1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,600 Yeah , good afternoon , 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,130 everybody a few items pass along and 3 00:00:07,130 --> 00:00:09,408 then we'll get right to your questions . 4 00:00:09,570 --> 00:00:11,850 Uh So tomorrow Secretary Austin will 5 00:00:11,850 --> 00:00:14,700 depart to California and hawaii and in 6 00:00:14,700 --> 00:00:16,756 California , he'll meet with sailors 7 00:00:16,756 --> 00:00:18,811 and marines at Naval Base point Loma 8 00:00:18,811 --> 00:00:20,978 and Marine Corps Air station Miramar , 9 00:00:20,978 --> 00:00:23,033 respectively . Uh While in Hawaii he 10 00:00:23,033 --> 00:00:25,256 will meet with several , several of our 11 00:00:25,256 --> 00:00:27,422 key indo pacific allies to include his 12 00:00:27,422 --> 00:00:29,422 counterparts from the Philippines , 13 00:00:29,422 --> 00:00:31,478 Japan and Australia . To discuss our 14 00:00:31,478 --> 00:00:33,644 shared commitment to preserving a free 15 00:00:33,644 --> 00:00:35,533 and open indo pacific . Secretary 16 00:00:35,533 --> 00:00:37,756 Austin will also meet with Rear Admiral 17 00:00:37,756 --> 00:00:39,811 john wade , who leads the joint task 18 00:00:39,811 --> 00:00:41,978 Force Red Hill to receive an update on 19 00:00:41,978 --> 00:00:44,144 the effort to safely and expeditiously 20 00:00:44,144 --> 00:00:46,256 de fuel the Redhill bulk fuel storage 21 00:00:46,256 --> 00:00:48,478 facility . In addition this afternoon , 22 00:00:48,478 --> 00:00:50,367 Secretary Austin will welcome his 23 00:00:50,367 --> 00:00:52,478 Excellency David Kabua , President of 24 00:00:52,478 --> 00:00:54,644 the Republic of Marshall Islands . For 25 00:00:54,644 --> 00:00:56,811 meeting for meeting on the US marshall 26 00:00:56,811 --> 00:00:58,533 islands strategic and security 27 00:00:58,533 --> 00:01:00,478 relationship . The Secretary looks 28 00:01:00,478 --> 00:01:02,589 forward to the discussion after which 29 00:01:02,589 --> 00:01:04,811 will provide a readout separately . The 30 00:01:04,811 --> 00:01:06,922 department continues to watch closely 31 00:01:06,922 --> 00:01:09,089 as florida prepares for the arrival of 32 00:01:09,089 --> 00:01:11,256 Hurricane Ian , an extremely dangerous 33 00:01:11,256 --> 00:01:13,367 storm that is expected to bring heavy 34 00:01:13,367 --> 00:01:13,300 rain , wind and storm surge to the 35 00:01:13,300 --> 00:01:15,810 States west coast . As of this morning , 36 00:01:15,810 --> 00:01:17,810 the florida National Guard has more 37 00:01:17,810 --> 00:01:20,370 than 3200 soldiers and airmen on state 38 00:01:20,370 --> 00:01:23,250 active duty with another 1800 plus in 39 00:01:23,250 --> 00:01:25,840 the pipeline florida has prepositioned 40 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:27,951 guard soldiers , airmen and equipment 41 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:30,280 at bases and armories around the state 42 00:01:30,310 --> 00:01:32,421 and preparation for deploying them to 43 00:01:32,421 --> 00:01:34,640 areas impacted by the storm . These 44 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:36,584 guardsmen will provide route route 45 00:01:36,584 --> 00:01:38,590 clearing search and rescue teams to 46 00:01:38,590 --> 00:01:40,860 support flood control and security . 47 00:01:40,870 --> 00:01:43,370 Aviation assets like helicopters are 48 00:01:43,370 --> 00:01:46,000 also on standby to assist as required . 49 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,447 Additionally , five neighboring states 50 00:01:49,447 --> 00:01:51,669 are prepared to make an additional 2000 51 00:01:51,669 --> 00:01:53,669 plus guardsmen available should the 52 00:01:53,669 --> 00:01:55,613 need arise . The Federal Emergency 53 00:01:55,613 --> 00:01:57,669 Management Agency , fema is the lead 54 00:01:57,669 --> 00:01:59,891 federal agency on this response and the 55 00:01:59,891 --> 00:02:02,058 Department of Defense remains in close 56 00:02:02,058 --> 00:02:04,058 communication and coordination with 57 00:02:04,058 --> 00:02:06,280 fema as Ian's landfall becomes imminent 58 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,447 in preparation for the storm , The D . 59 00:02:08,447 --> 00:02:10,613 O . D . Has approved Maxwell Air Force 60 00:02:10,613 --> 00:02:12,502 Base Alabama moody Air Force base 61 00:02:12,502 --> 00:02:14,669 Georgia Warner , Robins Air Force Base 62 00:02:14,669 --> 00:02:16,891 Georgia and Marine Corps Logistics Base 63 00:02:16,891 --> 00:02:18,836 Albany also in Georgia as incident 64 00:02:18,836 --> 00:02:20,724 support , incident support base . 65 00:02:20,724 --> 00:02:23,200 Federal staging areas for questions 66 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,533 concerning individual D . O . D . Bases . 67 00:02:25,590 --> 00:02:27,368 I'd refer you to the individual 68 00:02:27,368 --> 00:02:29,479 services who can provide you with the 69 00:02:29,479 --> 00:02:31,701 most up to date information about their 70 00:02:31,701 --> 00:02:33,812 personnel and their efforts . Finally 71 00:02:33,812 --> 00:02:35,701 later today , the department will 72 00:02:35,701 --> 00:02:37,812 release our latest report on civilian 73 00:02:37,812 --> 00:02:39,701 casualties in connection with the 74 00:02:39,701 --> 00:02:41,757 United States military operations in 75 00:02:41,757 --> 00:02:43,979 2021 . This report is released annually 76 00:02:43,979 --> 00:02:46,201 by the department and this is the fifth 77 00:02:46,201 --> 00:02:48,423 year of its release . As you know , the 78 00:02:48,423 --> 00:02:50,534 D . O . D . Is committed to improving 79 00:02:50,534 --> 00:02:50,130 our approach to mitigating and 80 00:02:50,130 --> 00:02:52,270 responding to civilian harm . And on 81 00:02:52,270 --> 00:02:54,610 august 25th this year , the secretary 82 00:02:54,610 --> 00:02:56,721 released the civilian harm mitigation 83 00:02:56,721 --> 00:02:58,943 and response action plan which lays out 84 00:02:58,943 --> 00:03:01,110 a series of actions . D . O . D . Will 85 00:03:01,110 --> 00:03:03,166 implement to mitigate and respond to 86 00:03:03,166 --> 00:03:05,054 civilian harm , the protection of 87 00:03:05,054 --> 00:03:07,110 innocent civilians in the conduct of 88 00:03:07,110 --> 00:03:08,888 operations remains vital to the 89 00:03:08,888 --> 00:03:11,054 ultimate success of our operations and 90 00:03:11,054 --> 00:03:13,110 is a significant strategic and moral 91 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:15,221 imperative this report will be posted 92 00:03:15,221 --> 00:03:17,388 to the defense dot gov website today . 93 00:03:17,388 --> 00:03:19,443 And with that I'm happy to take your 94 00:03:19,443 --> 00:03:21,499 questions . We'll go ahead and start 95 00:03:21,499 --> 00:03:23,820 with lida , a couple of just quick 96 00:03:23,830 --> 00:03:27,000 follow ups . Um last week you said you 97 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,700 were gonna check back on whether any of 98 00:03:30,710 --> 00:03:32,988 either the P . D . A . U . S . A I . N . 99 00:03:32,988 --> 00:03:34,932 E . Of the funding associated with 100 00:03:34,932 --> 00:03:37,154 Ukraine would expire at the end of this 101 00:03:37,154 --> 00:03:39,321 fiscal year . Do you have an answer to 102 00:03:39,321 --> 00:03:42,740 that yet ? And uh so 103 00:03:42,750 --> 00:03:45,660 uh what I would say is as I understand 104 00:03:45,660 --> 00:03:47,860 it , So the the U . S . Ii money as we 105 00:03:47,860 --> 00:03:50,310 talked about is two year money . Um So 106 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:52,820 and that is an appropriation . Uh so 107 00:03:52,820 --> 00:03:55,042 that that would not be affected the P . 