WEBVTT 00:21.040 --> 00:23.040 Good afternoon and thanks for being 00:23.040 --> 00:26.350 here . Uh it's been a busy time for all 00:26.350 --> 00:29.750 of us in this department . A proud one 00:31.120 --> 00:34.210 And a Solemn 1 . 2 . We have 00:34.210 --> 00:36.910 concluded our historic evacuation 00:36.910 --> 00:40.720 operation can end it . The last 00:40.720 --> 00:44.050 mission of the US war in Afghanistan . 00:46.140 --> 00:48.140 America's longest war has come to a 00:48.140 --> 00:52.090 close now . Both the secretary 00:52.090 --> 00:55.810 and as a veteran of our Afghan war , my 00:55.810 --> 00:57.699 thoughts have been with the brave 00:57.699 --> 01:00.910 americans who stood up to serve after 01:00.910 --> 01:04.550 Al Qaeda attacked us on September 11 , 01:05.240 --> 01:09.100 2001 . And my heart is 01:09.100 --> 01:11.630 with their families and loved ones 01:12.840 --> 01:16.600 and with our friends and allies and 01:16.600 --> 01:18.656 with our fellow citizens whose lives 01:18.656 --> 01:21.960 were lost or changed forever . Over 20 01:21.960 --> 01:25.880 years of war , We remember 01:25.880 --> 01:29.800 2461 American service members 01:29.800 --> 01:32.760 and personnel who paid the ultimate 01:32.760 --> 01:36.690 price in this war and more than 01:36.690 --> 01:40.490 20,000 wounded Americans , some still 01:40.490 --> 01:42.870 carrying the scars that you can't see 01:42.870 --> 01:46.760 on the outside . We also remember the 01:46.760 --> 01:48.871 thousands of american contractors who 01:48.871 --> 01:52.110 lost their lives , hundreds of our 01:52.110 --> 01:54.250 allies and partners from NATO and 01:54.250 --> 01:58.110 beyond In 10s of thousands of 01:58.110 --> 02:00.300 Afghan soldiers and police officers 02:02.440 --> 02:05.670 And 10s of thousands more afghan 02:05.670 --> 02:06.360 civilians . 02:09.840 --> 02:11.673 Now , we have just concluded the 02:11.673 --> 02:13.890 largest air evacuation of civilians in 02:13.890 --> 02:17.850 american history . It was heroic . 02:19.440 --> 02:23.210 It was historic and I hope 02:23.210 --> 02:25.730 that all americans will unite to thank 02:25.730 --> 02:27.841 our service members for their courage 02:27.841 --> 02:30.970 and their compassion . They were 02:30.970 --> 02:34.440 operating in an immensely dangerous and 02:34.440 --> 02:38.110 dynamic environment but our 02:38.110 --> 02:41.680 troops were tireless . Yeah , fearless 02:42.640 --> 02:46.310 and selfless . Our commanders never 02:46.310 --> 02:50.150 flinched and our allies and partners 02:50.150 --> 02:54.070 were extraordinary United States 02:54.070 --> 02:56.850 evacuated some 6000 American citizens 02:56.850 --> 02:58.239 and a total of more than 02:58.540 --> 03:01.860 124,000 civilians . 03:03.440 --> 03:05.440 And we did it all in the midst of a 03:05.440 --> 03:07.551 pandemic and in the face of grave and 03:07.551 --> 03:11.350 growing threats . I am incredibly 03:11.350 --> 03:14.180 proud of those who made it happen and 03:14.180 --> 03:17.280 they made it happen with grit and skill 03:17.290 --> 03:21.200 in humanity . Our outstanding men and 03:21.200 --> 03:23.650 women showed steady judgment under 03:24.040 --> 03:27.440 crushing pressure , including some very 03:27.440 --> 03:29.551 young service members who summoned up 03:29.551 --> 03:32.560 exceptional courage at close quarters , 03:35.340 --> 03:37.340 they ran an international airport , 03:38.940 --> 03:42.330 they sped up visas , they fed the 03:42.330 --> 03:45.750 hungry , they comforted the desperate 03:47.540 --> 03:50.280 and they got playing after playing 03:50.290 --> 03:52.160 after playing into the sky . 03:54.840 --> 03:57.080 Our forces risk their own lives to save 03:57.080 --> 03:58.302 the lives of others . 04:02.450 --> 04:06.350 In 13 of our very best 04:07.440 --> 04:11.420 paid the ultimate price and many 04:11.420 --> 04:13.476 of them were too young to personally 04:13.476 --> 04:15.460 remember The 9 11 attacks . 04:17.640 --> 04:20.730 United States military will 04:20.740 --> 04:23.860 always honor their heroism . 04:25.540 --> 04:28.800 We mourn with their families and we owe 04:28.800 --> 04:32.490 them support through the days and years 04:32.490 --> 04:35.930 ahead . It is 04:35.930 --> 04:38.690 noteworthy that on the day of the 04:38.690 --> 04:42.100 attack at the airport , our troops and 04:42.100 --> 04:44.660 their partners pushed hard and carry on 04:45.940 --> 04:48.410 Putting 89 rescue flights in the air in 04:48.410 --> 04:52.360 the span of 24 hours and lifting 04:52.740 --> 04:55.460 12,500 souls to freedom . 