WEBVTT 00:00.240 --> 00:02.640 Okay . Yeah . 00:05.440 --> 00:07.670 Afternoon , everybody . Thanks for 00:07.670 --> 00:11.180 coming today . Uh , just a couple of 00:11.190 --> 00:13.246 ground rules and sitting here , uh , 00:13.246 --> 00:15.134 we'll have statements by both the 00:15.134 --> 00:17.134 secretary and the chairman and then 00:17.134 --> 00:19.190 we'll open up for questions . I will 00:19.190 --> 00:21.134 moderate . I'll call on you please 00:21.134 --> 00:23.190 identify who you are and your outlet 00:23.190 --> 00:25.246 when you when you ask and if you can 00:25.246 --> 00:27.468 limit follow ups , uh , we don't have a 00:27.468 --> 00:29.746 whole heck of a lot of time today . Uh , 00:29.746 --> 00:31.968 both gentlemen have busy schedules , so 00:31.968 --> 00:34.079 we're going to try to keep this thing 00:34.079 --> 00:36.079 moving . Um Thanks again . And with 00:36.079 --> 00:38.301 that Mr Secretary , thanks john , first 00:38.301 --> 00:41.880 of all , let me start by uh , thanking 00:41.880 --> 00:44.080 all of you for coming today . And let 00:44.080 --> 00:47.240 me also tell you just how much I 00:47.240 --> 00:50.400 appreciate the work that you do are 00:50.400 --> 00:52.456 free and independent press is one of 00:52.456 --> 00:55.220 America's greatest strengths . And when 00:55.220 --> 00:57.450 you hold us accountable , it makes us 00:57.450 --> 00:59.228 better and it makes our country 00:59.228 --> 01:02.550 stronger . So thanks for what you do . 01:04.340 --> 01:07.960 Um It's been a very busy 100 01:07.960 --> 01:11.070 days . We've been focused on my top 01:11.070 --> 01:14.520 three priorities Quickly review what 01:14.520 --> 01:16.576 our team has accomplished thus far . 01:18.240 --> 01:20.296 Clearly we have a lot more to do but 01:20.296 --> 01:22.462 I'm very proud of the progress that we 01:22.462 --> 01:26.410 have made to this point . As you saw in 01:26.410 --> 01:29.850 my initial message to the force . Our 01:29.850 --> 01:32.760 top priority is to defend this nation 01:32.760 --> 01:35.840 and to protect our interests . And 01:35.840 --> 01:38.870 today The most urgent challenge that we 01:38.870 --> 01:42.540 face is COVID-19 and so the department 01:42.540 --> 01:45.490 has stepped up to save american lives 01:45.490 --> 01:48.620 through vaccination . We've been a part 01:48.620 --> 01:50.787 of a whole of government effort to get 01:50.787 --> 01:53.940 shots in the arms And active duty and 01:53.940 --> 01:56.162 national guard troops have administered 01:56.162 --> 01:59.740 more than 14 million total shots to the 01:59.740 --> 02:03.290 american people . We've also been 02:03.290 --> 02:05.290 moving out quickly to vaccinate the 02:05.290 --> 02:07.870 force in our broader , broader D . O . 02:07.870 --> 02:11.190 D . Family . We've administered more 02:11.190 --> 02:13.412 than three million shots to d . o . d . 02:13.412 --> 02:15.860 personnel And that's more than 02:15.860 --> 02:19.100 550,000 fully vaccinated service 02:19.100 --> 02:21.360 members And more than 02:21.360 --> 02:25.170 644,000 fully vaccinated 02:25.170 --> 02:28.590 civilians , contractors and 02:28.590 --> 02:32.060 beneficiaries at home and overseas . 02:34.640 --> 02:36.473 We're also working on the global 02:36.473 --> 02:38.640 challenge of controlling this pandemic 02:38.640 --> 02:41.370 once and for all in that regard , I 02:41.370 --> 02:43.592 should say just a word about the crisis 02:43.592 --> 02:46.380 facing our friends in India . We're 02:46.380 --> 02:48.324 moving urgently to support India's 02:48.324 --> 02:51.980 frontline healthcare workers and three 02:51.980 --> 02:55.730 U . S . Air Force C . Five M . Super 02:55.730 --> 02:59.470 Galaxies and a C . 17 Globemaster three 02:59.470 --> 03:01.470 have already delivered many tons of 03:01.470 --> 03:02.550 critical supplies 03:05.940 --> 03:08.510 for a sense of some of the wider 03:08.510 --> 03:12.020 strategic changes in the works . Let me 03:12.020 --> 03:14.242 point you to the remarks that I made in 03:14.242 --> 03:16.131 Hawaii last week at the Change of 03:16.131 --> 03:18.550 Command for indo pacific Command . 03:20.140 --> 03:22.251 The department is working together on 03:22.251 --> 03:24.660 what I what I call integrated 03:24.660 --> 03:27.230 deterrence the new vision of how we 03:27.230 --> 03:29.810 defend the nation and in all domains of 03:29.810 --> 03:33.220 conflict in a time when 03:33.220 --> 03:35.276 technology is changing the nature of 03:35.276 --> 03:39.160 warfare and that's especially important 03:39.160 --> 03:41.730 for our priority theater of operations . 03:41.730 --> 03:42.730 The indo pacific 03:46.340 --> 03:48.229 we started a global force posture 03:48.229 --> 03:50.284 review to make sure we're positioned 03:50.284 --> 03:52.340 well for the challenges that we face 03:52.340 --> 03:55.820 around the globe , but certainly there 03:55.820 --> 03:59.120 in the region as well . And the china 03:59.120 --> 04:01.750 task force which is ably led by DR Ely 04:01.750 --> 04:04.790 Ratner , is developing an important set 04:04.790 --> 04:05.960 of recommendations . 04:08.340 --> 04:10.580 Further a field , we've condemned 04:10.590 --> 04:12.900 Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine 04:12.900 --> 04:15.370 and underscored our commitment to 04:15.370 --> 04:18.300 helping Ukraine's forces better defend 04:18.300 --> 04:21.750 their country and we're moving to 04:21.750 --> 04:25.020 tackle the very if you are one of the 04:25.020 --> 04:27.510 very few truly existential threats that 04:27.510 --> 04:30.860 we face and that's the climate crisis . 04:33.840 --> 04:35.951 Our second key priority is taken care 04:35.951 --> 04:38.550 of our people , all of our people . 04:39.840 --> 04:41.896 And towards that end , Deputy Deputy 04:41.896 --> 04:43.729 Secretary Hicks has convened the 04:43.729 --> 04:46.620 deputies workforce council which is a 04:46.620 --> 04:48.453 new senior leadership forum that 04:48.453 --> 04:50.780 addresses the most pressing people 04:50.780 --> 04:54.650 management and personnel policy in 04:54.650 --> 04:58.650 total force requirements . And 04:58.650 --> 05:01.050 as you all know , my first directive 05:02.140 --> 05:04.970 was on sexual assault and that was on 05:04.970 --> 05:06.414 my second day in office , 05:08.840 --> 05:10.930 we established an Independent Review 05:10.930 --> 05:13.400 commission and I'm going to have an 05:13.400 --> 05:15.850 open mind about what they come up with 05:15.860 --> 05:17.916 the recommendations that they make . 05:19.140 --> 05:21.251 You've heard me say this before , but 05:21.251 --> 05:23.084 sexual assault is a problem that 05:23.084 --> 05:25.450 plagues us . It is a readiness issue . 