108 00:03:55,042 --> 00:03:57,670 D . A money is as I understand it an 109 00:03:57,670 --> 00:04:00,030 authorization uh which means that 110 00:04:00,030 --> 00:04:02,197 authorization is good until the end of 111 00:04:02,197 --> 00:04:04,410 the fiscal year . I would highlight 112 00:04:04,410 --> 00:04:06,521 that . It's not the end of the fiscal 113 00:04:06,521 --> 00:04:08,354 year yet . So there's still time 114 00:04:08,354 --> 00:04:10,390 potentially to to employ that 115 00:04:10,390 --> 00:04:13,370 authorization . Should we come to the 116 00:04:13,370 --> 00:04:15,426 end of the fiscal year as you know , 117 00:04:15,426 --> 00:04:17,470 the administration has asked for 118 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,480 supplemental funding . And so 119 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,870 essentially what we would like to do is 120 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,730 uh use that new authorization to 121 00:04:24,730 --> 00:04:26,897 purchase P . D . A . Should we go into 122 00:04:26,897 --> 00:04:29,750 a separate fiscal year ? Um So just a 123 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:31,927 couple of things . And do you know the 124 00:04:31,927 --> 00:04:34,260 exact amount that you think will expire ? 125 00:04:34,260 --> 00:04:36,427 And you've got literally just a couple 126 00:04:36,427 --> 00:04:40,200 of days and then um Sure 127 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,850 so right now we have uh 128 00:04:42,860 --> 00:04:46,420 2.275 billion until September 129 00:04:46,420 --> 00:04:50,170 30 . And then on Ukraine um two things . 130 00:04:50,170 --> 00:04:51,948 Have you seen any change or any 131 00:04:51,948 --> 00:04:55,310 movement by Russia um to ready their 132 00:04:55,310 --> 00:04:57,532 nuclear forces ? And anyway I know that 133 00:04:57,532 --> 00:04:59,699 this is a repetitive question but just 134 00:04:59,699 --> 00:05:02,090 ask again and have you seen any shifts 135 00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:05,590 in Russian force posture overall as 136 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,250 these annexations votes start to get um 137 00:05:09,260 --> 00:05:12,720 released and anything about any more 138 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,310 troops coming in , any effort to shore 139 00:05:15,310 --> 00:05:17,477 up areas , anything like that ? Sure . 140 00:05:17,477 --> 00:05:19,699 So broadly speaking , you know as we've 141 00:05:19,699 --> 00:05:21,866 said , we obviously take these threats 142 00:05:21,866 --> 00:05:24,088 seriously but at this stage we have not 143 00:05:24,088 --> 00:05:26,330 seen anything uh that would cause us to 144 00:05:26,330 --> 00:05:29,160 adjust our own uh nuclear posture at 145 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,710 this time . And and as we've said 146 00:05:31,710 --> 00:05:33,599 previously our focus continues to 147 00:05:33,599 --> 00:05:36,300 remain on supporting Ukraine in their 148 00:05:36,300 --> 00:05:38,244 fight and working closely with our 149 00:05:38,244 --> 00:05:40,467 allies and partners in terms of Russian 150 00:05:40,467 --> 00:05:43,180 force posture um broadly speaking 151 00:05:43,190 --> 00:05:44,968 without getting into a detailed 152 00:05:44,968 --> 00:05:48,640 operational update . Uh No no major 153 00:05:48,650 --> 00:05:50,740 shifts other than we continue to see 154 00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:52,806 particularly in the Donbass region . 155 00:05:52,806 --> 00:05:55,430 The Russians attempt uh to conduct 156 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,900 offensive operations uh in that area 157 00:05:58,910 --> 00:06:01,140 with Ukraine successfully holding the 158 00:06:01,140 --> 00:06:04,750 line . Okay thank you . 159 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,470 I have two occasions china and Taiwan 160 00:06:08,470 --> 00:06:11,610 and Korea first occasion the 161 00:06:12,540 --> 00:06:16,170 nuclear aircraft carrier arrived at the 162 00:06:16,420 --> 00:06:19,890 airport and lesson out . 163 00:06:19,890 --> 00:06:23,680 Okay have maritime exercise 164 00:06:23,690 --> 00:06:26,980 is ongoing right now at the meantime 165 00:06:26,990 --> 00:06:30,480 China also conduct counter response 166 00:06:30,490 --> 00:06:33,570 exercise in the West Sea 167 00:06:34,090 --> 00:06:37,930 regarding this . How can you 168 00:06:37,930 --> 00:06:41,510 comment on this ? What kind of message 169 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,790 does this exercise give it to North 170 00:06:44,790 --> 00:06:48,790 Korea ? Uh Sure . So does let 171 00:06:48,790 --> 00:06:50,957 me make sure I fully understand you're 172 00:06:50,957 --> 00:06:53,068 asking about the aircraft carrier the 173 00:06:53,068 --> 00:06:55,234 Reagan . What message does that send ? 174 00:06:55,234 --> 00:06:57,346 Uh well , just for the benefit of the 175 00:06:57,346 --> 00:06:59,401 group . So the Ronald Reagan carrier 176 00:06:59,401 --> 00:07:01,123 strike group began a series of 177 00:07:01,123 --> 00:07:03,530 exercises in the Ec with the Republic 178 00:07:03,530 --> 00:07:07,090 of Korea Navy . Uh september 26th . 179 00:07:07,100 --> 00:07:10,250 Uh And they'll go through the 29th and 180 00:07:10,250 --> 00:07:12,083 these are intended to strengthen 181 00:07:12,083 --> 00:07:14,340 maritime interoperability and tactics 182 00:07:14,340 --> 00:07:16,451 techniques and procedures between our 183 00:07:16,451 --> 00:07:18,680 two navies and as you know , the US 184 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,110 routinely conducts carrier strike group 185 00:07:21,110 --> 00:07:23,150 operations in the waters around the 186 00:07:23,150 --> 00:07:25,560 Republic of Korea to exercise maritime 187 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,000 maneuvers , strengthen the US and Rok 188 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,167 alliance and improve regional security 189 00:07:30,470 --> 00:07:33,600 in China . When China invaded 190 00:07:33,610 --> 00:07:37,490 Taiwan about the contingent plane 191 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,870 and the U . S . Contingency on the 192 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,290 china and uh Taiwan conflict 193 00:07:44,300 --> 00:07:47,710 and should be United States forces in 194 00:07:47,710 --> 00:07:50,150 South Korea . Be involved with the in 195 00:07:50,150 --> 00:07:53,590 case of this food between China and 196 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,380 Taiwan under the mutual defense 197 00:07:57,390 --> 00:08:00,360 treaty between the U . S . And South 198 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,180 Korea . Okay um 199 00:08:05,350 --> 00:08:07,461 sorry there janie , I was waiting for 200 00:08:07,461 --> 00:08:10,180 your question . So you're asking if if 201 00:08:10,180 --> 00:08:13,630 this between China and 202 00:08:13,630 --> 00:08:17,270 Taiwan is under the 203 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,450 mutual defense treaty between US and 204 00:08:20,460 --> 00:08:23,310 South Korea . So South Korea should be 205 00:08:23,310 --> 00:08:26,560 involved . I've seen the press 206 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,671 reporting on that . Certainly I would 207 00:08:28,671 --> 00:08:30,616 refer you to the government of the 208 00:08:30,616 --> 00:08:32,671 Republic of Korea for comments on on 209 00:08:32,671 --> 00:08:34,727 that broadly speaking . What I would 210 00:08:34,727 --> 00:08:36,560 say is that U . S . Forces Korea 211 00:08:36,560 --> 00:08:38,735 remains committed to the US rok 212 00:08:38,735 --> 00:08:41,065 alliance and maintaining the high level 213 00:08:41,065 --> 00:08:43,635 of readiness and robust combined 214 00:08:43,635 --> 00:08:46,785 defense posture to defend our okay 215 00:08:46,785 --> 00:08:49,705 sovereignty and to support US national 216 00:08:49,705 --> 00:08:52,735 interests in the region . Many of 217 00:08:52,745 --> 00:08:54,265 expert 218 00:08:56,870 --> 00:09:00,020 and also former U . S . F . K . 219 00:09:00,020 --> 00:09:02,860 Commanders in the United States . 