1 00:00:00,140 --> 00:00:02,140 Thank you . Senator Peters . Let me 2 00:00:02,140 --> 00:00:04,084 recognize . And uh how we please ? 3 00:00:04,084 --> 00:00:06,084 Thank you . Mr Chairman , thanks to 4 00:00:06,084 --> 00:00:08,084 both the witnesses for being here . 5 00:00:08,084 --> 00:00:10,251 Thank you for your service . Mr Hell V 6 00:00:10,251 --> 00:00:09,990 Let me start with you . Can you give me 7 00:00:09,990 --> 00:00:11,712 your assessment of whether our 8 00:00:11,712 --> 00:00:13,768 withdrawal in Afghanistan will allow 9 00:00:13,768 --> 00:00:15,934 the department to focus more resources 10 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,410 and attention on our pacing theater , 11 00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:20,198 the end of pacific and china in 12 00:00:20,198 --> 00:00:24,100 particular . I think the intent 13 00:00:24,100 --> 00:00:26,180 would be that yes , as we as we 14 00:00:26,180 --> 00:00:28,124 withdraw our forces and reduce our 15 00:00:28,124 --> 00:00:29,902 commitment in Afghanistan while 16 00:00:29,902 --> 00:00:31,847 maintaining the ability to monitor 17 00:00:31,847 --> 00:00:33,736 Afghanistan for counter terrorist 18 00:00:33,736 --> 00:00:36,030 threats , that resources that we would 19 00:00:36,030 --> 00:00:38,420 be able to to , you know , a crew we 20 00:00:38,420 --> 00:00:40,364 would be able to distribute to our 21 00:00:40,364 --> 00:00:42,530 other other areas , including in the 22 00:00:42,530 --> 00:00:44,419 pacific where we face the face of 23 00:00:44,419 --> 00:00:46,641 challenge . Let me and I assume just on 24 00:00:46,641 --> 00:00:48,641 that point that when you talk about 25 00:00:48,641 --> 00:00:50,697 distributing resources elsewhere , I 26 00:00:50,697 --> 00:00:52,641 assume that pay calm and the china 27 00:00:52,641 --> 00:00:54,863 challenge in particular would be at the 28 00:00:54,863 --> 00:00:56,974 top of the list in terms of receiving 29 00:00:56,974 --> 00:00:59,086 any resources that were freed up . Is 30 00:00:59,086 --> 00:01:01,030 that fair to say , Sarah ? I can't 31 00:01:01,030 --> 00:01:03,141 speak for the Secretary's decision on 32 00:01:03,141 --> 00:01:05,141 that . But I know he's spoken about 33 00:01:05,141 --> 00:01:07,197 looking to redistribute resources to 34 00:01:07,197 --> 00:01:09,141 our pacing challenge . Very good . 35 00:01:09,141 --> 00:01:11,197 General Mackenzie said last month Mr 36 00:01:11,197 --> 00:01:13,308 healthy that he's concerned about the 37 00:01:13,308 --> 00:01:15,474 ability of the Afghan military to hold 38 00:01:15,474 --> 00:01:17,697 on after we leave . That's a quote from 39 00:01:17,697 --> 00:01:19,808 him . Uh , knowing that if the Afghan 40 00:01:19,808 --> 00:01:19,710 military collapses , the Afghan 41 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:21,942 government probably would too . So with 42 00:01:21,942 --> 00:01:23,776 that in mind , is the department 43 00:01:23,776 --> 00:01:25,498 currently developing plans for 44 00:01:25,498 --> 00:01:27,220 achieving our counterterrorism 45 00:01:27,220 --> 00:01:29,442 objectives should the Afghan government 46 00:01:29,442 --> 00:01:33,380 collapse ? Senator ? Yes , we 47 00:01:33,380 --> 00:01:35,790 are we're looking at developing 48 00:01:35,790 --> 00:01:39,060 mechanisms or plans for doing over the 49 00:01:39,060 --> 00:01:41,282 horizon counterterrorism capabilities . 50 00:01:41,282 --> 00:01:43,393 But also add , we are looking at ways 51 00:01:43,393 --> 00:01:45,338 of providing continued support and 52 00:01:45,338 --> 00:01:47,338 assistance to our Afghan partners . 53 00:01:47,338 --> 00:01:49,449 Even after we conclude our retrograde 54 00:01:49,449 --> 00:01:51,671 plan , let me ask you about some of the 55 00:01:51,671 --> 00:01:51,660 partners . Is the department 56 00:01:51,660 --> 00:01:53,882 considering reconstituting the Northern 57 00:01:53,882 --> 00:01:56,049 alliance or finding other ways to work 58 00:01:56,049 --> 00:01:57,660 with local partners there in 59 00:01:57,660 --> 00:01:59,460 Afghanistan to achieve our CT 60 00:01:59,460 --> 00:02:02,930 objectives , Senator , our principal 61 00:02:02,930 --> 00:02:05,152 focus is working with the government in 62 00:02:05,152 --> 00:02:07,860 Kabul and how we how we would do that . 63 00:02:07,870 --> 00:02:10,340 Those plans are still being developed 64 00:02:10,350 --> 00:02:12,406 and I'd be happy to talk in a little 65 00:02:12,406 --> 00:02:14,628 bit more detail in the closed session . 66 00:02:14,628 --> 00:02:16,850 Fair enough . You said last week , Mr , 67 00:02:16,850 --> 00:02:19,017 healthy that sustained funding for the 68 00:02:19,017 --> 00:02:21,128 Afghan security forces is going to be 69 00:02:21,128 --> 00:02:22,794 critical for achieving our CT 70 00:02:22,794 --> 00:02:25,017 objectives in Afghanistan . Let me just 71 00:02:25,017 --> 00:02:27,670 ask , you know , given the , I would 72 00:02:27,670 --> 00:02:29,781 say notable lack of success we've had 73 00:02:29,781 --> 00:02:31,670 thus far with the Afghan security 74 00:02:31,670 --> 00:02:33,781 forces in terms of standing them up , 75 00:02:33,781 --> 00:02:35,837 achieving a high level of efficiency 76 00:02:35,837 --> 00:02:38,460 and output . Under what conditions are 77 00:02:38,460 --> 00:02:40,627 we willing to say ? Would you say that 78 00:02:40,627 --> 00:02:42,516 the afghan security forces are no 79 00:02:42,516 --> 00:02:44,738 longer effective in US funding for them 80 00:02:44,738 --> 00:02:46,904 ought to be reduced or eliminated . Uh 81 00:02:46,904 --> 00:02:49,071 Senator , I would say that we have had 82 00:02:49,071 --> 00:02:51,293 some tremendous success in working with 83 00:02:51,293 --> 00:02:53,404 the Afghan afghan forces , the Afghan 84 00:02:53,404 --> 00:02:55,571 Air Forces and Special Mission wing in 85 00:02:55,571 --> 00:02:57,571 particular uh In the Afghan special 86 00:02:57,571 --> 00:02:59,627 Forces have been very close partners 87 00:02:59,627 --> 00:03:01,780 for us through our C . T . Uh CT 88 00:03:01,780 --> 00:03:04,250 missions . Uh To your point though , 89 00:03:04,250 --> 00:03:07,480 there there will be a time and this has 90 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,650 to be how we look at what the criteria 91 00:03:10,650 --> 00:03:13,400 would be for uh you know adjusting our 92 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:15,567 Security force assistance planning and 93 00:03:15,567 --> 00:03:17,567 that is part of the work that we're 94 00:03:17,567 --> 00:03:19,511 doing today uh in concert with the 95 00:03:19,511 --> 00:03:21,511 United States Central Command Joint 96 00:03:21,511 --> 00:03:25,440 Staff and our presence in Kabul 97 00:03:25,450 --> 00:03:28,780 to look at what the different um you 98 00:03:28,780 --> 00:03:32,000 know , criteria would be or indicators 99 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,167 would be to adjust how we provide that 100 00:03:34,167 --> 00:03:36,278 type of assistance into whom . So has 101 00:03:36,278 --> 00:03:38,444 the department developed criteria then 102 00:03:38,444 --> 00:03:40,667 for adjusting or terminating the forces 103 00:03:40,667 --> 00:03:42,889 on the Afghan security forces fund ? No 104 00:03:42,889 --> 00:03:45,000 decisions have been made yet . But we 105 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:46,944 are looking at what we are doing , 106 00:03:46,944 --> 00:03:49,056 prudent planning right now to look at 107 00:03:49,056 --> 00:03:51,111 how we'd be able to provide that and 108 00:03:51,111 --> 00:03:53,278 and how we may look to change in terms 109 00:03:53,278 --> 00:03:55,500 of as the security conditions changed , 110 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:57,667 decisions have been made . But you you 111 00:03:57,667 --> 00:03:59,778 have developed criteria for assessing 112 00:03:59,778 --> 00:04:01,960 our continued support and uh what we 113 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:03,960 might do , they're going forward in 114 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,127 terms of continuing or terminating the 115 00:04:06,127 --> 00:04:08,127 fund . Is that right ? I think that 116 00:04:08,127 --> 00:04:10,349 work is still being being developed . I 117 00:04:10,349 --> 00:04:12,404 understand from joe McKenzie that he 118 00:04:12,404 --> 00:04:14,182 intends to provide a lot of his 119 00:04:14,182 --> 00:04:16,404 recommendations to the secretary by the 120 00:04:16,404 --> 00:04:18,571 end of this month . So I'd like to let 121 00:04:18,571 --> 00:04:20,460 that process young continue . I'm 122 00:04:20,460 --> 00:04:22,920 asking because we spend to the tune of 123 00:04:22,930 --> 00:04:26,450 $4 billion dollars a year on this 124 00:04:26,460 --> 00:04:29,260 objective . That's not an insignificant 125 00:04:29,260 --> 00:04:31,760 chunk of change . That's in fact about 126 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:33,927 what we spend each year on the pacific 127 00:04:33,927 --> 00:04:35,760 deterrence initiative if I'm not 128 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,871 mistaken . Has the department done an 129 00:04:37,871 --> 00:04:40,038 analysis of whether we can achieve our 130 00:04:40,038 --> 00:04:41,760 counterterrorism objectives in 131 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:43,816 Afghanistan ? If the Afghan security 132 00:04:43,816 --> 00:04:45,816 forces are no longer viable if they 133 00:04:45,816 --> 00:04:47,927 collapse . In the in the absence of a 134 00:04:47,927 --> 00:04:50,200 capable and willing partner , our 135 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,340 ability to do our cT objectives in 136 00:04:52,340 --> 00:04:54,280 Afghanistan becomes significantly 137 00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:56,224 harder . But as the as the general 138 00:04:56,224 --> 00:04:58,710 indicated , uh based on historic 139 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,553 precedent , we have been able to 140 00:05:00,553 --> 00:05:03,030 conduct counterterrorism operations 141 00:05:03,030 --> 00:05:05,030 exclusively from over the horizon . 