05:25.450 --> 05:27.880 It is a leadership issue and we're 05:27.880 --> 05:30.710 going to lead real change for real 05:30.710 --> 05:34.260 results . We're also 05:34.260 --> 05:36.038 tackling the problem of violent 05:36.038 --> 05:38.330 extremists in our work and our ranks 05:38.330 --> 05:41.900 and our workforce . And since ordering 05:41.900 --> 05:43.678 a stand down on this issue , we 05:43.678 --> 05:45.733 established the countering extremism 05:45.733 --> 05:48.620 working group and clearly we got a lot , 05:48.620 --> 05:50.787 we have a lot of work to do and I want 05:50.787 --> 05:53.990 to be blunt . There is no place for 05:53.990 --> 05:56.970 hatred or bigotry or extremist behavior 05:56.970 --> 05:59.192 in this department or in the military . 06:02.140 --> 06:04.362 This department has an open door to any 06:04.362 --> 06:06.760 qualified american who wants to serve . 06:08.140 --> 06:10.550 And that's a matter of both national 06:10.550 --> 06:13.560 principal and national security 06:15.340 --> 06:17.510 diversity throughout the force is a 06:17.510 --> 06:20.760 source of strength so we can't afford 06:20.760 --> 06:22.982 to deprive ourselves of the talents and 06:22.982 --> 06:25.830 the voices of the full range of the 06:25.830 --> 06:27.163 nation that we defend . 06:29.440 --> 06:31.640 Third , we brought a renewed focus on 06:31.640 --> 06:35.470 teamwork on several levels . In 06:35.470 --> 06:37.930 part that's about outreach to our 06:37.930 --> 06:39.986 allies and partners who multiply our 06:39.986 --> 06:42.208 strength and make the world more stable 06:42.208 --> 06:44.630 and secure . As you know , my first 06:44.630 --> 06:47.290 trips , we're all about investing in 06:47.290 --> 06:49.810 those relationships , including 06:49.810 --> 06:51.921 important business that we've already 06:51.921 --> 06:54.450 conducted with the leaders of Japan in 06:54.450 --> 06:58.040 the republic of Korea in Germany , the 06:58.040 --> 07:01.970 U . K . India Israel and 07:01.970 --> 07:05.600 NATO . But this is also about how the 07:05.600 --> 07:08.460 department fits into the inter agency 07:08.840 --> 07:11.062 and works with our teammates across the 07:11.062 --> 07:14.580 U . S . Government . There is no 07:14.580 --> 07:17.170 daylight between this department and 07:17.170 --> 07:18.948 the State department on a basic 07:18.948 --> 07:21.170 principle and that principle is that in 07:21.170 --> 07:24.640 securing America's interest , Diplomacy 07:24.650 --> 07:28.190 Always Comes 1st . And 07:28.190 --> 07:30.370 lastly , teamwork means a new spirit 07:30.370 --> 07:34.100 within this building . And so we 07:34.110 --> 07:36.330 it's time to get back to 07:36.340 --> 07:38.790 professionalism and normal normal order 07:38.790 --> 07:42.720 and good process . And finally let me 07:42.730 --> 07:46.390 in with Afghanistan . The 07:46.390 --> 07:48.850 president has decided to end America's 07:48.850 --> 07:52.040 involvement in our longest war and 07:52.040 --> 07:54.720 we're going to do just that . And so 07:54.720 --> 07:56.780 far less than one weekend , the 07:56.780 --> 07:58.891 drawdown is going according to plan . 08:00.040 --> 08:02.262 At the same time , we are shifting to a 08:02.262 --> 08:04.262 new bilateral relationship with our 08:04.262 --> 08:06.740 Afghan security partners . Well , we'll 08:06.740 --> 08:08.870 work towards our common goals in some 08:08.870 --> 08:12.140 new and different ways and I'm grateful 08:12.140 --> 08:14.307 for the effort that generals Mackenzie 08:14.307 --> 08:16.418 and Miller have put into planning for 08:16.418 --> 08:18.940 all of this . And of course , I am 08:18.950 --> 08:21.400 enormously proud of the men and women 08:21.640 --> 08:24.670 of the military Who are now and who 08:24.670 --> 08:28.400 have for the past 20 years dedicated 08:28.410 --> 08:30.466 themselves to an important mission . 08:31.940 --> 08:35.120 That mission is now changing . But they 08:35.120 --> 08:37.342 are meeting the challenge with the same 08:37.342 --> 08:39.398 professionalism with which they have 08:39.398 --> 08:41.990 met every task assigned to them . And 08:41.990 --> 08:44.101 as I said , in brussels standing side 08:44.101 --> 08:47.050 by side with our allies , we're going 08:47.050 --> 08:49.106 to do everything that we can to make 08:49.106 --> 08:52.550 this drawdown , deliver it 08:53.540 --> 08:56.760 orderly and safe 08:57.540 --> 08:59.510 and to protect our people and our 08:59.510 --> 09:02.320 partners . And so with that , I'm going 09:02.320 --> 09:04.264 to hand it over to the chairman to 09:04.264 --> 09:06.320 offer some specifics on a drawback , 09:06.540 --> 09:09.820 john Miller . Thanks secretary . and uh 09:09.830 --> 09:11.941 I want to take first a moment . Thank 09:11.941 --> 09:13.997 the men and women of the Joint Force 09:13.997 --> 09:17.240 Active Duty Reserve National Guard for 09:17.240 --> 09:19.296 their incredible work day in and day 09:19.296 --> 09:21.630 out in defense of our nation . I'd like 09:21.630 --> 09:23.463 to highlight that in addition to 09:23.463 --> 09:25.519 Afghanistan were engaged in training 09:25.519 --> 09:27.686 exercises , contingency operations and 09:27.686 --> 09:29.686 humanitarian efforts throughout the 09:29.686 --> 09:31.852 world . And the joint forces committed 09:31.852 --> 09:33.797 to global stability and security , 09:34.040 --> 09:36.096 Defense of the United States and our 09:36.096 --> 09:38.040 service members stand ready at all 09:38.040 --> 09:40.970 times to protect our security with 09:40.970 --> 09:43.410 respect to Afghanistan . Our primary 09:43.410 --> 09:46.100 military objective at this point is a 09:46.100 --> 09:48.211 change of mission to conduct a safe , 09:48.211 --> 09:49.878 responsible , coordinated and 09:49.878 --> 09:52.230 deliberate retrograde of U . S . Forces 09:52.230 --> 09:55.480 from Afghanistan . In good order , we 09:55.480 --> 09:57.758 will do this in a synchronized fashion , 09:57.758 --> 09:59.813 shoulder to shoulder with our allies 09:59.813 --> 10:01.647 and NATO partners and we've been 10:01.647 --> 10:03.591 steadily reducing our presence for 10:03.591 --> 10:05.702 almost a decade and we are now in the 10:05.702 --> 10:07.369 final phase of that strategic 10:07.369 --> 10:09.580 retrograde . As you know , we've been 10:09.580 --> 10:11.790 transferring steadily functions and 10:11.790 --> 10:14.012 responsibilities to the Afghan security 10:14.012 --> 10:16.290 forces for considerable amount of time . 