WEBVTT 00:02.279 --> 00:04.501 All right , good afternoon , everyone . 00:04.501 --> 00:06.960 Thanks very much for your patience . 00:06.969 --> 00:09.136 Just a few things here and , and we'll 00:09.136 --> 00:11.199 get right to your questions . So 00:11.210 --> 00:13.609 earlier today , Secretary Austin spoke 00:13.619 --> 00:15.508 by phone with Turkish Minister of 00:15.510 --> 00:18.020 National Defense Yasar Gule to discuss 00:18.030 --> 00:20.969 Turkish activity in proximity to us 00:20.979 --> 00:23.809 forces in Syria . The secretary 00:23.819 --> 00:25.708 reaffirmed that the United States 00:25.708 --> 00:27.930 remains in Syria exclusively in support 00:27.930 --> 00:30.299 of the campaign to defeat ISIS . The 00:30.309 --> 00:32.365 secretary also acknowledged Turkey's 00:32.365 --> 00:34.198 legitimate security concerns and 00:34.198 --> 00:36.198 underscored the importance of close 00:36.198 --> 00:38.365 coordination between the United States 00:38.365 --> 00:40.650 and Turkey to prevent any risk to us 00:40.659 --> 00:43.450 forces or the global coalition's defeat 00:43.459 --> 00:46.049 ISIS mission separate but related . The 00:46.060 --> 00:48.282 Department of Defense also condemns the 00:48.282 --> 00:50.449 recent terrorist attack at the Turkish 00:50.449 --> 00:52.449 Interior Ministry and we wish those 00:52.449 --> 00:54.689 injured a speedy recovery . We will 00:54.700 --> 00:56.867 post a readout of the call later today 00:56.867 --> 00:59.220 on the website . Separately , Secretary 00:59.229 --> 01:01.340 Austin also spoke with NATO Secretary 01:01.340 --> 01:03.229 General Jens Stoltenberg today to 01:03.229 --> 01:05.396 review priorities for next week's NATO 01:05.400 --> 01:07.178 Defense Ministerial in Brussels 01:07.178 --> 01:09.389 scheduled for October 11 through 12 . 01:09.730 --> 01:11.786 The two leaders discussed a range of 01:11.786 --> 01:13.897 transatlantic security issues focused 01:13.897 --> 01:15.619 on implementing Vilnius summit 01:15.619 --> 01:17.786 deterrents and defense deliverables as 01:17.786 --> 01:19.952 well as ongoing NATO operations in the 01:19.952 --> 01:22.008 Balkans and Iraq . A full readout of 01:22.008 --> 01:24.063 the call is available on defense dot 01:24.063 --> 01:26.230 gov . And looking ahead to next week , 01:26.230 --> 01:28.286 Secretary Austin and chairman of the 01:28.286 --> 01:30.286 Joint Chiefs of Staff General Brown 01:30.286 --> 01:32.397 will depart Washington on Tuesday for 01:32.397 --> 01:34.563 Brussels Belgium where they'll host an 01:34.563 --> 01:36.397 in person meeting of the Ukraine 01:36.397 --> 01:38.508 Defense contact group on October 11 . 01:38.508 --> 01:40.674 This will be the 16th meeting of the U 01:40.674 --> 01:42.841 DC G since Secretary Austin formed the 01:42.841 --> 01:45.339 international coalition in April 2022 . 01:45.690 --> 01:47.468 And following the contact group 01:47.468 --> 01:49.301 meetings , Secretary Austin will 01:49.301 --> 01:51.357 subsequently participate in the NATO 01:51.357 --> 01:52.912 Defense Ministerial at NATO 01:52.912 --> 01:55.134 headquarters . And with that , we'll be 01:55.134 --> 01:57.190 happy to take your questions . We'll 01:57.190 --> 02:00.180 start with A P TA . Um You said the 02:00.190 --> 02:01.912 secretary spoke to his Turkish 02:01.912 --> 02:04.870 counterpart about the uh 02:05.830 --> 02:08.210 shoot down of the Turkish drone . How 02:08.220 --> 02:10.387 concerned was the secretary that these 02:10.387 --> 02:12.720 troops were put at risk ? And that 02:12.729 --> 02:15.880 despite multiple attempts to , I guess 02:15.889 --> 02:18.490 deconflict and get us troops out of 02:18.500 --> 02:20.839 danger , it still had to come to this . 02:21.110 --> 02:23.277 Yeah . So first of all , just a little 02:23.277 --> 02:26.360 context upfront , you know , 02:26.369 --> 02:29.509 Turkey is one of our strongest and most 02:29.520 --> 02:32.470 valued NATO allies and that partnership 02:32.479 --> 02:34.649 continues and will continue . Uh So 02:34.660 --> 02:36.438 this is certainly a regrettable 02:36.438 --> 02:39.910 incident um at approximately 7 30 local 02:39.919 --> 02:42.949 time in Syria today , uh our , our 02:42.960 --> 02:45.509 forces had observed U A BS conducting 02:45.520 --> 02:48.050 airstrikes in the vicinity of Hasaka , 02:48.229 --> 02:50.669 Syria . Uh Some of those strikes were 02:50.679 --> 02:52.869 inside a declared us restricted 02:52.880 --> 02:56.649 operating zone uh or , or Ro near 02:56.660 --> 02:59.250 Hasaka . Uh And we're approximately a 02:59.259 --> 03:01.990 kilometer away from US , forces who 03:02.009 --> 03:04.869 relocated to bunkers at approximately 03:04.880 --> 03:08.199 11 30 local time . A Turkish UAB uh 03:08.210 --> 03:11.330 re entered the Roz on a heading toward 03:11.339 --> 03:14.960 where us forces were located . Uh Us 03:14.970 --> 03:17.137 commanders assessed that the UAB which 03:17.137 --> 03:19.192 was now less than a half a kilometer 03:19.192 --> 03:21.526 from US forces to be a potential threat . 