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Welcome to another town Hall Live from 

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the Pentagon briefing room in 

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Washington , D . C . I'm Commander 

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Morgan Murphy . This week we asked for 

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questions from around the force on 

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Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . 

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Hundreds of you submitted not only 

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questions but videos as well . So in 

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addition to written questions for our 

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three senior leaders today , we'll be 

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hearing recorded messages straight from 

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military members around the world to 

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begin today's town hall . Let's turn 

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now to the Secretary of Defense for 

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opening remarks , sir . Well , good 

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morning , everyone . And thank you for 

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joining us today for our latest town 

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hall . I'm pleased once again to be 

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joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

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of Staff General Milley and also by the 

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senior enlisted Advisor to the Chairman , 

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Master Chief Colomb Lopez . So thank 

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you both for joining me today . Before 

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we take your questions , I want to 

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first thank you all for the support 

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that you've given in terms of making 

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implementation of the national defense 

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strategy a success . We're making great 

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progress with regard implementing the N . 

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D s . A . So you know , we have three 

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lines of effort . One is to though it a 

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more ready and lethal force . The 

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second is to strengthen our alliances 

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and build new partnerships . And third 

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is to reform the department to free up 

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time money and manpower to put into 

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those other two priorities . We have 

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distilled those three lines of effort 

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into 10 broad objectives I've reported 

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on them this summer . Again , we're 

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making very good progress and continue 

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to make progress on these . For example , 

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just in the past few weeks alone , I 

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traveled to the end of Pacific , our 

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priority theater , to meet with friends 

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and partners in the region . I had the 

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chance both there and in my tour last 

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week to the West Coast , where I 

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visited the Navy and the Marine Corps 

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to meet with our sailors and Marines to 

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talk about diversity and inclusion . 

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I've probably held two dozen meetings 

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on that so far to talk about those 

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issues very important to the force . 

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But also we continue about how do we 

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discuss about how do we expand our 

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presence in the region ? How do we 

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compete in that strategic gray zone 

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that we find ourselves in with the 

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People's Republic of China these days ? 

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I also want to talk about when we speak 

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to diversity inclusion . As you know , 

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in June , I put out a directive that 

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included three initiatives to advance 

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where we are today on diversity , 

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inclusion and equal opportunity . The 

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first was a quick actions item that we 

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put out immediately that is underway , 

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and I'll talk about that as we hit the 

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questions in a moment . The second was 

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to stand up with the Defense Board for 

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diversity inclusion that is well 

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underway , also in making good progress . 

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And third is a Defense Advisory 

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committee on diversity inclusion in the 

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Armed services and that is on track to 

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be stood up by December 1st . So I'm 

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very pleased with the progress we're 

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making on that , and again , we'll talk 

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further about that in a few minutes . 

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The last thing I wanna do here's Thio 

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is to thank everybody for your support 

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and your patients as we've made our way 

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through cove it over these past nine 

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months . Aziz , you know , the Defense 

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Department was on this early in mid to 

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late January . We issued our first 

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Force Health Protect Protection memo in 

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late January . Implemented are Pandemic 

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Plan Global Pandemic Response plan 

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immediately thereafter , and for the 

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most part we've been working through 

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and updating these memos and this 

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guidance as we've gone , I'm very 

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pleased without the department is 

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performed . We focused and maintain our 

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three parties . Number one take care of 

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our people . A number to maintain our 

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national mission , readiness and 

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capabilities . And number three 

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provides support to civil authorities . 

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And again , our statistics tell the 

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story . We have the lowest mortality 

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rates , infection rates , hospital 

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hospitalization rates along could 

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possibly have . So thank you for your 

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cooperation there . Last with regard to 

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co it . I just wanna do a shout out to 

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the National Guard . Uh , for all the 

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support the National Guard has provided , 

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uh , the country of these past nine 

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months whether it was support to cove 

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it during the many months of that 

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crisis , some of which is still ongoing , 

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uh , the support to civilian 

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authorities for civil unrest . We're 

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just recently support for national 

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disasters . I was out last week in 

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California . Met with many of our fine 

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guardsmen from the California guard 

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who've been out fighting wildfires . So 

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again , hats off to the National Guard . 

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Thank you for what you dio . It's been 

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a busy year for you . but we deeply 

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appreciate all that you've done . 

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Finally , I want to thank our military 

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service members who are serving 

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alongside their loved ones in these 

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challenging times . Thank you as well 

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for your patients . We recognize in 

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many ways this is a family business and 

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certainly a family effort . And you 

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stood tall through all this . So thank 

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you for what you dio and we look 

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forward to doing everything we can to 

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get us back to a new normal , if you 

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will . So with that , I'll turn over to 

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the chairman . Thanks , Commander . 

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Thanks , Secretary . Appreciate that . 

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Did all the comments to everybody out 

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there about the National Guard ? We 

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have a remarkable organization in the 

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National Guard that rises to the 

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challenge every year , all the time , 

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whether it's overseas deployments or 

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domestic . So thanks to all of them Hey , 

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today's , uh , discussion really 

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focuses on a couple of things . But 

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most importantly , is this diversity 

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and inclusion theme that was started 

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quite a bit ago with secretaries 

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initiatives A few months back . I wanna 

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be clear that , in my view , we have 

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challenges , to be sure . But the 

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military has been and remains the 

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largest meritocracy uh , in the world , 

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in my view , on we promote , we advance . 

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We select based on your knowledge , 

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your skills , your attributes on the 

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content of your character on . We'll 

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continue to do that in a wide variety 

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of means and and we think , and I think 

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it's absolutely true through a variety 

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of studies , etcetera . But But we know 

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in internally all of us about the 

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saying of e pluribus unit on the idea 

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that we are stronger together . The 

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idea that diversity builds a better 

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team s So it's all about the readiness 

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of the force , the defense of the 

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Constitution , defense , the American 

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people . And we want to present the 

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absolute best military , uh , in the 

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world bar none . And we do that through 

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a merit based system and through a 

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system that promotes also ah , diverse 

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interactive team that is exceptionally 

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strong and stronger together rather 

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than separately . And that's really the 

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fundamental theme for today . Uh , the 

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second point , I'd like to just make an 

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opening comments and the secretary 

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mentioned it . We are in challenging 

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times , a lot of things going on . 

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We've got co vid happening here . We've 

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got wildfires , we've got a lot of 

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issues here in the challenges in the in , 

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in continental United States and then 

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overseas , we've got , you know , China 

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and Russia and Iran and North Korea in 

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the Middle East and Afghanistan , Iraq 

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and so on so forth . We , the military , 

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have been and will continue to be an 

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incredible steadying force through all 

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of the various challenges on my last 

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point is we are right now in the midst 

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of , ah general election , and each of 

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you have earned your right to vote eso . 

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I would strongly encourage that 

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everyone exercise their right to vote 

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when the time comes on and use the 

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rights , uh , that have been granted to 

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you in the Constitution and remained 

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faithful to that document called the U . 

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S . Constitution . So thanks , 

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Secretary , for the opportunity to be 

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here , and I look forward to discussion 

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turned out to the senior enlisted 

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advisor to the chairman . Thank you , 

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sir . Thank you , chairman . And thank 

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thank you , Mr Secretary . You know , 

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echo in both the sec def and the 

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chairman's comments . You know , we 

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wanna thank you for your continued 

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support and resiliency during this 

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tough times that we have been facing . 

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But most importantly , your commitment 

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to the defense of the nation and 

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support to the Constitution and in 

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appreciation the least that we can do 

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is we want each of you to rest , assure 

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that we're gonna do everything in our 

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power to ensure that your needs are met 

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for the military members to keep you 

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focus on the mission on for the family 

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members to know your welfare is first 

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and foremost in our minds to ensure 

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that we're doing everything possible as 

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an avenue to get to that point will 

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remain committed to hear in your voice 

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and Justus example . Your comments 

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during Kobe during the pandemic helped 

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us shape policies on benefits for 

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people . And now , most recently , 

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since my public service announcement in 

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August regarding the diversity and 

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inclusion , we have received over 

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70,000 comments from the force to be 

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able to go ahead and implement better 

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policies and make sure that we are 

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accounting for actions of people that 

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do not believe in diversity and 

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inclusion and , most important , to 

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keep make sure that everybody is 

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engaged has equal opportunity to do 

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what the department is assigned to do . 

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So . With that , Mr Secretary , I would 

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like to just go ahead and open the 

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floor for questions . Yeah , well , 

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let's get right into it . The first 

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question this afternoon was submitted 

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via Twitter by Dr M . Crenshaw , 

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Northern Virginia . She writes Quote 

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What programs and policies will be 

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implemented to reflect diversity and 

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inclusion . What is the pedigree behind 

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this effort and quote . I'll turn this 

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first question over to the senior 

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enlisted advisor to the chairman , who 

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serves on the department's new 

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diversity and inclusion board . Thank 

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you , sir . And , uh , thank you , Dr 

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Crenshaw . And one of the main things 

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that we're doing is first and foremost 

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coordinating with the services to 

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ensure that we are adopting similar 

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policies across the board because that 

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continuity and similarity is really 

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gonna be our champion . So as an effort , 

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we have evaluated , uh , policies and 

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offer over 34 recommendations from the 

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services . Additionally , Ran surveyed 

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the industry academia for best 

274
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practices , looking outside of the 

275
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department and third , the Office of 

276
00:09:37,410 --> 00:09:39,410
the Secretary of Defense , reviewed 

277
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over 83 past reports and studies dating 

278
00:09:42,290 --> 00:09:44,970
back to 1942 . And the purpose for 

279
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doing that is to find the common themes 

280
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not only toe identify the problem but 

281
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also toe identify the future , our 

282
00:09:51,384 --> 00:09:53,496
progress and where we need to be . So 

283
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with that , we're gonna make sure that 

284
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we exploit every opportunity to ensure 

285
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opportunity , accountability and 

286
00:09:59,662 --> 00:10:01,551
respect for all members and their 

287
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families in the Department of Defense 

288
00:10:03,662 --> 00:10:05,829
Secretary . Would you like to weigh in 

289
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and update our audience on what 

290
00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:09,829
progress has been made on diversity and 

291
00:10:09,829 --> 00:10:09,440
inclusion since our last town hall in 

292
00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:11,773
July ? Sure , Absolutely . First of all , 

293
00:10:11,773 --> 00:10:13,718
I want to thank the SEAQ because I 

294
00:10:13,718 --> 00:10:15,773
think he gave some good detail on on 

295
00:10:15,773 --> 00:10:17,440
part of the process that he's 

296
00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,496
intimately involved in . I will tell 

297
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you with regard to the macro 

298
00:10:21,107 --> 00:10:23,162
perspective , as I set up front , we 

299
00:10:23,162 --> 00:10:25,107
have moved forward on that initial 

300
00:10:25,107 --> 00:10:27,273
action , which was to find those quick 

301
00:10:27,273 --> 00:10:29,329
action items we can we can implement 

302
00:10:29,329 --> 00:10:31,607
now , now being the next 30 to 60 days . 

303
00:10:31,607 --> 00:10:33,662
So there were nine total . Four have 

304
00:10:33,662 --> 00:10:35,884
been implemented and the remaining five 

305
00:10:35,884 --> 00:10:37,970
are pending . I get briefed on this 

306
00:10:37,970 --> 00:10:40,026
weekly and unhappy with the progress 

307
00:10:40,026 --> 00:10:42,137
that we're making . The second is the 

308
00:10:42,137 --> 00:10:44,303
Defense Board . Uh , that is being led 

309
00:10:44,303 --> 00:10:46,470
by Secretary of Air Force Barrett . It 

310
00:10:46,470 --> 00:10:48,692
is joined by the SEAQ and many others . 

