#U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

[thejewishlink]

USS ‘Eisenhower’ Carrier Strike Group Headed to Israel

By TPS • 15 October, 2023   Jerusalem, 15 October, 2023 (TPS) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in move widely seen as deterrent to Iran and Hezbollah. The announcement came just after Austin completed his visit to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav…

[trendynewsnow]

U.S. Issues Ultimatum to Israel on Gaza Humanitarian Aid

U.S. Sends Urgent Warning to Israel Over Humanitarian Aid in Gaza The Biden administration issued a stark warning to Israel over the weekend, indicating that if the country fails to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the nearly two million individuals trapped in Gaza within a 30-day timeframe, it could face a potential cutoff of military aid. This ultimatum was communicated through a…

[dailyworldecho]

[filosofablogger]

The Games They Play ...

Yesterday afternoon I wrote about the Republican-majority in the House of Representatives wasting their time in an impeachment inquiry that will come to naught for there is nothing to find, while the clock is ticking loudly toward the November 17th government shutdown and nothing … literally nothing is being done to avert a crisis there.  But it isn’t only the pseudo-impeachment inquiry they’re…

[timesofocean]

Iran enriches uranium above 60% could trigger strike: Israeli official

New Post has been published on https://www.timesoftehran.com/iran-enriches-uranium-above-60-could-trigger-strike-israeli-official/

Iran enriches uranium above 60% could trigger strike: Israeli official

Washington (The Times Groupe)- Iran would be entering dangerous territory that could trigger an Israeli military strike if it enriches uranium above the 60% level, Israel told the Biden administration and several European countries, Axios has learned.

Israeli officials say that in recent months, the country has escalated its threats of military action against Tehran in an apparent effort to deter it from escalating its nuclear program further as it becomes increasingly concerned about Iranian progress toward a nuclear program.

In late February, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had amassed 87.5 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium. At least one nuclear bomb could be produced if that uranium is enriched to 90% weapons grade.

The IAEA is continuing to investigate Iranian activity in its underground nuclear facility in Fordow, which included enriching at least small amounts of uranium to 84% purity.

Israel, however, doesn’t consider the small amounts of uranium enriched at 84% purity as meaningful because Tehran didn’t amass any of the material at that level, the Israeli official said.

A top U.S. defense official told lawmakers last month that Iran will need only 12 days to enrich enough weapons-grade uranium to build one nuclear bomb, though the U.S. has also said it doesn’t believe Iran has made the decision to resume its weaponization program.

According to a senior Israeli official, Israel is not defining a public “red line” at the moment as Netanyahu did in his UN speech in September 2012.

The official added that Israel didn’t want to set 90% enrichment as a “red line” because officials believe Iran will feel it can begin enriching and amassing uranium at a level just short of weapons grade.

That is why Israel is telling U.S. and European countries that any Iranian progress above 60% enrichment would be a step that could trigger military action against Tehran’s nuclear program, the Israeli official said.

Israeli officials believe that Netanyahu’s message on the issue has been passed on to Iranian officials, according to a second senior Israeli official, who recently spoke to reporters on background. “The Iranians totally internalized our position and they know what our [red] line is,” the official said.

According to Israeli officials, Israel is preparing for a possible military strike on Iran.

Two Israeli officials said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asked U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his recent visit to Israel to expedite the delivery of the four KC-46 tankers that Israel had purchased from the U.S. last year.

The officials said Israel needs the tankers, which are used for air refueling, to prepare for a possible military strike in Iran. Israel wants to get at least some of them by the end of 2024.

During the previous Israeli government’s term, then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz had also asked Austin to expedite the delivery of the tankers.

The officials said Austin told Netanyahu and Gallant that the U.S. will try to deliver the planes earlier but stressed it will be difficult due to U.S. military needs.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect Lloyd Austin is the U.S. secretary of defense (not secretary of state).

