WEBVTT 00:02.710 --> 00:07.480 - Good morning, I'm Peter Lewis, 00:07.820 --> 00:10.190 Vice Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs 00:10.190 --> 00:13.310 at the Johns Hopkins University School 00:13.350 --> 00:15.600 of Advanced International Studies. 00:16.250 --> 00:19.210 Before making my brief introductory remarks 00:19.210 --> 00:21.430 I think we'll start by asking everybody 00:21.430 --> 00:24.590 to silence or turn off your cell phones. 00:24.870 --> 00:27.060 We just finished our holiday season, 00:27.060 --> 00:29.270 and I had an opportunity to go to a couple of movies, 00:29.270 --> 00:32.880 so I'm very mindful of turning off cell phones 00:32.880 --> 00:34.990 and silencing our devices. 00:35.750 --> 00:40.530 It's a great honor to welcome you to today's presentation 00:40.610 --> 00:43.530 of the National Defense Strategy. 00:43.610 --> 00:48.610 The NDS is the foundational document that determines 00:48.998 --> 00:52.410 how the Department of Defense will contribute 00:52.410 --> 00:55.620 to the President's National Security Strategy, 00:55.730 --> 00:59.040 which was released in December of 2017. 01:00.180 --> 01:03.470 This NDS is the first in a decade. 01:03.900 --> 01:07.180 It is highly anticipated, not only because of the amount 01:07.180 --> 01:10.540 of time that has passed since the last NDS, 01:10.540 --> 01:12.460 but also because its author 01:12.840 --> 01:17.840 is the 26th Secretary of Defense, our guest, Jim Mattis. 01:19.830 --> 01:22.660 As many of you know, before he became Secretary 01:22.660 --> 01:27.200 on January 20, 2017, Secretary Mattis 01:27.340 --> 01:29.550 had a long and distinguished career 01:29.550 --> 01:31.610 in the United States Marine Corps 01:31.810 --> 01:35.040 commanding at every level from Second Lieutenant 01:35.040 --> 01:36.900 to Four-Star General. 01:36.950 --> 01:39.370 He completed this remarkable service 01:39.370 --> 01:42.650 as the commander of the U.S. Central Command 01:42.780 --> 01:45.430 from 2010 to 2013. 01:46.740 --> 01:48.720 Following his military service, 01:48.720 --> 01:52.310 Secretary Mattis was a distinguished visiting fellow 01:52.310 --> 01:55.700 at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University 01:55.900 --> 01:59.940 and sat on several corporate and nonprofit boards. 02:01.100 --> 02:04.720 And as the scholars in our audience will know, 02:04.730 --> 02:07.340 Secretary Mattis is also known for his love 02:07.340 --> 02:09.180 of learning and research, 02:09.180 --> 02:12.160 and he has co-authored a book on civil military relations, 02:12.160 --> 02:14.900 which was published recently in 2016. 02:15.390 --> 02:19.990 This is Secretary Mattis' first public address of 2018. 02:20.760 --> 02:25.760 One logistical item, at the conclusion of the presentation, 02:25.820 --> 02:28.640 we will answer questions from the audience 02:28.640 --> 02:31.400 or Secretary Mattis will answer questions from the audience. 02:31.400 --> 02:33.700 And for this portion of the event, 02:34.160 --> 02:38.180 we ask that you write you questions on the note cards 02:38.180 --> 02:39.980 that are at your seats. 02:40.360 --> 02:43.240 Our student workers will be passing 02:43.240 --> 02:45.360 through the audience at two intervals 02:45.360 --> 02:47.710 during the presentation. 02:48.150 --> 02:51.560 As questions occur, you can send those down 02:51.560 --> 02:52.940 and then we'll collect them. 02:52.940 --> 02:55.820 And we hope to get to as many as possible. 02:55.890 --> 02:58.560 Following Secretary Mattis' address, 02:58.560 --> 03:01.400 our student, Catherine Stanbridge, 03:01.400 --> 03:03.940 will pose the questions to the Secretary. 03:04.490 --> 03:06.600 So we're very glad to be able to incorporate 03:06.600 --> 03:08.630 different members of our community 03:09.070 --> 03:10.710 in this distinguished event. 03:11.330 --> 03:15.270 Mr. Secretary, Johns Hopkins SAIS is honored to host you. 03:15.270 --> 03:18.680 Please join me in welcoming Secretary Jim Mattis. 03:18.861 --> 03:21.861 (audience applause) 03:31.445 --> 03:33.480 - Well, good morning and thank you all 03:33.480 --> 03:37.780 for taking time to come and listen to us here. 03:38.090 --> 03:41.080 Again, is this is a National Defense Strategy, 03:41.080 --> 03:43.190 but what it really is, ladies and gentlemen, 03:43.190 --> 03:44.990 this is an American strategy. 03:44.990 --> 03:48.280 It belongs to you; you own it; we work for you. 03:48.680 --> 03:50.500 And I would just tell you, Dean Lewis, 03:50.500 --> 03:53.330 it's a pleasure for hosting me here today. 03:53.330 --> 03:54.690 I owe you a great deal. 03:54.690 --> 03:58.380 It's a pleasure to be at a school named for the gentleman 03:58.380 --> 04:00.930 that this one is named for, Paul Nitze. 04:01.380 --> 04:04.470 I would just tell you he was so wise 04:04.470 --> 04:06.380 in how he could select people. 04:06.390 --> 04:09.450 He picked a young man once and have him a couch 04:09.450 --> 04:12.250 in his townhouse here in town to help him 04:12.250 --> 04:14.920 when he first got into national security affairs. 04:14.920 --> 04:16.980 That young man he put on his couch 04:17.290 --> 04:19.070 was none other than George Shultz, 04:19.070 --> 04:21.200 which says something about his ability 04:21.200 --> 04:23.530 to see talent at a young age. 04:23.530 --> 04:25.982 And there's a lot of talent that comes through here. 04:25.982 --> 04:29.160 And it looks very good to me from this point of view. 04:29.160 --> 04:31.360 You all look like promising young men and women 04:31.360 --> 04:33.490 because you're all young compared to me. 04:33.533 --> 04:34.690 (audience laughing) 04:34.690 --> 04:39.410 But he was also a great and avid scholar. 04:39.410 --> 04:41.450 He was someone who studied issues. 04:41.450 --> 04:43.080 You could agree or disagree with him, 04:43.080 --> 04:46.070 but you would not find him flatfooted intellectually. 04:46.610 --> 04:49.380 I bring this up because National Security Council 04:49.380 --> 04:53.717 document or report number 68 was a guiding light 04:53.717 --> 04:55.430 during the Cold War. 04:55.430 --> 04:56.970 It guided many things. 04:56.970 --> 04:59.320 Was it perfect? In hindsight, no, it was not. 04:59.320 --> 05:02.100 We don't look for perfection from you young people. 05:02.100 --> 05:03.620 We look for excellence. 05:03.950 --> 05:06.020 He also served as our Secretary of the Navy, 05:06.020 --> 05:08.070 so we do have a sense of ownership 05:08.460 --> 05:11.040 of the man for whom this school is named. 05:11.504 --> 05:13.870 The background that you have here 05:13.870 --> 05:16.020 makes this a fitting place to introduce 05:16.020 --> 05:20.520 our unclassified summary of the classified document. 05:20.700 --> 05:23.310 Parts of it are classified because we owe a degree 05:23.310 --> 05:25.810 of confidentiality to the troops 05:25.810 --> 05:28.250 who will carry out this strategy. 05:28.250 --> 05:30.500 It is, as was noted by the dean, 05:30.580 --> 05:34.490 our nation's first National Defense Strategy in 10 years. 05:34.750 --> 05:37.000 I believe it's a moral obligation 05:37.610 --> 05:40.620 for leaders to lay out clearly to their subordinates 05:40.620 --> 05:44.270 in the Department of Defense what it is we expect of them. 05:45.170 --> 05:46.610 It is designed to protect 05:46.610 --> 05:48.860 America's vital national interests. 05:49.300 --> 05:51.560 And this defense strategy was framed, 05:51.560 --> 05:52.940 as was noted by the dean, 05:52.940 --> 05:55.830 by President Trump's National Security Strategy. 05:55.830 --> 05:57.623 And just a couple words out of that 05:57.623 --> 06:00.160 to show you what I mean that it was framed, 06:00.160 --> 06:02.337 that it is inside the framework 06:02.337 --> 06:04.960 of that National Security Strategy, 06:04.960 --> 06:07.310 specifically where it states that we're 06:07.310 --> 06:09.410 to protect the American people, 06:09.410 --> 06:12.260 the homeland, and the American way of life. 06:12.260 --> 06:13.740 And it goes on to say, 06:14.000 --> 06:16.660 and to preserve peace through strength. 