311
00:10:48,692 --> 00:10:50,303
It's represented or includes 

312
00:10:50,303 --> 00:10:52,414
representatives of , of all races and 

313
00:10:52,414 --> 00:10:54,770
ethnicities , but also of all ranks so 

314
00:10:54,770 --> 00:10:56,937
that we want to make sure that there's 

315
00:10:56,937 --> 00:10:59,048
ownership down throughout the ranks , 

316
00:10:59,048 --> 00:11:00,992
as as folks progress through their 

317
00:11:00,992 --> 00:11:03,159
career . Anyways , Earlier this week , 

318
00:11:03,159 --> 00:11:04,770
they briefed me . We have 16 

319
00:11:04,770 --> 00:11:06,937
recommendations pending . Uh , they're 

320
00:11:06,937 --> 00:11:08,992
being fine tuned , and I'm confident 

321
00:11:08,992 --> 00:11:08,900
that they're making good progress on 

322
00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:10,844
that front as well . Again , I get 

323
00:11:10,844 --> 00:11:12,956
updated frequently on this matter and 

324
00:11:12,956 --> 00:11:15,122
then on the third in terms of standing 

325
00:11:15,122 --> 00:11:17,270
up the Defense Advisory Committee on 

326
00:11:17,270 --> 00:11:19,492
Diversity Inclusion again good progress 

327
00:11:19,492 --> 00:11:21,381
there as well . It's made its way 

328
00:11:21,381 --> 00:11:23,880
through the various processes , if you 

329
00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:25,960
will to be federally announced , I'm 

330
00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:27,904
confident that will be stood up by 

331
00:11:27,910 --> 00:11:30,080
December 1st , and it will be well 

332
00:11:30,090 --> 00:11:32,312
represented . Of course , it will be an 

333
00:11:32,312 --> 00:11:34,479
independent board , and it will really 

334
00:11:34,479 --> 00:11:36,701
be the long term sustaining effort that 

335
00:11:36,701 --> 00:11:39,140
will ensure that this is not a a short 

336
00:11:39,150 --> 00:11:41,390
term item for the department , and we 

337
00:11:41,390 --> 00:11:43,501
move on to something else . This will 

338
00:11:43,501 --> 00:11:45,501
be a long term , sustained effort , 

339
00:11:45,501 --> 00:11:47,223
much like the Defense Advisory 

340
00:11:47,223 --> 00:11:49,390
Committee on Women in the Services has 

341
00:11:49,390 --> 00:11:51,612
been for for what now over 70 years , I 

342
00:11:51,612 --> 00:11:53,612
think since the 19 fifties , so I'm 

343
00:11:53,612 --> 00:11:55,668
really have a lot of confidence that 

344
00:11:55,668 --> 00:11:55,400
this advisory committee will give us 

345
00:11:55,410 --> 00:11:57,670
the long haul , uh , strength , 

346
00:11:57,670 --> 00:11:59,781
endurance , outside perspective . All 

347
00:11:59,781 --> 00:12:01,614
those things we need to keep the 

348
00:12:01,614 --> 00:12:03,781
pressure on to get to that state where 

349
00:12:03,781 --> 00:12:06,114
we fully embraced diversity , inclusion . 

350
00:12:06,114 --> 00:12:08,337
And there's equal opportunity for all . 

351
00:12:08,940 --> 00:12:11,162
Our second question today was submitted 

352
00:12:11,162 --> 00:12:13,760
by Senior Airman Maya Michael . Let's 

353
00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,970
roll her question . Hi , I'm Senior 

354
00:12:16,970 --> 00:12:19,192
Airman Maya missile personnel . Is that 

355
00:12:19,192 --> 00:12:21,137
the one 33rd Airlift Wing ? Say my 

356
00:12:21,137 --> 00:12:23,470
question for you is civilian 

357
00:12:23,470 --> 00:12:25,690
corporations are able to seamlessly 

358
00:12:25,690 --> 00:12:28,100
integrate technology into their day to 

359
00:12:28,100 --> 00:12:30,860
day operations . Are there plans to 

360
00:12:30,860 --> 00:12:33,720
build and maintain more stable and 

361
00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:36,880
current technology solutions like our 

362
00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,810
civilian counterparts ? If so , when 

363
00:12:39,810 --> 00:12:42,690
can we expect to see them ? Mr . 

364
00:12:42,690 --> 00:12:44,523
Secretary , I know this is a top 

365
00:12:44,523 --> 00:12:46,634
priority for the department , so I'll 

366
00:12:46,634 --> 00:12:48,801
turn her question over to you . Yeah , 

367
00:12:48,801 --> 00:12:48,690
thanks . Thanks , My . It's a very good 

368
00:12:48,690 --> 00:12:50,801
question . And I think about this two 

369
00:12:50,801 --> 00:12:52,690
ways . Uh , one is with regard to 

370
00:12:52,690 --> 00:12:54,801
technologies that we are advancing to 

371
00:12:54,801 --> 00:12:57,023
ensure that we achieve line of effort . 

372
00:12:57,023 --> 00:12:59,190
Number one , which is , uh , make sure 

373
00:12:59,190 --> 00:13:01,023
we have the most lethal military 

374
00:13:01,023 --> 00:13:03,079
possible . And I will tell you we're 

375
00:13:03,079 --> 00:13:04,912
putting billions of dollars into 

376
00:13:04,912 --> 00:13:06,968
advanced technologies such as AI and 

377
00:13:06,968 --> 00:13:09,134
hyper Sonics directed energy , space , 

378
00:13:09,134 --> 00:13:11,246
five g quantum science and I think in 

379
00:13:11,246 --> 00:13:13,246
those areas were leading were world 

380
00:13:13,246 --> 00:13:15,301
class . We work in close partnership 

381
00:13:15,301 --> 00:13:17,460
with the private sector on , so I'm 

382
00:13:17,460 --> 00:13:19,404
very confident in what we're doing 

383
00:13:19,404 --> 00:13:21,571
there . I think where Maya was going , 

384
00:13:21,571 --> 00:13:23,950
though , is more in terms of individual 

385
00:13:23,950 --> 00:13:26,228
users , technology or business systems . 

386
00:13:26,228 --> 00:13:28,394
I think we have a lot of work to do on 

387
00:13:28,394 --> 00:13:30,561
that front . It's it's still not where 

388
00:13:30,561 --> 00:13:32,672
I wanted to be . Way need to catch up 

389
00:13:32,672 --> 00:13:34,783
to where the commercial sector is the 

390
00:13:34,783 --> 00:13:36,561
private sector when it comes to 

391
00:13:36,561 --> 00:13:38,728
business systems , I t systems and the 

392
00:13:38,728 --> 00:13:40,450
like . I met just last week in 

393
00:13:40,450 --> 00:13:43,090
California with with a group of small 

394
00:13:43,090 --> 00:13:45,034
and mid sized company leaders . We 

395
00:13:45,034 --> 00:13:47,201
talked about some of these solutions . 

396
00:13:47,201 --> 00:13:49,312
I met with another small , innovative 

397
00:13:49,312 --> 00:13:51,312
company . We talked about solutions 

398
00:13:51,312 --> 00:13:53,312
along those same lines , but we got 

399
00:13:53,312 --> 00:13:55,368
work to dio . Now I have seen bright 

400
00:13:55,368 --> 00:13:55,060
spots in the past year . So , for 

401
00:13:55,060 --> 00:13:58,100
example , um , the Air Force , I'm 

402
00:13:58,100 --> 00:14:00,322
sorry . Northern Command made very good 

403
00:14:00,322 --> 00:14:02,544
use of its A B M s and jazz See , too , 

404
00:14:02,544 --> 00:14:04,767
if you will to collect real time data , 

405
00:14:04,767 --> 00:14:06,878
uh , from our service members , guard 

406
00:14:06,878 --> 00:14:08,878
reserve and active who are deployed 

407
00:14:08,878 --> 00:14:11,044
during the Kobe crisis to understand , 

408
00:14:11,044 --> 00:14:13,480
uh , occupancy rates of of of hospital 

409
00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:15,840
beds . Uh , the presence of patients , 

410
00:14:15,850 --> 00:14:18,010
other data . Very good use of it on 

411
00:14:18,010 --> 00:14:20,066
that front . I've seen very good use 

412
00:14:20,066 --> 00:14:22,288
within the Pentagon in the last several 

413
00:14:22,288 --> 00:14:24,399
weeks of Adana , which is a situation 

414
00:14:24,399 --> 00:14:27,420
which is a , uh , business software 

415
00:14:27,430 --> 00:14:29,541
that allows us to draw data real time 

416
00:14:29,541 --> 00:14:31,708
data directly from our systems and not 

417
00:14:31,708 --> 00:14:33,819
have people going through the process 

418
00:14:33,819 --> 00:14:35,930
of building PowerPoint charts . So my 

419
00:14:35,930 --> 00:14:37,874
aim is to get away from PowerPoint 

420
00:14:37,874 --> 00:14:40,097
charts and then I've also seen in other 

421
00:14:40,097 --> 00:14:42,041
areas where it's people at bases I 

422
00:14:42,041 --> 00:14:44,152
visited in the past couple of years . 

423
00:14:44,152 --> 00:14:46,263
We're able to do maintenance requests 

424
00:14:46,263 --> 00:14:48,319
through an online app that will then 

425
00:14:48,319 --> 00:14:50,541
track the we'll track the time and date 

426
00:14:50,541 --> 00:14:52,708
by which the actual maintenance worker 

427
00:14:52,708 --> 00:14:52,590
will arrive at their home to do that . 

428
00:14:52,590 --> 00:14:55,480
So I see progress . It's not fast 

429
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,591
enough . We need to do better , and I 

430
00:14:57,591 --> 00:14:59,758
want to move as quickly as the private 

431
00:14:59,758 --> 00:15:01,869
sector . Of course , there are issues 

432
00:15:01,869 --> 00:15:04,036
of scale there that the private sector 

433
00:15:04,036 --> 00:15:03,630
doesn't happen . That is my ambition as 

434
00:15:03,630 --> 00:15:05,797
well . And I hope we can . We could do 

435
00:15:05,797 --> 00:15:08,130
exactly what I think my is asking about . 

436
00:15:08,130 --> 00:15:10,130
Yeah , no . Getting away from Power 

437
00:15:10,130 --> 00:15:12,463
point would make some people very happy . 

