WEBVTT 00:01.240 --> 00:03.660 All right , good afternoon , everyone . 00:03.849 --> 00:05.849 Just a few things here at the top . 00:06.820 --> 00:09.600 I'll get right to your questions . So 00:09.609 --> 00:11.942 upfront , on behalf of Secretary Austin , 00:11.942 --> 00:13.887 the department wants to extend our 00:13.887 --> 00:16.109 congratulations to the more than 20 dod 00:16.109 --> 00:18.165 senior leaders who were confirmed by 00:18.165 --> 00:20.331 the Senate this week to include Kara L 00:20.331 --> 00:22.387 Abercrombie , whose nomination to be 00:22.387 --> 00:24.331 Assistant Secretary of Defense for 00:24.331 --> 00:26.442 Acquisitions was approved and US Navy 00:26.442 --> 00:28.442 Admiral Samuel Popeo to be the next 00:28.442 --> 00:30.720 commander of us , Indo Pacific Command . 00:30.720 --> 00:32.776 These confirmations are welcome news 00:32.776 --> 00:34.609 and we're excited for what these 00:34.609 --> 00:36.609 leaders will bring to the important 00:36.609 --> 00:38.831 mission of the Department of Defense in 00:38.831 --> 00:40.942 other news yesterday , performing the 00:40.942 --> 00:40.779 duties of Assistant Secretary of 00:40.790 --> 00:42.623 Defense for Homeland Defense and 00:42.623 --> 00:44.457 Hemispheric Affairs . MS Rebecca 00:44.457 --> 00:46.679 Zimmerman hosted Colombia's Minister of 00:46.679 --> 00:49.029 Defense , Mr Von Velasquez and Minister 00:49.040 --> 00:51.549 of Justice and Law . Mr Nestor Oan . 00:52.290 --> 00:54.512 The senior officials exchanged views on 00:54.512 --> 00:56.734 countering illicit drug trafficking and 00:56.734 --> 00:58.734 human security , stemming irregular 00:58.734 --> 01:00.734 migration and frameworks to enhance 01:00.734 --> 01:02.846 bilateral security cooper operation . 01:02.846 --> 01:04.734 The meeting reaffirmed the United 01:04.734 --> 01:06.679 States and Department of Defense's 01:06.679 --> 01:08.901 strong partnership with Colombia as the 01:08.901 --> 01:11.012 two nations work together to ensure a 01:11.012 --> 01:13.234 stable and secure hemisphere based on a 01:13.234 --> 01:15.457 foundation of respect for democracy and 01:15.457 --> 01:17.457 human rights . Today , acting under 01:17.457 --> 01:19.512 secretary and also today or rather , 01:19.512 --> 01:21.234 excuse me today , acting under 01:21.234 --> 01:23.401 Secretary of Defense for policy , Miss 01:23.401 --> 01:25.401 Sha Sasha Baker will host Kurdistan 01:25.401 --> 01:27.457 regional government , Prime Minister 01:27.457 --> 01:29.123 Masrur Barzani and his senior 01:29.123 --> 01:31.346 delegation . The meeting will emphasize 01:31.346 --> 01:33.179 the United states' long standing 01:33.179 --> 01:35.234 commitments to continued partnership 01:35.234 --> 01:37.457 with the people of Iraq , including the 01:37.457 --> 01:39.457 Kurdistan regional government for a 01:39.457 --> 01:41.346 secure and stable Iraqi Kurdistan 01:41.346 --> 01:43.919 region within sovereign Iraq . And 01:43.930 --> 01:46.300 tomorrow Secretary Austin is scheduled 01:46.309 --> 01:48.198 to welcome Slovakia's Minister of 01:48.198 --> 01:50.087 Defense and Deputy Prime Minister 01:50.087 --> 01:51.976 Robert Kalinak to the Pentagon to 01:51.976 --> 01:53.753 discuss a range of regional and 01:53.753 --> 01:55.865 bilateral issues . Full readouts from 01:55.865 --> 01:57.976 the senior leader engagements will be 01:57.976 --> 02:00.142 available on the defense.gov website . 02:00.360 --> 02:02.760 Shifting gears to Africa the 13th 02:02.769 --> 02:04.940 African Air Chief symposium is taking 02:04.949 --> 02:07.080 place this week in Tunis , Tunisia 02:07.089 --> 02:09.250 hosted by the Association of African 02:09.259 --> 02:11.729 Air Forces alongside the Tunisian Air 02:11.740 --> 02:14.250 Force and sponsored by us Air Forces in 02:14.259 --> 02:16.750 Europe Air Forces , Africa and serves 02:16.759 --> 02:18.815 as a pivotal platform for addressing 02:18.815 --> 02:20.648 critical challenges , strengthen 02:20.648 --> 02:22.370 partner networks and fostering 02:22.370 --> 02:24.481 co-operation among African Air Chiefs 02:24.481 --> 02:26.619 with a thematic focus on Pan African 02:26.630 --> 02:28.797 education and training opportunities . 02:28.797 --> 02:31.019 The symposium is strategically designed 02:31.019 --> 02:33.190 to nurture more effectively uh excuse 02:33.199 --> 02:34.810 me , more effective military 02:34.810 --> 02:36.699 relationships among participating 02:36.699 --> 02:38.810 nations with approximately 40 African 02:38.810 --> 02:41.032 countries engaged in advancing regional 02:41.032 --> 02:43.100 air power solutions . Separately , 02:43.789 --> 02:45.850 Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen 02:45.860 --> 02:47.916 Hicks will depart on domestic travel 02:47.916 --> 02:50.027 this Sunday , March 3rd to visit Camp 02:50.027 --> 02:52.249 Pendleton in Fort Irwin , California at 02:52.350 --> 02:54.380 Camp Pendleton the Deputy Secretary 02:54.389 --> 02:56.278 will meet with service members to 02:56.278 --> 02:58.333 better understand the challenges and 02:58.333 --> 03:00.445 opportunities they experience as part 03:00.445 --> 03:02.333 of their military service at both 03:02.333 --> 03:04.389 locations . She'll interact with war 03:04.389 --> 03:06.333 fighters to see combined joint all 03:06.333 --> 03:08.445 domain command and control and action 03:08.445 --> 03:10.500 via the project convergence capstone 03:10.500 --> 03:12.500 four viewing , this experimentation 03:12.500 --> 03:14.611 will enable Deputy Secretary Hicks to 03:14.611 --> 03:16.833 gain better insight into the challenges 03:16.833 --> 03:18.833 that impact J AC two implementation 03:18.833 --> 03:21.056 across our , across our joint force and 03:21.056 --> 03:22.833 the outcomes of experimentation 03:22.833 --> 03:25.130 exercises . And finally , Secretary 03:25.139 --> 03:27.306 Austin will go to Walter Reed National 03:27.306 --> 03:29.139 Military Medical Center tomorrow 03:29.139 --> 03:31.028 afternoon for a scheduled routine 03:31.028 --> 03:33.306 follow up appointment with his doctors . 03:33.306 --> 03:35.417 He continues to recover well from his 03:35.417 --> 03:37.528 recent cancer treatment . And you can 03:37.528 --> 03:37.080 expect that he'll be conducting these 03:37.089 --> 03:39.200 types of follow on checkups from time 03:39.200 --> 03:41.200 to time . We'll be sure to keep you 03:41.200 --> 03:43.089 updated regarding any significant 03:43.089 --> 03:45.256 developments as appropriate . And with 03:45.256 --> 03:45.119 that , I'd be glad to take your 03:45.130 --> 03:47.074 questions . We'll go to associated 03:47.074 --> 03:50.410 press first TC . Hi General Ryder , 03:50.419 --> 03:52.363 thanks for doing this . Um Today , 03:52.363 --> 03:54.363 Secretary Austin , in response to a 03:54.363 --> 03:57.740 question said that as many as 25,000 03:57.750 --> 03:59.917 women and Children have been killed in 03:59.917 --> 04:02.309 Gaza . Could you elaborate further on 04:02.320 --> 04:06.190 this where he was asked how 04:06.380 --> 04:08.602 many women and Children have been , how 04:08.602 --> 04:10.602 many Palestinian women and Children 04:10.602 --> 04:12.769 have been killed by the Israelis since 04:12.769 --> 04:14.769 October 7th ? And he replied , it's 04:14.769 --> 04:16.769 over 25,000 . I know there's been a 04:16.769 --> 04:18.880 clarification to say those are uh the 04:18.880 --> 04:21.540 numbers he cited were from the Hamas 04:21.549 --> 04:25.329 Run Gaza Health Ministry . Um Why was 04:25.339 --> 04:27.561 he citing numbers ? Firstly , he didn't 04:27.561 --> 04:30.170 actually say they were from the , the 04:30.179 --> 04:32.839 the uh Gaza Health Ministry . But why 04:32.850 --> 04:34.739 was he citing numbers from Gaza's 04:34.739 --> 04:36.950 Health Ministry ? Yeah , again to 04:36.959 --> 04:39.181 clarify , as you highlight , his answer 04:39.181 --> 04:41.470 was citing an estimate uh from the 04:41.480 --> 04:43.609 Hamas controlled Health Ministry . Uh 04:43.619 --> 04:46.510 that more than 25,000 total 04:46.519 --> 04:48.741 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza . 04:48.869 --> 04:51.500 And as , as you know , and as you've 04:51.510 --> 04:53.621 heard us say , we can't independently 04:53.621 --> 04:57.369 verify uh that these numbers are 04:57.380 --> 04:59.269 accurate . We can't independently 04:59.269 --> 05:01.869 verify Gaza casualty figures . Uh And 05:01.880 --> 05:04.200 so uh we've talked about this before 05:04.209 --> 05:06.209 that we're dependent on open source 05:06.209 --> 05:08.820 information like many of you , um we're , 05:08.869 --> 05:10.925 you know , certain that thousands of 05:10.925 --> 05:13.147 people have been killed . Um But as for 05:13.147 --> 05:15.202 the specific numbers , uh again , we 05:15.202 --> 05:17.536 cannot verify those specific statistics . 