but not only move them out, but make sure that wherever they go, wherever you move them to, that you have provisions for them to take care of them, water, shelter, those types of things. i've said before that, in my view, there have been far too many civilian casualties in this fight, and we need to see something done a lot

differently. and even if there are, if there is kinetic activity, if there is an operation that is conducted, that's larger, we certainly would like to see things done differently, more precise and less destruction of the civilian structures and more protection of civilian population. gen. brown: i would echo very much what the secretary said. all my conversations with my counter part, it's very much the same. be able to communicate with us what their intend is, so we understand how they're approaching it, but at the same time, being able to take care of the civilians and not just move them out, but move them into places where they can have shelter, have food, and that's something we continually message with my counterpart. >> to fox. reporter: secretary austin, the former acting deputy secretary of state who just stepped down

said yesterday on the sunday shows that the administration needs a new ukraine strategy, and she said, "i think if the attacks are coming directly from over the line in russia, that those bases ought to be fair game. i think it's time to give the ukrainians more help hitting these bases inside russia." do you agree with her assessment? sec. austin: i agree with what the chairman just said, jennifer, and that is that in my view their focus ought to be on the close fight and making sure that they're servicing those targets that will enable success in the close fight. and weave been that way throughout -- we've been that way throughout, and that will be my view going forward. reporter: general brown, is there anything nato can do to help georgia resist russian efforts to expand their influence? how does this affect what's happening in georgia right now? how does it affect georgia's pathway to nato?

gen. brown: well, we're briefly concerned of watching the influence russia has in georgia, and we'll remain committed to georgia's sovereignty. as i met last week with my nato counterparts, we consistently talk about how we work together for the sovereignty of the nations that are partner nato, but also just the overall security situation in europe. reporter: will this affect georgia's admission to nato or pathway to nato? gen. brown: i'm not in the policy decision making, but from my perspective as a uniformed service member, it's about ensuring the security of the various nations, but also the security of the citizens of the nation as well. >> al-jazeera. reporter: thank you. you mention the prosecutor today announced he's requesting arrest warrants against president netanyahu of israel and your

counterpart over accusation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in gaza. my if i question, will your administration support this case, and will you cooperate on this case? the second question is, the u.s. being the main supporter of israel, in light of this case, will you reconsider the provision of weapons to israel, some of which have been used to kill palestinian civilians according to president biden? thank you. sec. austin: so i've seen press reports of the i.c.c. seeking arrest warrants, but i don't have anything to provide on that issue. again, our focus continues to be on providing israel what it needs to defend itself. that's been our focus from the very beginning, and as president

biden has said a number of times, our support to israel remains iron-clad. i think it's important to reflect back to how this got started. this brutal attack on october 7, you know, a number of israeli and american civilians were killed in that assault, in that terrorist attack, and there were over 230 hostages taken. half of those hostages remain in custody. you know, again, our focus remains on providing support to israel in its efforts to defend itself, and we very much would like to see the hostages returned safely. in terms of the decision to provide weapons to israel,

again, i won't engage in any type of speculation going forward, but again, my hope would be that we do what's necessary to protect civilians in the battle space, and you'll hear me say that over and over again. i don't think the two things are incompatible. i think you can conduct military operations effectively and also account for civilians in the battle space. we have learned a lot. the united states has learned a lot in terms of this type of operation over the past several years, and again, there are ways to do this where you can account for both. you can protect the people and also accomplish your objectives. reporter: general brown, could you explain the inevitability of advisors, u.s. advisors in ukraine, working with ukrainian forces. can you explain about why that is necessary and what it would take to make that happen?

