ARMY GEN. AUSTON SAYS DECISIONS IN MIDDLE EAST HAVE GLOBAL IMPACT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Centcom Chief: Middle East Decisions Will Have Wide Impact

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2013 - Decisions made today regarding the Middle East will have far-reaching impact on future security, not only in the immediate region, but also around the world, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today.

Speaking here at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations' annual policy-makers conference, Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III emphasized the shared responsibilities in the region.

"Each of us has an undeniable stake and a clear role to play in the universal pursuit of improved stability and sovereignty and greater prosperity and security," he told the forum.

Conceding the "incredibly dynamic and volatile, and often chaotic" nature of the region, Austin said that "when things go badly there, it has a clear and considerable impact."

"The past has shown that when the region experiences any degree of strife and bloodshed or increased instability, every country there and others around the globe feel the effects," he said.
"And of course, security and stability in the Middle East and in South and Central Asia are important to us and to our partners because of the potential impact on our vital interests."

Those interests include the free flow of resources through key shipping lanes, the defense of the U.S. homeland against the threat of terrorism and extremism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, he said.

Austin said he's particularly concerned about the spread of ethno-sectarian violence throughout the region, as well as the growing threat posed by radical Islamists and other extremist groups. "If these activities spark further aggression or if the events become linked, it could lead to a regionwide crisis lasting a decade or more," he warned.

These challenges are exacerbated by the availability of ungoverned spaces and other adverse conditions that contribute to increased unrest and malign activities, he said.

"And so, as leaders, we must study and understand the unique dynamics at play, along with the trends or currents that connect the various events and crises together," he said. "Without this knowledge and appreciation of history, we can't hope to effectively influence outcomes or bring about a peaceful end to conflicts and situations as they arise."

Since assuming command of Centcom in March, Austin said, he has focused on managing current conflicts, preventing confrontations from escalating and ultimately, promoting conditions that lead to a lasting security and stability.

Doing so depends largely on the might and preparedness of the U.S. military, working in concert with other elements of U.S. power and influence, he said. "Our civilian leadership stands ready to employ all these instruments of power in order to secure our vital interests across the Middle East and beyond," he added.

Meanwhile, Austin emphasized ongoing efforts to promote partner capacity, largely through joint training exercises, education, foreign military sales and financing programs. The continued U.S. presence in the region and through the strong regional relationships established and strengthened through it is particularly important to this effort, he said.

While focusing on the future, Austin said, decisions made and actions taken today will have a long-term effect. He identified three major challenges now facing the region: the conflict in Afghanistan, the civil war in Syria and activities by Iran.

"The fact is that together we have accomplished a great deal in Afghanistan," he said. "We have improved the conditions there, and we have given the Afghan people a real chance and hope for a better life.

"That said, there is still more work to be done," he acknowledged, emphasizing U.S. interest in an enduring relationship with Afghanistan and a security agreement that provides a continued U.S. presence there. "We want to do all we can to help preserve the hard-earned gains achieved over the years by the Afghans and by the U.S. and coalition forces," he said.

"Afghanistan has the potential to thrive and prosper," he said, encouraging Afghan leaders to make the decisions needed to ensure the opportunity afforded them isn't squandered.

Austin called the civil war in Syria one of the most complex and challenging he has seen in his 38 years of military service. The conflict, driven by sectarian issues rather than ideology, is further complicated by the presence of chemical weapons and the proxy activity by Iran and other nation states, he said.

He expressed concern about extremist activity within Syria that threatens to spill beyond its borders and negatively affect the broader region.

Austin said he's hopeful Syria will make good on its pledge to eliminate its chemical weapons, but emphasized that the military option remains on the table if it doesn't. "We remain postured and ready to take action if called upon in the event that the regime does not fulfill its obligations during the agreed-upon timeframe," he said.

Ultimately, the civil war in Syria won't be resolved militarily, and will require a diplomatic or political solution, Austin said.

Warning that the situation could grow into a long, drawn-out conflict that extends across the region, he said, "all of us have a vested interest in seeing a stable and secure Syria achieved."

Meanwhile, Austin also expressed hope that a diplomatic solution can be reached regarding Iran's nuclear program.

President Barack Obama has been clear that the United States will not tolerate Iran's development or use of nuclear weapons, Austin told the forum. "All options required to enforce this policy remain on the table, to include the military option," he said. "And we at U.S. Central Command stand ready to support any and all policy decisions made by our president and our civilian leadership."

But Austin said other malign and destabilizing activity by Iran remains a concern not only by the United States, but also by its partners in the region.

"As I have told our partners in the region, with or without a nuclear threat, the United States has been and will remain a force for stability in the Middle East," Austin said. Although hopeful that Iran will change its current course, he added, "we, like our friends and allies, will always listen to what Iran says while paying even greater attention to its actions."

Meanwhile, he said, the United States and its partners will continue to stand ready to respond in the event that Iran poses a threat to the security of their people and their interests.