142 00:05:05,030 --> 00:05:07,190 However , having a as I said , a 143 00:05:07,190 --> 00:05:08,912 willing and capable partner in 144 00:05:08,912 --> 00:05:12,670 Afghanistan is a critical piece of our 145 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,013 our CT capabilities . If that goes away , 146 00:05:15,013 --> 00:05:18,260 it becomes much harder , greater risk 147 00:05:18,270 --> 00:05:20,492 and it will be more costly . This is my 148 00:05:20,492 --> 00:05:22,714 last question , MR . Chairman . Just on 149 00:05:22,714 --> 00:05:22,400 that point , the partner , maybe the 150 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,622 security forces or it may be other . It 151 00:05:24,622 --> 00:05:26,844 may be the Northern Alliance . It maybe 152 00:05:26,844 --> 00:05:28,956 it maybe other allies or partners . I 153 00:05:28,956 --> 00:05:31,067 mean , not allies partners in country 154 00:05:31,067 --> 00:05:33,233 though , right ? I mean , doesn't have 155 00:05:33,233 --> 00:05:32,660 to be security forces . Is that right ? 156 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:37,610 I history would indicate it doesn't 157 00:05:37,610 --> 00:05:39,777 have to be the security forces . Thank 158 00:05:39,777 --> 00:05:41,666 you . Mr . Chairman . Thank you . 159 00:05:41,666 --> 00:05:43,777 Senator Senator Blumenthal , please . 160 00:05:43,777 --> 00:05:45,888 Thanks Mr . Chairman . Thank you both 161 00:05:45,888 --> 00:05:47,888 for your service and your testimony 162 00:05:47,888 --> 00:05:49,777 here today . Mr Shelby . And your 163 00:05:49,777 --> 00:05:53,760 answer to the ranking members question 164 00:05:54,740 --> 00:05:57,610 uh concerning the special immigrant 165 00:05:57,610 --> 00:06:01,580 Visa program . You made mention of the 166 00:06:01,580 --> 00:06:04,650 need for legislative changes to the 167 00:06:04,660 --> 00:06:08,180 program . I think we're very unified on 168 00:06:08,180 --> 00:06:11,150 this committee and our resolve that we 169 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,450 provide this access to people who have 170 00:06:15,550 --> 00:06:18,160 put their lives and their families 171 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,510 seriously at risk . And I am wondering 172 00:06:22,510 --> 00:06:25,640 what legislative changes you have in 173 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,250 mind that you would recommend ? We do . 174 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,890 And uh , would you be willing to 175 00:06:32,890 --> 00:06:35,340 provide this committee with a specific 176 00:06:35,350 --> 00:06:37,820 proposal for those changes that you 177 00:06:37,820 --> 00:06:38,820 envision 178 00:06:41,740 --> 00:06:43,962 senator is ? It's my understanding that 179 00:06:43,962 --> 00:06:46,129 the National Defense authorization Act 180 00:06:46,129 --> 00:06:48,590 has has historically been the vehicle 181 00:06:48,590 --> 00:06:50,900 through which we've received additional 182 00:06:50,900 --> 00:06:54,110 quotas or or increased numbers for 183 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,820 uh , for those that could participate 184 00:06:57,820 --> 00:07:00,042 in the Special Immigrant Visa program . 185 00:07:00,042 --> 00:07:02,800 That's right . They have numbers . But 186 00:07:02,810 --> 00:07:04,660 I understood your answer to be 187 00:07:05,540 --> 00:07:09,150 including also proposals for reforming 188 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,470 perhaps the criteria , the procedure or 189 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,000 other acts . My my my statement center 190 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,833 was speaking specifically to the 191 00:07:16,833 --> 00:07:18,778 numbers and the resources that are 192 00:07:18,778 --> 00:07:21,630 necessary to be able to to to execute 193 00:07:21,630 --> 00:07:23,686 the Special immigrant Visa program . 194 00:07:23,686 --> 00:07:25,741 You would recommend more resources . 195 00:07:25,741 --> 00:07:27,963 Yes , Sarah . There's there's there's a 196 00:07:27,963 --> 00:07:31,030 resource requirement . Let me ask both 197 00:07:31,030 --> 00:07:33,830 of you . I know there's been a lot of 198 00:07:33,830 --> 00:07:36,930 talk so far this morning about kinetic 199 00:07:36,930 --> 00:07:40,360 efforts anti terrorist efforts 200 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,760 after our withdrawal in Afghanistan . I 201 00:07:43,770 --> 00:07:45,760 want to focus on the non kinetic 202 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,760 efforts , such as limitations on 203 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,330 international travel , fundraising , 204 00:07:51,330 --> 00:07:55,260 financing , fund transfers and what can 205 00:07:55,260 --> 00:07:59,040 be done to mobilise both our resources 206 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,450 against it and multilateral 207 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,550 organization efforts against 208 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,296 Well , senator , as I indicated , we 209 00:08:10,296 --> 00:08:12,800 have learned a lot over the past 20 210 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,480 years , uh , in terms of how to how to 211 00:08:15,490 --> 00:08:17,930 go after in and defeat international 212 00:08:17,930 --> 00:08:20,530 terrorist groups , uh , there's work 213 00:08:20,530 --> 00:08:22,530 that we there there are things that 214 00:08:22,530 --> 00:08:25,100 we've done domestically , uh , and 215 00:08:25,100 --> 00:08:27,156 there are things that we are already 216 00:08:27,156 --> 00:08:29,490 doing internationally with our with our 217 00:08:29,490 --> 00:08:31,712 partners . I think , to the extent that 218 00:08:31,712 --> 00:08:35,210 we continue to identify ways and those 219 00:08:35,210 --> 00:08:37,900 tools that we can use unilaterally or 220 00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:40,670 in concert with allies and partners to 221 00:08:40,670 --> 00:08:42,614 better illuminate terrorist threat 222 00:08:42,614 --> 00:08:44,670 networks and then prosecute them . I 223 00:08:44,670 --> 00:08:46,726 think that's that's that's necessary 224 00:08:46,726 --> 00:08:48,837 and important . Whether whether it is 225 00:08:48,837 --> 00:08:50,781 things like , you know , financial 226 00:08:50,781 --> 00:08:53,710 action task force work to be able to go 227 00:08:53,710 --> 00:08:55,960 after terrorist funding and fundraising 228 00:08:56,140 --> 00:08:59,670 or trying to harmonize our work 229 00:08:59,670 --> 00:09:03,210 for air travel or these types of ways 230 00:09:03,210 --> 00:09:06,960 to be able to uh , you know , close any 231 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,930 vulnerabilities that we may have uh in 232 00:09:09,940 --> 00:09:12,500 in identifying potential terrorists and 233 00:09:12,500 --> 00:09:14,667 and preventing them from being able to 234 00:09:14,667 --> 00:09:16,833 travel , fund raise , recruit training 235 00:09:16,833 --> 00:09:19,111 plan and execute operations against us . 236 00:09:19,111 --> 00:09:20,860 How well our allies doing in 237 00:09:20,860 --> 00:09:24,410 cooperating with us in trying to stop 238 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:27,060 the transfer of money , the financing ? 