1 00:00:01,230 --> 00:00:03,452 Good afternoon , everybody . Just a few 2 00:00:03,452 --> 00:00:05,397 things to pass along here and then 3 00:00:05,397 --> 00:00:07,730 we'll get right to your questions today . 4 00:00:07,730 --> 00:00:10,290 Secretary Austin is directing multiple 5 00:00:10,300 --> 00:00:12,522 immediate actions following the suicide 6 00:00:12,522 --> 00:00:14,633 prevention and response . Independent 7 00:00:14,633 --> 00:00:16,800 Review Committee's recommendations and 8 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,689 establishing a suicide prevention 9 00:00:18,689 --> 00:00:20,633 implementation working group . The 10 00:00:20,633 --> 00:00:22,744 department continues to recognize the 11 00:00:22,744 --> 00:00:24,967 importance of addressing and preventing 12 00:00:24,967 --> 00:00:26,967 suicide within the military ranks . 13 00:00:26,967 --> 00:00:29,133 Immediate actions to be taken stemming 14 00:00:29,133 --> 00:00:31,189 from the committee's recommendations 15 00:00:31,189 --> 00:00:33,189 focus on improving access to mental 16 00:00:33,189 --> 00:00:35,411 health care through initiatives such as 17 00:00:35,411 --> 00:00:37,633 expediting hiring for behavioral health 18 00:00:37,633 --> 00:00:39,856 professionals , expanding opportunities 19 00:00:39,856 --> 00:00:41,522 to treat common mental health 20 00:00:41,522 --> 00:00:43,744 conditions and primary care and improve 21 00:00:43,744 --> 00:00:45,590 utilization of behavioral health 22 00:00:45,590 --> 00:00:47,880 technicians . These actions aimed to 23 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:49,991 strengthen the well being and support 24 00:00:49,991 --> 00:00:51,824 available to our service members 25 00:00:51,824 --> 00:00:54,050 worldwide . Notably , Secretary Austin 26 00:00:54,050 --> 00:00:56,217 has also directed the working group to 27 00:00:56,217 --> 00:00:58,440 give full consideration to all of the 28 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:00,551 other recommendations provided by the 29 00:01:00,551 --> 00:01:02,329 suicide prevention and response 30 00:01:02,329 --> 00:01:04,496 Independent Review committee . And the 31 00:01:04,496 --> 00:01:06,384 implementation working group will 32 00:01:06,384 --> 00:01:08,496 provide him with their own subsequent 33 00:01:08,496 --> 00:01:10,662 recommendations on the feasibility and 34 00:01:10,662 --> 00:01:10,160 impact of each one of the 35 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,530 implementation in an implementation 36 00:01:12,530 --> 00:01:14,750 plan . Excuse me due to the secretary 37 00:01:14,750 --> 00:01:17,670 by June 2nd . While we recognize that 38 00:01:17,670 --> 00:01:20,620 suicide has no single cause and that no 39 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:22,787 single preventative action , treatment 40 00:01:22,787 --> 00:01:24,620 or cure will eliminate suicide 41 00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:27,060 altogether . We will exhaust every 42 00:01:27,070 --> 00:01:29,292 effort to promote the wellness , health 43 00:01:29,292 --> 00:01:31,237 and morale of our total force . Be 44 00:01:31,237 --> 00:01:33,403 there for one another and save lives . 45 00:01:33,850 --> 00:01:35,794 Additional information about D O D 46 00:01:35,794 --> 00:01:37,794 suicide prevention implementation , 47 00:01:37,794 --> 00:01:39,850 working group and Secretary Austin's 48 00:01:39,850 --> 00:01:42,210 direction is now available on defense 49 00:01:42,210 --> 00:01:44,630 dot gov . Switching to the National 50 00:01:44,630 --> 00:01:46,590 Guard Chief of the National Guard 51 00:01:46,590 --> 00:01:48,757 Bureau General Daniel Hokanson visited 52 00:01:48,757 --> 00:01:50,940 centcom this week to formalize the 53 00:01:50,940 --> 00:01:52,551 Arizona National Guard State 54 00:01:52,551 --> 00:01:54,810 Partnership program relationship with 55 00:01:54,810 --> 00:01:57,290 the Sultanate of Oman . General 56 00:01:57,290 --> 00:01:59,512 Hokanson was joined by Arizona Governor 57 00:01:59,512 --> 00:02:01,457 Katie Hobbs us , ambassador Leslie 58 00:02:01,457 --> 00:02:04,120 South Arizona National Guard , Adjutant 59 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:06,231 General , Major General , Cary Mullen 60 00:02:06,231 --> 00:02:08,170 Beck and a delegation of Arizona 61 00:02:08,170 --> 00:02:10,392 Guardsmen for a formal signing ceremony 62 00:02:10,392 --> 00:02:12,880 in Muscat Oman . The National Guard 63 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:14,658 State Partnership Program which 64 00:02:14,658 --> 00:02:16,824 celebrates its 30th anniversary . This 65 00:02:16,824 --> 00:02:18,824 summer has grown to 88 partnerships 66 00:02:18,824 --> 00:02:21,770 with 100 nations engagements between 67 00:02:21,770 --> 00:02:24,103 states and their international partners , 68 00:02:24,103 --> 00:02:26,270 improve readiness and interoperability 69 00:02:26,270 --> 00:02:27,992 and contribute to security and 70 00:02:27,992 --> 00:02:30,103 stability around the world . For more 71 00:02:30,103 --> 00:02:32,270 information about this new partnership 72 00:02:32,270 --> 00:02:34,326 or the state partnership program , I 73 00:02:34,326 --> 00:02:34,140 would encourage you to reach out to the 74 00:02:34,140 --> 00:02:37,430 National Guard Bureau separately . In 75 00:02:37,430 --> 00:02:39,486 order to meet U S Army in Europe and 76 00:02:39,486 --> 00:02:41,597 Africa , mission requirements improve 77 00:02:41,597 --> 00:02:43,652 command and control capabilities and 78 00:02:43,652 --> 00:02:45,597 manage for forward operating sites 79 00:02:45,597 --> 00:02:47,840 within the Republic of Poland , the U S 80 00:02:47,850 --> 00:02:49,683 army will establish the U S army 81 00:02:49,683 --> 00:02:52,230 garrison . Poland in March 2023 82 00:02:52,660 --> 00:02:54,530 garrison is one of the enduring 83 00:02:54,530 --> 00:02:56,820 improvements to the D O D Posture in 84 00:02:56,820 --> 00:02:58,987 Europe . Based on assessments from the 85 00:02:58,987 --> 00:03:01,850 2021 Global Posture review And 86 00:03:01,850 --> 00:03:03,800 consultations with NATO allies and 87 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,022 announced by President Biden in June of 88 00:03:06,022 --> 00:03:08,890 2022 . Joining the existing seven 89 00:03:08,900 --> 00:03:10,789 installation management command , 90 00:03:10,789 --> 00:03:12,844 Europe garrisons U S army garrison . 