438
00:15:12,463 --> 00:15:14,686
This third question comes from Facebook 

439
00:15:14,686 --> 00:15:16,852
user Joe Vitt . He asked quote . Can d 

440
00:15:16,852 --> 00:15:19,460
o d not leave Cove in 19 response upto 

441
00:15:19,460 --> 00:15:21,520
local commanders . Guidance is one 

442
00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,687
thing , but an official policy by base 

443
00:15:23,687 --> 00:15:25,870
commanders is another , as it leads to 

444
00:15:25,870 --> 00:15:28,560
miss her misinterpretation of protocols 

445
00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,290
and requirements . Mr Video truncated 

446
00:15:31,290 --> 00:15:33,290
your question there , but I think I 

447
00:15:33,290 --> 00:15:35,512
captured the crux of it on I'll turn it 

448
00:15:35,512 --> 00:15:37,568
over to the nation's highest ranking 

449
00:15:37,568 --> 00:15:39,512
military officer to answer General 

450
00:15:39,512 --> 00:15:41,346
Milley . Well , Joe , one of the 

451
00:15:41,346 --> 00:15:43,568
principles that we've all grown up with 

452
00:15:43,568 --> 00:15:46,490
this mission command , if you will , a 

453
00:15:46,490 --> 00:15:48,601
commanders intent , is another way of 

454
00:15:48,601 --> 00:15:50,712
putting that Onda . What that implies 

455
00:15:50,712 --> 00:15:52,768
is you have centralized planning and 

456
00:15:52,768 --> 00:15:54,823
decentralized execution , and that's 

457
00:15:54,823 --> 00:15:56,823
what we've attempted to do . And we 

458
00:15:56,823 --> 00:15:59,046
have a wide variety of memos , guidance 

459
00:15:59,046 --> 00:16:01,323
policies that have been promulgated by , 

460
00:16:01,323 --> 00:16:04,020
uh , the end the services on they go 

461
00:16:04,030 --> 00:16:06,790
eventually down for execution . Two 

462
00:16:06,790 --> 00:16:08,568
local base commanders and local 

463
00:16:08,568 --> 00:16:10,457
commanders . So for decentralized 

464
00:16:10,457 --> 00:16:12,623
execution and each of those commanders 

465
00:16:12,623 --> 00:16:15,120
that is required to actually execute 

466
00:16:15,130 --> 00:16:17,600
and implement those policies and guys 

467
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,933
that are coming from the secretary , uh , 

468
00:16:19,933 --> 00:16:21,989
S O , they do that through their own 

469
00:16:21,989 --> 00:16:23,656
policies and orders and local 

470
00:16:23,656 --> 00:16:25,544
regulations , etcetera , which is 

471
00:16:25,544 --> 00:16:24,990
appropriate . That's the way the 

472
00:16:24,990 --> 00:16:27,157
military operates . So I think that is 

473
00:16:27,157 --> 00:16:29,379
a appropriate way of doing it . We have 

474
00:16:29,379 --> 00:16:31,360
issued a considerable amount of 

475
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:33,610
guidance and policies . Our Department 

476
00:16:33,610 --> 00:16:35,680
of Defense . A Tlass count . I'm 

477
00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,940
tracking 13 force health protection 

478
00:16:38,940 --> 00:16:40,940
policy memos . Uh , there's been 60 

479
00:16:40,940 --> 00:16:43,051
memos totally written . Maybe there's 

480
00:16:43,051 --> 00:16:45,051
too many of these things coming out 

481
00:16:45,051 --> 00:16:46,996
there , but the bottom line is , I 

482
00:16:46,996 --> 00:16:49,162
don't think that we are abdicating our 

483
00:16:49,162 --> 00:16:51,329
responsibilities , set policy and have 

484
00:16:51,329 --> 00:16:53,690
a D centrally executed at the at the 

485
00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:55,533
local level . I think that's the 

486
00:16:55,533 --> 00:16:57,478
appropriate way toe go about doing 

487
00:16:57,478 --> 00:16:59,644
things . And I think that entrusts our 

488
00:16:59,644 --> 00:17:01,144
commander's with execution 

489
00:17:01,144 --> 00:17:03,089
implementation of policy , which I 

490
00:17:03,089 --> 00:17:04,867
think is appropriate . The next 

491
00:17:04,867 --> 00:17:06,700
question this morning comes from 

492
00:17:06,700 --> 00:17:08,478
Lucinda Martinez , who asked on 

493
00:17:08,478 --> 00:17:10,900
Facebook quote , Please speak to the 

494
00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:13,170
freedom and protection of religious 

495
00:17:13,170 --> 00:17:15,390
liberty for our service members . Will 

496
00:17:15,390 --> 00:17:17,860
the chaplaincy remain a vital part of 

497
00:17:17,860 --> 00:17:20,082
the U . S . Military will partnering in 

498
00:17:20,082 --> 00:17:21,860
cooperation with civilian , the 

499
00:17:21,860 --> 00:17:24,082
civilian religious community near bases 

500
00:17:24,270 --> 00:17:27,080
be encouraged in the coming days . It's 

501
00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,302
Martinez years as a policy question for 

502
00:17:29,302 --> 00:17:31,413
the department , so I'll turn it over 

503
00:17:31,413 --> 00:17:33,691
to the secretary of Defense to respond . 

504
00:17:33,691 --> 00:17:35,802
Dr . That's a very good question from 

505
00:17:35,802 --> 00:17:37,969
Lucinda . So thank you . Look , we all 

506
00:17:37,969 --> 00:17:37,450
have right the right under the 

507
00:17:37,450 --> 00:17:39,880
Constitution , Thio Freedom of religion . 

508
00:17:39,890 --> 00:17:42,057
And you certainly don't surrender that 

509
00:17:42,057 --> 00:17:44,168
right when you join the military . In 

510
00:17:44,168 --> 00:17:46,057
fact , it z something that's very 

511
00:17:46,057 --> 00:17:48,001
important to many military service 

512
00:17:48,001 --> 00:17:50,001
members . We've all sworn an oath , 

513
00:17:50,001 --> 00:17:52,057
both certainly military personnel in 

514
00:17:52,057 --> 00:17:54,223
the department , on civilians to . And 

515
00:17:54,223 --> 00:17:56,223
I've sworn that oath nearly a dozen 

516
00:17:56,223 --> 00:17:58,001
times to support and defend the 

517
00:17:58,001 --> 00:17:59,723
Constitution , and we're fully 

518
00:17:59,723 --> 00:18:01,834
committed to that . And that includes 

519
00:18:01,834 --> 00:18:03,834
all the rights guaranteed under the 

520
00:18:03,834 --> 00:18:05,779
Bill of Rights . So the freedom of 

521
00:18:05,779 --> 00:18:08,001
religion is very important . We need to 

522
00:18:08,001 --> 00:18:09,834
make sure that , uh , all of our 

523
00:18:09,834 --> 00:18:12,057
soldiers , sailors , airmen and marines 

524
00:18:12,057 --> 00:18:14,112
understand what their rights are the 

525
00:18:14,112 --> 00:18:16,168
freedom to exercise them . Uh , this 

526
00:18:16,168 --> 00:18:18,112
summer , we've undergone a process 

527
00:18:18,112 --> 00:18:20,279
where we're educating our commanders . 

528
00:18:20,279 --> 00:18:22,334
Our JAG corps are chaplains , if you 

529
00:18:22,334 --> 00:18:24,390
will , in terms of what those rights 

530
00:18:24,390 --> 00:18:23,990
are and how to make sure that we meet 

531
00:18:23,990 --> 00:18:26,180
them , if you will , and so that every 

532
00:18:26,190 --> 00:18:29,260
service member can exercise the right 

533
00:18:29,270 --> 00:18:31,890
for Thio to practice their faith , 

534
00:18:31,890 --> 00:18:33,723
whatever faith that is or to not 

535
00:18:33,723 --> 00:18:35,946
exercise that right . And we need to do 

536
00:18:35,946 --> 00:18:37,890
our very best as appropriate to to 

537
00:18:37,890 --> 00:18:39,890
accommodate to make that happen . I 

538
00:18:39,890 --> 00:18:42,112
still recall nearly 30 some years ago , 

539
00:18:42,112 --> 00:18:44,112
if you will , is a young lieutenant 

540
00:18:44,112 --> 00:18:46,446
going through Ranger school on a Sunday , 

541
00:18:46,446 --> 00:18:48,279
we would pause and we would have 

542
00:18:48,279 --> 00:18:50,501
religious services for those who wanted 

543
00:18:50,501 --> 00:18:52,723
to participate . So it's enabling those 

544
00:18:52,723 --> 00:18:54,834
types of things for folks to practice 

545
00:18:54,834 --> 00:18:56,779
our faith , which is which is very 

546
00:18:56,779 --> 00:18:58,946
important . We just also put out a new 

547
00:18:58,946 --> 00:19:01,112
policy fully consistent with laws have 

548
00:19:01,112 --> 00:19:03,334
been passed over the last several years 

549
00:19:03,334 --> 00:19:05,640
that outlines what those rights are for 

550
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,320
freedom of religion . Religious liberty , 

551
00:19:08,330 --> 00:19:10,441
uh , strengthens them , if you will , 

552
00:19:10,441 --> 00:19:12,680
so that all service members again have 

553
00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:14,847
that right . Uh , lastly , I'll say is 

554
00:19:14,847 --> 00:19:16,958
I've always found that during my time 

555
00:19:16,958 --> 00:19:19,180
in the military chaplains to be a great 

556
00:19:19,180 --> 00:19:21,347
resource to commanders to the chain of 

557
00:19:21,347 --> 00:19:23,347
command and to course , the service 

558
00:19:23,347 --> 00:19:25,569
members as well . So I believe strongly 

559
00:19:25,569 --> 00:19:27,791
in the importance of the chaplain corps 

560
00:19:27,791 --> 00:19:30,013
and two degree that the engaging with , 

561
00:19:30,013 --> 00:19:31,958
uh , with faith providers off base 

562
00:19:31,958 --> 00:19:34,291
strengthens the faith community on base . 

563
00:19:34,291 --> 00:19:36,569
It would be something that , of course , 

564
00:19:36,569 --> 00:19:38,736
I would support . Uh , I think again , 

565
00:19:38,736 --> 00:19:40,902
it Z something that all members of the 

566
00:19:40,902 --> 00:19:42,736
military have is that freedom of 

567
00:19:42,736 --> 00:19:44,902
religion and the other rights , if you 

568
00:19:44,902 --> 00:19:46,902
will , embedded in the Constitution 

569
00:19:46,902 --> 00:19:49,124
that we have all against Warner on both 

570
00:19:49,124 --> 00:19:51,590
about to protect and defend . Let's 

571
00:19:51,590 --> 00:19:53,701
turn again to a videos are principles 

572
00:19:53,701 --> 00:19:55,868
can hear directly from you . This next 

573
00:19:55,868 --> 00:19:58,034
video is from Sergeant Major Champ who 

574
00:19:58,034 --> 00:20:00,970
works for the M Med com G 

575
00:20:00,970 --> 00:20:04,830
357 Let's roll her tape , afternoon 

576
00:20:04,830 --> 00:20:06,830
or good morning , depending on your 

577
00:20:06,830 --> 00:20:09,040
time zone . I think this is Sergeant 

578
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,262
Major Champ and I work in the med . Com 

579
00:20:11,262 --> 00:20:14,150
G 357 Thanks for giving me the 

580
00:20:14,150 --> 00:20:17,310
opportunity to ask questions . Um , my 

581
00:20:17,310 --> 00:20:19,477
question that I have for you has there 

582
00:20:19,477 --> 00:20:22,620
been any kind of serving done on the 

583
00:20:22,630 --> 00:20:26,030
perceived level of racism or racial 

584
00:20:26,030 --> 00:20:28,930
discrimination in the Army between 

585
00:20:28,940 --> 00:20:31,390
different racial groups and different 

586
00:20:31,390 --> 00:20:33,840
categories , like enlisted versus 

587
00:20:33,850 --> 00:20:36,830
Officer ? See that cologne ? Lopez . 

