Pentagon Suspends Travel To Israel For Top DOD Officials, Members Of Congress

 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has implemented a temporary suspension of Pentagon flights to Israel for top DOD officials and members of Congress due to the intensity of military conflict in the area.

The Department of Defense typically provides the aircraft and support needed when members of Congress travel overseas, including to conflict zones.

“I hereby restrict visits by DoD senior leaders to Israel effective immediately and until further notice,” Austin said in a memo. Any senior DOD leader that needs to travel to Israel will have to get authorization directly from either Austin or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, depending on the position of the person making the request.

“I further discourage visits to Israel requiring DoD support by members of Congress and their staffs,” the memo said. “I hereby instruct the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs to inform the appropriate congressional leadership that DoD support to congressional delegation visits will be unavailable to Israel during this period, and no DoD support shall be made available for congressional travel to Israel without my approval.”

Austin said that the policy will not impact the normal operational flow of personnel to the United States Central Command area of responsibility.

The Pentagon will also continue to provide support for “any desired visits by the President and Vice President of the United States,” the memo added. “These restrictions also do not apply to travel by the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretaries of the Military Departments, or Service Chiefs.”

 

The memo comes after Hamas terrorists murdered 1,400 Israelis in an unprecedented terrorist attack last month in which 5,300+ were injured, more than 240 were taken hostage, and countless stories of barbaric violence were inflicted on innocent Israeli citizens. Hamas also murdered 31 Americans during the attack.