91 00:03:12,844 --> 00:03:14,700 Poland will deliver quality base 92 00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:17,130 operations , support infrastructure and 93 00:03:17,130 --> 00:03:19,241 services to soldiers and civilians to 94 00:03:19,241 --> 00:03:21,297 enable U S army in Europe and Africa 95 00:03:21,297 --> 00:03:23,352 command readiness . The unit will be 96 00:03:23,352 --> 00:03:25,560 comprised of approximately 13 military 97 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,480 personnel and 100 and 40 civilian 98 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:29,760 personnel installation management 99 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:31,816 command Europe and U S army garrison 100 00:03:31,816 --> 00:03:33,982 Poland . Look forward to the continued 101 00:03:33,982 --> 00:03:36,093 strengthening of the bond between our 102 00:03:36,093 --> 00:03:38,371 military community and the host nation , 103 00:03:38,371 --> 00:03:40,316 communities of Poland at the local 104 00:03:40,316 --> 00:03:39,800 regional and national levels of the 105 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,022 alliance . For additional questions , I 106 00:03:42,022 --> 00:03:44,310 would refer you to the U S army . And 107 00:03:44,310 --> 00:03:46,366 finally yesterday , Secretary Austin 108 00:03:46,366 --> 00:03:48,310 and General Milley hosted the 10th 109 00:03:48,310 --> 00:03:50,477 session of the Ukraine Defense Contact 110 00:03:50,477 --> 00:03:52,421 Group where 50 nations of goodwill 111 00:03:52,421 --> 00:03:54,588 participated from all over the world . 112 00:03:54,588 --> 00:03:56,643 This showed the continued commitment 113 00:03:56,643 --> 00:03:58,810 that is indicative of the strong unity 114 00:03:58,810 --> 00:04:00,643 and resolve of the international 115 00:04:00,643 --> 00:04:02,810 community to support Ukraine and their 116 00:04:02,810 --> 00:04:04,866 fight to defend themselves and their 117 00:04:04,866 --> 00:04:06,977 sovereignty from Russian aggression . 118 00:04:06,977 --> 00:04:08,866 As Secretary Austin and other U S 119 00:04:08,866 --> 00:04:10,977 leaders have said we will continue to 120 00:04:10,977 --> 00:04:13,310 support Ukraine for as long as it takes . 121 00:04:13,310 --> 00:04:12,390 And with that , I will take your 122 00:04:12,390 --> 00:04:15,370 questions . We'll go first to a P R cup . 123 00:04:16,250 --> 00:04:18,490 Hi , thank you for doing this . Um I 124 00:04:18,490 --> 00:04:20,657 was hoping you could talk a little bit 125 00:04:20,657 --> 00:04:22,823 more about why the Pentagon decided to 126 00:04:22,823 --> 00:04:25,670 declassify the video of the drone and 127 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:27,958 whether or not releasing it , you know , 128 00:04:27,958 --> 00:04:30,440 increase the risk of Russia framing 129 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,530 this conflict instead of being a 130 00:04:32,530 --> 00:04:34,641 conflict between Russia and Ukraine , 131 00:04:34,641 --> 00:04:37,320 but being between Russia and the West . 132 00:04:37,330 --> 00:04:39,608 Yeah , thanks Tara . So , first of all , 133 00:04:39,608 --> 00:04:41,552 it's not unusual for us to release 134 00:04:41,552 --> 00:04:44,100 imagery of unsafe , unprofessional 135 00:04:44,100 --> 00:04:46,156 incidents . We've done that in other 136 00:04:46,156 --> 00:04:48,620 situations . Uh And so particularly in 137 00:04:48,620 --> 00:04:50,920 this case , given the reckless and 138 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,370 dangerous behavior and to demonstrate 139 00:04:53,380 --> 00:04:57,340 uh publicly uh what type of actions 140 00:04:57,340 --> 00:04:59,451 the Russians had taken . We felt that 141 00:04:59,451 --> 00:05:01,284 it was important to provide this 142 00:05:01,284 --> 00:05:03,229 imagery . Uh Certainly , there are 143 00:05:03,229 --> 00:05:05,396 certain considerations that we have to 144 00:05:05,396 --> 00:05:05,090 take into account when dealing with 145 00:05:05,090 --> 00:05:07,201 imagery to include the classification 146 00:05:07,201 --> 00:05:08,757 uh to ensure that we're not 147 00:05:08,757 --> 00:05:10,757 inadvertently putting out sensitive 148 00:05:10,757 --> 00:05:12,757 information . But in this case , we 149 00:05:12,757 --> 00:05:14,701 were able to work through that and 150 00:05:14,701 --> 00:05:17,680 provide that . Um as far as um you know , 151 00:05:17,690 --> 00:05:19,790 Russian perceptions again , I think 152 00:05:19,790 --> 00:05:21,957 it's important to take a step back and 153 00:05:21,957 --> 00:05:23,901 look at the big picture here . The 154 00:05:23,901 --> 00:05:26,123 United States focus in the region . The 155 00:05:26,123 --> 00:05:27,901 focus with Ukraine is solely on 156 00:05:27,901 --> 00:05:30,123 providing Ukraine with the support that 157 00:05:30,123 --> 00:05:32,068 it needs to defend itself . You've 158 00:05:32,068 --> 00:05:34,234 heard us say before that Ukraine has a 159 00:05:34,234 --> 00:05:36,290 right to defend itself and we have a 160 00:05:36,290 --> 00:05:36,120 right to help them alongside the 161 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,590 international community to do that . So , 162 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:40,740 so the United States does not seek 163 00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:43,420 conflict with Russia we do not seek 164 00:05:43,430 --> 00:05:46,040 escalation with Russia . Uh And so 165 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,262 we're going to continue to stay focused 166 00:05:48,262 --> 00:05:50,640 on our primary uh mission in the 167 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:52,473 Ukraine area which is supporting 168 00:05:52,473 --> 00:05:54,710 Ukraine in its fight declasse 169 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:56,831 declassifying the video and releasing 170 00:05:56,831 --> 00:05:59,810 it . Um You know , Russia has suggested 171 00:05:59,810 --> 00:06:02,410 that it didn't show uh the actual 172 00:06:02,410 --> 00:06:05,510 contact . Um How does this really just 173 00:06:05,510 --> 00:06:07,566 counter that narrative and show that 174 00:06:07,566 --> 00:06:09,788 this happened the way that the Pentagon 175 00:06:09,788 --> 00:06:11,788 has said it has ? Yeah . Well , I I 176 00:06:11,788 --> 00:06:13,843 think that our words and our actions 177 00:06:13,843 --> 00:06:15,899 speak for themselves . And similarly 178 00:06:15,899 --> 00:06:17,954 Russia's uh inaccurate information , 179 00:06:17,954 --> 00:06:19,788 false information on education , 180 00:06:19,788 --> 00:06:21,470 grasping at straws , changing 181 00:06:21,470 --> 00:06:23,637 narratives also speaks for itself . So 182 00:06:23,637 --> 00:06:25,581 we're going to stay focused on the 183 00:06:25,581 --> 00:06:27,692 facts and we're gonna stay focused on 184 00:06:27,692 --> 00:06:29,692 our mission . Let me go to the next 185 00:06:29,692 --> 00:06:32,810 question , Liz . The first part of my 186 00:06:32,820 --> 00:06:35,640 questions are , did the US ask for an 187 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:37,807 apology from Russia on taking down the 188 00:06:37,807 --> 00:06:40,140 drone ? And did Russia offer an apology ? 