Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will host an enhanced honor cordon to welcome Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Han Min Koo to the Pentagon at 9 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 20, on the steps of the Pentagon River Entrance. The 48th annual security consultative meeting will follow the arrival ceremony. After the meeting, a joint press conference will be held in the Pentagon Briefing Room at 11:15 a.m.
This will be Secretary Carter's sixth meeting with Minister Han. Secretary Carter last met with Minister Han on the sidelines of the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June. Once complete, the SCM joint communique will be posted at
http://www.defense.gov/News/Publications.
All journalists desiring to cover the honor cordon must obtain a wristband from security screening. Journalists without a Pentagon facility access card must go through security screening at the base of the River Entrance Pedestrian Bridge, and will be escorted to the cordon from there. Security screening will begin at approximately 8:15 a.m. EDT; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification. Journalists with a Pentagon facility access card, and whom have entered the building prior to 8 a.m. EDT, may go through security screening at the River Entrance to obtain their wristband. All journalists wishing to cover the honor cordon, including those with a Pentagon facility access card, must be in place no later than 8:45 a.m. EDT. Once security screening has been initiated at the base of the bridge, all journalists entering the building via the bridge for any reason, including those with a Pentagon facility access card not covering the honor cordon, must undergo security screening. Journalists without a Pentagon facility access card who are covering the honor cordon and also intend to cover the joint press briefing will be escorted into the building after the honor cordon. Please call 703-697-5131 with any questions.
For journalists who desire to cover the joint press briefing only, foreign journalists without a Pentagon building pass must plan on being escorted from the River Entrance Pedestrian Bridge only, or, if arriving at the Pentagon Metro Entrance Facility, must contact 703-697-5131 a minimum of one hour prior to your arrival. Please arrive no later than 45 minutes before the briefing if coming by Metro. U.S. journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the River Entrance Pedestrian Bridge or the Pentagon Metro Visitors Entrance only. If arriving by Metro, please contact 703-697-5131 a minimum of one hour prior to your arrival, and plan to arrive no later than 30 minutes before the briefing; have proof of affiliation and photo identification. Please call 703-697-5131 for escort into the building.
A previous version indicated that the press conference was scheduled for 11:55 a.m.