WEBVTT 00:00.310 --> 00:01.670 - Hey, good afternoon again everybody, 00:01.670 --> 00:03.170 again I'm General Ed Thomas. 00:03.170 --> 00:06.083 I'm the Director of Public Affairs at the Pentagon. 00:06.620 --> 00:09.360 Today, we've got Secretary of the Air Force, 00:09.360 --> 00:10.410 Doctor Heather Wilson, 00:10.410 --> 00:13.323 Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Dave Goldfein, 00:13.520 --> 00:15.670 and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, 00:15.710 --> 00:17.490 Chief Master Sergeant Kaleth Wright. 00:17.490 --> 00:20.250 So, when we get to questions in a few minutes do me a favor, 00:20.250 --> 00:22.280 just give your name and your media organization, 00:22.280 --> 00:23.440 and we should have time for just a few 00:23.440 --> 00:24.840 after some opening comments. 00:25.484 --> 00:26.317 Madam Secretary. 00:26.317 --> 00:28.550 - Well, good afternoon and I apologize for being late. 00:28.550 --> 00:29.880 I know that you all have been waiting, 00:29.880 --> 00:31.670 but the Chief and I, and Chief Wright, 00:31.670 --> 00:33.500 were over talking with the 93 airmen 00:33.500 --> 00:34.928 who rode out the storm here, 00:34.928 --> 00:36.527 and we wanted to spend some time with them. 00:36.527 --> 00:38.323 So, I appreciate your patience. 00:39.370 --> 00:42.670 The Chief and I and some senior leadership 00:42.680 --> 00:45.610 from the Aero staff in Washington came down today 00:45.890 --> 00:47.090 for a couple of reasons. 00:47.280 --> 00:49.960 One, is of course to support those who were charged here 00:49.960 --> 00:51.033 with reconstituting the base, 00:51.033 --> 00:53.973 and wanted to thank the base leadership, 00:54.110 --> 00:58.750 and really commend them for what they've been doing here 00:58.750 --> 00:59.933 since the storm hit. 01:01.410 --> 01:03.400 We're also here to make sure 01:03.521 --> 01:06.830 that the expertise, and the resources, and the help, 01:06.830 --> 01:08.973 is flowed in here as they need it, 01:09.310 --> 01:10.780 from the United States Air Force, 01:10.780 --> 01:12.380 and from the country as a whole. 01:12.560 --> 01:14.893 So, that we can begin to recover this base. 01:15.280 --> 01:17.000 Course our first priority now 01:17.240 --> 01:19.173 is our Airmen and their families. 01:19.440 --> 01:20.610 I know there are a lot of Airmen 01:20.610 --> 01:22.730 who want to get back in to base housing 01:22.730 --> 01:26.720 and to see if they can secure their things, and so forth, 01:26.720 --> 01:29.033 and as soon as it is safe to do so, 01:29.250 --> 01:31.910 the base will be allowing that to happen, 01:31.910 --> 01:34.853 but right now it is still not yet safe to do so, 01:35.070 --> 01:37.360 and one of the things that's a real blessing on this 01:37.360 --> 01:40.480 is that we have not had a single injury on this base 01:40.480 --> 01:41.530 in a terrible storm, 01:41.530 --> 01:43.920 and we don't want the first injury to be in the recovery. 01:43.920 --> 01:46.903 So, we need to make sure that people can safely come back, 01:47.070 --> 01:49.557 and the base leadership will put out that word 01:49.557 --> 01:51.743 as soon as they have that. 01:52.010 --> 01:53.510 It's gonna take time to recover. 01:53.510 --> 01:55.280 Anybody who can see this base, 01:55.280 --> 01:56.510 even from where we're standing, 01:56.510 --> 01:59.130 can see the substantial damage that was done 01:59.130 --> 02:00.663 by this terrible storm. 02:00.950 --> 02:03.150 But I have to tell you my impression is that moral 02:03.150 --> 02:05.693 is very high among the Airmen who are here. 02:05.910 --> 02:07.483 They are determined to recover. 