04:58.240 --> 05:00.550 It has been an enormous achievement not 05:00.550 --> 05:04.340 just by the U . S . Military but also 05:04.340 --> 05:06.340 by the militaries of our allies and 05:06.340 --> 05:09.140 partners and of course by our teammates 05:09.140 --> 05:13.110 at the State Department . Now 05:13.110 --> 05:15.790 the war is over And we're entering a 05:15.790 --> 05:18.490 new Chapter one and where our diplomats 05:18.490 --> 05:20.720 and our interagency partners take the 05:20.720 --> 05:24.450 lead were part of an urgent team effort 05:25.240 --> 05:27.300 to move afghan evacuees out of 05:27.300 --> 05:30.430 temporary housing in intermediate 05:30.430 --> 05:32.652 staging bases in the gulf and in europe 05:33.340 --> 05:37.280 and on to begin new lives . And I'll be 05:37.280 --> 05:39.860 traveling to the gulf next week to 05:39.860 --> 05:43.100 thank our partners there who have done 05:43.100 --> 05:46.220 so much to help save and shelter afghan 05:46.220 --> 05:49.750 civilians . Now 05:50.640 --> 05:52.640 some of those brave afghans will be 05:52.640 --> 05:54.640 coming to make new lives with their 05:54.640 --> 05:58.300 families in America . After 05:58.300 --> 06:00.467 careful screening and security vetting 06:00.467 --> 06:03.740 run by our Interagency partners were 06:03.740 --> 06:05.740 temporarily sheltering , sheltering 06:05.740 --> 06:07.720 some of these evacuees at military 06:07.720 --> 06:11.050 facilities here at home and I'm proud 06:11.050 --> 06:12.661 of the way that our military 06:12.661 --> 06:14.494 communities have welcomed them . 06:16.530 --> 06:18.752 Some of these courageous afghans fought 06:18.752 --> 06:22.290 alongside us and they and their 06:22.290 --> 06:24.520 families have more than earned their 06:24.520 --> 06:27.620 places in the land of the free and the 06:27.620 --> 06:31.230 home of the brave and 06:31.230 --> 06:33.950 welcoming these afghans isn't just 06:33.950 --> 06:37.740 about what they've done , it's 06:37.740 --> 06:39.060 about who we are 06:42.340 --> 06:46.120 now As one mission ends , others 06:46.120 --> 06:49.760 must go on . And even during our afghan 06:49.760 --> 06:52.160 retrograde this department was racing 06:52.160 --> 06:55.480 to help victims of natural disasters at 06:55.480 --> 06:57.460 home and abroad and we still are . 06:59.040 --> 07:01.460 We've been driving to end the pandemic 07:03.340 --> 07:05.507 and we've continued to tackle security 07:05.507 --> 07:08.460 challenges from china in Russia , 07:08.840 --> 07:10.360 Iran and North Korea . 07:12.840 --> 07:14.951 It's our duty to defend this nation . 07:16.040 --> 07:18.262 And we're not going to take our eye off 07:18.262 --> 07:21.510 the ball . And that means relentless 07:21.510 --> 07:23.566 counterterrorism efforts against any 07:23.566 --> 07:25.732 threat to the american people from any 07:25.732 --> 07:28.520 place . It means working with our 07:28.520 --> 07:30.631 partners to shore up stability in the 07:30.631 --> 07:34.220 region around Afghanistan . And it 07:34.220 --> 07:36.387 means a new focus to our leadership in 07:36.387 --> 07:39.670 this young century . To meet the 07:39.670 --> 07:43.060 security challenges from china , to 07:43.060 --> 07:45.060 seize new opportunities in the indo 07:45.060 --> 07:47.970 pacific and elsewhere . And to deepen 07:47.970 --> 07:50.380 our ties with all allies and new 07:50.380 --> 07:53.470 partners and to defend our 07:53.470 --> 07:56.250 democracy against all enemies . 07:59.840 --> 08:02.530 But for today , I want to end with the 08:02.530 --> 08:04.960 word to the force and their families . 08:07.440 --> 08:09.551 I know that these have been difficult 08:09.551 --> 08:12.720 days for many of us and as we look back 08:12.720 --> 08:16.350 as a nation on the war in Afghanistan , 08:17.640 --> 08:19.610 I hope that we will all do so with 08:19.610 --> 08:21.960 thoughtfulness in respect . 08:23.640 --> 08:27.060 I will always be proud of the part that 08:27.060 --> 08:30.600 we played in this war . But we 08:30.600 --> 08:33.230 shouldn't expect Afghan war veterans to 08:33.230 --> 08:35.397 agree any more than any other group of 08:35.397 --> 08:38.360 americans . I've heard strong views 08:38.360 --> 08:42.040 from many sides in recent days and 08:42.040 --> 08:45.350 that's vital . That's democracy . 