06:16.660 --> 06:19.540 Those are words out of the National Security Strategy 06:19.610 --> 06:23.100 and we carry those themes inside the Pentagon 06:23.320 --> 06:25.360 where we say what does that mean for us. 06:25.360 --> 06:29.010 Of course, national security is much more than just defense. 06:29.010 --> 06:32.180 This is our part of the responsibility. 06:32.700 --> 06:35.310 Today America's military reclaims 06:35.310 --> 06:37.470 an era of strategic purpose. 06:37.690 --> 06:40.510 And we're alert to the realities of a changing world 06:40.510 --> 06:43.770 and attentive to the need to protect our values 06:44.070 --> 06:46.220 and the countries that stand with us. 06:47.700 --> 06:50.510 America's military protects our way of life 06:50.920 --> 06:54.620 and I want to point out it also protects a realm of ideas. 06:54.620 --> 06:57.380 It's not just about protecting geography. 06:57.720 --> 06:59.830 This is a defense strategy that will guide 06:59.830 --> 07:01.750 our efforts in all realms. 07:02.030 --> 07:06.000 "The world," to quote George Shultz, "is awash in change, 07:06.310 --> 07:09.740 defined by increasing global volatility and uncertainty 07:09.870 --> 07:13.400 with great power competition between nations 07:13.640 --> 07:16.040 becoming a reality once again." 07:16.740 --> 07:19.340 But we will continue to prosecute the campaign 07:19.340 --> 07:21.580 against terrorists that we're engaged in today. 07:21.580 --> 07:24.670 But great power competition, not terrorism, 07:24.670 --> 07:28.250 is now the primary focus of U.S. National Security. 07:29.060 --> 07:31.330 This strategy is fit for our time, 07:31.500 --> 07:34.520 providing the American people the military required 07:34.520 --> 07:37.640 to protect our way of life, stand with our allies, 07:37.640 --> 07:41.450 and live up to our responsibility to pass intact 07:41.450 --> 07:43.990 to the next generation those freedoms 07:43.990 --> 07:46.090 that all of us enjoy here today. 07:46.840 --> 07:48.880 Adapting to today's realities, 07:48.880 --> 07:51.940 this strategy expands our competitive space, 07:52.290 --> 07:54.794 prioritizes preparedness for war, 07:54.794 --> 07:58.140 provides clear direction for significant change 07:58.140 --> 08:00.240 at the speed of relevance, 08:00.450 --> 08:03.900 and builds a more lethal force to compete strategically. 08:04.730 --> 08:07.090 This strategy makes a clear-eyed appraisal 08:07.090 --> 08:08.760 of our security environment, 08:08.930 --> 08:11.980 with a keen eye on America's place in the world. 08:12.390 --> 08:15.610 This required some tough choices, ladies and gentlemen. 08:15.660 --> 08:18.880 And we made them based upon a fundamental precept, 08:19.030 --> 08:22.300 namely that America can afford survival. 08:23.370 --> 08:26.440 We face growing threats from revisionist powers 08:26.440 --> 08:29.900 as different as China and Russia are from each other. 08:30.160 --> 08:33.210 Nations that do seek to create a world consistent 08:33.210 --> 08:36.970 with their authoritarian models pursuing veto authority 08:36.970 --> 08:41.550 over nation's economic, diplomatic, and security decisions. 08:42.560 --> 08:45.020 Rogue regimes, like North Korea and Iran, 08:45.020 --> 08:47.315 persist in taking outlaw actions 08:47.315 --> 08:50.700 that threaten regional and even global stability. 08:51.270 --> 08:53.320 Oppressing their own people and shredding 08:53.370 --> 08:55.680 their own people's dignity and human rights, 08:55.800 --> 08:58.150 they push their warped views outward. 08:58.930 --> 09:02.090 And despite the defeat of ISIS' physical caliphate, 09:02.220 --> 09:05.210 violent extremist organizations like ISIS 09:05.210 --> 09:08.390 or Lebanese Hezbollah or Al-Qaeda continue 09:08.390 --> 09:10.760 to sow hatred, destroying peace 09:10.760 --> 09:13.100 and murdering innocence across the globe. 09:13.630 --> 09:16.642 In this time of change, our military is still strong. 09:16.642 --> 09:19.570 Yet our competitive edge has eroded 09:19.570 --> 09:21.470 in every domain of warfare; 09:21.670 --> 09:25.760 air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace. 09:25.840 --> 09:27.880 And it is continuing to erode. 09:28.860 --> 09:30.900 Rapid technological change, 09:31.140 --> 09:33.620 the negative impact on military readiness 09:33.620 --> 09:36.800 is resulting from the longest continuous stretch 09:36.800 --> 09:38.700 of combat in our nation's history 09:39.190 --> 09:41.070 and defense spending caps. 09:41.370 --> 09:43.750 Because we have been operating also 09:43.750 --> 09:47.255 for nine of the last 10 years under continuing resolutions 09:47.255 --> 09:49.320 that have created an overstretched 09:49.320 --> 09:51.510 and under-resourced military. 09:52.100 --> 09:54.350 Our military's role is to keep the peace, 09:54.680 --> 09:56.508 to keep the peace for one more year, 09:56.508 --> 09:59.930 one more month, one more week, one more day 10:00.230 --> 10:03.410 to ensure our diplomats, who are working to solve problems, 10:03.410 --> 10:05.890 do so from a position of strength 10:06.110 --> 10:08.390 and giving allies confidence in us. 10:08.780 --> 10:11.212 This confidence is underpinned by the assurance 10:11.212 --> 10:15.560 that our military will win should diplomacy fail. 10:16.330 --> 10:18.600 When unveiling this National Security Strategy, 10:18.600 --> 10:19.990 President Trump said, 10:20.090 --> 10:23.010 "Weakness is the surest path to conflict, 10:23.130 --> 10:24.630 and unquestioned strength 10:24.630 --> 10:26.900 is the most certain means of defense." 10:28.820 --> 10:31.840 Ladies and gentlemen, we have no room for complacency. 10:32.130 --> 10:34.070 And history makes clear that America 10:34.070 --> 10:37.250 has no preordained right to victory on the battlefield. 10:37.840 --> 10:40.290 Simply we must be the best if the values 10:40.290 --> 10:42.880 that grew out of the enlightenment are to survive. 10:43.580 --> 10:46.670 It is incumbent upon us to field a more lethal force 10:46.670 --> 10:48.870 if our nation is to retain the ability 10:48.870 --> 10:51.870 to defend ourselves and what we stand for. 10:52.407 --> 10:55.740 The defense strategy's three primary lines 10:55.740 --> 10:59.640 of effort will restore our comparative military advantage. 11:00.160 --> 11:02.710 We are going to build a more lethal force. 11:02.910 --> 11:05.540 It will strengthen our traditional alliances 11:06.000 --> 11:08.470 in building new partnerships with other nations, 11:08.570 --> 11:10.269 and at the same time we will reform 11:10.269 --> 11:12.820 our department's business practices 11:13.110 --> 11:15.780 for performance and affordability. 11:17.000 --> 11:19.110 In doing this, we will earn the trust 11:19.110 --> 11:20.980 of the American people and Congress 11:20.980 --> 11:23.280 that their defense dollars are well spent. 11:24.220 --> 11:26.390 So let me go through each of the lines of effort. 11:26.390 --> 11:28.390 I want to start with lethality. 11:28.390 --> 11:30.190 Because everything we do in the department 11:30.190 --> 11:33.190 must contribute to the lethality of our military. 11:33.950 --> 11:37.470 The paradox of war is that an enemy will attack 11:37.470 --> 11:40.770 any perceived weakness, though we in America 11:40.770 --> 11:44.980 cannot adopt a single preclusive form of warfare. 11:45.370 --> 11:46.780 Rather we must be able to fight 11:46.780 --> 11:48.790 across the spectrum of conflict. 11:49.320 --> 11:50.790 This means that the size 11:50.790 --> 11:53.170 and the composition of our force matters. 11:53.500 --> 11:56.969 The nation must field sufficient capable forces 11:56.969 --> 11:58.960 to deter conflict. 11:59.250 --> 12:01.730 And if deterrence fails, we must win. 12:02.690 --> 12:04.700 We will modernize key capabilities 12:04.700 --> 12:07.060 recognizing we cannot expect success 12:07.060 --> 12:08.880 fighting tomorrow's conflicts 12:09.060 --> 12:11.400 with yesterday's weapons or equipment. 12:12.370 --> 12:15.221 Investments in space and cyberspace, 12:15.221 --> 12:18.900 nuclear deterrent forces, missile defense, 12:18.900 --> 12:20.650 advanced autonomous systems, 12:20.650 --> 12:22.950 and resilient and agile logistics 12:22.950 --> 12:26.580 will provide our high-quality troops what they need to win. 12:27.360 --> 12:30.810 Changing our forces' posture will prioritize 12:30.810 --> 12:33.830 readiness for war fighting for major combat. 