189 00:06:40,310 --> 00:06:42,720 Uh No , we did not ask for an apology . 190 00:06:42,730 --> 00:06:45,620 Again , our focus was on highlighting 191 00:06:45,630 --> 00:06:47,750 the fact as we've made very clear 192 00:06:47,750 --> 00:06:49,917 publicly and privately that the United 193 00:06:49,917 --> 00:06:52,139 States will continue to fly and operate 194 00:06:52,139 --> 00:06:54,670 in international airspace in accordance 195 00:06:54,670 --> 00:06:57,130 with international law . And my second 196 00:06:57,130 --> 00:07:00,160 part is um it's come out that Russian 197 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,104 officials ordered the pilots to be 198 00:07:02,104 --> 00:07:04,049 aggressive towards the drone . And 199 00:07:04,049 --> 00:07:06,216 today , the Centcom Commander told the 200 00:07:06,216 --> 00:07:08,271 Senate Armed Services Committee that 201 00:07:08,271 --> 00:07:10,438 he's seen increased Russian aggression 202 00:07:10,438 --> 00:07:12,216 in the Middle East . Um Is this 203 00:07:12,216 --> 00:07:14,216 something that the U S is concerned 204 00:07:14,216 --> 00:07:16,327 about . Does the US have any promises 205 00:07:16,327 --> 00:07:17,993 that Russia will decrease its 206 00:07:17,993 --> 00:07:20,340 aggression ? So , Liz , what I would 207 00:07:20,340 --> 00:07:23,210 tell you is that again , are focuses on 208 00:07:23,220 --> 00:07:25,380 conducting our operations and support 209 00:07:25,380 --> 00:07:27,436 of our national security interests , 210 00:07:27,436 --> 00:07:29,602 are our allies and our partners around 211 00:07:29,602 --> 00:07:31,658 the world . Ultimately , the Russian 212 00:07:31,658 --> 00:07:33,824 military and the Russian government is 213 00:07:33,824 --> 00:07:35,936 responsible for its own behavior when 214 00:07:35,936 --> 00:07:37,491 that behavior is unsafe and 215 00:07:37,491 --> 00:07:39,547 unprofessional . We're gonna call it 216 00:07:39,547 --> 00:07:41,769 out as we've done in this case . Uh And 217 00:07:41,769 --> 00:07:43,713 so that it will continue to be our 218 00:07:43,713 --> 00:07:45,602 focus . Uh You've heard Secretary 219 00:07:45,602 --> 00:07:47,824 Austin , you've heard General Hecker in 220 00:07:47,824 --> 00:07:49,991 Europe and others call on the Russians 221 00:07:49,991 --> 00:07:51,830 to be safe and professional in 222 00:07:51,830 --> 00:07:53,886 conducting their operations and that 223 00:07:53,886 --> 00:07:56,163 would be the expectation going forward . 224 00:07:56,163 --> 00:07:59,930 Thank you . Well , um so secretary also 225 00:07:59,930 --> 00:08:02,097 has said that um the U S will continue 226 00:08:02,097 --> 00:08:04,263 to , to fly wherever international law 227 00:08:04,263 --> 00:08:06,263 allows in light of that has the U S 228 00:08:06,263 --> 00:08:08,374 operated MQ nine's over the Black Sea 229 00:08:08,374 --> 00:08:10,652 since um since the collision and crash . 230 00:08:10,652 --> 00:08:12,800 Uh So I'm not gonna get into talking 231 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,680 about specific missions , routes , 232 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:17,860 timelines of operations . I think 233 00:08:17,860 --> 00:08:20,027 Secretary Austin was pretty clear that 234 00:08:20,027 --> 00:08:22,250 we're going to continue to fly and 235 00:08:22,250 --> 00:08:24,472 operate in international airspace where 236 00:08:24,472 --> 00:08:26,361 international law allows and that 237 00:08:26,361 --> 00:08:28,472 includes the Black Sea region . Thank 238 00:08:28,472 --> 00:08:32,190 you , Travis . Thanks , 239 00:08:32,190 --> 00:08:34,412 Pat . I had a couple of questions about 240 00:08:34,412 --> 00:08:36,523 the suicide working group . I think I 241 00:08:36,523 --> 00:08:38,523 heard you say that the secretary is 242 00:08:38,523 --> 00:08:40,579 immediately implementing some of the 243 00:08:40,579 --> 00:08:42,801 recommendations . But the working group 244 00:08:42,801 --> 00:08:42,600 is going to be looking at the other 245 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,544 recommendations . I just wanted to 246 00:08:44,544 --> 00:08:47,380 confirm whether the recommendation for 247 00:08:47,380 --> 00:08:49,790 new restrictions on the purchase and 248 00:08:49,790 --> 00:08:52,350 storage of personal firearms on base is 249 00:08:52,350 --> 00:08:54,910 included in the first tranche or if the 250 00:08:54,910 --> 00:08:56,966 working group is still considering . 251 00:08:56,966 --> 00:08:59,021 Thanks Travis . That'll be something 252 00:08:59,021 --> 00:09:01,188 that the working group will examine in 253 00:09:01,188 --> 00:09:03,188 further detail and come back to the 254 00:09:03,188 --> 00:09:05,354 secretary with , with their assessment 255 00:09:05,354 --> 00:09:07,354 and their recommendation . And if I 256 00:09:07,354 --> 00:09:08,910 could just follow up on the 257 00:09:08,910 --> 00:09:11,077 recommendations that the secretary did 258 00:09:11,077 --> 00:09:13,299 decide to implement , why did he choose 259 00:09:13,299 --> 00:09:15,521 those specific recommendations ? Sure , 260 00:09:15,521 --> 00:09:17,466 so those those recommendations are 261 00:09:17,466 --> 00:09:19,466 primarily focused on behavioral and 262 00:09:19,466 --> 00:09:21,410 mental health . Uh There are areas 263 00:09:21,410 --> 00:09:23,540 where the department already has the 264 00:09:23,540 --> 00:09:26,200 authorities necessary to take immediate 265 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,820 action . Uh And , and so that was the 266 00:09:28,820 --> 00:09:30,860 primary driver was of those 267 00:09:30,860 --> 00:09:32,971 recommendations . What are the things 268 00:09:32,971 --> 00:09:35,027 that we can move on right now ? That 269 00:09:35,027 --> 00:09:35,010 will make a difference for our service 270 00:09:35,010 --> 00:09:37,300 members ? Thank you , you go over here 271 00:09:37,300 --> 00:09:39,300 row and then I'll come over here to 272 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:38,800 Chris . 