How the international community responds to these and other challenges in the Middle East will have long-term historical impact, Austin said.

"These are important and historic times," he said. "The challenges before us are undoubtedly great, and the consequences of failure are significant and lasting."

Recognizing that some people believe it's time to disengage from the Middle East to focus elsewhere, Austin said that likely never will be a viable option.

"We must and we will remain present and engaged," he said. "The Middle East is extremely important, because ... what occurs there, good and bad, has shown to have an indelible impact on the global economy and security and stability in other parts of the world, to include here in the U.S."

CENTCOM INTERAGENCY SYNERGY IN MIDDLE EAST

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Centcom Advisor Promotes Interagency Synergy in Middle East
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2013 - When Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III travels anywhere within the U.S. Central Command region or meets with his staff to discuss activities and operations, Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger is never far from his side.
Ranneberger, a senior Foreign Service officer, serves as Austin's senior foreign policy advisor. He's among about 100 high-level State Department officers, referred to as policy advisors assigned directly to military service chiefs, major headquarters staffs, and to Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, and the other combatant commanders.
Then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower recognized the importance of close interagency communication and collaboration in U.S. international affairs when he introduced what has grown into the State Department's Foreign Policy Advisor Program more than a half-century ago.

Never has this collaboration been more important than in today's globally connected world, and nowhere does it apply more directly than in Centcom's dynamic and often volatile area of operations, Ranneberger said during a telephone interview from the command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

Ranneberger's explained that his job is to help improve the processes that enable all elements of U.S. power -- "hard" military power and "soft" diplomatic and economic power -- to work in synch to support U.S. strategic objectives in the region.

"I like to describe my role as being a catalyst and facilitator of information and communication between Centcom and the State Department and other interlocutors in Washington, and with U.S. missions in the region," he said.

That begins within Centcom, where Ranneberger regularly shares his diplomatic insights and knowledge of U.S. policy and strategic objectives to help Austin and other senior staff members in their decision-making.

Calling Austin "a remarkably inclusive type of leader," Ranneberger said he "welcomes and encourages the presentation of different points of view" from his staff.

"He very much encourages a whole-of-government-type approach, so as a result, our interaction is very close," he said.

Ranneberger also coordinates closely with State Department officials in Washington, and U.S. Embassy country teams throughout Centcom's 20-nation region. He sits in on most of Austin's meetings with foreign leaders.

"There are always lots of questions in the region about U.S. policy -- about what we are going to do on different issues, whether it is Syria or Afghanistan or Egypt or you name it," he said. "So we strive to present a coherent view of what the U.S. government policy is."

Despite different cultures between DOD and the State Department and the ways they operate, Ranneberger said, he's a firm believer that diplomacy and military power go hand in hand.

"If you look at it, we are doing precisely the same thing, which is to advance U.S. national security interests by using our different tools," he said. "I have always seen the work of the military as integral to diplomatic activity. So it is not an 'either-or' -- either we have diplomacy or we have military action. Sometimes it is a combination of both, or one that reinforces the ability to achieve the other."

Austin recognized the importance of leveraging all elements of national power to address challenges in the region long before arriving at Centcom.

"Our experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us that to achieve our goals and objectives, we must balance all the instruments of national power," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing in February.

"The complexity of the current operating environment requires a whole-of-government approach that leverages the individual strengths of the interagency, to include our military and diplomatic partners and others," he said.

Austin told the panel he hopes to expand this unity of effort by identifying common goals early on and working together to achieve them. It's a process he said needs to expand to include "all stages of planning and operations," and that needs to start before, rather than in the midst of, a crisis.

"By working together on a routine basis, we will effectively align goals and objectives, improve communications and enhance the understanding of one another's methods and perspectives," he said. "This will ultimately enhance individual and U.S. government effectiveness."

CENTRAL COMMAND PLANS POST-2014

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Centcom Plans for Broader Regional Engagement Post-2014
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

TAMPA, Fla., July 10, 2013 - Exercises, training exchanges and other military-to-military engagements with partners across the Middle East will become increasingly important as the United States draws down its forces in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. Central Command official told American Forces Press Service.

For the past 11 years, sustained combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have monopolized the United States' focus within the Centcom area of responsibility, Guy Zero, deputy director for training and exercises, said during an interview at the command's headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

This limited the number of forces and assets available to support broader engagement elsewhere in the region, he acknowledged.

Despite these constraints, Centcom has pursued a robust theater engagement strategy ranging from senior leader conferences to tactical-level training and exercises with 18 of the 20 regional militaries in activities, Zero reported.

Now, facing a post-2014 future with a reduced troop presence, Centcom is laying plans to engage more broadly across the region.

"As active combat forces leave the Centcom area, the United States will increasingly depend upon strategic engagement through training and exercises to maintain our strategic partnerships," Zero said.