08:46.940 --> 08:50.690 That's America as we 08:50.690 --> 08:52.930 always do , this department will look 08:52.930 --> 08:56.360 back clearly and professionally and 08:56.360 --> 08:59.520 learn every lesson that we can . That's 08:59.520 --> 09:03.220 our way . But right now it's time to 09:03.220 --> 09:05.660 thank all those who served in this war 09:07.040 --> 09:10.910 because you are the greatest asset that 09:10.910 --> 09:13.560 we have you , 09:15.140 --> 09:17.140 the extraordinary men and women who 09:17.140 --> 09:19.307 volunteer to keep us all safe and your 09:19.307 --> 09:22.760 families . So my prayers are with you 09:24.330 --> 09:26.330 and with the Gold Star families who 09:26.330 --> 09:29.620 lost loved ones in Afghanistan and with 09:29.620 --> 09:31.940 the warriors who mourn their fallen 09:31.940 --> 09:35.550 brothers and sisters and with those who 09:35.550 --> 09:38.500 bear the wounds of war to body and to 09:38.500 --> 09:42.350 Seoul we will never forget what you 09:42.350 --> 09:45.060 did and what you gave 09:46.640 --> 09:49.150 our country owes you thinks that won't 09:49.150 --> 09:53.050 fade and support that 09:53.050 --> 09:57.000 won't falter the war has ended 09:57.440 --> 09:59.950 but our gratitude never will . 10:03.140 --> 10:05.362 And finally just worried about the Navy 10:05.362 --> 10:07.362 helicopter mishap overnight off the 10:07.362 --> 10:10.150 coast of California . I know the Navy 10:10.150 --> 10:12.390 is working diligently at search and 10:12.390 --> 10:15.580 rescue operations and on behalf of the 10:15.580 --> 10:18.180 whole department . I want to pass on 10:18.180 --> 10:20.291 our thoughts and prayers for the best 10:20.291 --> 10:23.190 possible outcome is yet another 10:23.190 --> 10:25.720 reminder of the dangers our men and 10:25.720 --> 10:28.970 women face every day overseas 10:29.640 --> 10:32.160 at sea and here at home . 10:33.740 --> 10:36.073 Now let me turn it over to the chairman . 10:36.073 --> 10:39.780 Yeah , thanks secretary and 10:39.790 --> 10:42.490 good afternoon everyone . Three weeks 10:42.490 --> 10:45.010 ago , the United States military 10:45.010 --> 10:47.890 received the mission to conduct a 10:47.900 --> 10:50.590 noncombatant evacuation operation from 10:50.590 --> 10:52.620 Afghanistan in support of the 10:52.620 --> 10:54.660 Department of State in order to 10:54.660 --> 10:56.540 evacuate american citizens . The 10:56.540 --> 10:59.240 Department of State designated afghans 10:59.600 --> 11:02.210 were they Directed completion date of 11:02.210 --> 11:05.750 31 August . The key military 11:05.750 --> 11:07.900 tasks were to secure and defend 11:08.640 --> 11:10.473 international airport in Kabul , 11:11.340 --> 11:13.760 evacuate all embassy personnel , 11:14.540 --> 11:16.540 evacuate all american citizens that 11:16.540 --> 11:19.050 wanted to get out and evacuate other 11:19.050 --> 11:21.390 afghans as designated by the Department 11:21.390 --> 11:24.850 of State and retrograde all of the U . 11:24.850 --> 11:28.480 S . Military . In short , the United 11:28.480 --> 11:30.591 States military was tasked to conduct 11:30.591 --> 11:33.660 too highly complex missions 11:33.660 --> 11:36.430 simultaneously retrograde while in 11:36.430 --> 11:39.480 contact with the enemy in a neo in a 11:39.480 --> 11:42.780 non permissive environment , we 11:42.780 --> 11:45.190 executed that mission in a highly 11:45.190 --> 11:47.730 dynamic , dangerous operating 11:47.730 --> 11:50.580 environment from a war torn country . 11:51.440 --> 11:53.800 It was conducted across nine countries 11:54.240 --> 11:56.770 And 26 an immediate staging bases in 11:56.770 --> 11:59.830 temporary safe havens . We deployed 11:59.830 --> 12:02.720 between five and 6000 military 12:02.720 --> 12:04.980 personnel on the ground , some of whom 12:04.980 --> 12:06.924 were forward deployed based on our 12:06.924 --> 12:09.980 contingency planning . These elements 12:09.980 --> 12:12.036 came from the 82nd Airborne Division 12:12.140 --> 12:14.790 Special Forces , the Marine Corps along 12:14.790 --> 12:16.679 with Navy and Air Force personnel 12:17.340 --> 12:19.451 flying in support for combat aircraft 12:19.451 --> 12:21.730 from the Air Force and the Navy as well 12:21.730 --> 12:24.240 as incredible support from the 12:24.240 --> 12:26.240 transport aircraft , the pilots and 12:26.240 --> 12:27.750 crews , the United States 12:27.750 --> 12:31.050 Transportation Command and a float we 12:31.050 --> 12:33.850 had in our new and carrier strike group . 