05:24.519 --> 05:26.463 Again , I'm providing you with the 05:26.463 --> 05:28.408 context of the information that he 05:28.408 --> 05:30.297 provided and what he was citing . 05:30.297 --> 05:32.352 Thanks . All right , let me try . Uh 05:32.352 --> 05:34.989 Tara again . Hi . Uh Thanks . Can you 05:35.000 --> 05:37.190 hear me now ? I can hear you . Ok , 05:37.200 --> 05:39.619 good . Um I was gonna ask the same 05:39.630 --> 05:42.059 question Ari did but uh as a second 05:42.070 --> 05:44.859 question today , um Senators King and 05:44.869 --> 05:48.380 Reed have asked President Biden to send 05:48.390 --> 05:50.557 one of the Navy hospital ships to Gaza 05:50.557 --> 05:53.700 to help support civilians there . Um Is 05:53.709 --> 05:55.820 this something that the Pentagon , is 05:55.820 --> 05:57.598 this a request the Pentagon has 05:57.598 --> 05:59.709 received and something you're looking 05:59.709 --> 06:01.820 at . Yeah , thanks Tara . I don't , I 06:01.820 --> 06:03.931 don't have anything to announce today 06:03.931 --> 06:05.820 uh in terms of any deployments of 06:05.820 --> 06:08.042 hospital ships into the region . Well , 06:08.839 --> 06:10.895 to follow up on Gaza aid , um is the 06:10.895 --> 06:12.617 Pentagon considering any , any 06:12.617 --> 06:14.728 potential airdrops or any other steps 06:14.728 --> 06:16.895 to , to get more aid into Gaza at this 06:16.895 --> 06:19.117 point ? Um So I I don't similarly don't 06:19.117 --> 06:20.839 have any announcements to make 06:20.839 --> 06:22.783 regarding any dod airdrops or , or 06:22.783 --> 06:25.549 plans to conduct airdrops . Um As 06:25.559 --> 06:27.559 you've heard us say before , the US 06:27.559 --> 06:29.781 does continue to work with our partners 06:29.781 --> 06:32.609 and expand and sustain levels of 06:32.649 --> 06:34.760 assistance , much needed humanitarian 06:34.760 --> 06:37.730 assistance in Gaza . Uh This week , for 06:37.739 --> 06:39.989 example , you heard USA ID announce uh 06:40.000 --> 06:41.722 that they will be providing an 06:41.722 --> 06:44.040 additional $53 million in humanitarian 06:44.049 --> 06:46.160 assistance for urgently needed food , 06:46.160 --> 06:48.049 shelter and water for Palestinian 06:48.049 --> 06:50.380 civilians . Um But as for dod uh 06:50.390 --> 06:52.557 activities right now , uh I don't have 06:52.557 --> 06:54.779 anything to , to pass along . Let me go 06:54.779 --> 06:56.946 to Laura and then or uh thanks that um 06:56.946 --> 06:59.168 Secretary Austin testified this morning 06:59.168 --> 07:01.809 um that his military aide transferred 07:01.820 --> 07:03.876 his authorities to his deputy during 07:03.880 --> 07:06.047 the hospitals to sit . So I just wanna 07:06.047 --> 07:08.959 clarify the timeline in between when he 07:08.970 --> 07:11.026 was transferred to the critical care 07:11.026 --> 07:14.130 unit on January 2nd and when he 07:14.140 --> 07:16.362 transferred power in the way , that was 07:16.362 --> 07:18.418 the afternoon of January 2nd , as it 07:18.418 --> 07:20.640 says in the 30 day review , um how much 07:20.640 --> 07:22.862 time passed , what was going on and who 07:22.862 --> 07:25.190 is in charge Yeah , thanks . So , so 07:25.200 --> 07:28.250 I'm , I'm not gonna provide a minute by 07:28.260 --> 07:30.570 minute tiktok . Um As we've talked 07:30.579 --> 07:32.850 about when the secretary was admitted 07:32.859 --> 07:35.230 into the critical care unit , it became 07:35.239 --> 07:37.406 clear that he would not have access to 07:37.406 --> 07:39.390 his secure communications . So 07:39.399 --> 07:42.000 following the procedures that his aides 07:42.010 --> 07:44.121 have followed in the past , when he's 07:44.121 --> 07:46.220 not been able to access uh secure 07:46.230 --> 07:48.410 communications , uh The decision was 07:48.420 --> 07:50.869 made to uh initiate the transfer of 07:50.880 --> 07:53.279 authority to the deputy secretary . Uh 07:53.299 --> 07:55.355 And that process played itself out . 07:55.355 --> 07:57.549 There was no gaps in command and 07:57.559 --> 07:59.170 control as the secretary has 07:59.170 --> 08:01.281 highlighted as , as we've highlighted 08:01.281 --> 08:03.503 in the 30 day review . So if there were 08:03.503 --> 08:05.615 no gaps , why can't you break it down 08:05.615 --> 08:07.726 minute by minute because I don't have 08:07.726 --> 08:09.892 it here in front of me . So like if it 08:09.892 --> 08:12.003 was and what we provided you in the , 08:12.003 --> 08:14.115 the 30 day review is , is what I have 08:14.115 --> 08:16.337 to provide the sentences . It goes from 08:16.337 --> 08:18.559 on January 2nd , he was admitted to the 08:18.559 --> 08:20.392 car and then on the afternoon of 08:20.392 --> 08:22.615 January 2nd . So even if there's like a 08:22.615 --> 08:25.380 couple hour gap , that is a big deal . 08:25.390 --> 08:27.779 So I'm asking together again , there 08:27.790 --> 08:30.109 were no gaps in the command and control 08:30.130 --> 08:33.729 of the dod of dod command and control . 08:33.739 --> 08:36.599 The secretary or the deputy secretary 08:36.609 --> 08:38.831 were in charge at all times . Let me go 08:38.831 --> 08:41.369 to um pat though he testified this 08:41.379 --> 08:44.489 afternoon that he , he was not aware 08:44.499 --> 08:46.666 when the staff was told that he was in 08:46.666 --> 08:49.119 the hospital . So he has communications 08:49.129 --> 08:50.907 at home . He's put in the , the 08:50.907 --> 08:53.018 ambulance , he gets to the hospital . 08:53.018 --> 08:55.240 Wouldn't , isn't that at least a gap in 08:55.240 --> 08:57.351 communications ? Because he , because 08:57.351 --> 08:59.073 he travels , he travels with a 08:59.073 --> 09:01.240 communicator at all times , right ? He 09:01.240 --> 09:03.573 has access to those communications . Um , 09:03.573 --> 09:05.740 but I , I mean , just to put this into 09:05.740 --> 09:07.907 context , do you carry your phone with 09:07.907 --> 09:09.907 you every single place you go every 09:09.907 --> 09:12.018 moment of the day ? I mean , probably 09:12.018 --> 09:14.240 you're a reporter . You probably do . I 09:14.240 --> 09:16.462 think that he testified that he did not 09:16.462 --> 09:18.629 have a cell phone . He has access to a 09:18.629 --> 09:20.796 personal communicator who travels with 09:20.796 --> 09:23.419 him at all times . So again , if he 09:23.429 --> 09:26.520 needs to talk secure coms , if he needs 09:26.530 --> 09:28.252 to conduct command and control 09:28.252 --> 09:30.520 activities or reach someone again , 09:30.530 --> 09:32.650 there's literally someone like steps 09:32.659 --> 09:35.500 away that can hand him what he needs to 09:35.510 --> 09:38.809 conduct operations . So I wanna go back 09:38.820 --> 09:40.931 to Gaza for a second . A large number 09:40.931 --> 09:43.153 of Palestinians were killed near an aid 09:43.153 --> 09:45.320 truck . Is the Pentagon asking for any 09:45.320 --> 09:45.289 investigation or clarification into the 09:45.299 --> 09:47.521 incident uh from the Israeli military ? 09:47.729 --> 09:49.951 And do you still believe that Israel is 09:49.951 --> 09:51.673 taking steps to avoid civilian 09:51.673 --> 09:53.396 casualties because some of the 09:53.396 --> 09:55.451 incidents we're seeing don't seem to 09:55.451 --> 09:57.729 support that . Yeah , thanks . Or , um , 09:57.729 --> 09:59.951 we've seen the reports , obviously , uh 09:59.951 --> 10:02.190 they're certainly alarming . Um And 10:02.200 --> 10:04.089 what I would say is the situation 10:04.089 --> 10:06.144 highlights the tragic nature of this 10:06.144 --> 10:08.367 conflict . Um We , of course , very sad 10:08.367 --> 10:11.400 to hear uh about this loss of innocent 10:11.409 --> 10:15.239 lives . Um And we do acknowledge uh as 10:15.250 --> 10:17.361 I , you know , just said a moment ago 10:17.361 --> 10:19.528 that that too many civilians have been 10:19.528 --> 10:21.806 killed in Israel's military operations . 10:21.806 --> 10:23.694 And we continue to reiterate that 10:23.694 --> 10:25.806 civilian lives must be protected . Um 10:25.806 --> 10:27.750 As you're likely aware , the White 10:27.750 --> 10:29.583 House has been in touch with the 10:29.583 --> 10:31.694 government of Israel to ask that they 10:31.694 --> 10:33.861 investigate immediately to learn about 10:33.861 --> 10:35.861 more about what happened . But this 10:35.861 --> 10:37.806 situation also does underscore the 10:37.806 --> 10:39.861 critical importance of ensuring that 10:39.861 --> 10:42.083 much needed humanitarian assistance can 10:42.083 --> 10:44.306 be delivered to the people of Gaza in a 10:44.306 --> 10:46.361 safe , secure and sustained manner . 10:46.361 --> 10:48.194 And that's something that the US 10:48.194 --> 10:50.417 government is going to continue to work 10:50.417 --> 10:52.694 on closely with partners in the region . 