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Yeah . 

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Good afternoon , everybody . So I&#39;m a 

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couple minutes late . All right . 

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Mhm . Got a couple of things at the top 

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here for you , and then we&#39;ll get right 

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at it First . I want 

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Thio . Highlight the new directive . I 

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think you&#39;ve seen it issued by the 

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department on the use of masks and 

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other public health measures in 

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accordance with executive order , all 

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individuals on military installations 

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and all individuals performing official 

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duties on behalf of the department from 

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any location other than the individuals 

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home , including outdoor shared spaces . 

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War masks . In accordance with the most 

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current CDC guidelines , all 

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individuals on military installations 

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will also continue toe practice social 

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distancing in combination with other 

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everyday preventative actions to reduce 

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the spread of Cove in 19 . The full 

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memo is available online . If you care 

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toe see it . We certainly encourage all 

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our employees in the department thio 

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make sure that they&#39;ve looked at it . 

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Um , as I think you&#39;ve heard , the 

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White House Cove in Task Force 

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announced this morning that the 

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Secretary Secretary Austin has approved 

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1110 active duty service members to 

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support five FEMA vaccination centers . 

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A team of 222 personnel will support 

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each one of these mega sites . I think 

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you know , there&#39;s two different types 

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that that FEMA is working to 

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establish , uh , in areas of the 

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country that I&#39;m talking . In this 

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particular case of the mega sites , 

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thes teams will include medical and 

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support personnel . It will be largely 

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medical personnel . Details for the 

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exact sourcing of the requirement is 

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now at the service level . I&#39;m not able 

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to read out to you specifically how , 

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uh , each of these sites will be 

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source that&#39;s working at the service 

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level right now . And , of course , 

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it&#39;s always relies on . We are 

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supporting FEMA and FEMA . We&#39;ll 

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determine which site each team supports . 

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We&#39;ll continue to work closely with 

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FEMA to scope additional requirements . 

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Uh , FEMA and the department will 

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jointly determine when D o d 

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vaccination capabilities are no longer 

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required . Uh , also as you may have 

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seen yesterday , um , in the secretary 

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statement after President Biden speech , 

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the department will conduct a global 

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force posture review of U . S . 

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Military footprint resource is and 

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strategies . This review will help 

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inform the secretary&#39;s advice to the 

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commander in chief about how we best 

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allocate military forces in pursuit of 

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our national interests . The review 

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will be led by the acting 

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undersecretary of defense for policy 

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and close coordination with the 

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chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . 

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Of course , well , we also will , as 

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the secretary indicated , consult 

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closely with our allies and partners as 

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we move through this review , and we 

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expect to have it completed by mid year . 

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Uh , a couple of readouts . Earlier 

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this morning , Secretary Austin spoke 

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with His Excellency Ashraf Ghani , the 

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president of the Islamic Republic of 

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Afghanistan , to reaffirm the United 

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States commitment to an enduring US 

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Afghan partnership . Secretary and 

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president . Ghani discussed this shared 

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sacrifices of US and Afghan forces in 

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the field on the importance of the 

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Afghan peace process and the imperative 

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for a negotiated settlement to end the 

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war . In closing , both secretary and 

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president Ghani emphasized the 

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importance of seizing this opportunity 

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for peace . This morning , Secretary 

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Austin also hosted Averil Haynes , the 

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director of national intelligence . The 

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two spoke about the importance of 

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collaboration between the Department of 

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Defense and the intelligence community . 

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Director Haynes also had a chance to 

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meet with Chairman Millie as well as 

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senior intelligence officers of each 

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service . Um , lastly , Secretary met 

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with the chiefs , uh , in the Joint 

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Chiefs Conference room Cloak , really 

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known as the tank . Met with them this 

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morning . Uh , it was his first 

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opportunity to meet with them 

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collectively in the tank , uh , to 

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discuss a range of of issues of 

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importance to all of them . Hey , Had a 

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chance toe walk through with them what 

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his priorities were as he is now 

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getting getting more acclimated to the 

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job and sort of things he wanted . Thio , 

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um , Thio to tackle as well as 

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listening to them about what was on 

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their minds and what their priorities 

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were . So it was the first of what I&#39;m 

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sure will be , uh , many such many such 

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discussions with that Take questions I 

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think I have . Oh , by the way . So , e , 

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I have been appropriately counseled by 

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all of you about the use of the phones 

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versus the room , and , uh , I can be 

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taught . So what we&#39;re gonna do is I&#39;m 

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gonna go toe to on the phone and two in 

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the room , and we&#39;ll just keep going 

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back and forth like that . We&#39;ll start 

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with leader . Go ahead . I don think , 

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Um , two things . One . I&#39;m wondering 

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if you have any even timing estimates 

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on the FEMA , um , on the FEMA teams . 

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And just a quick point of clarification . 

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Do you know if the military of one of 

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these five or two of these five or 

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whatever are one of them going to one 

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of the sites in California , or are two 

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of the team&#39;s going to California ? Uh 

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huh . So the first , um , 

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since the the first what ? What we 

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What we know is that sort of 1100 . Um , 

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a new initial group one team of 

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222 will be a 

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deploying to California , uh , to a 

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site in California . Um , in coming 

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days , we expect that they will be able 

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to get on site honor about the 15th 

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of this month . Um uh , but I would 

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refer you to a FEMA thio to speak 

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specifically Thio Thio . What location ? 

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That is . Um um , that&#39;s just one team 

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of this initial traunch of of 1100 

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personnel were still working with FEMA 

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to determine what , uh , those other 

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teams , what sites those other teams 

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will go to . And in what order ? In 

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other words , what the timeline is what 

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I can tell you is the first team of 222 

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will be going Thio will be going to a 

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site in California . Does that answer 

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your question , Lida ? Um , yeah , The 

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second one was actually with Saudi 

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Arabia . Can you give us a broader 

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understanding right now of what U S 

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military , um , aid or training ? 

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Um , going to Saudi Arabia and whether 

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or not there are any , I think all the 

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Patriot batteries were removed . But if 

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there&#39;s any other , um , equipment or 

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other military aircraft and other 

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weapons systems there and what you&#39;re 

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understanding is of what the military 

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will be able to continue to do under 

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the president&#39;s latest order . Thank 

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you . Um , well , I&#39;ll have to 

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take the question on the lay down 

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leader . I don&#39;t have that in front of 

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me . Exactly what is there in the 

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country . But as a result of the 

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president&#39;s order yesterday , um , 

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duty had been providing some limited , 

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um , non combat assistance for 

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coalition operations , and that would 

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include intelligence on and some advice 

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and best practices , and that all has 

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been terminated . Uh , but Saudi 

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Arabia remains ah , partner in terms of 

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combating terror in the region . The 

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president&#39;s the president&#39;s order was 

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was very much directed on the coalition 

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efforts , uh , in Yemen , and I would 

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stress that you know this thing , this 

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will be an interagency process figuring 

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out how we&#39;re gonna go forward on this . 

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And we certainly wouldn&#39;t want to get 

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ahead of any decisions that have been 

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made yet . Um , 

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down here , you put my glasses on . You 

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guys have got to write this in big fun 

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now . Uh , Louis Martinez , 

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John , quick question about the global 

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posture review . You said that you 

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expected to take place or be resolved 

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by midyear . Does that mean that any 

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force level drops around the world ? Uh , 

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or any inflows are not going to happen 

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until that time , and particularly in a 

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given the focus on Germany . Thanks . 

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So , Louis , I mean , in terms of in 

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terms of permanent structure and 

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permanent areas where we are 

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permanently based , forward deployed , 

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if you will . Obviously , the secretary 

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wants to get his arms around all that 

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on . That&#39;s what the posture Review is 

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about . It&#39;s about where we are based 

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in tow . What degree ? Uh , we are 

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there in terms of numbers off of men 

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and women , but also the You know the 

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purpose for being there , and that&#39;s 

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what the force posture review is all 

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about . But and I don&#39;t think you are 

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asking this . But just to be clear , we 

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still have a rotational presence in 

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many parts of the world . Just last 

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week we were talking about aircraft 

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carriers and where they&#39;re operating , 

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so that rotational deployment scheme 

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that&#39;s not affected by the posture 

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review . We still have security 

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commitments around the world that we 

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have to meet , and we&#39;re going to 

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continue to meet them . But before the 

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secretary advises or recommends to the 

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president any permanent for structure 

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changes in terms of our are 

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our facilities and our and the units 

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that we have around the world , he 

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wants to get this posture review done 

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first . Did I answer your question ? 

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Really , it does . And also just on 

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Afghanistan . Is that separate ? You 

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know the conditions based assessment of 

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the deal with the Taliban ? Um , is 

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that a part of the same posture review ? 

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Or is that a separate assessment consul 

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itself ? Because that&#39;s a that&#39;s ah 

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obviously , uh , an area of current 

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operations , Louise . So I mean , I 

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think we will be . The administration 

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will be , um , reviewing future force 

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posture , uh , in Afghanistan in a in 

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a way that&#39;s commensurate with , uh , 

254
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what we&#39;re trying to get done in 

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Afghanistan , you know , trying thio in 

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this war in a responsible way . And 

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it&#39;ll be done in concert with , of 

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course , our our NATO partners That air 

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there on the ground . Um , S o I 

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wouldn&#39;t I wouldn&#39;t go so far as to say 

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it , Z it&#39;s totally separate . I mean , 

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the Global Posture Review is still 

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looking at our force posture , um , 

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around the world . But obviously , um , 

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what what happens with respect to 

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Afghanistan will be will be done in 

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keeping with the decision making 

268
00:11:21,443 --> 00:11:23,666
processes that are already in place for 

269
00:11:23,666 --> 00:11:25,832
that , um , for that part of the world 

270
00:11:25,832 --> 00:11:28,050
and in keeping with again our NATO 

271
00:11:28,050 --> 00:11:29,828
allies , you know , the defense 

272
00:11:29,828 --> 00:11:31,550
ministerial is coming up . The 

273
00:11:31,550 --> 00:11:33,717
secretary intends to participate , and 

274
00:11:33,717 --> 00:11:35,828
obviously this will be a key topic of 

275
00:11:35,828 --> 00:11:37,994
discussion inside that venue as well . 

276
00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,700
Lucas John , How does an unarmed adult 

277
00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:43,110
male break into a plane that Andrews 

278
00:11:43,110 --> 00:11:45,277
used by the vice president , secretary 

279
00:11:45,277 --> 00:11:47,388
of defense , and other top government 

280
00:11:47,388 --> 00:11:49,890
officials That is exactly what the Air 

281
00:11:49,890 --> 00:11:52,168
Force is investigating . Now , I think , 

282
00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,440
uh , everybody is taking this very 

283
00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,340
seriously . And the acting secretary of 

284
00:11:57,340 --> 00:11:59,451
the Air Force and the Air Force Chief 

285
00:11:59,451 --> 00:12:02,710
of Staff , um , are going to order 

286
00:12:03,140 --> 00:12:06,860
the air Force Inspector General to 

287
00:12:06,860 --> 00:12:08,582
fully investigate this issue . 