588
00:20:36,830 --> 00:20:38,997
I'll put the Sergeant Major's question 

589
00:20:38,997 --> 00:20:41,163
to you ? Well , absolutely . And thank 

590
00:20:41,163 --> 00:20:43,274
you for the question , Sergeant Major 

591
00:20:43,274 --> 00:20:45,441
champ . And it's really important that 

592
00:20:45,441 --> 00:20:47,960
we understand exactly what we're doing 

593
00:20:47,970 --> 00:20:50,192
with the data that we currently have in 

594
00:20:50,192 --> 00:20:52,730
the history off the department and what 

595
00:20:52,730 --> 00:20:54,897
we're trying to go . So first of all , 

596
00:20:54,897 --> 00:20:57,570
it's the perceive comment of your 

597
00:20:57,570 --> 00:20:59,650
question . What ? We're looking into 

598
00:20:59,650 --> 00:21:02,550
the fax off what has happened over the 

599
00:21:02,550 --> 00:21:04,717
years , and then we're looking at each 

600
00:21:04,717 --> 00:21:06,939
group separately just to make sure that 

601
00:21:06,939 --> 00:21:08,661
we have a good sense of what's 

602
00:21:08,661 --> 00:21:10,828
happening in the enlisted force and in 

603
00:21:10,828 --> 00:21:12,550
the Officer Force . But like I 

604
00:21:12,550 --> 00:21:14,661
previously mentioned , we have looked 

605
00:21:14,661 --> 00:21:16,883
back as studies all the way back to the 

606
00:21:16,883 --> 00:21:19,050
19 forties , just to make sure that we 

607
00:21:19,050 --> 00:21:21,217
do not get this wrong . And at the end 

608
00:21:21,217 --> 00:21:23,272
of the day , we need to first define 

609
00:21:23,272 --> 00:21:25,439
what those problems are , whether it's 

610
00:21:25,439 --> 00:21:27,900
racism , discrimination , bias or other 

611
00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:29,789
form that actually segregates the 

612
00:21:29,789 --> 00:21:31,900
specific group of people based on the 

613
00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:34,011
unlikely nous to the other group that 

614
00:21:34,011 --> 00:21:36,122
they're being addressed by . And then 

615
00:21:36,122 --> 00:21:38,344
we're gonna go ahead and take that that 

616
00:21:38,344 --> 00:21:40,178
information here soon . Like the 

617
00:21:40,178 --> 00:21:42,344
secretary mentioned by by 1 December , 

618
00:21:42,344 --> 00:21:44,011
we're gonna have some changes 

619
00:21:44,011 --> 00:21:45,844
implemented to see if we need to 

620
00:21:45,844 --> 00:21:47,844
rewrite policy to see if we need to 

621
00:21:47,844 --> 00:21:49,956
better identify what is being done by 

622
00:21:49,956 --> 00:21:52,067
the department , what else we need to 

623
00:21:52,067 --> 00:21:54,122
put out there so that commanders can 

624
00:21:54,122 --> 00:21:56,178
make those decisions and account for 

625
00:21:56,178 --> 00:21:56,030
people that deviate from the expected 

626
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:58,262
behavior . But I hope that that answers 

627
00:21:58,262 --> 00:22:02,120
your question . This 

628
00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:04,650
next question came from Facebook and is 

629
00:22:04,650 --> 00:22:06,820
from Scott Ward IUs of Jacksonville , 

630
00:22:06,820 --> 00:22:09,400
Florida His question centers on the 

631
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,500
budget , he wrote . Quote . Do you 

632
00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,660
foresee any financial impacts to 

633
00:22:13,660 --> 00:22:15,770
military funding in the next fiscal 

634
00:22:15,770 --> 00:22:17,730
year ? Due to the current and any 

635
00:22:17,730 --> 00:22:20,460
subsequent co vid stimulus packages 

636
00:22:20,620 --> 00:22:23,210
being proposed by Congress , the Navy 

637
00:22:23,210 --> 00:22:24,932
cannot afford any more cuts to 

638
00:22:24,932 --> 00:22:27,580
maintenance or similar sequestration s 

639
00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:29,691
cuts . Mr . Secretary , I know you've 

640
00:22:29,691 --> 00:22:32,400
speaking spoken frequently on budget 

641
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:34,511
pressures and the impact they have on 

642
00:22:34,511 --> 00:22:36,289
how the department fulfills the 

643
00:22:36,289 --> 00:22:38,511
national defense strategies . I'll turn 

644
00:22:38,511 --> 00:22:38,370
this to you , sir . It's a very good 

645
00:22:38,370 --> 00:22:40,259
question , and he makes very good 

646
00:22:40,259 --> 00:22:42,481
points there . A zoo said , I've spoken 

647
00:22:42,481 --> 00:22:44,592
a lot about this . We pay a good deal 

648
00:22:44,592 --> 00:22:46,814
of attention to it . Let me just give a 

649
00:22:46,814 --> 00:22:46,810
little bit of history . First of all , 

650
00:22:46,820 --> 00:22:49,042
I will tell you over past three years , 

651
00:22:49,042 --> 00:22:51,264
we've gotten incredible support for our 

652
00:22:51,264 --> 00:22:52,820
budget increases under this 

653
00:22:52,820 --> 00:22:55,042
administration , which is really helped 

654
00:22:55,042 --> 00:22:57,153
us restore readiness , helped us make 

655
00:22:57,153 --> 00:22:58,820
those important modernization 

656
00:22:58,820 --> 00:22:58,750
investments , helped us take care of 

657
00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:01,150
our families , and bottom line helped 

658
00:23:01,150 --> 00:23:03,039
us implement the national defense 

659
00:23:03,039 --> 00:23:05,150
strategy . So I believe that needs to 

660
00:23:05,150 --> 00:23:07,372
continue and I need that believes to be 

661
00:23:07,372 --> 00:23:09,539
continued is what I've said , a annual 

662
00:23:09,539 --> 00:23:11,560
growth rate of 3 to 5% if we're if 

663
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:13,671
we're going to implement the national 

664
00:23:13,671 --> 00:23:15,893
defense strategy , which includes which 

665
00:23:15,893 --> 00:23:18,004
means making all those investments of 

666
00:23:18,004 --> 00:23:20,171
readiness , modernization in our force 

667
00:23:20,171 --> 00:23:22,116
and our families and education all 

668
00:23:22,116 --> 00:23:24,171
those things that are very important 

669
00:23:24,171 --> 00:23:23,950
but also more specifically , if we're 

670
00:23:23,950 --> 00:23:25,894
going to compete with the People's 

671
00:23:25,894 --> 00:23:28,228
Republic of China over the coming years , 

672
00:23:28,228 --> 00:23:30,506
so we need to see that continue growth . 

673
00:23:30,506 --> 00:23:32,617
We also cannot afford to see a return 

674
00:23:32,617 --> 00:23:34,720
to sequestration . I think there's 

675
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:36,942
bipartisan agreement that sequestration 

676
00:23:36,942 --> 00:23:39,053
did harm to the military that it took 

677
00:23:39,053 --> 00:23:41,440
years and still taking us time to dig 

678
00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,380
out of . But it's also aggravated by , 

679
00:23:44,390 --> 00:23:47,610
uh by continuing resolutions which 

680
00:23:47,620 --> 00:23:50,540
which which prohibit us from making new 

681
00:23:50,540 --> 00:23:52,873
starts on programs or other investments . 

682
00:23:52,873 --> 00:23:55,096
That kind of delay our funding . And so 

683
00:23:55,096 --> 00:23:57,096
I've constantly urged Congress that 

684
00:23:57,096 --> 00:23:58,890
what I need from Congress is a 

685
00:23:58,890 --> 00:24:01,057
predictable , adequate , sustained and 

686
00:24:01,057 --> 00:24:03,168
timely budget . That means by October 

687
00:24:03,168 --> 00:24:05,446
1st of each year we can see our budget , 

688
00:24:05,446 --> 00:24:07,390
and we can count on that happening 

689
00:24:07,390 --> 00:24:09,612
because otherwise I lose spending power 

690
00:24:09,612 --> 00:24:11,870
d o d lose suspending power . Now I 

691
00:24:11,870 --> 00:24:14,037
sell that realizing , of course , that 

692
00:24:14,037 --> 00:24:15,870
we likely will have a continuing 

693
00:24:15,870 --> 00:24:17,780
resolution here in a week on also 

694
00:24:17,780 --> 00:24:20,680
recognizing that the country has spent , 

695
00:24:20,690 --> 00:24:23,040
uh , trillions of dollars , if you will , 

696
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,373
to deal with the Kobe crisis . And , uh , 

697
00:24:25,373 --> 00:24:27,373
it was important to do that , too . 

698
00:24:27,373 --> 00:24:29,700
Thio Address the pandemic to keep the 

699
00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:31,811
economy afloat to help many Americans 

700
00:24:31,811 --> 00:24:34,033
who are suffering and still are in many 

701
00:24:34,033 --> 00:24:36,850
cases , it adds additional fiscal 

702
00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:40,170
pressure to the country . Onda . We 

703
00:24:40,170 --> 00:24:42,337
need to deal with the fiscal situation 

704
00:24:42,337 --> 00:24:44,448
the United States faces , but I don't 

705
00:24:44,448 --> 00:24:46,559
think you pay for that on the back of 

706
00:24:46,559 --> 00:24:48,670
the O . D . I think economic security 

707
00:24:48,670 --> 00:24:50,892
and national security go hand in hand , 

708
00:24:50,892 --> 00:24:52,726
and we need to make make sure we 

709
00:24:52,726 --> 00:24:54,614
continue those investments in our 

710
00:24:54,614 --> 00:24:56,670
defense budget to make sure that the 

711
00:24:56,670 --> 00:24:58,559
Navy or the army of the Air Force 

712
00:24:58,559 --> 00:25:00,448
Marine Corps . Whatever . Uh , it 

713
00:25:00,448 --> 00:25:02,559
doesn't face budget shortfalls . That 

714
00:25:02,559 --> 00:25:04,670
leaves us in a bind . That also means 

715
00:25:04,670 --> 00:25:06,670
that we have a responsibility under 

716
00:25:06,670 --> 00:25:08,781
line of effort number three to reform 

717
00:25:08,781 --> 00:25:11,003
and to free up , uh , free up money and 

718
00:25:11,003 --> 00:25:13,059
manpower to do the right things . We 

719
00:25:13,059 --> 00:25:15,226
need to get an audit accomplished . We 

720
00:25:15,226 --> 00:25:17,114
need to be better stewards of the 

721
00:25:17,114 --> 00:25:18,892
taxpayer's dollars . And that's 

722
00:25:18,892 --> 00:25:18,870
something we , India , India's A 

723
00:25:18,870 --> 00:25:21,530
leadership have have approached very 

724
00:25:21,530 --> 00:25:23,752
seriously and feel strongly about doing 

725
00:25:23,752 --> 00:25:25,641
our share when it comes to fiscal 

726
00:25:25,641 --> 00:25:28,050
management . We received hundreds of 

727
00:25:28,050 --> 00:25:30,050
questions on Twitter , Facebook and 

728
00:25:30,050 --> 00:25:32,106
Instagram for our principles today . 

729
00:25:32,106 --> 00:25:34,610
And yes , we do read your comments one 

730
00:25:34,610 --> 00:25:36,888
of them or thought provoking was quote . 

731
00:25:37,140 --> 00:25:38,862
What would the consequences of 

732
00:25:38,862 --> 00:25:41,250
diversity and inclusion have on the D . 

733
00:25:41,250 --> 00:25:43,900
O . D s ability to serve and protect 

734
00:25:43,910 --> 00:25:46,720
the values of the Constitution ? Mr . 

735
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,942
Chairman , I'll turn this question over 

736
00:25:48,942 --> 00:25:52,080
to you , sir . Well , the whole purpose 

737
00:25:52,090 --> 00:25:54,410
of the military the uniformed military , 

738
00:25:54,410 --> 00:25:56,021
is to protect and defend the 

739
00:25:56,021 --> 00:25:58,299
Constitution . United States , America , 

740
00:25:58,299 --> 00:26:00,521
eso we're committed to do that . How do 

741
00:26:00,521 --> 00:26:02,577
you do that ? You do that through an 

742
00:26:02,577 --> 00:26:04,743
exceptionally strong military that has 

743
00:26:04,743 --> 00:26:07,077
extraordinary capabilities and capacity . 

744
00:26:07,077 --> 00:26:09,500
So the issue of diversity is about the 

745
00:26:09,500 --> 00:26:11,389
readiness , the capability of the 

746
00:26:11,389 --> 00:26:13,389
capacity of the U . S . Military in 

747
00:26:13,389 --> 00:26:15,630
order to defend the Constitution on 

748
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:17,862
It's my belief and it's been the belief 

749
00:26:17,862 --> 00:26:20,140
of our country from the very beginning . 

750
00:26:20,140 --> 00:26:22,196
E pluribus Unum . Back to my opening 

751
00:26:22,196 --> 00:26:24,418
comment from the many Come one , we are 

752
00:26:24,418 --> 00:26:26,473
stronger together . Think of it is a 

753
00:26:26,473 --> 00:26:28,720
strong rope with many strands all 

754
00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:30,776
coming together to create strength . 