10:52.694 --> 10:54.969 But it also underscores that in this 10:54.979 --> 10:58.049 situation , uh the requirement for 10:58.059 --> 11:00.330 Israel to take into account civilian 11:00.340 --> 11:02.890 harm , mitigation in planning and 11:02.900 --> 11:06.010 executing uh its operations , whether 11:06.020 --> 11:08.059 they're ongoing operations or uh 11:08.070 --> 11:10.126 whether they've completed operations 11:10.126 --> 11:12.070 against Hamas . And , and as we've 11:12.070 --> 11:14.292 talked about before , this is something 11:14.292 --> 11:16.403 that Secretary Austin communicates to 11:16.403 --> 11:18.459 his Israeli counterpart on a regular 11:18.459 --> 11:20.570 basis . At this stage , there is no , 11:20.570 --> 11:22.459 it's a White House request to the 11:22.459 --> 11:21.849 government . There's no mill to mill 11:21.859 --> 11:24.130 request for an investigation into I'm 11:24.140 --> 11:26.307 not tracking any specific request from 11:26.307 --> 11:29.000 dod . But again , like I said , the 11:29.010 --> 11:31.066 White House has reached out , Carl , 11:31.066 --> 11:33.066 can I say in the Middle East really 11:33.066 --> 11:35.450 quick ? First , have there been any 11:35.460 --> 11:37.799 attacks on US forces in the Middle East 11:37.809 --> 11:41.700 this week . Uh Not 11:41.710 --> 11:43.619 that I'm aware of . Um if you're 11:43.630 --> 11:45.890 talking about Iraq , Syria . No , and 11:45.900 --> 11:48.729 then following on the Houthi situation , 11:49.000 --> 11:51.460 uh Jin W reported that the Chinese was 11:51.469 --> 11:54.349 sending um ships from the 46 fleet to 11:54.520 --> 11:57.159 come and help ships in the Red Sea . 11:57.489 --> 12:00.929 Have , has the US military seen these 12:00.940 --> 12:03.469 ships arrive and do any escorting ? And 12:03.479 --> 12:06.400 has the Chinese reached out to help 12:06.409 --> 12:08.919 with the situation um concerning the 12:08.929 --> 12:10.985 Houthis to help with some of the the 12:10.985 --> 12:13.151 counterattacks ? Yeah , I I don't have 12:13.151 --> 12:16.460 a status on location for Chinese 12:16.469 --> 12:19.289 vessels . I'd I'd refer to them in 12:19.299 --> 12:22.960 terms of a Chinese role in countering 12:22.969 --> 12:25.136 these attacks or supporting freedom of 12:25.136 --> 12:27.247 navigation operations . Um You know , 12:27.247 --> 12:29.469 we've talked before about the fact that 12:29.469 --> 12:32.130 we would welcome a productive uh role 12:32.140 --> 12:34.362 for China to play . But to my knowledge 12:34.362 --> 12:36.473 at this stage , they have not offered 12:36.473 --> 12:38.473 nor are they conducting any type of 12:38.473 --> 12:40.869 operations to help safeguard Mariners 12:40.880 --> 12:42.969 or international shipping , Joseph ? 12:43.150 --> 12:45.859 Thanks um just to follow up on the 12:45.869 --> 12:47.980 attacks in Iraq and Syria . It's been 12:47.980 --> 12:50.202 just shy , I can think of a month since 12:50.202 --> 12:52.650 the last reported attacks . Um that 12:52.659 --> 12:54.770 could change at any time , you know , 12:54.770 --> 12:58.080 God forbid , but do you assess that um 12:58.409 --> 13:00.409 deterrence has been restored or had 13:00.409 --> 13:02.409 been restored for this for the past 13:02.409 --> 13:04.830 couple weeks ? Well , you know , look 13:04.840 --> 13:07.679 it , I , I don't wanna put myself in a 13:07.690 --> 13:09.634 situation where I'm predicting the 13:09.634 --> 13:11.690 future . I think we are obviously uh 13:11.690 --> 13:14.229 glad that we have not seen additional 13:14.239 --> 13:17.679 attacks primarily because A it's 13:17.690 --> 13:19.746 dangerous . But b because our forces 13:19.746 --> 13:22.260 are there to focus on the defeat ISIS 13:22.270 --> 13:24.330 mission and they'll continue to stay 13:24.340 --> 13:26.700 focused on that . But if we are 13:26.710 --> 13:28.488 threatened or attack , as we've 13:28.488 --> 13:30.432 demonstrated , attacked , as we've 13:30.432 --> 13:32.654 demonstrated , we will take appropriate 13:32.654 --> 13:34.821 measures to safeguard our forces . The 13:34.821 --> 13:36.932 second one you've mentioned , and the 13:36.932 --> 13:39.043 secretary mentioned this morning that 13:39.043 --> 13:38.929 the Israelis need to do more to 13:38.940 --> 13:41.107 mitigate civilian casualties in Gaza , 13:41.429 --> 13:43.510 um , that comes up almost in all the 13:43.520 --> 13:45.576 readouts of the secretary's calls of 13:45.576 --> 13:47.576 this Israeli counterpart . Have you 13:47.576 --> 13:49.760 guys outlined or put forth what the 13:49.770 --> 13:51.770 potential consequences are , what , 13:51.770 --> 13:53.770 what could happen if they don't ? I 13:53.770 --> 13:55.881 mean , you guys have been calling for 13:55.881 --> 13:57.992 this for probably since the second or 13:57.992 --> 14:00.048 third week , uh , since the military 14:00.048 --> 14:02.214 campaign started yet , we haven't seen 14:02.214 --> 14:04.381 much change , at least in terms of the 14:04.381 --> 14:06.548 number of casualties . Well , look , I 14:06.548 --> 14:06.530 mean , again , at the end of the day , 14:06.539 --> 14:08.830 uh , Israel is a sovereign nation 14:08.840 --> 14:11.859 that's going to conduct uh operations . 14:12.109 --> 14:14.109 Um So I'd refer you to them to talk 14:14.109 --> 14:16.599 about specifically what they're doing . 14:16.880 --> 14:19.729 Um But again , we've highlighted 14:20.669 --> 14:24.409 that it is uh their inherent right to 14:24.419 --> 14:26.697 defend themselves . We understand that , 14:26.697 --> 14:29.849 but it's also important that they take 14:29.859 --> 14:32.260 civilian safety and , and mitigation 14:32.270 --> 14:34.214 into account as they're conducting 14:34.214 --> 14:36.326 their operations . I mean , Secretary 14:36.326 --> 14:38.437 Austin talked about this at Reagan in 14:38.437 --> 14:40.492 terms of don't allow , uh , tactical 14:40.492 --> 14:42.603 victory to be taken away by strategic 14:42.603 --> 14:44.659 defeat . And so , uh , again , we're 14:44.659 --> 14:46.714 going to continue to consult closely 14:46.714 --> 14:48.492 with them . Uh , we're going to 14:48.492 --> 14:50.603 continue to expect that they abide by 14:50.603 --> 14:52.492 the law of armed conflict just to 14:52.492 --> 14:54.437 follow up on that . I mean , we've 14:54.437 --> 14:56.603 heard that this now multiple times but 14:56.603 --> 14:58.826 it seems to be falling on deaf ears . I 14:58.826 --> 15:00.881 mean , have you guys relayed to them 15:00.890 --> 15:03.112 any potential moves that you could make 15:03.112 --> 15:05.630 if they don't hit these goals , I don't 15:05.640 --> 15:07.584 have anything to pass along to you 15:07.584 --> 15:09.918 Joseph . Other than again , um you know , 15:09.918 --> 15:12.960 we expect uh Israel to , to operate as 15:12.969 --> 15:15.289 a professional military . Uh And , and 15:15.299 --> 15:17.466 I would say also , you know , uh Hamas 15:17.466 --> 15:19.466 could play a role in this too by uh 15:19.466 --> 15:22.659 putting down its arms , uh turning the 15:22.669 --> 15:25.020 hostages back over and saying , hey , 15:25.030 --> 15:27.141 we're , we're done fighting and we're 15:27.141 --> 15:29.086 done embedding ourselves among the 15:29.086 --> 15:31.197 civilian population and , and putting 15:31.197 --> 15:33.419 everybody in this difficult situation . 15:33.419 --> 15:35.641 So , you know , I think that that could 15:35.641 --> 15:37.863 play a role too , Nancy . I just follow 15:37.863 --> 15:37.150 up on something you said and then a 15:37.159 --> 15:39.020 point of clarification from the 15:39.030 --> 15:42.169 testimony this morning . Um Is it the 15:42.179 --> 15:44.179 US assessment then that the Israeli 15:44.179 --> 15:45.623 military conducted itself 15:45.623 --> 15:48.080 professionally today again , as I 15:48.090 --> 15:50.312 highlighted the White House has reached 15:50.312 --> 15:52.580 out to ask what actions they're taking 15:52.590 --> 15:54.590 and ask them to investigate . And I 15:54.590 --> 15:56.923 know they've publicly said that they're , 15:56.923 --> 15:59.034 they're reviewing . No , I appreciate 15:59.034 --> 15:58.450 that . But if I heard your answer , 15:58.460 --> 16:00.627 Joseph correctly , you said one of the 16:00.627 --> 16:03.210 things is that the US is of the 16:03.219 --> 16:05.275 assessment that the Israeli military 16:05.515 --> 16:07.571 professionally . I just want to know 16:07.571 --> 16:09.793 that the Israeli military to behavior . 16:10.375 --> 16:13.364 Again , I'm not gonna pre conclude , uh 16:13.375 --> 16:15.994 the situation that we're talking about . 