239 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,420 Yeah . Uh Senator , I think the 240 00:09:30,430 --> 00:09:32,486 Department of Treasury would be best 241 00:09:32,486 --> 00:09:34,490 positioned to answer those types of 242 00:09:34,490 --> 00:09:37,610 questions as they are the lead in in 243 00:09:37,610 --> 00:09:40,760 the terrorist financing . In what areas 244 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,120 are you the lead ? So I I advised the 245 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,342 Secretary Defense on matters of defence 246 00:09:46,342 --> 00:09:49,020 policy and strategy . And so with 247 00:09:49,020 --> 00:09:51,670 respect to our our defense policy 248 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:53,740 strategy , our operations , the 249 00:09:53,740 --> 00:09:55,796 resources that we have in supporting 250 00:09:55,796 --> 00:09:57,907 our Afghan defense and Security Force 251 00:09:57,907 --> 00:10:00,073 Partners , cooperation with allies and 252 00:10:00,073 --> 00:10:02,184 partners in counterterrorism policy . 253 00:10:02,184 --> 00:10:05,390 Um that's that's where my uh well , the 254 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,300 taliban reportedly earns uh $200 255 00:10:09,300 --> 00:10:11,860 million dollars or more 256 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,750 from drugs , illegal timber pistachios 257 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,630 tax imposed on taxes 258 00:10:22,630 --> 00:10:25,260 imposed on the local population . 259 00:10:26,670 --> 00:10:28,614 And there are revenue screens from 260 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,370 funding sources , all of it going to 261 00:10:32,380 --> 00:10:34,213 support the military operation . 262 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,210 How satisfied are you that we 263 00:10:39,210 --> 00:10:43,160 are using every tool we have 264 00:10:43,170 --> 00:10:45,760 to combat that full of funding . 265 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:50,170 Uh Senator , I think , you know , I 266 00:10:50,170 --> 00:10:52,281 think you've highlighted , you know , 267 00:10:52,281 --> 00:10:53,892 one of the key challenges in 268 00:10:53,892 --> 00:10:56,040 Afghanistan has been trying to reduce 269 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:58,260 the taliban's access to resources . 270 00:10:58,740 --> 00:11:02,080 Part of the South Asia strategy was 271 00:11:02,090 --> 00:11:04,146 focused on looking at better ways of 272 00:11:04,146 --> 00:11:07,990 going after uh in particular the drug 273 00:11:07,990 --> 00:11:10,820 network Within Afghanistan . To be able 274 00:11:10,820 --> 00:11:12,820 to prevent the Taliban from gaining 275 00:11:12,820 --> 00:11:14,876 access to those resources . This has 276 00:11:14,876 --> 00:11:17,042 been a very difficult problem that has 277 00:11:17,042 --> 00:11:19,620 has persisted over the past 20 years . 278 00:11:19,630 --> 00:11:22,260 I think there's there's more work that 279 00:11:22,260 --> 00:11:24,316 can be done . That will be much more 280 00:11:24,316 --> 00:11:26,593 difficult obviously if we're not there , 281 00:11:26,593 --> 00:11:28,816 so we'll be reliant on working with the 282 00:11:28,816 --> 00:11:32,250 Afghan government uh to address that uh 283 00:11:32,260 --> 00:11:34,430 to be able to maintain the law 284 00:11:34,430 --> 00:11:36,541 enforcement and the counter narcotics 285 00:11:36,541 --> 00:11:38,910 work within their own country . Thank 286 00:11:38,910 --> 00:11:41,280 you . Thanks . Mr Chairman . Thank you . 287 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:43,058 Senator Blumenthal . Now let me 288 00:11:43,058 --> 00:11:45,224 recognize via Webex . Senator Warren , 289 00:11:45,224 --> 00:11:48,810 please thank you . Mr Chairman and 290 00:11:48,810 --> 00:11:50,870 thank you Mr . Hell V . And general 291 00:11:50,870 --> 00:11:53,440 challenger for being here . The U . S . 292 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:55,620 First sent troops to Afghanistan to 293 00:11:55,620 --> 00:11:58,410 root out al Qaeda and their taliban 294 00:11:58,410 --> 00:12:00,860 host And to prevent them from using 295 00:12:00,860 --> 00:12:02,760 Afghanistan as a haven to launch 296 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,480 another 9-11 type attack that was 297 00:12:06,490 --> 00:12:09,540 20 years ago . And we accomplished that 298 00:12:09,540 --> 00:12:12,510 limited objective rather quickly . But 299 00:12:12,510 --> 00:12:14,732 then our military took on more and more 300 00:12:14,732 --> 00:12:17,810 responsibility from building an entire 301 00:12:17,820 --> 00:12:20,600 Afghan national army from scratch two 302 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,140 stemming the drug trade to fighting 303 00:12:23,150 --> 00:12:25,770 Afghan government corruption . General 304 00:12:25,770 --> 00:12:27,850 challenger . We've been training the 305 00:12:27,850 --> 00:12:30,017 Afghan security forces for more than a 306 00:12:30,017 --> 00:12:32,290 decade now . We've been providing them 307 00:12:32,290 --> 00:12:34,401 with the best equipment with hands on 308 00:12:34,401 --> 00:12:37,880 training and enabling their operations 309 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,620 with american air power . So have the 310 00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:44,320 taliban and associated militant groups 311 00:12:44,330 --> 00:12:47,950 had access to that level of assistance . 312 00:12:50,940 --> 00:12:54,820 Senator I I don't I don't believe 313 00:12:54,820 --> 00:12:56,709 if I understand your correct your 314 00:12:56,709 --> 00:12:58,830 question correctly . Uh They have not 315 00:12:58,830 --> 00:13:01,360 to my knowledge had any access sort of . 316 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,560 Okay , so so here we are 317 00:13:06,340 --> 00:13:08,062 uh that we have given all this 318 00:13:08,062 --> 00:13:10,520 assistance to the Afghan army . The 319 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:12,687 Taliban hasn't had that kind of help . 320 00:13:12,687 --> 00:13:16,330 And yet the taliban prevented us from 321 00:13:16,330 --> 00:13:19,010 achieving anything close to the 322 00:13:19,010 --> 00:13:21,110 security conditions that we've been 323 00:13:21,110 --> 00:13:24,080 seeking or else we would've left long 324 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,840 ago . So does that suggest it's it's 325 00:13:27,850 --> 00:13:30,430 bigger than just a military problem ? 326 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,030 But let me ask you , Mr . Hell v does 327 00:13:33,030 --> 00:13:36,080 corruption remain an endemic problem in 328 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:37,413 the Afghan government ? 329 00:13:39,940 --> 00:13:42,310 Sarah corruption is a problem in 330 00:13:42,310 --> 00:13:44,750 Afghanistan . Okay , and does the 331 00:13:44,750 --> 00:13:46,583 government still lack the public 332 00:13:46,583 --> 00:13:49,260 support necessary for it to govern 333 00:13:49,270 --> 00:13:51,260 effectively across the country ? 334 00:13:53,740 --> 00:13:56,830 The Afghan government does 335 00:13:56,830 --> 00:14:00,060 maintain a popular support . 336 00:14:00,740 --> 00:14:03,700 I think that support , though , is not 337 00:14:03,710 --> 00:14:06,160 evenly distributed across the country . 338 00:14:06,540 --> 00:14:08,873 So I take it the answer to the question , 339 00:14:08,873 --> 00:14:10,984 Does it have public support necessary 340 00:14:10,984 --> 00:14:13,207 for it to govern effectively across the 341 00:14:13,207 --> 00:14:15,560 country ? I take your answer then , is 342 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,180 no , they do not . Uh Senator the 343 00:14:19,190 --> 00:14:20,968 presence of an insurgency , The 344 00:14:20,968 --> 00:14:23,134 presence of the taliban indicates that 345 00:14:23,134 --> 00:14:25,301 the Afghan government does not control 346 00:14:25,301 --> 00:14:27,357 or popular support everywhere in the 347 00:14:27,357 --> 00:14:29,357 country . They do maintain uh large 348 00:14:29,357 --> 00:14:31,357 support within the major population 349 00:14:31,357 --> 00:14:33,523 centers , uh and in large parts of the 350 00:14:33,523 --> 00:14:35,470 country . But so they have partial 351 00:14:35,470 --> 00:14:37,860 support did the Afghan government's 352 00:14:37,870 --> 00:14:41,750 inability to govern effectively inspire 353 00:14:41,750 --> 00:14:44,650 support amongst the population and give 354 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,620 the Taliban space to grow and build 355 00:14:47,620 --> 00:14:51,360 support . In other words , the Taliban 356 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,570 has done well , and is part of the 357 00:14:53,570 --> 00:14:55,626 reason for that , because the Afghan 358 00:14:55,626 --> 00:14:57,810 government has not been able to govern 359 00:14:57,820 --> 00:15:00,670 effectively and inspire support among 360 00:15:00,670 --> 00:15:02,670 the population across the country . 