03:21.526 --> 03:23.692 And US F-16 fighters subsequently shot 03:23.692 --> 03:25.559 down the UAV in self defense at 03:25.570 --> 03:28.229 approximately 11 40 local time . It's 03:28.240 --> 03:30.129 important to point out that no US 03:30.129 --> 03:32.462 forces were injured during the incident . 03:32.462 --> 03:35.309 We have no indication that uh that the 03:35.339 --> 03:37.660 uh that Turkey was intentionally 03:37.669 --> 03:40.369 targeting US forces . Uh And as I 03:40.380 --> 03:42.839 mentioned , um you know , the secretary 03:42.850 --> 03:45.339 did talk to his Turkish counterpart and 03:45.350 --> 03:47.461 reaffirmed our commitment to continue 03:47.461 --> 03:50.410 to closely coordinate . Is it , I mean , 03:50.589 --> 03:53.520 Turkey is a NATO ally and is this the 03:53.529 --> 03:56.529 first time that you can recall that a 03:57.130 --> 03:59.179 NATO ally has had to shoot down the 03:59.190 --> 04:01.679 aircraft of another NATO partner ? Yeah , 04:01.690 --> 04:04.210 I think again , it's a regrettable 04:04.220 --> 04:06.929 incident , but US commanders on the 04:06.940 --> 04:08.884 ground did assess that there was a 04:08.884 --> 04:10.884 potential threat . And so they took 04:10.884 --> 04:12.996 prudent action in this scenario . But 04:12.996 --> 04:15.218 again , the secretary has talked to his 04:15.218 --> 04:17.384 counterpart , they had the opportunity 04:17.384 --> 04:19.384 to have a fruitful conversation and 04:19.384 --> 04:21.496 again , uh commit to one another that 04:21.496 --> 04:21.329 the US and Turkey will continue to 04:21.339 --> 04:23.395 closely communicate and coordinate . 04:23.395 --> 04:25.561 And , and as I mentioned , Turkey does 04:25.561 --> 04:27.783 remain a very important and valuable uh 04:27.783 --> 04:29.783 NATO ally and partner to the United 04:29.783 --> 04:31.895 States . Let me go to Courtney did in 04:31.895 --> 04:34.369 the , on the phone call , did the , did 04:34.380 --> 04:37.799 the Turks vow not to do this again not 04:37.809 --> 04:41.010 to fly their drones over us or you said 04:41.019 --> 04:43.075 they were dropping ordnance from the 04:43.075 --> 04:45.075 UAVS a kilometer away ? I said they 04:45.075 --> 04:47.241 were observed conducting air strikes , 04:47.241 --> 04:49.463 airstrikes including one that came with 04:49.463 --> 04:51.686 about a kilometer away from us troops . 04:51.686 --> 04:53.852 They were conducting airstrikes inside 04:53.852 --> 04:56.329 a declared us restricted operating zone . 04:56.579 --> 04:59.239 Did they have on the in this phone call ? 04:59.250 --> 05:01.549 Did they agree not to do that anymore 05:01.559 --> 05:03.781 or is that ? Well , I I won't speak for 05:03.781 --> 05:06.003 the Turkish Minister . I would say that 05:06.003 --> 05:08.003 uh the bottom line is it was a very 05:08.003 --> 05:10.929 productive discussion uh on both sides 05:10.940 --> 05:13.299 and again , a commitment uh that that 05:13.309 --> 05:15.531 we would continue to closely coordinate 05:15.531 --> 05:17.790 to prevent putting us forces at risk . 05:17.799 --> 05:19.466 A reaffirmation of the strong 05:19.466 --> 05:21.410 partnership that our two countries 05:21.410 --> 05:24.429 share . And also an acknowledgement 05:24.440 --> 05:26.579 that again , we will keep lines of 05:26.589 --> 05:28.890 communication open , particularly given 05:28.899 --> 05:31.066 that region of the world and the focus 05:31.066 --> 05:33.121 on the defeat ISIS mission . Can you 05:33.121 --> 05:35.010 say a little bit about how the US 05:35.010 --> 05:37.177 communicated with the Turks before and 05:37.177 --> 05:39.177 told them that they would shoot the 05:39.177 --> 05:41.343 drone down ? Yeah , so I don't want to 05:41.343 --> 05:43.399 get into specifics other than to say 05:43.399 --> 05:45.288 that we have multiple channels of 05:45.288 --> 05:47.399 communication at multiple levels . Um 05:47.399 --> 05:49.566 As you know , us forces as part of the 05:49.566 --> 05:51.621 global coalition to defeat ISIS have 05:51.621 --> 05:53.843 been operating in that area for a while 05:53.843 --> 05:56.010 and of course , being on the border of 05:56.010 --> 05:58.066 Turkey , uh you know , and having us 05:58.066 --> 06:00.121 forces stationed in Turkey , we have 06:00.121 --> 06:02.343 multiple ways to communicate with our , 06:02.343 --> 06:01.640 with our Turkish allies . What can you 06:01.649 --> 06:03.709 say about what level it escalated to 06:03.720 --> 06:05.942 before the shoot down ? I mean , did it 06:05.942 --> 06:07.720 get as high as , you know , the 06:07.720 --> 06:07.480 commander of central command or 06:07.489 --> 06:09.656 something like that ? Like how high up 06:09.656 --> 06:12.850 did it go ? It , it went to a high 06:12.859 --> 06:14.859 enough level within the operational 06:14.859 --> 06:16.970 chain of command ? I'll just leave it 06:16.970 --> 06:20.549 at that . So to be clear , the 06:20.559 --> 06:22.726 concern here was that that drone , you 06:22.726 --> 06:24.615 said re entered got within a half 06:24.615 --> 06:26.726 kilometer that it might have launched 06:26.726 --> 06:28.948 an air to ground missile so close to us 06:28.948 --> 06:31.003 forces that it could have endangered 06:31.003 --> 06:32.948 their lives . Again , based on the 06:32.948 --> 06:34.781 observation of air strikes being 06:34.781 --> 06:37.910 conducted and the fact that this drone 06:37.920 --> 06:41.140 was upwards of nearly half a kilometer 06:41.149 --> 06:44.339 from us , forces us commanders uh made 06:44.350 --> 06:46.890 the determination that it was a self 06:46.899 --> 06:49.149 defense threat and so appropriate 06:49.160 --> 06:51.382 action was taken . So how concerning is 06:51.382 --> 06:53.500 it that as my colleague said , a NATO 06:53.510 --> 06:55.690 ally puts the US in a position to take 06:55.700 --> 06:57.700 self defense actions either through 06:57.700 --> 07:00.250 negligence or otherwise ? Well , look 07:00.260 --> 07:02.619 again , this is a regrettable incident 07:02.630 --> 07:06.100 and Secretary Austin has spoken with 07:06.109 --> 07:08.331 the Minister of Defense in Turkey . And 07:08.331 --> 07:10.276 again , we will communicate at all 07:10.276 --> 07:13.390 levels . And so we will stay focused on 07:13.399 --> 07:15.343 the defeat ISIS mission in Syria . 07:15.343 --> 07:17.343 That's why we're there in the first 07:17.343 --> 07:19.399 place . And so that will continue to 07:19.399 --> 07:21.455 remain our focus . Thank you . Thank 07:21.455 --> 07:23.343 you , sir . Thank you very much , 07:23.343 --> 07:25.343 General . Um First question was the 07:25.343 --> 07:27.566 United States or the chain of command ? 07:27.566 --> 07:29.677 Really thinking that the Turkish Ravi 07:29.677 --> 07:31.899 were going to strike American base , is 07:31.899 --> 07:34.910 that why this strike was done , you 07:34.920 --> 07:37.087 know , learn the Turkish Ravi was shot 07:37.087 --> 07:39.160 down because all rules of engagement 07:39.170 --> 07:41.392 have changed . That's why this incident 07:41.392 --> 07:43.726 took place . Yeah . Well , again , as I , 07:43.726 --> 07:45.948 as I laid out based on the situation on 07:45.948 --> 07:48.281 the ground and based on the observation , 07:48.281 --> 07:50.309 the decision was made out of due 07:50.320 --> 07:52.320 diligence and the inherent right of 07:52.320 --> 07:54.542 self defense to take appropriate action 07:54.542 --> 07:57.269 to protect us forces . As I said , uh 07:57.279 --> 07:59.850 you know , based on the discussions 07:59.859 --> 08:02.070 with the Turkish Defense Minister and 08:02.350 --> 08:05.140 uh post uh shoot down analysis , we 08:05.149 --> 08:07.829 have no initial indications that that 08:07.839 --> 08:09.728 Turkey . Turkey was intentionally 08:09.728 --> 08:12.019 targeting us forces . Again , it was a 08:12.029 --> 08:14.549 regrettable incident and we will 08:14.559 --> 08:16.510 continue to keep those lines of 08:16.519 --> 08:19.750 communication open to hopefully prevent 08:19.760 --> 08:22.093 these types of incidents from happening . 08:22.640 --> 08:25.589 So you told CNN Turk just last night 08:25.600 --> 08:28.269 that the United States stands firmly by 08:28.279 --> 08:30.001 Turkey and its people in their 08:30.001 --> 08:32.168 legitimate fight against the PKK . And 08:32.168 --> 08:34.168 according to your NATO ally , doing 08:34.168 --> 08:36.335 exactly that in northern and northeast 08:36.335 --> 08:38.168 in Syria . So this difference of 08:38.168 --> 08:40.960 opinion in the terminology pkkybjsdf , 08:41.239 --> 08:43.406 how are you looking to resolve that or 08:43.406 --> 08:45.289 are these two NATO going to keep 08:45.650 --> 08:47.761 shooting each other ? Yeah , thanks . 08:47.761 --> 08:49.761 Well , let me just reiterate what I 08:49.761 --> 08:51.761 provided to you yesterday and , and 08:51.761 --> 08:53.761 you're right , as , as I said in my 08:53.761 --> 08:56.309 opening comments , we do stand firmly 08:56.320 --> 08:58.469 with our NATO ally Turkey and the 08:58.479 --> 09:00.599 Turkish people in their fight against 09:00.640 --> 09:02.859 the PKK . And the PKK has been 09:02.869 --> 09:04.758 designated as a foreign terrorist 09:04.758 --> 09:07.219 organization by the United States . So 09:07.229 --> 09:10.109 we condemn any act of terrorism against 09:10.119 --> 09:12.270 Turkey and the people of Turkey . And 09:12.280 --> 09:15.159 we recognize that the PKK poses a 09:15.169 --> 09:17.359 legitimate security threat when it 09:17.369 --> 09:20.619 comes to northern Syria . We do remain 09:20.630 --> 09:22.741 concerned