'We had enormous success in defeating Iran's attack': US defense chief

WASHINGTON

Iran's airborne attack against Israel was successfully defeated, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.

"We began seeing the exceptional skill and professionalism of our forces after Iran's unprecedented and reckless assault on Israel.

"Alongside Israel and our allies, we had enormous success in defeating Iran's attack," Austin testified, along with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee about the Pentagon’s budget for fiscal year 2025.

The US will continue to stand ready to protect its troops in the region and to support the defense of Israel from attacks from Iran or its proxies, Austin said, reiterating that the US commitment to Israel's security is "ironclad."

"And let me be clear, while we've not seen renewed attacks on US forces or facilities, as President (Joe) Biden has said, we will not hesitate to take all necessary actions to protect our people," he added.

Iran launched an airborne attack Saturday on Israel in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital. It reportedly fired more than 300 drones and missiles, with almost all intercepted by the air defense systems of Israel and its allies -- the US, France and the UK.

Austin said what Iran should learn is that not only Israel has the ability to defend itself against "significant" challenges, but its allies, principally the US, have "significant" capabilities as well.

First engagement with China

Regarding his video teleconference with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, in their first engagement in more than a year, Austin said it was "really good."

"We spent an hour talking to each other and, and I hope to continue that at some point in the future," he said.

Austin added that it is "critical" that great powers continue to maintain open lines of communication.

It was the first time that Austin had a substantive exchange with his Chinese counterpart since November 2022.

They discussed relations as well as regional and global security issues.

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met in November in San Francisco for a summit that paved the way for resuming military-to-military communications and "clear and open" communication between their countries’ defense establishments to avoid miscalculations by either side and preventing a conflict.

Supplemental bill

Austin said the passage of an about to the stalled US aid bill is "absolutely critical."

"This supplemental is really important for a number of reasons," he added.

Austin said the supplemental not only provides support for Ukraine but also provides much-needed support for Israel and Taiwan.

Biden's $95 billion national security supplemental had languished in the House for months after it overwhelmingly cleared the Senate by a 70 - 29 vote in February. It includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, nearly $2.5 billion for US military operations in the Red Sea and $4.8 billion for Indo-Pacific partners.

Stressing that the US military is "the most lethal fighting force on earth," Austin said: "It's important to us, for our security as well. And it's really important that we have the ability to replenish stocks in our inventory that will be critical for us going forward."

House Speaker Mike Johnson this week unveiled a plan for passing wartime aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan in separate bills and moved a fourth piece of legislation wrapping other Republican national security priorities together.

Turning to the Pentagon's 2025 budget request of $849.8 billion, Austin said it is important to receive the budget on time.

"Our budget request is directly linked to our strategy. So, without a budget, we can't execute the strategy to its fullest," he added.