12:35.240 --> 12:39.180 We flew 387 U . S . Military 12:39.180 --> 12:42.760 C 17 and C 1 30 sorties And we 12:42.760 --> 12:46.380 enabled 391 non U . S . Military 12:46.380 --> 12:50.350 sorties . A total of 778 sorties 12:50.940 --> 12:53.190 evacuated a total of 12:53.190 --> 12:56.810 124,300 and 34 12:56.810 --> 13:00.390 people which included Almost 13:00.390 --> 13:04.080 6000 American citizens . Third country 13:04.080 --> 13:06.302 nationals and afghans designated by the 13:06.302 --> 13:08.380 Department of State and we will 13:08.380 --> 13:11.260 continue to evacuate american citizens 13:12.440 --> 13:14.607 under the leadership of the Department 13:14.607 --> 13:16.496 of State . As this mission is now 13:16.496 --> 13:19.150 transitioned from a military mission to 13:19.150 --> 13:22.790 a diplomatic mission evacuees flowed 13:22.790 --> 13:25.040 through the intermediate staging base , 13:25.040 --> 13:27.310 safe havens in Central Command and 13:27.310 --> 13:29.940 european command for onward movement to 13:29.940 --> 13:32.720 the United States , a third country or 13:32.720 --> 13:34.831 the home of origin for repatriation , 13:35.540 --> 13:37.380 evacuees , complete medical and 13:37.380 --> 13:40.140 security screening vetting in 13:40.140 --> 13:41.973 accordance with the lead federal 13:41.973 --> 13:43.973 agencies guidance the Department of 13:43.973 --> 13:46.630 Homeland Security . Currently , there's 13:46.630 --> 13:50.630 approximately 20,000 evacuees in 13:50.630 --> 13:53.050 seven staging bases in five countries 13:53.840 --> 13:55.007 in Central Command , 13:55.740 --> 13:59.700 Another 23007 staging bases 14:00.450 --> 14:04.010 in four countries in europe And as of 14:04.010 --> 14:06.177 this morning , there are approximately 14:06.177 --> 14:09.370 20,000 Afghans Who arrived at eight 14:09.380 --> 14:11.820 different military bases in the 14:11.820 --> 14:14.970 continental United States . This 14:14.970 --> 14:18.160 mission cost 11 marines , 14:18.940 --> 14:21.880 one soldier and one Navy Corman their 14:21.880 --> 14:25.410 lives And 22 others were wounded in 14:25.410 --> 14:28.910 action . In addition to over 100 14:28.910 --> 14:31.400 Afghans killed and wounded In a 14:31.400 --> 14:33.710 horrific terrorist attack on 26 August 14:33.990 --> 14:36.280 at Abbey gate and the southeast 14:36.280 --> 14:39.930 perimeter of the airport . Those 14:39.930 --> 14:43.400 soldiers , sailors and marines gave 14:43.400 --> 14:46.440 their lives so that others may live 14:46.440 --> 14:49.750 free . They literally gave their 14:49.750 --> 14:52.670 tomorrows for the tomorrows of people 14:52.670 --> 14:56.560 they never knew The 124,000 , 14:57.640 --> 15:00.460 They never knew the 13 who died And we 15:00.460 --> 15:02.682 will never know the 22 who were wounded 15:03.040 --> 15:05.260 with the thousands of dead and 15:05.640 --> 15:07.696 thousands of wounded who came before 15:07.696 --> 15:09.750 them , but they will now live in 15:09.750 --> 15:13.170 freedom because the american bloodshed 15:13.170 --> 15:16.880 on their behalf . Nearly two decades 15:16.880 --> 15:19.460 have passed since that horrible dark 15:19.460 --> 15:21.571 september day in our nation's history 15:21.640 --> 15:24.960 When 2977 innocent lies 15:26.340 --> 15:29.760 were murdered . Since then , 15:30.740 --> 15:32.907 the men and women of the United States 15:32.907 --> 15:35.018 military and our Interagency partners 15:35.018 --> 15:37.150 have fought tirelessly to defeat 15:37.150 --> 15:39.206 terrorists in Afghanistan around the 15:39.206 --> 15:43.160 world , both at home and abroad . Their 15:43.160 --> 15:46.210 talent , their efforts have carried 15:46.210 --> 15:49.940 this fight day and night in 15:49.940 --> 15:51.810 Afghanistan . Our mission , our 15:51.810 --> 15:55.700 military mission has now come to an 15:55.700 --> 15:58.080 end . We're gonna learn from this 15:58.080 --> 16:00.960 experience as a military , how we got 16:00.960 --> 16:03.071 to this moment in Afghanistan will be 16:03.071 --> 16:05.238 analyzed and studied for years to come 16:06.340 --> 16:08.680 and we in the military will approach 16:08.680 --> 16:10.791 this with humility , transparency and 16:10.791 --> 16:13.560 candor . There are many tactical 16:13.570 --> 16:15.792 operational and strategic lessons to be 16:15.792 --> 16:19.760 learned . 800,000 of us in uniform 16:20.530 --> 16:22.697 served in Afghanistan over the last 20 16:22.697 --> 16:25.080 years , our nation spent over a 16:25.080 --> 16:28.390 trillion dollars And most importantly , 16:28.390 --> 16:31.810 2,461 soldiers , 16:31.820 --> 16:35.160 sailors , airmen and marines 16:36.240 --> 16:38.550 gave the last full measure of devotion . 