10:16.440 --> 10:18.607 The President of the United States has 10:18.607 --> 10:20.718 given us a window to be complete . No 10:20.718 --> 10:22.910 later than september . I don't want to 10:22.910 --> 10:25.640 hear put precise dates in public on our 10:25.640 --> 10:27.862 exact milestones because there are many 10:27.862 --> 10:29.918 variables that will factor in to the 10:29.918 --> 10:31.751 ultimate outcome . I'm confident 10:31.751 --> 10:33.918 however , that our ability to meet the 10:33.918 --> 10:35.973 objective in the time frame that the 10:35.973 --> 10:38.390 president has directed with respect to 10:38.390 --> 10:40.540 the taliban . There continue to be 10:40.540 --> 10:43.350 sustained levels of violent attacks 10:43.380 --> 10:46.820 primarily against the NSF . There have 10:46.820 --> 10:49.210 been about 80 to 120 enemy initiated 10:49.210 --> 10:52.980 attacks a day For the past year and 10:52.980 --> 10:55.480 that has also been sustained since one 10:55.480 --> 10:57.770 May . There have been no attacks 10:57.780 --> 11:01.140 against us and coalition forces since 11:01.140 --> 11:04.250 the retrograde began are about one May 11:04.260 --> 11:06.260 and that is also consistent for the 11:06.260 --> 11:09.650 past year . The NSF , the Afghan 11:09.650 --> 11:11.540 National Security forces and the 11:11.540 --> 11:14.120 government of Afghanistan at this time 11:14.130 --> 11:16.490 remain cohesive . And the president's 11:16.490 --> 11:18.657 intent , the President , United States 11:18.657 --> 11:20.879 intent is to continue to sport both the 11:20.879 --> 11:23.101 NSF and the government of Afghanistan . 11:23.740 --> 11:26.140 To date , we have closed one base in 11:26.140 --> 11:29.950 Helmand . Approximately 60 11:29.950 --> 11:31.894 C17 equivalents have departed with 11:31.894 --> 11:34.440 various equipment rolling stock And 11:34.440 --> 11:37.390 over 1300 pieces of equipment have been 11:37.390 --> 11:39.290 transferred either to the Defense 11:39.290 --> 11:42.410 Logistics Agency for destruction or to 11:42.410 --> 11:46.240 the NSF for their use to maximize 11:46.240 --> 11:48.490 force protection . We have bolstered 11:48.490 --> 11:50.960 our security with additional firepower . 11:51.640 --> 11:54.760 The SEC DEF is directed six additional 11:54.760 --> 11:57.670 B 52 long range strike bombers And a 11:57.670 --> 12:01.220 package of 12 fighter bombers , F 18s 12:01.640 --> 12:03.751 postured to offer continually sport . 12:03.751 --> 12:05.862 In addition to that , the SEc def has 12:05.862 --> 12:08.029 extended the Eisenhower carrier strike 12:08.029 --> 12:11.050 group . We came in with our allies and 12:11.050 --> 12:13.272 we will depart with our allies shoulder 12:13.272 --> 12:15.272 to shoulder and together we are all 12:15.272 --> 12:17.328 going to execute a fully coordinated 12:17.328 --> 12:19.439 synchronized retrograde in good order 12:19.439 --> 12:21.494 and thank you . And I'll be happy to 12:21.494 --> 12:25.390 answer your questions bob . Thank you . 12:25.400 --> 12:27.567 Have a question for each of you , if I 12:27.567 --> 12:30.560 may on on Afghanistan , Mr Secretary Oh , 12:31.340 --> 12:33.340 General Milley just referred to the 12:33.340 --> 12:35.451 high level of violence in Afghanistan 12:35.451 --> 12:37.507 and they're , in some respects , the 12:37.507 --> 12:39.729 violence has increased in recent days . 12:39.729 --> 12:41.896 Even as you've begun the drawdown , my 12:41.896 --> 12:44.160 question really is um what's to stop 12:44.160 --> 12:47.420 the Taliban from overwhelming the 12:47.420 --> 12:49.420 Afghan forces , particularly in the 12:49.420 --> 12:51.531 south , if not in the whole country , 12:51.531 --> 12:53.531 creating instability and additional 12:53.531 --> 12:56.300 instability even in Pakistan ? Is there 12:56.300 --> 12:58.467 something you can do during the summer 12:58.467 --> 13:00.780 to stop that from happening ? If I may 13:00.780 --> 13:03.058 ask a quick question of General Milley . 13:03.058 --> 13:05.750 Uh The secretary referred a minute ago 13:05.760 --> 13:07.482 in his opening statement , two 13:07.482 --> 13:09.930 different ways in which the U . S . 13:09.930 --> 13:13.830 Will interact with the Afghan 13:13.840 --> 13:16.170 forces to support the Afghan forces in 13:16.170 --> 13:17.948 the future . He used the phrase 13:17.948 --> 13:20.059 different ways . I'm wondering if one 13:20.059 --> 13:22.226 of those different ways has to do with 13:22.340 --> 13:25.250 training afghan forces in third 13:25.250 --> 13:27.361 countries outside of Afghanistan . Is 13:27.361 --> 13:30.840 that an option ? Thank you . So , 13:30.850 --> 13:33.017 thanks bob . I think the first part of 13:33.017 --> 13:35.140 the question is what's to stop the 13:35.150 --> 13:38.760 Taliban . Um We're 13:38.760 --> 13:41.190 hopeful that the Afghan security forces 13:41.190 --> 13:43.246 will play the major role in stopping 13:43.246 --> 13:45.430 the taliban . And I know we what we're 13:45.430 --> 13:47.840 seeing unfold is what we expected to 13:47.840 --> 13:50.990 unfold increased pressure . And we've 13:50.990 --> 13:54.240 seen an instance of down in Lashkar Gar 13:54.240 --> 13:57.430 over the the Afghan security forces 13:58.040 --> 13:59.870 conducting a counterattack and 13:59.880 --> 14:03.800 performing fairly well . Uh We 14:03.800 --> 14:06.230 will continue to support them after we 14:06.230 --> 14:09.430 retrograde with , with funding , with 14:09.440 --> 14:12.430 over the horizon logistics . Uh , we 14:12.430 --> 14:14.710 will remain partners with uh , with the 14:14.710 --> 14:17.880 Afghan government , with the Afghan 14:17.880 --> 14:20.980 military . And certainly we hope 14:20.990 --> 14:23.440 through our continued support , the , 14:23.600 --> 14:27.020 the Afghan security forces can , can be 14:27.020 --> 14:29.880 effective . But uh , you know , it's 14:29.890 --> 14:33.160 uh , they have a pretty significant 14:33.160 --> 14:35.438 capability , but it's gonna , you know , 14:35.438 --> 14:37.327 we expect that this will be a , a 14:37.327 --> 14:40.860 challenge for . So , uh , 14:41.310 --> 14:45.300 I mean , there's 300 plus 1000 afghan 14:45.300 --> 14:47.633 army afghan police , it's their country . 14:47.940 --> 14:49.884 They've been leading the fight for 14:49.884 --> 14:51.990 several years now . We've been 14:51.990 --> 14:54.157 supporting them for sure , but they've 14:54.157 --> 14:56.379 been leading the fight and I'm personal 14:56.379 --> 14:58.434 witness as well as many of us , uh , 14:58.434 --> 15:00.434 that the Afghan security forces can 15:00.434 --> 15:02.490 fight and they're fighting for their 15:02.490 --> 15:04.657 own country now . So , um , it's not a 15:04.657 --> 15:06.823 foregone conclusion in my professional 15:06.823 --> 15:08.490 military estimate the Taliban 15:08.490 --> 15:10.657 automatically win a couple of falls or 15:10.657 --> 15:09.880 any of those kind of dire predictions . 15:09.890 --> 15:11.834 That's not a foregone conclusion . 15:11.834 --> 15:13.557 There's a significant military 15:13.557 --> 15:15.668 capability in the Afghan government . 