about the potential impacts 09:22.741 --> 09:25.020 of military escalation in that region 09:25.450 --> 09:27.561 in so much as it affects the civilian 09:27.561 --> 09:29.617 population . And importantly , as it 09:29.617 --> 09:31.839 affects our ability to maintain , focus 09:31.840 --> 09:35.669 on rooting out ISIS . And so 09:35.690 --> 09:38.280 the coalition and the United States 09:38.289 --> 09:40.549 remain very , very focused on uh 09:40.559 --> 09:42.849 rooting out the last elements of ISIS 09:42.859 --> 09:45.739 in this region . And so the potential 09:45.750 --> 09:47.972 for escalation , military escalation in 09:47.972 --> 09:49.861 that region can serve to become a 09:49.861 --> 09:52.409 distraction uh on this critical work , 09:52.419 --> 09:54.950 create instability in the region . Uh 09:54.960 --> 09:57.127 And it , it's been a hard , you know , 09:57.127 --> 09:59.238 we've talked about this before . It's 09:59.238 --> 10:01.293 been a hard fought battle to prevent 10:01.293 --> 10:03.760 ISIS from resurging . And so that is 10:03.770 --> 10:05.826 what we're going to continue to stay 10:05.826 --> 10:08.048 focused on . We're going to continue to 10:08.048 --> 10:09.937 advocate for deescalation and the 10:09.937 --> 10:09.929 maintenance of ceasefires , but we will 10:09.940 --> 10:11.884 never question Turkey's legitimate 10:11.884 --> 10:13.718 right to protect its people from 10:13.718 --> 10:15.996 terrorists . Thank you very much , sir , 10:16.609 --> 10:18.720 sir . Uh Do you have , uh , first you 10:18.720 --> 10:20.719 said you mentioned that there's no 10:20.919 --> 10:23.520 indication that the Turkish Uavs were 10:23.530 --> 10:25.586 targeting US forces . Do you have an 10:25.586 --> 10:27.697 indication of what they may have been 10:27.697 --> 10:29.863 targeting in the area that I refer you 10:29.863 --> 10:29.719 to Turkey to talk about their 10:29.729 --> 10:32.570 operations ? Ok . Um And do you have a 10:32.580 --> 10:34.580 sense of whether this was a Turkish 10:34.580 --> 10:36.747 military drone or perhaps from another 10:36.747 --> 10:38.747 agency ? I'd refer you to Turkey to 10:38.747 --> 10:38.690 talk about their operations and their 10:38.700 --> 10:40.811 equipment . Yes , ma'am . Thank you . 10:40.880 --> 10:43.159 Uh Turkey says that terrorists who were 10:43.169 --> 10:45.336 planning suicide attack in Ankara came 10:45.336 --> 10:47.979 from Syria and uh that they warned 10:47.989 --> 10:50.211 third parties which is obviously to the 10:50.211 --> 10:53.919 US to await pkkypg facilities . 10:54.440 --> 10:56.869 Uh I'm just following up my colleague's 10:56.880 --> 10:58.713 question actually , what kind of 10:58.713 --> 11:00.658 facilities have been in those us , 11:00.658 --> 11:03.919 restricted areas ? YPGS or so 11:04.140 --> 11:06.559 us ? Yeah , I , I'm not sure I fully 11:06.570 --> 11:08.737 understand what you're asking , but in 11:08.737 --> 11:10.859 terms of us , presence in northeast 11:10.869 --> 11:13.210 Syria , I mean , if , if you've been 11:13.219 --> 11:16.349 following this since 2014 , at the 11:16.359 --> 11:18.640 height of ISIS , the United States has 11:18.650 --> 11:20.317 maintained a presence in this 11:20.317 --> 11:22.599 ungoverned space , working very closely 11:22.609 --> 11:25.580 with our vetted local partners in the 11:25.590 --> 11:27.812 region , the Syrian Democratic Forces . 11:27.812 --> 11:29.590 And so that is part of a global 11:29.590 --> 11:32.130 coalition to defeat ISIS is what we 11:32.140 --> 11:34.770 continue to stay focused on . But as I 11:34.780 --> 11:36.724 mentioned , uh to your colleague , 11:36.724 --> 11:39.229 Yunus , when it comes to the PKK we 11:39.239 --> 11:41.859 recognize and , and have declared the 11:41.869 --> 11:44.690 PKK a foreign organization and again , 11:44.700 --> 11:46.969 fully understand Turkey's legitimate 11:46.979 --> 11:49.146 right to defend itself . Yeah , let me 11:49.146 --> 11:52.710 move on , Chris . Thanks Pat . Um to 11:52.719 --> 11:54.775 clarify something you said there are 11:54.775 --> 11:56.830 multiple levels of communications uh 11:56.830 --> 11:58.739 with the Turks . Did the US make 11:58.750 --> 12:00.659 repeated requests regarding this 12:00.669 --> 12:03.640 incident um that the drone leave that 12:03.650 --> 12:06.880 area and warned that if did not or if 12:06.890 --> 12:09.001 it encroached again , action would be 12:09.001 --> 12:10.890 taken against it . And did Turkey 12:10.890 --> 12:13.057 acknowledge those requests before this 12:13.057 --> 12:15.001 action was taken ? Yeah , thanks , 12:15.001 --> 12:17.057 Chris . I'm not going to go into the 12:17.057 --> 12:19.112 specifics other than to say yes , we 12:19.112 --> 12:21.334 have , we did communicate with Turkey . 