SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Well, Mr. Secretary, welcome to the Pentagon. We saw each other just last week in Brussels, but it’s a pleasure to host you here today and to continue our important work together.
But first, let me say a few words about the war that Hamas started with its repulsive terrorist attack on Israel. We support Israel’s fundamental right to defend itself after the atrocities and massacres and mass kidnappings by Hamas. At my direction, the U.S. security assistance to Israel continues to flow in at the speed of war. We’ve also directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean, where it will join the USS Gerald R. Ford and its own strike group.
Now, those changes to our force posture send a clear signal to deter hostile actors from trying to shed more blood or to escalate this war, and the U.K. has sent a similar message by moving British military assets, including a Royal Navy task group to the region to deter further aggression, and we will continue to stand with Israel and with Ukraine.
Now, the U.K. has been a leader in providing urgently-needed security assistance and training to Ukraine’s forces, and by the end of this year, you will have trained 30,000 Ukrainian recruits since Russia’s disgraceful all-out invasion, and because of your stalwart support, Ukraine’s defenders are better-armed, better-equipped and better-trained.
Ukrainian people face another winter of war and aggression, but we will get them what it takes for as long as it takes. So thanks for everything that the U.K. is doing to support Ukraine’s self-defense and to reinforce the defense and deterrence of NATO.
I’m proud of the fact that Finland is now the 31st member of NATO, and as you heard me say in Brussels, I urge all of our allies to support the immediate accession of Sweden and to make our great defensive alliance even stronger.
Let me also thank you for all you do for our special relationship. AUKUS continues to show the power of our partnership, Mr. Secretary. It’s a generational opportunity to reach our security goals together, and I’m looking forward to discussing our close cooperation, including how we’re responding together to bullying and destabilizing actions by the People’s Republic of China. The United States has no closer ally than the United Kingdom.
So Grant, thanks a lot for making this trip, and I look forward to a great discussion.
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE GRANT SHAPPS: Well, thank you very much indeed. Thank you, Lloyd, and it’s great to see you. We met in Ramstein in Germany, and we met last week in Brussels. The world seems to keep throwing up reasons for us to meet, and it’s a pleasure to come to the Pentagon today, and thank you for that warm welcome.
This morning, actually, just after doing “Morning Joe”, I had the time and I managed to make my way to the Korean War Memorial, which is, I have to say, a beautiful and fitting memorial. And I went and read the words that I knew were there that simply read, “Freedom is not free”, and I’ve quoted those words for many, many years. And it just struck me that the United States and the United Kingdom always stand together and always stand with that principle no matter what’s happening in the world.
And we’ve seen the barbaric acts of Hamas Saturday, a week ago, not militants, but pure and simple terrorists who hate freedom, hate everything that we stand for; do not want to see not only Israel, but even Jews live on the surface of the Earth. They hate our way of life, and we stand together as nations who are prepared to put our money where our mouth is and send assets to the region. And of course, you’re absolutely leading the way with your strike carrier group, and we’ve sent the Royal Navy group, as you mentioned.
And so here we are, not just facing what’s happening there in the Middle East, but of course, what’s been going on for 20 months in Ukraine, the subject of our previous discussions. And that slogan, “Freedom isn’t free”, isn’t just an inscription; it’s a commitment – it’s real. Wherever it is threatened, we understand that we have to step up the plate and defeat it.
And that is why we’ve stood together both now in Israel, but also in Ukraine, and as you rightly mention, why we need to be alert to what’s happening with Iran, with China and with others who defy and don’t believe in a democratic world that we all want to live in.
When it comes to Ukraine, it’s kind of you to mention that we are training troops. In fact, we started training beforehand, so by the end of the year, we’ll have trained 50,000 Ukrainian troops, including right back to 2014. And of course, we’ve sent materiel and assets to Ukraine, including Storm Shadows, to try to help create the environment in which the rest of the world feels comfortable to also contribute, and your mass of equipment has been the real game-changer there.
So we will stand by their side, whether it’s in the Middle East or whether it’s in Ukraine, and stand by your side. And I really appreciate your words about our close partnership. “Freedom isn’t free” isn’t just a saying; it’s something that’s been fought for in every single generation, and we’re the generation that have to do that now.
I thank you for your very warm welcome. I’m looking forward to our productive discussion today.
SEC. AUSTIN: Thanks for being here, Mr. Secretary, I look forward to a great discussion.
Source: defense