15:15.668 --> 15:17.834 Uh , and , and we have to see how this 15:17.834 --> 15:19.946 plays out with respect to our support 15:19.946 --> 15:22.112 in different ways . The secretary just 15:22.112 --> 15:21.880 mentioned over the horizon , we're 15:21.880 --> 15:24.390 gonna , uh , the intent is to keep an 15:24.390 --> 15:26.612 embassy open and to keep supporting the 15:26.612 --> 15:28.834 Afghan government , the Afghan security 15:28.834 --> 15:31.001 forces with financial aid money . Uh , 15:31.001 --> 15:33.112 we'll also continue to take a look at 15:33.112 --> 15:35.279 training , uh , them and perhaps other 15:35.279 --> 15:37.334 locations wouldn't know . We haven't 15:37.334 --> 15:39.334 figured that out 100 yet , but also 15:39.334 --> 15:41.334 things like maintenance support and 15:41.334 --> 15:43.279 perhaps seti support from over the 15:43.279 --> 15:45.390 horizon . There's a lot of ways to do 15:45.390 --> 15:44.750 that . We're very capable of doing it . 15:44.760 --> 15:47.038 We're working on those plans right now . 15:47.038 --> 15:49.149 So the training in other countries is 15:49.149 --> 15:51.371 an option here . It's possible . I mean 15:51.371 --> 15:50.270 there's a lot of different options out 15:50.270 --> 15:52.437 there and we haven't settled on one of 15:52.437 --> 15:54.548 them yet . When we get some finalized 15:54.548 --> 15:56.714 plans put together , we'll brief those 15:56.714 --> 15:59.150 as secretary for approval . Halloween . 16:00.240 --> 16:02.760 Thank you . This is for both of you . 16:03.240 --> 16:05.296 I'd like to address the issue of air 16:05.296 --> 16:07.550 support in Afghanistan Afghan 16:07.560 --> 16:09.782 commanders as we both know are pleading 16:09.782 --> 16:12.790 for more air support now in key regions 16:12.790 --> 16:15.750 that are under attack . At what point 16:16.240 --> 16:19.370 do we turn off the spigot ? Do we wean 16:19.370 --> 16:22.270 them off or do we make them you know uh 16:22.280 --> 16:24.169 are we going to make them go cold 16:24.169 --> 16:26.280 Turkey once all of our troops are out 16:26.540 --> 16:28.600 and I have a follow up for General 16:28.600 --> 16:32.580 Milley . Thank Celine again . 16:32.590 --> 16:35.150 Our focus currently is on 16:35.640 --> 16:38.380 the task that the president has 16:38.390 --> 16:40.501 assigned us and that is to retro gate 16:40.501 --> 16:43.200 safely and orderly air our troops and 16:43.210 --> 16:46.760 those of our allies and protect them 16:47.240 --> 16:51.020 all doing so I think General Miller has 16:51.030 --> 16:54.490 uh adequate Cape resources and 16:54.490 --> 16:57.080 capabilities to protect themselves and 16:57.080 --> 16:59.450 he has the authorities to protect 16:59.450 --> 17:01.561 himself and and uh and our troops and 17:01.561 --> 17:04.510 he has the authorities uh to protect 17:04.520 --> 17:07.010 our allies as well , the afghans . Uh 17:07.020 --> 17:10.590 So in terms of when he does what uh 17:10.600 --> 17:12.767 there's a reason that he's a four star 17:12.767 --> 17:14.822 commander uh and and certainly he'll 17:14.822 --> 17:16.989 make he'll make the call on the ground 17:16.989 --> 17:18.933 of what he needs to do and when he 17:18.933 --> 17:21.156 needs to do it . Uh My focus is just to 17:21.156 --> 17:23.322 make sure he he has the resources . Uh 17:23.322 --> 17:26.080 Once we've left again our focus is on 17:26.080 --> 17:29.770 providing uh are maintaining a 17:29.770 --> 17:33.020 ct capability over the horizon in 17:33.020 --> 17:36.710 supporting the afghans with with 17:36.720 --> 17:39.220 monetary support and over the horizon . 17:39.230 --> 17:42.530 Uh logistics were possible . and 17:42.530 --> 17:46.290 Elaine priority . No , this the 17:46.300 --> 17:49.470 afghan Air Force Does 80-90 of all 17:49.470 --> 17:51.470 airstrikes in support of the Afghan 17:51.470 --> 17:53.637 ground forces were actually doing very 17:53.840 --> 17:56.130 a few years . We do some , but very few 17:56.130 --> 17:58.297 relative to the afghan Air Force . The 17:58.297 --> 18:01.160 key will be the afghan Air Force and 18:01.160 --> 18:03.160 their ability to continue providing 18:03.160 --> 18:05.216 close air support for the afghan . I 18:05.216 --> 18:07.327 mean you have to follow on , you said 18:07.327 --> 18:09.438 yes , that is exactly my follow up is 18:09.438 --> 18:11.493 how are we , are we planning then on 18:11.493 --> 18:13.716 turning the contracts ? Are contractors 18:13.716 --> 18:16.470 over to the afghan military to the 18:16.470 --> 18:18.581 afghan Air Force in the afghan afghan 18:18.581 --> 18:20.303 government than to provide the 18:20.303 --> 18:22.526 maintenance on the planes and stuff for 18:22.526 --> 18:24.748 the afghan Air Force . How are we going 18:24.748 --> 18:26.914 to do that ? Well , that that's one of 18:26.914 --> 18:29.026 the key questions and I will tell you 18:29.026 --> 18:31.137 that the final a crossing of teas and 18:31.137 --> 18:33.359 dining of eyes of that plan has not yet 18:33.359 --> 18:35.470 settled . But uh maintaining logistic 18:35.470 --> 18:37.692 support to the afghan Air Force is a is 18:37.692 --> 18:39.859 a key task that we have to uh sort out 18:39.859 --> 18:42.081 doing it over the horizon . But also in 18:42.081 --> 18:41.970 country it could be done by contractors . 18:41.970 --> 18:44.081 A lot of that's going to be dependent 18:44.081 --> 18:45.970 on the conditions of the security 18:45.970 --> 18:47.914 conditions on the ground . But the 18:47.914 --> 18:50.081 intent is to keep the afghan Air Force 18:50.081 --> 18:52.081 in the air and to provide them with 18:52.081 --> 18:54.303 continued maintenance support , David . 18:54.940 --> 18:57.420 Um This is for both of you , what is 18:57.430 --> 19:01.350 the latest estimate of when and where 19:01.940 --> 19:04.270 there's chinese rocket will come down ? 19:04.840 --> 19:08.080 Do you consider it a potential threat 19:08.090 --> 19:11.540 to the U . S . And do you have a plan 19:11.550 --> 19:14.060 for shooting it down if necessary ? 19:17.940 --> 19:21.830 Thanks , David . Um The latest 19:21.830 --> 19:23.941 estimates estimates that I've seen is 19:23.941 --> 19:26.350 somewhere between the 8th and 9th . Uh , 19:26.360 --> 19:28.620 you know , and the experts are still 19:28.620 --> 19:31.820 working on that at this point , we 19:31.820 --> 19:33.960 don't have a plan to shoot the rocket 19:33.960 --> 19:36.150 down . We're hopeful that that it will 19:36.150 --> 19:39.930 land in a place where it won't won't 19:39.940 --> 19:43.780 harm anyone , hopefully in the ocean or 19:43.780 --> 19:46.160 someplace like that . I think this 19:46.160 --> 19:48.460 speaks to the fact that , uh , for 19:48.460 --> 19:50.580 those of us who operate in the space 19:50.580 --> 19:53.710 domain , uh , there is a requirement , 19:53.710 --> 19:55.850 there should be a requirement to , to 19:55.850 --> 19:59.080 operate in a safe , uh , and uh , and 19:59.080 --> 20:01.410 thoughtful mode and make sure that we 20:01.410 --> 20:03.466 take those kinds of things into into 20:03.466 --> 20:05.960 consideration as we plan and conduct 20:05.960 --> 20:08.350 operations . Do you even have the 20:08.350 --> 20:12.120 capability to shoot again , David ? We 20:12.120 --> 20:13.953 have , as you know , we have the 20:13.953 --> 20:16.120 capability to do a lot of things , but 20:16.120 --> 20:18.120 we don't have a plan to to shoot it 20:18.120 --> 20:22.100 down as we speak . Uh , 20:22.110 --> 20:25.380 jen Secretary Austin , you said that 20:25.390 --> 20:27.930 COVID-19 is your priority . It's your 20:27.940 --> 20:30.120 greatest threat right now . Given the 20:30.120 --> 20:32.300 amount of vaccine hesitancy in the 20:32.300 --> 20:34.467 military and among military families , 20:34.467 --> 20:36.900 why won't you order troops and their 20:36.900 --> 20:38.950 families to get vaccinated ? Isen't 20:38.950 --> 20:41.006 this a readiness issue ? And General 20:41.006 --> 20:42.894 Milley , there was recently a dia 20:42.894 --> 20:45.080 report suggesting that Al Qaeda's top 20:45.090 --> 20:48.790 leaders are in Iran who is in Iran 20:49.050 --> 20:50.770 and where is Zawahiri ? 