12:21.334 --> 12:23.501 Um You know , our , our inherent right 12:23.501 --> 12:25.334 to self defense in the face of a 12:25.334 --> 12:27.501 potential threat . But again , in this 12:27.501 --> 12:29.668 particular case , um you know , it's a 12:29.668 --> 12:31.779 regrettable incident . No , us forces 12:31.779 --> 12:34.039 were harmed . Um We took appropriate 12:34.049 --> 12:36.105 action based on the situation on the 12:36.105 --> 12:39.530 ground . Thank you . Thank you . Um 12:39.880 --> 12:42.102 I'm still confused trying to understand 12:42.102 --> 12:44.158 what really happened because you say 12:44.158 --> 12:46.213 it's regrettable incident , not sure 12:46.213 --> 12:47.991 what part is regrettable . It's 12:47.991 --> 12:49.936 regrettable when you have two NATO 12:49.936 --> 12:52.158 allies and , and there's an incident uh 12:52.158 --> 12:54.213 like this . So again , um you know , 12:54.213 --> 12:56.380 the secretary was able to have a phone 12:56.380 --> 12:58.547 call with his counterpart this morning 12:58.547 --> 13:00.491 and , and talk about the situation 13:00.491 --> 13:02.547 again . No US forces were harmed but 13:02.547 --> 13:04.658 because of the proximity of the drone 13:04.658 --> 13:06.880 to us forces in Hasaka and based on the 13:06.880 --> 13:08.880 observations that this was an armed 13:08.880 --> 13:11.158 drone that had been conducting strikes , 13:11.158 --> 13:13.213 we took appropriate uh due diligence 13:13.213 --> 13:15.469 and you said initial indication there's 13:15.479 --> 13:17.479 no intention on the Turkish side to 13:17.479 --> 13:19.869 target us forces . However , how did 13:19.880 --> 13:22.059 you assess that ? Or the commanders on 13:22.070 --> 13:24.237 the ground assessed there was a threat 13:24.237 --> 13:26.599 to us forces that and they deemed it 13:26.609 --> 13:28.750 necessary to take actions to protect 13:28.760 --> 13:30.982 you ? Right . Well , at , at the time , 13:30.982 --> 13:33.204 you don't know what you don't know , uh 13:33.204 --> 13:35.427 you're making observations and you have 13:35.427 --> 13:37.316 to take quick action to again and 13:37.316 --> 13:37.299 ensure the inherent right of self 13:37.309 --> 13:39.349 defense . What I'm telling you is 13:39.359 --> 13:41.526 subsequently as we look at this and as 13:41.526 --> 13:43.692 we've had those conversations , um you 13:43.692 --> 13:45.915 know , the initial indications are that 13:45.915 --> 13:47.915 there was no and , and this and the 13:47.915 --> 13:50.137 phone call was the uh secretary able to 13:50.137 --> 13:52.137 get any guarantees from the Turkish 13:52.137 --> 13:54.770 side that these operations will not 13:54.780 --> 13:57.059 happen again in these restricted areas 13:57.070 --> 14:00.234 or again without speaking for the , the 14:00.244 --> 14:02.484 Turkish Defense Minister . Uh the , the 14:02.494 --> 14:04.605 tone of the conversation was again an 14:04.605 --> 14:06.605 understanding that we are too close 14:06.605 --> 14:08.827 NATO allies that we will keep the lines 14:08.827 --> 14:10.994 of communication that we don't want to 14:10.994 --> 14:13.216 put our forces , uh each other's forces 14:13.216 --> 14:15.216 in harm's way . Um But also again , 14:15.216 --> 14:17.105 emphasizing the importance of the 14:17.105 --> 14:19.050 defeat ISIS mission and that was a 14:19.050 --> 14:21.050 sentiment expressed on both sides . 14:21.050 --> 14:24.010 Thank you , sir . Thank you very much , 14:24.020 --> 14:27.020 General . I have uh two questions I 14:27.030 --> 14:29.599 have a question regarding reports 14:29.609 --> 14:32.859 suggesting that cooperation between the 14:32.869 --> 14:36.369 Iraqi central government and Kurdistan 14:36.380 --> 14:39.719 forces , Peshmerga has been highly 14:39.729 --> 14:43.000 effective in countering and reducing 14:43.010 --> 14:45.739 ISIS activities . Could you please 14:45.750 --> 14:48.270 provide your comment on this matter ? 14:49.520 --> 14:51.576 Yeah , I I'll , I'll provide a broad 14:51.576 --> 14:53.409 perspective and and I would also 14:53.409 --> 14:56.039 encourage you to , to talk to CJ TFOIR 14:56.049 --> 14:58.539 which is squarely focused on supporting 14:58.549 --> 15:01.570 Iraq in the defeat ISIS mission . But 15:01.580 --> 15:03.691 largely speaking , as you know , um I 15:03.691 --> 15:05.729 think that that one of the the key 15:05.739 --> 15:08.330 aspects of success in the defeat ISIS 15:08.340 --> 15:10.507 mission has been the the collaboration 15:10.507 --> 15:13.880 between the Isf and Peshmerga forces in 15:13.890 --> 15:16.659 in northern Iraq by working together 15:16.669 --> 15:19.109 against a common enemy , which is Isis . 