[infonewsmania]

US faces critical years in fighting 'China challenge,' Pentagon chief warns

US faces critical years in fighting ‘China challenge,’ Pentagon chief warns

The US is at a critical juncture with China and will need military power to ensure that American values, not Beijing’s, set global goals in the 21st century, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday. Austin’s speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum capped a week in which the Pentagon was focused on China’s rise and what that might mean for America’s position in the world. by 2035,…

[zvaigzdelasas]

[VOA is US State Media]

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a phone call Saturday with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promised "his ironclad support" for the Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF, according to a Pentagon readout.[...] What shape the U.S. support will take, though, is unclear. The U.S. maintains a weapons and ammunition stockpile in Israel and has made its contents available to Israel on at least two occasions. In 2006, the U.S. granted Israel access to precision guided munitions during its war with Hezbollah. And in 2014, the U.S. gave Israel access to tank rounds and other ammunition to support operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. U.S. officials have declined to say, however, whether using the stockpile will be an option this time around.[...] There also are concerns about the stockpile itself. The U.S. pulled 300,000 artillery shells from the stockpile late last year and early this year to give to Ukraine. And the types of armaments and equipment in the stockpile may not be of immediate use in pushing back Hamas fighters. "My initial impression is that the things that Israel needs most right now are not in there," said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.[...]

In addition, the U.S. maintains some military personnel in Israel, and U.S. forces periodically conduct exercises with Israeli troops — most recently this past July. The U.S. military official said all U.S. personnel "are safe and accounted for," without elaborating on how many are currently in the country.

7 Oct 23

[sayruq]

Iran sent a message to the Biden administration through several Arab countries earlier this week: if the U.S. gets involved in the fighting between Israel and Iran, U.S. forces in the region will be attacked, three U.S. officials told Axios. Why it matters: The U.S. and Israel are preparing for Iran to retaliate against Israel for an airstrike that killed a top Iranian general in Damascus last week. The Iranian supreme leader has threatened "punishment" for Israel but through private channels Iran has signaled it would be limited. Israel and the U.S. think an Iranian attack would include the launch of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones from Iran to Israeli territory. U.S. officials say the Biden administration asked Israel to notify the U.S. and for the U.S. to have a say before decisions are made about any retaliation by Israel.

The latest: A U.S. defense official told Axios the U.S. is moving additional assets to the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for U.S. forces.

The Iranian message was that if the U.S. gets involved after an Iranian attack on Israel, U.S. bases in the region will be attacked. "The Iranian message was we will attack the forces that attack us, so don't f--k with us and we won't f--k with you," one U.S. official said.

Between the lines: President Biden and other U.S. officials have said publicly the U.S. would help Israel defend itself against Iranian attacks. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant in a call on Thursday that Israel "could count on full U.S. support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened," the Pentagon said.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Trudy Ring at The Advocate:

The Department of Defense’s health insurance plan, Tricare, must cover gender-affirming surgery for transgender dependents of active and retired service members, a federal judge has ruled. The exclusion of coverage for this care violates the equal protection guarantees of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen ruled November 1. The suit was brought by two transgender women in their 20s, identified by the pseudonyms Jane Doe and Susan Roe, who are both daughters of retired military members and are covered by Tricare. Doe and her father filed suit in 2022 in U.S. District Court in Maine, and Roe was added to the suit last year. Doe lives in Maine and Roe in Florida. Both of the women’s fathers served more than two decades in the military.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Defense Department, the department’s health agency, and Tricare were named as defendants. The women challenged a 1976 federal law that excluded coverage for “surgeries ‘justified solely on psychiatric needs including, ... sex gender changes’ and other services deemed ‘not medically necessary,’” Torresen wrote in her ruling. “Congress considered all ‘cosmetic’ procedures (including ‘sex gender changes’) to be ‘nonmedical’ in the sense that they were ‘psychologically’ or ‘psychiatrically’ justified, and not strictly medically necessary,” she continued. But Torresen found that such surgery is indeed medically necessary and that the Defense Department had not shown that any important governmental interest was advanced by denying the coverage.