755
00:26:30,776 --> 00:26:33,000
Think of the joint force . So , uh , 

756
00:26:33,010 --> 00:26:35,121
the army is better with the Air Force 

757
00:26:35,121 --> 00:26:37,232
when the Air Force is better with the 

758
00:26:37,232 --> 00:26:39,343
Navy and the Army and the Marines and 

759
00:26:39,343 --> 00:26:38,870
Marines are better with the names . So 

760
00:26:38,870 --> 00:26:41,950
we're all better together on the truth 

761
00:26:41,950 --> 00:26:44,006
of diversity . Inclusion is also the 

762
00:26:44,006 --> 00:26:46,340
same . You get better solutions . In 

763
00:26:46,340 --> 00:26:48,562
general , you get better solutions when 

764
00:26:48,562 --> 00:26:50,562
you have diverse opinions , diverse 

765
00:26:50,562 --> 00:26:52,784
backgrounds coming together to focus on 

766
00:26:52,784 --> 00:26:55,120
a single problem . So put young people 

767
00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:57,590
with old people put , folks who are you 

768
00:26:57,590 --> 00:26:59,960
are from various backgrounds , infantry 

769
00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,182
and armor , and Navy and Marines , uh , 

770
00:27:02,182 --> 00:27:04,293
but also people who come from diverse 

771
00:27:04,293 --> 00:27:06,516
backgrounds , urban and rural black and 

772
00:27:06,516 --> 00:27:08,730
white , Asian and Indian , uh , in all 

773
00:27:08,730 --> 00:27:10,952
kinds of different viewpoints , come to 

774
00:27:10,952 --> 00:27:12,674
solve a problem together , and 

775
00:27:12,674 --> 00:27:14,786
generally speaking , you get a better 

776
00:27:14,786 --> 00:27:16,952
solution at the end of it when you use 

777
00:27:16,952 --> 00:27:18,730
the techniques of diversity and 

778
00:27:18,730 --> 00:27:20,897
inclusion . So it's not just diversity 

779
00:27:20,897 --> 00:27:23,008
for diversity's sake . It's diversity 

780
00:27:23,008 --> 00:27:25,008
to improve the system , improve the 

781
00:27:25,008 --> 00:27:27,174
military , improve our problem solving 

782
00:27:27,174 --> 00:27:28,786
capabilities and improve our 

783
00:27:28,786 --> 00:27:30,674
warfighting readiness in order to 

784
00:27:30,674 --> 00:27:32,786
protect and defend the Constitution . 

785
00:27:32,786 --> 00:27:34,897
And that's why it's so important , so 

786
00:27:34,897 --> 00:27:37,063
fundamental that we have . This is one 

787
00:27:37,063 --> 00:27:38,897
of our elements of a Z . We move 

788
00:27:38,897 --> 00:27:40,841
forward to continue to develop the 

789
00:27:40,841 --> 00:27:43,260
joint force for this town hall . We 

790
00:27:43,260 --> 00:27:45,593
received more video questions than ever . 

791
00:27:45,593 --> 00:27:47,816
So I want to quickly thank those of you 

792
00:27:47,816 --> 00:27:50,038
who took the time to record and send in 

793
00:27:50,038 --> 00:27:52,260
your thoughts . This next video is from 

794
00:27:52,260 --> 00:27:54,316
Petty Officer Third Class . I cannot 

795
00:27:54,316 --> 00:27:56,260
Tanaka , who served aboard the USS 

796
00:27:56,260 --> 00:27:59,980
Stennis . Let's roll his video . Hi , 

797
00:27:59,990 --> 00:28:02,212
my name is Petty Officer third Class of 

798
00:28:02,212 --> 00:28:04,268
Canada . Tanaka stationed on the USS 

799
00:28:04,268 --> 00:28:06,546
John C . Stennis in Norfolk , Virginia , 

800
00:28:06,546 --> 00:28:08,712
and I have a Kobe related question for 

801
00:28:08,712 --> 00:28:10,823
you . Do you see the restrictions for 

802
00:28:10,823 --> 00:28:12,879
military personnel being loosened in 

803
00:28:12,879 --> 00:28:15,160
the foreseeable future ? I'm gonna turn 

804
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,160
p 03 Tanaka is question over to the 

805
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,216
chairman of the Joint Chiefs again . 

806
00:28:19,216 --> 00:28:21,640
Well , the short answer is yes . And a 

807
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:23,529
some point in the future of these 

808
00:28:23,529 --> 00:28:25,640
restrictions will be lifted . But but 

809
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:27,473
for right now , and you said the 

810
00:28:27,473 --> 00:28:29,696
foreseeable future , Uh , for right now 

811
00:28:29,696 --> 00:28:31,807
it's conditions based that it depends 

812
00:28:31,807 --> 00:28:34,029
on where you are . What ? The situation 

813
00:28:34,029 --> 00:28:36,196
is your local camp post station ship , 

814
00:28:36,196 --> 00:28:38,770
etcetera . But we have to be mindful 

815
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,000
that the number one priority is the 

816
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,000
health and safety of the force writ 

817
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,056
large . Eso we know . Well , we know 

818
00:28:45,056 --> 00:28:47,850
factually that masks work . We know 

819
00:28:47,850 --> 00:28:50,040
that social distancing work . We know 

820
00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:52,530
that proper sanitation , hygiene and 

821
00:28:52,530 --> 00:28:54,752
Washington hands . We know those things 

822
00:28:54,752 --> 00:28:56,808
work , so we're gonna continue to do 

823
00:28:56,808 --> 00:28:58,863
those . In the meantime , we're also 

824
00:28:58,863 --> 00:28:58,750
developing a vaccine . You've heard 

825
00:28:58,750 --> 00:29:01,550
about Operation Warp speed that is on 

826
00:29:01,550 --> 00:29:03,910
the fast track . I fully expect that 

827
00:29:03,910 --> 00:29:06,810
we're gonna have a successful , safe 

828
00:29:06,820 --> 00:29:09,153
and effective vaccines in the near term . 

829
00:29:09,153 --> 00:29:11,264
I don't know what that means in terms 

830
00:29:11,264 --> 00:29:13,431
of exact numbers , but sometime in the 

831
00:29:13,431 --> 00:29:15,542
fall in towards the end of the year , 

832
00:29:15,542 --> 00:29:17,598
you're going to see vaccines rolling 

833
00:29:17,598 --> 00:29:19,487
out that will be administered toe 

834
00:29:19,487 --> 00:29:21,431
various parts of population in the 

835
00:29:21,431 --> 00:29:23,653
military . The numbers will increase as 

836
00:29:23,653 --> 00:29:25,653
we get into the into the winter and 

837
00:29:25,653 --> 00:29:27,709
spring and you've heard probably the 

838
00:29:27,709 --> 00:29:30,042
CDC and other officials talk about that . 

839
00:29:30,042 --> 00:29:32,153
So you've got the vaccine out there , 

840
00:29:32,153 --> 00:29:31,670
and that will eventually be a great 

841
00:29:31,670 --> 00:29:34,880
solution . Um , and it will defeat the 

842
00:29:34,890 --> 00:29:38,760
co vid , uh , virus over time . But in 

843
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:40,704
the meantime , we're gonna have to 

844
00:29:40,704 --> 00:29:42,871
maintain our restrictions that we have 

845
00:29:42,871 --> 00:29:44,704
and continue to enforce the self 

846
00:29:44,704 --> 00:29:46,760
discipline that we use for masks and 

847
00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:49,093
hygiene and social distancing and so on , 

848
00:29:49,093 --> 00:29:48,750
so forth . And it's all very , very 

849
00:29:48,750 --> 00:29:50,972
locally dependent . It depends on where 

850
00:29:50,972 --> 00:29:53,028
exactly you are , and the commanders 

851
00:29:53,028 --> 00:29:54,917
will make those calls . This next 

852
00:29:54,917 --> 00:29:56,972
question is along the same lines and 

853
00:29:56,972 --> 00:29:59,250
comes via Twitter from Aaron Halverson , 

854
00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:01,990
he writes quote . When will they'll be 

855
00:30:02,290 --> 00:30:04,401
on official memorandum put out to the 

856
00:30:04,401 --> 00:30:06,346
force and two senior leaders about 

857
00:30:06,346 --> 00:30:08,401
travel restrictions lifted for PCs , 

858
00:30:08,401 --> 00:30:11,850
travel and back to usual business ? Mr . 

859
00:30:11,850 --> 00:30:13,961
Secretary , I'll pose Erin's question 

860
00:30:13,961 --> 00:30:16,017
to you , sir . Sure , this is a good 

861
00:30:16,017 --> 00:30:18,017
question . I have back back to back 

862
00:30:18,017 --> 00:30:17,630
with the question that the chairman 

863
00:30:17,630 --> 00:30:20,070
just received . So let me go back again 

864
00:30:20,070 --> 00:30:22,860
and and say that we've issued over a 

865
00:30:22,860 --> 00:30:25,140
dozen fourth health protection memos 

866
00:30:25,140 --> 00:30:27,910
now since since late January , when we 

867
00:30:27,910 --> 00:30:30,760
first began this in mid January . And 

868
00:30:30,770 --> 00:30:32,770
they have proven very successful in 

869
00:30:32,770 --> 00:30:34,770
terms of providing that centralized 

870
00:30:34,770 --> 00:30:36,881
guidance and direction while allowing 

871
00:30:36,881 --> 00:30:38,937
for decentralized execution , if you 

872
00:30:38,937 --> 00:30:41,048
will , based on local conditions . So 

873
00:30:41,048 --> 00:30:43,381
one that we sent out several months ago , 

874
00:30:43,381 --> 00:30:45,548
in fact , in May of this year spoke to 

875
00:30:45,548 --> 00:30:47,548
the issue of PCS travel and what we 

876
00:30:47,548 --> 00:30:50,400
said is based on local 

877
00:30:51,070 --> 00:30:53,860
based specific conditions and the local 

878
00:30:53,860 --> 00:30:56,650
state level conditions of where a 

879
00:30:56,650 --> 00:31:00,350
person is located and based on the 

880
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:02,471
installation conditions and the local 

881
00:31:02,471 --> 00:31:04,582
and state conditions of where they're 

882
00:31:04,582 --> 00:31:06,749
going . If both are what we call green 

883
00:31:06,749 --> 00:31:08,804
right in terms of co vid rates being 

884
00:31:08,804 --> 00:31:11,138
very low and we believe suitable travel , 

885
00:31:11,138 --> 00:31:13,138
then there are no restrictions with 

886
00:31:13,138 --> 00:31:15,138
regard to PCs moves associated with 

887
00:31:15,138 --> 00:31:19,070
Cove It , However , if if one of those 

888
00:31:19,070 --> 00:31:21,830
two sites it does have an issue that we 

889
00:31:21,830 --> 00:31:23,997
would call either yellow or red if you 

890
00:31:23,997 --> 00:31:26,219
will , uh , then there are restrictions 

891
00:31:26,219 --> 00:31:28,163
on PCS travel , and now that means 

892
00:31:28,163 --> 00:31:30,330
there's always room for exceptions and 

893
00:31:30,330 --> 00:31:32,497
waivers , and we've been We've allowed 

894
00:31:32,497 --> 00:31:34,386
commanders to issue exceptions of 

895
00:31:34,386 --> 00:31:36,552
waivers going back to the early days , 

896
00:31:36,552 --> 00:31:38,663
but we're going to continue that kind 

897
00:31:38,663 --> 00:31:40,941
of conditions based , approached a zoo . 

898
00:31:40,941 --> 00:31:43,052
We move forward , and by the way , we 

899
00:31:43,052 --> 00:31:44,997
see conditions changing across the 

900
00:31:44,997 --> 00:31:47,163
country all the time . And so you will 

901
00:31:47,163 --> 00:31:49,108
see in some cases condition levels 

902
00:31:49,108 --> 00:31:51,163
going up or going down based on what 

903
00:31:51,163 --> 00:31:52,719
they see again at the local 

904
00:31:52,719 --> 00:31:54,886
installation and the capabilities they 

905
00:31:54,886 --> 00:31:56,830
have it that installation and then 

906
00:31:56,830 --> 00:31:56,760
what's happening in the state in which 

907
00:31:56,760 --> 00:31:59,038
they're located or if they're overseas , 

908
00:31:59,038 --> 00:32:01,204
if they're kokonas what's happening in 

909
00:32:01,204 --> 00:32:03,371
the country in which they're located . 