288
00:12:08,582 --> 00:12:11,600
Everybody takes seriously what happened 

289
00:12:11,610 --> 00:12:14,720
on day will do a thorough investigation 

290
00:12:14,730 --> 00:12:16,897
on when , and I&#39;m sure they will learn 

291
00:12:16,897 --> 00:12:19,470
things out of this that that will be 

292
00:12:19,470 --> 00:12:21,860
able to share with you . I can also , 

293
00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,290
uh , tell you that clearly 

294
00:12:25,300 --> 00:12:27,750
they , uh , 

295
00:12:28,730 --> 00:12:31,760
they&#39;ve adjusted some of their 

296
00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,910
security protocols at Andrews this 

297
00:12:35,910 --> 00:12:38,021
morning . I won&#39;t go into the details 

298
00:12:38,021 --> 00:12:40,243
of that , of course , and I might add , 

299
00:12:40,243 --> 00:12:42,466
and I didn&#39;t say when I first mentioned 

300
00:12:42,466 --> 00:12:44,310
it , but , uh , but this , uh , 

301
00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,530
investigation by the Air Force I g this 

302
00:12:47,530 --> 00:12:49,474
review and investigation will also 

303
00:12:49,474 --> 00:12:51,697
include their installations worldwide . 

304
00:12:51,697 --> 00:12:54,830
They&#39;re not just gonna limit it to uh 

305
00:12:54,830 --> 00:12:56,997
oh , Andrew . I mean , clearly they&#39;re 

306
00:12:56,997 --> 00:12:59,108
gonna investigate this incident , but 

307
00:12:59,108 --> 00:12:58,710
they&#39;re also gonna take a look at 

308
00:12:58,710 --> 00:13:01,720
security protocols across the force . 

309
00:13:01,730 --> 00:13:04,320
How long was this guy on the plane ? I 

310
00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,220
don&#39;t have exact details about this . 

311
00:13:07,230 --> 00:13:09,341
Uh , Lucas , I would refer you to the 

312
00:13:09,341 --> 00:13:11,790
Air Force for more specific details 

313
00:13:11,790 --> 00:13:13,846
about this , uh , description of the 

314
00:13:13,846 --> 00:13:15,846
suspect we just heard unarmed adult 

315
00:13:15,846 --> 00:13:17,846
male . Any more than that , I don&#39;t 

316
00:13:17,846 --> 00:13:19,901
have anything more than that again . 

317
00:13:19,901 --> 00:13:21,846
That&#39;s really for the Air Force to 

318
00:13:21,846 --> 00:13:24,012
speak , Thio . But again , everybody&#39;s 

319
00:13:24,012 --> 00:13:23,470
taking this seriously . The secretary 

320
00:13:23,470 --> 00:13:26,320
is taking this seriously , Onda uh and 

321
00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,431
we&#39;ll leave it to the air Force toe , 

322
00:13:28,431 --> 00:13:30,680
investigate this and , uh , on report 

323
00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:34,210
out . Yeah , or hey was arrested 

324
00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:36,321
on outstanding warrants . Do you know 

325
00:13:36,321 --> 00:13:38,543
what those words were for ? And just in 

326
00:13:38,543 --> 00:13:40,650
terms of Seems like a pretty big 

327
00:13:40,660 --> 00:13:43,510
failure or screw up letting this happen 

328
00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:45,520
and letting him get onto the flight 

329
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,853
line and onto a C 40 I don&#39;t know about . 

330
00:13:47,853 --> 00:13:49,687
I&#39;ve seen reports about existing 

331
00:13:49,687 --> 00:13:51,631
warrants on , and I&#39;d refer you to 

332
00:13:51,631 --> 00:13:53,853
local law enforcement for that . That&#39;s 

333
00:13:53,853 --> 00:13:53,760
not the kind of thing that we would 

334
00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:56,540
have knowledge about . And again , I 

335
00:13:56,550 --> 00:13:59,490
think you it wasn&#39;t a question you 

336
00:13:59,490 --> 00:14:03,260
asked , but to your point . Uh , 

337
00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,270
everybody in the department and 

338
00:14:05,270 --> 00:14:07,326
certainly everybody in the Air Force 

339
00:14:07,326 --> 00:14:09,492
understands what a serious matter this 

340
00:14:09,492 --> 00:14:12,220
is . They have a They have made 

341
00:14:12,220 --> 00:14:14,442
adjustments to their security protocols 

342
00:14:14,442 --> 00:14:16,664
at Andrews . They&#39;ve now ordered a full 

343
00:14:16,664 --> 00:14:18,960
investigation of it , and they&#39;ve gone 

344
00:14:19,540 --> 00:14:22,460
a step further on in order to look at 

345
00:14:22,470 --> 00:14:25,060
all the security protocols that 

346
00:14:25,060 --> 00:14:27,227
installations worldwide . So let&#39;s let 

347
00:14:27,227 --> 00:14:29,171
them do their work . Let&#39;s let the 

348
00:14:29,171 --> 00:14:31,338
investigators finish what they need to 

349
00:14:31,338 --> 00:14:33,504
finish . Um , we&#39;ll learn things . I&#39;m 

350
00:14:33,504 --> 00:14:35,449
sure about this . And I have every 

351
00:14:35,449 --> 00:14:37,393
confidence that the Air Force will 

352
00:14:37,393 --> 00:14:36,760
share what they&#39;ve learned with you 

353
00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:38,816
when they can . Okay , I gotta go to 

354
00:14:38,816 --> 00:14:41,270
the phones now , or I&#39;ll get in trouble . 

355
00:14:41,270 --> 00:14:45,240
So , uh , see , 

356
00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,860
Phil Stewart , Reuters . Thanks , John . 

357
00:14:48,870 --> 00:14:51,092
I&#39;m just quick , full quickly following 

358
00:14:51,092 --> 00:14:53,148
up on Afghanistan . So did Secretary 

359
00:14:53,148 --> 00:14:56,270
often raised the maid deadline with 

360
00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,400
with President Ghani . And did he did 

361
00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:01,480
he exempt , uh , Afghanistan from this 

362
00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:04,450
global posture review ? I&#39;m not totally , 

363
00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:06,973
totally clear on where it fits in there . 

364
00:15:06,973 --> 00:15:08,973
And I would question about the math 

365
00:15:08,973 --> 00:15:12,090
mandate to done , uh , clearly they 

366
00:15:12,090 --> 00:15:14,312
talked about as I said in my read out , 

367
00:15:14,312 --> 00:15:16,534
they talked about the importance of the 

368
00:15:16,534 --> 00:15:19,380
peace process . Um , and they talked 

369
00:15:19,380 --> 00:15:21,590
about the , uh the importance of this 

370
00:15:21,590 --> 00:15:23,880
being Afghan led they talked about , um 

371
00:15:23,890 --> 00:15:27,240
uh , the enduring commitment that that 

372
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:31,000
we have , uh , um to to 

373
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,960
Afghanistan writ large . Um I won&#39;t . I 

374
00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,840
won&#39;t get into specific discussions , 

375
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,570
as I said about force posture , because 

376
00:15:39,570 --> 00:15:41,792
no decisions have been made on on force 

377
00:15:41,792 --> 00:15:45,690
posture at this time . And when I you 

378
00:15:45,690 --> 00:15:47,857
know , I think I don&#39;t want you to get 

379
00:15:47,857 --> 00:15:49,968
hung up or wrapped around the axle on 

380
00:15:49,968 --> 00:15:52,190
whether Afghanistan is or is not in the 

381
00:15:52,190 --> 00:15:54,190
global posture review . I mean , we 

382
00:15:54,190 --> 00:15:56,450
have toe as a as an administration . We 

383
00:15:56,450 --> 00:15:58,940
have to decide . And we are reviewing , 

384
00:15:58,950 --> 00:16:01,820
uh , what we&#39;re doing in Afghanistan . 

385
00:16:01,820 --> 00:16:05,100
We&#39;re reviewing the the the Doha 

386
00:16:05,100 --> 00:16:06,933
Agreement . We&#39;re reviewing that 

387
00:16:06,933 --> 00:16:09,156
compliance with the Doha agreement . We 

388
00:16:09,156 --> 00:16:11,650
have recommitted ourselves to a 

389
00:16:11,660 --> 00:16:13,771
political solution . We don&#39;t believe 

390
00:16:13,771 --> 00:16:15,938
there&#39;s a military solution , and that 

391
00:16:15,938 --> 00:16:18,410
process of review is ongoing . Will it 

392
00:16:18,410 --> 00:16:20,560
inform or potentially informed the 

393
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,810
Global Posture Review ? Possibly . But 

394
00:16:22,810 --> 00:16:25,960
I don&#39;t think I would not . I don&#39;t 

395
00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,182
think it&#39;s useful to think of this in a 

396
00:16:28,182 --> 00:16:30,404
binary way . It&#39;s in or it&#39;s out . Um , 

397
00:16:30,404 --> 00:16:32,349
there is a There is an interagency 

398
00:16:32,349 --> 00:16:34,720
process going on to review what our 

399
00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:36,331
future is gonna look like in 

400
00:16:36,331 --> 00:16:38,442
Afghanistan . We&#39;ve already said that 

401
00:16:38,442 --> 00:16:40,442
while no decisions have been made , 

402
00:16:40,442 --> 00:16:42,664
that decisions will be conditions based 

403
00:16:42,664 --> 00:16:44,776
on , but to the degree that that work 

404
00:16:44,776 --> 00:16:46,776
informs the posture review . Well , 

405
00:16:46,776 --> 00:16:46,670
that&#39;s to the benefit of the posture 

406
00:16:46,670 --> 00:16:48,448
review , but we just I mean , I 

407
00:16:48,448 --> 00:16:50,559
wouldn&#39;t I wouldn&#39;t try to look at it 

408
00:16:50,559 --> 00:16:53,190
in such a binary way . Then it&#39;s your 

409
00:16:53,190 --> 00:16:55,950
question , Phil . Yeah , thanks . And 

410
00:16:55,950 --> 00:16:58,061
then on the on the math mandate . But 

411
00:16:58,061 --> 00:17:00,228
you just give us a sense of what drove 

412
00:17:00,228 --> 00:17:02,640
the change in the math mandate at a pen 

413
00:17:02,650 --> 00:17:04,830
in general . And is there gonna be 

414
00:17:04,830 --> 00:17:06,719
exception made for all briefers , 

415
00:17:06,719 --> 00:17:09,420
Including yourself ? Yeah . What drove 

416
00:17:09,420 --> 00:17:13,310
the mass mandate was the president , 

417
00:17:13,310 --> 00:17:15,532
United States , who issued an executive 

418
00:17:15,532 --> 00:17:17,754
order that all that that that there was 

419
00:17:17,754 --> 00:17:19,643
going to be wearing a mask on all 

420
00:17:19,643 --> 00:17:21,588
federal properties on we and you , 

421
00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,007
You&#39;re on federal property right now . 

