WEBVTT 00:04.440 --> 00:07.050 Hello , everyone . I'm Lloyd Austin , 00:07.210 --> 00:10.250 Secretary of Defense . I want to thank 00:10.250 --> 00:12.250 you for participating in this stand 00:12.250 --> 00:15.260 down , and I think your leadership for 00:15.260 --> 00:17.650 supporting this important initiative 00:18.740 --> 00:21.010 and let me say right at the outset that 00:21.010 --> 00:23.360 there is not a single doubt in my mind 00:23.940 --> 00:27.290 that you take seriously your oath to 00:27.290 --> 00:30.500 the Constitution in that you serve this 00:30.500 --> 00:34.400 country with honor and dignity 00:34.780 --> 00:38.550 and character , and that you believe in 00:38.940 --> 00:42.790 and uphold our core values each and 00:42.790 --> 00:45.820 every day . Many of you have deployed 00:45.820 --> 00:48.080 in harm's way to defend those values . 00:49.230 --> 00:51.286 And some of you are in harm's way at 00:51.286 --> 00:54.180 this very moment . And I want you to 00:54.180 --> 00:57.780 know that I'm grateful for that . I 00:57.790 --> 01:00.190 also want you to know that your fellow 01:00.190 --> 01:02.860 citizens are grateful for that . 01:04.640 --> 01:06.807 You see , we understand the sacrifices 01:06.807 --> 01:09.150 that you and your families are making 01:09.150 --> 01:12.560 to defend this nation . And we know a 01:12.560 --> 01:15.110 stand down like this can seemed like 01:15.110 --> 01:17.950 yet another task to undertake another 01:17.950 --> 01:21.500 burden . But the truth of the matter 01:21.500 --> 01:25.460 is , we need your help . I'm 01:25.460 --> 01:27.682 talking , of course , about extremism , 01:28.320 --> 01:31.890 an extremist ideology , views and 01:31.890 --> 01:34.570 conduct that run counter to everything 01:34.790 --> 01:37.670 that we believe in in which can 01:37.670 --> 01:40.860 actually tear at the fabric of who we 01:40.860 --> 01:42.380 are as an institution . 01:45.040 --> 01:47.950 You know , I've seen this before . I've 01:47.950 --> 01:51.810 lived through it as a soldier and as a 01:51.810 --> 01:55.430 commander . It's not new to our country , 01:55.430 --> 01:57.780 and sadly , it's not new to our 01:57.780 --> 02:01.770 military . What is new is 02:01.770 --> 02:04.580 the speed and a pervasiveness with 02:04.580 --> 02:07.260 which extremist ideology can spread . 02:07.260 --> 02:11.050 Today , thanks to social media and the 02:11.050 --> 02:14.630 aggressive and organized and emboldened 02:14.630 --> 02:17.340 attitude , many of these hate groups 02:17.340 --> 02:20.170 and their sympathizers are now applying 02:20.170 --> 02:22.150 to their recruitment and to their 02:22.150 --> 02:25.240 operations . You know , it concerns me , 02:25.240 --> 02:27.680 too . I think that anyone wearing the 02:27.680 --> 02:31.230 uniforms of a soldier or sailor and 02:31.230 --> 02:33.320 airman , marine or guardian or Coast 02:33.320 --> 02:36.630 Guardsman what a spouse , the source of 02:36.630 --> 02:40.060 beliefs , let alone act on them . 02:41.640 --> 02:45.560 But they do . Some of them still 02:45.560 --> 02:49.560 do . We've got to be better than that , 02:50.540 --> 02:53.800 and not just for ourselves and the sort 02:53.800 --> 02:55.800 of work environment that we want to 02:55.800 --> 02:58.022 cultivate for each other , but also for 02:58.022 --> 03:00.133 the country and the very idea of what 03:00.133 --> 03:02.133 the United States represents to the 03:02.133 --> 03:05.360 world . And that's the discussion 03:06.140 --> 03:09.840 that I want you toe have today . I want 03:09.840 --> 03:11.951 you to revisit the oath that you took 03:11.951 --> 03:14.250 when you join the military and when you 03:14.260 --> 03:17.840 re enlisted or got promoted , read 03:17.840 --> 03:21.430 those words again . Consider what they 03:21.440 --> 03:24.930 really mean and think about the promise 03:24.930 --> 03:27.041 that you made to yourselves into your 03:27.041 --> 03:29.263 teammates and to your fellow citizens . 03:30.310 --> 03:32.254 I also want you to share with your 03:32.254 --> 03:34.580 leadership your own personal 03:34.580 --> 03:37.280 experiences with encountering extremist , 03:37.840 --> 03:40.150 an extremist ideology in the military 03:40.640 --> 03:44.130 Should you have any and I want your 03:44.130 --> 03:45.963 leadership toe . Listen to those 03:45.963 --> 03:49.020 stories , and I want them to listen to 03:49.020 --> 03:51.140 any ideas that you might have to help 03:51.140 --> 03:54.630 us stamp out of the ranks the 03:54.630 --> 03:58.010 dangerous conduct that this ideology 03:58.010 --> 04:01.780 inspires . And 04:01.780 --> 04:04.550 so I want you to remember also that 04:04.550 --> 04:06.494 we've got important things to do . 04:06.494 --> 04:08.661 Ladies and gentlemen , we have serious 04:08.661 --> 04:11.500 commitments around the world and people 04:11.500 --> 04:14.820 depend on us so we can't afford actions 04:14.820 --> 04:17.560 and behavior that are at odds with our 04:17.560 --> 04:21.000 values and that undermine good order 04:21.000 --> 04:24.390 and discipline that harm or harass 04:25.240 --> 04:27.680 and otherwise violate the oath that we 04:27.680 --> 04:31.290 share and the bonds of trust upon which 04:31.290 --> 04:34.260 we all rely again . 04:35.140 --> 04:36.918 Thank you for it . You and your 04:36.918 --> 04:39.750 families do each and every day . 04:41.140 --> 04:44.350 Thank you for upholding your oath and 04:44.350 --> 04:46.600 thank you for helping us get smarter 04:46.600 --> 04:49.380 about dealing with this very important 04:49.380 --> 04:53.270 readiness issue . I'm proud to be on 04:53.270 --> 04:53.850 your team .