361 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:07,384 I think there's a there's a lot of 362 00:15:07,384 --> 00:15:09,440 different factors that influence the 363 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,720 taliban's ability to maintain its 364 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:14,020 presence and support locally . Part of 365 00:15:14,020 --> 00:15:16,270 that has to do with uh you know , 366 00:15:16,270 --> 00:15:18,603 weaknesses within the Afghan government , 367 00:15:18,603 --> 00:15:20,548 but part of it also has to do with 368 00:15:20,548 --> 00:15:22,840 historical cultural , tribal uh 369 00:15:22,850 --> 00:15:26,570 affiliations and relationships . But to 370 00:15:26,570 --> 00:15:29,040 your point , I think the fact that the 371 00:15:29,050 --> 00:15:33,020 government has had challenges in 372 00:15:33,030 --> 00:15:35,850 in in maintaining popular support 373 00:15:35,850 --> 00:15:38,017 across the country has created a space 374 00:15:38,017 --> 00:15:40,640 for the taliban uh to continue to grow 375 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:42,751 and operate and present challenges to 376 00:15:42,751 --> 00:15:44,640 the government . But look at what 377 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:46,862 you're saying the root of Afghanistan's 378 00:15:46,862 --> 00:15:49,890 problems . Our political and cultural 379 00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:52,240 in nation . The United States military 380 00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:55,110 is the most powerful in the world , but 381 00:15:55,110 --> 00:15:58,320 our military alone is not responsible 382 00:15:58,340 --> 00:16:01,430 nor designed for solving political 383 00:16:01,430 --> 00:16:03,960 problems . It's been said before , but 384 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,320 it bears repeating again . A conditions 385 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,160 based withdrawal was a recipe for 386 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:13,320 staying forever . And I am glad that 387 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,920 President Biden recognized this and has 388 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:19,330 made the long overdue decision to end 389 00:16:19,340 --> 00:16:21,860 our military involvement in Afghanistan . 390 00:16:22,340 --> 00:16:24,820 Thank you . Mr . Chairman . Thank you 391 00:16:24,820 --> 00:16:26,820 very much . Senator Warren , let me 392 00:16:26,820 --> 00:16:29,360 recognize via webex . Senator Hirono , 393 00:16:31,540 --> 00:16:35,080 give us a check . Secretary . Help me I 394 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:37,302 know that you've been asked by a number 395 00:16:37,302 --> 00:16:39,524 of my colleagues , their their concerns 396 00:16:39,524 --> 00:16:42,670 about the uh afghani women and Children , 397 00:16:42,670 --> 00:16:46,460 but I want to reiterate uh my 398 00:16:46,460 --> 00:16:49,140 concern and add add to that of my 399 00:16:49,140 --> 00:16:51,570 colleagues . Earlier this week , I 400 00:16:51,570 --> 00:16:53,570 joined a letter with my colleague , 401 00:16:53,570 --> 00:16:55,737 Senator Shaheen and Senator Collins to 402 00:16:55,737 --> 00:16:57,959 President Biden , asking him to appoint 403 00:16:57,959 --> 00:16:59,848 an ambassador at large for global 404 00:16:59,848 --> 00:17:01,959 women's issues to serve as the senior 405 00:17:01,959 --> 00:17:04,070 administration's official responsible 406 00:17:04,070 --> 00:17:06,380 for coordinating us government efforts 407 00:17:06,390 --> 00:17:08,612 for the protection of women's rights in 408 00:17:08,612 --> 00:17:12,420 Afghanistan . So my question is , 409 00:17:12,430 --> 00:17:14,152 what is your assessment of the 410 00:17:14,152 --> 00:17:16,152 Afghanistan government and security 411 00:17:16,152 --> 00:17:18,500 forces ability to protect girls 412 00:17:18,510 --> 00:17:20,730 education ? Let's just focus on 413 00:17:20,730 --> 00:17:22,760 education in the country . 414 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,170 Mr Secretary Senator , thank you for 415 00:17:28,170 --> 00:17:30,059 the question . Thank you for your 416 00:17:30,059 --> 00:17:33,140 support for Afghan women and girls . Uh 417 00:17:33,150 --> 00:17:35,340 yeah , I think we've been able to see 418 00:17:35,350 --> 00:17:38,080 significant progress in Afghanistan 419 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,910 since 2001 advancing human rights and 420 00:17:40,910 --> 00:17:43,220 opportunities specifically for women 421 00:17:43,220 --> 00:17:45,442 and girls and education is an important 422 00:17:45,442 --> 00:17:47,990 part of that . I think , you know , the 423 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,640 the the contributions that that women 424 00:17:50,650 --> 00:17:54,100 have made in Afghanistan in the 425 00:17:54,100 --> 00:17:57,000 progress uh that those contributions 426 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,167 have been able to cross the society as 427 00:17:59,167 --> 00:18:01,620 a whole are are remarkable . Uh You 428 00:18:01,620 --> 00:18:04,000 know , we continue to work , you know , 429 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,310 using the tools that we have as a 430 00:18:06,310 --> 00:18:08,590 Department of Defense uh to try to 431 00:18:08,590 --> 00:18:11,240 continue to promote the role of women 432 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,351 in in peace and security and the role 433 00:18:13,351 --> 00:18:15,573 of women in the Afghan National Defence 434 00:18:15,573 --> 00:18:17,860 and Security Forces . Uh You know , I 435 00:18:17,860 --> 00:18:20,193 know the State Department and the U . S . 436 00:18:20,193 --> 00:18:22,249 Agency for International Development 437 00:18:22,249 --> 00:18:24,138 are looking at this through their 438 00:18:24,138 --> 00:18:26,082 resources , tools , mechanisms and 439 00:18:26,082 --> 00:18:28,270 authorities I can't really speak to , 440 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:30,224 you know , the Afghan government's 441 00:18:30,224 --> 00:18:33,430 ability to provide for education . Uh 442 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,090 But I I can say that in terms of what 443 00:18:36,090 --> 00:18:37,923 we've been doing with the Afghan 444 00:18:37,923 --> 00:18:40,146 National Defence and Security Forces is 445 00:18:40,146 --> 00:18:42,146 to increasingly promote the role of 446 00:18:42,146 --> 00:18:44,368 women uh as part of the the N . D . S . 447 00:18:44,368 --> 00:18:46,368 F . Are you saying ? I'm sorry , mr 448 00:18:46,368 --> 00:18:48,590 Secretary , but are you saying that the 449 00:18:48,590 --> 00:18:50,701 Afghan security forces and indeed the 450 00:18:50,701 --> 00:18:53,470 Afghan government has as a priority ? 451 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,650 The the rights of women and girls in 452 00:18:56,650 --> 00:18:59,060 Afghanistan , Is it a priority ? 453 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,880 Uh center ? It is a priority . It's 454 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,470 built into their constitution uh and 455 00:19:05,470 --> 00:19:08,330 that it is part of the development of 456 00:19:08,330 --> 00:19:10,552 the A and E . S . F . This is something 457 00:19:10,552 --> 00:19:12,780 that President Ghani has has 458 00:19:12,780 --> 00:19:14,780 highlighted , and this is something 459 00:19:14,780 --> 00:19:17,720 that I think , you know , we as part of 460 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:19,942 the international community , have also 461 00:19:19,942 --> 00:19:22,164 uh impressed upon the Taliban , that we 462 00:19:22,164 --> 00:19:24,276 will be paying very careful attention 463 00:19:24,276 --> 00:19:28,250 to how the taliban treats women , 464 00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:31,610 girls in minorities in Afghanistan . 465 00:19:31,620 --> 00:19:34,750 That's that's an important part of yeah , 466 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,840 our diplomacy in this space and I don't 467 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:39,920 know what leverage we have to change 468 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,650 how taliban treats women and girls 469 00:19:42,650 --> 00:19:45,380 because their track record is terrible . 470 00:19:45,390 --> 00:19:48,820 And the concern is the reality is that 471 00:19:48,820 --> 00:19:51,520 should they come back into his power , 472 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,460 which to me is a matter of when not if 473 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:56,890 then I think that the rights and 474 00:19:56,890 --> 00:19:58,834 protections for women and girls in 475 00:19:58,834 --> 00:20:01,660 Afghanistan will go down the drain . 