910
00:32:03,371 --> 00:32:05,482
So that will continue to be the basis 

911
00:32:05,482 --> 00:32:05,260
until we get to the point where we have 

912
00:32:05,260 --> 00:32:07,800
a ah vaccine and enough people are 

913
00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,340
vaccinated that we can fully loosen up 

914
00:32:10,350 --> 00:32:12,490
and then get back to again normal or 

915
00:32:12,500 --> 00:32:15,880
near new Normal . Our next question 

916
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:17,930
came from Twitter and was posted by 

917
00:32:17,930 --> 00:32:20,690
Orlando Cabrera . He asked quote Sir , 

918
00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:23,220
have you considered keeping the officer 

919
00:32:23,220 --> 00:32:25,570
promotion photos ? In my vision , the 

920
00:32:25,570 --> 00:32:27,737
board would be required to see all the 

921
00:32:27,737 --> 00:32:29,903
selectees as a group . If the group is 

922
00:32:29,903 --> 00:32:32,220
two male or two white , consider 

923
00:32:32,220 --> 00:32:34,440
rescreening . Thank you , sir . Very 

924
00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,940
respectfully , Commander Cabrera , U S 

925
00:32:36,940 --> 00:32:40,530
N Mr Cabrera must be the most polite 

926
00:32:40,530 --> 00:32:42,530
person on Twitter signing with full 

927
00:32:42,530 --> 00:32:44,474
military courtesy . I'll turn this 

928
00:32:44,474 --> 00:32:46,697
question over to the chairman to answer 

929
00:32:46,740 --> 00:32:49,200
well , Commander , each of the service 

930
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,089
secretaries and service chiefs of 

931
00:32:51,089 --> 00:32:53,940
waiting on this particular topic on all 

932
00:32:53,940 --> 00:32:55,829
the services have decided they're 

933
00:32:55,829 --> 00:32:57,996
either executing right now are assumed 

934
00:32:57,996 --> 00:33:00,480
to implement the removal of photos and 

935
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,300
not only just photos but all other 

936
00:33:03,300 --> 00:33:05,960
indicators of personal identity and 

937
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,930
characteristics in any of the files as 

938
00:33:08,930 --> 00:33:11,210
you go before promotion board again is 

939
00:33:11,210 --> 00:33:13,680
because back toe the comment about we 

940
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,490
are the world's biggest meritocracy . 

941
00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,449
We take great pride in that , and 

942
00:33:18,449 --> 00:33:20,671
certainly we have areas to improve in . 

943
00:33:20,671 --> 00:33:23,550
But on balance , we recognize that 

944
00:33:23,550 --> 00:33:25,780
knowledge , skills , attributes and the 

945
00:33:25,780 --> 00:33:27,891
content of your character what should 

946
00:33:27,891 --> 00:33:30,120
advance you through the system , not 

947
00:33:30,130 --> 00:33:32,230
any particular personal identity 

948
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,240
characteristic . So to do that , we 

949
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,340
have to essentially sterilize the board 

950
00:33:37,350 --> 00:33:40,330
files without any identifying 

951
00:33:40,330 --> 00:33:42,552
characteristics so that you remove your 

952
00:33:42,552 --> 00:33:44,774
removing unconscious and conscious bias 

953
00:33:44,774 --> 00:33:46,663
from the system . That's the idea 

954
00:33:46,663 --> 00:33:48,997
behind it all . The service secretaries . 

955
00:33:48,997 --> 00:33:51,052
I think this is the way to go . They 

956
00:33:51,052 --> 00:33:50,820
made recommendations to the secretary 

957
00:33:50,820 --> 00:33:53,880
defense on those , uh , those actions 

958
00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:55,991
of being implemented . Azzawi speak , 

959
00:33:55,991 --> 00:33:58,158
and I fully support him . I think it's 

960
00:33:58,158 --> 00:34:00,380
a good way to go , and I think that the 

961
00:34:00,380 --> 00:34:02,380
results will be telling , uh in the 

962
00:34:02,380 --> 00:34:04,380
future , and we'll still be able to 

963
00:34:04,380 --> 00:34:06,658
determine diversity through statistics , 

964
00:34:06,658 --> 00:34:08,824
etcetera . But the actual promotion of 

965
00:34:08,824 --> 00:34:10,936
a given file , I think that should be 

966
00:34:10,936 --> 00:34:13,158
done in a very neutral way and based on 

967
00:34:13,158 --> 00:34:15,324
merit . Here's another Navy question , 

968
00:34:15,324 --> 00:34:17,324
but I suspect it applies across the 

969
00:34:17,324 --> 00:34:19,547
services . Eric Rick of Mount Clemens , 

970
00:34:19,547 --> 00:34:21,658
Virginia , writes . Is there a chance 

971
00:34:21,658 --> 00:34:24,150
to consolidate all D o d e learning 

972
00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:26,900
onto one website ? The Navy alone uses 

973
00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:29,220
at least five Navy e learning E Sam Z 

974
00:34:29,220 --> 00:34:31,920
cats , T . W . M s and J K Oh , this 

975
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:34,170
seems a huge waste of I t resource is 

976
00:34:34,540 --> 00:34:36,540
plus the administrative distraction 

977
00:34:36,540 --> 00:34:38,484
that comes with so many additional 

978
00:34:38,484 --> 00:34:40,596
accounts . Mr . Rick , I'm gonna turn 

979
00:34:40,596 --> 00:34:42,818
your question on e learning over to the 

980
00:34:42,818 --> 00:34:46,030
sea . Acto answer . Thank you there , 

981
00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:47,873
Chief Rick and I appreciate your 

982
00:34:47,873 --> 00:34:49,873
question . And you know , the first 

983
00:34:49,873 --> 00:34:51,984
thing that I will say is that there's 

984
00:34:51,984 --> 00:34:54,151
too many acronyms and , uh in there to 

985
00:34:54,151 --> 00:34:56,318
understand what what the systems are . 

986
00:34:56,318 --> 00:34:56,260
And I can appreciate the frustration , 

987
00:34:56,270 --> 00:34:58,540
but first I have to say for your Navy 

988
00:34:58,540 --> 00:35:00,651
specific training that it's a title . 

989
00:35:00,651 --> 00:35:02,707
Tim Responsibility , man trained and 

990
00:35:02,707 --> 00:35:04,873
equipped , which belongs to the master 

991
00:35:04,873 --> 00:35:07,096
Chief Petty officer of the Navy . But I 

992
00:35:07,096 --> 00:35:09,207
want to show you that I will go ahead 

993
00:35:09,207 --> 00:35:11,373
and discuss this with him here shortly 

994
00:35:11,373 --> 00:35:13,596
after we conclude this session . But on 

995
00:35:13,596 --> 00:35:13,380
the joint side , on the joint side , we 

996
00:35:13,380 --> 00:35:15,602
have our chief management officer right 

997
00:35:15,602 --> 00:35:17,380
now conducting an initiative to 

998
00:35:17,380 --> 00:35:19,102
consolidate all joint training 

999
00:35:19,102 --> 00:35:21,770
initiatives in J K . O . So as we 

1000
00:35:21,770 --> 00:35:23,770
progress with that , we're going to 

1001
00:35:23,770 --> 00:35:25,881
capture the lessons learned from it . 

1002
00:35:25,881 --> 00:35:28,103
What worked , what didn't . And then we 

1003
00:35:28,103 --> 00:35:27,370
can share that with the services to 

1004
00:35:27,370 --> 00:35:29,940
adopt , like systems to be able to get 

1005
00:35:29,940 --> 00:35:31,996
after that . But in the meantime , I 

1006
00:35:31,996 --> 00:35:34,218
will make sure that I get your question 

1007
00:35:34,218 --> 00:35:36,384
over to the master Chief Petty officer 

1008
00:35:36,384 --> 00:35:38,496
in the Navy to address thank you . We 

1009
00:35:38,496 --> 00:35:40,551
received this next video from Master 

1010
00:35:40,551 --> 00:35:42,496
Sergeant Tom Wheeler of Task Force 

1011
00:35:42,496 --> 00:35:46,250
Spartan . Let's roll his question . I'm 

1012
00:35:46,250 --> 00:35:48,306
Master Sergeant Tom Wheeler with the 

1013
00:35:48,306 --> 00:35:50,417
42nd Infantry Division and Task Force 

1014
00:35:50,417 --> 00:35:52,417
Spark . With the recent drawdown of 

1015
00:35:52,417 --> 00:35:54,472
forces in Iraq and Afghanistan , I'd 

1016
00:35:54,472 --> 00:35:54,220
like to know how that effects future 

1017
00:35:54,220 --> 00:35:56,331
deployments for the garden reserves . 

1018
00:35:57,340 --> 00:36:00,240
Mr . secretary , can you tell ? Tell us 

1019
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:02,129
what garden Reserve members might 

1020
00:36:02,129 --> 00:36:04,240
expect in the future . Well , I think 

1021
00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:06,462
what you'll see is we , uh we draw down 

1022
00:36:06,462 --> 00:36:08,462
forces that the garden Reserve will 

1023
00:36:08,462 --> 00:36:10,629
still be , uh , active participants in 

1024
00:36:10,629 --> 00:36:12,629
any deployments were doing . I will 

1025
00:36:12,629 --> 00:36:14,796
tell you , when I entered the military 

1026
00:36:14,796 --> 00:36:16,962
in the eighties , and certainly in the 

1027
00:36:16,962 --> 00:36:19,073
early nineties , the Garden Reserve , 

1028
00:36:19,073 --> 00:36:21,240
the guard was a strategic reserve , if 

1029
00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:23,351
you will , and then over time , moved 

1030
00:36:23,351 --> 00:36:25,573
to be an operational reserve and now is 

1031
00:36:25,573 --> 00:36:27,573
an integral part of the operational 

1032
00:36:27,573 --> 00:36:29,684
force and approved themselves again . 

1033
00:36:29,684 --> 00:36:31,684
Both the garden reserve , amazingly 

1034
00:36:31,684 --> 00:36:33,796
well askew . Noah's others may know I 

1035
00:36:33,796 --> 00:36:36,018
served in all three components active , 

1036
00:36:36,018 --> 00:36:35,790
guard and reserve . So I understand 

1037
00:36:35,790 --> 00:36:37,901
what they bring , what each brings to 

1038
00:36:37,901 --> 00:36:40,012
the table and what that means for the 

1039
00:36:40,012 --> 00:36:42,179
force . It gets to the diversity issue 

1040
00:36:42,179 --> 00:36:44,179
we talked about later at a personal 

1041
00:36:44,179 --> 00:36:46,401
level . But you also get diversity at a 

1042
00:36:46,401 --> 00:36:46,260
unit level , a component level in this 

1043
00:36:46,260 --> 00:36:49,440
case . So so I think as we draw down in 

1044
00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:51,773
various locations and you will see , uh , 

1045
00:36:51,773 --> 00:36:53,884
proportionate drawdowns as well . But 

1046
00:36:53,884 --> 00:36:56,107
that doesn't mean as we deploy that you 

1047
00:36:56,107 --> 00:36:57,884
won't see the guard and reserve 

1048
00:36:57,884 --> 00:37:00,107
deploying . I think it will continue to 

1049
00:37:00,107 --> 00:37:02,329
see three guard reserve deploying along 

1050
00:37:02,329 --> 00:37:04,496
with the active components . Uh , that 

1051
00:37:04,496 --> 00:37:06,551
will be part and parcel . I think of 

1052
00:37:06,551 --> 00:37:08,662
the strategy going forward , Uh , but 

1053
00:37:08,662 --> 00:37:08,610
something unique about both the garden 

1054
00:37:08,610 --> 00:37:11,240
reserve that we have to always remain 

1055
00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:13,240
conscious of . Something that I was 

1056
00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:15,296
when I served in those components is 

1057
00:37:15,296 --> 00:37:17,860
the impact on employers . And so a zai 

1058
00:37:17,860 --> 00:37:19,916
go around and speak to guardsmen and 

1059
00:37:19,916 --> 00:37:22,249
reservists . I always ask that question , 

1060
00:37:22,249 --> 00:37:24,193
How are your employer's holding up 

1061
00:37:24,193 --> 00:37:26,416
house ? How are you holding up in terms 

1062
00:37:26,416 --> 00:37:28,582
of managing both your responsibilities 

1063
00:37:28,582 --> 00:37:30,693
in uniforms and your responsibilities 

1064
00:37:30,693 --> 00:37:32,749
out of uniforms ? And we don't wanna 

1065
00:37:32,749 --> 00:37:32,660
make sure way Address all those issues 

1066
00:37:32,660 --> 00:37:35,960
as we continue on this on this strategy , 

1067
00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,182
implementing strategy we're on and what 

1068
00:37:38,182 --> 00:37:40,238
that means in terms of deployments . 