220 00:09:02,870 --> 00:09:05,710 They're saying that if anything 221 00:09:05,710 --> 00:09:08,210 happening between China and Taiwan 222 00:09:08,220 --> 00:09:11,810 there will be U . S . F . K . Yeah so I 223 00:09:11,820 --> 00:09:14,370 I appreciate I'm not going to speculate 224 00:09:14,380 --> 00:09:17,260 on hypothetical . So again I think that 225 00:09:17,270 --> 00:09:20,850 the U . S . Presence in Korea we have a 226 00:09:20,850 --> 00:09:23,017 very long standing alliance and a long 227 00:09:23,017 --> 00:09:25,270 history of working closely together to 228 00:09:25,270 --> 00:09:29,020 defend the korean peninsula and 229 00:09:29,030 --> 00:09:31,600 defend us interests in the region . So 230 00:09:31,610 --> 00:09:33,554 let me go ahead and go to the next 231 00:09:33,554 --> 00:09:35,388 question Tony go back to the new 232 00:09:35,388 --> 00:09:36,999 question first , can you say 233 00:09:36,999 --> 00:09:39,054 categorically that the United States 234 00:09:39,054 --> 00:09:41,166 has not seen any movement by tactical 235 00:09:41,166 --> 00:09:43,910 nuclear Russian military units that 236 00:09:43,910 --> 00:09:46,690 would cause alarm . Yeah thanks Tony . 237 00:09:46,690 --> 00:09:48,246 So I don't want to get into 238 00:09:48,246 --> 00:09:50,468 intelligence specifically other than to 239 00:09:50,468 --> 00:09:52,634 again just say that we've seen nothing 240 00:09:52,634 --> 00:09:54,634 that would indicate that we need to 241 00:09:54,634 --> 00:09:56,690 change our posture shifting gears to 242 00:09:56,690 --> 00:09:58,857 the nation on sunday there was a great 243 00:09:58,857 --> 00:10:00,968 deal of international confusion about 244 00:10:00,968 --> 00:10:03,190 whether the United States had delivered 245 00:10:03,190 --> 00:10:05,950 nace um systems to Ukraine ? This is 246 00:10:05,950 --> 00:10:08,340 based on a faulty face . The nation 247 00:10:08,340 --> 00:10:10,396 transcript that they later corrected 248 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:12,591 but it caused a tether throughout the 249 00:10:12,591 --> 00:10:14,813 world . Can you give us a reality check 250 00:10:14,813 --> 00:10:16,758 here ? When will the first nations 251 00:10:16,758 --> 00:10:18,702 actually be delivered ? Won't take 252 00:10:18,702 --> 00:10:20,647 about two years from the august 26 253 00:10:20,647 --> 00:10:23,680 contract date . So uh so the and I 254 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:25,736 briefed this a couple of weeks ago . 255 00:10:25,736 --> 00:10:29,630 Yeah so yeah absolutely . So so just to 256 00:10:29,630 --> 00:10:31,741 clarify the U . S . Has not delivered 257 00:10:31,741 --> 00:10:33,797 nay Sams to Ukraine at this stage we 258 00:10:33,797 --> 00:10:35,852 expect the first two to be delivered 259 00:10:35,852 --> 00:10:38,019 within the next two months or so , two 260 00:10:38,019 --> 00:10:40,074 months or so . Right that'll be from 261 00:10:40,074 --> 00:10:41,797 trench three . Uh And then the 262 00:10:41,797 --> 00:10:44,030 remaining six that were part of the U . 263 00:10:44,030 --> 00:10:46,750 S . A . I are expected to be delivered 264 00:10:46,990 --> 00:10:49,101 in the in the future . I don't have a 265 00:10:49,101 --> 00:10:50,990 date to provide but those will be 266 00:10:50,990 --> 00:10:53,260 longer term because the contract when 267 00:10:53,260 --> 00:10:55,740 it came up in august said it will be 268 00:10:55,740 --> 00:10:58,250 completed by august of 2020 for 269 00:10:58,260 --> 00:11:01,230 implying two years . Again I think 270 00:11:01,230 --> 00:11:03,400 there's nothing has changed . I think 271 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,600 it's um two different tranches of 272 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:08,878 Newsom's that we're talking about here . 273 00:11:08,878 --> 00:11:11,170 So we can get you the details but again 274 00:11:11,180 --> 00:11:14,240 the first two are expected to be um 275 00:11:14,250 --> 00:11:16,417 provided within the next two months or 276 00:11:16,417 --> 00:11:20,230 so . These are the ones produced by 277 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,390 industry as I understand it . Okay 278 00:11:23,410 --> 00:11:26,130 on the civilian casualty report . 279 00:11:26,140 --> 00:11:28,370 Obviously I haven't seen it . Um Could 280 00:11:28,370 --> 00:11:30,537 you give us kind of the broad outlines 281 00:11:30,537 --> 00:11:32,426 of that report . I'm assuming the 282 00:11:32,426 --> 00:11:34,592 numbers must be relatively low because 283 00:11:34,592 --> 00:11:36,648 it's not much happening abroad . But 284 00:11:36,648 --> 00:11:38,680 also I'm wondering if some of the 285 00:11:38,690 --> 00:11:41,050 changes that we've seen recently on 286 00:11:41,050 --> 00:11:43,217 trying to reduce civilian casualties , 287 00:11:43,217 --> 00:11:45,328 Is that going to be reflected in this 288 00:11:45,328 --> 00:11:47,494 report ? And how should we view that ? 289 00:11:47,494 --> 00:11:49,328 Um , sure , now I appreciate the 290 00:11:49,328 --> 00:11:51,383 question . Um , what I would I would 291 00:11:51,383 --> 00:11:53,550 ask you to do is download the report , 292 00:11:53,550 --> 00:11:55,494 take a look at it . Um , certainly 293 00:11:55,494 --> 00:11:57,494 again after this brief , we can get 294 00:11:57,494 --> 00:11:57,100 that to you and then be happy to 295 00:11:57,110 --> 00:11:59,166 entertain a more detailed , detailed 296 00:11:59,166 --> 00:12:01,700 discussion given the fact that , uh , 297 00:12:01,710 --> 00:12:03,766 you know , the scope of the work . I 298 00:12:03,766 --> 00:12:05,880 don't want to to necessarily provide 299 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:08,102 you with half information here from the 300 00:12:08,102 --> 00:12:10,324 podium . So we'll make sure to get that 301 00:12:10,324 --> 00:12:12,491 for you right after this . Thank you . 302 00:12:12,491 --> 00:12:12,290 Let me go to carl and then I'll go to 303 00:12:12,290 --> 00:12:15,560 custom um , on Ukraine concerning the 304 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:18,460 North Stream pipeline . They're leaking 305 00:12:18,470 --> 00:12:20,581 uh , european officials are saying it 306 00:12:20,581 --> 00:12:23,310 was sabotage . Um , pointing to Russia . 307 00:12:23,310 --> 00:12:25,440 Ukraine has said it is it was Russian 308 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:28,430 sabotage . Russia is um , pointing to 309 00:12:28,430 --> 00:12:30,340 the United States . What can the 310 00:12:30,340 --> 00:12:32,451 pentagon say about that ? Do you have 311 00:12:32,451 --> 00:12:34,673 any evidence that vessels in the Baltic 312 00:12:34,673 --> 00:12:36,673 sea could have been responsible for 313 00:12:36,673 --> 00:12:38,940 this ? Yeah , thanks . Karla seen the 314 00:12:38,950 --> 00:12:41,172 press reporting on this at this point , 315 00:12:41,172 --> 00:12:43,339 but I don't have any information on it 316 00:12:43,339 --> 00:12:45,506 to provide . We'll continue to monitor 317 00:12:45,506 --> 00:12:47,617 closely ? Obviously . thank you . Let 318 00:12:47,617 --> 00:12:49,617 me go to Kassem General thanks . Uh 319 00:12:49,617 --> 00:12:51,672 Turkey yesterday issued a diplomatic 320 00:12:51,672 --> 00:12:55,080 protest to the United States for Greece 321 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,247 deploying us provided armored tactical 322 00:12:57,247 --> 00:12:59,350 vehicles to the islands with non 323 00:12:59,350 --> 00:13:02,460 military status in Eastern agency under 324 00:13:02,460 --> 00:13:04,627 two that are nor military status under 325 00:13:04,627 --> 00:13:07,070 two treaties . Is there is there any U . 326 00:13:07,070 --> 00:13:09,292 S . Military activity training going on 327 00:13:09,292 --> 00:13:11,420 in eastern region ? That's my first 328 00:13:11,420 --> 00:13:13,440 question . And second , what's your 329 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,370 reaction to the Turkish protest to the 330 00:13:16,370 --> 00:13:18,537 United States ? Yeah . Thanks Kassem . 