476 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:03,729 And I really think that that is a 477 00:20:03,729 --> 00:20:05,951 realistic assessment of what's going to 478 00:20:05,951 --> 00:20:08,062 happen . So at the least shouldn't we 479 00:20:08,062 --> 00:20:10,470 be appointing a single ambassador at 480 00:20:10,470 --> 00:20:12,830 large , which remains a vacant position 481 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,140 to serve as the administration's point 482 00:20:15,150 --> 00:20:17,372 person , especially for those of us who 483 00:20:17,372 --> 00:20:20,850 want to very much be focused on what's 484 00:20:20,850 --> 00:20:23,010 going to happen to Afghani women and 485 00:20:23,010 --> 00:20:24,288 girls after we leave . 486 00:20:26,940 --> 00:20:29,410 Sarah , I'm not familiar with your 487 00:20:29,410 --> 00:20:31,577 specific proposal for an ambassador at 488 00:20:31,577 --> 00:20:33,780 large , but that's that's something 489 00:20:33,780 --> 00:20:36,470 that I believe the State Department 490 00:20:36,470 --> 00:20:39,060 would be looking at in concert with the 491 00:20:39,060 --> 00:20:42,360 White House . So my 492 00:20:42,370 --> 00:20:45,190 colleague Senator Warren talked about , 493 00:20:45,190 --> 00:20:47,301 you know , what is actually happening 494 00:20:47,301 --> 00:20:49,370 in Afghanistan and what the future 495 00:20:49,370 --> 00:20:51,650 looks like . Because you mentioned that 496 00:20:51,660 --> 00:20:54,510 tribal tribal chiefs and the first time 497 00:20:54,510 --> 00:20:56,677 I went to Afghanistan was back in 2000 498 00:20:56,677 --> 00:21:00,260 and 6 to 2000 and seven or so , when at 499 00:21:00,260 --> 00:21:02,204 that point , we were told that the 500 00:21:02,204 --> 00:21:04,149 Afghani security forces were being 501 00:21:04,149 --> 00:21:06,316 trained and they were going to be able 502 00:21:06,316 --> 00:21:09,530 to uh take care of the security needs 503 00:21:09,530 --> 00:21:12,910 etcetera of their country . And as uh 504 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:15,960 Senator Senator Warren pointed out , it 505 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,850 remains um not so uh 506 00:21:19,850 --> 00:21:22,890 and so Afghanistan historically has 507 00:21:22,890 --> 00:21:24,946 never had a central government . You 508 00:21:24,946 --> 00:21:27,001 have all these tribal chiefs who are 509 00:21:27,001 --> 00:21:29,420 not about to listen to whatever it is 510 00:21:29,420 --> 00:21:31,531 emanating from the central government 511 00:21:31,531 --> 00:21:33,642 because that would mean they would be 512 00:21:33,642 --> 00:21:35,920 giving up their powers . So , you know , 513 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,870 the political and cultural aspects of 514 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:40,991 Afghanistan is something that I don't 515 00:21:40,991 --> 00:21:44,260 think our country um really appreciated 516 00:21:44,260 --> 00:21:47,890 or understood very well . And so these 517 00:21:47,890 --> 00:21:49,946 are issues that arise any time we go 518 00:21:49,946 --> 00:21:52,112 into a foreign country where we do not 519 00:21:52,112 --> 00:21:55,120 necessarily assess accurately the 520 00:21:55,130 --> 00:21:58,830 cultural and a political dynamics going 521 00:21:58,830 --> 00:22:00,941 on in that country . And we certainly 522 00:22:00,941 --> 00:22:03,200 can swoop in and try to make change 523 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,870 that can be sustained militarily . 524 00:22:06,980 --> 00:22:09,147 And I'm seeing the military , I'm sure 525 00:22:09,147 --> 00:22:11,390 did its best . But here we are . So I 526 00:22:11,390 --> 00:22:13,310 don't know if my time is up . Mr 527 00:22:13,310 --> 00:22:15,520 Chairman . Yes it is . Senator . 528 00:22:16,290 --> 00:22:19,960 Okay , thank you . Thanks very much . 529 00:22:19,970 --> 00:22:21,803 Senator Romeo . Let me recognize 530 00:22:21,803 --> 00:22:24,480 Senator Sullivan , thank you Mr 531 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:26,670 Chairman . Gentlemen , thank you for 532 00:22:27,740 --> 00:22:30,460 your testimony here on a really 533 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,840 difficult topic . But I think the 534 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,280 bottom line is that as well 535 00:22:37,330 --> 00:22:40,690 as this is being planned out we need to 536 00:22:40,690 --> 00:22:43,840 plan for the worst for the worst case 537 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:45,951 scenario . And I think the worst case 538 00:22:45,951 --> 00:22:48,118 scenario , from my perspective reading 539 00:22:48,118 --> 00:22:50,229 the intel it doesn't seem like it's a 540 00:22:51,140 --> 00:22:54,720 even an unlikely scenario is that the 541 00:22:54,730 --> 00:22:57,960 government collapses in the taliban or 542 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,630 some rump group related what could be 543 00:23:01,630 --> 00:23:05,220 in charge or that we see a civil war 544 00:23:05,220 --> 00:23:07,890 within the next several months . Would 545 00:23:07,890 --> 00:23:09,668 you agree that's the worst case 546 00:23:09,668 --> 00:23:11,834 scenario right now . And how likely do 547 00:23:11,834 --> 00:23:14,057 you think that is general ? What do you 548 00:23:14,057 --> 00:23:17,600 think ? I acknowledge 549 00:23:17,610 --> 00:23:19,760 the range of possible outcomes to 550 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,649 include that one that you've just 551 00:23:21,649 --> 00:23:24,460 described ? Mr Hadley . 552 00:23:26,740 --> 00:23:30,500 Uh Senator I I I I would be happy to 553 00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:32,722 discuss a little bit more detail in the 554 00:23:32,722 --> 00:23:34,889 classified setting . uh , intelligence 555 00:23:34,889 --> 00:23:36,722 assessments , but I think you've 556 00:23:36,722 --> 00:23:39,100 described a range of outcomes as the 557 00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:41,433 general indicated that we're looking at . 558 00:23:41,433 --> 00:23:43,378 So it seems to me , let's assume a 559 00:23:43,378 --> 00:23:47,230 worst case scenario , a civil war 560 00:23:47,230 --> 00:23:50,760 or taliban or God forbid al Qaeda in 561 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:54,280 charge again of that country , a 562 00:23:54,290 --> 00:23:57,840 terrorists potential safe 563 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:01,590 haven . So general , how 564 00:24:01,590 --> 00:24:05,010 far along are we on kind of a I know 565 00:24:05,010 --> 00:24:07,260 it's already been discussed , but a cT 566 00:24:07,940 --> 00:24:10,051 presence capability , because I think 567 00:24:10,051 --> 00:24:12,980 everybody here agrees having this 568 00:24:12,980 --> 00:24:16,750 country Afghanistan as a safe 569 00:24:16,750 --> 00:24:20,060 haven for major 570 00:24:20,540 --> 00:24:22,429 violent extremist organizations , 571 00:24:22,429 --> 00:24:24,520 particularly al Qaeda or IsIS or the 572 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:26,680 taliban is not in the interest of the 573 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,790 United States at all . So how far along 574 00:24:29,790 --> 00:24:31,550 are we on dealing with the 575 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,720 capability to address that primarily 576 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,000 having either and over horizon CT 577 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,760 capability or CT capability from a 578 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,560 neighboring country . 579 00:24:45,340 --> 00:24:47,980 Senator , uh that planning and 580 00:24:47,980 --> 00:24:50,400 coordination is ongoing . I can't 581 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:52,850 characterize how far along we are other 582 00:24:52,850 --> 00:24:54,940 than to say that the intent is to 583 00:24:54,940 --> 00:24:58,470 maintain a seamless capability . What 584 00:24:58,470 --> 00:25:00,637 we have currently in Afghanistan as we 585 00:25:00,637 --> 00:25:02,880 transition that to other places in the 586 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,590 region to again ensure that we're able 587 00:25:05,590 --> 00:25:08,160 to meet our overarching objectives of 588 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:10,740 of preventing al Qaeda or other 589 00:25:10,740 --> 00:25:13,230 terrorist organization from flourishing 590 00:25:13,230 --> 00:25:15,850 in Afghanistan . So let me turn to 591 00:25:15,850 --> 00:25:18,930 another element of if it , given the 592 00:25:18,930 --> 00:25:21,152 worst case scenario . And that's I know 593 00:25:21,152 --> 00:25:23,152 it's already been discussed , but I 594 00:25:23,152 --> 00:25:25,810 think it's an important one . I want to 595 00:25:25,810 --> 00:25:29,290 highlight . Mr Chairman of op ed , 596 00:25:29,290 --> 00:25:31,510 written by your Senate colleague in 597 00:25:31,510 --> 00:25:33,680 mind , Senator Sheldon White House of 598 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,060 Rhode island , who wrote an opinion 599 00:25:36,060 --> 00:25:38,460 piece as the US withdrawals from 600 00:25:38,460 --> 00:25:41,120 Afghanistan . What is our plan for the 601 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:43,550 aftermath ? Would you like it , 602 00:25:43,550 --> 00:25:45,494 including the record ? Yes , sir . 