Recognizing budgetary constraints are affecting operations military-wide, Centcom is exploring ways to cut costs without impacting its engagements, he said. Planners are scaling back some of the expensive field training exercises, while leveraging the benefits of tabletop and command post exercises.

"We will have to make some careful choices and prioritize what training we do, how we do it and whether we do it with forces or [command post exercises], bringing staffs together to exercise processes," Zero said.

What's important, he emphasized, is that the engagements continue, and that they continue to grow.

Particularly in light of the defense strategic guidance and its heightened focus on the Asia-Pacific region, the world is watching to see if the United States will live up to its long-term commitments within the Centcom region, he said.

"Our partners in the Middle East, as well as those nations outside the Middle East, are watching very carefully to see what the United States is going to do," Zero said. "They are watching, I believe, to see if the United States is going to turn its back on the partner nations in the Middle East. This is our opportunity to prove them wrong."

Military-to-military engagements help bolster partner capacity throughout the region, increasing interoperability so militaries work together more effectively during multinational operations, he said.

But they serve another vital purpose: building trust between the U.S. and partner militaries, and among regional partners that historically have not worked closely together.

"Ultimately, this enhances readiness, and provides a forum of dialogue so, should crisis erupt, we are not meeting and talking for the very first time," he said. "We are rehearsing concepts so, should they need to be employed, we have done it on some level before."

Reflecting a global trend, many U.S. engagements in the region have evolved into multilateral exercises. "Based on past experience, we see any future conflict as being multinational and multilateral," Zero said. "And as such, we need to conduct training and exercises and engagement on a multinational and multilateral basis."

The recent Eagle Resolve exercise, for example, included 18 nations -- every country in the region except Syria and Iran. "Everybody else had representation," Zero said.

To encourage the broadest possible participation, Centcom typically builds the scenarios around non-offensive operations. In many cases, they involve air and missile defense, countermine operations or humanitarian assistance and disaster response, he said.

"The themes are very similar across the [area of responsibility," Zero said. "What we do in training is not directly connected to world events."

Eagle Resolve, conducted in April in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, brought together U.S. and Gulf Cooperation Council partners to address integrated air and missile defense, consequence management, critical infrastructure protection, counterterrorism, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-passive defense, and interdiction and border security.

Eager Lion, held in Jordan in June, focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response and air and missile defense.

Regional Cooperation, an exercise currently underway and being hosted by Kazakhstan, typically involves scenarios related to acts of terrorism or natural disasters.

Although the scenarios aren't directed at any particular nation, capacity built through the exercises could be applied to a combat operation if the situation demanded it, Zero said.

"If you practice [humanitarian assistance and disaster response], you are going to be exercising the same types of systems, doing decision-making and executing very similar to what you would do in conflict," he said. "But by removing the specter of a scenario of conflict, you can really get down to the root of practicing our business practices and the roles and functions of how we operate."

This puts potential aggressors on alert, he said. "As these countries look out across their portico, they see a collection of countries coming together for a purpose. It is hard to ignore the resolve that is demonstrated by those nations coming together and that sends: that we are here together," he said.

"That, in and of itself, is a deterrent," Zero noted.

U.S.-CHINA DIALOGUE ON THE MIDDLE EAST

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

U.S.-China Middle East Dialogue
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 20, 2013　


Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy R. Sherman and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun held the second round of the U.S.-China Middle East Dialogue in Washington, DC, June 20. This dialogue was held under the framework of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

The two sides discussed developments in the Middle East, with particular attention to Syria, Iran, and Middle East Peace. Under Secretary Sherman and Vice Foreign Minister Zhai also discussed ways for both countries to promote greater cooperation on regional issues and related global challenges, including energy security.

The United States reiterated its commitment to building a cooperative partnership with China and welcomed China playing a more active and positive role in the Middle East region.

The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Departments of State and Defense. Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun also met with Deputy Secretary Burns during his visit.

OBAMA, PUTIN AGREE ON CYBER AND NUCLEAR COOPERTION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

U.S., Russia Agree to Cooperate on Cyber, Nukes
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2013 - Cooperation at many levels will help to reduce misunderstandings between the United States and Russia, the leaders of both countries said after meetings in Northern Ireland yesterday.


Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin agreed to cooperate on a number of different aspects of the bilateral relationship. The men spoke at Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, as part of the G-8 Summit.

Putin said the United States and Russia "have an opportunity to move forward on most sensitive directions."

The two leaders discussed Syria. While they do not agree on all points, they said, they both want the violence in the Middle East country to stop. "We agreed to push the parties to the negotiations table," the Russian president said.

Obama stressed that discussions on Iran and North Korea were productive. "We both agreed to consult closely on the North Korean issue," he said in his remarks. "On Iran, we both ... expressed cautious optimism that with a new election there, we may be able to move forward on a dialogue that allows us to resolve the problems with Iran's nuclear program."