273 00:09:43,530 --> 00:09:46,830 Thank you General two questions first 274 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:48,896 that Japanese Prime Minister Kishida 275 00:09:48,896 --> 00:09:51,020 met with South Korean President Yoon 276 00:09:51,030 --> 00:09:54,520 today in Tokyo and agree to normalize 277 00:09:54,530 --> 00:09:57,120 their bilateral relations . How much do 278 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,860 you expect the improvement of their 279 00:09:59,860 --> 00:10:02,400 bilateral relations will benefit the 280 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,040 Pentagon to address challenges posed by 281 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,160 China and North Korea ? Yeah . Well , 282 00:10:08,170 --> 00:10:10,500 uh thanks for the question . So what I 283 00:10:10,500 --> 00:10:12,690 would tell you is that we certainly 284 00:10:12,690 --> 00:10:15,750 welcome the discussions . Anything that 285 00:10:15,750 --> 00:10:17,950 is going to help strengthen our 286 00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:20,090 alliance . As you know , Japan and 287 00:10:20,090 --> 00:10:22,146 South Korea are two of our strongest 288 00:10:22,146 --> 00:10:24,650 allies . Uh And so we welcome any 289 00:10:24,650 --> 00:10:27,110 opportunity for us to strengthen our 290 00:10:27,110 --> 00:10:30,090 unity uh and to work together for a 291 00:10:30,090 --> 00:10:33,600 free and open Indo Pacific . Secondly , 292 00:10:33,610 --> 00:10:36,360 there is a growing number of North 293 00:10:36,370 --> 00:10:38,650 North Korea's missile ranches including 294 00:10:38,650 --> 00:10:41,380 the one that including I C B M that 295 00:10:41,390 --> 00:10:43,890 they launched yesterday . Are you 296 00:10:43,900 --> 00:10:47,900 concerned that this high frequency of 297 00:10:47,910 --> 00:10:50,150 over there missile ranches will be a 298 00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:52,720 new normal that we have to live with 299 00:10:52,730 --> 00:10:56,250 for a while . Well , again , I think uh 300 00:10:56,260 --> 00:10:59,830 the the overarching important uh aspect 301 00:10:59,830 --> 00:11:02,050 of all of this is that the United 302 00:11:02,050 --> 00:11:04,390 States along with South Korea , Japan 303 00:11:04,390 --> 00:11:06,446 and our other allies and partners in 304 00:11:06,446 --> 00:11:08,279 the region will continue to work 305 00:11:08,279 --> 00:11:10,112 together to ensure stability and 306 00:11:10,112 --> 00:11:12,310 security in the Indo Pacific region to 307 00:11:12,310 --> 00:11:14,366 include addressing the destabilizing 308 00:11:14,366 --> 00:11:16,850 activities of North Korea . And so 309 00:11:16,850 --> 00:11:19,072 we're going to continue to keep a close 310 00:11:19,072 --> 00:11:21,294 eye on that . I think at the end of the 311 00:11:21,294 --> 00:11:23,239 day , uh we , we all want to see a 312 00:11:23,239 --> 00:11:26,060 region that is stable , that is secure , 313 00:11:26,060 --> 00:11:28,393 that is safe and that will be our focus . 314 00:11:28,393 --> 00:11:31,960 Uh North Korea clearly uh is uh 315 00:11:31,970 --> 00:11:34,026 concerning in that regard , but it's 316 00:11:34,026 --> 00:11:36,192 something that we're going to continue 317 00:11:36,192 --> 00:11:38,026 to work on together and to deter 318 00:11:38,026 --> 00:11:40,192 potential aggression . Thank you . Let 319 00:11:40,192 --> 00:11:39,480 me go to Chris and then we'll come back 320 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,430 here . Thanks Pat yesterday , Chairman 321 00:11:43,430 --> 00:11:46,670 Milley said um us was confident no um 322 00:11:46,670 --> 00:11:48,781 sensitive material was compromised in 323 00:11:48,781 --> 00:11:51,170 the drone incident . Um What does that 324 00:11:51,170 --> 00:11:53,850 mean ? Was the drone remotely wiped ? 325 00:11:53,860 --> 00:11:56,082 Was their self destruct mechanism ? Was 326 00:11:56,082 --> 00:11:58,480 it crashed in such a way that it would 327 00:11:58,490 --> 00:12:01,110 obliterate any material that could be 328 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,520 covered ? Thanks Chris . So , so a 329 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,480 couple of things . Um So first of 330 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,480 all , um we do have indications that 331 00:12:10,490 --> 00:12:12,657 and I think you've seen some reporting 332 00:12:12,657 --> 00:12:14,768 on this , we do have indications that 333 00:12:14,768 --> 00:12:16,823 Russia is likely making an effort to 334 00:12:16,823 --> 00:12:19,840 try to recover MQ nine debris . Um as 335 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,840 you point out and as General Milley 336 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,007 highlighted , however , we assess it's 337 00:12:24,007 --> 00:12:26,118 very unlikely that they would be able 338 00:12:26,118 --> 00:12:28,062 to recover anything useful given a 339 00:12:28,062 --> 00:12:30,118 couple of factors , one the fact and 340 00:12:30,118 --> 00:12:32,284 I'm not going to go into details , but 341 00:12:32,284 --> 00:12:33,951 that we took steps to protect 342 00:12:33,951 --> 00:12:36,173 information aboard that aircraft and to 343 00:12:36,173 --> 00:12:38,290 the fact that it crashed in extremely 344 00:12:38,290 --> 00:12:42,160 deep water . Uh And so , um you know , 345 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:44,780 just leave it at that the U S viewed 346 00:12:44,780 --> 00:12:47,610 the MQ nine is a particularly sensitive 347 00:12:47,610 --> 00:12:49,730 platform or is , well , the , the key 348 00:12:49,730 --> 00:12:52,150 point here is this is us property . Um 349 00:12:52,150 --> 00:12:54,372 And it's an intelligence , surveillance 350 00:12:54,372 --> 00:12:56,483 reconnaissance asset . And so again , 351 00:12:56,483 --> 00:12:58,594 we have capabilities and means at our 352 00:12:58,594 --> 00:13:00,483 disposal to protect and safeguard 353 00:13:00,483 --> 00:13:02,706 information which we have taken , but I 354 00:13:02,706 --> 00:13:04,928 just have to leave it there . So let me 355 00:13:04,928 --> 00:13:07,039 go here and then I'll come back there 356 00:13:07,039 --> 00:13:09,317 and then to Kassem to the middle . Yes . 357 00:13:09,317 --> 00:13:10,317 Yes , ma'am . 358 00:13:12,420 --> 00:13:14,642 Yeah , right in front of you . There if 359 00:13:14,642 --> 00:13:16,642 you could hand her the microphone . 360 00:13:16,642 --> 00:13:19,080 There you go . Thank you for about a 361 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,302 month and a half out , I think from the 362 00:13:21,302 --> 00:13:24,320 new briefing room . Okay . So yesterday 363 00:13:24,330 --> 00:13:26,720 General Melies stated Russia is 364 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:29,160 increasingly relying on other countries 365 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:32,030 such as Iran and North Korea is North 366 00:13:32,030 --> 00:13:34,230 Korea still supplying munitions to 367 00:13:34,230 --> 00:13:37,560 Russia . Have we seen anything ? Yeah , 368 00:13:37,570 --> 00:13:39,626 thank you for that . So I don't have 369 00:13:39,626 --> 00:13:41,681 any updates provide other than we do 370 00:13:41,681 --> 00:13:43,681 know , as you highlight that Russia 371 00:13:43,681 --> 00:13:46,510 continues to , to seek munitions from 372 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,464 countries like North Korea , but I 373 00:13:48,464 --> 00:13:50,576 don't have any new updates to provide 374 00:13:50,576 --> 00:13:52,187 in terms of any spy specific 375 00:13:52,187 --> 00:13:55,465 transactions actually . 