16:39.340 --> 16:42.970 Well , 20691 were 16:43.340 --> 16:46.120 wounded and untold . Thousands of 16:46.120 --> 16:48.720 others suffer with the invisible wounds 16:48.720 --> 16:52.390 of war as we close this chapter 16:52.940 --> 16:55.560 in our nation's history and all of 16:55.560 --> 16:57.680 those casualties are alongside our 16:57.680 --> 16:59.902 allies and partners and we should never 16:59.902 --> 17:03.460 forget . That's 60,000 Afghan National 17:03.460 --> 17:05.682 security forces gave their lives in the 17:05.682 --> 17:09.570 conduct of this war . Our 17:09.570 --> 17:11.903 counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan , 17:11.903 --> 17:15.260 the region over 20 years has protected 17:15.260 --> 17:17.204 the american people from terrorist 17:17.204 --> 17:19.350 attack and the men and women and 17:19.350 --> 17:22.070 Children who were just evacuated will 17:22.070 --> 17:24.230 ultimately be the legacy to prove the 17:24.230 --> 17:27.360 value of our sacrifice . For the past 17:27.360 --> 17:29.630 20 years . There's not been a major 17:29.630 --> 17:32.590 attack on the homeland and it is now 17:32.590 --> 17:34.757 our mission to ensure that we continue 17:34.757 --> 17:37.250 our intelligence efforts continue our 17:37.260 --> 17:39.620 counterterrorism efforts continue our 17:39.620 --> 17:41.870 military efforts To protect the 17:41.870 --> 17:43.981 American people for the next 20 years 17:44.440 --> 17:46.496 and we and the american military are 17:46.496 --> 17:48.560 committed to do just that 17:50.840 --> 17:53.810 for those of us in uniform who served 17:53.810 --> 17:56.960 in Afghanistan , For our families 17:58.540 --> 18:00.707 who have suffered and sacrificed along 18:00.707 --> 18:03.490 our side for those who have supported 18:03.490 --> 18:06.170 us . These have been incredibly 18:06.170 --> 18:09.060 emotional and trying days and indeed 18:09.060 --> 18:12.990 years . We are all conflicted with 18:12.990 --> 18:16.680 feelings of pain and anger , sorrow and 18:16.680 --> 18:20.490 sadness combined with pride and 18:20.490 --> 18:23.850 resilience . There are no words that 18:24.340 --> 18:26.670 yeah I or the secretary or the 18:26.670 --> 18:29.330 president or anyone else we'll ever do 18:29.330 --> 18:32.920 to bring the dead back but we can 18:32.920 --> 18:36.140 always honor them . and one thing I am 18:36.140 --> 18:39.310 certain of for any soldier , sailor , 18:39.310 --> 18:41.560 Airman Marine and their family . 18:43.440 --> 18:46.220 Your service mattered and it was not in 18:46.220 --> 18:50.100 vain . Thank you . Okay , I 18:50.100 --> 18:52.100 think we have enough time for a few 18:52.100 --> 18:54.378 questions and we'll start with you bob . 18:54.440 --> 18:57.610 Thank you Mr Secretary , looking ahead 18:57.620 --> 19:00.340 in Afghanistan question for both of you . 19:00.340 --> 19:03.570 Please given the experience of the past 19:03.580 --> 19:06.060 couple of weeks at the Kabul airport 19:06.640 --> 19:08.520 where U . S commanders were 19:09.310 --> 19:11.830 coordinating or these communicating 19:11.840 --> 19:15.060 daily with taliban commanders 19:15.740 --> 19:17.907 to in effect that General Mackenzie um 19:17.907 --> 19:20.680 Soul said was at times very helpful and 19:20.680 --> 19:23.013 also I know General Milley in your case , 19:23.013 --> 19:25.236 you last year had face to face meetings 19:25.236 --> 19:27.180 with taliban leaders at least on a 19:27.180 --> 19:29.180 couple of occasions . I'm wondering 19:29.180 --> 19:31.069 what you can do . You think these 19:31.069 --> 19:33.540 experiences say about the prospect for 19:33.550 --> 19:35.772 the United States relationship with the 19:35.772 --> 19:38.290 Taliban to include the possibility of 19:38.300 --> 19:41.710 any kind of coordination in counter 19:41.720 --> 19:44.170 terrorism operations against IsIS K . 19:44.170 --> 19:47.280 In Afghanistan . About first of all , 19:47.280 --> 19:49.350 let me applaud the initiative of our 19:49.360 --> 19:53.320 commanders on the ground who 19:53.330 --> 19:56.160 would stop at nothing to accomplish the 19:56.160 --> 19:58.510 mission that they were they were 19:58.520 --> 20:01.210 provided of evacuating as many american 20:01.210 --> 20:03.377 citizens , third country nationals and 20:03.377 --> 20:06.390 s ivy applicants as possible . We were 20:06.390 --> 20:08.890 focused on , we were working with the 20:08.900 --> 20:11.960 taliban on a very narrow set of issues 20:12.440 --> 20:14.440 and it was just that to get as many 20:14.440 --> 20:17.070 people out as we possibly could . And 20:17.070 --> 20:19.240 so I would not lead to , I would not 20:19.240 --> 20:22.150 make any leaps of logic to , you know , 20:22.160 --> 20:25.630 a broader uh broader issues . I would 20:25.630 --> 20:28.040 just say that again , I'm immensely 20:28.040 --> 20:31.020 proud of of what what our troops have 20:31.020 --> 20:33.220 done to this point and it's hard to 20:33.220 --> 20:35.280 predict where this will go in the 20:35.280 --> 20:37.502 future of with respect to the taliban . 