16:16.005 --> 16:17.924 Uh , again , it's , it's a tragic 16:17.934 --> 16:21.265 incident . Uh We obviously are very 16:21.275 --> 16:23.510 saddened to see what happened . Um But 16:23.520 --> 16:25.510 again , I think Israel needs to 16:25.520 --> 16:27.353 investigate that . And could you 16:27.353 --> 16:29.409 clarify an answer that the secretary 16:29.409 --> 16:31.409 gave to Representative Whitman , in 16:31.409 --> 16:33.576 which he said that the , there's not a 16:33.576 --> 16:35.590 standard procedure to notify N MC C 16:35.640 --> 16:37.696 when the secretary moves and I don't 16:37.696 --> 16:39.696 understand under what circumstances 16:39.696 --> 16:41.696 that notification happens . Can you 16:41.696 --> 16:43.862 help me get a better read on that ? Um 16:44.659 --> 16:48.390 You mean in terms of in and when 16:48.400 --> 16:51.809 his situation no broadly , if I heard 16:51.820 --> 16:53.376 the question correctly ? Uh 16:53.376 --> 16:55.542 Representative Whitman was asking when 16:55.542 --> 16:58.080 you move is an MC C notified as 16:58.090 --> 17:00.010 standard procedure . And the 17:00.020 --> 17:02.187 secretary's answer was no , and I just 17:02.187 --> 17:04.353 didn't understand that under what if I 17:04.353 --> 17:06.520 understand it correctly ? That that is 17:06.520 --> 17:08.631 there to let everybody know where the 17:08.631 --> 17:08.339 secretary is at all time . So if it's 17:08.349 --> 17:11.010 not being used consistently , how , how 17:11.020 --> 17:13.569 does it work ? Well , you know , 17:14.069 --> 17:17.540 without um so part of this is 17:17.550 --> 17:19.717 situational dependent , right ? If the 17:19.717 --> 17:21.550 secretary is within the national 17:21.550 --> 17:23.272 capital region , what level of 17:23.272 --> 17:25.494 information needs to be passed along to 17:25.494 --> 17:27.550 the N MC C , uh you know , versus if 17:27.550 --> 17:29.828 he's going outside , if he's traveling . 17:29.828 --> 17:33.109 Uh But so I think the key point here is 17:33.119 --> 17:35.175 that through this exercise , through 17:35.175 --> 17:37.397 this experience , uh the department has 17:37.397 --> 17:39.969 had the opportunity to go back and look 17:39.979 --> 17:42.089 from , you know , one to end . Ok , 17:42.339 --> 17:44.630 what are our current procedures ? What 17:44.640 --> 17:46.640 are some things that we can improve 17:46.640 --> 17:48.849 upon and , and take steps to ensure 17:48.859 --> 17:50.859 that this kind of situation doesn't 17:50.859 --> 17:52.859 happen again . And so that's really 17:52.859 --> 17:54.859 what we're focused on . Uh And as I 17:54.859 --> 17:57.026 talked about on Monday , we've already 17:57.026 --> 17:59.081 taken some initial steps . Uh and we 17:59.081 --> 18:01.248 have some others that we're gonna take 18:01.248 --> 18:03.192 to make sure that , that , that uh 18:03.192 --> 18:05.526 information is being shared . I'm sorry , 18:05.526 --> 18:05.130 I don't mean to belabor the point but 18:05.140 --> 18:07.251 he was referring to it today . Not in 18:07.251 --> 18:09.307 the past . The question was when you 18:09.307 --> 18:11.362 move today , when you move , is that 18:11.362 --> 18:13.418 notification happening ? So I'm just 18:13.418 --> 18:15.362 trying to understand the procedure 18:15.362 --> 18:17.362 today . What is the standard of the 18:17.362 --> 18:19.473 threshold that has to be met for that 18:19.473 --> 18:21.696 notification to happen ? Well , again , 18:21.696 --> 18:23.751 um , if he's in the national capital 18:23.751 --> 18:25.973 region and depending on the situation , 18:26.310 --> 18:28.477 uh it could vary , uh you know , again 18:28.477 --> 18:31.420 without getting into specifics . Um , 18:31.800 --> 18:33.856 you know , and I don't wanna make up 18:33.856 --> 18:35.856 hypothetical situations or get into 18:35.856 --> 18:38.022 potentially sensitive situations . But 18:38.022 --> 18:40.133 um , if it's warranted that they know 18:40.133 --> 18:42.699 exact his exact location , then I'm 18:42.709 --> 18:44.876 sure that information will be passed . 18:44.876 --> 18:47.098 Um But largely speaking , uh you know , 18:47.098 --> 18:49.153 they're gonna be tracking if he's in 18:49.153 --> 18:51.376 the national capital region , let me go 18:51.376 --> 18:50.369 to Tom here and then I'll go to the 18:50.380 --> 18:52.380 phone . Thank you . Um , just going 18:52.380 --> 18:54.959 back to this morning , um , the 21,000 18:54.969 --> 18:57.219 precision precision guided munitions 18:57.750 --> 19:00.209 since the start of the war to Israel 19:00.219 --> 19:03.079 does the US , um , track where those 19:03.089 --> 19:05.145 are being deployed . Do we know that 19:05.145 --> 19:07.200 all in Gaza have some gone up to the 19:07.200 --> 19:09.256 north ? Um , do you have any sort of 19:09.256 --> 19:12.430 visibility on that ? No , I don't have 19:12.439 --> 19:14.661 any information like that to pass along 19:14.661 --> 19:16.772 to and then just going back to the um 19:17.040 --> 19:19.262 uh appreciate what you said about the , 19:19.262 --> 19:21.318 you know , the 25,000 figure and how 19:21.318 --> 19:24.140 that was uh the secretary citing a mass 19:24.150 --> 19:26.500 controlled health ministry . Um How 19:26.510 --> 19:28.732 does it work in the Pentagon ? Do you , 19:28.732 --> 19:30.843 you look at all open sources ? So you 19:30.843 --> 19:33.066 would look at Israel's estimates on the 19:33.066 --> 19:35.177 one hand and the health ministry from 19:35.177 --> 19:37.121 Gaza , on the other hand , and you 19:37.121 --> 19:39.232 would sort of just cite those figures 19:39.232 --> 19:41.454 or would you make a determination about 19:41.454 --> 19:43.677 which one has the most ? Well , again , 19:43.677 --> 19:45.899 yeah , again , that what I said earlier 19:45.899 --> 19:48.066 is I , I cannot verify the veracity of 19:48.066 --> 19:50.739 those figures and , and um we're not 19:50.750 --> 19:54.609 able , able to corroborate them . Um 19:54.780 --> 19:56.447 And so we don't have a lot of 19:56.447 --> 20:00.369 confidence in , in , you know , the uh 20:00.380 --> 20:02.491 information or in other words , we're 20:02.491 --> 20:04.602 not able to corroborate or verify the 20:04.602 --> 20:06.547 statistics , whether they're being 20:06.547 --> 20:08.547 provided from one entity to another 20:08.547 --> 20:10.547 without independently being able to 20:10.547 --> 20:12.658 verify them , not too dissimilar from 20:12.658 --> 20:14.658 the way , I'm sure that your outlet 20:14.658 --> 20:16.436 tries to gather and verify that 20:16.436 --> 20:18.547 information um without the ability to 20:18.547 --> 20:20.491 be on the ground and independently 20:20.491 --> 20:22.769 assess uh it's challenging . And so we , 20:22.769 --> 20:24.810 we do have to rely in large part on 20:24.819 --> 20:27.459 open source uh information that's out 20:27.469 --> 20:29.760 there . Um But as I said before , uh 20:29.770 --> 20:32.170 we're fairly confident that thousands 20:32.180 --> 20:34.699 of civilians have been killed and one 20:34.709 --> 20:36.820 innocent civilian being killed is too 20:36.820 --> 20:38.431 many . Uh So again , it just 20:38.431 --> 20:40.653 underscores the tragic situation that's 20:40.653 --> 20:42.598 there . Uh And again , we're gonna 20:42.598 --> 20:44.709 continue to work with partners in the 20:44.709 --> 20:46.598 region to , to try to ensure that 20:46.598 --> 20:48.320 humanitarian assistance can be 20:48.320 --> 20:50.153 delivered while at the same time 20:50.153 --> 20:52.487 communicating with our Israeli partners , 20:52.487 --> 20:54.376 the importance of taking civilian 20:54.376 --> 20:56.431 safety into account . Secretary cite 20:56.431 --> 20:58.542 information . He can verify a again , 20:58.542 --> 21:00.598 I'm just highlighting the context of 21:00.598 --> 21:02.820 the information and , and where it came 21:02.820 --> 21:05.349 from and um what , what he was citing . 21:05.420 --> 21:07.630 Ok , let me , let me go to the thorn 21:07.640 --> 21:09.862 here else . Uh I'm gonna get in trouble 21:09.862 --> 21:11.862 from Jeff Shog . Jeff Shog task and 21:11.862 --> 21:14.550 purpose . Uh Thank you . Uh Earlier in 21:14.560 --> 21:16.616 the week , you provided an update of 21:16.616 --> 21:18.671 how many targets have been struck in 21:18.671 --> 21:20.616 Yemen . Can you say what steps the 21:20.616 --> 21:23.540 military is doing to replenish the uh 21:23.550 --> 21:26.089 munitions that it's using in the Red 21:26.099 --> 21:28.380 Sea and to make sure the forces in Indo 21:28.489 --> 21:31.979 Indo Paycom have enough missiles uh uh 21:32.010 --> 21:34.280 cruise missiles and other missiles in 21:34.290 --> 21:36.457 case of a war with China . Thank you . 