422
00:17:24,007 --> 00:17:26,880
So eso that&#39;s what drove it was the 

423
00:17:26,890 --> 00:17:29,057
president&#39;s executive order . Although 

424
00:17:29,057 --> 00:17:31,780
I would the I would hasten to add that 

425
00:17:31,780 --> 00:17:35,420
secretary fully supports that I 

426
00:17:35,430 --> 00:17:38,400
have , as my colleague at the White 

427
00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,650
House has , I have a waiver to not use 

428
00:17:41,650 --> 00:17:43,983
a mask for the purposes of briefing you , 

429
00:17:43,983 --> 00:17:46,540
uh , to make sure that we&#39;re doing it 

430
00:17:46,550 --> 00:17:50,200
with clarity on bond . Uh , concession . 

431
00:17:50,210 --> 00:17:53,090
So I wore it on the way up here , and I 

432
00:17:53,090 --> 00:17:55,312
will wear it on the way out and for the 

433
00:17:55,312 --> 00:17:58,170
rest of the day . But in the act of 

434
00:17:58,540 --> 00:18:00,540
conducting a press interaction like 

435
00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:02,762
this , I have been given away or not to 

436
00:18:02,762 --> 00:18:06,170
wear a mask . Oh , see ? Dan them off ? 

437
00:18:09,540 --> 00:18:11,940
Uh , yes . Thanks for your time , Uh , 

438
00:18:11,950 --> 00:18:14,500
to to follow ups on the stand on 

439
00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:17,350
Related to extremism . The first one . 

440
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,050
Um , we&#39;ve seen these in the past for 

441
00:18:20,050 --> 00:18:22,106
other issues like sexual assault and 

442
00:18:22,106 --> 00:18:24,217
suicide , but on a force wide level , 

443
00:18:24,217 --> 00:18:26,272
can you provide some context for how 

444
00:18:26,272 --> 00:18:28,330
frequent they are ? Uh , maybe other 

445
00:18:28,330 --> 00:18:30,274
issues where it&#39;s come up and then 

446
00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:32,607
second follow up . We&#39;ve seen a number 

447
00:18:32,607 --> 00:18:34,718
of critics suggest in the last couple 

448
00:18:34,718 --> 00:18:36,662
of days that this , uh , extremism 

449
00:18:36,662 --> 00:18:39,040
focus in the military months to sort of 

450
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:41,096
a political witness test to root out 

451
00:18:41,096 --> 00:18:43,240
conservative . Can you just address 

452
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,440
that in general ? Thanks . Yes , sir . 

453
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,607
Can I just ask you for a clarification 

454
00:18:47,607 --> 00:18:49,718
on your first question ? How frequent 

455
00:18:49,718 --> 00:18:51,773
are stand down ? Is that what you&#39;re 

456
00:18:51,773 --> 00:18:53,773
asking , Dan ? I&#39;m aware that their 

457
00:18:53,773 --> 00:18:55,940
common in general sort of , you know , 

458
00:18:55,940 --> 00:18:58,051
within units within the service , but 

459
00:18:58,051 --> 00:19:00,218
I&#39;m talking the fourth wide d o d wide 

460
00:19:00,218 --> 00:19:02,218
level stand downs that we&#39;re seeing 

461
00:19:02,218 --> 00:19:04,580
this time , Dan . I will . I&#39;m gonna 

462
00:19:04,580 --> 00:19:06,770
have my staff . We&#39;ll take your 

463
00:19:06,770 --> 00:19:08,770
question technically because it&#39;s a 

464
00:19:08,770 --> 00:19:10,881
good one , and I don&#39;t have that kind 

465
00:19:10,881 --> 00:19:12,992
of data in front of me . I don&#39;t even 

466
00:19:12,992 --> 00:19:12,940
know if it exists , but so let me get 

467
00:19:12,940 --> 00:19:14,910
back to you on that . But , um , I 

468
00:19:14,910 --> 00:19:18,010
won&#39;t challenge your , um your 

469
00:19:18,010 --> 00:19:20,490
assertion that they&#39;re rare d o d wide 

470
00:19:20,490 --> 00:19:22,601
stand down there , not something that 

471
00:19:22,601 --> 00:19:24,823
we we do frequently or often . Andi , I 

472
00:19:24,823 --> 00:19:27,170
think in this case , it points to the 

473
00:19:27,170 --> 00:19:29,720
seriousness with which the secretary 

474
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:31,776
and the leaders here at the Pentagon 

475
00:19:31,776 --> 00:19:33,942
are taking this particular issue . But 

476
00:19:33,942 --> 00:19:36,310
I owe you a better answer on . I owe 

477
00:19:36,310 --> 00:19:38,600
you better answer on frequency . On 

478
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,210
your second question 

479
00:19:40,220 --> 00:19:44,080
the argument that 

480
00:19:44,090 --> 00:19:46,257
this amounts to some sort of political 

481
00:19:46,257 --> 00:19:48,360
litmus test that is absolutely 

482
00:19:48,370 --> 00:19:50,460
unfounded and untrue 

483
00:19:51,110 --> 00:19:54,870
what first of all we have ? 

484
00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,770
This isn&#39;t This isn&#39;t sadly , is not an 

485
00:19:57,770 --> 00:19:59,770
issue that we haven&#39;t dealt with or 

486
00:19:59,770 --> 00:20:02,610
tried to deal with in the past . Uh , 

487
00:20:02,620 --> 00:20:04,676
one of the last instruction that was 

488
00:20:04,676 --> 00:20:06,898
written on this and I think I&#39;ve talked 

489
00:20:06,898 --> 00:20:08,953
to you about this was back in 2012 , 

490
00:20:08,953 --> 00:20:10,787
and I assure you that this issue 

491
00:20:10,787 --> 00:20:13,009
predates 2012 . You heard the secretary 

492
00:20:13,009 --> 00:20:15,009
himself talked about when he was in 

493
00:20:15,009 --> 00:20:17,320
command of the 82nd Airborne down in 

494
00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,487
Fort Bragg . A knish you they had with 

495
00:20:19,487 --> 00:20:21,653
skinheads in the union . That was when 

496
00:20:21,653 --> 00:20:23,876
he was a lieutenant colonel back in the 

497
00:20:23,876 --> 00:20:26,098
mid nineties . Um , sadly , this is not 

498
00:20:26,098 --> 00:20:28,920
something that is new . That said a Z I 

499
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,031
mentioned the other day . I think the 

500
00:20:31,031 --> 00:20:32,698
events of January 6 certainly 

501
00:20:32,698 --> 00:20:36,580
galvanized a sense that that it is 

502
00:20:36,590 --> 00:20:39,920
It is still in the ranks . 

503
00:20:39,930 --> 00:20:43,770
Still a problem . Andi , Um , we 

504
00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:46,260
you know , as evidenced by the events 

505
00:20:46,270 --> 00:20:48,550
that day we&#39;ve got , You know , we&#39;ve 

506
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:50,616
We&#39;ve got to take a turn in terms of 

507
00:20:50,616 --> 00:20:52,960
rooting it out . So it&#39;s not about 

508
00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,420
politics . We encourage our troops toe 

509
00:20:56,430 --> 00:20:58,560
vote . We encourage them to register 

510
00:20:58,570 --> 00:21:00,970
with the political party of their 

511
00:21:00,970 --> 00:21:03,210
choice . We go out of our way to make 

512
00:21:03,210 --> 00:21:05,390
it clear that they get a vote . They 

513
00:21:05,390 --> 00:21:07,630
get a voice in the political electoral 

514
00:21:07,630 --> 00:21:09,852
process in this country because they&#39;re 

515
00:21:09,852 --> 00:21:12,074
American citizens . It&#39;s not about what 

516
00:21:12,074 --> 00:21:14,130
you believe . It&#39;s about what you do 

517
00:21:14,130 --> 00:21:16,352
with those beliefs . It&#39;s about how you 

518
00:21:16,352 --> 00:21:18,352
act with those beliefs and when you 

519
00:21:18,352 --> 00:21:20,130
start acting on those beliefs , 

520
00:21:20,130 --> 00:21:22,600
whatever they are , um , and not all 

521
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,490
extremists in the military or motivated 

522
00:21:25,490 --> 00:21:27,400
by politics . But whatever the 

523
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:30,010
motivation is , when you violate good 

524
00:21:30,010 --> 00:21:32,121
order and discipline when you violate 

525
00:21:32,121 --> 00:21:34,288
the ucmj A or you violate civil laws , 

526
00:21:34,288 --> 00:21:36,510
then we got a problem . And that&#39;s what 

527
00:21:36,510 --> 00:21:38,677
the secretary is trying to get after , 

528
00:21:38,677 --> 00:21:40,843
I will say , and I will say this every 

529
00:21:40,843 --> 00:21:42,788
single time I get asked about this 

530
00:21:42,788 --> 00:21:44,788
because it&#39;s really important . The 

531
00:21:44,788 --> 00:21:46,899
vast , vast majority . You know , the 

532
00:21:46,899 --> 00:21:50,180
99.9% of men and women that are serving 

533
00:21:50,180 --> 00:21:52,236
in the military do so with honor and 

534
00:21:52,236 --> 00:21:54,013
character and integrity and are 

535
00:21:54,013 --> 00:21:56,490
upholding our values every single day 

536
00:21:56,500 --> 00:21:58,667
on there . And they&#39;re they&#39;re putting 

537
00:21:58,667 --> 00:22:00,389
themselves in harm&#39;s way , and 

538
00:22:00,389 --> 00:22:02,611
sometimes they&#39;re doing that right here 

539
00:22:02,611 --> 00:22:04,778
not very far from where we&#39;re standing 

540
00:22:04,778 --> 00:22:06,500
on . I think it&#39;s important to 

541
00:22:06,500 --> 00:22:09,190
understand that this is not while it is . 