12:34.240 --> 12:37.570 Making it strategically predictable for our allies 12:37.810 --> 12:41.410 and operationally unpredictable for any adversary. 12:42.230 --> 12:45.090 Increasing the lethality of our troops 12:45.260 --> 12:47.210 supported by our defense civilians 12:47.210 --> 12:49.380 requires us to reshape our approach 12:49.380 --> 12:52.030 by managing our outstanding talent, 12:52.340 --> 12:54.900 reinvigorating our military education, 12:54.900 --> 12:57.510 and honing civilian workforce expertise. 12:58.270 --> 13:01.020 The creativity and talent of the department 13:01.020 --> 13:03.130 is our deepest wellspring of strength 13:03.187 --> 13:06.040 and one that warrants greater investment. 13:06.800 --> 13:09.420 And to those who would threaten America's experiment 13:09.420 --> 13:12.790 in democracy, they must know, if you challenge us 13:12.790 --> 13:15.380 it will be your longest and your worst day. 13:15.570 --> 13:16.920 Work with our diplomats. 13:16.920 --> 13:19.420 You don't want to fight the Department of Defense. 13:20.400 --> 13:22.031 The second line of effort I noted 13:22.031 --> 13:24.550 was to strengthen alliances 13:24.550 --> 13:27.310 as we build new partnerships as well. 13:27.820 --> 13:29.880 In my past I fought many times 13:29.880 --> 13:33.430 and never did I fight in a solely American formation. 13:33.730 --> 13:36.700 It was always alongside foreign troops. 13:37.430 --> 13:39.530 Now as Winston Churchill once said, 13:39.530 --> 13:40.899 "The only thing harder than fighting with allies 13:40.899 --> 13:42.970 is fighting without them." 13:43.404 --> 13:45.760 But we are going to be stronger together 13:45.760 --> 13:48.661 in recognizing that our military will be designed 13:48.661 --> 13:53.130 and trained and ready to fight alongside allies. 13:53.430 --> 13:56.600 History proves that nations with allies thrive 13:57.000 --> 13:59.040 an approach the security and prosperity 13:59.040 --> 14:01.140 that has served the United States well 14:01.380 --> 14:03.630 in keeping peace and winning war. 14:04.130 --> 14:06.770 Working by, with, and through allies 14:06.770 --> 14:08.770 who carry their equitable share 14:09.020 --> 14:12.450 allows us to amass the greatest possible strength. 14:14.970 --> 14:18.019 We carried a disproportionate share of the defense burden 14:18.019 --> 14:21.490 for the democracies in the post-World War II era. 14:21.900 --> 14:25.070 The growing economic strength of today's democracies 14:25.070 --> 14:28.470 and partners dictate they must now step up and do more. 14:29.130 --> 14:31.540 When together we pool our resources 14:31.540 --> 14:35.040 and share responsibility for the common defense, 14:35.207 --> 14:38.690 individual nations' security burdens become lighter. 14:39.160 --> 14:42.500 This has been demonstrated right now today, for example, 14:42.500 --> 14:45.644 by over 70 nations and international organizations 14:45.644 --> 14:48.120 of the Defeat ISIS Campaign 14:48.390 --> 14:50.780 that is successfully conducting operations 14:50.780 --> 14:51.730 in the Middle East, 14:52.290 --> 14:53.312 and again, the 40-odd nations 14:53.312 --> 14:56.120 that stand shoulder-to-shoulder 14:56.120 --> 14:58.740 in NATO's mission in Afghanistan. 14:59.820 --> 15:02.300 To strengthen and work jointly with more allies 15:02.300 --> 15:05.030 our organization's processes and procedures 15:05.030 --> 15:06.470 must be ally friendly. 15:06.840 --> 15:08.890 The department will do more than just listen 15:08.890 --> 15:10.530 to other nations' ideas. 15:10.780 --> 15:13.240 We will be willing to be persuaded by them, 15:13.300 --> 15:17.790 recognizing that not all good ideas come 15:17.790 --> 15:20.670 from the country with the most aircraft carriers. 15:21.580 --> 15:24.570 This line of effort will bolster an extended network 15:24.570 --> 15:28.450 capable of decisively meeting the challenges of our time. 15:28.920 --> 15:31.270 So we're going to make the military more lethal 15:31.280 --> 15:33.530 and we are going to build and strengthen 15:33.530 --> 15:38.120 traditional alliances as well as go out and find 15:38.120 --> 15:41.280 some new partners, maybe nontraditional partners, 15:41.280 --> 15:44.830 as we do what the greatest generation did coming home 15:45.140 --> 15:47.860 form World War II when they built the alliances 15:47.860 --> 15:50.790 that have served us so well right through today. 15:51.230 --> 15:53.621 Our third line of effort serves as the foundation 15:53.621 --> 15:55.670 for our competitive edge. 15:55.810 --> 15:58.571 Reforming the business practices of the department 15:58.571 --> 16:01.360 to provide both solvency and security, 16:01.780 --> 16:05.439 thereby gaining the full benefit from every dollar spent 16:05.439 --> 16:08.445 in which way we will gain and hold the trust 16:08.445 --> 16:11.400 of Congress and the American people. 16:11.400 --> 16:13.510 We are going to have to be good stewards 16:13.510 --> 16:15.930 of the tax dollars allocated to us, 16:15.970 --> 16:19.180 and that means results and accountability matter. 16:19.880 --> 16:21.330 To keep pace with our times, 16:21.330 --> 16:23.410 the department will transition to a culture 16:23.410 --> 16:25.910 of performance and affordability 16:26.070 --> 16:28.310 that operates at the speed of relevance. 16:28.760 --> 16:31.290 Success does not go to the country that develops 16:31.290 --> 16:32.830 a new technology first, 16:33.160 --> 16:35.520 but rather to the one that better integrates it 16:35.710 --> 16:38.300 and more swiftly adapts its way of fighting. 16:38.930 --> 16:42.600 Our current bureaucratic processes are insufficiently 16:42.600 --> 16:45.870 responsive to the department's needs for new equipment. 16:46.360 --> 16:48.740 We will prioritize speed of delivery, 16:48.860 --> 16:53.280 continuous adaptation, and frequent modular upgrades. 16:53.820 --> 16:57.390 We must shed outdated management and acquisition practices 16:57.590 --> 17:01.200 while adopting American industry's best practices. 17:01.670 --> 17:03.640 Our management structure and processes 17:03.640 --> 17:05.170 are not engraved in stone. 17:05.170 --> 17:06.690 They are the means to an end, 17:06.970 --> 17:09.230 empowering our war fighters with the knowledge, 17:09.230 --> 17:11.770 equipment, and support needed to fight and win. 17:12.140 --> 17:15.500 If the current structures inhibit our pursuit of lethality, 17:15.660 --> 17:18.600 I expect the service secretaries and agency heads 17:18.840 --> 17:22.120 to consolidate, eliminate, or restructure 17:22.380 --> 17:23.690 to achieve the mission. 17:24.350 --> 17:26.270 Deputy Secretary of Defense Shanahan 17:26.270 --> 17:27.452 is leading this third line of effort 17:27.452 --> 17:30.700 to leverage the scale of our operations, 17:30.700 --> 17:33.530 driving better deals for equipping our troops. 17:35.920 --> 17:39.010 This National Defense Strategy will guide all our actions, 17:39.010 --> 17:40.770 aligning the department's three lines 17:40.770 --> 17:42.530 of effort to gain synergies. 17:43.040 --> 17:46.010 But we recognize no strategy can long survive 17:46.010 --> 17:49.200 without necessary funding and the stable, predictable 17:49.200 --> 17:52.640 budgets required to defend America in the modern age. 17:53.370 --> 17:56.200 Failure to modernize our military risks leaving us 17:56.200 --> 17:58.700 with a force that could dominate the last war 17:59.070 --> 18:01.580 but be irrelevant to tomorrow's security. 18:02.320 --> 18:03.300 Let me be clear: 18:03.300 --> 18:06.980 as hard as the last 16 years have been on our military, 18:07.240 --> 18:09.420 no enemy in the field has done more 18:09.420 --> 18:11.880 to harm the readiness of the U.S. Military 18:12.200 --> 18:15.740 than the combined impact of the budget control acts 18:15.740 --> 18:20.490 defense spending cuts worsened by us operating 18:20.490 --> 18:24.410 in nine of the last ten years under continuing resolutions 18:24.640 --> 18:28.990 wasting copious amounts of precious taxpayer dollars. 