376 00:13:56,395 --> 00:13:58,284 Well , I think we've talked about 377 00:13:58,284 --> 00:14:01,205 before we had evidence of Wagner Group 378 00:14:01,215 --> 00:14:03,445 obtaining some munitions from North 379 00:14:03,445 --> 00:14:07,365 Korea . We know that Russia is seeking 380 00:14:07,650 --> 00:14:10,100 additional ammunition from North Korea 381 00:14:10,100 --> 00:14:12,322 and Iran . But again , I don't have any 382 00:14:12,322 --> 00:14:14,211 details to provide today . And my 383 00:14:14,211 --> 00:14:16,322 second one is China getting closer to 384 00:14:16,322 --> 00:14:18,920 sending lethal aid to Russia . Have you 385 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,630 seen any final decisions ? Evidence of 386 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,410 actual shipments ? Yeah . So at this 387 00:14:24,410 --> 00:14:27,990 time , we have not seen uh 388 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,850 transfer yet of any lethal assistance . 389 00:14:30,860 --> 00:14:34,760 Um from China to Russia for use 390 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:36,816 on the battlefield is something that 391 00:14:36,816 --> 00:14:38,927 we're keeping a very close eye on . I 392 00:14:38,927 --> 00:14:38,830 know there's some press reports out 393 00:14:38,830 --> 00:14:41,680 there talking about some trade deals 394 00:14:41,740 --> 00:14:43,907 that in and of itself is not unusual . 395 00:14:43,907 --> 00:14:45,629 China and Russia share a trade 396 00:14:45,629 --> 00:14:47,796 relationship . But the key point being 397 00:14:47,796 --> 00:14:49,907 is that as of right now , we have not 398 00:14:49,907 --> 00:14:52,129 seen any lethal assistance transferring 399 00:14:52,129 --> 00:14:54,129 from China to Russia for use on the 400 00:14:54,129 --> 00:14:57,440 battlefield in Ukraine , imagery , 401 00:14:57,450 --> 00:15:00,420 things that can help the Wagner group 402 00:15:00,430 --> 00:15:03,210 or Russia . I don't , I don't have 403 00:15:03,210 --> 00:15:05,400 anything on that . Thanks . Alright , 404 00:15:05,410 --> 00:15:07,410 let me , I was gonna go back to the 405 00:15:07,410 --> 00:15:09,577 middle there . This gentleman has been 406 00:15:09,577 --> 00:15:12,570 very patient and then to Kassem . Thank 407 00:15:12,570 --> 00:15:14,890 you Pat . Today . The Senate votes to 408 00:15:14,890 --> 00:15:16,860 proceed with the repel of the 409 00:15:16,860 --> 00:15:18,920 authorization for the using force 410 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,160 against Iraq . Uh To what extent do you 411 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:24,271 agree with this Congress members that 412 00:15:24,271 --> 00:15:27,130 are supporting to end this act and how 413 00:15:27,130 --> 00:15:30,980 this act affects your capability to 414 00:15:30,980 --> 00:15:33,270 face and respond the threats that comes 415 00:15:33,270 --> 00:15:36,420 from ISIS and also the other terrorist 416 00:15:36,420 --> 00:15:39,120 groups in the future to your forces in 417 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,231 Iraq and also your partners in Iraq . 418 00:15:41,231 --> 00:15:43,342 Yeah , thank you . Um So what I would 419 00:15:43,342 --> 00:15:45,398 say right now is I don't want to get 420 00:15:45,398 --> 00:15:47,509 into a discussion about or comment on 421 00:15:47,509 --> 00:15:51,200 pending potential legislation other 422 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,256 than to say that as always will work 423 00:15:53,256 --> 00:15:55,200 very closely with the Congress to 424 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,367 ensure that we continue to conduct our 425 00:15:57,367 --> 00:15:59,367 operations in accordance with law . 426 00:15:59,367 --> 00:16:02,290 Thank you . Some concerns that if this 427 00:16:02,290 --> 00:16:04,810 act will end it in the Congress or 428 00:16:04,820 --> 00:16:06,876 amend it . There are some members of 429 00:16:06,876 --> 00:16:09,790 the Congress says that this will affect 430 00:16:09,790 --> 00:16:12,130 the U S capability to face the threats 431 00:16:12,130 --> 00:16:14,350 that comes from Iran . That's why they 432 00:16:14,350 --> 00:16:17,550 are not supporting to ending this act 433 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,727 for now . Yeah . No , and I appreciate 434 00:16:19,727 --> 00:16:21,838 the question but but you know , we'll 435 00:16:21,838 --> 00:16:24,004 allow obviously the Congress to do its 436 00:16:24,004 --> 00:16:26,116 work . It just would be inappropriate 437 00:16:26,116 --> 00:16:27,727 for me to , to engage in the 438 00:16:27,727 --> 00:16:29,782 legislative debate . Of course , the 439 00:16:29,782 --> 00:16:31,893 department will stay in close contact 440 00:16:31,893 --> 00:16:33,893 with the Congress uh , as one would 441 00:16:33,893 --> 00:16:36,060 expect and you know , will continue to 442 00:16:36,060 --> 00:16:38,227 be a part of those discussions . Thank 443 00:16:38,227 --> 00:16:40,282 you . Let me go to Kassem . I have a 444 00:16:40,282 --> 00:16:42,393 full open and I have a separate topic 445 00:16:42,393 --> 00:16:44,449 on the issue . You said Russians are 446 00:16:44,449 --> 00:16:48,290 making efforts to recover the , the MQ 447 00:16:48,290 --> 00:16:50,740 nine . So Russians initially 448 00:16:50,750 --> 00:16:53,400 aggressively moved over to a US 449 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,190 capability and downed it and are now 450 00:16:56,190 --> 00:16:59,580 making efforts to recover it . And then 451 00:16:59,580 --> 00:17:02,190 what we hear from this department is 452 00:17:02,190 --> 00:17:05,910 quite a soft expression of 453 00:17:05,910 --> 00:17:09,510 concern . Um We even haven't 454 00:17:09,510 --> 00:17:13,320 heard you condemning Russians 455 00:17:13,330 --> 00:17:15,770 and just saying that it's unsafe , 456 00:17:15,780 --> 00:17:18,370 unprofessional . What are we missing 457 00:17:18,370 --> 00:17:21,550 there ? Uh I'm not sure what your 458 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,616 question is . I think we