542
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,350
While it is troubling on while we are 

543
00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:14,360
why we are worried that the numbers 

544
00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:15,971
maybe more than what we&#39;d be 

545
00:22:15,971 --> 00:22:17,916
comfortable seeing them be at this 

546
00:22:17,916 --> 00:22:20,138
point , I mean , obviously the number , 

547
00:22:20,138 --> 00:22:22,230
the number should be zero , But I&#39;m 

548
00:22:22,230 --> 00:22:24,341
saying that the numbers may be bigger 

549
00:22:24,341 --> 00:22:26,397
than what we may think . That&#39;s what 

550
00:22:26,397 --> 00:22:28,508
the secretary wants to get after . It 

551
00:22:28,508 --> 00:22:30,452
doesn&#39;t mean that it&#39;s not still a 

552
00:22:30,452 --> 00:22:32,619
problem worth going after . It doesn&#39;t 

553
00:22:32,619 --> 00:22:34,730
mean that even though the numbers may 

554
00:22:34,730 --> 00:22:34,570
be small that there that is not an 

555
00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:37,300
insignificant issue to deal with . Did 

556
00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:41,240
that answer your questions , Dan ? Yes . 

557
00:22:41,250 --> 00:22:44,460
Thank you . Hey , Tom , that Saudi 

558
00:22:44,460 --> 00:22:46,460
Arabia , what you said about you&#39;re 

559
00:22:46,460 --> 00:22:48,516
gonna start providing intel and also 

560
00:22:48,516 --> 00:22:50,738
best practices . I understand the Intel 

561
00:22:50,738 --> 00:22:52,738
was basically defensive in nature . 

562
00:22:52,940 --> 00:22:55,051
Someone&#39;s gonna shoot a missile . The 

563
00:22:55,051 --> 00:22:57,273
truth is gonna shoot a missile in Saudi 

564
00:22:57,273 --> 00:22:59,051
Arabia . And the best practices 

565
00:22:59,051 --> 00:23:00,884
included how to prevent civilian 

566
00:23:00,884 --> 00:23:03,051
casualties . So if you&#39;re getting away 

567
00:23:03,051 --> 00:23:05,273
from both , won&#39;t it make matters worse 

568
00:23:05,273 --> 00:23:09,130
with no harm to civilians and so 

569
00:23:09,130 --> 00:23:11,880
forth ? By getting rid of that that 

570
00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:13,936
assist us , we&#39;ve made it very clear 

571
00:23:13,936 --> 00:23:17,400
over a long period of time made 

572
00:23:17,420 --> 00:23:20,760
a that 

573
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,090
Uh huh . We need to see 

574
00:23:26,140 --> 00:23:28,500
a more serious effort by the Saudis to 

575
00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:30,278
address the problem of civilian 

576
00:23:30,278 --> 00:23:33,170
casualties . And again , 

577
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,030
uh , I wouldn&#39;t get ahead of an 

578
00:23:36,030 --> 00:23:38,308
interagency process on this on sort of , 

579
00:23:38,308 --> 00:23:41,360
What&#39;s the next steps ? Clearly , 

580
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,350
one of the things driving this decision 

581
00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:47,360
by the administration is the 

582
00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:49,416
humanitarian crisis in Yemen and how 

583
00:23:49,416 --> 00:23:51,940
serious it is . Andi . I would also 

584
00:23:51,940 --> 00:23:55,830
remind you , Tom , that are , um 

585
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,120
support Thio . Saudi Arabia isn&#39;t just 

586
00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:00,120
military . I know that&#39;s what we&#39;re 

587
00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:02,398
here talking about . But there&#39;s other . 

588
00:24:02,398 --> 00:24:04,176
There&#39;s other components to the 

589
00:24:04,176 --> 00:24:06,064
bilateral relationship with Saudi 

590
00:24:06,064 --> 00:24:08,064
Arabia , and Saudi Arabia does have 

591
00:24:08,064 --> 00:24:10,009
legitimate right to self defense . 

592
00:24:10,009 --> 00:24:13,700
Andre have suffered attacks on that 

593
00:24:13,710 --> 00:24:15,821
southern border . There&#39;s no question 

594
00:24:15,821 --> 00:24:17,932
about that . What we&#39;re talking about 

595
00:24:17,932 --> 00:24:21,270
here is coalition offensive 

596
00:24:21,270 --> 00:24:25,050
operations in Yemen , operations 

597
00:24:25,050 --> 00:24:27,161
that the administration believes have 

598
00:24:27,161 --> 00:24:30,460
contributed to On made much worse what 

599
00:24:30,460 --> 00:24:33,360
is already a human catastrophe . And 

600
00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:35,416
again , I don&#39;t want to get into any 

601
00:24:35,416 --> 00:24:38,370
more specifics other than to say that d 

602
00:24:38,370 --> 00:24:41,860
o d we have a role in in the 

603
00:24:41,860 --> 00:24:44,082
president&#39;s directive , and we&#39;re going 

604
00:24:44,082 --> 00:24:46,249
to carry that out . We&#39;re also we also 

605
00:24:46,249 --> 00:24:48,790
have a role , and we&#39;ll carry out three 

606
00:24:48,790 --> 00:24:51,012
interagency discussion going forward on 

607
00:24:51,012 --> 00:24:53,030
this and and what the outcomes look 

608
00:24:53,030 --> 00:24:55,590
like long term Make matters worse . If 

609
00:24:55,590 --> 00:24:57,757
you&#39;re not providing assistance on how 

610
00:24:57,757 --> 00:24:59,868
to prevent civilian casualties and do 

611
00:24:59,868 --> 00:25:01,868
not providing specific intel , that 

612
00:25:01,868 --> 00:25:03,868
would help Saudi . They&#39;re gonna go 

613
00:25:03,868 --> 00:25:06,190
after this problem anyway , and it 

614
00:25:06,190 --> 00:25:08,523
could be worse without that key support . 

615
00:25:08,523 --> 00:25:11,060
I take the point . I take the point and 

616
00:25:11,070 --> 00:25:13,181
everybody is concerned about civilian 

617
00:25:13,181 --> 00:25:15,070
casualties and that that has been 

618
00:25:15,070 --> 00:25:17,237
expressed to the Saudis . I don&#39;t want 

619
00:25:17,237 --> 00:25:19,181
to get ahead of future decisions , 

620
00:25:19,181 --> 00:25:21,403
Laura . Eso just one follow up on Yemen 

621
00:25:21,403 --> 00:25:23,570
and then I have a different question . 

622
00:25:23,570 --> 00:25:26,070
Eso are you Are you saying that you&#39;re 

623
00:25:26,070 --> 00:25:28,000
specifically ending intelligence 

624
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,222
sharing related to the defense of Saudi 

625
00:25:30,222 --> 00:25:32,410
Arabia ? No , it&#39;s not at all what I&#39;m 

626
00:25:32,410 --> 00:25:34,630
saying . I&#39;m saying it&#39;s related 

627
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:38,300
related . Thio these relate 

628
00:25:38,310 --> 00:25:40,860
what we&#39;ve been doing related to 

629
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,040
coalition operations inside Yemen . 

630
00:25:44,270 --> 00:25:46,270
Okay , because my understanding was 

631
00:25:46,270 --> 00:25:48,437
that was the bulk of the intel sharing 

632
00:25:48,437 --> 00:25:50,603
that we did . I&#39;m not gonna talk about 

633
00:25:50,603 --> 00:25:52,826
intelligence matters up here , but this 

634
00:25:52,826 --> 00:25:55,030
is related to coalition operations in 

635
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,770
Yemen . Okay , so somebody coalition . 

636
00:25:57,780 --> 00:26:00,113
So we&#39;re providing that kind of support . 

637
00:26:00,113 --> 00:26:03,970
Previously there was there was no way 

638
00:26:03,970 --> 00:26:06,210
had been providing intel sharing 

639
00:26:06,220 --> 00:26:10,200
support for the coalition obvious . And 

640
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,410
then my second question is , did 

641
00:26:12,410 --> 00:26:14,410
Secretary Austin attend the meeting 

642
00:26:14,410 --> 00:26:16,650
today with NSE on Iran and always 

643
00:26:16,650 --> 00:26:20,000
discussed ? I&#39;m not gonna I think I&#39;d 

644
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,690
refer you Thio to the White House for 

645
00:26:22,700 --> 00:26:25,160
readouts of meetings that are hosted 

646
00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,990
and chaired by by the NSC . That&#39;s not 

647
00:26:27,990 --> 00:26:31,420
for us to read out here , Thio . I&#39;ll 

648
00:26:31,420 --> 00:26:34,600
let the White House speak . Thio Thio 

649
00:26:34,610 --> 00:26:36,666
NSC meetings . In the pace of that , 

650
00:26:36,740 --> 00:26:39,090
let me go back to the phones , as I 

651
00:26:39,090 --> 00:26:39,860
promised . 

652
00:26:42,140 --> 00:26:46,020
Uh , Todd 

653
00:26:46,030 --> 00:26:47,350
from military times . 

654
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,362
Thank you . You&#39;ve answered my 

655
00:26:51,362 --> 00:26:53,529
questions already . Thank you . Okay . 

656
00:26:53,529 --> 00:26:57,050
Bonus . Uh , 

657
00:26:58,940 --> 00:27:01,260
let&#39;s see Jeff Task and purpose . 

658
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:05,807
Thank you . The Air Force just put out 

659
00:27:05,807 --> 00:27:08,029
a statement that it&#39;s ordering a review 

660
00:27:08,029 --> 00:27:10,100
of security worldwide following this 

661
00:27:10,100 --> 00:27:12,250
intrusion , I&#39;m wondering what is it 

662
00:27:12,250 --> 00:27:14,570
about this particular incident that 

663
00:27:14,570 --> 00:27:16,370
warrants some kind of worldwide 

664
00:27:16,370 --> 00:27:19,020
evaluation when it hasn&#39;t happened in 

665
00:27:19,020 --> 00:27:20,798
past intrusions ? Like when the 

666
00:27:20,798 --> 00:27:22,964
Security Forces airman put five rounds 

667
00:27:22,964 --> 00:27:25,187
through a door because he couldn&#39;t open 

668
00:27:25,187 --> 00:27:27,620
it ? That&#39;s really That&#39;s a question 

669
00:27:27,620 --> 00:27:29,850
that&#39;s really better place Thio to the 

670
00:27:29,850 --> 00:27:32,072
Air Force . It was the acting secretary 

671
00:27:32,072 --> 00:27:34,406
of the Air Force and the chief of Staff , 

672
00:27:34,406 --> 00:27:36,628
General Brown , who ordered this review 

673
00:27:36,628 --> 00:27:38,850
of security protocols worldwide . And I 

674
00:27:38,850 --> 00:27:40,961
think , uh , secretary has full trust 

675
00:27:40,961 --> 00:27:43,183
and confidence in their ability Thio to 

676
00:27:43,183 --> 00:27:45,239
take a look at what they need , what 

677
00:27:45,239 --> 00:27:47,350
they believe they need to look at for 

678
00:27:47,350 --> 00:27:49,517
security purposes . And we would refer 

679
00:27:49,517 --> 00:27:51,572
you to the Air Force for for more on 

680
00:27:51,572 --> 00:27:55,160
that , uh , let&#39;s see Jared from al 

681
00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,680
monitor track . How many service 

682
00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,010
members are declining ? Covic Vaccine . 

