well . Good morning everyone . Thank
you for being here today . It's my
pleasure to introduce Secretary of
Defense Lloyd Austin the third . The
secretary will deliver some opening
remarks regarding today's release of
the National Defense strategy and then
we'll have time to take a few questions .
I'll be moderating those questions and
we'll call on the journalists . I would
ask that we please limit follow ups due
to time constraints and appreciate your
assistance with this Mr Secretary over
to you sir . Thanks Patrick . Good
morning everyone . At the outset , let
me offer my deepest condolences to the
carter family for the loss of Ash
carter . As you know , he was a great
patriot who contributed uh ,
in significant ways to this department
and he will be sorely missed .
As you all know . Back in March , we
delivered our classified national
defense strategy to Congress and since
then , the NDS has been the
department's North Star as we tackle
this century's biggest security
challenges . So I'm pleased to announce
that the department is now publicly
releasing our unclassified national
defense strategy in this strategy nests
beneath President biden's National
Security strategy , which was released
earlier this month . I'd like to talk
for a few minutes about how the NDS has
shaped our work over the past seven
months and how we continue to implement
it going forward . The key theme of the
NDS is the need to sustain and
strengthen us deterrence with the
People's Republic of china as our
pacing challenge as the President's
National Security strategy notes the P .
R . C . Is the only competitor out
there with both the intent to reshape
the international order and
increasingly the power to do so now my
team and I have been laser focused on
this issue since day one , including
the china task force that I stood up ,
which produced a range of
recommendations to focus the entire
department on the china challenge . At
the same time , the NDS bluntly
describes Russia as an acute threat
and we chose the word acute carefully .
Unlike china , Russia can't
systemically challenge the United
States over the long term . But Russian
aggression does pose an immediate and
sharp threat to our interests and
values and Putin's reckless , reckless
war of choice against Ukraine . The
worst threat to european security since
the end of World War Two has made that
very clear for the whole world .
Now , the NDS is also clear eyed about
other serious threats and that includes
North Korea's expanding nuclear and
missile capabilities . And meanwhile
Iran is moving ahead on its nuclear
program , supporting dangerous armed
proxies and even exporting drones that
Russia is using to terrorize Ukrainian
civilians and we remain vigilant
against the ongoing threat from global
terrorist networks as well as from
climate change pandemics and other
dangers that don't respect borders .
So the NDS charges us too defend the U .
S . Homeland to deter strategic attacks
against the United States and our
allies and partners to prepare to
prevail in conflict when necessary and
to build a resilient joint force and
defense ecosystem . So we've moved
out under the nds in three main ways
forging integrated deterrence
campaigning in building enduring
advantages . These three avenues
inform all of our operations activities
and investments . We're strengthening a
21st century combat credible US
military that will deter aggression
that threatens the interests of the
United States or our allies and
partners . That means a military ready
to tackle the full range of threats out
there , harnessing the american spirit
of innovation to meet the complexities
of today's world and first
were seamlessly integrating our
deterrence efforts to make a basic
truth crystal clear to any
potential foe . And that truth is that
the cost the cost of aggression against
the United States , our allies and
partners far outweigh any conceivable
gains . So we're aligning the
department's operations activities and
investments across all theaters
across the full spectrum of conflict
and across all domains , especially in
space and cyberspace in space .
We're working to field resilient
satellite constellations , to dissuade
any adversary from testing our will and
to ensure that we will prevail if they
try in the cyber realm . We're boosting
our resilience and enhancing our
capabilities to conduct military
operations and meanwhile our nuclear
capabilities remain the ultimate
backstop for our strategic deterrence
and that's why we're fully committed to
modernizing all three legs of our
nuclear triad . Now , let me note here
that this is the first time in the
department's history that we conducted
all of our major strategic reviews
together . That means the nDS the
nuclear posture review and the missile
defense review . The nuclear posture
review reaffirms that as long as
nuclear weapons exist , the fundamental
role of U . S . Nuclear weapons is to
deter nuclear attack on the United
States , our allies and our partners .
Meanwhile the Missile Defense review
underscores that missile defense
contributes to integrated deterrence by
undermining a potential foes confidence
in its ability to amount a successful
attack . And so by weaving these
documents together , we help ensure
that the entire department is moving
forward together and matching our
resources to our goals . Now the
strength and combat credibility of the
joint force remains central to
integrated turns And that's why our
fiscal year 23 budget request Included
more than $56 billion dollars for air
power platforms and systems And more
than $40 billion dollars to maintain
our dominance at sea And almost $13
billion
$34
billion dollars to sustain and
modernize our nuclear forces . But
integrated deterrence isn't just about
the steps that we take on our own . It
also means working even more closely
with our unparalleled network of allies
and partners to deter aggression in
region after region . In the indo
pacific you see the power of
partnership with the historic Aucas
agreement with our trilateral
cooperation with Japan and Korea and
with our many multinational exercises
to increase readiness and
interoperability in europe . You see it
with a united and resolute NATO and
with the extraordinary coordination of
some 50 members of the Ukraine Defense
contact group that we created to stand
up for Ukraine's self defense and in
the Middle East and Africa and latin
America . You see it in our efforts to
bolster our allies and partners and
improve interoperability and
integration wherever possible .