were pretty 459 00:17:23,616 --> 00:17:26,530 vocal that the conduct of the pilots 460 00:17:26,530 --> 00:17:28,890 was unsafe and unprofessional . It was 461 00:17:28,890 --> 00:17:31,112 reckless , it was dangerous . Secretary 462 00:17:31,112 --> 00:17:33,001 Austin spoke to his counterpart , 463 00:17:33,001 --> 00:17:35,223 General Milley spoke to his counterpart 464 00:17:35,223 --> 00:17:37,390 again , I highlighted the top that our 465 00:17:37,390 --> 00:17:40,880 focus is on uh conducting our 466 00:17:40,890 --> 00:17:42,390 missions in the region and 467 00:17:42,390 --> 00:17:44,570 international airspace . We're focused 468 00:17:44,570 --> 00:17:47,150 on protecting uh and defending the NATO 469 00:17:47,150 --> 00:17:49,600 alliance and also on supporting Ukraine 470 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,990 and its , I'm not gonna 471 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,020 let you put words to it cost and of 472 00:17:55,020 --> 00:17:57,242 course , we have highlighted that it is 473 00:17:57,242 --> 00:18:00,020 a unacceptable act . But if you , if 474 00:18:00,020 --> 00:18:02,131 you're looking for hyperbole . I will 475 00:18:02,131 --> 00:18:05,480 leave that to you . Okay . A separate 476 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,390 question . Sorry , general . Um today a 477 00:18:09,390 --> 00:18:12,360 helicopter um a mysterious helicopter 478 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:14,880 was crashed , crashed in northern Iraq 479 00:18:14,890 --> 00:18:16,946 and it came out that he was carrying 480 00:18:16,946 --> 00:18:20,670 PKK elements . My question is , 481 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:22,620 does the United States provide 482 00:18:22,630 --> 00:18:25,300 helicopter piloting training to SDF 483 00:18:25,310 --> 00:18:27,760 partners in Syria or not ? I'm not , 484 00:18:27,770 --> 00:18:31,740 not to my knowledge . No , we do 485 00:18:31,740 --> 00:18:34,150 not . Thank you , buddy . 486 00:18:36,270 --> 00:18:38,492 Thank you General . Just want to follow 487 00:18:38,492 --> 00:18:41,950 up on the drone issue incident . So the 488 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:44,170 first question yesterday , the last 489 00:18:44,170 --> 00:18:46,290 assessment we heard is it's not clear 490 00:18:46,290 --> 00:18:48,700 whether um this collision was 491 00:18:48,700 --> 00:18:51,220 intentional or not . Uh Do you have an 492 00:18:51,220 --> 00:18:53,850 update on the on this assessment ? Um 493 00:18:53,860 --> 00:18:55,693 Whether the Russians did this on 494 00:18:55,693 --> 00:18:59,120 purpose . And the second question is um 495 00:18:59,130 --> 00:19:01,463 the indications that the Russians might , 496 00:19:01,463 --> 00:19:03,630 might be trying to recover some of the 497 00:19:03,630 --> 00:19:05,800 degrees . Um You talked about deep 498 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:07,856 water in the Black Sea , but are you 499 00:19:07,856 --> 00:19:11,540 ruling out ? Um Maybe the Russians 500 00:19:11,540 --> 00:19:14,410 being able to use some technology or 501 00:19:14,410 --> 00:19:16,743 divers to be able to recover the debris ? 502 00:19:16,743 --> 00:19:18,910 Thank you . Yeah , thank you . Um So , 503 00:19:18,910 --> 00:19:21,188 so in the latter part of your question , 504 00:19:21,188 --> 00:19:23,354 I don't want to speculate again , this 505 00:19:23,354 --> 00:19:25,400 is us property . Um But it's our 506 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,200 assessment again , that it is very 507 00:19:28,210 --> 00:19:31,320 highly unlikely that even if they were 508 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,320 to recover it , that there would be 509 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:36,320 anything useful in that regard . Um In 510 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,700 terms of was this intentional ? Um I'll 511 00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:41,922 tell you what we know and what we don't 512 00:19:41,922 --> 00:19:44,089 know , we do know that this aggressive 513 00:19:44,089 --> 00:19:46,144 behavior was intentional by , on the 514 00:19:46,144 --> 00:19:48,144 part of the pilots , whether or not 515 00:19:48,144 --> 00:19:50,860 they , they hit the drone on purpose . 516 00:19:50,870 --> 00:19:53,390 We don't know . Um , but it , it 517 00:19:53,390 --> 00:19:56,760 clearly demonstrates , uh , either 518 00:19:56,770 --> 00:19:59,740 poor airmanship or reckless behavior 519 00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:02,028 because just from an airman standpoint , 520 00:20:02,028 --> 00:20:04,250 why would you hit another aircraft with 521 00:20:04,250 --> 00:20:06,361 your aircraft in the sky ? Uh , and , 522 00:20:06,361 --> 00:20:09,080 and so again , reckless , dangerous , 523 00:20:09,090 --> 00:20:11,410 unsafe , unprofessional behavior . Uh , 524 00:20:11,420 --> 00:20:13,950 which is why again , we have called on 525 00:20:13,950 --> 00:20:16,190 the Russians to conduct their 526 00:20:16,190 --> 00:20:18,540 operations safely and professionally . 527 00:20:18,550 --> 00:20:20,710 Thank you . Come back here . 528 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:23,982 Let me go here . Sorry , Joe , we'll go 529 00:20:23,982 --> 00:20:27,600 here and then we'll go here . I have 530 00:20:27,610 --> 00:20:30,280 two questions , first questions . Um 531 00:20:30,290 --> 00:20:33,560 Senator Mitt Romney and Jeanne Shaheen 532 00:20:33,570 --> 00:20:36,250 reintroduce their bipartisan 533 00:20:36,250 --> 00:20:38,150 legislation that would direct the 534 00:20:38,150 --> 00:20:40,360 administration to develop a strategy 535 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,870 towards the Black Sea region . So do 536 00:20:42,870 --> 00:20:45,037 you believe in general that the recent 537 00:20:45,037 --> 00:20:48,830 strategy needs to be developed or more 538 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,000 specific ? Thank you for the question . 539 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,333 So we would need to take a look at that . 