18:29.930 --> 18:33.630 Today, as our competitive edge over our foes erodes 18:33.630 --> 18:35.590 due to budgetary confusion, 18:35.910 --> 18:38.050 even with storm clouds gathering, 18:38.210 --> 18:40.970 America's military, as I speak, is operating 18:40.970 --> 18:44.240 under yet another continuing resolution. 18:44.920 --> 18:47.070 For too long we have asked our military 18:47.070 --> 18:51.710 to stoically carry a success-at-any-cost attitude 18:52.010 --> 18:54.850 as they work tirelessly to accomplish the mission 18:54.898 --> 18:58.030 with now inadequate and misaligned resources 18:58.030 --> 18:59.920 simply because the Congress 18:59.920 --> 19:01.920 could not maintain regular order. 19:02.460 --> 19:04.438 That we have performed well is a credit 19:04.438 --> 19:07.170 to our wonderful and loyal troops. 19:07.580 --> 19:09.830 But loyalty must be a two-way street. 19:10.200 --> 19:13.090 We expect the magnificent men and women of our military 19:13.090 --> 19:14.810 to be faithful in their service, 19:15.030 --> 19:16.920 even when going in harm's way. 19:17.400 --> 19:20.026 We must remain faithful to those who voluntarily 19:20.026 --> 19:23.260 sign a blank check payable 19:23.260 --> 19:25.550 to the American people with their lives. 19:26.310 --> 19:28.620 As Speaker Ryan said yesterday, 19:28.637 --> 19:32.690 "Our men and women in uniform are not bargaining chips." 19:33.480 --> 19:36.690 The consequences of not providing a budget are clear. 19:37.050 --> 19:39.570 Without a sustained budget, ships will not receive 19:39.570 --> 19:41.750 the required maintenance to put to sea. 19:41.880 --> 19:46.070 The ships already at sea will be extended outside of port. 19:46.260 --> 19:48.000 Aircraft will remain on the ground. 19:48.000 --> 19:50.240 Their pilots not at the sharpest edge. 19:50.520 --> 19:54.550 And eventually ammunition, training, and manpower 19:54.550 --> 19:57.260 will not be sufficient to deter war. 19:58.390 --> 20:01.570 But I am optimistic that Congress will do the right thing 20:01.570 --> 20:03.560 and carry out their responsibility. 20:03.560 --> 20:06.164 I may be in the minority in this room when I say that. 20:06.164 --> 20:07.721 (audience laughing) 20:07.721 --> 20:09.260 Bu I'm an eternal optimist. 20:09.400 --> 20:12.070 And as Senator Reed said last November, 20:12.270 --> 20:14.760 "We need bipartisan investment in our troops 20:14.760 --> 20:16.880 to enhance military readiness 20:17.140 --> 20:20.680 and help us meet evolving national security challenges." 20:21.510 --> 20:23.826 Under our Constitution, it is Congress 20:23.826 --> 20:27.160 that has the authority to raise armies 20:27.160 --> 20:28.630 and to maintain navies. 20:29.230 --> 20:31.630 Yet as I stand here this morning watching the news, 20:31.630 --> 20:33.740 as we all are, from Capitol Hill, 20:33.810 --> 20:35.800 we're on the verge of a government shutdown 20:35.800 --> 20:39.820 or, at best, yet another debilitating 20:39.940 --> 20:41.780 continuing resolution. 20:42.380 --> 20:44.820 We need Congress back in the driver's seat 20:44.820 --> 20:48.060 of budget decisions, not in the spectator's seat 20:48.060 --> 20:52.210 of budget control acts, indiscriminate and automatic cuts. 20:52.570 --> 20:55.490 We need a budget, and we need budget predictability 20:55.760 --> 20:58.600 if we're to sustain our military's primacy. 20:59.864 --> 21:03.120 Now many of us in this room were born free 21:03.160 --> 21:06.360 here in America completely by accident. 21:06.640 --> 21:08.950 All of us can live here by choice 21:09.160 --> 21:11.100 thanks to the veterans and the patriots 21:11.100 --> 21:13.050 who serve today in our military. 21:13.540 --> 21:16.970 Yet we today have an obligation to pass intact 21:16.970 --> 21:20.560 to the next generation the same freedoms we enjoy right now. 21:20.560 --> 21:22.670 That's an obligation that we have. 21:22.670 --> 21:27.120 That's not something we can simply abrogate to someone else. 21:27.330 --> 21:30.580 And I believe that this strategy, resourced appropriately, 21:30.670 --> 21:33.200 will ensure we live up to our responsibility 21:33.360 --> 21:34.890 to our children's generation. 21:35.490 --> 21:37.050 So with that, ladies and gentlemen, 21:37.050 --> 21:38.650 and the dean did say he was going 21:38.650 --> 21:39.970 to help me answer the questions, 21:39.970 --> 21:41.345 so thanks very much for that. 21:41.345 --> 21:42.687 (audience laughing) 21:42.687 --> 21:44.030 That what I recognize as a slip of the tongue, 21:44.030 --> 21:46.120 but in this town that can get you into a lot of trouble, 21:46.120 --> 21:47.657 and I speak with authority on that. 21:47.657 --> 21:49.470 (audience laughing) 21:49.470 --> 21:51.870 But ladies and gentlemen, let's see where we're at. 21:51.870 --> 21:53.570 Let's have a dialogue. 21:53.570 --> 21:57.330 Now again, we serve you; this is your strategy 21:57.330 --> 21:58.610 as much as it's ours. 21:58.760 --> 22:00.670 We had a responsibility to write it, 22:00.790 --> 22:02.860 and it's up to us to be able to defend it 22:03.140 --> 22:06.187 intellectually alongside you and in the face 22:06.187 --> 22:07.850 of any questions you have. 22:07.850 --> 22:09.750 So let's hear what's on your mind. 22:09.950 --> 22:11.070 Where's Catherine at? 22:11.070 --> 22:12.520 She's somewhere around here. 22:19.470 --> 22:21.530 - [Catherine] Thank you for your remarks, Secretary Mattis. 22:21.530 --> 22:23.060 My name is Catherine Stanbridge. 22:23.060 --> 22:25.450 I'm a second-year MA student here at SAIS, 22:25.450 --> 22:26.920 and I'll be reading the questions 22:26.920 --> 22:29.070 that have been submitted by the audience. 22:29.310 --> 22:32.930 So our first question, building capability and capacity 22:32.930 --> 22:35.460 are challenging to achieve at the same time. 22:35.840 --> 22:38.190 Do you see one of these as being more important 22:38.300 --> 22:39.330 in the near term? 22:40.120 --> 22:41.170 - Very good question. 22:41.350 --> 22:44.280 So capabilities, or what does the force bring? 22:44.280 --> 22:47.064 And you look at every capability in a force. 22:47.064 --> 22:50.710 You look at changing times, what are the threats? 22:50.800 --> 22:53.140 We try to define the threats to what I would call 22:53.140 --> 22:56.890 a Jesuit's level of satisfaction, which is tough indeed. 22:57.440 --> 22:59.400 And at that point we then determine 22:59.400 --> 23:01.320 do we need additional capabilities. 23:01.550 --> 23:03.790 Then you have capacity; in other words, 23:03.790 --> 23:05.840 how big is the force that you have? 23:06.170 --> 23:09.300 I believe at this time in this age 23:09.500 --> 23:13.320 that emphasizing the capabilities that the force brings 23:13.650 --> 23:18.650 is probably the predominant effort that you've got to make. 23:19.970 --> 23:22.100 At the same time, capacity, 23:22.100 --> 23:24.380 the size of your force, makes a difference. 23:24.670 --> 23:27.300 There are nations that have stood by us for years 23:27.300 --> 23:30.900 and to whom we look many times for support. 23:31.090 --> 23:33.726 And some of those forces have been shrunk to a point 23:33.726 --> 23:35.998 that they no longer allow their diplomats 23:35.998 --> 23:38.490 to speak with strength. 23:38.650 --> 23:40.990 So we have to make certain we keep a force 23:41.070 --> 23:43.928 of sufficient size, but my emphasis right now 23:43.928 --> 23:46.150 is on building the capacity. 23:46.150 --> 23:48.270 Do we have the cyber troops in there; 23:48.550 --> 23:51.230 do we have the intelligence analysts in there 23:51.380 --> 23:53.286 that allow us to be at the top of the game 23:53.286 --> 23:55.440 when we make that grave choice 23:55.440 --> 23:58.510 to send our young folks into a fight? 23:59.830 --> 24:00.930 - [Catherine] Thank you. 24:01.550 --> 24:04.320 Next question, how does the NDS intend 24:04.320 --> 24:07.740 to modernize U.S. forces and prepare the U.S. 24:07.740 --> 24:10.670 for a conflict with some of the world's rising powers? 24:12.380 --> 24:15.950 - Well, first of all, you've got to accept the reality, 24:15.950 --> 24:18.980 you have to look with reality at what the world looks like 24:18.980 --> 24:22.280 and what are those challenges to our way of life. 24:22.390 --> 24:25.160 There is nothing in here that presupposes war. 24:25.500 --> 24:28.856 The whole point, and you saw it well demonstrated 24:28.856 --> 24:33.480 with the NATO alliance, for how many years did NATO 24:33.480 --> 24:36.370 stand strong, all the democracies together 24:36.550 --> 24:38.580 from Europe and North America, 24:38.920 --> 24:40.910 how long did we stand together 24:41.110 --> 24:44.080 and what was a Cold War never became a hot war 24:44.710 --> 24:46.220 on the plains of Europe. 