331 00:13:18,537 --> 00:13:21,010 So I'm not aware of any exercises , you 332 00:13:21,010 --> 00:13:23,177 know , certainly would would encourage 333 00:13:23,177 --> 00:13:25,066 you to reach out to us , european 334 00:13:25,066 --> 00:13:27,010 command . But I'm not aware of any 335 00:13:27,010 --> 00:13:30,250 specific exercises at the moment . Um 336 00:13:30,250 --> 00:13:32,630 and then broadly speaking as always , 337 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,040 uh you know , Greece and Turkey are 338 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,096 both very important NATO allies . We 339 00:13:37,096 --> 00:13:39,660 would encourage both sides to continue 340 00:13:39,660 --> 00:13:42,270 to engage in constructive dialogue to 341 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,336 ease potential tensions . But beyond 342 00:13:44,336 --> 00:13:46,447 that I don't have anything further to 343 00:13:46,447 --> 00:13:48,391 provide . Thank you . Let me go to 344 00:13:48,391 --> 00:13:52,280 laura and then I'll one follow up so 345 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,391 that there is an increasing criticism 346 00:13:54,391 --> 00:13:57,100 in Ankara that United States military 347 00:13:57,110 --> 00:14:00,970 deployment in Eastern uh greek 348 00:14:00,980 --> 00:14:03,790 Greece is actually causing excessive 349 00:14:03,790 --> 00:14:05,957 baiting detentions contributing to the 350 00:14:05,957 --> 00:14:08,123 escalation between the two countries . 351 00:14:08,123 --> 00:14:10,346 Do you agree with that ? What's your um 352 00:14:10,346 --> 00:14:13,550 so in terms of uh the bilateral 353 00:14:13,550 --> 00:14:15,606 relationship between the U . S . And 354 00:14:15,606 --> 00:14:18,200 Turkey . Um I think you know obviously 355 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,367 Turkey is an incredibly important NATO 356 00:14:20,367 --> 00:14:23,150 partner and ally . Um but I'm not gonna 357 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,450 from this podium engage in diplomacy . 358 00:14:26,450 --> 00:14:28,470 So again , we'll continue to work 359 00:14:28,470 --> 00:14:30,420 closely with our NATO partners to 360 00:14:30,420 --> 00:14:32,642 include Turkey . Uh , and certainly I'd 361 00:14:32,642 --> 00:14:34,864 encourage you to reach out to the State 362 00:14:34,864 --> 00:14:37,031 Department for any kind of official US 363 00:14:37,031 --> 00:14:39,253 response . Thank you , Laura . Sure . I 364 00:14:39,253 --> 00:14:41,420 have two questions . One . I wanted to 365 00:14:41,420 --> 00:14:44,530 get your assessment of the Iranian 366 00:14:44,530 --> 00:14:46,820 drones that we have seen , We saw 367 00:14:46,830 --> 00:14:49,320 videos out of Ukraine that they've hit 368 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,090 Odessa targeting civilian 369 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:53,257 infrastructure and targeting obviously 370 00:14:53,257 --> 00:14:55,423 the Ukrainian forces . What's , what's 371 00:14:55,423 --> 00:14:57,368 your assessment of the damage that 372 00:14:57,368 --> 00:14:59,423 these drones are doing ? And can you 373 00:14:59,423 --> 00:15:01,423 give us more information about what 374 00:15:01,423 --> 00:15:03,646 types of drones that we're seeing ? And 375 00:15:03,646 --> 00:15:05,479 do you anticipate any additional 376 00:15:05,479 --> 00:15:07,646 deliveries of these sorts of weapons ? 377 00:15:07,785 --> 00:15:11,755 Sure , So we we do assess that 378 00:15:11,755 --> 00:15:14,845 the Russians now are using the Iranian 379 00:15:14,845 --> 00:15:16,956 drones that we've talked about in the 380 00:15:16,956 --> 00:15:18,956 past , being that were delivered to 381 00:15:18,956 --> 00:15:21,012 Russia , that we do assess that they 382 00:15:21,012 --> 00:15:23,234 are now using them in Ukraine . Uh , in 383 00:15:23,234 --> 00:15:25,401 terms of their effectiveness , I don't 384 00:15:25,401 --> 00:15:27,178 want to provide a battle damage 385 00:15:27,178 --> 00:15:29,345 assessment here from the podium or get 386 00:15:29,345 --> 00:15:31,456 into specific intelligence other than 387 00:15:31,456 --> 00:15:33,567 to say again , we've seen them employ 388 00:15:33,567 --> 00:15:35,734 them . Um , we've also seen reports of 389 00:15:35,734 --> 00:15:39,250 the Ukrainians uh , shooting down some 390 00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:41,472 of these drones . Again , I'm not going 391 00:15:41,472 --> 00:15:43,583 to get into specific numbers , but we 392 00:15:43,583 --> 00:15:45,917 assess that , that those are incredible . 393 00:15:45,917 --> 00:15:48,028 Uh , and so I think again , it's just 394 00:15:48,028 --> 00:15:49,917 indicative of , um , the Russians 395 00:15:49,917 --> 00:15:51,990 employing a capability that we know 396 00:15:51,990 --> 00:15:55,710 they've sought out from Iran . Um , and 397 00:15:56,260 --> 00:15:58,316 they're using the way they indicated 398 00:15:58,316 --> 00:16:00,750 they would use them right for both 399 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:02,970 kinetic attacks and I . S . R . But 400 00:16:02,970 --> 00:16:05,630 beyond that , um at this point , I'm 401 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:07,640 really not gonna be able to go into 402 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:09,418 more detail , have you seen the 403 00:16:09,418 --> 00:16:12,000 missiles from North Korea arrive in 404 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,230 Russia yet ? Uh so beyond the 405 00:16:14,230 --> 00:16:16,397 information we provided before , which 406 00:16:16,397 --> 00:16:18,810 is that we have indications that Russia 407 00:16:18,810 --> 00:16:22,340 is seeking support from North Korea for 408 00:16:22,340 --> 00:16:24,118 ammunition . I'm not gonna have 409 00:16:24,118 --> 00:16:26,284 anything further at this stage . Hey , 410 00:16:26,284 --> 00:16:28,451 let me jump out to the phones here and 411 00:16:28,451 --> 00:16:30,673 I'll come back into the room . Let's go 412 00:16:30,673 --> 00:16:32,729 with heather from us . And I great , 413 00:16:32,729 --> 00:16:34,896 thank you so much . I was wondering if 414 00:16:34,896 --> 00:16:34,540 you can share any more details about 415 00:16:34,540 --> 00:16:36,651 what the Secretary of Defense will be 416 00:16:36,651 --> 00:16:38,873 doing in Hawaii when he meets with john 417 00:16:38,873 --> 00:16:41,260 weighed about Redhill . Sure . So , so 418 00:16:41,260 --> 00:16:44,980 really , the key thing here is this 419 00:16:44,980 --> 00:16:47,147 continues to be a top priority for the 420 00:16:47,147 --> 00:16:49,258 secretary and for the department . He 421 00:16:49,258 --> 00:16:51,570 wants to meet with Admiral wade to 422 00:16:51,570 --> 00:16:54,910 receive an update on efforts to safely 423 00:16:54,910 --> 00:16:57,420 and expeditiously de fuel the Red Hill 424 00:16:57,430 --> 00:16:59,550 facility . And so this will be the 425 00:16:59,550 --> 00:17:01,510 opportunity for the secretary to 426 00:17:01,510 --> 00:17:04,440 provide his uh secretaries intent , so 427 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,280 to speak , first hand , uh and get a 428 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,030 chance to talk with the task force 429 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:13,640 leadership team . Okay , let 430 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,840 me do one more on the phone here . 431 00:17:15,850 --> 00:17:18,390 Let's go to hey jun SEo from radio free 432 00:17:18,390 --> 00:17:21,120 Asia , I thank you for taking my 433 00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:24,820 question . I have to , if I may 1st um 434 00:17:24,830 --> 00:17:27,000 the rok Vice National Defense Minister 435 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,400 said that the US and rok are closely 436 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:31,560 monitoring the activities of North 437 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,330 Korea preparing uh SlBM launch that the 438 00:17:35,330 --> 00:17:37,386 U . S . C . Any indications of North 439 00:17:37,386 --> 00:17:40,740 Korea's SlBM test and second , the U . 