Second , the N . D . S emphasizes the
day to day work of campaigning and that
means conducting and sequencing
military activities that over time
shift the security environment in our
favor and it means working to limit and
disrupt malign activities by our
competitors . So we're building and
exercising the forces that will need in
a crisis or conflict including
requesting $135 billion dollars in last
year's budget to further invest in our
readiness . We've updated our posture
in the indo pacific to make it more
survivable against aggression . And
with Aucas were putting campaigning
into action by linking our cutting edge
capabilities with robust military
exercises alongside our allies .
And third , we're building enduring
advantages to further strengthen the
foundations of the defense enterprise
and innovation . Is central here . Last
year for instance we established the
rapid defense experimentation reserve
which funds different parts of the
department to work together to fill
critical joint warfighting gaps in our
fiscal year 23 budget request included
more than 100 and $30 billion for
research , development , testing and
evaluation . Now that's the largest R .
And D budget number in D . O . D .
History . We're also working in new
ways with our industry partners
including by strengthening our supply
chains in our defense industrial base .
The department is also tackling the
dangers of climate change including
ensuring that our military can continue
to operate superbly and hotter and
harsher environments and above all
the N . D . S . Demands even deeper
investments in our people . They will
always be this department's most
valuable resource in the bedrock of
american security . And that's why the
president's budget includes a 4.6% pay
raise for service members starting
January 1 , 2023 . And that's why I've
recently directed the department to
ease the strains that can come along
with service . And that includes making
it easier to secure housing and to move
to new duty stations to get superb
childcare and to help military spouses
advance their own exceptional careers .
You know , our outstanding service
members and their families do
everything that we ask of them and more
doing right by them is a national
security imperative . And it's a sacred
trust . So we're looking forward to
working with Congress to secure on time
appropriations to finalize this year's
National Defense authorization act .
And to continue to implement the
strategy and as the president has said ,
we will not leave our future vulnerable
to the whims of those who do not share
our vision for a world that is free ,
open , prosperous and secure and we're
confident that we've got the right
defense strategy to tackle the
challenges ahead and to defend the
american people and to strengthen our
outstanding all volunteer force and to
safeguard the democratic values that
are the soul of America . Thank you .
And I'll be glad to take a couple of
questions . Thank you . Mr Secretary .
Go ahead and start with Associated
Press Mr Secretary as Russia's
invasion of Ukraine continues and it
sustains continued conventional losses .
Are you becoming more concerned that it
might be likelier to resort to a
tactical nuclear weapon as Putin has
suggested ? And secondly , how can the
U . S . And kind of this new security
construct prevent nuclear conflict from
escalating , prevent Russia from using
a nuclear a tactical nuclear weapon ?
While as your own strategy said also
possibly deter china from its own
nuclear ambitions . So are we concerned
about escalation ? We are certainly
concerned about escalation . We have
been so from the very beginning of this
conflict . And uh and that's why we
believe that it's important to uh
communicate with our with our allies
and partners and also with our
adversaries . And as long as we have uh
the channels of communication open uh
and we and we're able to communicate um
you know what what's important to us
and I think we have an opportunity to
manage escalation . So that concern has
been there from the very beginning and
will remain cited on this going forward
is the introduction of potentially
using a tactical nuke enter a new era
of nuclear deterrence . Well , I mean ,
it would be The first time that a
nuclear weapon has been used in over 70
years . So that certainly has the
potential of changing things in the
international community . So this is
the thing that I think if if this
happened , uh we have been very clear
from the very beginning that you would
see a very significant response from
the international community . So this
is important to the , to the world .
And uh and again , we remain focused on
making sure that we're gonna do
everything that we can help Ukraine uh
to uh to defend its uh its sovereign
territory . Uh and we're going to
continue to communicate that uh any
type of use of a weapon of that sort or
even the talk of the use of a weapon of
that sort is dangerous and
irresponsible . So , let's go ahead and
go to uh Griffin , Secretary
Austin Vladimir Putin again said today
that Ukraine is planning to use a bomb
is Putin bluffing . And how does
scrapping one of the few tactical nukes
that was in development here in the
pentagon deter Putin right now ?
Um , we have not seen
anything to indicate that Putin has
made a decision to use a bomb , nor
have we seen any indications that uh
that the Ukrainians are planning such a
thing . Ukrainians have in fact their
leadership have indicated to us that
that's not in their plans . So , um ,
you know , again , again , um , we've
seen no indications of that . It's
important to make sure that we're
talking to uh , adversaries and allies
alike and making sure that that were
were tamping down um , dangerous talk
and uh , and making sure that we
maintain lines of communication , open
the scrapping the tactical nukes C C
based launch missile . Why do that now ?
Isn't that sending a dangerous message
when you're trying to deter Putin and
china , jen ? We as you know , we have
our inventory of nuclear weapons is
significant . And so , uh , we
determined as we looked at our
inventory that uh , that , you know ,
we did not need that capability . We
have a lot of capability in our nuclear
inventory . And I don't think this
sends any message to Putin , he
understands what our capability is .