02:07.500 --> 02:11.020 They have the support of their sister wings at Hurlburt 02:11.020 --> 02:13.783 and Eglin and around the United States Air Force, 02:13.940 --> 02:16.300 and I was so impressed just circlin' up 02:16.300 --> 02:21.300 with the 93 Airmen who were here and rode out the storm, 02:21.850 --> 02:23.687 that Chief Wright said to 'em, 02:23.687 --> 02:25.300 "Well, is there anything you need? 02:25.300 --> 02:26.870 Is there anything we can get to you 02:26.870 --> 02:28.470 that you'd really like to have?" 02:28.740 --> 02:31.590 And here are Airmen who have been here, riding out a storm, 02:31.590 --> 02:34.290 and probably haven't, many of 'em haven't had a hot shower 02:34.290 --> 02:36.523 since before the storm hit, 02:36.780 --> 02:38.140 and not a single one of 'em 02:38.430 --> 02:40.230 could think of anything they needed. 02:40.650 --> 02:42.093 That's America's Air Force, 02:42.280 --> 02:45.563 and I'm very proud to be serving alongside of 'em. 02:45.840 --> 02:46.673 Chief? 02:48.860 --> 02:49.940 - Thanks Madam Secretary. 02:49.940 --> 02:52.390 You know, several years ago as a younger officer, 02:52.390 --> 02:55.390 I went through Hurricane Hugo at Shaw Air Force Base. 02:55.390 --> 02:58.563 Lot of parallels, lot of similarities from what I saw today, 02:59.530 --> 03:01.340 but we ought not us to underestimate 03:01.870 --> 03:05.290 not only the importance but the discipline of the execution 03:05.380 --> 03:07.453 of the evacuation that went on here. 03:07.800 --> 03:09.250 You know, the commander here and his team 03:09.250 --> 03:11.620 had 48 hours, really, to go from a, 03:11.620 --> 03:14.810 you know, a tropical storm, to a category four hurricane. 03:14.810 --> 03:18.420 In that time frame he had to marshal all of his forces, 03:18.420 --> 03:19.883 get his leadership in place, 03:20.030 --> 03:22.720 and get 11,000 people out this base, 03:22.720 --> 03:25.253 while he was also generating aircraft, 03:25.850 --> 03:27.733 and getting aircraft airborne, 03:28.140 --> 03:30.533 all of that in a period of 48 hours. 03:31.290 --> 03:33.423 And so, when you think about that task, 03:34.660 --> 03:36.760 and ask yourself how was he able to do it, 03:37.200 --> 03:39.230 because he had prepared this wing for it. 03:39.230 --> 03:40.900 They had gone through several exercises, 03:40.900 --> 03:43.563 so when he gave the order they knew how to execute, 03:44.130 --> 03:47.663 and their execution was excellent and then, 03:47.700 --> 03:49.950 and you can see that, based on the fact that, 03:50.040 --> 03:52.463 you know, with the devastation you see around you, 03:52.710 --> 03:57.230 zero injuries, zero loss of life on this base, 03:57.230 --> 04:00.943 and so I give a lot of credit to the leadership team here, 04:01.250 --> 04:02.570 Colonel Laidlaw and his team, 04:02.570 --> 04:04.270 in terms of how they handled this, 04:04.390 --> 04:07.870 and so, I want to reinforce the point 04:07.870 --> 04:12.870 that our ability as a Air Force to defend the nation, 04:13.310 --> 04:17.773 and to our job has not been impacted by this storm. 04:18.370 --> 04:21.550 The F-22s that we moved out have returned 04:21.550 --> 04:22.810 to Langley Air Force Base, 04:22.810 --> 04:24.110 or gone to Langley Air Force Base, 04:24.110 --> 04:25.960 where we have maintenance there for them, 04:25.960 --> 04:28.310 and so, our ability to do the nation's business 04:28.950 --> 04:30.930 has not been significantly affected by this storm. 04:30.930 --> 04:32.380 And as Secretary Wilson said, 04:32.650 --> 04:35.253 now we're focused on the Airmen, their families, 04:35.450 --> 04:37.510 and making sure that we get the operations 04:37.510 --> 04:38.510 back up and running. 