15:19.119 --> 15:21.230 And so certainly , you know , that is 15:21.239 --> 15:23.295 something that I think has benefited 15:23.330 --> 15:25.679 not only Iraq but the region , thank 15:25.690 --> 15:29.609 you , you announced 15:29.619 --> 15:31.940 yesterday that you had transferred 15:31.950 --> 15:35.390 Iranian weapons bound for the Houthis 15:35.400 --> 15:39.010 in Yemen to Ukraine . So uh 15:39.020 --> 15:42.320 three part questions , can we only do 15:42.330 --> 15:46.289 two ? Is Iran continuing to 15:46.299 --> 15:50.090 send arms to the Houthis ? Is it your 15:50.099 --> 15:53.739 policy to see such weapons when you can 15:54.039 --> 15:57.609 and when are transfer them to your 15:57.619 --> 16:00.479 allies ? Yeah , so I'm I'm not going to 16:00.489 --> 16:02.322 speculate about the , you know , 16:02.322 --> 16:04.489 potential future operation . Certainly 16:04.489 --> 16:06.650 in the past , we have seen Iran 16:06.659 --> 16:10.109 attempting to deliver weapons and aid 16:10.119 --> 16:13.369 to um to groups like the Houthis . 16:14.099 --> 16:16.989 Uh and in the past , in violation 16:17.000 --> 16:20.419 of um you know , multiple international 16:20.429 --> 16:23.700 laws , uh those those assets have been 16:23.710 --> 16:27.049 seized whether or not we will replicate 16:27.059 --> 16:29.520 uh this , you know , remains to be seen . 16:29.650 --> 16:31.859 Uh Certainly when , when we did this , 16:31.869 --> 16:35.080 uh we did it under uh legal authorities 16:35.090 --> 16:37.299 in this particular case . Uh The US 16:37.309 --> 16:39.250 filed a forfeiture complaint over 16:39.260 --> 16:41.659 ammunition received or seized by the US 16:41.669 --> 16:44.130 Navy from a flagless vessel that had 16:44.140 --> 16:46.196 been transiting the Arabian Sea from 16:46.196 --> 16:49.299 Iran in early of December 2022 . And so 16:49.309 --> 16:51.476 this forfeiture action uh is a product 16:51.479 --> 16:53.423 of the US government's coordinated 16:53.423 --> 16:55.590 effort to enforce us sanctions against 16:55.590 --> 16:58.049 the I RGC and the Iranian regime . And 16:58.059 --> 17:01.650 on July 20th of 2023 a final order of 17:01.659 --> 17:03.826 forfeiture was issued by a US district 17:03.826 --> 17:06.859 court for the District of Columbia and 17:06.869 --> 17:09.290 the Department of Justice . Um put out 17:09.300 --> 17:11.022 a press release which provides 17:11.022 --> 17:12.744 additional information on this 17:12.744 --> 17:14.856 forfeiture complaint . So , thank you 17:14.856 --> 17:17.022 very much , sir . Thank you , sir . Uh 17:17.022 --> 17:19.150 Two questions . One as far as the US 17:19.160 --> 17:21.271 India relations are concerned , India 17:21.271 --> 17:23.800 made a history uh recently at the G 20 17:23.939 --> 17:26.280 hosting leaders from around the globe 17:26.579 --> 17:28.609 and President Biden was very clear 17:28.619 --> 17:30.910 about us India relations there . And 17:30.920 --> 17:32.698 last week here , Indian Foreign 17:32.698 --> 17:36.520 Minister was in the building . So 17:36.530 --> 17:38.308 where we do , we stand as for a 17:38.308 --> 17:40.419 military to military relation after G 17:40.419 --> 17:42.859 20 . And also if there are any 17:42.869 --> 17:45.319 secretaries visiting India or Indian 17:45.329 --> 17:48.010 Defense Minister coming here . Yeah , 17:48.020 --> 17:50.131 thanks very much for the question . I 17:50.131 --> 17:52.187 don't have any announcements to make 17:52.187 --> 17:54.242 right now um Regarding any potential 17:54.242 --> 17:56.353 visits other than to say , uh that uh 17:56.353 --> 17:58.020 as you know , uh we very much 17:58.020 --> 18:00.187 appreciate our relationship with India 18:00.187 --> 18:02.550 uh on , on a defense level . Uh We 18:02.560 --> 18:06.119 continue to foster a stronger defense 18:06.130 --> 18:08.469 partnership with India and that is 18:08.479 --> 18:10.646 something that I think you'll continue 18:10.646 --> 18:12.535 to see us do going forward . I am 18:12.535 --> 18:14.757 saying is that Prime Minister Modi also 18:14.757 --> 18:16.757 spoke as far as us India , military 18:16.757 --> 18:18.979 military relations and going beyond the 18:18.979 --> 18:21.920 G 20 relations because of China's 18:21.930 --> 18:24.020 rising in the region and threatening 18:24.109 --> 18:26.165 many nations in the . So where do we 18:26.175 --> 18:28.464 stand as far as China's threat to the 18:28.474 --> 18:31.005 nations around that region ? Well , 18:31.015 --> 18:33.126 we've been very clear on this right . 18:33.126 --> 18:35.293 China remains the pacing challenge for 18:35.293 --> 18:37.293 the Department of Defense and we do 18:37.293 --> 18:39.515 appreciate the partnership that we have 18:39.515 --> 18:41.626 with India and other countries in the 18:41.626 --> 18:43.682 Indo Pacific region when it comes to 18:43.682 --> 18:45.515 preserving uh individual nations 18:45.515 --> 18:47.237 sovereignty and abiding by the 18:47.237 --> 18:50.479 international um international rules uh 18:50.489 --> 18:52.939 based order that has preserved peace 18:52.949 --> 18:55.171 and stability for for many years . Ok . 