683
00:28:00,100 --> 00:28:02,350
But we&#39;ve learned there&#39;s actually a d 

684
00:28:02,350 --> 00:28:05,610
h a 217 that each service member has to 

685
00:28:05,620 --> 00:28:08,620
fill out indicating Excuse me , D h a 4 

686
00:28:08,630 --> 00:28:11,000
to 07 indicating whether they have the 

687
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,111
vaccine or not . Given that , can you 

688
00:28:13,111 --> 00:28:15,056
give us updated numbers on how the 

689
00:28:15,056 --> 00:28:17,410
service members of decline ? Uh , Jeff , 

690
00:28:17,410 --> 00:28:19,580
I&#39;m sorry , but I only caught the last 

691
00:28:19,590 --> 00:28:21,840
five seconds of that question . So can 

692
00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,120
you repeat it for me ? Oh , sure . All 

693
00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:27,231
previously , we&#39;ve been told that the 

694
00:28:27,231 --> 00:28:29,287
Defense Department doesn&#39;t track the 

695
00:28:29,287 --> 00:28:31,064
number of service members whose 

696
00:28:31,064 --> 00:28:33,120
declined getting the coded vaccine . 

697
00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,231
We&#39;ve learned there&#39;s actually a form 

698
00:28:35,231 --> 00:28:37,176
called D H a form 207 that service 

699
00:28:37,176 --> 00:28:39,064
members have to fill out , and it 

700
00:28:39,064 --> 00:28:41,231
indicates whether or not they accepted 

701
00:28:41,231 --> 00:28:43,342
the vaccine . So , given that that is 

702
00:28:43,342 --> 00:28:45,231
available , can you provide us an 

703
00:28:45,231 --> 00:28:47,453
update on the number of service members 

704
00:28:47,453 --> 00:28:49,620
who are refusing to get inoculated ? I 

705
00:28:49,620 --> 00:28:52,060
have a nup date on that , Jeff , and , 

706
00:28:52,070 --> 00:28:55,970
uh , I don&#39;t know . I 

707
00:28:55,980 --> 00:28:58,036
honestly don&#39;t know the protocols in 

708
00:28:58,036 --> 00:29:00,440
terms of what the service member signs 

709
00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:02,607
or doesn&#39;t sign when they elect not to 

710
00:29:02,607 --> 00:29:04,662
get the vaccine . So I don&#39;t know if 

711
00:29:04,662 --> 00:29:06,607
that kind of you said that that is 

712
00:29:06,607 --> 00:29:08,718
available . I don&#39;t know that it is , 

713
00:29:08,718 --> 00:29:10,718
but I&#39;m happy . Toe . Have my staff 

714
00:29:10,718 --> 00:29:12,773
take that question and we&#39;ll do some 

715
00:29:12,773 --> 00:29:15,510
research on it . Eso Let&#39;s see . Did I 

716
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,460
got had one more on the phone here ? 

717
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:21,090
Jared from Al Monitor 

718
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,718
Pricer . Thanks so much for doing this . 

719
00:29:25,718 --> 00:29:27,829
Just a quick question . Yesterday , a 

720
00:29:27,829 --> 00:29:29,996
United Nations report reported that Al 

721
00:29:29,996 --> 00:29:32,107
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader 

722
00:29:32,107 --> 00:29:34,329
had been captured back in October . I&#39;m 

723
00:29:34,329 --> 00:29:36,107
wondering if you can confirm US 

724
00:29:36,107 --> 00:29:38,218
involvement in the operation . What ? 

725
00:29:38,218 --> 00:29:40,930
This , uh , Al Qaeda figures location 

726
00:29:40,930 --> 00:29:43,208
is now and any further details on that ? 

727
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,751
I&#39;m afraid I can&#39;t help you with that 

728
00:29:45,751 --> 00:29:47,862
from the podium today . Again , we&#39;ll 

729
00:29:47,862 --> 00:29:50,084
take that question . Um , I&#39;d also , um 

730
00:29:50,084 --> 00:29:52,670
uh , referring to Central Command . Uh , 

731
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:54,847
perhaps they can help you better , but 

732
00:29:54,847 --> 00:29:56,958
I&#39;ll pull the string here and and see 

733
00:29:56,958 --> 00:29:59,069
if we can&#39;t be useful . But again , I 

734
00:29:59,069 --> 00:30:01,013
think sent comes probably the best 

735
00:30:01,013 --> 00:30:03,013
place to go . Yeah . Good . Captain 

736
00:30:03,013 --> 00:30:05,124
Kirby . Um , I have several questions 

737
00:30:05,124 --> 00:30:07,291
about transgender military service . I 

738
00:30:07,291 --> 00:30:09,347
sell the statement the Secretary put 

739
00:30:09,347 --> 00:30:11,458
out after the executive order , but I 

740
00:30:11,458 --> 00:30:13,236
thought it lacked clarity and a 

741
00:30:13,236 --> 00:30:14,902
timeline for both transgender 

742
00:30:14,902 --> 00:30:16,902
enlistments and the military health 

743
00:30:16,902 --> 00:30:18,958
system paying for transition related 

744
00:30:18,958 --> 00:30:21,180
care and surgeries justice that would , 

745
00:30:21,180 --> 00:30:23,347
for any other medical procedure . Will 

746
00:30:23,347 --> 00:30:22,550
you affirm the Pentagon will get to 

747
00:30:22,550 --> 00:30:26,230
both of those outcomes . Well , I , 

748
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:28,890
um I&#39;m not sure I agree with your 

749
00:30:28,900 --> 00:30:31,233
characterization that it lacked clarity . 

750
00:30:31,233 --> 00:30:33,760
I mean , it was pretty clear that 

751
00:30:34,850 --> 00:30:38,820
from the secretary statement that if a 

752
00:30:38,820 --> 00:30:40,820
Nen vivid jewel meets all the other 

753
00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,210
fitness on academic requirements to 

754
00:30:44,210 --> 00:30:47,050
join the military transgender identity 

755
00:30:47,050 --> 00:30:49,390
will not be a bar . So it was pretty 

756
00:30:49,390 --> 00:30:52,320
clear there that , um that recruitment 

757
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:55,760
and sessions will continue . Um , 

758
00:30:56,220 --> 00:30:58,960
and he also talked about 

759
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:03,340
the reversing the decision by the 

760
00:31:03,350 --> 00:31:05,239
previous administration about not 

761
00:31:05,239 --> 00:31:07,406
providing associate ID , inappropriate 

762
00:31:07,540 --> 00:31:10,760
medical assistance and care 

763
00:31:11,050 --> 00:31:14,450
for those undergoing a 

764
00:31:14,460 --> 00:31:17,170
transition . Now what 

765
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,610
What does need to be done ? And I think 

766
00:31:21,610 --> 00:31:23,777
I&#39;m getting at the larger part of your 

767
00:31:23,777 --> 00:31:25,870
question is I mean , he gave the 

768
00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:29,780
department two months to come back 

769
00:31:29,780 --> 00:31:32,300
to him with more specific 

770
00:31:32,310 --> 00:31:34,270
implementation guidelines and 

771
00:31:34,270 --> 00:31:36,270
procedures and protocols . This had 

772
00:31:36,270 --> 00:31:39,570
been started as you know in 2016 and 

773
00:31:39,570 --> 00:31:42,620
then more abruptly stopped , I 

774
00:31:42,630 --> 00:31:45,310
think 2018 . I could be wrong about 

775
00:31:45,310 --> 00:31:49,160
that . So , um so a lot of that 

776
00:31:49,170 --> 00:31:51,820
muscle memory that had been in place in 

777
00:31:51,820 --> 00:31:55,260
2016 was gone , and he wanted to give 

778
00:31:55,260 --> 00:31:57,630
the department a couple of months to 

779
00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,450
get it back on . And that&#39;s what&#39;s 

780
00:32:00,450 --> 00:32:02,617
going on right now . And I&#39;m sure that 

781
00:32:02,617 --> 00:32:05,080
once we get that those and we&#39;ve been 

782
00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,136
able to solidify the recommendations 

783
00:32:07,136 --> 00:32:09,350
going forward , you&#39;ll see us put out 

784
00:32:09,740 --> 00:32:12,100
what the implementation specific 

785
00:32:12,100 --> 00:32:14,270
implementation on all the aspects of 

786
00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,340
transgender service . Are you expected 

787
00:32:17,340 --> 00:32:19,562
timeline to get to the end result . I&#39;m 

788
00:32:19,562 --> 00:32:21,784
sorry . Expected timeline to get to the 

789
00:32:21,784 --> 00:32:24,950
end . Result and result . Being writing 

790
00:32:24,950 --> 00:32:27,410
for care Transgender enlistments on 

791
00:32:27,420 --> 00:32:30,260
again , I would say , in terms of 

792
00:32:30,260 --> 00:32:33,170
enlistments that issue solved 

793
00:32:34,110 --> 00:32:37,250
right now . You can if you meet all the 

794
00:32:37,250 --> 00:32:39,700
other requirements you know , physical 

795
00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:42,300
fitness and your academic and all the 

796
00:32:42,300 --> 00:32:44,490
other requirements to enlist in a 

797
00:32:44,500 --> 00:32:46,111
branch of the armed forces . 

798
00:32:46,540 --> 00:32:49,150
Transgender identity will not be a bar . 

799
00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,000
So today somebody could walk in and 

800
00:32:52,010 --> 00:32:54,121
join . Now , I said , there&#39;s there&#39;s 

801
00:32:54,121 --> 00:32:56,177
there&#39;s some implementation , things 

802
00:32:56,177 --> 00:32:58,800
that we have to get in place , uh , to 

803
00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:02,540
make sure that continued service is 

804
00:33:02,540 --> 00:33:05,510
not impacted either . And so we just 

805
00:33:05,510 --> 00:33:07,454
want to go back and take a look at 

806
00:33:07,454 --> 00:33:09,621
where we were in 2016 and make sure we 

807
00:33:09,621 --> 00:33:11,621
issue appropriate guidelines to the 

808
00:33:11,621 --> 00:33:13,566
force . Might be splitting hairs . 

809
00:33:13,566 --> 00:33:15,621
Transgender identity is not a bar to 

810
00:33:15,621 --> 00:33:17,788
service , but as a diagnosis of gender 

811
00:33:17,788 --> 00:33:19,954
dysphoria borrow to service . No . And 

812
00:33:19,954 --> 00:33:22,120
then the executive order , uh , calls 

813
00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,398
for consultation with the Joint Chiefs . 