24:46.490 --> 24:49.670 So the point is how do we create a military 24:49.670 --> 24:51.330 that is that compelling? 24:51.740 --> 24:53.720 And what you have to do is you have 24:53.720 --> 24:56.460 to take the threats as they stand. 24:56.730 --> 24:58.630 You have to make certain you're integrated 24:58.630 --> 25:01.060 with the state department's foreign polices, 25:01.520 --> 25:06.000 so we're operating with very much a depth 25:06.250 --> 25:09.420 to our state department, not outside the state department's 25:09.420 --> 25:11.230 foreign policy, but inside it. 25:11.360 --> 25:14.840 And so it starts with me having breakfast every week 25:14.840 --> 25:17.300 with Secretary of State Tillerson. 25:18.120 --> 25:21.180 And we talk two, three times a day sometimes. 25:21.300 --> 25:24.570 We settle all of our issues between he and I, 25:24.570 --> 25:28.110 and then we walk together into the White House meetings, 25:28.110 --> 25:30.420 that way state and defense are together. 25:30.490 --> 25:31.840 And this allows us, 25:31.840 --> 25:36.310 as we look at a military that must adapt to its times, 25:36.480 --> 25:39.060 we also are instep with the foreign policy. 25:39.060 --> 25:41.420 You do not want to get detached from that 25:41.620 --> 25:43.700 and think that you're just going to automatically 25:43.700 --> 25:45.738 serve the needs of our country. 25:45.738 --> 25:48.520 Then when you get down to the discreet elements 25:48.520 --> 25:51.680 of military power, it's a much more 25:51.680 --> 25:53.850 straightforward process, to tell you the truth. 25:53.850 --> 25:56.400 You look at what capabilities other countries have. 25:56.510 --> 25:59.340 You look at what technology is bringing onboard. 25:59.340 --> 26:00.310 You put it together. 26:00.310 --> 26:03.931 You prioritize based on the threat analysis 26:03.931 --> 26:07.040 that is done both inside the Pentagon 26:07.040 --> 26:08.390 but that is never enough. 26:08.390 --> 26:10.670 I want an outside view as well. 26:10.770 --> 26:12.440 And that's why we have a very close link 26:12.440 --> 26:15.180 with the CIA and foreign intelligence services. 26:15.230 --> 26:17.519 And then we also have officers assigned 26:17.519 --> 26:20.460 to other nations' armed forces 26:20.460 --> 26:23.100 or on duty in our embassies around the world. 26:23.310 --> 26:25.580 And they are also feeding from our friends 26:25.580 --> 26:27.450 that are feeding more ideas in, 26:27.650 --> 26:29.650 and certainly they're keeping us updated 26:29.650 --> 26:33.640 on what they're seeing of potential adversary systems. 26:33.880 --> 26:35.840 So you put it together in that manner, 26:35.840 --> 26:37.750 and then it becomes like a Rubik's Cube. 26:37.750 --> 26:42.140 As you move defensive and offensive capabilities together 26:42.140 --> 26:43.750 you work with allies. 26:43.750 --> 26:46.253 I'm on my way to Brussels here in a couple of weeks 26:46.253 --> 26:48.790 to work with our allies again as we look 26:48.790 --> 26:51.320 at what we call NATO capability gaps. 26:51.430 --> 26:53.820 They're not all going to be filled by us. 26:53.820 --> 26:55.890 Some of them are going to be filled by others, 26:55.890 --> 26:57.340 and that's the way it should be 26:57.340 --> 26:59.290 when democracies band together 26:59.440 --> 27:01.600 to defend the principles we stand on. 27:01.810 --> 27:06.200 So it's an analysis and then it's assignment of priority, 27:06.200 --> 27:08.430 and then it's an allocation of resources. 27:08.430 --> 27:11.580 If you don't get the resources, my closing words, 27:11.840 --> 27:15.540 then your strategy is nothing more than a hallucination. 27:15.680 --> 27:17.032 Because without the resources, 27:17.032 --> 27:20.300 there's just so much brave young men and women can do. 27:21.460 --> 27:22.570 - [Catherine] Thank you. 27:22.956 --> 27:26.360 Continuing in a similar vein, how well linked is the NDS 27:26.360 --> 27:28.000 to the budgets and activities 27:28.000 --> 27:30.890 of the State Department and civilian agencies? 27:31.190 --> 27:33.710 - Yeah, you do somewhat link. 27:33.710 --> 27:35.630 Again, I do not take any-- 27:35.630 --> 27:39.560 I'm leaving to visit Indonesia and Vietnam this weekend, 27:39.780 --> 27:42.960 and before I go, I sit down with Secretary Tillerson 27:42.960 --> 27:44.780 and he actually sends to me in writing 27:44.780 --> 27:46.550 at some point after we've talked, 27:46.740 --> 27:48.890 what are the foreign policy parameters, 27:48.890 --> 27:50.950 what are the priorities he has 27:50.950 --> 27:52.950 while I'm visiting those countries. 27:53.067 --> 27:56.140 I think that probably the most important thing 27:56.140 --> 28:00.240 is to ensure that in everything we say 28:00.240 --> 28:04.580 and in everything we do we are reinforced in our diplomats. 28:04.630 --> 28:08.320 That's the way it works when you're doing foreign policy. 28:08.340 --> 28:10.580 And we're an instrument of foreign policy. 28:11.150 --> 28:14.890 As some of our tough young men put it, 28:14.970 --> 28:18.200 we do the last 600 meters of foreign policy. 28:18.423 --> 28:21.450 And that's a fair statement in terms 28:21.450 --> 28:25.970 of we're there, first of all, to back up the diplomats 28:25.970 --> 28:29.516 and then if push comes to shove and we're unable to avert, 28:29.516 --> 28:32.848 basically avert war or we end up in one, 28:32.848 --> 28:35.270 then we carry it forward. 28:35.330 --> 28:38.030 But our job even then is to develop 28:38.030 --> 28:39.690 something better for peace. 28:39.690 --> 28:41.410 It's not just to fight a war. 28:41.420 --> 28:44.960 It's for a political reason that's established by state. 28:45.020 --> 28:46.490 We do work together. 28:46.720 --> 28:49.410 I have some development money that's allotted 28:49.410 --> 28:51.000 to me by the U.S. Congress 28:51.000 --> 28:53.610 because of where we operate around the world. 28:53.790 --> 28:57.160 When we spend that money, already at the highest levels 28:57.160 --> 28:58.590 of state and defense department, 28:58.590 --> 29:02.170 we have sat down and prioritized that money together. 29:02.170 --> 29:03.882 We don't go off and spend that money 29:03.882 --> 29:06.720 without State Department helping with the Pen 29:06.800 --> 29:09.270 to say what are the priorities that we have. 29:10.573 --> 29:12.270 - [Catherine] Thank you. 29:12.370 --> 29:14.560 And again, continuing on this track. 29:14.560 --> 29:17.880 How is the DOD working to encourage allies and partners 29:17.880 --> 29:20.210 to build up their own defense capabilities? 29:21.226 --> 29:24.330 - That's actually going better than I expected. 29:24.830 --> 29:28.560 I came here, I remember flying out of Denver. 29:28.560 --> 29:31.850 I was flying in here going to confirmation. 29:32.200 --> 29:36.620 And I was trying to think of how do I put America first 29:36.770 --> 29:40.240 into, in my mind, an alliance framework? 29:40.810 --> 29:44.520 And we were getting ready to take off. 29:44.520 --> 29:47.450 You know what happened; you all can recite it from memory. 29:47.680 --> 29:49.700 The stewardess was standing there and she said, 29:49.700 --> 29:51.680 "In the event we lose cabin pressure," 29:51.680 --> 29:54.380 you know what's coming next, every one of you, don't you? 29:54.380 --> 29:56.630 "When the masks drop, put your own mask 29:56.630 --> 29:58.640 on first, then help others." 29:58.760 --> 30:02.467 So what we're going to do is restore America's economic 30:02.467 --> 30:05.598 viability because no nation in history 30:05.598 --> 30:08.420 has maintained its military power 30:08.420 --> 30:10.431 that was not economically viable 30:10.431 --> 30:13.650 and did not keep its fiscal house in order. 30:13.920 --> 30:16.510 So the first thing was when I went 30:16.510 --> 30:19.400 into Brussels on my first meeting there 30:19.660 --> 30:21.970 with the most critical alliance we have, 30:21.970 --> 30:24.800 which is the 29 nations of NATO, 30:25.120 --> 30:27.065 I said, I used that example. 