20:53.240 --> 20:55.580 I was quite a swing of uh of subject 20:55.580 --> 20:58.910 matter there . Jan thanks regarding the 20:58.920 --> 21:02.840 covid uh vaccine . As 21:02.840 --> 21:05.050 you know , Janet still under emergency 21:05.050 --> 21:08.400 use authorization . Uh , we've been 21:08.400 --> 21:11.830 constantly reviewing our performance 21:11.830 --> 21:14.630 and our and our options . We look at 21:14.630 --> 21:17.420 the data every day . We still believe 21:17.420 --> 21:20.910 that the right focus uh , is to provide 21:20.920 --> 21:24.790 the best information available uh and 21:24.790 --> 21:27.550 uh and this will help our troops to 21:27.550 --> 21:29.680 make informed decisions . It's 21:29.680 --> 21:31.791 certainly , you know , the approach I 21:31.791 --> 21:34.060 took when I elected to take the vaccine 21:34.060 --> 21:36.171 very early on when it was available . 21:36.540 --> 21:38.610 Um , I think armed with the with the 21:38.610 --> 21:41.360 right information accurate information , 21:41.840 --> 21:44.020 troops will make , we'll make good 21:44.020 --> 21:47.370 choices . Um , and 21:47.380 --> 21:51.340 so our plan currently is to continue on 21:51.340 --> 21:54.440 the path that we're on . Um , you know , 21:54.440 --> 21:56.551 we have , we're using about 80 of the 21:56.551 --> 21:58.551 vaccines that were provided . We've 21:58.551 --> 22:01.040 been provided going vaccines are going 22:01.040 --> 22:03.540 into arms at a , at a at a good rate . 22:03.550 --> 22:06.930 So , uh , I think , uh , you know , 22:06.940 --> 22:10.570 the wise thing to do is to continue to 22:10.570 --> 22:12.800 evaluate and and follow the course that 22:12.800 --> 22:16.640 we're on right now . And gen uh , I'm 22:16.640 --> 22:18.460 not gonna obviously comment on 22:18.470 --> 22:21.510 intelligence reports on who was in Iran , 22:21.510 --> 22:23.770 not in Iran etcetera . With respect as 22:23.770 --> 22:25.992 our harry , if I knew where he was , he 22:25.992 --> 22:28.103 would be the first one to know that . 22:28.540 --> 22:32.500 Yeah . Yeah . I would 22:32.500 --> 22:34.722 probably be the first one to know if he 22:34.722 --> 22:36.778 knows . But then certainly you after 22:36.778 --> 22:40.050 that . My dad . My dad . 22:40.440 --> 22:43.880 Yeah . There's a president that 22:43.890 --> 22:46.112 Yeah , absolutely . The president would 22:46.112 --> 22:48.223 be the first of everybody direction . 22:50.840 --> 22:53.520 Maybe Secretary Austin , your 22:53.530 --> 22:55.419 independent Review Commission has 22:55.419 --> 22:57.530 recommended taking sexual assault out 22:57.530 --> 22:59.474 of the military chain of command . 22:59.474 --> 23:01.641 General Milley has weighed in and said 23:01.641 --> 23:03.863 that he agrees with that idea . And the 23:03.863 --> 23:05.919 Senate has said they think they have 23:05.919 --> 23:08.252 enough votes to get that passed legally . 23:08.252 --> 23:10.308 So have you formed an opinion on the 23:10.308 --> 23:12.419 matter ? And if you haven't , what is 23:12.419 --> 23:12.250 holding you back from forming an 23:12.250 --> 23:14.450 opinion ? Giving , given all of that 23:14.460 --> 23:17.150 advice that you've got ? Well , first , 23:17.150 --> 23:20.140 I think , you know that the commission 23:20.140 --> 23:22.660 is still doing its work . Uh There's 23:22.660 --> 23:24.840 several lines of effort that it's it's 23:24.840 --> 23:27.420 focused on the accountability line of 23:27.420 --> 23:29.910 effort was the very first . And so they 23:29.910 --> 23:33.450 provided me an initial read out of of 23:33.460 --> 23:36.760 uh their work on on that line of effort . 23:37.340 --> 23:39.750 Um And of course , you know , I'm 23:39.760 --> 23:41.816 taking that into consideration , but 23:41.816 --> 23:44.500 what I want to do is provide the 23:44.510 --> 23:46.670 Service Chiefs secretaries and 23:46.670 --> 23:49.320 opportunity to also review it . And I 23:49.320 --> 23:51.487 want to engage in a dialogue with them 23:51.487 --> 23:54.170 and make sure that , you know , I have 23:54.170 --> 23:56.690 their input , their thoughts . I've 23:56.690 --> 23:59.940 always found in uh short period of time 23:59.940 --> 24:02.600 that I've been associated with uh with 24:02.600 --> 24:05.670 the military . That that's that's the 24:05.680 --> 24:08.420 best path to follow to make sure that 24:08.430 --> 24:10.980 uh that you have a good dialogue with 24:10.980 --> 24:13.270 the with the stakeholders . Because at 24:13.270 --> 24:15.492 the end of the day , we're all whatever 24:15.492 --> 24:17.714 is decided , we're all going to have to 24:17.714 --> 24:19.826 execute it quick follow up . Has that 24:19.826 --> 24:22.048 never come up ? That issue ? Never come 24:22.048 --> 24:24.214 up in any of the meetings that you had 24:24.214 --> 24:26.214 with the service secretaries or the 24:26.214 --> 24:25.720 chiefs in the time that you've been in 24:25.720 --> 24:27.498 your position . I've given them 24:27.498 --> 24:29.870 specific guidance in terms of , you 24:29.870 --> 24:33.180 know , my uh my desire to have them 24:33.190 --> 24:35.660 review the recommendation and then I 24:35.660 --> 24:39.370 want there uh their feedback on that 24:39.380 --> 24:41.213 and then we're gonna we're gonna 24:41.213 --> 24:45.060 discuss it . So Yeah , Tony . 