20:37.502 --> 20:40.660 I would just say bob um 20:41.340 --> 20:43.830 Secretary I both served in Afghanistan 20:43.840 --> 20:46.007 and many of us did . You all did too . 20:46.040 --> 20:48.360 Uh We don't know what the future of the 20:48.360 --> 20:52.040 Taliban is . But I can tell you from 20:52.040 --> 20:55.080 personal experience . Uh This is a 20:55.090 --> 20:57.870 ruthless group from the past . And 20:57.870 --> 20:59.981 whether or not they change remains to 20:59.981 --> 21:02.860 be seen . Uh And as far as our dealings 21:02.860 --> 21:04.970 with them at that airfield or in the 21:04.970 --> 21:08.150 past year or so in war , you do what 21:08.150 --> 21:10.730 you must in order to reduce risk to 21:10.730 --> 21:12.452 mission and force not what you 21:12.452 --> 21:14.063 necessarily want to do . Any 21:14.063 --> 21:16.063 possibility of coordination against 21:16.063 --> 21:19.850 ISIS K with him impossible 21:20.940 --> 21:23.980 going going forward by by again . I 21:23.980 --> 21:27.100 would not want to make any predictions . 21:27.110 --> 21:29.166 I would tell you that we're gonna do 21:29.166 --> 21:31.690 everything that we can to make sure we 21:31.690 --> 21:34.590 remain focused on ISIS K . Understand 21:34.590 --> 21:37.370 that network and and at the time of our 21:37.370 --> 21:39.750 choosing in the future hold them 21:39.750 --> 21:41.750 accountable for what they've done . 21:42.940 --> 21:45.800 Let's go to Helene cooper , thank you 21:45.800 --> 21:47.689 so much for doing this . I have a 21:47.689 --> 21:49.800 question for you and then another one 21:49.800 --> 21:52.750 for General Milley . Um Mr Secretary 21:52.760 --> 21:55.100 perhaps it's possible that there's no 21:55.100 --> 21:57.890 exit from Afghanistan that would not 21:57.900 --> 22:01.320 have been chaotic given what we now 22:01.330 --> 22:04.380 know . Uh And for all the reasons that 22:04.380 --> 22:07.670 the administration has mentioned . Uh 22:07.680 --> 22:09.650 but I would like to know now in 22:09.660 --> 22:12.540 hindsight , is there one thing that you 22:12.540 --> 22:14.950 wish that you or the pentagon had done ? 22:14.960 --> 22:16.627 Could have done differently . 22:18.540 --> 22:22.300 Thanks a lien . Um I would just tell 22:22.300 --> 22:24.480 you that there hasn't been a single 22:24.480 --> 22:26.647 operation that I've ever been involved 22:26.647 --> 22:29.670 in , where we didn't discover that 22:29.670 --> 22:31.726 there's something that we could have 22:31.726 --> 22:33.948 done better or more efficiently or more 22:33.948 --> 22:36.830 effectively . And I'd also say that no 22:36.830 --> 22:40.380 operation is ever perfect . I will tell 22:40.380 --> 22:42.491 you that we will do what we always do 22:42.491 --> 22:45.020 and that is to to look at ourselves and 22:45.030 --> 22:49.010 uh do after action reviews and we 22:49.010 --> 22:52.090 want to make sure that uh we learned 22:52.090 --> 22:54.201 every lesson that can be learned from 22:54.201 --> 22:56.520 this experience but I want to take the 22:56.520 --> 23:00.410 time to do it the right way . Uh And uh 23:00.410 --> 23:03.370 and so we'll do that in the days uh in 23:03.370 --> 23:04.370 the days ahead . 23:06.950 --> 23:10.920 Oh sorry I was just gonna say I I 23:10.920 --> 23:13.250 would just say again Helen that I'm 23:13.250 --> 23:15.590 enormously proud of her of our men and 23:15.590 --> 23:18.160 women who worked hard to accomplish 23:18.540 --> 23:20.651 what they just accomplished . Which I 23:20.651 --> 23:23.010 think as I said earlier is historic and 23:23.010 --> 23:25.780 heroic . Go ahead . Maybe thrown out a 23:25.780 --> 23:27.836 book on the whole S . I . V . I mean 23:27.836 --> 23:30.120 the previous administration did leave . 23:30.130 --> 23:32.480 I understand that but I did put a lot 23:32.480 --> 23:34.758 of hurdles in the way of the S . I . V . 23:34.758 --> 23:37.090 Program that this administration had to 23:37.090 --> 23:40.350 then deal with upon arrival . Do you 23:40.350 --> 23:42.517 think at all that because the Pentagon 23:42.517 --> 23:44.739 worked so hard with these people for 20 23:44.739 --> 23:46.406 years . These translators and 23:46.406 --> 23:48.628 interpreters that we should have thrown 23:48.628 --> 23:51.230 that whole book out when I would say 23:51.240 --> 23:54.250 Helen is that the S . I . V . Program 23:54.250 --> 23:56.580 is obviously not not designed to 23:56.580 --> 23:59.620 accommodate Uh what we just did in 23:59.620 --> 24:02.660 evacuating you know over 100,000 people . 