30:27.065 --> 30:29.241 And I said, but I've got to tell you, 30:29.241 --> 30:32.058 I said, and I'm speaking from the heart. 30:32.058 --> 30:33.410 I knew many of them. 30:33.410 --> 30:35.210 I'd been a supreme allied commander 30:35.210 --> 30:37.440 in NATO in a previous job. 30:37.650 --> 30:39.770 And I said, "I know many of you here." 30:39.890 --> 30:44.300 I said, "I have sat behind Secretary Rumsfeld, 30:44.300 --> 30:47.020 when he came here and said you're going to have to pay more, 30:47.020 --> 30:49.720 you can't expect the Americans to keep doing this." 30:50.170 --> 30:54.810 I said, "I've heard Secretary Gates put 30:54.810 --> 30:57.970 his prepared remarks down and tell you he needs to lay 30:57.970 --> 31:00.840 this on the line, that the American people 31:00.840 --> 31:04.460 do not want to continue to carry a disproportionate share." 31:04.580 --> 31:07.420 And I said, "You have heard it from President Obama's 31:07.420 --> 31:10.420 administration; I've been here and I've heard it said then. 31:10.550 --> 31:13.530 And now it's manifested politically in America. 31:13.780 --> 31:17.290 So here's the bottom line, please do not ask me 31:17.290 --> 31:22.070 to go back and tell Americans, the American parents 31:22.180 --> 31:25.420 that they need to care more about the safety 31:25.420 --> 31:28.750 and security and the freedom of your children 31:28.770 --> 31:30.250 than you're willing to care for, 31:30.250 --> 31:32.350 that you're willing to sacrifice for. 31:32.470 --> 31:34.775 We're all going to have to put our shoulder to the wagon 31:34.775 --> 31:36.560 and move it up the hill." 31:36.640 --> 31:40.740 Surprisingly, I did not lose the rapport that I really 31:40.740 --> 31:42.890 anticipated I would lose with some of them. 31:43.444 --> 31:45.150 That's a hard message. 31:45.950 --> 31:48.510 But I wanted to put it in human terms 31:48.770 --> 31:52.470 because this is a human situation we're talking about. 31:52.540 --> 31:54.660 I don't think that the values that grew 31:54.660 --> 31:58.307 out of the enlightenment are something that simply exists 31:58.307 --> 32:01.980 in isolation and don't need to be defended. 32:02.740 --> 32:04.380 And there's enough other things going 32:04.380 --> 32:06.340 on in the world we can see this. 32:06.340 --> 32:09.250 So the argument is made for itself. 32:09.400 --> 32:11.070 The argument is made for itself. 32:11.070 --> 32:13.170 The CIA briefed me when I came in 32:13.420 --> 32:15.160 that my first crisis would probably 32:15.160 --> 32:17.460 be somewhere in the Korean peninsula. 32:18.210 --> 32:21.700 My first trip overseas went to Tokyo and Seoul. 32:21.850 --> 32:23.433 And I will tell you, there are two nations 32:23.433 --> 32:26.340 that are doing a lot for their own defense 32:26.340 --> 32:27.910 and were very tightly bonded. 32:27.910 --> 32:29.800 It's a trusted relationship. 32:30.060 --> 32:31.960 So it's actually going well. 32:32.440 --> 32:35.780 The message has been received in positive terms. 32:35.940 --> 32:39.083 I do not have antagonistic or adversary terms 32:39.083 --> 32:43.310 with any of our traditional allies, 32:43.310 --> 32:46.130 and we have new allies who are eager 32:46.130 --> 32:50.400 to start working military-to-military with us at this time. 32:50.400 --> 32:52.590 So, so far it's going okay, 32:52.640 --> 32:54.880 but, of course, these are all democracies 32:54.880 --> 32:56.302 by and large we're dealing with 32:56.302 --> 33:01.302 and they have their own constituencies inside each country. 33:01.970 --> 33:05.130 That's a political reality; all politics are local. 33:05.310 --> 33:07.560 Whether you're in the United States or you're 33:07.760 --> 33:10.840 in Poland or anywhere else. 33:10.840 --> 33:15.670 But so far, I'm very encouraged by what I've seen, 33:15.890 --> 33:17.910 and we could not be better served 33:18.670 --> 33:21.460 than by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg 33:21.730 --> 33:24.640 there in Brussels with our primary alliance. 33:24.700 --> 33:27.810 And the way he leads that alliance is one 33:27.810 --> 33:31.750 where we all have to work together and do our fair share. 33:32.650 --> 33:33.700 - [Catherine] Thank you. 33:34.450 --> 33:37.360 Next question, how can the military institutionalize 33:37.640 --> 33:39.990 and preserve counterinsurgency lessons 33:39.990 --> 33:42.800 from Iraq and Afghanistan as we shift 33:42.800 --> 33:45.300 to a greater focus on near-peer rivals 33:45.300 --> 33:46.640 like China and Russia? 33:47.250 --> 33:50.980 - Yeah, if I was to sum up the challenge that we have 33:50.980 --> 33:53.070 inside the department in carrying 33:53.070 --> 33:55.800 out this strategy, it's three-fold. 33:56.320 --> 33:59.360 It's how do we maintain a safe and effective 33:59.360 --> 34:03.040 nuclear deterrent so those weapons are never used? 34:03.530 --> 34:04.940 It's a nuclear deterrent. 34:04.940 --> 34:07.120 It's not a war-fighting capability 34:07.408 --> 34:10.610 unless it's the worst day in our nation 34:10.610 --> 34:11.920 or the world's history. 34:12.340 --> 34:14.850 So that's the first one, priority. 34:15.140 --> 34:17.700 A safe and effective nuclear deterrent. 34:17.700 --> 34:21.240 Number two is how do you field, in the modern age, 34:21.240 --> 34:24.220 a decisive conventional force? 34:24.470 --> 34:27.340 It's expensive; we recognize that. 34:27.480 --> 34:30.030 But it's less expensive than fighting a war 34:30.070 --> 34:32.620 with somebody who thought that we were weak enough 34:32.620 --> 34:34.190 that they could take advantage. 34:34.580 --> 34:37.610 And the third is at the same time as we field 34:37.610 --> 34:41.670 that conventional force, how do you sustain 34:41.670 --> 34:45.560 a counterinsurgency capability inside your force. 34:45.560 --> 34:47.000 And why do I say that? 34:47.180 --> 34:48.880 I go back to the words of the most 34:48.880 --> 34:51.777 near faultless strategist alive today, 34:51.777 --> 34:55.040 Dr. Colin Gray of Reading University, 34:55.190 --> 34:57.661 who said the paradox of war, 34:57.661 --> 35:00.380 And I said it in my prepared remarks, 35:00.380 --> 35:01.870 that the enemy will always move 35:01.870 --> 35:03.750 against you're perceived weakness. 35:04.000 --> 35:08.110 We cannot marry or adopt one preclusive form of warfare. 35:08.140 --> 35:10.360 Say we're not going to do counterinsurgency, 35:10.540 --> 35:12.540 because you know what's going to happen. 35:13.230 --> 35:15.120 So we are going to have to do it. 35:15.131 --> 35:20.131 It is relatively a training and education issue. 35:20.540 --> 35:22.770 It doesn't take a lot of specialized kit. 35:22.770 --> 35:25.131 There's some, but it takes language skills. 35:25.131 --> 35:28.110 It takes young men and women who want to join up 35:28.130 --> 35:31.251 and serve their country who have studied other nations, 35:31.251 --> 35:33.020 who speak the language. 35:33.020 --> 35:35.420 It takes not just cultural appreciation, 35:35.420 --> 35:38.040 but it takes the kind of training that puts 35:38.040 --> 35:40.210 an awful lot of authority in the hands 35:40.210 --> 35:43.782 of 20-year-old corporals and 24-year-old, 35:43.782 --> 35:46.470 23-year-old second lieutenants, 35:46.530 --> 35:50.002 how those forces in that labor-intensive kind of warfare 35:50.002 --> 35:52.430 scatter among innocent people. 35:52.430 --> 35:57.430 And we fight those wars so obviously among the innocent 35:57.470 --> 36:01.830 that it takes a very well-trained, well-honed force. 36:01.830 --> 36:06.010 But it's mostly training and it's mostly education 36:06.010 --> 36:09.000 that allows us to keep counterinsurgency 36:09.150 --> 36:11.920 inside the great power competition force 36:12.160 --> 36:13.470 that we are composing. 36:15.147 --> 36:16.959 - [Catherine] Thank you. 36:16.959 --> 36:18.900 With cybersecurity a rising concern 36:18.900 --> 36:20.720 in both public and private sectors, 36:20.720 --> 36:23.049 how does the NDS plan to address strengthening 36:23.049 --> 36:25.350 U.S. cyber security? 