440 00:17:40,740 --> 00:17:42,907 S . Vice president is traveling to the 441 00:17:42,907 --> 00:17:45,940 D M . Z . In Seoul on the 29th is 442 00:17:45,940 --> 00:17:47,718 dependent on putting additional 443 00:17:47,718 --> 00:17:49,662 security measures to North Korea's 444 00:17:49,662 --> 00:17:51,607 potential missile tests during her 445 00:17:51,607 --> 00:17:54,130 visit . Yeah , So on your last question , 446 00:17:54,140 --> 00:17:57,010 um obviously for security reasons , I'm 447 00:17:57,010 --> 00:17:59,010 not going to go into details on the 448 00:17:59,010 --> 00:18:01,177 types of support to provide other than 449 00:18:01,177 --> 00:18:03,343 the Department of Defense supports our 450 00:18:03,343 --> 00:18:05,740 senior leadership um wherever they go 451 00:18:05,750 --> 00:18:07,861 uh and provide whatever support is is 452 00:18:07,861 --> 00:18:10,950 required on your first question . Um , 453 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,071 I I appreciate the question . I'm not 454 00:18:13,071 --> 00:18:14,849 gonna be able to talk about any 455 00:18:14,849 --> 00:18:17,016 potential uh intelligence that that we 456 00:18:17,016 --> 00:18:19,127 may or may not have as it pertains to 457 00:18:19,127 --> 00:18:23,030 um North Korea and any potential future 458 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,570 missile launches . But thank you . Okay , 459 00:18:25,580 --> 00:18:27,691 let me go back to the room here or in 460 00:18:27,950 --> 00:18:30,117 general . I just wondered if you could 461 00:18:30,117 --> 00:18:32,339 give a bit more detail you mentioned at 462 00:18:32,339 --> 00:18:34,228 the end of the answer and leaders 463 00:18:34,228 --> 00:18:36,450 question Russian offensive operations , 464 00:18:36,450 --> 00:18:38,506 particularly in Donbas , is that the 465 00:18:38,506 --> 00:18:38,440 only place at this point they're trying 466 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:40,384 to conduct or conducting offensive 467 00:18:40,384 --> 00:18:42,600 operations , uh , are they having any 468 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:44,711 success there ? Whether it's a couple 469 00:18:44,711 --> 00:18:47,280 of kilometers or not at all and and um 470 00:18:47,290 --> 00:18:49,830 have their operations been able to 471 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:52,510 affect in any way , Ukraine's count . 472 00:18:54,700 --> 00:18:57,590 So again , recognizing that that really 473 00:18:57,590 --> 00:18:59,880 the Ukrainians are the right folks to 474 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,510 talk in detail , generally speaking ? 475 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,490 Um what what you see is um , again in 476 00:19:06,490 --> 00:19:09,120 the Donbas region there , um the 477 00:19:09,130 --> 00:19:12,460 Russians um with elements of the Wagner 478 00:19:12,460 --> 00:19:14,890 group um attempting to 479 00:19:15,540 --> 00:19:17,880 essentially take territory , I think 480 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,047 I've mentioned previously , we've seen 481 00:19:20,047 --> 00:19:22,410 hundreds of meters in some cases , but 482 00:19:22,410 --> 00:19:24,077 nothing that I would consider 483 00:19:24,077 --> 00:19:26,780 significant . Um the Ukrainians have so 484 00:19:26,780 --> 00:19:29,040 far done a good job of holding the line 485 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:31,790 there and and repulsing uh , those 486 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,660 offensive operations . Um , the way I 487 00:19:34,660 --> 00:19:36,716 would characterize the north and the 488 00:19:36,716 --> 00:19:38,493 south is on the Russian side is 489 00:19:38,493 --> 00:19:40,604 essentially defensive at this stage . 490 00:19:40,604 --> 00:19:42,990 The the Ukrainians continue to make 491 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,970 deliberate movement forward . Um and so 492 00:19:46,980 --> 00:19:49,036 yeah , that's right . I'd leave it . 493 00:19:49,036 --> 00:19:51,147 Thank you . Okay , let me go back out 494 00:19:51,147 --> 00:19:53,202 to the phone , I'll come back in the 495 00:19:53,202 --> 00:19:55,424 room here , Phil Stewart from Reuters . 496 00:19:55,424 --> 00:19:57,313 Hey there , thanks . Listen , I I 497 00:19:57,313 --> 00:19:59,647 realize you can't go into intel matters . 498 00:19:59,647 --> 00:20:01,591 But there's quite a lot of concern 499 00:20:01,591 --> 00:20:03,813 about the Russian nuclear threats ? And 500 00:20:03,813 --> 00:20:05,869 I'm wondering , you know , does does 501 00:20:05,869 --> 00:20:05,850 the statement that the pentagon does 502 00:20:05,850 --> 00:20:08,072 not see anything that would cause it to 503 00:20:08,072 --> 00:20:10,294 adjust this nuclear posture ? Mean that 504 00:20:10,294 --> 00:20:12,461 there has the Russian activity ? Is it 505 00:20:12,461 --> 00:20:14,683 that definitive ? And also how does the 506 00:20:14,683 --> 00:20:17,130 Russian threats of nuclear escalation 507 00:20:17,140 --> 00:20:19,470 play into how , you know , NATO's 508 00:20:19,470 --> 00:20:22,510 nuclear alliance is thinking about 509 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,464 moving forward with the , with its 510 00:20:24,464 --> 00:20:26,520 support to Ukraine . Thanks . Yeah , 511 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,090 sure . Um so Phil I'd say , you know , 512 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:31,320 to your first question , um I'm not 513 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:33,153 gonna have anything different to 514 00:20:33,153 --> 00:20:35,320 provide other than again , we have not 515 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,800 seen anything or have any reason to 516 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:40,750 adjust our posture at this stage . Um 517 00:20:40,750 --> 00:20:44,580 In terms of um the impact 518 00:20:44,590 --> 00:20:48,410 on us and international unity 519 00:20:48,420 --> 00:20:52,030 and efforts to support Ukraine . Um as 520 00:20:52,030 --> 00:20:54,220 we've said before , our focus will 521 00:20:54,220 --> 00:20:56,820 continue to be on working together to 522 00:20:56,820 --> 00:20:59,690 support Ukraine as they fight to defend 523 00:20:59,690 --> 00:21:01,801 their country . Uh And so I don't see 524 00:21:01,801 --> 00:21:05,130 any change in that at this time . Thank 525 00:21:05,130 --> 00:21:08,940 you . Okay , thank you sir . Uh to 526 00:21:08,950 --> 00:21:11,172 to hurricane related questions please . 527 00:21:11,172 --> 00:21:14,320 Uh first uh with the storm appearing to 528 00:21:14,330 --> 00:21:16,497 be heading towards the headquarters of 529 00:21:16,497 --> 00:21:18,386 Centcom uh and Special Operations 530 00:21:18,386 --> 00:21:20,880 Command . Any accommodations , you can 531 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:22,658 speak to their any concerns the 532 00:21:22,658 --> 00:21:24,800 Secretary has about what that could 533 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:27,022 mean , how you plan for that . And then 534 00:21:27,022 --> 00:21:29,780 on the second one we've seen plenty of 535 00:21:29,790 --> 00:21:31,901 storms in the past . That Active Duty 536 00:21:31,901 --> 00:21:34,300 forces always uh also get involved . Do 537 00:21:34,300 --> 00:21:37,470 you expect that here as well ? So in 538 00:21:37,470 --> 00:21:40,380 terms of uh on your last question , in 539 00:21:40,380 --> 00:21:43,500 terms of Active Duty Forces . So um 540 00:21:43,510 --> 00:21:45,732 really right now again , D . O . D . Is 541 00:21:45,732 --> 00:21:47,990 in support the fema . Um and of course 542 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,460 uh the florida State government also 543 00:21:50,460 --> 00:21:52,470 plays a key role in this as well . 