540 00:20:54,333 --> 00:20:56,500 I don't have that in front of us . You 541 00:20:56,500 --> 00:20:58,333 know , clearly , we have a force 542 00:20:58,333 --> 00:21:00,556 presence around the world and take into 543 00:21:00,556 --> 00:21:02,500 account under the national defense 544 00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:04,530 strategy why we're operating where 545 00:21:04,530 --> 00:21:07,110 we're operating . I can tell you that 546 00:21:07,110 --> 00:21:09,510 when it comes to the Black Sea , uh it 547 00:21:09,510 --> 00:21:11,732 is a critical International Seaway that 548 00:21:11,732 --> 00:21:14,050 supports many of our NATO allies . Uh 549 00:21:14,050 --> 00:21:16,272 And , and so we're going to continue to 550 00:21:16,272 --> 00:21:18,383 operate over that , that area for the 551 00:21:18,383 --> 00:21:20,494 reasons that I highlighted in support 552 00:21:20,494 --> 00:21:22,640 of our NATO alliance and also as we 553 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,960 conduct I S our operations in their uh 554 00:21:25,970 --> 00:21:28,081 as , as part of our national security 555 00:21:28,081 --> 00:21:31,940 interests . Thank you . Military 556 00:21:31,940 --> 00:21:34,090 officials are saying that they , they 557 00:21:34,090 --> 00:21:37,030 see Russian increasing , it's marine 558 00:21:37,030 --> 00:21:39,141 presence in the Black Sea . What will 559 00:21:39,141 --> 00:21:41,410 be your reaction ? Is it need to be 560 00:21:41,410 --> 00:21:44,650 there in a higher up tempo as well ? Um 561 00:21:44,660 --> 00:21:46,882 I really don't have a comment on that . 562 00:21:46,882 --> 00:21:48,660 It's not surprising that Russia 563 00:21:48,660 --> 00:21:50,780 maintains a presence in the Black Sea 564 00:21:50,780 --> 00:21:52,900 they have for some time , but I don't 565 00:21:52,900 --> 00:21:55,233 have any specific comment to provide on , 566 00:21:55,233 --> 00:21:57,400 on Ukraine's assessment . Let me go to 567 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:01,140 Joe . Thanks so much . Um At the risk 568 00:22:01,140 --> 00:22:03,029 of splitting hairs on the A U M F 569 00:22:03,029 --> 00:22:05,400 question . Um Could I ask what is the 570 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:06,810 secretary's position 571 00:22:13,490 --> 00:22:15,323 and on Capitol Hill , what's his 572 00:22:15,323 --> 00:22:18,290 position on repeal again without 573 00:22:18,290 --> 00:22:20,660 getting into the pending legislation ? 574 00:22:20,660 --> 00:22:22,771 The secretary is certainly supportive 575 00:22:22,771 --> 00:22:24,938 of any discussions that Congress would 576 00:22:24,938 --> 00:22:27,104 have on the A U M F ? Thank you . I'll 577 00:22:27,104 --> 00:22:30,390 go to row . Yeah . Thank you so much . 578 00:22:30,700 --> 00:22:32,756 I have a follow up question on North 579 00:22:32,756 --> 00:22:35,350 Korea while us and Rok conducts 580 00:22:35,350 --> 00:22:37,940 military exercise . North Korea reacts 581 00:22:38,330 --> 00:22:41,200 three and launched I C B M yesterday . 582 00:22:41,210 --> 00:22:44,210 How do you think us rok bilateral 583 00:22:44,210 --> 00:22:47,090 cooperation and us , Rok Japan's 584 00:22:47,090 --> 00:22:49,370 trilateral security cooperation can 585 00:22:49,380 --> 00:22:51,920 work to deter North Korea's further 586 00:22:51,930 --> 00:22:54,480 provocation ? Okay . Um Let me just 587 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:56,424 make sure I understand . So you're 588 00:22:56,424 --> 00:22:58,960 asking in light of North Korea's 589 00:22:58,970 --> 00:23:02,560 provocations , how can a Japan 590 00:23:03,110 --> 00:23:06,500 South Korea US alliance exercises 591 00:23:06,510 --> 00:23:09,640 work is that so North Korea 592 00:23:09,650 --> 00:23:12,870 reacts to the US rok 593 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,900 military exercise . So how , how such 594 00:23:15,900 --> 00:23:18,870 kind of security cooperation can work 595 00:23:18,870 --> 00:23:20,900 to deter North Korea ? Right . So I 596 00:23:20,900 --> 00:23:23,220 think again , it's , it's important , 597 00:23:23,220 --> 00:23:25,890 just kind of take a step back here and 598 00:23:25,900 --> 00:23:28,360 the exercises that the United States 599 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:30,460 conducts with Japan and with South 600 00:23:30,460 --> 00:23:33,080 Korea are defensive in nature and meant 601 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:35,840 to bolster our interoperability and 602 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,620 meant to deter potential aggression in 603 00:23:39,620 --> 00:23:41,676 the region . And so that's first and 604 00:23:41,676 --> 00:23:44,040 foremost . And so in terms of North 605 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:47,260 Korea's reactions to these types of 606 00:23:47,260 --> 00:23:49,760 exercises . Uh As you heard me say 607 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,180 before , not only is it inappropriate , 608 00:23:52,190 --> 00:23:54,910 it's destabilizing uh and , and 609 00:23:54,910 --> 00:23:56,854 concerning clearly to those in the 610 00:23:56,854 --> 00:23:58,966 region , but I think what's important 611 00:23:58,966 --> 00:24:00,743 for people to understand is one 612 00:24:00,743 --> 00:24:02,799 deterrence continues to work despite 613 00:24:02,799 --> 00:24:04,799 launching missiles into the ocean , 614 00:24:04,799 --> 00:24:08,410 North Korea is not attacking uh nor 615 00:24:08,410 --> 00:24:10,730 should they . Uh And that the United 616 00:24:10,730 --> 00:24:13,260 States , Japan , South Korea and other 617 00:24:13,260 --> 00:24:15,427 allies and partners in the region will 618 00:24:15,427 --> 00:24:18,470 continue to work together to uh extend 619 00:24:18,470 --> 00:24:20,970 that deterrence uh And to keep our 620 00:24:20,970 --> 00:24:23,440 country safe again , with the ultimate 621 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,550 objective here being a secure , safe , 622 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:28,960 prosperous , free and open Indo Pacific 623 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:30,270 region . Thank you . 624 00:24:32,580 --> 00:24:34,691 Thanks back to the MQ nine . Is there 625 00:24:34,691 --> 00:24:36,802 any indication that the Russians have 626 00:24:36,802 --> 00:24:39,080 already picked up debris from the area ? 627 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,302 Um I've seen some press reports to that 628 00:24:41,302 --> 00:24:43,358 effect , but I can't corroborate any 629 00:24:43,358 --> 00:24:45,469 information whether they have or have 630 00:24:45,469 --> 00:24:47,469 not and then separately have , have 631 00:24:47,469 --> 00:24:49,524 allies offered to send units to help 632 00:24:49,524 --> 00:24:51,910 with the recovery efforts . Um I don't 633 00:24:51,910 --> 00:24:54,750 have anything to announce most idle our 634 00:24:54,750 --> 00:24:56,917 allies to , to speak for themselves in 635 00:24:56,917 --> 00:25:00,240 that regard in terms of us recovery 636 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,390 operations . As you've heard us say 637 00:25:02,390 --> 00:25:04,610 we're assessing options , but I don't 638 00:25:04,610 --> 00:25:06,777 have anything further on that right at 639 00:25:06,777 --> 00:25:08,832 the moment . One more really quick . 