18:55.171 --> 18:57.338 Let me go ahead and move on . Let me , 18:57.338 --> 18:59.449 let me go . Yes , sir . Thank you . I 18:59.449 --> 19:01.282 want to ask you about the secret 19:01.282 --> 19:03.171 meeting with the Japanese Defense 19:03.171 --> 19:05.060 Minister yesterday , the Japanese 19:05.060 --> 19:07.116 Defense Minister said in the meeting 19:07.116 --> 19:09.469 that Japan intends to acquire Tomahawk 19:09.479 --> 19:13.250 cruise missile by 2025 1 year earlier 19:13.260 --> 19:15.316 than originally scheduled . Give the 19:15.316 --> 19:18.180 secretary guarantee the US will provide 19:18.189 --> 19:21.630 Tomahawk missiles to Japan by 2025 in 19:21.640 --> 19:23.800 the meeting . Yeah , thanks . So as a 19:23.810 --> 19:26.449 matter of policy , uh we are unable to 19:26.459 --> 19:29.140 comment on or confirm potential arms 19:29.150 --> 19:31.270 sales or transfers before they're 19:31.280 --> 19:33.739 formally notified to Congress . So at 19:33.750 --> 19:35.810 this time , uh in regards to their 19:35.819 --> 19:37.986 request , I'd have to refer you to the 19:37.986 --> 19:40.152 government of Japan . I would say that 19:40.152 --> 19:41.986 we've been very clear uh that we 19:41.986 --> 19:44.097 broadly support efforts by our allies 19:44.097 --> 19:46.041 to bolter their bolster their self 19:46.041 --> 19:48.208 defense . Thank you very much and time 19:48.208 --> 19:50.097 for one more . Yes , sir . Couple 19:50.097 --> 19:52.041 questions on Ukraine funding . You 19:52.041 --> 19:54.208 weren't around last week when a lot of 19:54.208 --> 19:56.430 this happened , but well , it was , you 19:56.430 --> 19:59.020 were and it does rain there evidently . 19:59.030 --> 20:01.260 So that's why you're so cheery . Ok . 20:01.640 --> 20:03.979 The attack decision , if and when the 20:03.989 --> 20:06.030 president makes it , will it be 20:06.040 --> 20:09.540 affected by the lack of 24 f by 24 20:09.550 --> 20:13.359 Ukraine funding ? So on . Um I don't 20:13.369 --> 20:15.560 have anything to announce or , or pass 20:15.569 --> 20:18.630 along on that front . Um So yeah , I'm 20:18.640 --> 20:20.640 not asking you to make a decision , 20:20.640 --> 20:22.640 announce a decision , but given the 20:22.640 --> 20:25.819 funding issues , you didn't get 24 20:25.829 --> 20:27.859 funding if the president makes a 20:27.869 --> 20:29.925 decision . Do you have , do you have 20:29.925 --> 20:32.479 money and authority to pull from army 20:32.489 --> 20:34.600 inventories to send to Ukraine ? So , 20:34.600 --> 20:36.822 so what I would say , Tony is , I'm not 20:36.822 --> 20:39.010 going to get into the potential impact 20:39.020 --> 20:41.390 on specific systems or capability as it 20:41.400 --> 20:43.229 relates to Ukraine's security 20:43.239 --> 20:45.670 assistance . Uh You know , my colleague , 20:45.680 --> 20:47.680 Sabrina mentioned earlier this week 20:47.680 --> 20:49.630 that we do have enough PD a uh 20:49.640 --> 20:53.560 authority and funding um in , in the 20:53.569 --> 20:55.680 short term to last a bit longer . And 20:55.680 --> 20:57.902 that we will continue , you'll continue 20:57.902 --> 21:01.060 to see us uh announcing PDAs uh on the 21:01.069 --> 21:03.130 regular cadence for the foreseeable 21:03.140 --> 21:06.579 future . Certainly as we move 21:06.589 --> 21:09.119 forward , we will need funding from 21:09.130 --> 21:11.019 Congress . We'll continue to stay 21:11.019 --> 21:13.186 engaged with Congress on both sides of 21:13.186 --> 21:15.489 the aisle to advocate for the funding 21:15.500 --> 21:17.556 that we need . But as it pertains to 21:17.556 --> 21:19.722 specific systems or capabilities , I'm 21:19.722 --> 21:23.400 just not about $5 billion of authority 21:23.410 --> 21:25.890 to pull from us inventories . That's 21:25.900 --> 21:28.067 correct . We have a little more than 5 21:28.067 --> 21:30.089 billion , I think 5.4 billion in 21:30.099 --> 21:33.339 restored PD A authority uh that remains 21:33.349 --> 21:35.293 available for Ukraine . Uh We have 21:35.293 --> 21:38.859 about 1.6 billion remaining uh for 21:38.869 --> 21:40.939 replenishment purposes . That's the 21:40.949 --> 21:43.171 difference is what you're sure at the , 21:43.171 --> 21:44.949 what's the latest thinking on a 21:44.949 --> 21:47.005 reprogramming a request , you know , 21:47.005 --> 21:49.227 one of those arcane budgeting tool that 21:49.227 --> 21:51.282 you have available ? Sure . Uh So as 21:51.282 --> 21:53.393 you know , uh reprogramming is always 21:53.393 --> 21:55.616 an option for urgent needs at this time 21:55.616 --> 21:57.838 right now though . Um to my knowledge , 21:57.838 --> 21:59.782 no decision has been made on using 21:59.782 --> 22:03.180 reprogramming as a way to uh to 22:03.189 --> 22:05.411 support Ukraine's security assistance . 