814
00:33:24,398 --> 00:33:26,509
And this matter , what kind of weight 

815
00:33:26,509 --> 00:33:28,620
will the Joint Chiefs have on this As 

816
00:33:28,620 --> 00:33:30,676
this goes forward , the Joint Chiefs 

817
00:33:30,676 --> 00:33:32,676
are also service chiefs . They have 

818
00:33:32,676 --> 00:33:34,787
significant title 10 responsibilities 

819
00:33:34,787 --> 00:33:37,270
to recruit , to retain , to train to 

820
00:33:37,270 --> 00:33:41,130
equipped . That&#39;s by law . They are 

821
00:33:41,130 --> 00:33:43,380
the service providers to the combatant 

822
00:33:43,380 --> 00:33:45,720
commanders around the world . So , uh , 

823
00:33:45,730 --> 00:33:48,850
they have , ah , very large vote and a 

824
00:33:48,850 --> 00:33:51,120
voice with the service secretaries . Of 

825
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,250
course , the civilian oversight in how 

826
00:33:54,260 --> 00:33:56,204
these policies will be implemented 

827
00:33:56,204 --> 00:33:59,580
going forward again . We&#39;re on our way 

828
00:33:59,580 --> 00:34:01,469
here , and I think in a couple of 

829
00:34:01,469 --> 00:34:03,524
months we&#39;ll be able to provide more 

830
00:34:03,524 --> 00:34:05,469
detail vote that implies that they 

831
00:34:05,469 --> 00:34:05,210
might be able to vote sort of thing . 

832
00:34:05,220 --> 00:34:07,490
Look , I don&#39;t don&#39;t read too much into 

833
00:34:07,490 --> 00:34:09,650
the word vote . What I meant was they 

834
00:34:09,650 --> 00:34:12,080
have a voice in the policy making 

835
00:34:12,090 --> 00:34:15,100
process . They have . Ah , they are 

836
00:34:15,110 --> 00:34:17,221
integral . The service secretaries in 

837
00:34:17,221 --> 00:34:20,100
the service chiefs are integral to , uh , 

838
00:34:20,110 --> 00:34:22,930
implementing and executing the policies 

839
00:34:22,930 --> 00:34:24,986
that the secretary has now ordered . 

840
00:34:24,986 --> 00:34:27,210
And that and that will happen . And and 

841
00:34:27,210 --> 00:34:29,377
they will be that we will consult with 

842
00:34:29,377 --> 00:34:32,220
them as we move forward . Um , and they 

843
00:34:32,220 --> 00:34:34,780
will . They will provide their best 

844
00:34:34,780 --> 00:34:37,330
advice about how to implement . I think 

845
00:34:37,330 --> 00:34:39,500
you may be getting things idea that 

846
00:34:39,500 --> 00:34:41,667
they&#39;re going to somehow resist or are 

847
00:34:41,667 --> 00:34:44,050
not in favor of or we&#39;ll find a way toe , 

848
00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,410
you know , a blocker stonewall 

849
00:34:46,420 --> 00:34:48,476
implementation . And that&#39;s just not 

850
00:34:48,476 --> 00:34:50,698
going to happen . That&#39;s just not gonna 

851
00:34:50,698 --> 00:34:53,030
happen . One last question . Did this 

852
00:34:53,030 --> 00:34:55,197
issue come up today at all in the tank 

853
00:34:55,197 --> 00:34:57,141
and , uh , who is spearheading the 

854
00:34:57,141 --> 00:34:59,363
separate court ? I&#39;m not gonna read out 

855
00:34:59,363 --> 00:35:02,140
specifics of the discussions between 

856
00:35:02,150 --> 00:35:04,460
the secretary and the service chiefs in 

857
00:35:04,460 --> 00:35:08,420
the tank . Um um , but I think I think 

858
00:35:08,420 --> 00:35:10,500
it I could be wrong about this , So 

859
00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:12,556
check me , but I think in the in the 

860
00:35:12,556 --> 00:35:14,667
memo that the secretary sign , he put 

861
00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:16,560
the dot on the Undersecretary of 

862
00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,727
defense for personnel and readiness to 

863
00:35:18,727 --> 00:35:20,910
lead this 60 day , uh , implementation 

864
00:35:20,910 --> 00:35:23,940
review . Tony , talk about the cost to 

865
00:35:23,940 --> 00:35:26,420
mobilize the 26,000 National Guardsmen 

866
00:35:26,420 --> 00:35:28,760
and women to protect us from extremism . 

867
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:31,607
What&#39;s the What&#39;s the going bill right 

868
00:35:31,607 --> 00:35:33,773
now ? Here ? It&#39;s about 480 million to 

869
00:35:33,773 --> 00:35:36,300
500 million . I think the army put out 

870
00:35:36,300 --> 00:35:38,880
a number on that e deferred to you , I 

871
00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:41,960
guess . Um , 

872
00:35:42,740 --> 00:35:45,018
I don&#39;t have I don&#39;t think I have that , 

873
00:35:45,018 --> 00:35:48,990
uh , figure here . 

874
00:35:48,990 --> 00:35:50,940
Let me just check . But I think we 

875
00:35:50,940 --> 00:35:53,460
could get it to you . Tony . What ? E 

876
00:35:53,460 --> 00:35:55,516
think ? Well , the public . I&#39;m sure 

877
00:35:55,516 --> 00:35:57,738
you would . You know , Is that incurred 

878
00:35:57,738 --> 00:35:59,960
cost or a net estimate through April or 

879
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:02,238
how long they&#39;re gonna be there ? Tony , 

880
00:36:02,238 --> 00:36:04,460
let me get back to you . Another taking 

881
00:36:04,460 --> 00:36:04,300
question . I think that&#39;s an easy one . 

882
00:36:04,310 --> 00:36:06,254
I just didn&#39;t I just don&#39;t I don&#39;t 

883
00:36:06,254 --> 00:36:08,350
think kind of USS McCain . Transit 

884
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:10,760
question of the did General Austin . 

885
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,250
Excuse me , Secretary Austin , sign off 

886
00:36:13,250 --> 00:36:16,370
on the McCain&#39;s transit of the strait 

887
00:36:16,370 --> 00:36:19,080
a Taiwan street and then going into the 

888
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,310
South China Sea . Or was that a pre 

889
00:36:21,310 --> 00:36:25,140
planned Indo Pacific end up a cop did 

890
00:36:25,140 --> 00:36:27,630
not require specific sign off by the 

891
00:36:27,630 --> 00:36:30,130
Secretary of Defense . Thank you . All 

892
00:36:30,130 --> 00:36:33,540
right , let&#39;s go back to the phones 

893
00:36:36,330 --> 00:36:38,330
upon that . Why are you still doing 

894
00:36:38,330 --> 00:36:40,930
those operations shopping ? Why are we 

895
00:36:40,930 --> 00:36:42,400
still doing those ? 

896
00:36:45,030 --> 00:36:48,660
Well , I mean what ? Uh huh . 

897
00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,340
We have an obligation . The 

898
00:36:53,030 --> 00:36:55,220
have many obligations in the in the 

899
00:36:55,220 --> 00:36:58,560
Indo Pacific . Fear one of them is too 

900
00:36:58,570 --> 00:37:01,760
coarse . Um uh , 

901
00:37:01,790 --> 00:37:05,450
reinforcing and supporting , 

902
00:37:06,530 --> 00:37:09,600
uh , the 

903
00:37:09,900 --> 00:37:12,011
navigation rights and freedoms of all 

904
00:37:12,011 --> 00:37:13,622
countries in accordance with 

905
00:37:13,622 --> 00:37:15,733
international law . Andi . That&#39;s why 

906
00:37:15,733 --> 00:37:18,470
we continue Thio conduct what we refer 

907
00:37:18,470 --> 00:37:21,170
to as freedom of navigation operations . 

908
00:37:21,170 --> 00:37:23,520
These in international waters . Um , 

909
00:37:23,570 --> 00:37:25,792
and I think it&#39;s important . We believe 

910
00:37:25,792 --> 00:37:29,750
it&#39;s important to demonstrate that 

911
00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:31,870
we support the idea that these are 

912
00:37:31,870 --> 00:37:34,037
international waters and that and that 

913
00:37:34,037 --> 00:37:37,600
way , like every other nation , has 

914
00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:42,040
the right to operate , to sail , to 

915
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:45,990
fly an international maritime 

916
00:37:45,990 --> 00:37:48,960
space and air space . Okay . 

917
00:37:51,810 --> 00:37:55,670
Gillian , hi . Thank you so much . I do 

918
00:37:55,670 --> 00:37:57,503
have a question about those mass 

919
00:37:57,503 --> 00:37:59,726
vaccination centers that were announced 

920
00:37:59,726 --> 00:38:01,892
today . Do you have any idea where the 

921
00:38:01,892 --> 00:38:04,114
troops will be coming from what faces ? 

922
00:38:04,114 --> 00:38:06,114
What installations ? What locations 

923
00:38:06,114 --> 00:38:08,226
around the country . And you have any 

924
00:38:08,226 --> 00:38:10,392
idea of you had mentioned . Two of the 

925
00:38:10,392 --> 00:38:12,448
five will be in California Where the 

926
00:38:12,448 --> 00:38:14,760
other three to start out with . I refer 

927
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,370
you Thio FEMA for specific locations . 

928
00:38:17,370 --> 00:38:20,750
What ? What we can say today is that 

929
00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,440
the initial the 

930
00:38:24,020 --> 00:38:27,470
the part of the initial group of 

931
00:38:27,470 --> 00:38:30,040
1110 . So roughly around 

932
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:33,620
222 that initial traunch 

933
00:38:33,630 --> 00:38:36,040
will be going to a site in California . 

934
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:37,929
I would refer you to FEMA to talk 

935
00:38:37,929 --> 00:38:40,096
specifically about what site that is , 

936
00:38:40,096 --> 00:38:43,330
um , on Daz for what 

937
00:38:43,820 --> 00:38:46,900
units are represented in this initial 

938
00:38:46,900 --> 00:38:49,120
group of 200 on where they&#39;re coming 

939
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,180
from . I don&#39;t have that information 

940
00:38:51,180 --> 00:38:53,347
right now . A zay said at the outset . 