21:36.479 --> 21:38.780 Yeah , thanks Jeff . Um , for operation 21:38.790 --> 21:40.957 security reasons . I'm , I'm not gonna 21:40.957 --> 21:43.068 go into specifics other than to say , 21:43.068 --> 21:46.050 we have a very uh proven detailed and 21:46.060 --> 21:48.116 elaborate process to ensure that our 21:48.116 --> 21:50.739 forces uh receive the ammunition and 21:50.750 --> 21:52.917 the supplies that they need to conduct 21:52.917 --> 21:54.917 the operations uh that they've been 21:54.917 --> 21:57.083 tasked to do around the world and that 21:57.083 --> 21:59.260 includes uh in the Red Sea region and 21:59.270 --> 22:01.492 the , the broader Middle East , as well 22:01.492 --> 22:03.859 as the , the Indo Pacific . Uh Let me 22:03.869 --> 22:05.900 go to Mike Glenn Washington Times . 22:07.939 --> 22:10.469 Uh Thank you , Pat . Um , a review of 22:10.479 --> 22:12.839 Aaron Bushnell's social media count uh 22:12.849 --> 22:14.738 indicates that he has some pretty 22:14.738 --> 22:16.540 strong uh anti Zionist views , 22:16.550 --> 22:18.772 anarchist views . He said Israel didn't 22:18.780 --> 22:21.069 have a right to exist . He appeared to 22:21.079 --> 22:23.640 condone Hamas's October 7th attack on 22:23.650 --> 22:25.483 Israel . My question is the same 22:25.483 --> 22:27.539 question I asked last time under the 22:27.539 --> 22:29.650 Pentagon's definition of extremists . 22:29.650 --> 22:31.761 Would he , would he fall under that ? 22:32.420 --> 22:34.699 Yeah , thanks Mike . Um You know , so 22:34.709 --> 22:36.876 as you've heard the Air force say , uh 22:36.876 --> 22:39.380 the matter is under investigation uh is , 22:39.390 --> 22:41.819 is appropriate following the death of a 22:41.829 --> 22:44.079 service member . Um So , and I'm not 22:44.089 --> 22:47.280 going to put a label on Airman 22:47.290 --> 22:49.819 Bushnell . I do think it's fair to say 22:49.829 --> 22:51.760 that an act of suicide by self 22:51.770 --> 22:54.359 immolation is an extreme act . Um But 22:54.369 --> 22:56.780 as for the specific circumstances 22:56.790 --> 22:59.160 surrounding his death , uh we know it's 22:59.170 --> 23:01.392 been made public , but we owe it to the 23:01.392 --> 23:03.503 airman's family and to the service to 23:03.503 --> 23:05.392 allow for a full investigation to 23:05.392 --> 23:07.559 obtain the facts . So leave it there . 23:07.559 --> 23:09.837 Let me go to you . Thank you very much , 23:09.837 --> 23:11.781 General . Um You said that earlier 23:11.781 --> 23:13.726 today , it was a tragic incident , 23:13.726 --> 23:15.892 obviously , could we think otherwise , 23:15.892 --> 23:17.892 you know , civilians being fired on 23:17.892 --> 23:17.829 fire at , while trying to get some 23:17.839 --> 23:20.400 piece of food . But there is someone in 23:20.410 --> 23:22.632 Israeli National Security Ministry says 23:22.632 --> 23:25.229 that they acted excellently the IDF and 23:25.239 --> 23:27.359 it's madness to deliver humanitarian 23:27.369 --> 23:29.313 aid to Palestinian civilians . And 23:29.313 --> 23:31.425 you've been saying that the president 23:31.425 --> 23:33.591 made it very clear that indiscriminate 23:33.591 --> 23:33.119 bombing of Gaza and you've been 23:33.130 --> 23:35.540 speaking to your counterparts . But if 23:35.550 --> 23:37.772 this is the government that you've been 23:37.772 --> 23:40.540 speaking to , is there any result 23:40.550 --> 23:43.319 that's been produced ? I can't speak 23:43.329 --> 23:45.162 for that individual . I can only 23:45.162 --> 23:47.273 respond on behalf of the department . 23:47.273 --> 23:49.385 So I , I don't have anything to , you 23:49.385 --> 23:51.107 know , we've been having these 23:51.107 --> 23:53.273 conversations for months now , but the 23:53.273 --> 23:54.996 result doesn't seem to be much 23:54.996 --> 23:57.218 different on the ground . So is there a 23:57.218 --> 23:59.385 sense of urgency within the Department 23:59.385 --> 24:01.273 of Defense that perhaps we should 24:01.273 --> 24:03.329 change the way that we're talking to 24:03.329 --> 24:05.329 our Israeli counterparts ? Look , I 24:05.329 --> 24:05.130 think we've been very transparent in 24:05.140 --> 24:07.251 terms of how we're communicating with 24:07.251 --> 24:09.989 our Israeli counterparts as well as our 24:10.000 --> 24:12.439 efforts to try to support the people of 24:12.449 --> 24:14.116 Gaza in terms of humanitarian 24:14.116 --> 24:16.949 assistance uh and , and ensuring that 24:16.959 --> 24:19.359 their safety is taken into account . Um , 24:19.369 --> 24:22.229 but we also again recognize that Hamas 24:22.239 --> 24:24.640 plays a factor in all of this and Hamas 24:24.650 --> 24:26.709 has not given up and laid down their 24:26.719 --> 24:29.709 arms and are still threatening to 24:29.719 --> 24:32.390 attack Israel and , and conduct 24:32.400 --> 24:34.650 operations . Uh , and , and again , you 24:34.660 --> 24:37.280 know , I'm not gonna lay out Israel's 24:37.290 --> 24:39.512 campaign plan . I'm not gonna lay out , 24:39.512 --> 24:41.623 uh , specific operations that they're 24:41.623 --> 24:43.679 doing on a daily basis . But we have 24:43.679 --> 24:45.401 seen them change some of their 24:45.401 --> 24:47.068 approaches uh and how they're 24:47.068 --> 24:49.234 conducting operations . But again , as 24:49.234 --> 24:51.457 I highlighted , too many civilians have 24:51.457 --> 24:53.623 been killed . And so we'll continue to 24:53.623 --> 24:55.679 consult with them , communicate with 24:55.679 --> 24:57.846 them and expect them to abide by the , 24:57.846 --> 24:59.957 the uh international Humanitarian law 24:59.957 --> 25:02.179 and law of armed conflict . Yes , sir . 25:02.179 --> 25:04.234 Thank you very much General . As you 25:04.234 --> 25:06.457 said today , Masrur Barzani , the Prime 25:06.457 --> 25:09.089 Minister of the Kurdistan was here at 25:09.099 --> 25:12.959 the Pentagon . What can you tell us 25:12.969 --> 25:16.589 about your commitment to fighting Isis ? 25:16.780 --> 25:19.819 And what is your view of the role of 25:19.829 --> 25:23.150 the Peshmerga in that ? Yeah , look , 25:23.160 --> 25:26.010 uh as I highlighted at the top , um we 25:26.020 --> 25:28.020 very much appreciate that the , the 25:28.020 --> 25:30.187 role that Peshmerga have played uh for 25:30.187 --> 25:32.242 a very long time when it comes to uh 25:32.242 --> 25:35.900 security uh and , and uh the Kuran 25:35.910 --> 25:37.989 region of Iraq and also in fighting 25:38.000 --> 25:40.579 Isis . Uh and we remain committed to 25:40.589 --> 25:42.311 working with the international 25:42.311 --> 25:44.367 Coalition for the enduring defeat of 25:44.367 --> 25:46.311 ISIS . Uh Again , it's why we have 25:46.311 --> 25:48.145 forces in the region , right now 25:48.145 --> 25:50.311 working with international partners to 25:50.311 --> 25:52.311 include the Peshmerga . Thank you . 25:53.650 --> 25:56.069 Thank you , General . Um follow up on 25:56.079 --> 25:58.189 uh Joseph question , apparently 25:58.199 --> 26:00.640 communication with the Israeli and 26:00.650 --> 26:02.890 consulting with them is not helping 26:02.900 --> 26:06.400 much uh spare civilians in Gaza . Are 26:06.410 --> 26:10.150 they there any concrete steps or 26:10.160 --> 26:12.750 measures the administration can take to 26:12.760 --> 26:15.459 press Israel on the matter of civilians 26:15.469 --> 26:18.920 in Gaza ? And is there any discussion 26:18.930 --> 26:22.329 within the uh department 26:22.339 --> 26:26.339 to maybe pull the US military 26:26.349 --> 26:29.489 assistance to Israel like a way to 26:29.500 --> 26:31.650 press Israel on this matter ? Yes , 26:31.660 --> 26:35.300 thanks . So , so again , we 26:35.310 --> 26:38.219 continue to believe in Israel's 26:38.229 --> 26:40.229 inherent right to defend itself and 26:40.229 --> 26:42.451 we'll continue to support them in terms 26:42.451 --> 26:44.285 of their , their right to defend 26:44.285 --> 26:46.507 themselves . And , and we have from the 26:46.507 --> 26:48.562 very beginning been communicating uh 26:48.562 --> 26:50.618 actively on the importance of taking 26:50.618 --> 26:52.618 civilian safety into account and we 26:52.618 --> 26:54.618 will continue to do that . I mean , 26:54.618 --> 26:56.173 Secretary Austin just had a 26:56.173 --> 26:57.840 conversation with his Israeli 26:57.840 --> 27:00.062 counterpart this week uh as you saw and 27:00.062 --> 27:02.229 this is a , a topic of discussion . He 27:02.229 --> 27:04.396 talked with him last week as well . Uh 27:04.396 --> 27:07.000 And so , um they understand that this 27:07.010 --> 27:09.121 is important . I'm not going to speak 27:09.121 --> 27:11.343 for the Israelis , but we will continue 27:11.343 --> 27:13.750 to uh urge and expect that , that this 27:13.760 --> 27:16.038 is something that's taken into account . 27:16.038 --> 27:18.149 So , do you have any update on the is 27:18.149 --> 27:20.719 uh us military assistance to Israel ? 