Obama noted that Russia and the United States are the world's two nuclear superpowers. "We have a special obligation to try to continue to reduce tensions, to build on the work that we did with New START, and to lead the world in both nuclear security issues and proliferation issues," he said. As part of that, the United States and Russia signed a convention to continue the Nunn-Lugar program to counter potential threats of proliferation and to enhance nuclear security.

"By working together, we not only increase security and prosperity for the Russian and American people, but also help lead the world to a better place," Obama said.

The two nations also negotiated a range of steps designed to increase transparency and reduce the possibility that a misunderstood cyber incident could create instability or a crisis in the bilateral relationship. Part of this will result in better links between the two countries' Computer Emergency Response Teams, officials said.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY AND POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER SIKORSKI MAKE REMARKS AFTER MEETING

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Remarks With Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski After Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
June 3, 2013

SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I’ve got two comments I want to make at the top here before welcoming Foreign Minister Sikorski as I will and want to, and then look forward to your questions on that. But this morning, I’m thinking, as all of us from the Senate family are, of the passing of one of our own, Senator Frank Lautenberg. I was privileged to spend more than 20 years as Frank’s colleague in the Senate, off and on repeatedly, because of Frank’s original retirement, which fate did not allow to stick.

Frank was a remarkable legislator and just a tremendous human being. He was someone who fought and won a lot of battles that today people just take for granted, like a ban on smoking on airplanes or progress for veterans and laws that have helped allow Jews and Christians and Baha’is and so many others escape persecution, laws banning foreign aid to state sponsors of terrorism, laws bolstering security of ports and chemical plants, and laws ensuring that the victims of terror achieve some sense of justice. We think of Pan Am 103 and what eventually took place there. That was Frank Lautenberg.

Frank was tenacious as a legislator. Never forgot where he came from in New Jersey. Never forgot the values that he grew up with and learned, always practiced them. But he was above all a person of huge personal conviction. We traveled together way back when in 1990 to the first climate change conference in Rio, and Frank never lost faith with that commitment to the environment. During the years when Frank was going through chemotherapy and he was weakened by cancer, he was still down there on the floor of the United States Senate fighting on every environmental debate late into the night.

He used to talk to me about his grandchild whose asthma was exacerbated by pollution, and it was all very, very personal to Frank. And so too was his conviction about those who have worn the uniform of our country. Frank never lost the connection to the 18-year-old Frank Lautenberg who volunteered for service in World War II. And I think he fought harder for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan because he had been there in their shoes. He fought just as hard for me as well, and I will always be grateful and touched by the ferocity with which Frank defended me in 2004 when partisans questioned my own service in the Navy.

Frank Lautenberg was as loyal as he was patriotic. So I will particularly miss the last World War II veteran who serves in the United States Senate. And my heart goes out to his wife Bonnie, to his children Ellen, Nan, Lisa, and to Joshua, and to the grandchildren that he loved so much.

Now also I want to just say a word because we are following the events in Turkey obviously very, very closely, and as many of you know, we’ve been working very closely with the Turkish leadership. Prime Minister Erdogan was just here, and I have been working very closely with Foreign Minister Davutoglu on efforts with respect to the Middle East.

As we have stated always to them in conversations as well as elsewhere in public, the United States supports full freedom of expression and assembly, including the right of people to peaceful protest, because that is fundamental to any democracy. And we are concerned by the reports of excessive use of force by police. We obviously hope that there will be a full investigation of those incidents and full restraint from the police force with respect to those kinds of incidents. And we urge all people involved, those demonstrating and expressing their freedom of expression and those in the government, to avoid any provocations of violence. Obviously, everybody was deeply concerned about the numbers of people who have been injured and about the level of violence to property.

We don’t say these things to interfere in another country’s choices or events, but we say these things to reaffirm what we believe are universal principles and values that are essential to the practice of democracy and to the improvement of the relationship between governments and people.

Our Ambassador has made our views known to senior officials and we have updated our travel advisories for American citizens in Turkey, reminding them of precautions to take in travel but also that they should not participate in these kinds of events. And obviously we hope that the people of Turkey and the Government of Turkey will find their peaceful way forward in the next days.

That said – and I thank the Foreign Minister – I asked him his permission to be able to say a couple of things, both about Turkey and Senator Lautenberg, and I appreciate his indulgence because this is his visit and his time, and I’m grateful to him. As always, our friends in Poland are enormously thoughtful and enormously helpful to this partnership, and we are very, very grateful. I couldn’t be more pleased than to welcome Foreign Minister Sikorski to Washington at this moment to discuss the wide-ranging agenda that the United States and Poland share.

Our countries really do share a remarkable history, a long history. It’s been well over two centuries since George Washington and Casimir Pulaski stood side by side as our country was struggling for freedom. And it is safe to say that Poland and the United States have stood side by side ever since then, and particularly through the difficult period of the 20th century, through the war, through the Iron Curtain, and now into the 21st century where the American people and the Polish people are still standing side by side.