24:45.640 --> 24:48.160 Certainly in Afghanistan , the US . has 24:48.160 --> 24:50.382 been spending about $40 billion dollars 24:50.382 --> 24:52.604 a year for the last three or four years 24:52.604 --> 24:54.920 on the conflict . Do you expect a 24:54.930 --> 24:58.290 budget ? I gain a real reallocation 24:58.290 --> 25:00.346 from those dollars that you won't be 25:00.346 --> 25:02.457 spending out after September 11 ? And 25:02.457 --> 25:04.512 for General Milley , Has that been a 25:04.512 --> 25:06.734 discussion in the tank at all among the 25:06.734 --> 25:08.846 Chiefs that we're going to have extra 25:08.846 --> 25:08.740 dollars because we're not going to be 25:08.740 --> 25:10.851 in Afghanistan . How do we handle the 25:10.851 --> 25:14.410 extra money ? Mr Secretary , thanks as 25:14.410 --> 25:18.080 you know , a great deal of the the 25:18.090 --> 25:20.520 funds that we used to to fund our 25:20.520 --> 25:22.790 efforts , not only there , but in Iraq 25:22.800 --> 25:26.000 was funded with Yoko uh rather than 25:26.010 --> 25:28.900 based budget . Uh certainly anytime you 25:28.900 --> 25:31.570 stop doing something that's uh that's 25:31.570 --> 25:34.870 this important and this this big , it 25:34.870 --> 25:38.330 creates opportunities and uh and so 25:38.340 --> 25:40.340 we'll look at , you know , what the 25:40.340 --> 25:43.550 possibilities are uh going forward as 25:43.560 --> 25:45.282 as opportunities are created , 25:45.282 --> 25:48.580 certainly will be cited in on uh our 25:48.580 --> 25:51.370 overall strategy And making sure that 25:51.370 --> 25:53.940 we prioritize our resources to match 25:53.940 --> 25:57.860 the strategy . Uh and uh and so , um , 25:57.870 --> 25:59.981 you know , more to follow . But we're 25:59.981 --> 26:03.230 in the middle of uh of uh the final 26:03.230 --> 26:05.341 stages of really outlining the budget 26:05.341 --> 26:07.580 for 22 . And then we'll get busy on the 26:07.590 --> 26:10.250 on the 23 budget . And beyond 22 budget 26:10.250 --> 26:12.306 reflects some of these reallocations 26:12.440 --> 26:16.230 from Afghanistan to other areas . Again , 26:16.240 --> 26:18.570 I don't want to try to get ahead of the 26:18.570 --> 26:20.690 budget process and this is I'm not 26:20.690 --> 26:22.801 making a budget announcement from the 26:22.801 --> 26:25.080 podium today . But you know , again , 26:25.080 --> 26:27.136 the basic logic is , and I think you 26:27.136 --> 26:29.358 would agree with this that any time you 26:29.358 --> 26:31.524 stop doing something that's that large 26:31.524 --> 26:33.524 and it creates opportunities to for 26:33.524 --> 26:35.691 other areas and we will have to define 26:35.691 --> 26:37.524 what those opportunities are and 26:37.524 --> 26:39.524 prioritizing the opportunities . So 26:39.524 --> 26:41.580 does that become a discussion in the 26:41.580 --> 26:43.802 tank ? No , we're not really focused on 26:43.802 --> 26:46.024 the budget . Part of that for the Joint 26:46.024 --> 26:48.080 Chiefs were focused on the execution 26:48.080 --> 26:47.730 and fulfilling the president's intent 26:47.730 --> 26:49.786 right now . Thank you . Let me go to 26:49.786 --> 26:51.952 somebody on the phone here . I've done 26:51.952 --> 26:54.710 that missy Ryan . Hi , thanks for doing 26:54.710 --> 26:58.430 this . Um , I have a question , a 26:58.440 --> 27:00.051 follow up question regarding 27:00.051 --> 27:02.384 Afghanistan and then a question for you , 27:02.384 --> 27:04.384 General Milley . So my follow up on 27:04.384 --> 27:06.551 Afghanistan is building on the earlier 27:06.551 --> 27:08.496 questions about air support . If I 27:08.496 --> 27:10.607 understood correctly that the U . S . 27:10.607 --> 27:12.496 Post withdrawal will re providing 27:12.496 --> 27:14.718 funding and over the horizon logistical 27:14.718 --> 27:16.884 support but not routine air support to 27:16.884 --> 27:20.200 the NSF . Does that mean that um if 27:20.200 --> 27:22.422 there was a scenario where , you know , 27:22.422 --> 27:26.370 cities are uh being advanced upon 27:26.370 --> 27:28.259 by Taliban forces that the United 27:28.259 --> 27:30.092 States will not provide over the 27:30.092 --> 27:33.730 horizon air support in some way , um to 27:33.740 --> 27:36.310 the Afghan forces . And then my 27:36.310 --> 27:38.366 question for you , General Milley is 27:38.366 --> 27:41.670 regarding the uh , interpreters who 27:41.670 --> 27:43.781 have worked with the United States in 27:43.781 --> 27:45.614 Afghanistan . And there's been a 27:45.614 --> 27:47.781 discussion about the special immigrant 27:47.781 --> 27:50.020 visas and the backlog of applicants who 27:50.020 --> 27:51.853 are waiting as the United States 27:51.853 --> 27:53.909 prepares to withdrawal . I know that 27:53.909 --> 27:55.853 this is a state led question . But 27:55.853 --> 27:57.964 given your own service in Afghanistan 27:57.964 --> 28:00.480 and that of the men and women that you 28:00.490 --> 28:02.870 command in uniform , What is your 28:02.870 --> 28:06.590 perspective on the fate of the Afghans 28:06.590 --> 28:08.757 who are hoping to get visas to come to 28:08.757 --> 28:11.034 the United States through that program ? 28:11.034 --> 28:14.730 Thanks . Hi , missy . I I think you 28:14.730 --> 28:18.050 heard me say earlier , that that 28:18.180 --> 28:22.050 again , our focus is on making sure 28:22.050 --> 28:24.217 that we can retrograde our resources , 28:24.217 --> 28:26.740 our troops , our allies in a safe and 28:26.740 --> 28:28.810 orderly and responsible fashion . 28:29.240 --> 28:31.320 Beyond that . You know , we look to 28:31.330 --> 28:34.810 establish some over the horizon CT 28:34.810 --> 28:38.560 capability and some old horizon uh , 28:38.570 --> 28:41.880 logistical support , uh , capabilities 28:41.890 --> 28:44.280 will continue to support uh , the 28:44.280 --> 28:46.113 Afghan government and the Afghan 28:46.113 --> 28:49.560 military with financial support uh with 28:49.560 --> 28:52.640 the help of Congress ? Um in terms of 28:52.640 --> 28:55.750 what we would do on in anyone given 28:55.750 --> 28:59.450 situation uh , to respond to to 28:59.460 --> 29:01.682 something that was unanticipated or may 29:01.682 --> 29:03.910 have been anticipated . But I don't 29:03.910 --> 29:06.077 think it's helpful to me for me to get 29:06.077 --> 29:08.132 engaged in any kind of hypotheticals 29:08.132 --> 29:10.630 today . Uh But uh but I certainly 29:10.630 --> 29:12.750 appreciate your question and don't 29:12.750 --> 29:15.410 really over to you on the missy on the 29:15.530 --> 29:18.010 interpreters and others that have 29:18.010 --> 29:20.190 worked closely with the U . S . 29:20.190 --> 29:22.340 Government . The intent is what State 29:22.340 --> 29:24.451 Department elite is to make sure that 29:24.451 --> 29:26.562 it's a really a moral imperative that 29:26.562 --> 29:28.729 we take care of those that have worked 29:28.729 --> 29:30.840 closely with us if their lives are in 29:30.840 --> 29:33.470 danger etcetera . But I would also uh 29:33.480 --> 29:36.030 cautions and focus on some speculation 29:36.030 --> 29:38.086 here . It's a bit early to tell what 29:38.086 --> 29:40.141 the outcomes are gonna be . Um There 29:40.141 --> 29:42.197 are some obviously bad outcomes that 29:42.197 --> 29:44.252 have been discussed but that none of 29:44.252 --> 29:46.419 that is uh preordained , none of it is 29:46.419 --> 29:49.480 absolutely inevitable . Again , this is 29:49.480 --> 29:51.702 a this is a significant size , military 29:51.702 --> 29:54.080 and police force . Uh The government 29:54.090 --> 29:55.923 under President Ghani is still a 29:55.923 --> 29:58.220 cohesive organization . There are a lot 29:58.220 --> 30:00.680 of factors at play here and I think 30:00.680 --> 30:03.013 it's uh we're working through the S . I . 