04:38.740 --> 04:40.200 And with that, let me turn it over 04:40.200 --> 04:41.670 to our Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. 04:41.670 --> 04:42.503 Chief Wright? 04:42.980 --> 04:43.813 - Thank you sir. 04:46.010 --> 04:48.880 Even though I see as I looked across the base 04:48.880 --> 04:51.330 as we walked around, I see some significant damage, 04:51.330 --> 04:52.630 obviously, from the storm. 04:52.760 --> 04:54.380 I'm actually very encouraged. 04:54.380 --> 04:57.170 I'm encouraged by the fantastic leadership team 04:57.170 --> 04:58.860 in Colonel Laidlaw and Chief Williams. 04:58.860 --> 05:01.300 I'm encouraged by all of the support 05:01.890 --> 05:05.220 that this team has received, Team Tyndall has received, 05:05.220 --> 05:07.077 from Air Combat Command, 05:07.077 --> 05:09.077 and from Air Force Special Operations Command, 05:09.077 --> 05:10.543 and a couple of bases nearby. 05:11.080 --> 05:13.153 But I'm mostly encouraged by all the young Airmen 05:13.153 --> 05:16.470 that I saw today, that rode the storm out, 05:16.470 --> 05:18.603 that are gettin' busy, gettin' after, 05:19.298 --> 05:21.820 helpin' recover the base and making sure 05:21.820 --> 05:23.390 that the base is safe for everyone. 05:23.390 --> 05:27.883 So, I feel pretty good about the future of Tyndall, 05:27.900 --> 05:29.973 and I know it'll be a long, hard, road, 05:30.160 --> 05:32.110 and, but we have a lot of resilient Airmen 05:32.110 --> 05:34.460 that are already, you know, puttin' their head down, 05:34.460 --> 05:36.670 and gettin' after makin' it a safe place. 05:36.670 --> 05:39.010 So, I just wanted to say thank you to all the folks 05:39.010 --> 05:40.810 who've been supporting Team Tyndall, 05:40.890 --> 05:42.827 and look forward to your questions. 05:43.370 --> 05:44.520 - [Ed] Okay, questions? 05:44.990 --> 05:46.300 - [Woman] There's been some speculation 05:46.300 --> 05:49.040 that Tyndall might be a total loss. 05:49.040 --> 05:50.403 Being here on the ground, 05:50.530 --> 05:53.303 what's your thoughts on seeing the damage? 05:53.890 --> 05:56.300 - Well, there's a lot of damage, a lot of roof damage, 05:56.300 --> 05:57.230 and those kind of things. 05:57.230 --> 05:59.010 I think we've gotta, we gotta take some time. 05:59.010 --> 06:00.900 We've got all the roads, pretty much, clear. 06:00.900 --> 06:03.220 There's still no power and water, 06:03.220 --> 06:05.990 and we're bringing bare bases in 06:05.990 --> 06:07.970 to be able to bring in these civil engineers 06:07.970 --> 06:10.070 to take a look at facilities and so forth. 06:10.150 --> 06:12.650 But one of the things that Chief was talkin' about 06:12.860 --> 06:15.003 from his experience is, 06:15.040 --> 06:17.653 you know, at first it's an initial shock to people, 06:17.800 --> 06:19.520 and then by two weeks from now, 06:19.520 --> 06:21.720 they're gonna start to see, hey, this is comin' back. 06:21.720 --> 06:23.270 We're gonna lay in place the things 06:23.270 --> 06:26.423 over the next couple of weeks so that by two weeks from now, 06:26.450 --> 06:28.640 things are really gonna be startin' to come back, 06:28.640 --> 06:31.093 and dumpsters will be full of siding, 06:31.320 --> 06:33.080 and trees will be cut up for firewood, 06:33.080 --> 06:36.100 and people will just be bringin' the base back to life. 06:36.100 --> 06:39.010 So, when people get over that initial shock, 06:39.010 --> 06:40.823 and you get the engineers in here, 06:41.750 --> 06:43.160 I think a couple of weeks from now, 06:43.160 --> 06:45.170 people will really start to see the future, 06:45.170 --> 06:46.870 and not just focus on the present. 