The United States is very committed to this partnership. And I reaffirmed to the Foreign Minister from Poland our gratitude for the degree to which Poland has been showing leadership within the European Union as well as within NATO itself. The Foreign Minister and I both understand that advancing our shared interests starts with keeping ourselves and our allies secure. As a NATO ally, Poland has played a particularly strong role in Afghanistan, where Polish troops are serving alongside Americans and those in 50-plus other nations, and we thank Poland for that commitment and also for that sacrifice.

At the same time, we are both focused on European security. Last November, we established the first full-time American military detachment at the Lask Air Base, and we are on track to deploy a missile defense site in Poland by 2018 as part of NATO’s modernized approach to our security. And of course, our commitment to Article 5 of NATO is ironclad. I also want to commend Poland for its defense modernization efforts and its commitment to NATO capabilities.

The Foreign Minister and I also discussed our economic ties. As everybody knows, we are pursuing the TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. And that would make our relationship even stronger, but also raise the standards of doing business on a global basis and create one of the strongest markets in the world on both sides of the Atlantic.

We also want to see Poland included in the Visa Waiver Program. Making it easier for Poles to visit the United States makes sense in every respect. It’s good for trade, it’s good for investment, it’s good for promoting the people-to-people ties that help to bind our countries together. And we’re going to continue to work with Congress in order to achieve the goal of this visa waiver program.

We’re also both busily engaged in supporting democratic transitions within other countries, whether it’s in Eastern Europe or the Middle East or North Africa. And we thank our friends in Poland for their extraordinary commitment to democracy and to those who fight for freedom. And I think the Foreign Minister may have something to say about Polish plans with respect to that.

In every respect in the EU, Poland’s leadership has been exemplary. We’re both encouraging Ukraine to continue on the path to reform so that that will help it to be able to integrate with the EU. And these are the same steps that Poland itself has taken in the past. Therefore, Poland has a huge ability to be able to help other countries to understand that road ahead of them.

So I’d just finish by thanking the Foreign Minister for Poland’s hosting the climate change summit that will happen in November. It’s another example of Poland’s leadership. And once again, Foreign Minister, welcome. We thank you for the strength of this alliance, and I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership in any number of additional ways. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER SIKORSKI: Thank you. Well, thank you very much for hosting me here in Washington. We go back to before you assumed your current position, but it’s always good to have a visit at the office, and I’m sure that we’ll work as closely as I did with Condi and Hillary before you.

I wanted to say that I fully associate myself with what the Secretary of State said, both about the departed Senator – and I say this as a Pole, but also as the husband of an American citizen – and on what’s going on in Turkey. Poland, because of its successful transformation from dictatorship to democracy, is trying to be a leader of democratization efforts around Europe’s neighborhood. And therefore, we are – we pay particular attention when there is backsliding, whether it’s selective justice or it’s overuse of force or it’s skewing election results, be it in Turkey, be it in Georgia, being it in Belarus and elsewhere. We pay attention and we try to do something about it.

This is a unique Polish-American partnership, democratization, and we actually have a formal democratization dialogue of this because we bring unique capabilities to this. We remember being helped by the United States in our time of need. And it goes back a long way, to Woodrow Wilson and help for the resurrected Poland after World War I, but also Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter before him. We entered NATO under President Clinton. Everybody remembers this, and this is a sure foundation for our relationship, because we are both nations that feel liberty and human rights in their bones. And we are both revolutionary people who would like to share the benefits of these things with other people.

But we also have important interests in common. As the Secretary of State has already mentioned, the security dimension is very good. And we are delighted that at last there is a small but capable U.S. presence in Poland, and U.S. F-16s and Polish F-16s are training together. We also will welcome the missile defense site, and all the practical arrangements already being made.

Thank you for your words about the Visa Waiver Program. It’s become a symbolic but also a practical issue, and I will be delighted if President Obama’s promise to us to fix it by the end of his tenure is fulfilled.

Yes, Poland is a strong supporter of a transatlantic free trade area. We need to leave the crisis behind us. And developments in the energy sphere and this, removing the remaining barriers to trade, to investment, is one means of achieving this. And you can count on Poland being a strong advocate of this inside the European Union.

We, of course, also share your efforts to try to resolve both the Middle East issue between Israel and Palestine, but in particular the horrible situation in Syria, where there are already perhaps 80,000 dead, over a million external refugees, millions of internal refugees. And I know your expertise on this, and Poland will do in Europe to – what we can to support those issues.

You came to Poland for the COP Conference in Poznan. I know your long engagement with those issues. So I have taken the liberty of inviting the Secretary of State to come to Poland, and I hope you’ll pick not too distant a future date to do it.

Again, thank you for having me here, and I’m very glad to be able to say that the Polish-American friendship and alliance is as strong as ever.

(In Polish.)

SECRETARY KERRY: So, in case you didn’t understand that, he just took back everything he said before in English. (Laughter.) Except for Hillary Clinton and Condi Rice. (Laughter.)