Good news: Judge Nancy Torresen issued a ruling on November 1st in Doe v. Austin that Tricare is required to cover gender-confirmation surgery for transgender dependents of active and retired service members.

[mariacallous]

Ukraine is outraged by the unwavering American support for Israel, calling it a "double standard" as the United States refuses to intercept Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine, Politico reported on Oct. 16.

This week, the United States deployed the advanced THAAD missile defense system to protect Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles. However, Ukraine receives no similar level of assistance despite facing daily attacks from Russian drones, missiles, and bombs, the article states.

The reason for this discrepancy is that Russia possesses nuclear weapons, making Washington wary of escalating tensions with Moscow.

"The tough answer that Ukrainians may not like to hear but is unfortunately true is that we can take the risk of shooting down Iranian missiles over Israel without triggering direct war with Tehran that could lead to nuclear war," a high-ranking U.S. Senate aide working on Ukraine policy told Politico.

“There’s a lot more risk in trying that with Russia.”

Two officials from the Biden administration confirmed this. The White House fears that sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to intercept Russian missiles could provoke a direct military confrontation between the two leading nuclear powers, with potentially apocalyptic consequences.

"It is sad to look at all this as an ordinary citizen of Ukraine — when in an agreement to prevent escalation on the part of Moscow, your country and citizens are being sacrificed," said Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies.

Kyiv wants Poland and Romania to help intercept Russian targets over western Ukraine. This option is being discussed, but the countries have not changed their policies yet, Politico writes. Warsaw has stated that it will not act without full NATO alliance support.

Meanwhile, two Ukrainian air defense officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that it is easier for the United States to defend Israel's skies because it is a small country, and America can use ship-based air defense systems. In contrast, Ukraine is vast and inaccessible to Western fleets; its allies would need to place air defense systems on the country's western border, from which they could only protect adjacent territory.

"NATO members entering into the aerial defense of Ukraine would need to bring a much larger contribution, over a broader area, with a greater risk of ‘entering the war’ for uncertain gains," said Matthew Savill, military sciences director at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

“The cost would also be greater, as the frequency of Russian attacks is far greater than the significant but reactive Iranian attempts to strike Israel directly.”

However, Ukraine's frustration is growing as the Biden administration is not doing enough to help Kyiv stop Russian attacks, Politico notes. This includes slow weapons deliveries and a ban on using long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

According to the outlet, U.S. officials are aware of Kyiv's growing dissatisfaction. They stated that they are working on new weapons supplies, which they hope will address the outrage.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized on Oct. 13 the deployment of a THAAD battery and associated U.S. military personnel to bolster Israel's air defense following Iranian attacks on April 13 and Oct. 1.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Oct. 15 that the United States will not intercept missiles over Ukraine as it does over Israel because "the wars are different."

[tieflingkisser]

“I Have Lost Everything”: In Federal Court, Palestinians Accuse Biden of Complicity in Genocide

Bolstered by a momentous ICJ ruling, Palestinians, including Americans, gave three hours of testimony against the Biden administration.

In a momentous day for the quest to keep Israel and its allies accountable for its brutal war on Gaza, members of leading Palestinian human rights groups, residents of Gaza, and Palestinian Americans argued in a U.S. District Court on Friday that the Biden administration should halt its financial and military support for Israel and uphold its obligations to prevent genocide. The arguments came in a lawsuitOpens in a new tab that the Center for Constitutional Rights, or CCR, filed in November against President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, charging them with complicity and failure to prevent the “unfolding genocide” in the occupied strip. Testifying either in person at the Oakland, California, courthouse or remotely from Palestine, the plaintiffs spoke for nearly three hours about the deliberate devastation wrought by Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks.  The hearing commenced hours after the International Court of Justice in The Hague found that it’s plausible that Israel has committed acts of genocide in Gaza, in a case brought by South Africa. While the United Nations court fell short of ordering an immediate ceasefire, a panel of judges delivered a historic set of rulings and denied Israel’s request to dismiss the case. A final resolution in that case is expected to take years. Lawyers involved with the lawsuit playing out in federal court said that the ICJ ruling bolsters their case. Their lawsuit argues that Biden, Blinken, and Austin are liable under U.S. lawOpens in a new tab for failing to uphold their obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza. In Oakland, dozens of people lined up outside the courthouse hours before the hearing on Friday, according to organizers on the ground, while the Zoom stream reached its capacity of 1,000 people tuning in.