30:03.013 --> 30:04.680 V . Process through the State 30:04.680 --> 30:06.680 Department , but I think it's a bit 30:06.680 --> 30:10.570 early uh to really sound the alarm on 30:10.580 --> 30:12.802 getting everybody out just yet . That's 30:12.802 --> 30:14.913 my own personal opinion . But I think 30:14.913 --> 30:16.747 that's based on some pretty good 30:16.747 --> 30:19.024 knowledge of what's going on right now . 30:19.024 --> 30:21.247 Major General Austin and Colonel Millie 30:21.247 --> 30:23.350 were in Afghanistan together when we 30:23.350 --> 30:25.890 stood up when Colonel Millie helped to 30:25.890 --> 30:29.410 stand up the first battalion of Afghan 30:29.420 --> 30:32.160 forces . And so as he mentioned today , 30:32.830 --> 30:35.980 There's over 300,000 Afghan security 30:35.980 --> 30:38.570 forces now , which is which speaks to 30:38.570 --> 30:41.030 the great work that your soldiers , 30:41.030 --> 30:43.197 sailors , airmen and marines have done 30:43.197 --> 30:46.740 over the years . Uh and for and that's 30:46.740 --> 30:48.962 larger than the military of a number of 30:48.962 --> 30:52.660 countries . But uh but it's uh uh they 30:52.660 --> 30:56.070 have been operating principally uh you 30:56.070 --> 30:58.237 know , providing much of their support 30:58.237 --> 31:01.190 on our own uh in recent months . So 31:01.190 --> 31:03.246 we're hopeful we all want to see the 31:03.246 --> 31:06.110 afghans succeed . Uh And again once our 31:06.110 --> 31:08.850 roles change here a bit will continue 31:08.850 --> 31:11.760 to provide support uh you know , in 31:11.760 --> 31:14.760 terms of logistics and and uh and 31:14.760 --> 31:17.500 financial support and will focus on are 31:17.510 --> 31:19.670 over the horizon . CT capabilities . 31:20.240 --> 31:22.351 Time for just a couple more . I'll go 31:22.351 --> 31:24.240 back to the phones Phil Stewart . 31:25.240 --> 31:28.880 Thanks . Um just a clarification , uh 31:28.890 --> 31:31.460 Secretary Austin were their orders to 31:31.460 --> 31:33.590 withdraw all U . S . Contractors . I 31:33.590 --> 31:35.923 know those orders to withdraw all U . S . 31:35.923 --> 31:38.090 Troops and and uh for General Milley . 31:38.440 --> 31:40.780 Um do you have any estimates on what 31:40.790 --> 31:43.290 will happen to NSF Attrition rates 31:43.300 --> 31:45.467 following the US withdrawal . Thanks . 31:46.640 --> 31:48.529 Yeah . So we're gonna responsibly 31:48.529 --> 31:51.440 retrograde all of our capabilities that 31:51.450 --> 31:53.228 that we are responsible for the 31:53.228 --> 31:56.000 contractors fall in that in that uh in 31:56.000 --> 31:58.820 that realm as well . So , I mean , as , 31:58.820 --> 32:01.620 you know , contractors have the ability 32:01.620 --> 32:04.670 to to renegotiate contracts if if they 32:04.680 --> 32:06.902 so choose going forward in the future , 32:07.040 --> 32:09.290 but uh but yeah , we're gonna account 32:09.290 --> 32:11.560 for all the people and the and the 32:11.560 --> 32:14.410 resources that are that are working 32:14.410 --> 32:17.060 with us . Your question on the 32:17.060 --> 32:19.870 attrition rates has to go with the uh , 32:19.880 --> 32:21.602 can the Afghan security forces 32:21.602 --> 32:23.769 sustained a fight at current attrition 32:23.769 --> 32:25.991 rates or attrition rates that have been 32:25.991 --> 32:28.213 an average over the last a year or so ? 32:28.213 --> 32:30.380 Uh Again , I would say that we have to 32:30.380 --> 32:32.547 wait and see in the coming months . Uh 32:32.547 --> 32:34.713 We know what their attrition rates are 32:34.713 --> 32:36.824 and killed and wounded . We know what 32:36.824 --> 32:38.991 the desertion rates are . We also know 32:38.991 --> 32:40.713 that the taliban have suffered 32:40.713 --> 32:42.824 significant attrition rates as well . 32:42.824 --> 32:44.824 Uh , I would also remind folks that 32:44.824 --> 32:46.936 there's still an active Department of 32:46.936 --> 32:49.102 State led negotiation effort ongoing . 32:49.102 --> 32:51.102 Uh , so that is also another avenue 32:51.102 --> 32:53.213 that is being actively pursued by the 32:53.213 --> 32:54.991 US government to come up with a 32:54.991 --> 32:54.820 negotiated settlement between the 32:54.820 --> 32:57.098 government , uh , and the taliban . Uh , 32:57.098 --> 32:58.987 that is also not that door is not 32:58.987 --> 33:01.209 closed yet . So , uh , there's a lot of 33:01.209 --> 33:04.090 possible outcomes here . Last one . 33:04.140 --> 33:06.370 Terror . Yes . Thank you . These 33:06.370 --> 33:08.530 questions for both of you . General 33:08.530 --> 33:11.840 Milley . Last week , we shared a bit of 33:11.840 --> 33:13.729 how you're thinking is evolved on 33:13.729 --> 33:15.950 taking sexual assault out of the chain 33:15.960 --> 33:18.182 of command . And I was wondering if you 33:18.182 --> 33:20.404 could elaborate on that , what prompted 33:20.404 --> 33:23.050 that change , if it thought for you and 33:23.060 --> 33:25.004 General Austin ? As you have . I'm 33:25.004 --> 33:27.110 sorry , Secretary , have it again ? 33:28.030 --> 33:30.030 Secretary Austin , you'll get me in 33:30.030 --> 33:31.919 trouble if you say that myself in 33:31.919 --> 33:34.660 trouble probably . Um , you know , as 33:34.660 --> 33:37.390 you view this recommendation , I guess 33:37.390 --> 33:39.760 the question is why not take sexual 33:39.760 --> 33:41.871 assault investigations outside of the 33:41.871 --> 33:43.982 chain of command ? At this point , it 33:43.982 --> 33:46.038 seems like nothing else has worked . 33:46.038 --> 33:47.816 And there have been a number of 33:47.816 --> 33:49.816 military sexual assault victims who 33:49.816 --> 33:49.550 have been failed by the current system . 