MS. PSAKI: On that note, the first question will be from Jill Dougherty of CNN.

QUESTION: Thank you. Secretary Kerry, you mentioned the violence in Syria. Everyone is watching that with concern, but of course, Turkey is one of the key countries involved in what is transpiring in Syria. Are you concerned that the government could be preoccupied by this violence, making it more difficult to deal with the Syrian situation at all? And do you have an update for us on the Geneva 2 meeting that we expect to take place?

And just one – the Foreign Minister mentioned Mideast peace. You’ve spent a lot of time working on that recently. When you were in Jerusalem the last time, you talked about the need for both sides – for the Israelis and the Palestinians – to make decisions; it’s decision time. How are they doing that? Are you at a point where you could have some type of proposal? Should you go back to the region to encourage them? Where do we stand? Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me begin with the second part first, if you don’t mind, since it’s right there. I am confident that both sides are weighing the choices that they have in front of them very, very seriously. I’m absolutely confident about that, and that is all I’m going to say. I’m not – I think they need to have an opportunity to do that, and I will make a judgment at some point whether I need to go push a little bit or help that process, and I’m certainly willing to. I am open to that possibility.

But as I’ve said, we’re not raising any expectations about an American plan or other things. These discussions have been private, and I think they’ve been constructive as a result of being private, and that’s the way I would like to keep them until such time as they either deserve comment publicly or because they speak for themselves in some choices. And that’s where the Middle East is right now. But I am confident about the energy and effort that is going in to thinking through the road ahead.

With respect to the Turks and the process for Syria, let me just begin by saying that what is happening in Syria is happening because one man, who has been in power with his family for years now, more than 40 years, will not consent to an appropriate process by which the people of Syria can protect minorities, be inclusive, and have the people of Syria decide their future. He has decided to protect himself and his regime’s interests by reaching out across state lines and actually soliciting the help of Iran on the ground with foreign fighters as well as Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. A designated terrorist organization has now crossed over from Lebanon into Syria and is actively engaged in the fighting.

President Assad is not unwilling to use Scuds against women and children and students and doctors and hospitals. He’s not unwilling to wreak havoc on individual citizens. And today in Qusayr, which is under siege by his forces and the surrogate forces, you have an extraordinary number of civilians who are trapped, and he will not allow the Red Cross and humanitarian aid to go in until the military has finished what it intends to do.

So I think the world is seeing the actions of a person who has lost touch with any reality except his own and who is willing to wreak any kind of punishment on his own – on the people of his country simply so that he can maintain power. And so this situation is obviously intolerable, unacceptable by any standard, and I think all civilized countries would call on the Assad regime to pull back from that and to engage in a legitimate peace process.

Now, with respect to that, I’m confident that Turkey will continue to be a critical player in this. I’m confident Turkey will reach out and resolve these questions. It’s not the first time any government has faced this kind of challenge. And I do expect Foreign Minister Davutoglu and the Prime Minister to remain engaged in the effort to try to resolve what is happening in Syria.

With respect to Geneva 2, we all understand – I have said from day one – this is a very difficult process which we come to late. We are trying to prevent the sectarian violence from dragging Syria down into a complete and total implosion, where it has broken up into enclaves and the institutions of the state have been destroyed, with God knows how many additional refugees and how many innocent people killed.

That’s why the effort to try to have an implementation of Geneva 1 take place at a conference. Now, when that ripens, when that becomes a reality is going to be decided by events on the ground and the participants themselves. The United States can push and cajole, and President Obama has instructed all of us to try to take every step possible to protect the people and to provide a venue for this dialogue to take place. But in the end, the people on the ground are going to have to decide that that’s something they’re prepared to engage in.

I spoke with Foreign Minister Lavrov on Friday. We had a good conversation. He remains deeply committed to trying to make this conference happen, as do all of the support group of the people involved with the opposition. But I will say that the possibility of the transfer of S-300s, which will upset the balance of power with Israel as well as the prosecution of this lopsided military initiative in Qusayr and the trapping of civilians and the treatment of civilians, could put this kind of thing at risk. So we hope people will pull back and stay focused on the possibilities of implementing Geneva 1 and having a legitimate conference.

This week – tomorrow, in fact – Under Secretary Wendy Sherman will travel to Geneva. She will meet with Russian counterparts, and we will continue to lay the groundwork for the possibility of a negotiated resolution. And we will stay committed to that possibility notwithstanding the violence on the ground and the difficulties that we face.

MODERATOR: The second question will come from Mr. Marek Walkuski from Polish Public Radio.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, do you personally and the State Department support an expansion of the Visa Waiver Program included in the current comprehensive immigration reform that’s in the Senate right now? I’m asking about provisions that open the door to the program for countries with low visa overstay rate. And can you assure that Poland would qualify to the program – for the program if the legislation is approved?

And on missile defense, President Barack Obama dropped an important part of his own missile defense plan for Europe a few months ago. Can you assure that the United States will not make more concessions to Russia on missile defense?