[stele3]

It also comes as the Biden administration is due to deliver a first-of-its-kind formal verdict this week on whether the airstrikes on Gaza and restrictions on delivery of aid have violated international and U.S. laws designed to spare civilians from the worst horrors of war. A decision against Israel would further add to pressure on Biden to curb the flow of weapons and money to Israel’s military. Biden signed off on the pause in an order conveyed last week to the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment on the matter. The White House National Security Council sought to keep the decision out of the public eye for several days until it had a better understanding of the scope of Israel’s intensified military operations in Rafah and until Biden could deliver a long-planned speech on Tuesday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. Biden’s administration in April began reviewing future transfers of military assistance as Netanyahu’s government appeared to move closer toward an invasion of Rafah, despite months of opposition from the White House. The official said the decision to pause the shipment was made last week and no final decision had been made yet on whether to proceed with the shipment at a later date.

The dots aren't hard to connect, here. Biden can't publicly say that he's on the verge of cutting support to Israel, not when US public opinion is still very broadly on the side of Israel.

Outside the echo chambers of social media and college campuses, the larger American public still sympathizes more with Israel. Despite that, it's clear that the Biden administration has prepared to withhold military aid and denounce Israeli war crimes for some time now.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Andrew Tobin

Secretary of state Antony Blinken and defense secretary Lloyd Austin warned Israel in a letter on Sunday to significantly increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and end the "isolation" of the north of the strip within 30 days or risk losing crucial U.S. weapons supplies. Also on Sunday, vice president Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, called on Israel to "urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need" in Gaza, citing a recent U.N. report that Israel had sealed off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza since Oct. 1.

Israeli defense officials have denied any plans to withhold humanitarian aid from northern Gaza.

"Israel is not implementing the Generals’ Plan," a spokeswoman for defense minister Yoav Gallant told the Free Beacon in a statement.

COGAT, Israel’s civilian coordination agency for the Palestinian territories, said last week, "Israel has not halted the entry or coordination of humanitarian aid entering from its territory into the northern Gaza Strip." According to COGAT data, 465 aid trucks entered Gaza between Oct. 1 and 12, a fraction of the daily average over the course of the war.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.

Israel may not have formally adopted the Generals’ Plan. But last month, members of Israel’s parliamentary defense committee endorsed the plan, and senior government and military leaders reportedly considered it.

Meanwhile, the top brass approved elements of a "very similar" internal proposal that they had previously rejected in full, according to Nehama, who led a battalion in the Gaza war and has remained in daily contact with high-ranking officers in the military’s Southern Command and on the ground in Gaza.

"You have to understand, [the Generals’ Plan] is not something genius. If I went to any company commander who was in training and asked, how do we defeat Hamas, this is roughly what he would come up with as a solution," Nehama said. "After we came out with our plan, and everyone was talking about it, the army had to do something."

At the start of the month, the Israeli military began blocking humanitarian aid to northern Gaza. Then, last Sunday, the military issued sweeping evacuation orders for Palestinian residents of the area, estimated to number as many as 400,000.

Eiland noted that the Generals’ Plan called for acting in the reverse order: evacuation of civilians followed by a siege. He blamed the rollout in part for the "bad PR" the plan has received.

Following the Biden-Harris administration’s condemnations, Israel immediately ramped up humanitarian aid to Gaza again, according to the advocates of the Generals’ Plan. Few residents of the north followed Israeli orders to move through evacuation corridors to an expanded humanitarian zone in the south, with some reporting intimidation by Hamas.

[zvaigzdelasas]

Ok then bring them back to the US lol [22 Oct 23]