22:05.411 --> 22:07.578 You know , we , we remain committed to 22:07.578 --> 22:09.633 working with Congress on the Ukraine 22:09.633 --> 22:11.522 supplemental and receiving a full 22:11.522 --> 22:13.522 budget . Thank you . Thank you very 22:13.522 --> 22:16.729 much . Uh Actually , I'll just do two 22:16.739 --> 22:18.683 more Tom since you , you caught my 22:18.683 --> 22:20.795 attention , but let me go to Mike and 22:20.795 --> 22:22.739 I'll come to you if you could talk 22:22.739 --> 22:24.517 about the impact , the Russia's 22:24.517 --> 22:26.572 decision to move the Black Sea fleet 22:26.572 --> 22:28.517 out of Crimea is gonna have on the 22:28.517 --> 22:30.683 fight is going to have on the fighting 22:30.683 --> 22:32.906 there in Ukraine . Yeah , thanks Mike . 22:32.906 --> 22:32.579 What I would tell you is I've seen the 22:32.589 --> 22:34.756 press reporting on that . I just don't 22:34.756 --> 22:37.033 have anything to , to pass along on it . 22:37.033 --> 22:39.145 I , I can't corroborate those reports 22:39.145 --> 22:41.579 at this time . So thank you . And all 22:41.589 --> 22:43.811 right , because you , you wave nicely . 22:43.811 --> 22:46.033 We'll do two more . We'll go to Tom and 22:46.033 --> 22:48.145 then the final question . Thank you . 22:48.145 --> 22:50.145 Uh Follow on the Tony . I think , I 22:50.145 --> 22:52.367 think Sabrina mentioned on Tuesday that 22:52.367 --> 22:54.367 part of the decision making on what 22:54.367 --> 22:56.478 kind of the , how the remaining money 22:56.478 --> 22:56.209 will be spent will be based on what the 22:56.219 --> 22:58.219 controller also says that we have X 22:58.219 --> 23:00.386 amount of dollars we can spend it this 23:00.386 --> 23:03.069 way . So , is that part of the mix as 23:03.079 --> 23:05.190 well ? Like you have a certain amount 23:05.190 --> 23:07.770 of 5.4 we could spend XY or Z and the 23:07.780 --> 23:09.836 control will tell you how long it'll 23:09.836 --> 23:12.058 last . Well , yeah , so it's a , it's a 23:12.058 --> 23:14.113 great point , right ? Because I know 23:14.113 --> 23:13.290 the questions come out . Well , how 23:13.300 --> 23:15.411 long is that gonna gonna last ? And , 23:15.411 --> 23:17.467 and the reason that you're not gonna 23:17.467 --> 23:19.467 hear us put a date on it is because 23:19.467 --> 23:21.467 it's all relative to what Ukraine's 23:21.467 --> 23:23.578 most urgent security assistance needs 23:23.578 --> 23:25.744 are the situation on the battlefield . 23:26.069 --> 23:28.291 Uh And so , you know , we will continue 23:28.291 --> 23:30.579 to tailor those PD A packages based on 23:30.589 --> 23:32.922 what they need on the ground . So again , 23:32.922 --> 23:34.978 we have enough funding to last for a 23:34.978 --> 23:36.978 bit longer . Um , you know , from a 23:36.978 --> 23:39.033 department of defense standpoint and 23:39.033 --> 23:41.256 you'll see this next week at the U DC G 23:41.256 --> 23:43.367 Secretary , Austin remains singularly 23:43.367 --> 23:45.256 focused on making sure that we're 23:45.256 --> 23:47.478 working with Ukraine and our allies and 23:47.478 --> 23:47.189 partners to get what they need to be 23:47.199 --> 23:48.866 successful in the battlefield 23:48.866 --> 23:51.109 regardless of what's going on . Uh you 23:51.119 --> 23:54.510 know , outside . Yes , ma'am . Sorry , 23:54.520 --> 23:56.687 another Black Sea question . So I know 23:56.687 --> 23:58.909 you can't say if the ships were moved . 23:58.909 --> 24:01.020 But what effect will this have on the 24:01.020 --> 24:03.131 grain deal or the ability for Ukraine 24:03.131 --> 24:05.298 to export its grain if those ships are 24:05.298 --> 24:07.839 moved further down in Crimea ? Yeah . 24:07.849 --> 24:09.780 So II I hesitate to get into a 24:09.790 --> 24:12.290 speculative situation . Uh Certainly 24:12.300 --> 24:14.467 with Russia withdrawing from the grain 24:14.467 --> 24:16.522 deal , you know , we've talked about 24:16.522 --> 24:18.356 the fact that this significantly 24:18.356 --> 24:20.467 impacts not only people in the region 24:20.467 --> 24:22.744 but people around the world . You know , 24:22.744 --> 24:24.856 we were just in Africa and this was a 24:24.856 --> 24:26.856 topic of discussion in terms of the 24:26.856 --> 24:28.911 impact of countries like Russia that 24:28.911 --> 24:30.578 are using food as a weapon to 24:30.578 --> 24:32.411 essentially uh negatively impact 24:32.411 --> 24:34.522 peoples around the world . So while I 24:34.522 --> 24:36.300 don't have any information on a 24:36.300 --> 24:38.633 potential Russian Navy movement , again , 24:38.633 --> 24:40.633 that's really something for them to 24:40.633 --> 24:42.578 talk about . I I would say largely 24:42.578 --> 24:44.633 speaking . Um , you know , it's just 24:44.633 --> 24:46.744 very unfortunate that , that we see a 24:46.744 --> 24:48.744 country like Russia using food , uh 24:48.744 --> 24:51.022 weaponizing food . Thank you very much . 24:51.022 --> 24:50.640 Everybody appreciate it .