And Mr. Foreign Minister, are you convinced that Poland would finally – would eventually host a U.S. missile defense base on its territory?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me start with the second part of your question, if I may. The United States of America has made zero – zero concessions to Russia with respect to missile defense. There was no discussion with Russia whatsoever about the decision that was made with respect to phase four. And it was purposefully – there was no discussion with Russia in order to avoid any potential of an accusation of a deal or some agreement or some concession. There was no discussion.

This was a simple decision based exclusively on the functionality of the system and the decision that we could have a better system in the long run by moving to a different technology and building on phase three. And we are absolutely, President Obama is absolutely, committed to the deployment of phase three, as I said a few minutes ago. It is in the budget. It is proceeding forward. It will be deployed, very simply.

With respect to the question – the first part of your question was on the Visa Waiver – President Obama supports the Visa Waiver Program. I support the Visa Waiver personally for Poland. The Administration as a whole is supportive of the language in the legislation on the Hill right now. We hope that legislation will be passed, and we expect that Poland will benefit from the implementation of the Visa Waiver Program.

As I said in my opening comments, this makes sense, this is good for all of us, and we want this to happen.

FOREIGN MINISTER SIKORSKI: Well, I don’t think you could have got it either more eloquently or more firmly, so all that is left for me to say is thank you. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: But in the past, Mr. Minister, you had some doubts about missile defense in Poland.

SECRETARY KERRY: That’s why he came here, because we just erased all the doubts.

FOREIGN MINISTER SIKORSKI: We’ve also had a formal exchange of letters and we are on the same page on the missile defense issue.

MS. PSAKI: Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Happy. Thank you all very, very much. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER SIKORSKI: Thanks.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thanks, Minister.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL STARTS IMPORTANT MIDDLE EAST TRIP

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel's First Middle East Trip to Seal Historic Arms Deal
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's first official trip to the Middle East will underscore U.S. security relationships there and finalize agreements on an unprecedented release of military capabilities to Israel and other partner countries, senior defense officials said today.

Tomorrow, the secretary begins a six-day trip that includes meetings with counterparts and officials in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

"I would characterize this trip as not just a series of courtesy calls, but as a series of security calls on important allies and partners," a senior defense official, speaking on background, told Pentagon reporters today.

Hagel's goal, the official added, "is to deepen and strengthen his relationships with all of these countries."

"I would note that in the case of Israel, he has been to Israel six times in the past and looks forward to expressing once again in that country his personal commitment to our alliance and to Israel's security," the official added.

The range of security issues to be discussed will all country officials includes the situations in Syria, Iran, the Sinai Peninsula and others, he said, along with the historic arms deal that involves Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The release of U.S. military capabilities is the culmination of an effort that President Barack Obama asked former Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta to undertake late last year, another senior defense official said.

Given many shared threats in the region, including Iran, Syria, terrorism, border issues and other challenges, the president wanted Panetta "to look at ways not just to protect Israel's qualitative military edge, which is a key principle of American policy, but to increase the capabilities of Israel in a significant and meaningful way and in doing so increase the capabilities of key partner nations," he added.

The series of sensitive bilateral negotiations took place over the past year and resulted in agreements, reached also through consultations with Congress, to approve requests by Israel for advanced radar for Israeli jet fighters, antiradiation missiles, KC-135 refueling tankers, and a to-be-determined number of V-22 Ospreys, the official said, a capability that the United States has never sold to any other country.

The United States is making these capabilities available for Israeli purchase, the official said, adding that U.S. funding for Israel's security needs has been unprecedented, even in an austere budget environment.

"This year the United States provided $3.1 billion in foreign military financing to Israel, the highest the United States has ever provided," he said. In addition, the United States provides about $300 million in missile defense to Israel, the official noted.

Elsewhere in the region, in 2010 Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase 84 F-15 tactical fighters in a deal worth $29.4 billion, the official said, and the first F-15s have rolled off the line in St. Louis and are undergoing flight testing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

During Hagel's trip, the UAE is expected to move forward with the purchase of 25 F-16 Block 60 Desert Falcon fighters manufactured by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The expected value of the sale is $425 billion, the official said.

"As part of these sales," he added, "the United States is agreeing to deploy standoff weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE." Such smart weapons can navigate to their targets and are more precise and can be fired at further distances.

"This is more advanced weaponry than we've sold before," the official said. "A key part of the agreement is that we believe, and the Israelis believe, that [providing] these capabilities in no way diminishes Israel's qualitative military edge, but are consistent with [the need to] commonly address threats in the region."

The United States will jointly train with the Emirati and Saudi pilots, as has been the case for other sales of military aircraft, he noted.

"There will be enhanced end-use monitoring consistent with what we provide with sensitive technology to our other allies and partners around the region," the official said, "and there will be consultations prior to any of the weapons' deployment."

None of the military sales signals a change in U.S. policy toward Iran or any other country, the official said.