941
00:38:53,347 --> 00:38:56,730
The military services are sourcing that 

942
00:38:56,740 --> 00:38:59,350
right now . And , um , I&#39;m sure when we 

943
00:38:59,350 --> 00:39:02,140
have more information about that , we 

944
00:39:02,140 --> 00:39:04,307
should be able to provide it . I don&#39;t 

945
00:39:04,307 --> 00:39:06,196
think that would take very long , 

946
00:39:06,196 --> 00:39:08,307
either . As I said , the goal here is 

947
00:39:08,307 --> 00:39:10,473
to get , uh , this initial team of 200 

948
00:39:10,473 --> 00:39:13,650
on site on or about the 15th of the 

949
00:39:13,650 --> 00:39:15,706
month . So , you know , a little bit 

950
00:39:15,706 --> 00:39:18,950
more than within 10 days away , Dan , 

951
00:39:19,620 --> 00:39:21,842
to the earlier question about extremism 

952
00:39:21,842 --> 00:39:25,070
in the ranks . Um , where do you draw 

953
00:39:25,070 --> 00:39:28,450
the line , right ? So if if a 

954
00:39:28,820 --> 00:39:31,570
service member is , for example 

955
00:39:31,570 --> 00:39:33,870
expressing their views that , uh , the 

956
00:39:33,870 --> 00:39:35,703
current president wasn&#39;t somehow 

957
00:39:35,703 --> 00:39:38,270
legitimately elected versus maybe 

958
00:39:38,270 --> 00:39:40,159
someone who&#39;s actually advocating 

959
00:39:40,159 --> 00:39:42,103
violence , do you draw the line at 

960
00:39:42,103 --> 00:39:45,660
advocating violence ? It&#39;s extremism 

961
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,047
is a hard thing that is a subjective , 

962
00:39:48,047 --> 00:39:50,380
obviously that Well , So you&#39;ve hit on 

963
00:39:50,390 --> 00:39:53,140
something that&#39;s really important , Dan , 

964
00:39:53,140 --> 00:39:56,190
and that z how you get your arms around 

965
00:39:56,190 --> 00:40:00,130
this problem on in one of the 

966
00:40:00,130 --> 00:40:03,950
discussions that in the 

967
00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:06,016
meeting earlier in the week that the 

968
00:40:06,016 --> 00:40:08,127
secretary had with the Chiefs and the 

969
00:40:08,127 --> 00:40:10,293
service secretaries was exactly that . 

970
00:40:10,293 --> 00:40:12,516
What other definitions ? You know , the 

971
00:40:12,516 --> 00:40:14,682
definitions that we&#39;re operating under 

972
00:40:14,682 --> 00:40:17,770
now we&#39;re based on 202,000 and 12 

973
00:40:17,770 --> 00:40:19,800
instruction , and so do we need to 

974
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:21,967
revisit that . Is that Does that still 

975
00:40:21,967 --> 00:40:24,030
apply ? Andi , I think those are the 

976
00:40:24,030 --> 00:40:26,086
questions . You know , you&#39;re you&#39;re 

977
00:40:26,086 --> 00:40:28,030
asking the very same question that 

978
00:40:28,030 --> 00:40:30,252
secretary and the chief you&#39;re asking , 

979
00:40:30,252 --> 00:40:32,474
you know , how do you How do you define 

980
00:40:32,474 --> 00:40:36,330
it ? Uh , but to your other point , 

981
00:40:36,340 --> 00:40:39,370
Dan , it really it isn&#39;t It isn&#39;t about . 

982
00:40:39,380 --> 00:40:42,650
It isn&#39;t about what you&#39;ve internalized . 

983
00:40:42,660 --> 00:40:46,330
It&#39;s how you externalize those beliefs . 

984
00:40:46,790 --> 00:40:49,420
And when the externalization of those 

985
00:40:49,420 --> 00:40:51,820
beliefs threatens 

986
00:40:52,410 --> 00:40:55,140
or , um 

987
00:40:56,010 --> 00:40:59,990
or does harm when it affects the good 

988
00:40:59,990 --> 00:41:02,320
order and discipline of a unit . Then 

989
00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:04,600
it becomes something that leaders have 

990
00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:07,250
thio to have accountability measures in 

991
00:41:07,250 --> 00:41:10,840
place to deal with . And and so that&#39;s 

992
00:41:10,850 --> 00:41:13,017
you know that zoo . You ask me , where 

993
00:41:13,017 --> 00:41:14,961
do you draw the line that Z That&#39;s 

994
00:41:14,961 --> 00:41:18,010
where we are currently at , um , but 

995
00:41:18,010 --> 00:41:21,310
again , in terms of what is and what 

996
00:41:21,310 --> 00:41:23,930
isn&#39;t , um , extremism is something 

997
00:41:23,930 --> 00:41:27,460
that e think that we all agree we need . 

998
00:41:27,470 --> 00:41:29,680
We need better . We need better 

999
00:41:29,690 --> 00:41:31,801
definition on . And I don&#39;t just mean 

1000
00:41:31,801 --> 00:41:34,350
that in the vocabulary sense of the 

1001
00:41:34,350 --> 00:41:37,350
word . Sorry . One separate question on 

1002
00:41:37,350 --> 00:41:39,461
the vaccinations . I understand . You 

1003
00:41:39,461 --> 00:41:41,628
can&#39;t say how many people have decided 

1004
00:41:41,628 --> 00:41:44,950
not to do it , but at what point is 

1005
00:41:44,950 --> 00:41:48,110
there a concern that you don&#39;t get 

1006
00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:50,980
enough of your personnel vaccinated and 

1007
00:41:50,980 --> 00:41:53,790
you actually can&#39;t protect the force of 

1008
00:41:53,790 --> 00:41:56,520
enough if enough people decide not to 

1009
00:41:56,530 --> 00:41:59,940
do it ? Um , 

1010
00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:02,730
well , so we have to remember it&#39;s a 

1011
00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:06,830
voluntary vaccine . Um um 

1012
00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:10,480
and we have toe be mindful of that . We 

1013
00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:13,880
want obviously to protect everybody in 

1014
00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,600
the force . Um and we want them to have 

1015
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,711
the opportunity to make this decision 

1016
00:42:18,711 --> 00:42:21,080
for themselves . Um , I could tell you 

1017
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,200
that as of today as the fifth of 

1018
00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:25,867
February , we&#39;ve administered 

1019
00:42:25,867 --> 00:42:29,840
76.4% of all the vaccines 

1020
00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:33,310
that we have on hand , so it&#39;s a robust 

1021
00:42:33,700 --> 00:42:35,867
process , and it&#39;s getting more robust 

1022
00:42:35,867 --> 00:42:39,730
every day . Um , on and clearly we have 

1023
00:42:39,730 --> 00:42:42,610
to balance are legitimate concerns for 

1024
00:42:42,610 --> 00:42:44,777
health of the force and readiness with 

1025
00:42:44,777 --> 00:42:48,220
the fact that , um , these 

1026
00:42:48,230 --> 00:42:51,260
individuals have a right thio say that 

1027
00:42:51,260 --> 00:42:54,640
they don&#39;t want it . Um , but I&#39;m not a 

1028
00:42:54,650 --> 00:42:56,872
clinician and not a doctor . So I can&#39;t 

1029
00:42:56,872 --> 00:42:58,872
tell you that a certain number at a 

1030
00:42:58,872 --> 00:43:01,094
certain percentage all of a sudden gets 

1031
00:43:01,094 --> 00:43:04,880
us there . Um , but we&#39;re making a 

1032
00:43:04,890 --> 00:43:07,030
very concerted effort . And as I said 

1033
00:43:07,030 --> 00:43:10,400
it zipping . It&#39;s getting more refined 

1034
00:43:10,410 --> 00:43:13,990
and better every day . But we&#39;re making 

1035
00:43:13,990 --> 00:43:16,850
a very concerted effort to make the 

1036
00:43:16,850 --> 00:43:19,880
vaccines available to as many people in 

1037
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,900
the workforce as we can follow up on 

1038
00:43:22,900 --> 00:43:25,510
extremism . Those 2012 rigs you talk 

1039
00:43:25,510 --> 00:43:28,530
about so you could be a member of one 

1040
00:43:28,530 --> 00:43:30,810
of these groups , but not an active 

1041
00:43:30,820 --> 00:43:33,040
member . Eyes that something You&#39;re 

1042
00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:34,762
gonna look at that . Maybe you 

1043
00:43:34,762 --> 00:43:36,818
shouldn&#39;t even be a member of one of 

1044
00:43:36,818 --> 00:43:39,040
these groups . I think it&#39;s safe to say 

1045
00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:41,262
that the secretary wants the leadership 

1046
00:43:41,262 --> 00:43:43,540
here to look at all components of this . 

1047
00:43:43,540 --> 00:43:45,818
And I certainly wouldn&#39;t rule that out . 

1048
00:43:45,818 --> 00:43:47,762
As one thing that they&#39;re thinking 

1049
00:43:47,762 --> 00:43:49,651
about is how do you get your arms 

1050
00:43:49,651 --> 00:43:51,818
around membership in these groups were 

1051
00:43:51,818 --> 00:43:54,040
right ? Right now , membership is not , 

1052
00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:57,390
um , um is not considered inconsistent 

1053
00:43:57,390 --> 00:43:59,860
with service in the military . Um , and 

1054
00:43:59,860 --> 00:44:02,230
it really is really about what you do 

1055
00:44:02,230 --> 00:44:05,110
with that membership . I&#39;m not gonna be 

1056
00:44:05,110 --> 00:44:07,221
predictive one way or the other about 

1057
00:44:07,221 --> 00:44:09,388
where this discussion is going . But I 

1058
00:44:09,388 --> 00:44:11,388
think membership in these groups is 

1059
00:44:11,388 --> 00:44:13,610
certainly something that I would expect 

1060
00:44:13,610 --> 00:44:15,721
that the for them to look at . Yeah . 

1061
00:44:15,721 --> 00:44:17,666
Can you be more specific about the 

1062
00:44:17,666 --> 00:44:20,120
nature off assistant ? You continue , 

1063
00:44:20,130 --> 00:44:22,241
you will continue to provide to Saudi 

1064
00:44:22,241 --> 00:44:25,490
Arabia to defend its borders . On the 

1065
00:44:25,500 --> 00:44:27,820
second question , what level off 

1066
00:44:27,830 --> 00:44:30,120
cooperation you expect from Saudi 

1067
00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:33,540
Arabia and U . A . E uh , in the 

1068
00:44:33,540 --> 00:44:36,590
Pentagon&#39;s operation against Al Qaeda 

1069
00:44:36,590 --> 00:44:39,110
in the Arabian Peninsula , Off course 

1070
00:44:39,110 --> 00:44:41,277
in the light off . Actually , that&#39;s a 

1071
00:44:41,277 --> 00:44:43,499
good point . I mean , and I should have 

1072
00:44:43,499 --> 00:44:46,220
said that at the top that I mean the U . 

1073
00:44:46,220 --> 00:44:49,410
S . Operations against Isis and Al 

1074
00:44:49,410 --> 00:44:52,310
Qaeda will continue that this is not 

1075
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:54,542
this decision is not affected by that . 

1076
00:44:54,542 --> 00:44:56,876
I think you&#39;re asking the same question . 