544 00:21:52,470 --> 00:21:54,860 Right , so we will continue to stay 545 00:21:54,870 --> 00:21:58,530 closely aligned with fema and working 546 00:21:58,530 --> 00:22:00,363 with the State Government in the 547 00:22:00,363 --> 00:22:02,586 National Guard . So I don't really want 548 00:22:02,586 --> 00:22:04,641 to speculate on what kind of support 549 00:22:04,641 --> 00:22:06,752 may be required in the future ? Um in 550 00:22:06,752 --> 00:22:08,930 terms of centcom and socom again , 551 00:22:08,930 --> 00:22:10,930 certainly they could answer in more 552 00:22:10,930 --> 00:22:13,041 detail , but what I would tell you is 553 00:22:13,041 --> 00:22:16,150 that hurricanes hitting the state of 554 00:22:16,150 --> 00:22:19,490 florida are not new . Uh There are um 555 00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:22,150 very comprehensive contingency plans 556 00:22:22,150 --> 00:22:24,790 that are put together to address these 557 00:22:24,790 --> 00:22:27,850 types of eventualities uh to ensure 558 00:22:27,850 --> 00:22:31,460 that there is 24 7 connectivity and 559 00:22:31,470 --> 00:22:34,140 uh command and control capability . Uh 560 00:22:34,150 --> 00:22:36,317 So the bottom line is neither of those 561 00:22:36,317 --> 00:22:38,539 commands will miss a beat regardless of 562 00:22:38,539 --> 00:22:40,539 whether the storm hits in the Tampa 563 00:22:40,539 --> 00:22:42,920 area or not . Thanks . Okay let me go 564 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:44,800 back up to the phone . Uh Louis 565 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,720 Martinez . Abc Yes sir . 566 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,000 Just two quick questions . One on the 567 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,970 hurricane and one on Ukraine . Um Do 568 00:22:54,970 --> 00:22:57,570 you have , do you know how many ships 569 00:22:57,570 --> 00:23:01,230 or how many um forces or bases have 570 00:23:01,230 --> 00:23:03,341 been reorganized or moved around as a 571 00:23:03,341 --> 00:23:05,840 result of in advance of the hurricane's 572 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,140 coming ? I don't have that right in 573 00:23:08,140 --> 00:23:10,251 front of me louis but we can get that 574 00:23:10,251 --> 00:23:14,190 for you and on Ukraine , Ukraine , 575 00:23:14,190 --> 00:23:16,412 it's actually more Russia question . Uh 576 00:23:16,412 --> 00:23:18,634 You've spoken in the past about how the 577 00:23:18,634 --> 00:23:20,801 Russian mobilization um may not impact 578 00:23:20,801 --> 00:23:23,570 the battlefield . Um Can you talk to us 579 00:23:23,570 --> 00:23:25,626 about these images that we're seeing 580 00:23:25,626 --> 00:23:29,150 inside Russia of these long uh 581 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,830 convoys at border checkpoints ? Um 582 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:36,640 people uh being upset with these 583 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,480 local mobilization officers . Um what 584 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,480 does that speak to , What does the 585 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,280 pentagon's take on the things ? Well , 586 00:23:44,290 --> 00:23:46,290 it's certainly something that we're 587 00:23:46,290 --> 00:23:49,110 keeping an eye on as it relates to 588 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:52,110 Russia's overall readiness and ability 589 00:23:52,110 --> 00:23:55,440 to mobilize forces uh , primarily again , 590 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,010 because this is part of the broader 591 00:23:58,010 --> 00:24:00,950 conflict in Ukraine and certainly could 592 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,790 impact uh future conditions there on 593 00:24:04,790 --> 00:24:08,230 the battlefield . Um , as for the 594 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,462 response of the Russian people , that's 595 00:24:10,462 --> 00:24:12,629 really not for me to say . I think you 596 00:24:12,629 --> 00:24:14,462 can all watch that make your own 597 00:24:14,462 --> 00:24:16,480 conclusions on that . Uh , from a 598 00:24:16,490 --> 00:24:18,268 operational standpoint , from a 599 00:24:18,268 --> 00:24:20,770 military standpoint as we've discussed 600 00:24:20,770 --> 00:24:24,080 previously . Um , leading and managing 601 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,170 any large military organization uh , is 602 00:24:27,170 --> 00:24:29,710 a monumental undertaking in of itself , 603 00:24:29,710 --> 00:24:31,488 which requires a high degree of 604 00:24:31,488 --> 00:24:33,654 expertise when it comes to things like 605 00:24:33,654 --> 00:24:36,660 logistics , sustainment , uh recruiting , 606 00:24:36,660 --> 00:24:39,490 equipping , etcetera . And so again , 607 00:24:39,500 --> 00:24:41,860 we just continue to see some of the 608 00:24:41,860 --> 00:24:44,470 challenges that the Russian military 609 00:24:44,470 --> 00:24:46,800 faces and will continue to face . All 610 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:49,180 that said . Uh , it it is something 611 00:24:49,180 --> 00:24:51,291 that we will have to continue to take 612 00:24:51,291 --> 00:24:53,291 seriously and I know the Ukrainians 613 00:24:53,291 --> 00:24:55,513 will continue to take seriously uh , in 614 00:24:55,513 --> 00:24:57,736 terms of what the impact will be longer 615 00:24:57,736 --> 00:25:00,000 term on the battlefield . Thank you . 616 00:25:00,010 --> 00:25:02,140 Okay , let me go to J . J . Green and 617 00:25:02,140 --> 00:25:04,307 then I'll come back to the room here , 618 00:25:04,780 --> 00:25:07,230 general , thank you for the chance to 619 00:25:07,230 --> 00:25:09,840 ask this question . Um , you've spoken 620 00:25:09,850 --> 00:25:12,960 before about Russia trying to , 621 00:25:12,970 --> 00:25:16,500 trying to claim itself as the victim 622 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,500 and using that as a , as a , as a call 623 00:25:20,500 --> 00:25:22,790 to try to rally support . But these 624 00:25:22,790 --> 00:25:25,012 long lines that louis talked about seem 625 00:25:25,012 --> 00:25:27,346 to suggest that that may not be working , 626 00:25:27,346 --> 00:25:29,457 but that may just be a small slice of 627 00:25:29,457 --> 00:25:31,401 what's what we see , what's really 628 00:25:31,401 --> 00:25:33,234 going on . Do you have a broader 629 00:25:33,234 --> 00:25:36,570 picture of how uh this mobilization is 630 00:25:36,570 --> 00:25:40,110 going well again , you know , to your 631 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,398 to your earlier comment there , I mean , 632 00:25:42,398 --> 00:25:46,160 if we if we step back in terms of what 633 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,271 we've all been watching play out over 634 00:25:48,271 --> 00:25:52,080 the last year or so , uh Russia invaded 635 00:25:52,090 --> 00:25:54,880 Ukraine , not the other way around . 636 00:25:54,890 --> 00:25:58,580 And so it's they are the aggressor here 637 00:25:58,590 --> 00:26:01,150 uh and clearly have not achieved their 638 00:26:01,150 --> 00:26:03,206 strategic objectives when it came to 639 00:26:03,206 --> 00:26:05,440 their initial military aims within 640 00:26:05,450 --> 00:26:09,250 Ukraine . Uh And as a result , uh you 641 00:26:09,250 --> 00:26:11,306 know , we've seen them struggle with 642 00:26:11,306 --> 00:26:13,417 command and control , We've seen them 643 00:26:13,417 --> 00:26:15,639 struggle with logistics , uh we've seen 644 00:26:15,639 --> 00:26:17,861 them struggle with sustainment and with 645 00:26:17,861 --> 00:26:20,170 troop morale . Uh and now with this 646 00:26:20,170 --> 00:26:22,650 mobilization , uh it's an effort to 647 00:26:22,650 --> 00:26:25,570 address the overall manpower challenges 648 00:26:25,570 --> 00:26:27,681 that the Russian military is facing . 