And uh , and so , you know , we will
continue to move forward . Let's go
ahead and go to Mr Secretary You said
repeatedly and others in the
administration have , and also in NATO ,
that it's up to Ukraine to determine
how the war ends . It's their country .
Now , President Zelensky and other
Ukrainian officials have said they aim
to push all the Russians out of Ukraine
not only in the East and the South ,
but Crimea as well . Now you talk to
Ukrainian officials repeatedly , you're
an expert on ground warfare as a
retired Four Star , is it realistic to
think that Ukraine can push all Russian
soldiers out of the entire country ,
including Crimea ? Well , tom that's uh
when you when you think about where
Ukraine is today , um there are not
many people in the world who thought
that they would be in this place
because they , you know , if you look
at the capability that Russia has uh
you know , a raid against what
initially what the Ukrainians had , uh
most people thought it was not possible
to be where we are today . So in terms
of speculating on what the Ukrainians
are , are capable of , I think , you
know , I wouldn't I wouldn't want to
speculate on that . I think they have
exceeded most people's expectations uh
and they've done that because we in the
international community have really
worked hard and been very moved very
quickly to provide them with the
capability that they need to defend
their sovereign territory . And they
have employed it very very well uh in
terms of their objectives , tom i uh
again , uh Ukrainians must outline
their objectives . We won't do that for
them . Uh And uh and again they are
fighting for the defense uh fighting to
defend their sovereign territory and
we're going to continue to support them
for as long as it takes . Again , we
keep asking you this , the long range
missile systems . The attack comes ,
they still want those you're unwilling
to give them those will that change now
that Russia is basically taking out
their grid system . Tom it's
uh the Ukrainians can service just
about every target that they want to
service using the the the Gamblers
missiles that they've been employing .
Uh and so they have what they need to
be successful , they're putting it to
good use uh and uh and so we're going
to continue to do those things that are
that are working for us on uh on the
battlefield , working for the
Ukrainians on the battlefield right now ,
what they need more than anything else
tom as you know , is air defense
capability . And so as we had our last
Ukraine defense contact group meeting ,
we really emphasize this and uh some of
the countries have stepped up right
away and provided capability . We have
been pressing hard to get them in a
SAM's capability . Uh and we expect
that in the next uh early next month
we'll be able to get the capability and
train and train troops married up there
in Ukraine , no announcements to make
here today but but we're pressing hard
to get that capability in . We saw
spain step forward and and provide hawk
uh anti aircraft capability
uh Air defense capability . Excuse me .
And uh and that was commendable . We
got now have to get the troops trained
on on the hawk system and we're working
on that and we continue to press to
make sure that uh um where possible
countries provide as much capability in
terms of air defense as quickly as they
can to support Ukraine . Okay , give it
to Megan military times . What changes
does this N . D . S call for in terms
of force structure . Either manpower
levels overall or or where they're
postured around the world , where
troops need to be around the world
whether that's increasing or or
stabilizing this 100,000 number in
europe , something like that . And what
are your concerns about the recruiting
environment and being able to meet
those needs going forward ? I'm
confident that we'll have the force
Megan to to execute our strategy .
And in terms of our force posture , we
went through a force posture review
very early on . There are incremental
adjustments , adjustments from time to
time to that force posture lay down
that we provided . Uh and again um we
have the ability to rapidly deploy
capability to uh to europe . Uh And you
saw that exercise uh at the very
beginning of this conflict as we
deployed forces from heavy forces armed
forces from the United States uh to uh
to europe very very quickly we could do
that because of the things that we've
done with the european defense
initiative uh and we we
established preposition equipment sites
that troops could fall in on very
quickly . And so those things that have
worked out very very well for us . Uh
We're confident that we'll have that
that we have the force to be able to
execute our strategy and in terms of
recruiting we continue to focus on this
issue . This is a priority for me .
It's also a priority for all of our
service leaders . And so we continue to
invest in those things that uh and that
will allow us to recruit the best um
talent that's out there uh to uh to man
this incredible force . So , time for
about one more . Go to eric Schmidt new
York Times said Vladimir Putin used a
tactical weapon , nuclear weapon .
There would be a very significant
response from the international
community in your professional opinion .
Would a military response by the United
States be a prudent action or would
that only continue to climb up this
letter of escalation ? Well , eric I
won't get into any potential responses
here . I'm the guy that makes the
recommendation to my boss on on what we
should do and uh and how we should do
it . And so I'll make sure that that he
has um credible
um responses that are that are actually
effective and in terms of what we want
to do and uh as we always have uh and
so I'll just leave it at that , Ladies
and gentlemen , that's all the time we
have available for us today . Secretary
Austin , thank you very much , sir ,
Thank you on the Russia strategic
exercise . Is there any concern that
that could be a cover for a strike , a
nuclear strike inside Ukraine . Are you
confident that that's not what this is
something we continue to watch . And we
haven't seen anything to cause us to
believe at this point , that that that
is some kind of cover activity .