Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an Off-Camera, On-the-Record Press Briefing

MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: So first of all, Secretary Austin will meet with Japan's national security advisor, Akiba Takeo, this afternoon here in the Pentagon to discuss the deepening cooperation between the United States and Japan, and we'll issue a readout on that later today. Second, as was briefed during Thursday's press briefing, Secretary Austin will host Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant here at the Pentagon tomorrow for a bilateral meeting. Again, the meeting is expected to cover a range of topics, to include efforts to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas, the need for more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians and plans to ensure the safety of the more-than o...