649 00:26:27,681 --> 00:26:30,300 Um and again , it adds another level of 650 00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:33,670 complexity to an already challenging 651 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:36,410 systemic situation when it comes to 652 00:26:36,420 --> 00:26:38,309 employing these troops . So we'll 653 00:26:38,309 --> 00:26:40,476 continue to keep an eye on it . In the 654 00:26:40,476 --> 00:26:42,800 meantime , our focus uh the US focus is 655 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:44,467 working very closely with the 656 00:26:44,467 --> 00:26:46,411 international community to support 657 00:26:46,411 --> 00:26:48,411 Ukraine in their fight , which will 658 00:26:48,411 --> 00:26:50,467 continue to be a tough and difficult 659 00:26:50,467 --> 00:26:53,980 fight in the days ahead . Thanks j j 660 00:26:53,990 --> 00:26:57,980 uh general two questions first on 661 00:26:57,980 --> 00:27:01,150 the mobilization , their reports and 662 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,610 video footage of , as you mentioned , 663 00:27:03,620 --> 00:27:06,130 Russia having a challenging time 664 00:27:06,130 --> 00:27:08,220 actually employing these troops and 665 00:27:08,220 --> 00:27:09,998 sending them out supplying them 666 00:27:09,998 --> 00:27:12,220 essentially whether its ballistic vests 667 00:27:12,220 --> 00:27:15,050 or uh medical equipment , a lot of 668 00:27:15,050 --> 00:27:16,939 these troops are having to go and 669 00:27:16,939 --> 00:27:19,161 procure these themselves . Does the D . 670 00:27:19,161 --> 00:27:20,939 O . D . Assess that the Russian 671 00:27:20,939 --> 00:27:22,828 military wouldn't even be able to 672 00:27:22,828 --> 00:27:24,717 sustain a full mobilization since 673 00:27:24,717 --> 00:27:24,710 they're having so much trouble with a 674 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,420 partial one . Um , so , you know , I 675 00:27:28,420 --> 00:27:30,960 don't I don't want to necessarily 676 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,020 overstate it and say that um , you know , 677 00:27:34,030 --> 00:27:37,000 comment on Russia's ability to fully 678 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,100 mobilize . I think undoubtedly based on 679 00:27:40,100 --> 00:27:42,322 what you're seeing on , you know , play 680 00:27:42,322 --> 00:27:45,260 out uh in the open press is that they 681 00:27:45,260 --> 00:27:47,380 will have challenges meeting those 682 00:27:47,380 --> 00:27:49,436 numbers . All that said , you know , 683 00:27:49,436 --> 00:27:51,380 we'll continue to monitor and will 684 00:27:51,380 --> 00:27:53,602 continue to to see how this plays out . 685 00:27:53,602 --> 00:27:55,658 Thank you . Let me do go ahead . And 686 00:27:55,658 --> 00:27:57,602 then uh the U . S . Coast Guard uh 687 00:27:57,602 --> 00:28:00,030 announced that they had spotted chinese 688 00:28:00,030 --> 00:28:01,974 and Russian ships off the coast of 689 00:28:01,974 --> 00:28:04,308 Alaska . I'm curious what the D . O . D . 690 00:28:04,308 --> 00:28:06,530 Is seeing on that front . And if that's 691 00:28:06,530 --> 00:28:08,308 a common occurrence that's been 692 00:28:08,308 --> 00:28:10,530 happening or has that spiked recently . 693 00:28:10,530 --> 00:28:12,641 Um , so we've seen Russia and china , 694 00:28:12,641 --> 00:28:15,430 you know , sail together uh before . Um 695 00:28:15,430 --> 00:28:18,630 and so my understanding is that uh 696 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,320 those the uh those sailings , the sale , 697 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,487 they were not saying they were sailing 698 00:28:24,487 --> 00:28:26,542 in international waters . So , so no 699 00:28:26,542 --> 00:28:28,876 issues there , but obviously , you know , 700 00:28:28,876 --> 00:28:31,042 will continue to to monitor that . And 701 00:28:31,050 --> 00:28:33,161 uh , in the meantime , you know , I'd 702 00:28:33,161 --> 00:28:35,383 recommend you contact the Coast Guard . 703 00:28:35,383 --> 00:28:37,606 They may have additional information on 704 00:28:37,606 --> 00:28:39,828 that . Thank you . Let me jump back out 705 00:28:39,828 --> 00:28:39,820 to the phone here real quick . I've got 706 00:28:39,830 --> 00:28:43,640 Caitlin from new york post I've 707 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:45,584 actually been asked and answered , 708 00:28:45,584 --> 00:28:47,584 thank you so much . Jeff , task and 709 00:28:47,584 --> 00:28:51,050 purpose . Thank you . In 710 00:28:51,060 --> 00:28:53,610 August , a senior military official 711 00:28:53,610 --> 00:28:55,560 estimated that the Russians had 712 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,870 suffered 880,000 casualties . Can you 713 00:28:58,870 --> 00:29:02,260 provide an updated estimate of how many 714 00:29:02,260 --> 00:29:04,371 casualties the Russians have suffered 715 00:29:04,371 --> 00:29:06,538 and include a breakdown of how many of 716 00:29:06,538 --> 00:29:08,670 those are killed ? Yeah , thanks for 717 00:29:08,670 --> 00:29:10,837 the question , Jeff , I don't have any 718 00:29:10,837 --> 00:29:12,892 updates to provide today beyond what 719 00:29:12,892 --> 00:29:15,320 we've provided previously . Obviously , 720 00:29:15,330 --> 00:29:19,090 uh , the battlefield continues to be a 721 00:29:19,100 --> 00:29:22,730 uh , a very dangerous place , a lot of 722 00:29:22,730 --> 00:29:24,860 casualties , but I don't have any 723 00:29:24,860 --> 00:29:27,193 specific numbers to provide . Thank you . 724 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,530 Okay , let me go to Sylvia FP and then 725 00:29:30,530 --> 00:29:32,752 I'll come back , you know , thank you . 726 00:29:32,752 --> 00:29:34,974 I would like to follow up on the fields 727 00:29:34,974 --> 00:29:38,290 question um , on on the 728 00:29:38,300 --> 00:29:41,710 nuclear threat . Um , you 729 00:29:41,710 --> 00:29:45,160 say that you don't see anything that 730 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,570 would , uh , that would 731 00:29:48,580 --> 00:29:52,120 make us change its 732 00:29:52,130 --> 00:29:55,550 nuclear posture . Do , what 733 00:29:55,550 --> 00:29:58,740 would trigger a change of posture . 734 00:29:58,750 --> 00:30:02,440 Would it be simple Russian movements or 735 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,300 would you wait for the for Russia to 736 00:30:05,300 --> 00:30:08,150 use a nuclear weapon . Yeah . Thanks , 737 00:30:08,150 --> 00:30:09,817 really . So I I don't want to 738 00:30:09,817 --> 00:30:12,280 necessarily get into our our tactics or 739 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,880 procedures uh other than to say uh 740 00:30:15,890 --> 00:30:18,950 that um we maintain a whole host of 741 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,370 capabilities uh and and proven 742 00:30:21,370 --> 00:30:25,190 processes to address any potential 743 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,300 threats of that kind . So um in the 744 00:30:28,300 --> 00:30:31,590 meantime , again , just to reiterate , 745 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,030 we've seen nothing that would cause us 746 00:30:34,030 --> 00:30:36,197 to change our posture will continue to 747 00:30:36,197 --> 00:30:38,030 monitor this very closely , will 748 00:30:38,030 --> 00:30:40,086 continue to take it very seriously . 749 00:30:40,086 --> 00:30:42,086 But in the meantime , again , we've 750 00:30:42,086 --> 00:30:44,308 seen nothing that would indicate a need 751 00:30:44,308 --> 00:30:46,430 to change our particular posture . 752 00:30:47,260 --> 00:30:49,890 Thank you . Okay , let me go to and 753 00:30:49,890 --> 00:30:52,970 then jim . Thank you . So , we're 754 00:30:52,970 --> 00:30:56,960 watching uh 22 events unfolding at 755 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,670 the same time today , the end of the so 756 00:31:00,670 --> 00:31:03,630 called referendum in uh territories 757 00:31:03,630 --> 00:31:06,940 that were occupied by Russia . On the 758 00:31:06,940 --> 00:31:09,218 other hand , you have the mobilization , 759 00:31:09,218 --> 00:31:11,273 regardless of the type of challenges 760 00:31:11,273 --> 00:31:14,060 the Russians are facing . Is your 761 00:31:14,060 --> 00:31:17,840 assessment that the Russians 762 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,570 still have the appetite or the 763 00:31:20,570 --> 00:31:22,860 strategic objective of capturing 764 00:31:22,870 --> 00:31:25,300 additional Russian Ukrainian 765 00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:28,210 territories or in light of their friend , 766 00:31:28,210 --> 00:31:31,010 um and the mobilization , the aim of 767 00:31:31,020 --> 00:31:33,830 this additional manpower is to hold 768 00:31:33,830 --> 00:31:35,997 what they have now inside of Ukraine . 