603 00:25:45,494 --> 00:25:47,960 Without objection . So , um 604 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:52,730 I'll ask us both of you when General 605 00:25:52,730 --> 00:25:56,020 Mackenzie was testifying here couple 606 00:25:56,020 --> 00:25:59,270 weeks ago , I asked him the question if 607 00:25:59,740 --> 00:26:03,350 he thought countries had honor , 608 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:08,007 does the United States have honor ? He 609 00:26:08,007 --> 00:26:10,850 said yes , I would agree with that . 610 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,550 And I do think that if we're 611 00:26:15,550 --> 00:26:17,717 looking at a worst case scenario , you 612 00:26:17,717 --> 00:26:19,670 know , in Vietnam all told 613 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,170 123,000 South Vietnamese 614 00:26:23,540 --> 00:26:25,750 Vietnamese civilians and military 615 00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:29,360 personnel ended up in U . S . Custody 616 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:32,450 for processing as refugees . I think if 617 00:26:32,450 --> 00:26:35,120 a year or two from now anybody who 618 00:26:35,130 --> 00:26:37,360 cooperated with our military forces in 619 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:40,440 Afghanistan is being hunted down or 620 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,990 killed , this will be a horrible thing , 621 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,550 of course . And if we have the ability 622 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,270 to prevent that 623 00:26:51,940 --> 00:26:54,410 kind of the way we tried to in Vietnam 624 00:26:54,410 --> 00:26:57,030 at a big scale , I think it's in the 625 00:26:57,030 --> 00:27:00,780 interest of our nation to do that . I 626 00:27:00,780 --> 00:27:04,720 think it's it goes to the honor 627 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:06,831 of our country . These are people who 628 00:27:06,831 --> 00:27:08,980 have sacrificed risked their lives to 629 00:27:08,980 --> 00:27:11,660 help us when we were there . And if 630 00:27:11,660 --> 00:27:15,320 they're going to be at risk , we should 631 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,153 try to do something to help them 632 00:27:17,153 --> 00:27:19,820 general Mr heavily . Do you do you 633 00:27:19,820 --> 00:27:21,987 agree with that ? And do we have plans 634 00:27:21,987 --> 00:27:24,160 to do that at a large scale , the way 635 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:25,270 we did in Vietnam 636 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,050 Sarah , I do agree . We do have a moral 637 00:27:31,050 --> 00:27:32,994 obligation to help those that have 638 00:27:32,994 --> 00:27:35,161 helped us over the past 20 years . And 639 00:27:35,161 --> 00:27:38,630 we are uh , working intensely with uh , 640 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:40,584 with our interagency colleagues to 641 00:27:40,584 --> 00:27:43,140 identify , you know , those those 642 00:27:43,140 --> 00:27:45,251 mechanisms and the resources required 643 00:27:45,251 --> 00:27:47,307 to provide that type of assistance . 644 00:27:47,307 --> 00:27:49,307 We've talked here about the special 645 00:27:49,307 --> 00:27:51,251 immigrant Visa program . There are 646 00:27:51,251 --> 00:27:53,418 other authorities uh , that we can use 647 00:27:53,418 --> 00:27:55,940 with respect to assisting those afghans . 648 00:27:55,940 --> 00:27:57,996 You know , that provides significant 649 00:27:57,996 --> 00:27:59,940 public benefit or for humanitarian 650 00:27:59,940 --> 00:28:02,260 parole purposes . So , yes , this is 651 00:28:02,260 --> 00:28:04,427 important . This is an important thing 652 00:28:04,427 --> 00:28:07,130 that we we should do . Uh , and if the 653 00:28:07,130 --> 00:28:09,460 security conditions deteriorate , uh , 654 00:28:09,460 --> 00:28:12,420 and if we're given an order to to take 655 00:28:12,420 --> 00:28:14,309 other means and other other other 656 00:28:14,310 --> 00:28:16,477 mechanisms , we would have the ability 657 00:28:16,477 --> 00:28:19,060 to do that . Thank you . Mr . Chairman . 658 00:28:19,740 --> 00:28:22,290 Thank you , sir . Uh let me know , 659 00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:24,710 recognized by a webex . 660 00:28:26,540 --> 00:28:28,880 Thank you . Mr Chairman , I want to a 661 00:28:28,890 --> 00:28:31,530 second Senator . Sullivan's last 662 00:28:31,530 --> 00:28:33,710 comment . It is imperative that we do 663 00:28:33,710 --> 00:28:36,180 not leave those who risk their lives 664 00:28:36,180 --> 00:28:38,291 and the lives of their family members 665 00:28:38,291 --> 00:28:40,291 behind . It was not just in Vietnam 666 00:28:40,291 --> 00:28:42,940 that we helped reach out to those who 667 00:28:42,950 --> 00:28:45,530 who helped american troops , but we 668 00:28:45,530 --> 00:28:47,530 also are President Clinton actually 669 00:28:47,530 --> 00:28:49,860 sent in An aircraft and air lifted . 670 00:28:49,860 --> 00:28:52,082 Many Kurds were being hunted and killed 671 00:28:52,082 --> 00:28:54,740 by Saddam Hussein in the early 90s 672 00:28:54,750 --> 00:28:56,806 after the first Gulf War and brought 673 00:28:56,806 --> 00:28:59,430 those Kurds to safety . So , uh , 674 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,607 Senator Sullivan , if you are going to 675 00:29:01,607 --> 00:29:03,773 do any work on this , I would be happy 676 00:29:03,773 --> 00:29:06,110 to join you on this effort . Um along 677 00:29:06,110 --> 00:29:08,054 those lines with not leaving folks 678 00:29:08,054 --> 00:29:11,360 behind . I do want to bring up a 679 00:29:11,370 --> 00:29:14,100 discussion on the matter of the utmost 680 00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:16,156 importance in Illinois . That is the 681 00:29:16,156 --> 00:29:18,260 safe return of my constituent marc 682 00:29:18,260 --> 00:29:20,560 fredericks . Mr Frerichs is an Illinois 683 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,727 and a Navy veteran . He lived in Kabul 684 00:29:22,727 --> 00:29:24,910 for years working as a civilian 685 00:29:24,910 --> 00:29:27,021 contractor before he was kidnapped on 686 00:29:27,021 --> 00:29:30,170 january 31st in 2020 . And without 687 00:29:30,170 --> 00:29:32,003 military rely , more and more on 688 00:29:32,003 --> 00:29:34,140 contractors . These americans who are 689 00:29:34,140 --> 00:29:36,040 there as contractors are there on 690 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,030 behalf of us but lack the protections 691 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,151 that our troops have when they are in 692 00:29:41,151 --> 00:29:42,818 places like Afghanistan . The 693 00:29:42,818 --> 00:29:44,762 information that we have right now 694 00:29:44,770 --> 00:29:46,730 indicates that the Taliban or its 695 00:29:46,730 --> 00:29:48,619 affiliates , Let me , the Haqqani 696 00:29:48,619 --> 00:29:50,452 network are holding mr ferris in 697 00:29:50,452 --> 00:29:52,420 Afghanistan or Pakistan . He was 698 00:29:52,420 --> 00:29:55,400 kidnapped on January 31 2020 . We 699 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,511 believe at the moment that he remains 700 00:29:57,511 --> 00:30:00,100 in okay , physical help , whatever that 701 00:30:00,100 --> 00:30:02,730 means . Uh Mr Frerichs , His family is 702 00:30:02,730 --> 00:30:05,550 terrified by his ongoing captivity and 703 00:30:05,550 --> 00:30:07,661 have advocated seriously for his safe 704 00:30:07,661 --> 00:30:09,890 return . They were deeply disappointed 705 00:30:09,890 --> 00:30:12,112 that the trump administration failed to 706 00:30:12,112 --> 00:30:14,168 use february 29th 2020 deal with the 707 00:30:14,168 --> 00:30:16,770 Taliban to secure Mr Frerichs release . 