1069
00:37:40,330 --> 00:37:42,740
The next question comes from Marianne 

1070
00:37:42,740 --> 00:37:45,190
Olivia Downs of Virginia . She asked 

1071
00:37:45,190 --> 00:37:47,357
quote , Why hasn't the department more 

1072
00:37:47,357 --> 00:37:50,040
widely publicized or made the policy 

1073
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:52,207
and implementation guidance mawr clear 

1074
00:37:52,207 --> 00:37:54,320
for D . O . D . Components regarding 

1075
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,210
the availability for civilians to 

1076
00:37:56,210 --> 00:37:58,590
utilize emergency paid sick leave for 

1077
00:37:58,590 --> 00:38:00,650
dependent care due to school and 

1078
00:38:00,650 --> 00:38:02,990
daycare closures under the emergency 

1079
00:38:02,990 --> 00:38:05,300
paid Sick Leave Act and Families First 

1080
00:38:05,300 --> 00:38:07,800
Coronavirus Relief Act , Mr Secretary , 

1081
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:09,856
I'll turn her question over to you . 

1082
00:38:09,856 --> 00:38:11,967
Sure , it's a good question , and I I 

1083
00:38:11,967 --> 00:38:14,022
think way should continue to try and 

1084
00:38:14,022 --> 00:38:15,967
get the word out . You know , that 

1085
00:38:15,967 --> 00:38:17,967
those laws were passed earlier this 

1086
00:38:17,967 --> 00:38:20,078
year . I think it was put out by , uh 

1087
00:38:20,078 --> 00:38:22,300
by D o D . In April , it was publicized 

1088
00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,740
way . Put it across , uh , across the 

1089
00:38:24,740 --> 00:38:26,907
force across the department . Civilian 

1090
00:38:26,907 --> 00:38:29,073
supervisors are aware of this , but we 

1091
00:38:29,073 --> 00:38:30,962
can always do better to make sure 

1092
00:38:30,962 --> 00:38:32,962
everybody is aware . In fact , what 

1093
00:38:32,962 --> 00:38:35,073
we're gonna do is ask for my chief of 

1094
00:38:35,073 --> 00:38:37,184
public affairs to put out in the next 

1095
00:38:37,184 --> 00:38:39,190
24 hours or so on social media an 

1096
00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:41,144
update as to where we are and what 

1097
00:38:41,144 --> 00:38:44,610
those various benefits are so that more 

1098
00:38:44,610 --> 00:38:46,832
people know because it's very important 

1099
00:38:46,832 --> 00:38:48,721
that that we make sure that's all 

1100
00:38:48,721 --> 00:38:50,888
available to our civilian employees in 

1101
00:38:50,888 --> 00:38:52,721
addition to our military service 

1102
00:38:52,721 --> 00:38:54,777
members as well , and that they have 

1103
00:38:54,777 --> 00:38:56,999
what they need to make sure that we can 

1104
00:38:56,999 --> 00:38:58,888
accomplish our mission . Our last 

1105
00:38:58,888 --> 00:39:01,250
question today is a video submitted by 

1106
00:39:01,260 --> 00:39:03,760
a B H two Hines , who's aboard the CvN 

1107
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,550
78 the Gerald Ford Let's roll her 

1108
00:39:06,550 --> 00:39:09,270
question . My question is in regards to 

1109
00:39:09,270 --> 00:39:11,214
how we are all handling the social 

1110
00:39:11,214 --> 00:39:14,420
distancing . Due to the cove in 19 this 

1111
00:39:14,420 --> 00:39:16,476
instruction has taken a huge toll on 

1112
00:39:16,476 --> 00:39:18,390
many sailors . Their morale has 

1113
00:39:18,390 --> 00:39:20,334
plummeted , but most importantly , 

1114
00:39:20,334 --> 00:39:22,279
their mental health as well , Fast 

1115
00:39:22,279 --> 00:39:24,740
cruising 7 to 14 days and then 

1116
00:39:24,750 --> 00:39:26,940
immediately going into an underway for 

1117
00:39:26,940 --> 00:39:30,920
2.5 to 3 weeks can really 

1118
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:33,440
do some damage . And most certainly has , 

1119
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,576
especially to our junior sailors who 

1120
00:39:36,576 --> 00:39:38,298
have not fully adapted to this 

1121
00:39:38,298 --> 00:39:40,480
lifestyle . What does the Navy plan to 

1122
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:43,000
do to help raise and maintain the 

1123
00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,680
morale across the fleet ? I'll turn 

1124
00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:48,513
this final question today to the 

1125
00:39:48,513 --> 00:39:50,736
secretary of defense to comment on a BH 

1126
00:39:50,736 --> 00:39:52,958
two Heinz message , sir . Sure . Well , 

1127
00:39:52,958 --> 00:39:55,013
you know , I've spent a good deal of 

1128
00:39:55,013 --> 00:39:57,013
time with the Navy recently to talk 

1129
00:39:57,013 --> 00:39:59,124
about , you know , the deployments of 

1130
00:39:59,124 --> 00:40:01,124
ships , how we're making sure there 

1131
00:40:01,124 --> 00:40:03,180
clean of co vid eso . I've been from 

1132
00:40:03,180 --> 00:40:05,560
Kings Bay , Georgia , where I visit 

1133
00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:07,782
with our submarine fleet down there . I 

1134
00:40:07,782 --> 00:40:10,090
was at the on the USS Essex out in the 

1135
00:40:10,090 --> 00:40:12,430
Pacific about four weeks ago , and then 

1136
00:40:12,430 --> 00:40:14,652
just last week I was on the Carl Vinson 

1137
00:40:14,810 --> 00:40:17,560
with our sailors out on the Eastern 

1138
00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,282
Pacific right off the coast of 

1139
00:40:19,282 --> 00:40:21,449
California . And each time I'm briefed 

1140
00:40:21,449 --> 00:40:23,616
in terms of what the Navy is doing , I 

1141
00:40:23,616 --> 00:40:25,727
think the priorities are in the right 

1142
00:40:25,727 --> 00:40:25,420
place , fully consistent with what we 

1143
00:40:25,420 --> 00:40:27,364
put out that is , take care of our 

1144
00:40:27,364 --> 00:40:29,650
people first . So whether it's , uh , 

1145
00:40:29,660 --> 00:40:32,060
pre deployment covert testing , uh , 

1146
00:40:32,070 --> 00:40:34,730
entering into a 14 day wrong period , 

1147
00:40:34,740 --> 00:40:37,660
after which you you test again and then 

1148
00:40:37,660 --> 00:40:39,716
you go on board the ship and then on 

1149
00:40:39,716 --> 00:40:41,938
board ship from many cases at a minimum 

1150
00:40:41,938 --> 00:40:43,930
of 30 days , if not for the entire 

1151
00:40:43,930 --> 00:40:46,097
cruise . Folks are keeping their masks 

1152
00:40:46,097 --> 00:40:48,319
on and doing social distancing the best 

1153
00:40:48,319 --> 00:40:50,152
they can , and it is tedious . I 

1154
00:40:50,152 --> 00:40:51,986
understand it , but I think it's 

1155
00:40:51,986 --> 00:40:54,152
showing in terms of the Navy's results 

1156
00:40:54,152 --> 00:40:56,374
in terms of infection rates , infection 

1157
00:40:56,374 --> 00:40:58,541
rates , that they're doing a very good 

1158
00:40:58,541 --> 00:41:00,763
job . And so I also that they're taking 

1159
00:41:00,763 --> 00:41:02,819
heat to what they see with regard to 

1160
00:41:02,819 --> 00:41:04,986
morale keeping spirits up , and I have 

1161
00:41:04,986 --> 00:41:06,986
confidence that the Navy leadership 

1162
00:41:06,986 --> 00:41:09,152
will do the right thing . I also get a 

1163
00:41:09,152 --> 00:41:08,700
good sense from all the sailors I 

1164
00:41:08,700 --> 00:41:10,720
talked Thio and in these past eight 

1165
00:41:10,720 --> 00:41:12,887
weeks , alone that they're really glad 

1166
00:41:12,887 --> 00:41:14,998
to be getting back , to see and doing 

1167
00:41:14,998 --> 00:41:17,109
their jobs . So many people tell me , 

1168
00:41:17,109 --> 00:41:18,942
Look , they join the Navy . Thio 

1169
00:41:18,942 --> 00:41:20,998
operate on the high seas to do their 

1170
00:41:20,998 --> 00:41:23,331
mission to ensure freedom of navigation , 

1171
00:41:23,331 --> 00:41:25,442
freedom of commerce . Launch jets off 

1172
00:41:25,442 --> 00:41:27,810
of carriers to to shoot standard 

1173
00:41:27,810 --> 00:41:29,921
missiles off the ships , All of which 

1174
00:41:29,921 --> 00:41:31,643
I've had the chance to see and 

1175
00:41:31,643 --> 00:41:33,866
experience with the Navy out there . So 

1176
00:41:33,866 --> 00:41:35,977
they're doing a great job . I commend 

1177
00:41:35,977 --> 00:41:37,866
the Navy , but I think it's it is 

1178
00:41:37,866 --> 00:41:40,088
important . A sailor says that not just 

1179
00:41:40,088 --> 00:41:42,310
the Navy leadership , but leadership of 

1180
00:41:42,310 --> 00:41:44,477
all the services pay careful attention 

1181
00:41:44,477 --> 00:41:46,532
these days to the impacts of Cove it 

1182
00:41:46,532 --> 00:41:48,643
and the policies and conditions we've 

1183
00:41:48,643 --> 00:41:50,866
placed on everybody to keep them safe , 

1184
00:41:50,866 --> 00:41:52,977
that at the same time we're conscious 

1185
00:41:52,977 --> 00:41:55,199
of what the impact it has on morale and 

1186
00:41:55,199 --> 00:41:57,421
then not just for our service members , 

1187
00:41:57,421 --> 00:41:59,588
but for the families also . And that's 

1188
00:41:59,588 --> 00:41:59,230
the message I will continue to 

1189
00:41:59,230 --> 00:42:01,452
reinforce with the leadership team here 

1190
00:42:01,452 --> 00:42:03,690
at the Pentagon . We're gonna close 

1191
00:42:03,690 --> 00:42:05,912
today with some final remarks from each 

1192
00:42:05,912 --> 00:42:07,968
of our principles . Let's begin with 

1193
00:42:07,968 --> 00:42:11,520
SEAQ . No again , Mr Secretary 

1194
00:42:11,530 --> 00:42:13,586
Chairman . Thank you so much for the 

1195
00:42:13,586 --> 00:42:15,697
opportunity to be here to the address 

1196
00:42:15,697 --> 00:42:17,752
in our troops and our our families . 