36:26.000 --> 36:28.020 - Right, if you look back, 36:28.020 --> 36:30.760 put it in historical terms, ladies and gentlemen. 36:31.000 --> 36:33.590 We began fighting on the ground, I don't know, 36:33.590 --> 36:35.730 5,000 years ago, about the first time 36:35.910 --> 36:38.980 somebody envied something somebody else had, I guess. 36:39.140 --> 36:43.220 We went to sea and went maritime probably about, 36:43.220 --> 36:45.040 I don't know, 4,000 years ago. 36:45.576 --> 36:49.364 Then about 100 years ago, little over 100 years ago, 36:49.364 --> 36:53.500 World War I, we went into the air domain. 36:53.950 --> 36:57.100 And then so we had a couple thousand years 36:57.100 --> 36:57.933 for a couple of them. 36:57.933 --> 37:00.150 We've got 100 years to incorporate air. 37:00.330 --> 37:02.690 And now in a matter of a little more than a decade 37:02.690 --> 37:07.030 really we added cyberspace and outer space 37:07.250 --> 37:10.270 as potential war fighting, as war fighting domains 37:10.310 --> 37:11.730 the way we must look at it, 37:11.800 --> 37:13.070 since we're your sentinels. 37:13.070 --> 37:15.470 We're your sentries who guard America. 37:15.470 --> 37:17.870 We have to look at it that way. 37:18.060 --> 37:22.230 In cyber, what we are going to do is reorganize. 37:22.230 --> 37:24.208 I told you we're reorganizing 37:24.208 --> 37:26.900 the department to a degree. 37:27.330 --> 37:29.050 You're going to see reorganization 37:29.050 --> 37:31.180 of the fundamental organizations, 37:31.401 --> 37:36.401 the U.S. Cyber Commands and the National Security Agency, 37:36.860 --> 37:39.410 they will be organized along different lines. 37:39.730 --> 37:43.210 We are going to have to then resource them 37:43.380 --> 37:46.380 in education with training programs, 37:46.520 --> 37:49.810 recruiting programs, and mission statements 37:49.810 --> 37:53.460 so that the reorganized forces are working together. 37:53.460 --> 37:57.110 Because this is a Wild West right now. 37:57.110 --> 38:00.440 As you know, people in their bedrooms can be doing things 38:00.440 --> 38:03.720 that are causing your bank account dire problems 38:03.720 --> 38:04.580 at this point. 38:04.970 --> 38:06.320 So I would just tell you, 38:06.320 --> 38:07.520 it's going to have to look 38:07.520 --> 38:10.080 at this problem much more broadly 38:10.240 --> 38:12.990 than the department has looked at problems in the past. 38:13.250 --> 38:16.540 And that means we have to be relevant to the security 38:16.540 --> 38:18.760 of everyone who's looking at me right now. 38:18.780 --> 38:20.720 Not just relevant to our forces 38:20.720 --> 38:23.800 in the battlefield in some overseas land. 38:24.120 --> 38:27.250 What that means, I've got to get some really bright people 38:27.250 --> 38:30.020 in and we've got them on our Defense Innovation Board. 38:30.250 --> 38:32.800 They come out of places like Silicon Valley, 38:32.950 --> 38:35.060 and they are the top of the line 38:35.730 --> 38:37.210 and they are an enormous help 38:37.210 --> 38:39.550 as we craft the specifics to this. 38:39.640 --> 38:42.660 But most of all, it's that we have got to absorb now 38:42.790 --> 38:45.770 this is a mission, and we can't say we'd just like 38:45.770 --> 38:48.440 to have our airplanes and our tanks and our ships. 38:48.440 --> 38:50.510 We don't want to get into that messy thing. 38:50.510 --> 38:52.680 Now where this takes us, there's a lot 38:52.680 --> 38:53.870 of things we have to look at. 38:53.870 --> 38:57.630 Our founding fathers on cyber were very, very-- 38:58.610 --> 39:02.536 they obviously anticipated things. 39:02.536 --> 39:03.570 And what is it? 39:04.280 --> 39:08.370 Remember, life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 39:08.370 --> 39:11.320 They knew that in protecting life 39:11.560 --> 39:14.190 we also had to be protecting liberty. 39:14.410 --> 39:16.760 And how do we protect life 39:16.760 --> 39:19.580 if cyber could shut down all the power 39:19.580 --> 39:22.260 in a part of our country that would kill people 39:22.260 --> 39:25.680 in hospitals or paralyze economies 39:25.680 --> 39:28.483 that are required to keep people alive 39:28.483 --> 39:30.040 and that sort of thing. 39:30.110 --> 39:33.920 How do we deal with that when that's not what you and I 39:33.920 --> 39:35.420 would call a military mission? 39:35.540 --> 39:37.970 As a matter of fact, we have laws that prohibit us, 39:37.970 --> 39:39.410 and we are proud of those laws, 39:39.410 --> 39:41.610 from doing certain things in this country. 39:41.860 --> 39:43.610 You don't see any military person 39:43.610 --> 39:45.390 arresting anybody in this country, 39:45.440 --> 39:48.430 not our authority under the Constitution. 39:49.530 --> 39:52.320 So what are we going to do in an area 39:52.320 --> 39:55.340 that was not addressed other than thematically 39:55.460 --> 39:58.910 that we must keep our constitutional rights alive 39:59.080 --> 40:01.260 even as we protect our people. 40:01.340 --> 40:04.310 And that's going to be something that I will not decide. 40:04.380 --> 40:06.590 You will all be helping us decide that. 40:06.590 --> 40:09.540 Because we will need you involved in this. 40:09.840 --> 40:12.800 I mean, do we decide we'll put up a domain 40:12.970 --> 40:15.820 and if somebody wants to, they can go inside it 40:16.000 --> 40:17.980 and we'll have a military force trying 40:17.980 --> 40:19.270 to protect that domain. 40:19.270 --> 40:21.870 And if you put your account and your bank account 40:21.870 --> 40:23.920 in there you get protection. 40:23.920 --> 40:26.160 And someone who thinks that we're up to no good 40:26.160 --> 40:27.980 says, I'm not getting in that, that's okay, 40:27.980 --> 40:29.880 freedom of choice, right. 40:30.430 --> 40:32.420 So where are we going to go with this? 40:32.450 --> 40:34.907 I need to get some more people in to structure 40:34.907 --> 40:38.722 this thematically so we lay out choices for you 40:38.722 --> 40:42.341 and see what our Congress decides is the right level 40:42.341 --> 40:46.700 of military involvement or what we have to offer there. 40:46.910 --> 40:49.210 It's a very complex issue for right now. 40:49.230 --> 40:51.350 I'm focused mostly on just making certain 40:51.350 --> 40:55.500 that our military can fight in supporting FBI 40:56.650 --> 41:00.470 and other when we spot a problem coming in from overseas. 41:00.750 --> 41:02.080 We will pick it up, 41:02.080 --> 41:04.430 and we notify the law enforcement agency. 41:04.930 --> 41:07.130 But there's a lot more to be done, ladies and gentlemen, 41:07.130 --> 41:09.050 and I have not got that defined yet. 41:09.140 --> 41:10.810 Inside the military, we're good to go. 41:10.810 --> 41:12.560 We know what we have to do. 41:12.560 --> 41:14.640 More broadly, I'm not sure yet. 41:15.410 --> 41:16.700 - [Catherine] Thank you, Secretary Mattis. 41:16.700 --> 41:19.870 One last question, will a government shutdown 41:19.870 --> 41:23.180 have serious ramifications on military operations 41:23.190 --> 41:25.960 and if so, what are your plans for mitigation? 41:27.829 --> 41:28.940 - Yes. 41:29.240 --> 41:32.240 (audience laughing) 41:33.450 --> 41:34.870 Let me give you an example. 41:35.900 --> 41:37.610 This morning or last night, 41:37.860 --> 41:40.270 young guys and gals somewhere in Wyoming 41:40.270 --> 41:43.640 were driving off to do their weekend duty. 41:44.530 --> 41:48.810 There's any number of projects we have underway 41:48.810 --> 41:51.020 that keep me at the top of my game 41:51.360 --> 41:53.790 and our military at the top of our game 41:54.000 --> 41:56.160 that are handled by civilians. 41:56.502 --> 41:59.310 All these things are going to be disrupted. 41:59.310 --> 42:01.380 Those troops will arrive there at their armories, 42:01.380 --> 42:04.380 by the way, and told go home if there is 42:04.380 --> 42:06.530 a government shutdown, and they will then drive 42:06.530 --> 42:08.140 a couple hundred miles back home. 42:08.140 --> 42:10.810 There, again, are stoic young men and women 42:10.810 --> 42:12.850 and they'll suck it up and say okay. 42:14.040 --> 42:15.610 If they're Navy reservists they'll say 42:15.610 --> 42:17.410 "Aye, Aye, sir" cheerfully. 42:17.640 --> 42:20.250 And when they get in their car they may not mutter 42:20.250 --> 42:22.999 something quite so positive. 