27:20.729 --> 27:24.290 Is it like a daily uh shipments going 27:24.300 --> 27:26.209 to Israel ? Do you like Secretary 27:26.219 --> 27:28.790 Austin today mentioned that there was 27:28.800 --> 27:32.650 about more or 21,000 27:33.930 --> 27:36.849 munitions delivered to . I , I don't 27:36.859 --> 27:39.839 have a timeline to pass along to you , 27:40.119 --> 27:42.286 Wafa . Thank you . Let me jump back to 27:42.286 --> 27:44.508 the phone here . Tony Capac Bloomberg . 27:46.410 --> 27:48.910 Hi Pat , a Ukraine question without 27:48.920 --> 27:51.087 Republican support for more aid in the 27:51.087 --> 27:53.198 supplemental . What is the Pentagon's 27:53.198 --> 27:54.976 best assessment of the tactical 27:54.976 --> 27:57.198 military implications over the next two 27:57.198 --> 27:59.420 or three months to the Ukraine military 27:59.420 --> 28:01.531 in terms of air defense and artillery 28:01.531 --> 28:03.864 shortages . How greatly will those grow ? 28:04.079 --> 28:05.801 Yeah . Well , I mean , they're 28:05.801 --> 28:07.857 obviously engaged in an active fight 28:07.857 --> 28:10.099 right now . Uh We continue to see uh 28:10.109 --> 28:13.079 Russia , you know , making some small 28:13.089 --> 28:15.459 but incremental gains as you know . Uh 28:15.880 --> 28:18.979 And so it's vital that we be able to 28:18.989 --> 28:21.180 receive the supplemental funding . Uh 28:21.189 --> 28:23.290 and as well as a full year 28:23.300 --> 28:26.010 appropriation uh to be able to ensure 28:26.020 --> 28:27.964 that Ukraine has the assistance to 28:27.964 --> 28:29.909 include air defense and ammunition 28:29.909 --> 28:32.579 capabilities uh to be able to not only 28:32.589 --> 28:35.180 defend themselves but also take back 28:35.189 --> 28:37.650 sovereign territory . Uh And so , you 28:37.660 --> 28:39.882 know , the , the Ukrainians have proven 28:39.882 --> 28:41.827 themselves to be very innovative , 28:41.827 --> 28:43.993 courageous fighters . Uh So we have no 28:43.993 --> 28:46.216 doubt that they're gonna fight . Uh you 28:46.216 --> 28:48.216 know , they're going to continue to 28:48.216 --> 28:50.549 fight very bravely . Uh But , but uh it , 28:50.549 --> 28:52.660 it's absolutely essential that we get 28:52.660 --> 28:54.771 them the resources they need uh now . 28:54.771 --> 28:57.150 Uh and not too late . Thank you . Of 28:57.160 --> 28:59.479 course . Thanks Pat . Uh two questions 28:59.489 --> 29:01.989 on the Red Sea region . Um First what 29:02.000 --> 29:04.410 is the coordinating um between the eu 29:04.420 --> 29:06.180 maritime mission and operation 29:06.189 --> 29:08.411 Prosperity Guardian . Uh does the right 29:08.411 --> 29:10.633 hand know what the left hand is doing ? 29:10.633 --> 29:12.633 So , at the very least , um you are 29:12.633 --> 29:14.800 confused about which vessels are where 29:14.800 --> 29:16.967 and what they're trying to do . Yeah , 29:16.967 --> 29:19.078 I mean , as I understand it , uh they 29:19.078 --> 29:21.300 do coordinate and communicate on a , on 29:21.300 --> 29:23.411 a daily basis . Um You know , we have 29:23.411 --> 29:25.189 obviously around the world have 29:25.189 --> 29:26.989 experience working closely with 29:27.000 --> 29:28.722 partners inside and outside of 29:28.722 --> 29:31.150 coalitions , working coalition side by 29:31.160 --> 29:34.189 side . Uh And of course many of the , 29:34.199 --> 29:36.670 the countries that are resident within 29:36.680 --> 29:39.089 operation , prosperity , guardian , and 29:39.099 --> 29:41.900 then the corresponding operation . Uh 29:41.949 --> 29:44.239 ep uh we've all worked together for 29:44.250 --> 29:46.306 many years and many different places 29:46.306 --> 29:48.250 around the world and many of those 29:48.250 --> 29:50.417 countries are within NATO . So when it 29:50.417 --> 29:52.750 comes to interoperability , um you know , 29:52.750 --> 29:54.917 that's , that's something that uh is a 29:54.917 --> 29:57.194 strength . And then my second question , 29:57.194 --> 29:59.250 the state department's special envoy 29:59.250 --> 30:01.361 for Yemen said this week uh state was 30:01.361 --> 30:03.528 working to expand the strike coalition 30:03.528 --> 30:05.750 against the Houthis and the Gulf states 30:05.750 --> 30:07.806 needed to do more , but you couldn't 30:07.806 --> 30:09.972 speak for the dod . Um So on behalf of 30:09.972 --> 30:12.839 the Pentagon is the dod working to 30:12.849 --> 30:15.479 expand the strike coalition against . 30:15.979 --> 30:17.812 Look , I don't have any specific 30:17.812 --> 30:19.979 announcements to make . I mean , we're 30:19.979 --> 30:21.868 always consulting with allies and 30:21.868 --> 30:23.979 partners in the region to address the 30:23.979 --> 30:25.868 international problem that's been 30:25.868 --> 30:28.035 created due to the Houthis illegal and 30:28.035 --> 30:30.201 reckless strikes against international 30:30.201 --> 30:32.670 shipping and um Mariners over you . Are 30:32.680 --> 30:34.780 you trying to grow the coalition , 30:34.790 --> 30:36.568 either operation , prosperity , 30:36.568 --> 30:38.623 Guardian or the straight coalition ? 30:38.623 --> 30:40.790 Look , we're , we're trying to address 30:40.790 --> 30:43.140 this uh as an international problem 30:43.349 --> 30:45.460 because you know , it's affecting the 30:45.460 --> 30:47.780 international community . And so this 30:47.790 --> 30:49.679 is the way that the United States 30:49.679 --> 30:51.901 operates . We , we work with coalitions 30:51.901 --> 30:53.939 and we work with allies in order to 30:53.949 --> 30:57.560 achieve uh common goals . And I think 30:57.569 --> 30:59.729 internationally everyone will agree 30:59.739 --> 31:01.910 that the Red Sea is a vital waterway , 31:01.920 --> 31:04.410 15% of global commerce transits through 31:04.420 --> 31:06.531 there . And so this is something that 31:06.531 --> 31:08.642 we'll continue to keep after . Let me 31:08.642 --> 31:10.642 go . Yes , ma'am . Sorry . Is there 31:10.642 --> 31:12.531 Kimberly Underwood from FC Signal 31:12.531 --> 31:14.642 Magazine ? You spoke about the deputy 31:14.642 --> 31:16.698 Secretary's trip out West in part of 31:16.698 --> 31:19.530 which is to see CJ AC two and project 31:19.540 --> 31:21.651 convergence . Can you talk about what 31:21.651 --> 31:24.079 this Secretary Secretary Austin and 31:24.089 --> 31:26.089 Deputy Secretary Hicks hopes to see 31:26.089 --> 31:28.189 from that effort and the timeline of 31:28.199 --> 31:30.532 what's being achieved ? Yeah , there'll , 31:30.532 --> 31:32.699 there'll be obviously a lot more uh to 31:32.699 --> 31:36.650 come out of that uh that uh event . 31:36.660 --> 31:38.771 And so I'd encourage you to reach out 31:38.771 --> 31:40.938 to the army as , as I'm sure you are . 31:40.938 --> 31:43.739 Um But what you've seen uh over the 31:43.750 --> 31:45.639 last several years is things like 31:45.639 --> 31:49.260 project convergence uh or the 31:49.640 --> 31:51.807 uh advance battle management system or 31:51.807 --> 31:54.260 the Navy's Overwatch uh program uh 31:54.270 --> 31:56.479 project overmatch rather uh working 31:56.489 --> 31:59.219 together to look at how we can better 31:59.229 --> 32:01.819 integrate using various technologies . 32:01.829 --> 32:04.609 Uh when it comes to combined joint all 32:04.619 --> 32:07.339 domain command and control . Uh And so 32:07.349 --> 32:09.460 they're going to have the opportunity 32:09.460 --> 32:11.405 to experiment with technologies uh 32:11.405 --> 32:13.699 operate at a theater level versus a 32:13.709 --> 32:16.989 tactical level . Um But do it in a way 32:17.000 --> 32:19.209 that enables us to uh better 32:19.219 --> 32:21.060 synchronize and synthesize our 32:21.069 --> 32:23.260 operations uh when it comes to 32:23.270 --> 32:25.270 operating as a joint force . And so 32:25.270 --> 32:27.437 really , uh for the deputy secretary , 32:27.437 --> 32:29.603 it's a , it's a great opportunity to , 32:29.603 --> 32:31.826 to see uh the continued progress that's 32:31.826 --> 32:34.020 being made . Um And , and also again , 32:34.030 --> 32:36.252 see , as I mentioned , see the specific 32:36.252 --> 32:38.363 outcomes uh as they can be applied to 32:38.363 --> 32:40.474 the broader joint force . Thank you , 32:40.474 --> 32:43.109 sir . Turning to the budget a few weeks 32:43.119 --> 32:45.630 ago , Secretary Kendall said that if 32:45.640 --> 32:47.989 there's no 24 appropriation , basically 32:48.000 --> 32:50.959 the 25 request is irrelevant because 32:50.969 --> 32:53.500 it's building on 24 . And there was 32:53.510 --> 32:56.459 debate then about whether to delay 32:56.469 --> 32:59.140 releasing the 25 request to give more 32:59.150 --> 33:01.206 time to see if there's gonna be a 24 33:01.206 --> 33:03.150 appropriation . What's the current 33:03.150 --> 33:05.939 thinking on that and process timeline 33:05.949 --> 33:08.790 for releasing 25 ? Yeah , as I 33:08.800 --> 33:10.967 understand it , the intent is still to 33:10.967 --> 33:13.078 release a fiscal year 25 budget . I'd 33:13.078 --> 33:15.349 have to refer you to B to talk about 33:15.359 --> 33:17.526 specific timelines at this point since 33:17.526 --> 33:19.748 it is the president's budget . But that 33:19.748 --> 33:21.859 is my understanding right now and any 33:21.859 --> 33:23.970 reworking being considered inside the 33:23.970 --> 33:26.137 building to adjust for the fact that , 33:26.454 --> 33:28.676 you know , almost half the year is gone 33:28.676 --> 33:31.114 and cr is gonna be happening for at 33:31.125 --> 33:33.403 least a few more weeks . Well , I mean , 33:33.515 --> 33:35.793 as I'm sure you can imagine , you know , 33:35.793 --> 33:37.959 one of the primary things the Pentagon 33:37.959 --> 33:40.071 does is work on budgets , right , and 33:40.071 --> 33:42.071 resourcing . And so , um you know , 33:42.071 --> 33:44.237 clearly that that work is always being 33:44.237 --> 33:46.530 done whether it's , you know , this 33:46.540 --> 33:49.089 year's budget or future years defense 33:49.099 --> 33:52.930 spending . Um but to your point and it , 33:52.939 --> 33:55.161 it's something you've heard others talk 33:55.161 --> 33:57.106 about the fact that we continue to 33:57.106 --> 33:59.849 operate under CRS um is not helpful . 33:59.859 --> 34:03.199 We need a full year appropriation in 34:03.209 --> 34:05.265 order to do the work that we've been 34:05.265 --> 34:07.487 asked to do . Uh And so certainly , the 34:07.487 --> 34:09.653 longer we kick the can down the road , 34:09.653 --> 34:11.876 the more challenging it becomes for the 34:11.876 --> 34:14.098 department to conduct the operations in 34:14.098 --> 34:15.931 support of our national security 34:15.931 --> 34:17.987 mission . All right . Time for a few 34:17.987 --> 34:20.153 more , Nancy . I'm sorry , I wanted to 34:20.153 --> 34:19.820 come back to your answer about what 34:19.830 --> 34:21.949 happened today in Gaza . I'm just 34:21.959 --> 34:23.959 trying to better understand the dod 34:23.959 --> 34:26.126 position . Um The White House has said 34:26.126 --> 34:28.070 that it was tremendous , found the 34:28.070 --> 34:30.181 incident . What happened tremendously 34:30.181 --> 34:32.403 alarming the State Department said that 34:32.403 --> 34:34.737 it is urgently seeking more information . 34:34.737 --> 34:34.080 And I just want to understand , is 34:34.090 --> 34:36.620 there any sense of shock or urgency out 34:36.629 --> 34:38.740 of the Department of Defense or is it 34:38.740 --> 34:40.851 more reassured from the conversations 34:40.851 --> 34:42.462 it's having with its Israeli 34:42.462 --> 34:44.573 counterparts ? Well , look , I mean , 34:44.573 --> 34:46.796 again , we're , we're watching the same 34:46.796 --> 34:48.907 images that you are on TV . Um And it 34:48.907 --> 34:51.129 is alarming . Uh and it is , you know , 34:51.129 --> 34:52.907 very unfortunate and , and as I 34:52.907 --> 34:55.073 mentioned , we're very saddened at the 34:55.073 --> 34:57.240 loss of innocent lives here . I mean , 34:57.240 --> 34:59.407 these are human beings that are trying 34:59.407 --> 35:01.629 to feed themselves . Uh And so , um I , 35:01.629 --> 35:03.685 I think we're all kind of looking at 35:03.685 --> 35:05.462 that and saying , you know what 35:05.462 --> 35:08.979 happened here . Um And so again , the , 35:08.989 --> 35:10.989 the White House has reached out and 35:10.989 --> 35:13.045 asked Israel to investigate this and 35:13.045 --> 35:15.100 just leave it at that . I appreciate 35:15.100 --> 35:16.989 that . But when you say we're all 35:16.989 --> 35:16.780 looking to find out what happened here , 35:16.790 --> 35:18.901 what I'm trying to understand is what 35:18.901 --> 35:21.068 is dod doing to find out what happened 35:21.068 --> 35:23.399 here . Look , dod is not currently 35:23.409 --> 35:26.270 operating in Gaza , we're not at war in 35:26.280 --> 35:29.479 Israel against Hamas . So our focus is 35:29.489 --> 35:31.711 what we've talked about before and that 35:31.711 --> 35:34.419 is uh working to protect our citizens 35:34.429 --> 35:36.429 and our forces in the region . It's 35:36.429 --> 35:38.651 working with Israel to ensure they have 35:38.651 --> 35:40.762 what they need to defend themselves . 35:40.762 --> 35:42.818 It's working with them to enable the 35:42.818 --> 35:44.985 release of hostages and it's trying to 35:44.985 --> 35:47.040 prevent this conflict from spreading 35:47.040 --> 35:49.040 into a wider conflict . Uh where uh 35:49.040 --> 35:51.207 where required we support the US inter 35:51.207 --> 35:53.262 agency . Um You know , in the past , 35:53.262 --> 35:55.318 we've helped to deliver humanitarian 35:55.318 --> 35:57.540 assistance . Um So that continues to be 35:57.540 --> 35:59.762 our , our focus in there as part of the 35:59.762 --> 36:02.610 broader US government . Ok , sir , John , 36:03.199 --> 36:05.421 thank you General . My question will be 36:05.421 --> 36:07.520 about your fellow airman who set 36:07.530 --> 36:09.850 himself on fire last Sunday in front of 36:09.860 --> 36:12.399 the Israeli embassy saying that he 36:12.409 --> 36:15.040 doesn't want to be complicit in a 36:15.050 --> 36:18.530 genocide in his words . So there are 36:18.540 --> 36:22.350 allegations that he decided to make 36:22.360 --> 36:26.110 this extreme act of protest after 36:26.149 --> 36:29.310 his clearance led him to see some 36:29.320 --> 36:32.689 information um uh about the US 36:32.699 --> 36:35.570 involvement in this . Uh So what can 36:35.580 --> 36:37.691 you tell us about this ? And you said 36:37.691 --> 36:39.913 there's an investigation ? Uh What kind 36:39.913 --> 36:42.136 of investigation is that ? Can you give 36:42.136 --> 36:44.136 us some more information about it ? 36:44.136 --> 36:46.358 Yeah , thanks John . So anytime there's 36:46.358 --> 36:48.469 the death of an airman , particularly 36:48.469 --> 36:50.524 uh in a suicide situation , there is 36:50.524 --> 36:52.636 going to be an investigation into the 36:52.636 --> 36:54.691 circumstances and because it's under 36:54.691 --> 36:54.149 investigation , I don't want to 36:54.159 --> 36:57.010 speculate uh about this particular 36:57.020 --> 36:59.242 airman and , and what he may or may not 36:59.242 --> 37:01.353 have been experiencing or what , what 37:01.353 --> 37:03.576 his uh mental state was , it would just 37:03.576 --> 37:05.576 be pure speculation on my part . So 37:05.576 --> 37:07.742 again , we owe it to his family and we 37:07.742 --> 37:09.742 owe it to the air force to have the 37:09.742 --> 37:09.520 time to be able to do that 37:09.530 --> 37:11.474 investigation and , and get ground 37:11.474 --> 37:14.070 truth . Thank you . Yes , sir . Thanks 37:14.080 --> 37:16.302 general . Um I just wanted to follow up 37:16.302 --> 37:18.560 on the houthis . Um The US is spending 37:18.570 --> 37:20.669 a lot of money to take down cheap 37:20.679 --> 37:23.090 drones . Um Do you think that that's a 37:23.100 --> 37:25.322 sustainable strategy over a long period 37:25.322 --> 37:27.544 of time ? And do you have a strategy to 37:27.544 --> 37:29.822 maybe differ divvy that up in some way . 37:30.120 --> 37:32.231 Hey , look , you know , we're , we're 37:32.231 --> 37:34.009 gonna continue to work with the 37:34.009 --> 37:36.231 international community to safeguard uh 37:36.231 --> 37:38.453 international shipping and the lives of 37:38.453 --> 37:40.676 Mariners that are transiting uh the Red 37:40.676 --> 37:42.842 Sea . I think the fact that we've been 37:42.842 --> 37:45.389 able to save as many lives as we have . 37:45.399 --> 37:47.399 Uh It's kind of a null hypothesis . 37:47.399 --> 37:49.510 You're asking me to prove here , what 37:49.510 --> 37:51.455 would have been the cost of sunken 37:51.455 --> 37:53.288 ships lives , lost environmental 37:53.288 --> 37:55.343 disaster ? Uh had , had we not , and 37:55.343 --> 37:56.955 were we not working with the 37:56.955 --> 37:59.177 international community to address this 37:59.177 --> 38:01.343 problem ? As I highlight on a Monday , 38:01.343 --> 38:03.288 I it's almost like the houthis are 38:03.288 --> 38:03.000 trying to wreck their own neighborhood . 38:03.229 --> 38:06.090 Um You know , and you know , 38:06.870 --> 38:08.926 ultimately in the long term , not to 38:08.926 --> 38:11.148 their benefit to continue this . Let me 38:11.148 --> 38:13.314 go over to Courtney . Thank you . Um I 38:13.314 --> 38:15.537 wonder are two different topics on , on 38:15.537 --> 38:17.703 Israel today ? Does the Pentagon think 38:17.703 --> 38:19.703 it's appropriate for Israel to , to 38:19.703 --> 38:22.037 investigate itself in this attack today ? 