06:47.061 --> 06:48.400 - [Woman] (mumbling) with News 13, 06:48.400 --> 06:49.850 people of (mumbling) News 13. 06:50.187 --> 06:53.403 When can we expect operations to pick back up? 06:54.890 --> 06:58.790 - Well, we have, we got civil engineering operations 06:58.790 --> 07:00.430 here now and people teams in. 07:00.430 --> 07:02.530 We've got Command and Control back up now, 07:02.530 --> 07:05.833 and we've got security in here from Moody Air Force Base. 07:06.870 --> 07:09.950 So there's a lot of things already underway, 07:09.950 --> 07:12.310 and as the Wing Commander asks for additional support 07:12.310 --> 07:14.810 from outside, for extra maintainers, 07:14.810 --> 07:16.340 and civil engineers, and other things, 07:16.340 --> 07:19.183 he'll get what he needs to get things goin' again. 07:19.640 --> 07:22.750 - [Lydia] Will families, this is Lydia (mumbling) 07:23.675 --> 07:26.120 Will families be relocated to other bases? 07:26.120 --> 07:29.187 What happens now until they can return? 07:31.340 --> 07:33.443 - The good news is we've been through this before, 07:33.600 --> 07:35.393 Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Andrew. 07:35.760 --> 07:38.147 And so, we have personnel processes in place, 07:38.147 --> 07:42.070 and the way to do this is through a very personal touch, 07:42.070 --> 07:43.370 with each of these Airmen, 07:43.570 --> 07:45.170 to make sure that there will, 07:45.170 --> 07:47.500 that there'll be those that'll come back to Tyndall, 07:47.500 --> 07:48.770 There will be those that will PCS. 07:48.770 --> 07:50.853 There will, we'll have all of the above, 07:51.280 --> 07:52.640 and what we need to do is to make sure 07:52.640 --> 07:54.590 that more than anything we're communicating 07:54.590 --> 07:55.760 with Airmen and their families. 07:55.760 --> 07:57.160 You all are helping us that, 07:57.160 --> 07:58.993 do this with this press conference, 07:59.190 --> 08:02.130 and so, the Wing Commander, Lieutenant General Williams, 08:02.130 --> 08:03.483 First Air Force Commander, 08:03.800 --> 08:06.190 have got a lot of very proactive outreach 08:06.190 --> 08:07.460 going on right now to make sure 08:07.460 --> 08:08.760 that not only through the command chain, 08:08.760 --> 08:10.603 but also through social media, 08:10.840 --> 08:12.720 that we're talkin' to Airmen so we can help 08:12.720 --> 08:13.670 them through this process, 08:13.670 --> 08:14.690 but there will be a little bit of, 08:14.690 --> 08:16.223 all the above going forward. 08:16.770 --> 08:19.190 - [Man] Besides the F-22s what else operationally 08:19.190 --> 08:20.913 has been affected at Tyndall? 08:23.440 --> 08:24.880 - Well, all of the missions here, 08:24.880 --> 08:26.830 obviously, are stood down for now, 08:26.830 --> 08:28.580 and now what we're bringing back in 08:29.669 --> 08:31.823 are the things to reconstitute the base. 08:31.964 --> 08:35.220 So, for example, Red Horse, 08:35.220 --> 08:37.963 which is our Combat Civil Engineers. 08:38.220 --> 08:40.623 The Special Operations Wing, out of Hurlburt, 08:40.720 --> 08:43.803 came in and opened the airfield, and it was, 08:45.250 --> 08:46.733 some of 'em were telling me that after the storm, 08:46.733 --> 08:48.720 when they cleared off that runway, 08:48.720 --> 08:50.900 and they came in with those CV-22s 08:50.900 --> 08:52.610 with the motor bikes on the back of 'em 08:52.610 --> 08:55.210 to open up the airfield, which is what they do, 08:55.210 --> 08:57.563 all around the world, is open up airfields, 08:57.720 --> 08:59.380 they were a sight for sore eyes, 08:59.380 --> 09:02.680 and that was evidenced in the determination 09:02.680 --> 09:03.880 of the United States Air Force, 09:03.880 --> 09:06.060 that we go where we're called to go 09:06.110 --> 09:07.330 and we set up operations. 