42:22.999 --> 42:23.832 (audience laughing) 42:23.832 --> 42:27.480 I would just tell you that our maintenance activities 42:27.480 --> 42:29.100 will probably pretty much shut down. 42:29.100 --> 42:30.996 We will not be able to induct any more 42:30.996 --> 42:35.180 of our gear that need maintenance. 42:35.180 --> 42:39.809 Over 50% altogether of my civilian workforce 42:39.809 --> 42:41.270 will be furloughed. 42:41.270 --> 42:43.310 And that's going to impact our contracting. 42:43.310 --> 42:46.640 It'll impact, obviously, our medical facilities. 42:47.410 --> 42:51.410 It's got a huge morale impact, I'll just tell you. 42:51.460 --> 42:53.880 How long can you keep good people around 42:54.250 --> 42:56.080 when something like this happens 42:56.080 --> 42:58.178 is always a question that's got to hover 42:58.178 --> 43:00.550 in the back of my mind. 43:02.040 --> 43:04.910 I would just tell you that we do a lot 43:04.910 --> 43:07.300 of intelligence operations around the world 43:07.480 --> 43:09.030 and they cost money. 43:09.480 --> 43:11.390 Those obviously would stop. 43:11.540 --> 43:14.540 And I would just tell you that training 43:14.540 --> 43:18.760 for almost our entire reserve force will stop. 43:18.760 --> 43:22.350 And you must understand the critical importance 43:22.350 --> 43:23.470 of our reserves. 43:23.530 --> 43:26.070 They're the only shock absorber we have. 43:26.070 --> 43:27.836 It's not like the old days where you could 43:27.836 --> 43:31.330 draft somebody in and 18 weeks later 43:31.330 --> 43:33.620 have them in combat with the skills they need. 43:33.620 --> 43:37.020 Today's infantrymen, they're called infantrymen 43:37.020 --> 43:39.370 because they're infant soldier, young soldiers. 43:39.370 --> 43:41.720 They still take a year to train 43:42.050 --> 43:44.330 in order to have them ready to use the gear 43:44.330 --> 43:46.450 they have on them and make certain 43:46.450 --> 43:48.614 they have the ethical and tactile abilities 43:48.614 --> 43:50.960 to deal with the battlefield today. 43:51.210 --> 43:53.090 So it's got a terrible impact. 43:53.090 --> 43:56.210 At the same time, the submarine they put 43:56.210 --> 43:59.160 to sea last week will still be out for three months. 43:59.490 --> 44:01.190 And God bless them. 44:01.190 --> 44:03.670 The lads will not have any email connectivity, 44:03.670 --> 44:05.710 so they will not even know what's going on 44:05.710 --> 44:09.290 as they cruise quietly out there carrying out their duties. 44:09.670 --> 44:11.590 The ships at sea will continue. 44:13.240 --> 44:16.330 Our lads in Iraq and Afghanistan 44:16.330 --> 44:18.870 who are in the fight will continue. 44:19.260 --> 44:22.010 The young ladies who are guiding the drones right now 44:22.010 --> 44:25.000 will stay at their desks and keep them overhead. 44:25.690 --> 44:27.950 So we will continue what we're doing, 44:28.010 --> 44:31.890 but the value of the American military 44:31.890 --> 44:35.620 is grossly enhanced by the sense 44:35.690 --> 44:37.600 that the American model of government, 44:37.600 --> 44:40.460 of the people, by the people, for the people 44:40.650 --> 44:42.570 can function and carry out 44:42.570 --> 44:44.780 its governmental responsibilities. 44:46.550 --> 44:49.440 I didn't serve in the Marine Corps for 40-odd years. 44:49.440 --> 44:51.880 I served in the U.S. Marine Corps. 44:52.040 --> 44:54.120 Belong to you, accountable to you. 44:54.660 --> 44:57.150 As Speaker Ryan pointed out here, 44:57.190 --> 44:59.970 for those out there right now in the field, at sea, 44:59.970 --> 45:02.600 in the air, the ones sitting in the ready room 45:02.600 --> 45:04.780 over here at Andrews Air Force Base. 45:05.330 --> 45:08.690 I can just tell you that they deserve full support. 45:10.272 --> 45:13.780 And we have got to come to grips with this as a nation. 45:14.220 --> 45:16.710 Why don't we take one more, Catherine, you choose. 45:16.960 --> 45:17.900 - [Catherine] Absolutely. 45:18.780 --> 45:22.240 This final question, how would the U.S. deter adversaries 45:22.240 --> 45:24.810 in space as space itself becomes-- 45:26.120 --> 45:27.860 - Yeah, how do we deter in space? 45:27.860 --> 45:32.140 It's philosophically or basically in the same way 45:32.400 --> 45:33.970 that we would deter anyone else. 45:33.970 --> 45:36.784 Don't try it, because we can do more damage to you 45:36.784 --> 45:39.640 than any benefit you could gain. 45:39.980 --> 45:41.670 So it comes down to that. 45:41.670 --> 45:44.920 But what that means is we've got to have capabilities 45:45.084 --> 45:49.330 to deny them what they want to achieve. 45:49.850 --> 45:53.360 In this regard it's not just about what you might think 45:53.360 --> 45:55.720 of guns in space shooting each other. 45:55.720 --> 45:57.480 It can be nothing more than we have 45:57.730 --> 46:00.670 for every satellite up we have 100 more this big 46:00.670 --> 46:03.020 that we could launch just as fast or taken out. 46:03.080 --> 46:05.420 By the way, we're going to take you down 46:05.470 --> 46:07.270 to the United Nations and we're going to get 46:07.270 --> 46:08.821 economic sanctions, in other words, 46:08.821 --> 46:10.800 there's a way to raise-- 46:11.480 --> 46:15.010 When I mentioned expanding the competitive space, 46:15.200 --> 46:18.400 there's no nation that has a wider competitive space 46:18.472 --> 46:22.272 in terms of its moral or ethical or economic 46:22.272 --> 46:25.920 or military power than we can amass 46:25.920 --> 46:28.740 if we choose to use it wisely. 46:28.950 --> 46:32.350 And so in space we will do our best to deter. 46:32.450 --> 46:33.700 We'll come up, I'm sure, 46:33.700 --> 46:36.180 with arms control agreements at some point. 46:36.180 --> 46:38.470 And we'll start getting this under control. 46:38.550 --> 46:42.150 But for right now it's sizing up the problem 46:42.300 --> 46:44.910 and making certain, again, that our diplomats 46:44.910 --> 46:47.700 will be negotiating from a position of strength 46:47.700 --> 46:49.600 when they negotiate on that one. 46:49.750 --> 46:51.529 Ladies and gentlemen, let me just say thank you 46:51.529 --> 46:55.730 for taking time again to hear me out this morning. 46:55.730 --> 46:57.430 I hope it was of some value, 46:58.040 --> 46:59.635 and that the questions especially-- 46:59.635 --> 47:01.200 by the way, Catherine, thank you 47:01.200 --> 47:02.930 for selecting however you did. 47:02.970 --> 47:04.420 I know you had more than that. 47:04.420 --> 47:06.730 But the questions, I thought, were very good. 47:06.950 --> 47:09.980 And I would just encourage all of you 47:09.980 --> 47:12.079 if you think we're missing something or on the wrong track, 47:12.079 --> 47:14.130 by all means, notify us. 47:14.130 --> 47:16.677 There's ways to get ahold of us through our public affairs. 47:16.677 --> 47:19.109 And I get those. 47:19.109 --> 47:22.700 It's not all love mail when I get it, I assure you. 47:23.000 --> 47:25.727 I didn't realize my parentage involved that at times. 47:25.727 --> 47:26.870 (audience laughing) 47:26.870 --> 47:30.310 But I would just tell you this is a raucous democracy, 47:30.504 --> 47:33.240 and our troops stand ready. 47:33.240 --> 47:35.120 Right now as we're all sitting here 47:35.330 --> 47:37.240 enjoying freedoms we somewhat, 47:37.240 --> 47:38.830 even I take for granted, 47:39.090 --> 47:42.260 they are out there right now ready to do 47:42.390 --> 47:45.210 whatever it takes to keep us safe. 47:45.210 --> 47:48.210 So please keep them in your thoughts and prayers 47:48.450 --> 47:51.100 and know that they represent the very best of us. 47:51.100 --> 47:54.495 They're wonderful, and they really did sign that check 47:54.495 --> 47:56.967 payable with their lives, a blank check, 47:56.967 --> 47:58.400 to every one of you. 47:58.400 --> 47:59.960 So thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 47:59.960 --> 48:01.172 I look forward to hearing from you. 48:01.172 --> 48:04.172 (audience applause) 48:14.610 --> 48:16.190 - [Catherine] Thank you all for joining us today. 48:16.491 --> 48:17.970 We're going to ask that you please remain seated 48:17.970 --> 48:20.140 as the event concludes, thank you.