The secretary's trip is an important one that follows up on Obama's trip in March to Israel and Jordan, and discussions the president had there, another senior defense official said. During the secretary's trip, the official said, "in each country we will be seeking to strengthen and reinforce the relationships."

Syria will be at the top of the agenda at all stops, he added, and Iran clearly will be an issue Hagel will be interested in hearing about from his counterparts.

Egypt will be a very important stop both to reaffirm the importance of the Egyptian-U.S. defense relationship, discuss many important issues that Pentagon officials have been working on with Egypt for about two years, and security issues, the official observed, but also Egypt's internal situation.

Hagel will have a chance to speak directly with Egyptian officials about "the difficult times they're in," the official said, referring to the transitional period that has followed the revolution that began Jan. 25, 2011.

In Jordan, the secretary will have an opportunity to meet with senior Jordanian defense officials about the situation in Syria and what the Defense Department can do to help the Jordanians, the official said.

COMMANDER OF U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND SAYS IRAN IS 'MOST SIGNIFICANT THREAT' IN MIDDLE EAST REGION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Mattis: Iran 'Most Significant Threat' To Regional Stability
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2013 - Iran's behavior poses the greatest risk to stability in the Middle East, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today.

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis said "Iran remains the single-most significant regional threat to stability and prosperity," adding that the Iranian government's "Reckless behavior and bellicose rhetoric characterize a leadership that cannot win the affection of its own people or the respect of any responsible nation in the region."

Iran's continued support for the Assad regime in Syria, Mattis said, coupled with its maligned activities in the Middle East raise the risk of Iranian miscalculation sparking a disastrous conflict.

The general cited Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen and Gaza as places where Iran has attempted to derail stability in the region.

Globally, Mattis listed Sudan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Thailand, India, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Nigeria as other sites for Iran's clandestine activities.

"Even here in Washington, D.C., [Iran made] an attempt to kill the Saudi ambassador," he said. Iran remains a threat elsewhere in the world, as well as in the cyber domain, he said.

On Syria, Mattis was asked by a committee member if all options, including a military option are still available to President Barack Obama, and if so, if a plan was fully prepared.

"Those plans are fully developed," he said.

Mattis also said he would have reservations about arming Syrian rebels battling the Assad regime.

"The situation is so complex that I have to get some degree of confidence that the weapons that we would be arming them with would not be going to people who are enemies," he said.

"[This] would be the one caveat that I would put on any military advice to go forward along those lines," Mattis added. "We don't want, inadvertently, with the best of intentions, to arm people who are basically sworn enemies."

Mattis noted he has not been tasked with such a mission and hadn't "looked deeply" into implementing such a plan.

The general was also asked by the committee how long he believed rebels can sustain their resistance to the Assad regime, and if President Assad would be able to maintain control in Syria.

"We're dealing with a fundamentally unpredictable situation. However, [the rebels are] eroding his power base," Mattis said. "It is eroding the geographic base he controls daily.

"You see him using ballistic missiles to impact the areas he's lost control [over]," the general continued. "Notice how the increased use of those missiles over the last month or two has been evident."

Though Assad is losing ground, Mattis said, it's difficult to forecast how long his regime can hold out.

VISIT BY GENERAL DEMPSEY AND U.S. JORDANIAN RELATIONS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey introduces himself to Jordanian National Security leaders in Amman, Jordan, Apr. 21, 2012. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen

Dempsey Visits Jordan to Reaffirm Partnership
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
AMMAN, Jordan, April 21, 2012 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff arrived here today to visit his Jordanian counterpart and to meet with officials at the U.S. Embassy.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey kicked off his first visit to Jordan as chairman with private meetings with U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Stuart E. Jones and members of the embassy's staff, followed by a Jordanian-hosted dinner. Tomorrow, he'll meet with Jordan's chief of defense, Lt. Gen. Mashal al-Zaben.

The chairman took time after his embassy meetings to mix and mingle informally with service members stationed here.

"This is a counterpart visit and a chance to thank the Jordanians for their critical support in Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as to discuss regional security issues," said Marine Corps Col. David Lapan, Dempsey's spokesman. "We remain firmly committed to our partnership with Jordan's armed forces and greatly appreciate their contributions in support of coalition operations."

Jordan is one of the most vital U.S. allies in the region, Lapan said. "We are fully committed to our partnership during this time of dynamic change," he added.
The world is closely watching developments in Syria, Lapan said, and the United States shares Jordanian concerns regarding the deteriorating situation there.

"The Jordanian military continues to display exceptional leadership throughout the region," Lapan said. For example, he said, the United States and Jordan will conduct Exercise Eager Lion 12 from May 7 to May 28.

The exercise will bring together more than 8,000 participants from more than 15 countries over five continents. Its focus is to strengthen military-to-military relationships of participating partner nations through a joint, whole-of-government, multinational approach, the chairman's spokesman said.