09:07.330 --> 09:12.330 So, we will begin that process of clearin' things out 09:12.610 --> 09:14.080 and gettin' back to work. 09:14.619 --> 09:16.070 - [Woman] I know that this installation 09:16.070 --> 09:19.400 is obviously very proud of becoming the home 09:19.400 --> 09:23.481 of the Q-9 Reaper Wing, what happens to the future of that? 09:23.481 --> 09:24.474 - Say it again? 09:24.474 --> 09:27.973 - [Woman] The Q-9 Reaper Wing, the new drone. 09:27.973 --> 09:28.806 - The MQ-9, yeah. 09:29.740 --> 09:32.950 - Yeah, you know, I would just ask you to remember 09:32.950 --> 09:34.873 that we're just a few days into this, 09:35.260 --> 09:37.990 and we're focused on the, right now we're really focused 09:37.990 --> 09:39.803 on the recovery operations. 09:40.560 --> 09:42.780 Now that we've confirmed that we've had no injuries, 09:42.780 --> 09:45.790 no loss of life, there's also a community outreach 09:45.790 --> 09:47.190 piece of this that we're focused on, 09:47.190 --> 09:48.890 because our Airmen live in the communities 09:48.890 --> 09:51.780 that surround the area, like Mexico Beach, 09:51.780 --> 09:54.563 and other places, that again really, hit really hard. 09:54.890 --> 09:57.570 So, we've made no decisions at this point 09:57.570 --> 09:59.393 on anything operationally. 09:59.630 --> 10:02.410 We're really laser focused on gettin' this command team 10:02.410 --> 10:04.543 what they need to be able to recover, 10:04.820 --> 10:07.200 and like Secretary Wilson said, you know, 10:07.200 --> 10:09.183 when you go through this the first, 10:09.350 --> 10:10.680 it's not a two week period, you know, 10:10.680 --> 10:13.430 for the first two weeks it just, it seems overwhelming, 10:13.610 --> 10:14.870 because look around you and you figure, 10:14.870 --> 10:16.030 how can we ever recover from this? 10:16.030 --> 10:18.070 Then all of the sudden, about two to three week point, 10:18.070 --> 10:19.420 you hit this tipping point, 10:19.740 --> 10:21.220 and all of the sudden, you look around and you realize 10:21.220 --> 10:22.990 that actually some things are coming up and operating, 10:22.990 --> 10:24.390 and the base is coming back. 10:24.700 --> 10:28.460 And so, our job, for the Secretary, the Chief, and I, 10:28.460 --> 10:30.810 is to make sure that this command team has what they need 10:30.810 --> 10:31.690 to be able to get to that point. 10:31.690 --> 10:33.610 And so, we've made no decisions 10:33.610 --> 10:35.510 on any particular operational mission. 10:36.490 --> 10:37.943 - [Ed] We can take two more questions. 10:41.430 --> 10:43.530 - [Woman] News 13's Kate (mumbling) again. 10:43.560 --> 10:46.993 You guys really fuel the economy here in this area, 10:47.040 --> 10:51.183 seeing the devastation on both Panama City and Mexico Beach, 10:51.810 --> 10:53.963 what about jobs in this area? 10:54.600 --> 10:56.810 - Well, certainly our hearts go out to our neighbors 10:56.810 --> 11:01.020 here on the right and left side of this base, 11:01.020 --> 11:03.283 and I saw on the Wing Commander's phone, 11:03.770 --> 11:06.310 this picture of the eye of the storm, 11:06.310 --> 11:09.350 a kinda screen capture, went right over Tyndall, 11:09.350 --> 11:12.310 and you could see those two communities 11:12.310 --> 11:13.590 on either side of us. 11:13.590 --> 11:16.350 Those who were civilians here, who work on the base, 11:16.350 --> 11:18.020 are on administrative leave for now, 11:18.020 --> 11:20.170 so they're still getting their pay and benefits, 11:20.170 --> 11:23.050 and we will work through the issues of the, 11:23.050 --> 11:27.450 the people issues, person by person, airman by airman, 11:27.450 --> 11:29.780 and when we say Airman, we mean Active Guard, 11:29.780 --> 11:30.913 Reserve, and civilian. 