1077
00:44:56,876 --> 00:44:58,764
Leader asked about the panoply of 

1078
00:44:58,764 --> 00:45:01,340
things that that we still cooperate 

1079
00:45:01,340 --> 00:45:04,610
with Saudi Arabia with in terms of a 

1080
00:45:04,610 --> 00:45:06,332
bilateral military to military 

1081
00:45:06,332 --> 00:45:08,332
relationship . And I just don&#39;t I&#39;m 

1082
00:45:08,332 --> 00:45:10,443
just not equipped right now . Today , 

1083
00:45:10,443 --> 00:45:12,666
Thio answer that So we&#39;ll get it to you 

1084
00:45:12,666 --> 00:45:14,721
just as we promised to get it . Thio 

1085
00:45:14,721 --> 00:45:16,721
Lida , let me go back to the phones 

1086
00:45:16,721 --> 00:45:18,650
here . Yeah . Wow . 

1087
00:45:20,890 --> 00:45:23,410
Z Sylvie from FFP . 

1088
00:45:26,190 --> 00:45:30,170
Hello . Um , I have a follow up to a 

1089
00:45:30,170 --> 00:45:33,230
question . Um unanswered you gave to 

1090
00:45:33,230 --> 00:45:37,070
Louis about the review 

1091
00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:40,610
The Worldwide Review Posture Review . 

1092
00:45:40,620 --> 00:45:44,210
Do you know how many troops Um , U s 

1093
00:45:44,220 --> 00:45:46,600
troops are actually in Germany right 

1094
00:45:46,610 --> 00:45:49,100
now ? And it&#39;s any withdrawal world 

1095
00:45:49,590 --> 00:45:52,940
started already under the previous 

1096
00:45:52,950 --> 00:45:55,540
administration . And also I would like 

1097
00:45:55,550 --> 00:45:58,470
to know the position off the Secretary 

1098
00:45:58,470 --> 00:46:02,100
on relationships with Turkey 

1099
00:46:02,580 --> 00:46:05,280
and the fact that turkey now using 

1100
00:46:05,280 --> 00:46:08,870
position off Russian , the Russian s 

1101
00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:11,900
400 Look , I&#39;m gonna have 

1102
00:46:11,900 --> 00:46:15,300
Thio . I didn&#39;t 

1103
00:46:15,980 --> 00:46:18,310
prepare for the exact number of 

1104
00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:20,264
personnel we have in Germany , but 

1105
00:46:20,264 --> 00:46:22,376
that&#39;s a gettable number and weaken . 

1106
00:46:22,376 --> 00:46:24,376
Get that for you . The only thing I 

1107
00:46:24,376 --> 00:46:27,460
would say try to reiterate uh is what I 

1108
00:46:27,460 --> 00:46:29,516
said before in his conversation with 

1109
00:46:29,516 --> 00:46:31,870
the Minister of Defense of Germany . Um , 

1110
00:46:31,880 --> 00:46:33,870
he made it clear that while no 

1111
00:46:33,870 --> 00:46:36,980
decisions have been made yet , whatever 

1112
00:46:36,980 --> 00:46:39,760
decisions are made about our troop 

1113
00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:42,410
levels there or anywhere in Europe , 

1114
00:46:42,420 --> 00:46:44,642
we&#39;re gonna make those in consultations 

1115
00:46:44,642 --> 00:46:46,490
with the governments concerned . 

1116
00:46:46,500 --> 00:46:49,300
Grateful for support that the German 

1117
00:46:49,300 --> 00:46:51,522
government continues to give us and has 

1118
00:46:51,522 --> 00:46:54,460
given us for so many years , Onda 

1119
00:46:54,470 --> 00:46:57,190
Way will absolutely make sure that 

1120
00:46:57,190 --> 00:47:00,970
they&#39;re properly consulted if and when , 

1121
00:47:00,980 --> 00:47:03,650
if or when there&#39;s any changes to be 

1122
00:47:03,650 --> 00:47:07,000
talked about . Um , as for turkey , 

1123
00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:09,990
uh , again , I would remind that Turkey 

1124
00:47:09,990 --> 00:47:12,740
is a long standing and valued NATO ally . 

1125
00:47:12,740 --> 00:47:14,796
But their decision to purchase the S 

1126
00:47:14,796 --> 00:47:16,684
400 is inconsistent with Turkey&#39;s 

1127
00:47:16,684 --> 00:47:18,962
commitments as a U . S . And NATO ally . 

1128
00:47:18,962 --> 00:47:21,180
Our position has not changed . The S 

1129
00:47:21,180 --> 00:47:23,390
400 is incompatible with the F 35 

1130
00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:25,520
Turkey has been suspended from that 

1131
00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,090
program . We urge Turkey not to retain 

1132
00:47:28,280 --> 00:47:31,420
the S 400 system . Turkey had multiple 

1133
00:47:31,420 --> 00:47:33,531
opportunities over the last decade to 

1134
00:47:33,531 --> 00:47:35,531
purchase the Patriot defense system 

1135
00:47:35,531 --> 00:47:37,476
from the United States and instead 

1136
00:47:37,476 --> 00:47:39,364
chose to purchase the S 400 which 

1137
00:47:39,364 --> 00:47:41,420
provides Russia revenue , access and 

1138
00:47:41,420 --> 00:47:43,642
influence . Okay , I&#39;ll take one more , 

1139
00:47:43,642 --> 00:47:45,698
and I&#39;ll take it from the room . And 

1140
00:47:45,698 --> 00:47:45,620
then , uh , we&#39;ll head out . Go ahead . 

1141
00:47:45,620 --> 00:47:48,750
Sir , you were talking about vaccines . 

1142
00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:51,750
Once the vaccine is FDA approved , will 

1143
00:47:51,750 --> 00:47:54,480
it be mandated to soldiers ? And then 

1144
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:56,647
you go and pick up all those that have 

1145
00:47:56,647 --> 00:47:58,813
been denying it . And then I&#39;d like to 

1146
00:47:58,813 --> 00:48:00,591
follow up on rotations that you 

1147
00:48:00,591 --> 00:48:03,270
mentioned . So rotations are going to 

1148
00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:06,560
be continuing . Um , and in Europe 

1149
00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:08,810
specifically does Secretary agree with 

1150
00:48:08,810 --> 00:48:11,440
what Secretary Esper said last July , 

1151
00:48:11,440 --> 00:48:13,662
that more rotations should be happening 

1152
00:48:13,662 --> 00:48:15,551
in Eastern Europe . And are those 

1153
00:48:15,551 --> 00:48:17,718
conversations ongoing ? Are they gonna 

1154
00:48:17,718 --> 00:48:19,496
wait until the six month review 

1155
00:48:19,496 --> 00:48:21,662
finishes ? I don&#39;t know of any changes 

1156
00:48:21,662 --> 00:48:24,020
to rotational deployments toe Eastern 

1157
00:48:24,020 --> 00:48:26,242
Europe . And I have nothing in terms of 

1158
00:48:26,242 --> 00:48:28,131
future decisions to announce with 

1159
00:48:28,131 --> 00:48:30,131
respect to that today on your other 

1160
00:48:30,131 --> 00:48:32,187
questions , a hypothetical . I don&#39;t 

1161
00:48:32,187 --> 00:48:34,409
wanna get ahead of FDA certification of 

1162
00:48:34,409 --> 00:48:38,090
the vaccine if it becomes a certified 

1163
00:48:38,090 --> 00:48:40,500
FDA approved vaccine that I&#39;m sure that 

1164
00:48:40,670 --> 00:48:43,330
medical policy , uh , in the military 

1165
00:48:43,330 --> 00:48:45,650
world , adjust to that . What ? That 

1166
00:48:45,650 --> 00:48:47,539
looks like . Exactly . I&#39;m not at 

1167
00:48:47,539 --> 00:48:50,500
liberty to say today . Right now . It z 

1168
00:48:50,500 --> 00:48:52,722
being it&#39;s being offered on a voluntary 

1169
00:48:52,722 --> 00:48:54,833
basis , and we&#39;re gonna have Thio not 

1170
00:48:54,833 --> 00:48:57,056
have Thio . We are going to continue to 

1171
00:48:57,056 --> 00:48:58,778
respect that . Okay , Thanks , 

1172
00:48:58,778 --> 00:49:01,070
everybody . Who&#39;s Bill ? How did I not 

1173
00:49:01,070 --> 00:49:03,014
know that you were gonna just jump 

1174
00:49:03,014 --> 00:49:05,348
right in there ? Who&#39;s footing the bill ? 

1175
00:49:05,348 --> 00:49:07,514
What ? For ? The National Guard in the 

1176
00:49:07,514 --> 00:49:09,737
nation&#39;s capital . I would refer you to 

1177
00:49:09,737 --> 00:49:11,792
the army for that . I don&#39;t have the 

1178
00:49:11,792 --> 00:49:13,800
specific information of the budget 

1179
00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:15,744
process there , but the army could 

1180
00:49:15,744 --> 00:49:17,744
probably better . And when are they 

1181
00:49:17,744 --> 00:49:20,890
leaving ? As I said before on , the 

1182
00:49:20,890 --> 00:49:23,112
secretary made this case when he was up 

1183
00:49:23,112 --> 00:49:25,334
on Capitol Hill visiting with Guardsmen 

1184
00:49:25,334 --> 00:49:28,350
that we don&#39;t want them toe perform 

1185
00:49:28,350 --> 00:49:30,461
this mission one day longer than they 

1186
00:49:30,461 --> 00:49:32,572
have Thio . And we&#39;re proud of them . 

1187
00:49:32,572 --> 00:49:35,370
And we are grateful for what they&#39;re 

1188
00:49:35,370 --> 00:49:37,537
doing leaving their families and their 

1189
00:49:37,537 --> 00:49:40,540
jobs and , uh , you know , guarding our 

1190
00:49:40,540 --> 00:49:43,320
capitol grounds in , uh , in some in 

1191
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:46,730
some cold , nasty weather . Um , it was 

1192
00:49:46,730 --> 00:49:49,008
inspiring , at least for me personally . 

1193
00:49:49,008 --> 00:49:51,530
T see them out there . Uh , it makes 

1194
00:49:51,530 --> 00:49:53,474
you proud , but we don&#39;t want them 

1195
00:49:53,474 --> 00:49:55,586
there one day longer . than they need 

1196
00:49:55,586 --> 00:49:57,808
to be on as I told you before , as long 

1197
00:49:57,808 --> 00:49:59,808
as the Secretary believes there&#39;s a 

1198
00:49:59,808 --> 00:50:01,974
valid requirement that that we have to 

1199
00:50:01,974 --> 00:50:03,919
meet at the request of federal and 

1200
00:50:03,919 --> 00:50:05,974
local law enforcement as well as the 

1201
00:50:05,974 --> 00:50:08,141
city , we&#39;re going to do that . Okay . 

1202
00:50:08,141 --> 00:50:10,308
Thanks , everybody . I appreciate it . 

1203
00:50:10,308 --> 00:50:10,790
Thank you so much .