708 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,040 And the recent announcement that we 709 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:20,762 will be withdrawing options of 710 00:30:20,762 --> 00:30:22,984 Afghanistan has heightened their fear . 711 00:30:22,984 --> 00:30:24,873 As they understandably questioned 712 00:30:24,873 --> 00:30:26,929 whether we will have any leverage to 713 00:30:26,929 --> 00:30:29,096 secure Mr fredericks return once we no 714 00:30:29,096 --> 00:30:31,040 longer have a military presence in 715 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:32,929 Afghanistan and I have repeatedly 716 00:30:32,929 --> 00:30:34,984 raised Mr first case with members of 717 00:30:34,984 --> 00:30:37,096 this administration , in letters with 718 00:30:37,096 --> 00:30:38,818 my colleague Senator Durbin in 719 00:30:38,818 --> 00:30:40,984 briefings with cabinet officials and a 720 00:30:40,984 --> 00:30:43,151 call with the lead negotiator with the 721 00:30:43,151 --> 00:30:45,151 taliban and with the with President 722 00:30:45,151 --> 00:30:47,770 biden himself , everyone , everyone has 723 00:30:47,770 --> 00:30:49,826 assured me that they are aware of Mr 724 00:30:49,826 --> 00:30:51,992 Frerichs and are raising his status in 725 00:30:51,992 --> 00:30:54,048 ongoing diplomatic negotiations with 726 00:30:54,048 --> 00:30:55,930 the taliban . And I hope that 727 00:30:55,930 --> 00:30:58,210 consistent with president such as the 728 00:30:58,210 --> 00:31:00,210 late Ambassador , Richard Holbrooke 729 00:31:00,210 --> 00:31:02,432 using the Dayton accord negotiations as 730 00:31:02,432 --> 00:31:04,321 leverage to secure the release of 731 00:31:04,321 --> 00:31:06,490 kidnapped american . I hope that the 732 00:31:06,490 --> 00:31:08,546 biden administration will prioritize 733 00:31:08,546 --> 00:31:10,657 every avenue available to achieve the 734 00:31:10,657 --> 00:31:12,879 release of Mr Frerichs . Gentlemen , we 735 00:31:12,879 --> 00:31:14,823 cannot fail at this mission and we 736 00:31:14,823 --> 00:31:16,879 certainly cannot abandon an american 737 00:31:16,879 --> 00:31:19,160 citizen behind in Afghanistan . We must 738 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,160 pursue every path available to make 739 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:23,160 sure that Marc fredericks is safely 740 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,216 returned to his family in Illinois . 741 00:31:25,216 --> 00:31:27,820 And now OsD has as a long standing 742 00:31:27,820 --> 00:31:29,820 relationship with Pakistan . And in 743 00:31:29,820 --> 00:31:31,987 fact Secretary Austin just spoke . But 744 00:31:31,987 --> 00:31:34,042 Pakistan's chief of army staff a few 745 00:31:34,042 --> 00:31:36,470 weeks ago on April 28 . And Haqqani 746 00:31:36,470 --> 00:31:39,290 network operates on the Afghanistan 747 00:31:39,290 --> 00:31:41,290 Pakistani border and there's a good 748 00:31:41,290 --> 00:31:43,457 chance that Mr Frerichs is actually in 749 00:31:43,457 --> 00:31:45,680 Pakistan right now . We should be 750 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:47,513 leveraging our relationship with 751 00:31:47,513 --> 00:31:49,513 Pakistan to help secure Mr Frerichs 752 00:31:49,513 --> 00:31:51,513 return . And I discussed this issue 753 00:31:51,513 --> 00:31:53,680 with the with the Pakistani ambassador 754 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,791 a few weeks ago and he agreed to take 755 00:31:55,791 --> 00:31:58,013 the message back to Islamabad . The D . 756 00:31:58,013 --> 00:32:00,236 O . D . Presently has an opportunity to 757 00:32:00,236 --> 00:32:02,480 use Senior leader engagements and other 758 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,591 interactions with the market with the 759 00:32:04,591 --> 00:32:07,030 Pakistani military to raise marks case 760 00:32:07,030 --> 00:32:08,919 and seek Pakistan's assistance in 761 00:32:08,919 --> 00:32:11,100 securing his return . Mr healthy . I 762 00:32:11,100 --> 00:32:13,211 know this is long preamble , but it's 763 00:32:13,211 --> 00:32:15,433 very important , certainly important to 764 00:32:15,433 --> 00:32:17,600 Mr freeze and his family mr healthy as 765 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,433 to Acting Assistant Secretary of 766 00:32:19,433 --> 00:32:19,390 Defense for indo pacific security 767 00:32:19,390 --> 00:32:21,612 affairs . You are the principal advisor 768 00:32:21,612 --> 00:32:23,834 to top D . O . D . Leadership on issues 769 00:32:23,834 --> 00:32:26,140 related to Pakistan . Will you commit 770 00:32:26,140 --> 00:32:28,470 to pursuing opportunities to advocate 771 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:31,080 for Mr clerics and seek his return 772 00:32:31,090 --> 00:32:33,400 through our cooperation with Pakistan's 773 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,360 military Senator . Absolutely 774 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,720 thank you withdrawing our troops in 775 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,831 Afghanistan without securing the safe 776 00:32:42,831 --> 00:32:45,053 return of my constituents . Mr Frerichs 777 00:32:45,053 --> 00:32:46,942 would be an abject failure of the 778 00:32:46,942 --> 00:32:49,053 United States government to rescue an 779 00:32:49,053 --> 00:32:51,053 american citizen , a Navy veteran , 780 00:32:51,053 --> 00:32:53,220 somebody who was there because the D . 781 00:32:53,220 --> 00:32:56,060 O . D . Decided to use more contractors 782 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,700 and an Illinois who served his country . 783 00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:00,867 As I said in uniform , now is the time 784 00:33:00,867 --> 00:33:02,922 to redouble our efforts to make sure 785 00:33:02,922 --> 00:33:05,144 that we secure Mr very safe release and 786 00:33:05,144 --> 00:33:07,311 bring him home . Thank you so much . I 787 00:33:07,311 --> 00:33:09,422 yield back Mr Chairman thank you very 788 00:33:09,422 --> 00:33:12,270 much . Uh Senator doctorate . Uh 789 00:33:14,340 --> 00:33:17,880 awesome . Let me now recognize via web 790 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:19,260 back Senator Rosen . 791 00:33:21,340 --> 00:33:23,490 Thank you Tara Reade appreciate it . 792 00:33:23,490 --> 00:33:25,379 Ranking member in her office is a 793 00:33:25,379 --> 00:33:27,601 really important hearing . Thank you to 794 00:33:27,601 --> 00:33:29,657 the witnesses and I want to start by 795 00:33:29,657 --> 00:33:32,470 expressing my gratitude and my respect 796 00:33:32,470 --> 00:33:34,530 to the hundreds of thousands of US 797 00:33:34,530 --> 00:33:36,520 troops who bravely served in 798 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,700 Afghanistan , including members of my 799 00:33:38,700 --> 00:33:41,640 own team and the brave men and women of 800 00:33:41,650 --> 00:33:44,090 the Nevada National Guard . I'm 801 00:33:44,090 --> 00:33:45,701 particularly thinking of the 802 00:33:45,701 --> 00:33:49,160 20,722 troops 803 00:33:49,540 --> 00:33:52,710 who bear the scars of battle and we 804 00:33:52,710 --> 00:33:55,030 prepare for memorial day , the over 805 00:33:55,030 --> 00:33:57,820 2400 U . S . Military and civilian 806 00:33:57,820 --> 00:33:59,970 personnel who didn't come home and 807 00:33:59,970 --> 00:34:02,081 their families who mourn their loss . 808 00:34:02,081 --> 00:34:04,430 Every day , we have to talk a little 809 00:34:04,430 --> 00:34:06,652 bit about the continued support for the 810 00:34:06,652 --> 00:34:08,870 Afghan President biden's Afghanistan 811 00:34:08,870 --> 00:34:11,270 withdrawal announcement . He stated 812 00:34:11,270 --> 00:34:13,214 that we're going to reorganize our 813 00:34:13,214 --> 00:34:15,326 counterterrorism capabilities and the 814 00:34:15,326 --> 00:34:17,510 assets in the region to prevent a re 815 00:34:17,510 --> 00:34:19,920 emergence of the threat to our homeland 816 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:21,970 from over the horizon and it will 817 00:34:21,970 --> 00:34:23,914 continue to support the government 818 00:34:23,914 --> 00:34:25,637 Afghanistan and keep providing 819 00:34:25,637 --> 00:34:27,526 assistance to the Afghan national 820 00:34:27,526 --> 00:34:29,880 defence and security forces . So , 821 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,810 General Challenger , what is the plan 822 00:34:32,930 --> 00:34:35,590 for enduring for an enduring 823 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,550 counterterrorism strategy that will be 824 00:34:38,550 --> 00:34:40,772 able to address encounter the influence 825 00:34:40,772 --> 00:34:42,970 of the violent extremist organizations 826 00:34:42,980 --> 00:34:45,710 which directly supports us to uh you 827 00:34:45,710 --> 00:34:48,240 know , influences the stability of the 828 00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:50,810 Afghan government . And how will we 829 00:34:50,810 --> 00:34:52,699 establish or build up in existing 830 00:34:52,699 --> 00:34:54,910 presence elsewhere to uh continue 831 00:34:54,910 --> 00:34:56,577 counterterrorism operations ? 