and secretary austin, on the i.c.c., president biden has called the arrest warrants outrageous. this department has said it will work with the i.c.c. to provide evidence about ukraine. is that work continuing? how does this decision affect those pentagon efforts? thank you. gen. brown: let me put that discussion into context. before february of 2022, we had our u.s. military members in there who are working and training with the ukrainians. that's not the case right now. when i said that we would be able to do that eventually, once this conflict is over and we're in a better place, then i would suspect we would be able to bring them back in. but right anyway, there are no plans to bring u.s. trainers into ukraine. sec. austin: on the question on the i.c.c., again, as i said earlier, i don't have anything

to add on reports that we've seen here recently. regarding the question of whether or not we'll continue to provide support to the i.c.c. with respect to crimes that are committed in ukraine, yes, we continue that work. >> time for a couple more. let's go to npr. reporter: mr. secretary, i want to go back to rafah. you received a detailed military plan from the israelis about the way. what about the humanitarian plan? you say you want them to care for hundreds of thousands of people displaced, provide food, shelter, medical care. have they given you any indication about how they plan on doing that? sec. austin: early on, we received a conceptual brief on how they were going to put measures in place to take care of the population that moved out of that battle space. and the things that are required to support that plan, i've not

seen those elements go into play. my view is there's more work to be done, and my view is also that this takes time. again, those things need to be in place to take care of people whenever they migrate from one place to another. again, i've not seen evidence that those things are in place yet. >> can you give us a sense of the concept they gave you? >> i will leave that to the israelis to brief their concept. it's one thing to have a concept and some other thing to actually put into place. >> you said it is possible to conduct operations and help civilians in the battle space. given your military experience, do you see -- do you think israel is conducting operations and accounting for civilians in the battle space? on the idea of ukraine

conducting strikes inside russia, can you -- are you confident that none of the long-range attacks that the u.s. have provided have been used to strike inside russian territory? >> regarding what israel is doing inside roff, what we've seen thus far is a limited action that's been focused on the rough of border crossing. again, it's reported that they look to expand operations going forward. i look forward to having that discussion with him to understand what is intended and how he will do that. what we want to see his civilians accounted for and

moved out of that battle space before anything happens. we've been clear about that throughout. as you well know, i think before this fight kicked off in gaza, there was 275,000 were so people that lived in and around raab a. that number grew to 1.20 5 million or so and that's a big jump. that's a lot of people in a very compressed battle space, in a very difficult urban area. urban combat is very intense and difficult to begin with. unless you account for those civilians and do things differently, i think you stand to have a lot more casualties going forward and that something we would like to see change. i am >> confident what we provided is that they have been that using these weapons in

russia but in ukraine. >> the russians are flying bombers in russian territory with glide bombs that are having a devastating impact on the battlefield inside ukraine. should ukrainians be able to use american air defenses to hit those russian bombers in russian territory? >> again, you can diagram a number of different cases for whatever. we have been clear about providing ukraine equipment to defend its sovereign territory in the dynamics of the engagement, i leave it up to the experts but certainly, our expectation is that they continue to use the weapons we provided on targets inside of ukraine. the aerial dynamics are a bit

different. again, i don't want to speculate on any one or any type of engagement here at the podium. >> final question over here? >> mr. secretary come are you concerned that iran will try and blame israel or the united states for the crash that killed the president yesterday? israel is conducting operations in northern gaza so given your personal experience fighting terrorists, do you believe israel can achieve its goal of fully eliminating hamas. >> united states had no part to play in that crash. that's a fact plain and simple. >> are you afraid they're going to blame israel? >> i won't speculate as to what they will blame.

they have to conduct an investigation to see what the cause of the crash was. it could be a number of things, mechanical failure, pilot error. to your question about northern gaza, and based on experience, not only do you have to go in and clear out whatever atmosphere you're up against but hold the territory and stabilize it. the israelis did not actually call it so that allows them to repopulate areas if you are not there. that makes it more challenging for them as far as being able to meet their objective in defeating hamas. >> will they be able to do that? >> it's not just an organization, you have to think about the overall piece of being able to secure security for israel in the region will take a

concerted effort not just from a military piece but it's how we work the humanitarians assistance which is why we focus on much on that and protecting the civilians that are there in gaza. >> thank you very much, gentlemen. this concludes our press briefing, thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] >> information with government run in the palm of your hand when you order your copy of c-span's 20 directory with bio and contact information with every house and senate member of the 118th congress. important information on congressional committee, the president's cabinet, federal agencies, and state governments. the congressional directory cross $32 90-5 senses plus shipping and handling. all proceeds support our nonprofit operation. scan the code on the