Department of Defense Duputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh in press briefing told media that Secretary Austin will host the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany on 09th January 2025. The UDCG, first convened by Secretary Austin in April 2022, has been instrumental in coordinating international support to assist Ukraine in defending its sovereignty against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.
Shailesh Kumar, National Defence
New Delhi, 09 January 2025
To date, the United States and US allies and partners have collectively committed more than $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. And through the work of its capability coalitions, the UDCG has also been critical in bolstering Ukraine’s defense capability and building a credible deterrence force so that it can defend against future aggression as well.DoD says the secretary Austin likely to continue this important work at Ramstein on 9th January. He will engage defense ministers and senior military officials from around the world to discuss — to discuss Ukraine’s immediate battlefield needs and longer-term defense requirements. The meetings will focus on key capabilities Ukraine needs, including air defense systems, artillery munitions and armoured vehicles, as well as efforts to enhance the defense industrial base. Sabrina Singh said, “And, you know, what I would say is, on the question of are we concerned, Ukraine has bipartisan support within Congress. And it is because of our efforts that Ukraine continues to be successful on the battlefield.”
On January 08th, Central Command on US Central Command forces conducted multiple precision strikes against two Iranian backed Houthi underground advanced conventional weapons storage facilities within Houthi controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis used these facilities to conduct attacks against US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The strikes are part of CENTCOM’s efforts to degrade these Iranian backed Houthi attempts to threaten regional partners and military and commercial vessels in the region.
On the transition, the department continues to execute a smooth and professional transition with daily interactions with the president-elect’s agency review team, or ART. As of 8:00 AM today, ART members have participated in 106 meetings with DOD officials, and the Transition Task Force has responded to 81 requests for information, or RFIs, from the ART.
The president, Governor Newsom, and others received a briefing on the devastating wildfires in Southern California, which the department continues to monitor. At the president’s direction, the Department of Defense will provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities. The federal government is working closely with the National Guard, which is deployed under the governor’s state of emergency declaration. The California National Guard is adding two modular air firefighting system units and two more are being readied by the Nevada National Guard. The Department of Defense has four additional MAFFS that could be used if needed. Additionally, the department is sending ten Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets to immediately assist with aerial suppression.
DoD Deputy Press Secretary on Syria said “I think from when you saw the fall of Assad, you saw you know Russian assets further consolidate, which allowed US Central Command to take actions in the Bidiya Desert and elsewhere where we hadn’t previously, you know, done significant amount of strikes. I wouldn’t read into the fact that ISIS is reconstituting in any way.
That’s exactly why we are in Syria and Iraq, to prevent that from happening to prevent them from becoming, you know, the strength that we saw a decade ago. And that’s why the mission there is so important. But you know, these strikes, when they are conducted, it is at the time and place of the commander’s choosing, but also because it is that opportune moment and that we will inflict the most damage because of that timing. So, I wouldn’t read too much into the cadence as much as it’s more about the right time, right place for these strikes to be done”.
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