READOUT: SECRETARY HAGEL'S CALL WITH EGYPTIAN DEFENSE MINISTER GENERAL AL-SISI

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT  
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Call with Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Fatah al-Sisi

           Pentagon Press Secretary George Little issued the following readout:

           "Secretary Hagel spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Defense Gen. Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi this afternoon via telephone.

           "Secretary Hagel and Minister Al-Sisi discussed progress in U.S. and EU mediation efforts led by Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns and EU Special Representative Bernadino Leon.

           "Minister Al-Sisi underscored his commitment to peaceful resolution of the ongoing protests, and thanked Secretary Hagel for U.S. support.

           "Minister Al-Sisi affirmed the commitment of the interim civilian government to an inclusive political roadmap for all Egyptians."

PENTAGON SAYS SEQUESTRATION PLANNING HURTS PENTAGON

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Spokesman: Sequestration Planning Hinders Pentagon
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2013 - Preparations under way for the looming threat of major across-the-board Pentagon spending cuts are "a drag on the department," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

Congress recently passed legislation delaying the "sequestration" spending cuts until March 1, but $500 billion in defense spending over 10 years still is at stake if Congress fails to agree on an alternative.

""We're investing a great number of manhours, resources and intensive planning for sequestration, which we, of course, hope to avoid," Little told reporters, and the fiscal ripples at the Pentagon expand far beyond Washington.

"When you have [forward deployed] service members who are asking about appropriations, that's a signal to me that [it's] weighing on their minds," Little said. "When sequestration, ... continuing resolutions and appropriations become a discussion point in Kabul, ... Vicenza or on Okinawa, that is a sign [that] this debate in Washington is having a negative effect on troop morale."

Little said the threat of sequestration already has affected morale, time management, planning and even his ability to discuss other matters in his meetings with reporters.

"It's time to move beyond the 'fiscal cliff' and get a deal done," he said.

As sequestration draws closer, Little noted, his level of awareness has increased with regard to service members' worries about their families, their benefits and their ability to perform the mission.

"I think it is a justifiable concern on their part, and responsibility to address it rests with Congress," he said.

U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN WILL LIMIT CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT BUT RETAIN RIGHT OF SELF-DEFENSE

Photo:  Commander of U.S. and NATO Forces In Afghanistan Gen. John R. Allen .  Credit:  U.S. Department of Defense

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

U.S. Forces Will Retain Self-defense Capability in Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2012 - U.S. military leaders will take extra steps to ensure innocent Afghan civilians are not killed or hurt in combat operations, but U.S. forces will retain the means of self-defense, Pentagon officials said here today.

Following a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S and NATO forces in Afghanistan, issued an order saying there would be no bombing of civilian homes except in cases of self-defense.

There have been a few instances of NATO aircraft bombing targets and causing the deaths of innocent civilians. "The number of events directed against civilian compounds is a very small percentage of events in which air-delivered munitions are used," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said. "We do retain the right of self-defense in Afghanistan for force protection reasons. That's an inherent right, and we will retain that right."

At their regularly scheduled news conference, Little and Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby emphasized that NATO forces and Afghan leaders have agreed to limits on close-air support in the country. Coalition officials take seriously the prospect of civilian casualties, they said, and try to limit those to the extent possible.

"Our track record in Afghanistan is very good on this point," Little said.

"Let me make it clear, that when it comes to civilian casualties in Afghanistan, we care about trying to avoid them," he added. "Our enemies don't."

The Taliban and their terrorist allies intentionally inflict harm upon the civilian populations inside Afghanistan, Little said.

"They are responsible for the large majority of civilian casualties that occur in that country," he said.