832 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:00,280 Senator , that planning and 833 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:03,540 coordination is ongoing currently . Uh 834 00:35:03,550 --> 00:35:06,640 and the the intent is to maintain a 835 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,520 seamless transition from the capability 836 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:11,890 that we currently have in Afghanistan 837 00:35:11,900 --> 00:35:15,580 uh to other areas and locations in the 838 00:35:15,580 --> 00:35:17,747 region so that we can continue to meet 839 00:35:17,750 --> 00:35:21,070 our objectives there . I 840 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,260 appreciate that . So , mr healthy 841 00:35:23,270 --> 00:35:25,550 building on that . What will the U . S . 842 00:35:25,550 --> 00:35:28,260 Assistance to Afghanistan look like 843 00:35:28,260 --> 00:35:30,427 after withdrawal ? We're talking about 844 00:35:30,427 --> 00:35:32,427 looking ahead . Have we established 845 00:35:32,427 --> 00:35:34,316 agreements to fly our U . S . Air 846 00:35:34,316 --> 00:35:36,482 assets from neighboring countries like 847 00:35:36,482 --> 00:35:38,649 Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , turkmenistan 848 00:35:38,649 --> 00:35:41,030 or others to provide the afghans with 849 00:35:41,030 --> 00:35:43,363 possible air support that they may need . 850 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:47,062 Sarah . Thank you for the question . Uh 851 00:35:47,062 --> 00:35:49,750 in terms of support to afghan forces , 852 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,530 um we're looking at ways to be able to 853 00:35:52,530 --> 00:35:54,730 adjust that to an over the rising type 854 00:35:54,730 --> 00:35:56,952 of support things that we can do . That 855 00:35:56,952 --> 00:35:59,119 doesn't require a large scale military 856 00:35:59,119 --> 00:36:01,630 presence in that country uh with 857 00:36:01,630 --> 00:36:04,660 respect to access basing and overflight 858 00:36:05,130 --> 00:36:08,960 those uh those negotiations , uh you 859 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:12,170 know , our ongoing uh within the region 860 00:36:12,180 --> 00:36:15,430 to be able to to provide those types of 861 00:36:15,430 --> 00:36:18,000 arrangements that can enable us to to 862 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,780 do that from within the region . Um As 863 00:36:20,780 --> 00:36:22,613 I had indicated in response to a 864 00:36:22,613 --> 00:36:24,790 previous question , we do already have 865 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:27,420 significant capability resident within 866 00:36:27,420 --> 00:36:29,920 the Persian gulf region uh that can 867 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:32,087 provide that now grant that's a little 868 00:36:32,087 --> 00:36:33,864 bit farther away . But we would 869 00:36:33,864 --> 00:36:36,460 certainly augment that in look to 870 00:36:36,460 --> 00:36:38,540 augment that with arrangements that 871 00:36:38,540 --> 00:36:40,596 would be within the region closer to 872 00:36:40,596 --> 00:36:43,560 Afghanistan . Thank you . And I think 873 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:45,782 another important thing that we have to 874 00:36:45,782 --> 00:36:47,560 think about is a countering our 875 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:49,727 adversaries because has been discussed 876 00:36:49,727 --> 00:36:52,070 today . The decision to withdraw uh in 877 00:36:52,070 --> 00:36:54,240 addition to negotiate with the Taliban 878 00:36:54,250 --> 00:36:56,230 withdraw from Afghanistan raises 879 00:36:56,230 --> 00:36:58,460 concerns about the vulnerability of not 880 00:36:58,460 --> 00:37:00,700 only the Afghan government , the danger 881 00:37:00,710 --> 00:37:02,880 to freedom , women's rights , civil 882 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,020 society and of course , Taliban's 883 00:37:05,020 --> 00:37:07,350 increasing territorial reach . And so 884 00:37:07,350 --> 00:37:09,690 what do we think ? Uh Mr healthy ? Can 885 00:37:09,690 --> 00:37:12,700 you please talk to us about Iran Russia 886 00:37:12,700 --> 00:37:14,930 and china , How you think , how they're 887 00:37:14,930 --> 00:37:17,030 going to come in and fill the vacuum 888 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,040 created by our departure ? And what 889 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:21,960 implications might that have uh for us ? 890 00:37:23,730 --> 00:37:26,760 I think it's it's clear that there is a 891 00:37:26,770 --> 00:37:28,826 number of different countries around 892 00:37:28,826 --> 00:37:30,881 the region that do have that do have 893 00:37:30,881 --> 00:37:32,992 interests and that have the potential 894 00:37:32,992 --> 00:37:35,110 to exercise malign influence in in 895 00:37:35,110 --> 00:37:38,340 Afghanistan . Uh You know , part of 896 00:37:38,340 --> 00:37:41,130 what we want to be able to do in 897 00:37:41,130 --> 00:37:43,297 working with our Afghan partners is to 898 00:37:43,297 --> 00:37:45,186 be able to ensure that the Afghan 899 00:37:45,186 --> 00:37:47,440 government has the ability to provide 900 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,551 for security and economic development 901 00:37:49,630 --> 00:37:51,519 uh and to be able to mitigate the 902 00:37:51,519 --> 00:37:53,910 extent to which other actors would 903 00:37:53,910 --> 00:37:55,799 exercise malign influence in that 904 00:37:55,799 --> 00:37:58,700 country . I think , you know , china 905 00:37:58,700 --> 00:38:01,070 does have an interest in Afghanistan , 906 00:38:01,070 --> 00:38:03,181 as we talked about before . There was 907 00:38:03,181 --> 00:38:05,403 uh you know , economic interest they do 908 00:38:05,403 --> 00:38:07,420 have , they do have concern about 909 00:38:07,430 --> 00:38:09,690 extremist groups operating in 910 00:38:09,690 --> 00:38:12,890 Afghanistan . But to the extent that 911 00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:14,844 China's influence could be used to 912 00:38:14,844 --> 00:38:16,670 undermine stability instead of 913 00:38:16,670 --> 00:38:18,392 reinforce stability or support 914 00:38:18,392 --> 00:38:20,114 stability . Obviously , that's 915 00:38:20,114 --> 00:38:22,059 something that we've got concerned 916 00:38:22,059 --> 00:38:24,810 about , Iran as well . Iran will will 917 00:38:24,810 --> 00:38:27,650 likely seek to exercise influence in 918 00:38:27,650 --> 00:38:31,420 negative ways uh in Afghanistan . Um 919 00:38:31,430 --> 00:38:33,920 Although I think there it's largely to 920 00:38:33,930 --> 00:38:35,986 potentially frustrate and complicate 921 00:38:35,986 --> 00:38:38,210 our withdrawal . Uh And I think that's 922 00:38:38,210 --> 00:38:39,877 something we need to maintain 923 00:38:39,877 --> 00:38:42,120 persistent vigilance of as we're 924 00:38:42,130 --> 00:38:45,320 executing our retrograde . Well I 925 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:47,542 appreciate I look forward to discussing 926 00:38:47,542 --> 00:38:49,598 these issues a little deeper fashion 927 00:38:49,598 --> 00:38:51,709 with all of you going forward . Thank 928 00:38:51,709 --> 00:38:53,931 you . Mr Chairman Time's up . Thank you 929 00:38:53,931 --> 00:38:56,830 Senator Rosen . Uh With that we are 930 00:38:56,830 --> 00:38:59,300 completing the open session of this 931 00:38:59,300 --> 00:39:01,870 hearing . I would ask the witnesses to 932 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:05,450 uh move to room SV 2 17 in the capital 933 00:39:05,450 --> 00:39:07,490 so we can conduct the classified 934 00:39:07,490 --> 00:39:09,434 portion of this . Let me thank the 935 00:39:09,434 --> 00:39:11,768 witnesses for their excellent testimony . 936 00:39:11,820 --> 00:39:15,200 Let me ask my colleagues to assemble in 937 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:17,690 the president's room either before or 938 00:39:17,690 --> 00:39:20,470 after . You vote as quickly as possible 939 00:39:20,470 --> 00:39:23,040 so we may vote out the nominations of 940 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:27,340 Mr McCord for the controller and 941 00:39:27,340 --> 00:39:29,284 mr Moultrie for undersecretary for 942 00:39:29,284 --> 00:39:31,650 intelligence . With that , I will 943 00:39:31,650 --> 00:39:33,817 adjourn the old proportion hearing and 944 00:39:33,817 --> 00:39:35,872 again , thank you gentlemen for your 945 00:39:35,872 --> 00:39:36,030 testimony .