By Tiffany Williams –
As White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wraps his trip to the Middle East, the Department of Defense Friday announced Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will travel to the region over the weekend.
Secretary Austin’s trip will include stops in Israel, Qatar, Bahrain and a visit to the USS Gerald R. Ford.
In Israel, a senior defense official at the Pentagon said, “Austin will underscore the unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law, and he will also discuss steps Israel is taking to mitigate civilian harm. The secretary is also expected to discuss with Israeli military leaders what are to be the next steps in the conflict after an eventual cessation of high-intensity ground operations and airstrikes.”
The senior defense official noted that Secretary Austin “has been having discussions with his Israeli counterparts the entire time about the different phases of their campaign, how they assess the different phases of their campaign, and what their operational milestones are in order to feel that their population can be secure enough given their stated objective of the military dismantlement of Hamas,” the official said. “He wants to talk to them about how you move through those different phases.”
The senior defense official also noted “While the conflict between Israel and Hamas is an Israeli campaign and it will ultimately be Israeli’s decision on how to move to the next phase of operations, Austin is interested in learning more about their plans going forward.”
In Bahrain, Austin is expected to visit the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, and the senior defense official said, “Part of the discussions there between the U.S. and Bahrain will involve U.S. efforts to convene multilateral coalitions to respond to aggression at sea that threatens shipping and the global economy.”
The senior defense official added, “We will talk with them in a multinational framework about the work we’re doing, particularly in light of increasing Houthi aggression in the Red Sea.”
Since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the official said, “Qatar has played a critical role in helping the U.S. communicate with Hamas.”
That effort the senior official said “Was critical in securing the agreement for the release of some hostages.”
Austin will end his trip to the Middle East region with a visit to the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is underway now in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and is missing the holidays with their families. The senior official said, “They have done an incredible service — not only for our country, but for the region.”
The senior official said, “The Ford, like the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, is in the Middle East now as part of the U.S. effort to make it clear that neither state or nonstate actors should hope to escalate the ongoing conflict beyond Gaza.” The senior official added, “What this visit to the Ford is about is an acknowledgment that we demonstrated what the National Defense Strategy means.”