11:31.200 --> 11:32.550 We're all part of one team, 11:32.570 --> 11:36.270 and right now everybody needs to focus on their families, 11:36.270 --> 11:38.320 if you're recalled by the Wing Commander, 11:38.450 --> 11:41.040 try to get yourself in to, into the base, 11:41.040 --> 11:42.543 to help recover, 11:42.760 --> 11:45.090 but otherwise civilians are on administrative leave 11:45.090 --> 11:46.193 with pay and benefits. 11:46.730 --> 11:47.630 - [Woman] Even though it's still early, 11:47.630 --> 11:49.290 is there a ballpark figure 11:49.290 --> 11:52.413 of a dollar amount of the damages? 11:54.270 --> 11:55.170 - No, there's not. 11:55.610 --> 11:57.860 - [Woman] What about the aircraft that were left behind, 11:57.860 --> 12:01.693 will they need to repair, were any of those damaged? 12:02.930 --> 12:03.840 - So, we've been able to get in 12:03.840 --> 12:07.793 and do just an initial visual inspection of the aircraft, 12:08.620 --> 12:10.003 but I'm hesitant to tell ya, you know, 12:10.003 --> 12:12.170 what the overall assessment is, only because, 12:12.170 --> 12:15.140 you know, until you can actually get power on the aircraft, 12:15.140 --> 12:16.103 and look at the systems, and the subsystems, 12:16.103 --> 12:18.250 and the components, I mean, 12:18.250 --> 12:20.640 these are very sophisticated aircraft 12:20.640 --> 12:24.253 that have a lot of interfaces and so, 12:25.253 --> 12:28.773 we have a sense of how they look physically, 12:28.810 --> 12:31.030 but we don't know, until we get into 'em, 12:31.030 --> 12:33.560 and really power 'em up, we'll have a good sense of, 12:33.560 --> 12:35.603 you know, what kind of damage was done. 12:36.170 --> 12:38.700 And so, as soon as we have that we'll make sure 12:38.700 --> 12:40.380 that you have that available to you. 12:40.380 --> 12:41.550 - [Woman] And one last question. 12:41.550 --> 12:43.473 I've been told that Airmen are not allowed 12:43.473 --> 12:46.890 to come within 50 miles of this position. 12:47.709 --> 12:50.480 - The Airmen are not allowed back on the base 12:50.480 --> 12:52.873 and into housing yet, because it's not safe, 12:52.873 --> 12:56.943 and safety is the primary responsibility right now. 12:56.943 --> 12:59.820 It's to make sure that in recovering from this, 12:59.820 --> 13:01.183 we don't have people hurt, 13:01.800 --> 13:04.370 which is, so far, we haven't had anyone hurt 13:04.370 --> 13:06.230 in this terrible natural disaster, 13:06.230 --> 13:08.650 and the same thing goes for, you know, 13:08.650 --> 13:10.810 the Chief mentioned about takin' a look at aircraft, 13:10.810 --> 13:13.423 we've got hangars that have damage. 13:13.510 --> 13:16.570 We don't want to go in prematurely 13:16.570 --> 13:18.050 and take a look at an aircraft, 13:18.050 --> 13:20.373 or try to power it up and cause a problem, 13:20.800 --> 13:23.383 because we really didn't safe the area first. 13:24.130 --> 13:27.223 You know, this is an Air Force that does things right, 13:27.740 --> 13:30.520 and we want to make sure that we recover in a right way 13:30.830 --> 13:33.743 that protects the safety and security of our Airmen, 13:33.930 --> 13:36.260 and of the equipment for which we're responsible. 13:36.260 --> 13:37.210 - [Ed] Okay, thanks everybody, 13:37.210 --> 13:38.770 really appreciate your patience today. 13:38.770 --> 13:40.907 - Thank you very much. - Thanks.