Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, Pat Ryder Press Briefings
Press briefings with Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh and Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Press briefings with Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh and Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. [Two separate briefings].
Air Defenses in the Middle East Largely Successful
Pentagon: In late January, three U.S. soldiers were killed and 40 other service members were injured at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network, a military base in Jordan near the Syrian border, following an attack by an uncrewed aerial system.
Those service members were in Jordan to support Operation Inherent Resolve, a U.S. combined mission working by, with, and through regional partners to ensure the defeat of ISIS.
Singh said the loss of lives at the base is tragic, and Centcom is assessing and reviewing the attack to find out what happened, why it happened, and how a drone was able to evade air defenses.
She also noted that in the Middle East, following more than 160 similar attacks, U.S. air defenses in the region have been mostly successful.
"For a majority, those attacks have been unsuccessful," she said.
"We've seen a majority of those attacks have minor damage to infrastructure, incur minor casualties to our service members," she said. "For the most part, our air defenses have been able to catch or been able to destroy any impact or any incoming ... whether it be rockets or drones at bases."