24:03.040 --> 24:06.240 Uh And so uh perhaps uh this this 24:06.240 --> 24:08.129 program should be looked at going 24:08.129 --> 24:11.780 forward . Uh It is a it is a designed 24:11.780 --> 24:15.210 to be a slow process . Uh Secretary 24:15.210 --> 24:17.270 Blinken and in uh in the State 24:17.270 --> 24:20.350 Department worked hard early on uh two 24:20.540 --> 24:22.484 uh to shorten the timeline that it 24:22.484 --> 24:24.651 takes to to work your way through that 24:24.651 --> 24:27.110 process . But again for the type of 24:27.110 --> 24:29.480 operation that we just conducted . Uh I 24:29.480 --> 24:31.800 think I think we need a different type 24:31.800 --> 24:34.630 of capability . And for General Milley , 24:35.440 --> 24:37.384 I wanted to ask you about sunday's 24:37.384 --> 24:40.110 drone strike . Can you take us back to 24:40.110 --> 24:42.570 that morning ? You have intel that ISIS 24:42.570 --> 24:45.200 K . Is plotting another attack . The 24:45.200 --> 24:48.230 military spots a vehicle that you 24:48.230 --> 24:50.780 believe is uh full of carrying 24:50.780 --> 24:53.930 explosives explosives . Uh And we take 24:53.930 --> 24:56.170 the car out with a drone strike and 24:56.170 --> 24:58.960 reports now say that we may have that 24:59.140 --> 25:01.307 10 civilians . As many as 10 civilians 25:01.307 --> 25:03.290 may have been may have been killed 25:03.300 --> 25:05.300 because of the urgent threat 25:05.310 --> 25:06.921 environment at the time . Do 25:06.921 --> 25:09.700 preliminary assessments indicate that 25:09.710 --> 25:12.750 we may have rushed relax or waived 25:12.750 --> 25:14.920 altogether . Some of the normal checks 25:14.920 --> 25:17.142 and balances that we do before a strike 25:17.142 --> 25:19.860 like that A couple of things . one is 25:20.610 --> 25:22.888 as we always do on all of these things . 25:22.888 --> 25:24.943 We initiate an investigation . We're 25:24.943 --> 25:27.110 reviewing all the video and all that . 25:27.110 --> 25:29.221 But having said that you know what do 25:29.221 --> 25:31.388 we know what we don't know what do you 25:31.388 --> 25:33.666 think sort of thing at the at the time . 25:33.666 --> 25:35.721 And I think this is still valid . We 25:35.721 --> 25:38.070 had very good intelligence that ISIS K . 25:38.070 --> 25:41.050 Was preparing a specific type vehicle 25:41.220 --> 25:44.330 at a specific type location . We 25:44.330 --> 25:46.497 monitored that through various means . 25:46.840 --> 25:49.770 Um and um all of the engagement 25:49.770 --> 25:51.659 criteria were being met . We went 25:51.659 --> 25:53.714 through the same level of rigor that 25:53.714 --> 25:55.659 we've done for years and we took a 25:55.659 --> 25:58.660 strike so that we did secondly is we 25:58.660 --> 26:00.382 know that there were secondary 26:00.382 --> 26:02.604 explosions because there were secondary 26:02.604 --> 26:04.493 explosions . There's a reasonable 26:04.493 --> 26:06.549 conclusion to be made that there was 26:06.549 --> 26:08.716 explosives in that vehicle . The third 26:08.716 --> 26:10.660 thing is we know from a variety of 26:10.660 --> 26:12.827 other means that at least one of those 26:12.827 --> 26:14.771 people that were killed was a ISIS 26:14.771 --> 26:16.882 facilitator . Uh So were there others 26:16.882 --> 26:19.160 killed ? Yes , there are others killed , 26:19.160 --> 26:21.216 who they are . We don't know . We'll 26:21.216 --> 26:23.327 try to sort through all that , but we 26:23.327 --> 26:25.327 believe that the procedures at this 26:25.327 --> 26:27.438 point , I don't want to influence the 26:27.438 --> 26:29.660 outcome of an investigation . Um but at 26:29.660 --> 26:31.882 this point we think that the procedures 26:31.882 --> 26:31.340 were correctly followed . I know it's a 26:31.340 --> 26:33.500 righteous strike . So we've got time 26:33.500 --> 26:35.611 for one more question and we'll go to 26:35.611 --> 26:37.778 bar last question . Thank you . Sure . 