1197
00:42:17,752 --> 00:42:19,752
But I would just like to go back to 

1198
00:42:19,752 --> 00:42:21,980
1968 at a time where the Department of 

1199
00:42:21,980 --> 00:42:24,220
Defense waas in a really , really tough 

1200
00:42:24,220 --> 00:42:27,310
spot regarding , uh , racial issues . 

1201
00:42:27,500 --> 00:42:30,880
And if we remember back in 1968 we had 

1202
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,330
something called The Times of Troubles 

1203
00:42:33,330 --> 00:42:35,360
to what we had . Over 300 racial 

1204
00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:37,304
incidents across the Department of 

1205
00:42:37,304 --> 00:42:40,200
Defense , including 71 killings inside 

1206
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,230
basis , because off because off racial 

1207
00:42:43,230 --> 00:42:45,930
issues and also in 1972 2 aircraft 

1208
00:42:45,930 --> 00:42:48,050
carriers that were brought to a halt 

1209
00:42:48,060 --> 00:42:50,550
because of racial incidents . We have 

1210
00:42:50,550 --> 00:42:52,772
to learn quite a bit since those days . 

1211
00:42:52,772 --> 00:42:54,772
And whatever we do today , whatever 

1212
00:42:54,772 --> 00:42:56,772
actions we take , we cannot regress 

1213
00:42:56,772 --> 00:42:59,200
back to that . We're better than that . 

1214
00:42:59,210 --> 00:43:01,470
We have respect for each other on we 

1215
00:43:01,470 --> 00:43:03,248
need to start enjoying the same 

1216
00:43:03,248 --> 00:43:06,030
freedoms off the people whom we have to 

1217
00:43:06,030 --> 00:43:08,140
protect . So let's take care of one 

1218
00:43:08,140 --> 00:43:10,084
another . Let's continue the march 

1219
00:43:10,084 --> 00:43:12,380
towards progress . We owe it to each 

1220
00:43:12,380 --> 00:43:14,380
other on we ought to generations to 

1221
00:43:14,380 --> 00:43:18,370
come . Seven million . So 

1222
00:43:18,380 --> 00:43:20,250
what I would just close with is 

1223
00:43:20,260 --> 00:43:22,650
thanking , uh , the entire force what 

1224
00:43:22,660 --> 00:43:24,950
you do out there , every single data 

1225
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:26,740
supporting defend this great 

1226
00:43:26,750 --> 00:43:29,028
Constitution . The idea that's America . 

1227
00:43:29,028 --> 00:43:30,861
And it's remarkable . We have an 

1228
00:43:30,861 --> 00:43:32,639
amazing military , whether it's 

1229
00:43:32,639 --> 00:43:34,806
overseas or here in continental United 

1230
00:43:34,806 --> 00:43:36,806
States , whether it's active duty , 

1231
00:43:36,806 --> 00:43:38,694
reserve guard . It's a phenomenal 

1232
00:43:38,694 --> 00:43:41,290
organization on its phenomenal because 

1233
00:43:41,300 --> 00:43:43,480
we're standards based or merit based . 

1234
00:43:43,490 --> 00:43:46,880
We are inclusive way . Take advantage 

1235
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,140
of the diversity of the force on . We 

1236
00:43:49,140 --> 00:43:51,418
have an extraordinarily talented force . 

1237
00:43:51,418 --> 00:43:53,473
So thanks to every single one of you 

1238
00:43:53,473 --> 00:43:55,751
for what you're doing every single day , 

1239
00:43:55,751 --> 00:43:57,880
Uh , lastly , I would just say we 

1240
00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,590
didn't mention it in the session today . 

1241
00:44:00,720 --> 00:44:02,840
But it is suicide prevention National 

1242
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:05,390
Suicide Prevention month on . I'd ask 

1243
00:44:05,390 --> 00:44:07,557
that every one of us take care of each 

1244
00:44:07,557 --> 00:44:09,779
other . We are , in fact , our brothers 

1245
00:44:09,779 --> 00:44:09,730
and sisters keeper . If you see the 

1246
00:44:09,730 --> 00:44:11,810
signs or indications , as one of the 

1247
00:44:11,810 --> 00:44:14,130
questions indicated about , uh , some 

1248
00:44:14,130 --> 00:44:16,352
mental health and in some morale issues 

1249
00:44:16,352 --> 00:44:18,463
etcetera . If you see those signs and 

1250
00:44:18,463 --> 00:44:21,010
symptoms , please intervene . Uh , 

1251
00:44:21,020 --> 00:44:23,076
there's no shame in that . Take away 

1252
00:44:23,076 --> 00:44:24,853
the stigma . It's a very , very 

1253
00:44:24,853 --> 00:44:27,076
important thing . And there But for the 

1254
00:44:27,076 --> 00:44:29,242
grace of God , go ice or any one of us 

1255
00:44:29,242 --> 00:44:31,464
is susceptible to the the pressures and 

1256
00:44:31,464 --> 00:44:30,820
the stresses that can lead someone to 

1257
00:44:30,830 --> 00:44:33,570
believe that that's an alternative Thio 

1258
00:44:33,580 --> 00:44:36,110
solving your problems . So please keep 

1259
00:44:36,110 --> 00:44:38,277
that in mind and and take care of each 

1260
00:44:38,277 --> 00:44:40,499
other every single day . Stay political 

1261
00:44:40,499 --> 00:44:42,721
and keep the Constitution close to your 

1262
00:44:42,721 --> 00:44:44,888
heart . Thanks for what you're doing , 

1263
00:44:44,888 --> 00:44:46,832
Mr Secretary . I want to thank the 

1264
00:44:46,832 --> 00:44:48,666
Force once again for everybody's 

1265
00:44:48,666 --> 00:44:50,777
efforts pulling together to help us , 

1266
00:44:50,777 --> 00:44:52,777
uh , implement the national defense 

1267
00:44:52,777 --> 00:44:54,888
strategy to help us provide support . 

1268
00:44:54,888 --> 00:44:57,110
The civilian authorities , uh , help us 

1269
00:44:57,110 --> 00:44:59,332
to do all the many tasks that we have , 

1270
00:44:59,332 --> 00:45:01,499
and I think it goes back to the basics 

1271
00:45:01,499 --> 00:45:00,560
of our training and discipline , but 

1272
00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:02,560
also our vowed to support defending 

1273
00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:04,727
Constitution , and I urge everybody to 

1274
00:45:04,727 --> 00:45:06,782
to keep that mind and everything you 

1275
00:45:06,782 --> 00:45:09,004
dio . 2020 has been a historic year for 

1276
00:45:09,004 --> 00:45:11,060
the United States military and my 30 

1277
00:45:11,060 --> 00:45:13,004
plus years in and around D o d . I 

1278
00:45:13,004 --> 00:45:15,116
can't recall another year like that . 

1279
00:45:15,116 --> 00:45:17,480
We have forces engaged around the world . 

1280
00:45:17,490 --> 00:45:19,601
We have forces engaged here in United 

1281
00:45:19,601 --> 00:45:21,900
States , all components active garden 

1282
00:45:21,900 --> 00:45:24,430
reserve , doing everything from 

1283
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,180
standing guard watch abroad on the on 

1284
00:45:28,180 --> 00:45:30,124
the DMZ and north in South Korea , 

1285
00:45:30,124 --> 00:45:33,190
North Korea uh , Thio helping our 

1286
00:45:33,190 --> 00:45:35,250
allies in Iraq and Afghanistan and 

1287
00:45:35,250 --> 00:45:37,472
other parts of the world to selling the 

1288
00:45:37,472 --> 00:45:39,694
high seas or patrolling the skies above 

1289
00:45:39,790 --> 00:45:43,350
Alaska or above in the Arctic 

1290
00:45:43,350 --> 00:45:45,350
Circle at the same time . As I said 

1291
00:45:45,350 --> 00:45:47,870
earlier , we see our forces also here 

1292
00:45:47,870 --> 00:45:49,960
at home , uh , delivering supplies , 

1293
00:45:49,970 --> 00:45:52,580
helping with Cove in 19 providing 

1294
00:45:52,580 --> 00:45:54,469
support to civilian authorities , 

1295
00:45:54,469 --> 00:45:56,580
fighting wildfires and assisting with 

1296
00:45:56,580 --> 00:45:58,747
floods and hurricanes . It's just been 

1297
00:45:58,747 --> 00:46:01,024
a very challenging year , but I'm very , 

1298
00:46:01,024 --> 00:46:03,136
very proud of how everybody has stood 

1299
00:46:03,136 --> 00:46:05,024
up and really pulled together and 

1300
00:46:05,024 --> 00:46:07,136
helped us deal with all this while in 

1301
00:46:07,136 --> 00:46:09,358
the midst of a pandemic . And again , I 

1302
00:46:09,358 --> 00:46:11,580
think our numbers show the results of , 

1303
00:46:11,580 --> 00:46:13,747
uh , the guidance we put out . They've 

1304
00:46:13,747 --> 00:46:15,969
showed the leadership of our commanders 

1305
00:46:15,969 --> 00:46:17,858
and R N , C . O s and our service 

1306
00:46:17,858 --> 00:46:17,680
members in terms of following that 

1307
00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:19,840
guidance , keeping the entire force 

1308
00:46:19,850 --> 00:46:22,270
safe while performing all these various 

1309
00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:24,002
emissions . It's truly a great 

1310
00:46:24,002 --> 00:46:26,002
accomplishment . I think it will go 

1311
00:46:26,002 --> 00:46:28,058
down in history is one of the legacy 

1312
00:46:28,058 --> 00:46:30,224
moments for this for this department , 

1313
00:46:30,224 --> 00:46:32,336
for this military , And I'm just very 

1314
00:46:32,336 --> 00:46:32,200
proud of everybody . And I will tell 

1315
00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:34,200
you I know Tom's You're challenging 

1316
00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:36,311
their difficulty , But please keep an 

1317
00:46:36,311 --> 00:46:38,422
eye on one another . Take care of one 

1318
00:46:38,422 --> 00:46:40,589
another , whether it's , uh , concerns 

1319
00:46:40,589 --> 00:46:42,644
about early signs of cove it . Or if 

1320
00:46:42,644 --> 00:46:44,700
you think that somebody may be , may 

1321
00:46:44,700 --> 00:46:46,756
have mental health challenges , uh , 

1322
00:46:46,756 --> 00:46:46,680
keep in mind suicide prevention and 

1323
00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:48,624
things like that . But we will get 

1324
00:46:48,624 --> 00:46:50,847
through this , uh , there there will be 

1325
00:46:50,847 --> 00:46:52,902
a better day ahead , and we will get 

1326
00:46:52,902 --> 00:46:55,124
back to his . Normal is possible in due 

1327
00:46:55,124 --> 00:46:57,124
course . But in the meantime , stay 

1328
00:46:57,124 --> 00:46:59,540
steady . Stay fixed . Do your job focus 

1329
00:46:59,540 --> 00:47:01,800
on focus on all those things , and 

1330
00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:03,967
we'll get through this well , so thank 

1331
00:47:03,967 --> 00:47:06,078
you all very much . Thank you , sir , 

1332
00:47:06,078 --> 00:47:08,244
to our online viewers on behalf of the 

1333
00:47:08,244 --> 00:47:10,356
Department of Defense . Thank you for 

1334
00:47:10,356 --> 00:47:12,189
tuning in and thank you for your 

1335
00:47:12,189 --> 00:47:14,356
thought provoking questions and videos 

1336
00:47:14,356 --> 00:47:16,520
That concludes our Virtual town hall 

1337
00:47:16,520 --> 00:47:19,400
for today . Thursday , September 24th 

1338
00:47:19,400 --> 00:47:20,100
2020