33:50.140 --> 33:53.450 Yeah , you should know that , as I 33:53.450 --> 33:55.690 heard I as I've said before , that this 33:55.690 --> 33:58.890 is very important to me and it's very 33:58.890 --> 34:01.950 important to this entire department and 34:01.950 --> 34:04.006 we're gonna stay cited on this until 34:04.006 --> 34:07.520 until we find ways to improve . I think , 34:07.530 --> 34:11.030 you know , the the the 34:11.030 --> 34:13.086 accountability piece of it is a very 34:13.086 --> 34:15.308 important piece , but it's not the only 34:15.308 --> 34:17.252 piece , you know , they're they're 34:17.252 --> 34:19.950 climate issues there there , how we 34:19.950 --> 34:22.700 take care of victims issues . There are 34:22.700 --> 34:25.060 a number of things that the Independent 34:25.060 --> 34:27.830 Review Commission are looking at that , 34:27.830 --> 34:29.830 that will add to this , this entire 34:29.830 --> 34:31.608 picture here . I think it's the 34:31.608 --> 34:34.020 combination of those things that will 34:34.030 --> 34:36.086 cause us to begin to move forward on 34:36.086 --> 34:39.250 this . So , um , if 34:39.840 --> 34:43.590 yeah , you know , as we look at what's 34:43.590 --> 34:46.410 been presented , you know , it could be 34:46.410 --> 34:49.040 perfect , a perfect recommendation , or 34:49.050 --> 34:51.250 it may be , you know , there may be a 34:51.250 --> 34:53.240 recommendation that that we would 34:53.240 --> 34:55.462 choose to , we may choose to go another 34:55.462 --> 34:58.590 path . But I think , I think it's worth 34:58.590 --> 35:01.820 having . My leaders are leaders uh 35:01.830 --> 35:04.300 engage in discussion on this now . I 35:04.300 --> 35:06.270 think , you know , we've done done 35:06.270 --> 35:08.680 things a certain way for a while and I 35:08.680 --> 35:11.220 think uh you know , we really need to 35:11.220 --> 35:13.387 kind of broaden our horizons and begin 35:13.387 --> 35:15.720 to look at things differently and and 35:15.720 --> 35:18.520 be willing to take different paths to 35:18.530 --> 35:21.550 uh to improve things . So does that 35:21.550 --> 35:23.606 mean that you're thinking also might 35:23.606 --> 35:25.661 have evolved on this and that you're 35:25.661 --> 35:27.772 open to taking it out of the chain of 35:27.772 --> 35:29.772 command ? You know , I said when we 35:29.772 --> 35:31.661 started down this path , that all 35:31.661 --> 35:33.772 options are on the table and uh and I 35:33.772 --> 35:36.580 want to hear from the Review Commission 35:36.590 --> 35:39.870 uh good recommendations that we think 35:39.870 --> 35:42.200 that can make a difference . And again , 35:42.210 --> 35:44.099 I think we have to let the review 35:44.099 --> 35:46.600 commission do its work . Uh And then I 35:46.600 --> 35:49.430 would like to do uh our work in terms 35:49.430 --> 35:51.780 of engaging our leaders and making sure 35:51.780 --> 35:55.320 that that we have outline a good 35:55.330 --> 35:57.900 effective path for the department going 35:57.900 --> 36:01.560 forward . Okay . And for me , I'm going 36:01.560 --> 36:03.727 to wait until we see the final results 36:03.727 --> 36:06.910 of the review commission , but I was 36:06.910 --> 36:09.180 the Chief of the Army for four years , 36:09.180 --> 36:11.530 been the chairman for coming up on two . 36:11.910 --> 36:15.290 And um frankly , what you asked me , 36:15.290 --> 36:17.179 what what has caused me to have a 36:17.530 --> 36:19.363 change , and I get a lot of hard 36:19.363 --> 36:21.586 thought . We haven't moved the needle , 36:21.586 --> 36:23.586 that's the bottom line , we haven't 36:23.586 --> 36:26.780 resolved this issue . According to some 36:26.780 --> 36:30.000 pretty solid data . We think we 36:30.000 --> 36:32.170 estimate based on some surveys , That 36:32.170 --> 36:34.392 there are probably 20,000 men and women 36:34.530 --> 36:36.641 who was sexually assaulted the United 36:36.641 --> 36:38.808 States military last year . That's one 36:38.808 --> 36:40.974 of the force . If we had 20,000 killed 36:40.974 --> 36:42.974 or wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq , 36:42.974 --> 36:45.197 those are casualties . Uh that's huge , 36:45.197 --> 36:47.252 that's significant . And that number 36:47.252 --> 36:49.600 hasn't significantly been reduced over 36:49.600 --> 36:52.170 time . Uh And we keep saying , people 36:52.170 --> 36:54.337 like me keep going behind a microphone 36:54.337 --> 36:56.580 in front of committee saying uh we're 36:56.580 --> 36:58.580 gonna do this when you do that , we 36:58.580 --> 37:00.747 need to this and to do that and hasn't 37:00.747 --> 37:02.747 changed . So we need to take a hard 37:02.747 --> 37:05.090 look and I welcome uh the Independent 37:05.090 --> 37:07.257 Review Commission in their views and I 37:07.257 --> 37:09.368 want to take a hard look at them . Uh 37:09.368 --> 37:11.423 They're gonna be evidence based , uh 37:11.423 --> 37:13.646 and we're gonna move in directions that 37:13.646 --> 37:15.923 are going to fundamentally change this , 37:15.923 --> 37:17.979 try to solve it . Uh every one of us 37:17.979 --> 37:20.146 wants it solved . But 20,000 is a huge 37:20.146 --> 37:22.720 number . Um and and it's just not , we 37:22.720 --> 37:24.942 can't tolerate that . We can't tolerate 37:24.942 --> 37:27.276 that level of divisiveness in our force . 37:27.276 --> 37:29.442 These are assaults , these are blue on 37:29.442 --> 37:31.610 blue assaults . It cannot stand , has 37:31.610 --> 37:33.777 to be resolved . So , yes , my mind is 37:33.777 --> 37:36.090 very open to it . Uh and and and the 37:36.090 --> 37:38.034 other thing that changed , or that 37:38.034 --> 37:40.510 influenced me significantly is the data 37:40.510 --> 37:43.270 that I saw over the last several months 37:43.830 --> 37:46.250 about the confidence in the chain of 37:46.250 --> 37:48.900 command by junior soldiers , men and 37:48.900 --> 37:51.270 women alike in their ability to deal 37:51.280 --> 37:54.030 successfully with sexual assault . Uh , 37:54.040 --> 37:56.096 and we the chain of command , we the 37:56.096 --> 37:58.373 generals , the colonels , the captains , 37:58.373 --> 38:00.596 and so on . Uh , We have lost the trust 38:00.596 --> 38:02.818 and confidence of those subordinates in 38:02.818 --> 38:05.151 our ability to deal with sexual assault . 38:05.151 --> 38:07.262 So we need to make a change what that 38:07.262 --> 38:09.040 changes . Uh We'll see what the 38:09.040 --> 38:11.151 Independent Media Commission comes up 38:11.151 --> 38:10.810 with in terms of the recommendations 38:10.810 --> 38:12.810 and well take a hard look at it and 38:12.810 --> 38:14.588 we'll have discussions with the 38:14.588 --> 38:16.921 secretary uh and so on . But absolutely , 38:16.921 --> 38:19.143 my mind is completely open to all kinds 38:19.143 --> 38:21.254 of opportunities to change here . And 38:21.254 --> 38:23.421 once we make decisions and head down a 38:23.421 --> 38:25.588 path , that's not the end of the day . 38:25.588 --> 38:27.588 You know , we will continue to work 38:27.588 --> 38:29.810 this until we we we we improve and then 38:29.810 --> 38:31.810 we'll stay cited on it to make sure 38:31.810 --> 38:34.032 that we have the right things in the in 38:34.032 --> 38:36.199 the environment that we're taking care 38:36.199 --> 38:38.310 of our our troops , men and women and 38:38.310 --> 38:40.532 that we're , you know , we're doing the 38:40.532 --> 38:42.532 right things . So that's all we got 38:42.532 --> 38:44.588 time for , folks . Thank you so much 38:44.588 --> 38:48.340 appreciate it . Former Navy 38:48.340 --> 38:50.400 Seal Eddie Gallagher , basically 38:50.410 --> 38:51.650 admitting to murder . 38:55.420 --> 38:58.350 I'm sure that I know that , uh , that 38:58.360 --> 39:01.670 maybe is looking into that issue . And 39:01.670 --> 39:04.000 so I don't have a comment on for you 39:04.010 --> 39:06.840 this afternoon . Thank you . Thank you .