26:37.778 --> 26:40.000 Um Well , your messages today from both 26:40.000 --> 26:42.056 of you , your messages of compassion 26:42.140 --> 26:44.307 and gratitude are certainly understood 26:44.940 --> 26:47.790 in the last several days . Both of you 26:47.800 --> 26:50.190 at multiple times have issued these 26:50.190 --> 26:54.070 kinds of messages and statements . And 26:54.070 --> 26:57.080 what I'm curious about is what do you 26:57.080 --> 27:00.760 see in the country with troops 27:00.770 --> 27:03.450 with veterans that 27:04.040 --> 27:07.800 makes you feel ? It's a 27:07.800 --> 27:11.060 rare thing that makes you feel these 27:11.060 --> 27:14.800 messages must continue . And you have 27:14.800 --> 27:17.580 put out so many in the last few days 27:17.590 --> 27:20.200 and General Milley , I was very struck 27:20.200 --> 27:23.400 you used the words pain and anger and 27:23.400 --> 27:25.678 that you understood that was out there . 27:25.678 --> 27:27.910 So as a combat veteran yourself of 27:27.910 --> 27:30.460 Afghanistan , can you help people 27:30.460 --> 27:34.380 understand that ? Where does your pain 27:34.380 --> 27:36.620 and anger come from ? If you could both 27:36.630 --> 27:39.100 answer your views on this ? And I would 27:39.100 --> 27:41.211 start by saying Barb that this is the 27:41.211 --> 27:44.500 longest war in , in our history . And 27:44.500 --> 27:48.200 so there have been a couple of 27:48.200 --> 27:50.450 generations that have participated in 27:50.460 --> 27:53.670 uh , in this war . And 27:55.040 --> 27:58.910 as we've gone about , I've gotten input 27:58.920 --> 28:01.750 and reactions that are from all sides 28:01.750 --> 28:04.350 of this uh , of this issue . And as I 28:04.350 --> 28:06.461 said in my opening statement , that's 28:06.461 --> 28:09.600 to be expected . Uh and uh , and of 28:09.600 --> 28:12.200 course I respect that and I think we 28:12.200 --> 28:15.140 have to provide ourselves the time and 28:15.140 --> 28:18.410 space to adequately deal was with 28:18.420 --> 28:20.587 everything that our veterans have been 28:20.587 --> 28:22.753 through and we will work through those 28:22.753 --> 28:25.130 issues and and the system will be there 28:25.130 --> 28:27.074 to support our veterans as we work 28:27.074 --> 28:29.550 through those issues . I just think 28:30.040 --> 28:32.262 again , we need to respect each other's 28:32.262 --> 28:34.770 views and be supportive of each other . 28:35.340 --> 28:37.370 And one thing I would say , Barb is 28:37.370 --> 28:39.840 that people will process this 28:39.840 --> 28:42.020 differently and for those who think 28:42.020 --> 28:44.590 they need help , please seek help . Uh 28:44.600 --> 28:46.822 you know , we're there for you . And as 28:46.822 --> 28:48.933 I said , you heard me say a number of 28:48.933 --> 28:51.430 times before , you know , mental health 28:51.540 --> 28:54.970 is health period . Uh , and and so this 28:54.970 --> 28:57.192 will take time to work for people to to 28:57.192 --> 28:59.430 to work their way through their varying 28:59.430 --> 29:02.650 opinions on on each side of the aisle . 29:02.660 --> 29:05.000 And that's to be expected and respected . 29:05.010 --> 29:08.970 So assured . There 29:08.970 --> 29:12.070 is a question of so Barbara , you asked 29:12.070 --> 29:14.292 me where my pain and anger comes from . 29:14.292 --> 29:16.459 I have all those same emotions and I'm 29:16.459 --> 29:18.792 sure the secretary does anyone to serve . 29:18.792 --> 29:21.800 Uh , and I commanded troops . Um , and 29:21.800 --> 29:24.250 I wasn't born a four star general . Uh , 29:24.260 --> 29:26.204 I have walked the patrols and been 29:26.204 --> 29:27.982 blown up and shot at an RPG and 29:27.982 --> 29:29.982 everything else . My pain and anger 29:29.982 --> 29:31.871 comes from uh , the same as those 29:31.871 --> 29:33.982 grieving families . The same as those 29:33.982 --> 29:36.149 soldiers that are on the ground . Last 29:36.149 --> 29:35.620 night . I visited the wounded up in 29:35.620 --> 29:38.610 walter reed . Um This is tough stuff . 29:38.620 --> 29:40.980 War is hard . Uh it's vicious . It's 29:40.980 --> 29:43.370 brutal . It's unforgiving . And yes , 29:43.380 --> 29:45.491 we all have pain and anger . And when 29:45.491 --> 29:47.870 we see what has unfolded over the last 29:47.870 --> 29:50.260 20 years and over the last 20 days , 29:50.270 --> 29:52.326 that creates pain and anger . Uh and 29:52.326 --> 29:54.690 mind comes from 242 of my soldiers 29:54.690 --> 29:56.890 killed in action over 20 years in Iraq 29:56.890 --> 29:59.223 and Afghanistan . So yeah , I have that . 29:59.223 --> 30:01.279 But I'm a professional soldier . I'm 30:01.279 --> 30:03.446 going to contain my pain and anger and 30:03.446 --> 30:05.279 continue to execute my mission . 30:05.279 --> 30:09.230 Thanks . Thanks 30:09.230 --> 30:11.286 for you . Have to go . We have to go 30:11.286 --> 30:13.397 guys , Trade is going to be sent back 30:13.397 --> 30:16.690 to Afghanistan military . 30:17.740 --> 30:17.950 Yes .