769 00:31:35,997 --> 00:31:38,650 So , so , so two things on that one , 770 00:31:38,650 --> 00:31:40,817 you know , first of all , ultimately , 771 00:31:40,817 --> 00:31:43,620 that's for Russia to decide . However , 772 00:31:43,620 --> 00:31:45,842 we've seen no indication that they have 773 00:31:45,842 --> 00:31:49,630 any intention of changing uh their 774 00:31:49,630 --> 00:31:53,210 overall aim , which is to uh take over 775 00:31:53,220 --> 00:31:56,320 Ukraine . Right . And so I think again , 776 00:31:56,330 --> 00:31:59,020 what we saw from the um , 777 00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:02,080 you know , earlier part of this 778 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,900 conflict was they were not able to meet 779 00:32:04,900 --> 00:32:07,350 those broader strategic objectives . 780 00:32:07,350 --> 00:32:09,420 And so they scaled back and change 781 00:32:09,420 --> 00:32:11,660 those objectives . And so the this 782 00:32:11,660 --> 00:32:14,210 latest effort to conduct the sham 783 00:32:14,210 --> 00:32:17,030 referenda are an effort to essentially 784 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,790 try to change the narrative uh and 785 00:32:19,790 --> 00:32:21,846 distract from the fact that they are 786 00:32:21,846 --> 00:32:24,540 not meeting their objectives . All that 787 00:32:24,540 --> 00:32:27,260 to say , uh no indication that they 788 00:32:27,260 --> 00:32:29,427 intend to stop fighting anytime soon . 789 00:32:29,427 --> 00:32:31,482 And and as I've mentioned and others 790 00:32:31,482 --> 00:32:33,538 have mentioned , uh Russia could end 791 00:32:33,538 --> 00:32:35,538 this conflict tomorrow , but in the 792 00:32:35,538 --> 00:32:37,704 meantime , um will continue to support 793 00:32:37,704 --> 00:32:39,927 the Ukrainians in their fight to defend 794 00:32:39,927 --> 00:32:42,090 their country and and their sovereign 795 00:32:42,090 --> 00:32:44,146 territory . Thank you . Let me go to 796 00:32:44,146 --> 00:32:46,201 gym and then I'll go back out to the 797 00:32:46,201 --> 00:32:48,470 phone . Yeah . Thanks general . Um in 798 00:32:48,470 --> 00:32:50,581 the past , you've you've been talking 799 00:32:50,581 --> 00:32:53,240 about the uh the Russians not not 800 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,490 learning from their mistakes and not 801 00:32:56,500 --> 00:32:59,490 uh you know , fixing their logistical 802 00:32:59,490 --> 00:33:01,434 problems or fixing their personnel 803 00:33:01,434 --> 00:33:05,270 problems . And it strikes me 804 00:33:05,270 --> 00:33:07,590 that the Ukrainians are learning from 805 00:33:07,590 --> 00:33:09,812 this and their tactics , techniques and 806 00:33:09,812 --> 00:33:11,979 procedures have gotten actually better 807 00:33:11,979 --> 00:33:14,090 as they've gone along in the last six 808 00:33:14,090 --> 00:33:16,146 months . What's the difference where 809 00:33:16,146 --> 00:33:18,790 where why why is one side learning the 810 00:33:18,790 --> 00:33:21,270 other side not ? Yeah , I appreciate 811 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:23,447 the question . Jim . So I , you know , 812 00:33:23,447 --> 00:33:26,350 I don't want to try to get inside the 813 00:33:26,430 --> 00:33:28,720 minds of the Russians or the Ukrainians 814 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,960 other than to say , other than to say 815 00:33:31,970 --> 00:33:33,914 you're right , the Ukrainians have 816 00:33:33,914 --> 00:33:36,390 improvised , overcome and adapted very 817 00:33:36,390 --> 00:33:38,980 well on the battlefield . Um And I 818 00:33:38,980 --> 00:33:41,640 think uh in part is they're defending 819 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:43,640 their sovereign territory . They're 820 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,862 fighting for their homeland . They have 821 00:33:45,862 --> 00:33:49,380 something very uh dear to fight for um 822 00:33:49,390 --> 00:33:53,230 and against a neighbor who has 823 00:33:53,230 --> 00:33:56,840 invaded them . So in terms of why the 824 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,970 Russian military has performed so 825 00:33:58,970 --> 00:34:01,480 poorly , that's a question they'll have 826 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:05,320 to answer it . It is a fact . Uh and in 827 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,320 the meantime we'll just continue to 828 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,542 support the Ukrainians in their fight . 829 00:34:09,542 --> 00:34:11,653 Thank you . Let me do one more on the 830 00:34:11,653 --> 00:34:13,820 phone here and then we'll close it off 831 00:34:13,820 --> 00:34:15,931 in the room here , Ashley from jane's 832 00:34:16,090 --> 00:34:19,210 hi um it's been about two months um 833 00:34:19,210 --> 00:34:21,099 since the Air Force was named the 834 00:34:21,099 --> 00:34:23,043 acquisition authority for homeland 835 00:34:23,043 --> 00:34:25,154 Cruise missile defense . And I wanted 836 00:34:25,154 --> 00:34:27,154 to sort of get an update of sort of 837 00:34:27,154 --> 00:34:29,321 where things stand with getting , it's 838 00:34:29,321 --> 00:34:31,543 not just gonna be the Air Force but the 839 00:34:31,543 --> 00:34:33,432 other services coming together um 840 00:34:33,432 --> 00:34:35,543 possibly M . D . A . And then looking 841 00:34:35,543 --> 00:34:37,710 at the budget just to see sort of what 842 00:34:37,710 --> 00:34:39,543 the OsD approach is . Um and the 843 00:34:39,543 --> 00:34:42,110 timeline for moving forward on such an 844 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,890 architecture . Thanks for the question , 845 00:34:44,890 --> 00:34:46,946 Ashley as you highlight with the Air 846 00:34:46,946 --> 00:34:49,279 Force being the executive agent on that , 847 00:34:49,279 --> 00:34:51,223 I would refer you to them and they 848 00:34:51,223 --> 00:34:53,390 should be able to provide you with the 849 00:34:53,390 --> 00:34:55,612 latest on that . Thank you . Okay . You 850 00:34:55,612 --> 00:34:55,310 can do one more in the room here and 851 00:34:55,310 --> 00:34:58,200 then because in tight sir 852 00:34:58,220 --> 00:35:01,330 on Russia , you know , we have seen for 853 00:35:01,340 --> 00:35:03,840 over months Russians have faltered a 854 00:35:03,850 --> 00:35:05,906 lot on the battlefield . They lost a 855 00:35:05,906 --> 00:35:08,017 lot . They give a lot of casualties . 856 00:35:08,017 --> 00:35:10,590 But we haven't seen Russians show using 857 00:35:10,590 --> 00:35:12,534 their advanced arms that they have 858 00:35:12,534 --> 00:35:14,950 showcased for a long time , like as 400 859 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:18,790 S . U . 35 all other advanced missiles . 860 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,800 What is the assessment ? What's the 861 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,440 insight at the pentagon ? Why Russians 862 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,050 are not using those ? Yeah , I really 863 00:35:26,060 --> 00:35:28,240 custom I I really can't answer that . 864 00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:30,073 That's really a question for the 865 00:35:30,073 --> 00:35:33,600 Russian military to address . Um , yeah , 866 00:35:33,610 --> 00:35:37,260 I really can't answer that . So . Okay . 867 00:35:37,270 --> 00:35:39,381 Thanks very much everybody appreciate 868 00:35:39,381 --> 00:35:38,810 it .