38:22.037 --> 38:23.981 Considering that most of the , the 38:23.981 --> 38:25.870 allegations from witnesses on the 38:25.870 --> 38:27.870 ground are that it was the Id F who 38:27.870 --> 38:27.659 were responsible for many of these 38:27.689 --> 38:29.800 deaths and injuries ? Hey , look , uh 38:29.800 --> 38:31.856 Israel is a sovereign country in the 38:31.856 --> 38:33.967 same way if there were allegations in 38:33.967 --> 38:36.300 our own military of inappropriate 38:36.310 --> 38:40.050 actions or something that , that was uh 38:40.100 --> 38:42.530 problematic , you know , we conduct 38:42.540 --> 38:44.484 investigations in our military and 38:44.484 --> 38:46.540 there's methods and procedures to do 38:46.540 --> 38:48.762 that again . I'm not going to speak for 38:48.762 --> 38:48.250 Israel in terms of who within the 38:48.260 --> 38:50.482 Israeli government would investigate or 38:50.482 --> 38:52.593 how they approach it . Um But again , 38:52.593 --> 38:54.760 one would expect that it would be very 38:54.760 --> 38:56.871 similar . And then on the secretary's 38:56.871 --> 38:56.709 testimony today , there was one thing 38:56.719 --> 38:59.179 that I was confused about . I , I'm , 38:59.189 --> 39:01.356 I'm confused now about who it was that 39:01.356 --> 39:03.467 made the determination on January 2nd 39:03.467 --> 39:05.411 for him to transfer authorities to 39:05.411 --> 39:07.245 secretary Deputy Secretary hicks 39:07.245 --> 39:09.411 because he said at one point , he said 39:09.411 --> 39:11.689 that his staff were advised by doctors , 39:11.689 --> 39:13.800 they would not be able to gain access 39:13.800 --> 39:15.300 to him . And , and maybe I 39:15.300 --> 39:17.522 misunderstood , but it made it sound as 39:17.522 --> 39:19.522 if the staff were the ones whomever 39:19.522 --> 39:21.578 that was , who made the decision for 39:21.578 --> 39:23.800 him to have to transfer authority . And 39:23.800 --> 39:23.179 it was a communication thing as opposed 39:23.189 --> 39:25.770 to a medical necessity , which I 39:25.780 --> 39:27.947 thought was , was what we were earlier 39:27.947 --> 39:30.113 told that the , the seriousness of the 39:30.113 --> 39:32.336 diagnosis and his medical condition was 39:32.336 --> 39:34.224 one of the reasons now is , is as 39:34.224 --> 39:36.447 highlighted in the unclassified summary 39:36.447 --> 39:38.558 as we talked about on Monday . It was 39:38.558 --> 39:42.330 the secretary's inability to access 39:42.340 --> 39:45.300 secure communications that prompted the 39:45.310 --> 39:48.110 staff to take the measures that they 39:48.120 --> 39:50.120 had done previously when he was not 39:50.120 --> 39:52.620 able to secure communications and again 39:52.629 --> 39:54.740 taking the initiative saying , well , 39:54.740 --> 39:56.919 ok , if , if the secretary is not able 39:56.929 --> 39:58.651 to access those communications 39:58.651 --> 40:00.707 procedure has been , oh by the way , 40:00.707 --> 40:02.540 procedures that are , you know , 40:02.540 --> 40:04.707 written and prescribed by the civilian 40:04.707 --> 40:06.929 leadership of the Department of Defense 40:06.929 --> 40:09.262 then we will transfer authorities to uh , 40:09.262 --> 40:11.318 the deputy secretary . And so that , 40:11.318 --> 40:13.596 that was the determination . Now again , 40:13.596 --> 40:15.762 recognizing , looking back through all 40:15.762 --> 40:17.929 of this , through the review process , 40:17.929 --> 40:20.040 uh broadly that improvements could be 40:20.040 --> 40:19.879 made . And so again , we've , we're 40:19.889 --> 40:22.111 undertaking those process and procedure 40:22.111 --> 40:24.167 improvements . But again , so it was 40:24.167 --> 40:26.278 the , the , the staff and it would be 40:26.278 --> 40:28.556 great to know who the staff were , who , 40:28.556 --> 40:30.778 who because again and correct me if I'm 40:30.778 --> 40:32.889 wrong , if I'm , if I'm mixing up the 40:32.889 --> 40:32.449 timeline because it , it , I felt like 40:32.459 --> 40:34.792 some things were a little jumbled today . 40:34.792 --> 40:37.600 I was under the impression that um the 40:37.610 --> 40:40.580 s ma the chief of staff , um the public 40:40.590 --> 40:42.701 affairs head and one other person who 40:42.701 --> 40:44.590 it was , who were all notified on 40:44.590 --> 40:46.701 January 2nd , we were told earlier in 40:46.701 --> 40:48.701 the day and that the transfer , the 40:48.701 --> 40:50.812 authorities were transferred later in 40:50.812 --> 40:53.034 the day . So who were the staff members 40:53.034 --> 40:55.090 who , who have the authority to make 40:55.090 --> 40:57.368 the decision to say Secretary Austin's ? 40:57.368 --> 40:57.270 Because I thought it was a , it was 40:57.280 --> 40:59.689 Secretary Austin's decision to transfer 40:59.699 --> 41:01.977 authorities for whatever the reason is . 41:03.179 --> 41:05.235 Well , again , I I'm just hesitating 41:05.235 --> 41:07.457 because we talked about this ad nauseam 41:07.457 --> 41:10.679 on Monday . So , but again , today , 41:10.750 --> 41:12.806 and if I'm wrong , I'm happy to talk 41:12.806 --> 41:14.861 about this offline . But I , because 41:14.861 --> 41:16.861 secretary I , I thought that it was 41:16.861 --> 41:19.083 Secretary Austin's ultimate decision to 41:19.083 --> 41:21.194 transfer the authorities for whatever 41:21.194 --> 41:21.060 the reason be , communication or 41:21.070 --> 41:23.719 whatever . But it's the , what the what 41:23.729 --> 41:26.040 the right , what the review found and , 41:26.050 --> 41:28.729 and what we talked about previously was 41:28.739 --> 41:32.360 that when the secretary's , um , 41:32.689 --> 41:35.969 doctor said that it would , they 41:35.979 --> 41:37.979 recommended he go into the critical 41:37.979 --> 41:41.939 care unit . Um It was clear that he 41:41.949 --> 41:44.171 was not gonna be able to have access to 41:44.171 --> 41:46.338 secure communications . And so as he's 41:46.338 --> 41:48.505 going into , you know , being prepared 41:48.505 --> 41:50.727 to go into that uh critical care unit , 41:50.727 --> 41:53.199 his staff , military aides make the 41:53.209 --> 41:55.489 determination based , you know , again , 41:55.500 --> 41:57.667 uh recognizing that this is sort of an 41:57.667 --> 42:00.300 unprecedented situation based on the 42:00.310 --> 42:02.532 fact that if the secretary is not going 42:02.532 --> 42:04.366 to have access to communications 42:04.366 --> 42:06.379 checklist says it's time to start 42:06.389 --> 42:08.729 talking about a transfer of authority 42:08.739 --> 42:10.961 to the deputy secretary because we need 42:10.961 --> 42:13.017 to have positive control in terms of 42:13.017 --> 42:15.239 secure communications . So the military 42:15.239 --> 42:17.570 aides took initiative to execute that 42:17.580 --> 42:19.524 to ensure that there was no gap in 42:19.524 --> 42:22.399 command and control . Uh And thus the 42:22.409 --> 42:24.631 fact that the review found there was no 42:24.631 --> 42:28.040 gap in command and control . I I don't 42:28.270 --> 42:30.437 have the review right in front of me . 42:30.437 --> 42:33.000 So I , I don't wanna uh in the , in the 42:33.010 --> 42:34.899 summary of the review that we got 42:34.899 --> 42:37.121 because I don't believe it does because 42:37.121 --> 42:36.719 I just also want to point out when , 42:36.729 --> 42:38.951 when you guys talk about , I appreciate 42:38.951 --> 42:41.007 that the , that the summer the , the 42:41.007 --> 42:43.229 review was classified by the drafters , 42:43.229 --> 42:45.007 whatever drafter means that the 42:45.007 --> 42:47.229 secretary said today . But um but the , 42:47.229 --> 42:49.929 we've only received a summary of the 42:49.939 --> 42:51.828 review . So we , there's a lot of 42:51.828 --> 42:54.106 details here that are still unclear to , 42:54.106 --> 42:55.939 to us and it , and it gets muddy 42:55.939 --> 42:58.120 frankly when we have this very vague 42:58.129 --> 43:00.351 summary that's put out and then we have 43:00.351 --> 43:02.573 testimony from the secretary today that 43:02.580 --> 43:06.439 and without a clear timeline . Yeah , 43:06.530 --> 43:08.810 thanks Courtney . Well , again , um I , 43:08.820 --> 43:10.987 I appreciate that we're gonna continue 43:10.987 --> 43:13.098 to try to provide as much information 43:13.098 --> 43:15.370 as we can . Um , a as we highlighted 43:15.379 --> 43:17.435 earlier this week . You know , there 43:17.435 --> 43:19.490 are elements of that report that are 43:19.490 --> 43:21.712 classified , uh , and , um , you know , 43:21.712 --> 43:23.879 we've endeavored to try to give you as 43:23.879 --> 43:25.935 much unclassified information as was 43:25.935 --> 43:28.046 available to provide . So , thank you 43:28.046 --> 43:27.810 very much , everybody . Appreciate it .