640 00:25:08,832 --> 00:25:10,666 Has the US requested to transfer 641 00:25:10,666 --> 00:25:12,388 through the strait ? Not to my 642 00:25:12,388 --> 00:25:14,240 knowledge , right ? 643 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:18,540 Time for a few more here . Thank you , 644 00:25:18,540 --> 00:25:21,990 pat on that wreckage . Um Has the U S 645 00:25:21,990 --> 00:25:24,046 or will the U S make any requests of 646 00:25:24,046 --> 00:25:26,101 the Russians that if they're able to 647 00:25:26,101 --> 00:25:28,323 salvage any significant portions of the 648 00:25:28,323 --> 00:25:30,268 MQ nine , that it be returned as a 649 00:25:30,268 --> 00:25:32,323 matter of good faith ? And has there 650 00:25:32,323 --> 00:25:34,268 been any discussions of recompense 651 00:25:34,268 --> 00:25:36,323 given that this is a quite expensive 652 00:25:36,323 --> 00:25:38,046 piece of equipment ? Not to my 653 00:25:38,046 --> 00:25:40,470 knowledge , General Miller yesterday 654 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,430 talked about this incident as part of a 655 00:25:43,430 --> 00:25:46,760 wider pattern of behavior . Um By 656 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:48,871 Russia , is there any indication that 657 00:25:48,871 --> 00:25:51,120 you see that this incident and others 658 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:53,770 like it are coming from a standing 659 00:25:53,770 --> 00:25:55,880 order or being encouraged in any way 660 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:57,658 from high levels of the Russian 661 00:25:57,658 --> 00:26:00,840 government ? Yeah , thanks man . So , 662 00:26:00,850 --> 00:26:03,640 so the short answer is , I don't know . 663 00:26:03,650 --> 00:26:07,370 Um you know , clearly , uh as General 664 00:26:07,370 --> 00:26:09,314 Milley highlighted , we've seen an 665 00:26:09,314 --> 00:26:11,203 uptick in this type of aggressive 666 00:26:11,203 --> 00:26:13,314 behavior . Um But whether or not this 667 00:26:13,314 --> 00:26:15,370 is a coordinated effort , I couldn't 668 00:26:15,370 --> 00:26:17,426 tell you what I can tell you is that 669 00:26:17,426 --> 00:26:19,648 it's wholly inappropriate , it's unsafe 670 00:26:19,648 --> 00:26:21,592 and it's unprofessional . Uh , the 671 00:26:21,592 --> 00:26:23,537 stakes are high . This is why it's 672 00:26:23,537 --> 00:26:25,259 important to keep the lines of 673 00:26:25,259 --> 00:26:27,481 communication open to prevent potential 674 00:26:27,481 --> 00:26:29,703 miscalculation . And we'll certainly do 675 00:26:29,703 --> 00:26:31,870 our part in that regard to continue to 676 00:26:31,870 --> 00:26:33,920 fly sail and operate safely and 677 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,142 professionally around the world . Thank 678 00:26:36,142 --> 00:26:39,000 you . All right . Last question . Do 679 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:40,870 more . Go ahead , sir . 680 00:26:43,010 --> 00:26:44,954 Thank you , Junior . I'm Tara from 681 00:26:44,954 --> 00:26:47,770 Nippon TV . So yesterday North Korea 682 00:26:47,770 --> 00:26:49,840 launched intercontinental ballistic 683 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,640 missiles and it's for higher than 6000 684 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,410 m for about 70 minutes . So 685 00:26:56,420 --> 00:26:59,290 that still they think any aberration of 686 00:26:59,290 --> 00:27:02,460 this kind of technology . Um Again , 687 00:27:02,460 --> 00:27:04,293 it's something that we obviously 688 00:27:04,293 --> 00:27:06,516 observe every time North Korea conducts 689 00:27:06,516 --> 00:27:08,460 a launch , we closely observe it , 690 00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:10,571 monitor it , but I'm not going to get 691 00:27:10,571 --> 00:27:13,030 into the specifics on , on their 692 00:27:13,030 --> 00:27:15,320 capabilities or talk about our 693 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,264 assessment of those capabilities . 694 00:27:17,264 --> 00:27:19,376 Thank you . And last question . Yes , 695 00:27:19,376 --> 00:27:19,200 ma'am . 696 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,160 Thank you . Um In recent weeks , 697 00:27:27,170 --> 00:27:29,040 Republican Congress members have 698 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,130 stepped up criticism if you will do the 699 00:27:32,130 --> 00:27:34,130 Pentagon about about wilderness and 700 00:27:34,130 --> 00:27:36,019 press senior D O D officials over 701 00:27:36,019 --> 00:27:37,908 things like pronoun training . Um 702 00:27:37,908 --> 00:27:39,852 saying hyper political culture has 703 00:27:39,852 --> 00:27:41,630 invaded the military . Does the 704 00:27:41,630 --> 00:27:43,463 Secretary of Defense have have a 705 00:27:43,463 --> 00:27:45,519 response to this ? And are there any 706 00:27:45,519 --> 00:27:47,797 plans to address these concerns ? Yeah . 707 00:27:47,797 --> 00:27:50,220 So , so I'm not gonna get into what 708 00:27:50,230 --> 00:27:52,680 individual uh political members , 709 00:27:52,690 --> 00:27:55,140 members of congress uh those running 710 00:27:55,140 --> 00:27:57,680 for office are saying I'll just give 711 00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:59,791 you the perspective of the department 712 00:27:59,791 --> 00:28:01,624 and , and the perspective of the 713 00:28:01,624 --> 00:28:03,810 department is that today's military is 714 00:28:03,810 --> 00:28:06,750 the most combat credible capable force 715 00:28:06,750 --> 00:28:08,861 that has ever existed on the planet . 716 00:28:08,861 --> 00:28:12,650 Every single day . We have thousands 717 00:28:12,660 --> 00:28:14,670 of our military members around the 718 00:28:14,670 --> 00:28:16,870 world conducting operations , very 719 00:28:16,870 --> 00:28:19,090 important operations in very dangerous 720 00:28:19,090 --> 00:28:21,850 places doing incredibly important work 721 00:28:21,860 --> 00:28:25,440 which speaks for itself . Uh and so as 722 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,496 a 30 year member of the military , I 723 00:28:27,496 --> 00:28:29,662 can tell you that we are very proud of 724 00:28:29,662 --> 00:28:31,884 what we do and how we present ourselves 725 00:28:31,884 --> 00:28:34,051 and how we defend this nation . Uh and 726 00:28:34,051 --> 00:28:36,218 I think I speak for a lot of others in 727 00:28:36,218 --> 00:28:38,218 that regard . Thank you very much . 728 00:28:38,218 --> 00:28:37,840 Everybody appreciate it .