WEBVTT 00:06.690 --> 00:08.746 well . Good morning everyone . Thank 00:08.746 --> 00:10.690 you for being here today . It's my 00:10.690 --> 00:12.634 pleasure to introduce Secretary of 00:12.634 --> 00:14.690 Defense Lloyd Austin the third . The 00:14.690 --> 00:16.690 secretary will deliver some opening 00:16.690 --> 00:18.746 remarks regarding today's release of 00:18.746 --> 00:18.640 the National Defense strategy and then 00:18.640 --> 00:20.973 we'll have time to take a few questions . 00:20.973 --> 00:23.140 I'll be moderating those questions and 00:23.140 --> 00:25.362 we'll call on the journalists . I would 00:25.362 --> 00:25.110 ask that we please limit follow ups due 00:25.110 --> 00:27.332 to time constraints and appreciate your 00:27.332 --> 00:29.499 assistance with this Mr Secretary over 00:29.499 --> 00:31.570 to you sir . Thanks Patrick . Good 00:31.570 --> 00:34.550 morning everyone . At the outset , let 00:34.550 --> 00:36.717 me offer my deepest condolences to the 00:36.717 --> 00:39.930 carter family for the loss of Ash 00:39.930 --> 00:42.470 carter . As you know , he was a great 00:42.470 --> 00:46.090 patriot who contributed uh , 00:46.740 --> 00:49.620 in significant ways to this department 00:49.630 --> 00:51.352 and he will be sorely missed . 00:53.440 --> 00:55.496 As you all know . Back in March , we 00:55.496 --> 00:58.340 delivered our classified national 00:58.340 --> 01:01.330 defense strategy to Congress and since 01:01.330 --> 01:03.620 then , the NDS has been the 01:03.620 --> 01:06.670 department's North Star as we tackle 01:06.670 --> 01:08.820 this century's biggest security 01:08.820 --> 01:11.530 challenges . So I'm pleased to announce 01:11.530 --> 01:13.530 that the department is now publicly 01:13.530 --> 01:16.310 releasing our unclassified national 01:16.310 --> 01:19.480 defense strategy in this strategy nests 01:19.480 --> 01:22.080 beneath President biden's National 01:22.080 --> 01:24.980 Security strategy , which was released 01:24.990 --> 01:27.520 earlier this month . I'd like to talk 01:27.520 --> 01:29.950 for a few minutes about how the NDS has 01:29.950 --> 01:32.570 shaped our work over the past seven 01:32.570 --> 01:36.140 months and how we continue to implement 01:36.140 --> 01:39.720 it going forward . The key theme of the 01:39.720 --> 01:42.990 NDS is the need to sustain and 01:42.990 --> 01:45.800 strengthen us deterrence with the 01:45.800 --> 01:48.600 People's Republic of china as our 01:48.600 --> 01:51.830 pacing challenge as the President's 01:51.830 --> 01:54.830 National Security strategy notes the P . 01:54.830 --> 01:57.540 R . C . Is the only competitor out 01:57.540 --> 02:01.080 there with both the intent to reshape 02:01.080 --> 02:03.230 the international order and 02:03.230 --> 02:07.200 increasingly the power to do so now my 02:07.200 --> 02:09.311 team and I have been laser focused on 02:09.311 --> 02:12.000 this issue since day one , including 02:12.000 --> 02:14.180 the china task force that I stood up , 02:14.190 --> 02:16.370 which produced a range of 02:16.370 --> 02:19.080 recommendations to focus the entire 02:19.080 --> 02:22.110 department on the china challenge . At 02:22.110 --> 02:24.850 the same time , the NDS bluntly 02:24.860 --> 02:28.350 describes Russia as an acute threat 02:29.260 --> 02:31.482 and we chose the word acute carefully . 02:32.370 --> 02:33.926 Unlike china , Russia can't 02:33.926 --> 02:35.814 systemically challenge the United 02:35.814 --> 02:38.250 States over the long term . But Russian 02:38.250 --> 02:41.570 aggression does pose an immediate and 02:41.570 --> 02:44.390 sharp threat to our interests and 02:44.390 --> 02:47.940 values and Putin's reckless , reckless 02:47.940 --> 02:50.500 war of choice against Ukraine . The 02:50.500 --> 02:53.150 worst threat to european security since 02:53.150 --> 02:56.090 the end of World War Two has made that 02:56.100 --> 02:58.140 very clear for the whole world . 02:59.530 --> 03:02.690 Now , the NDS is also clear eyed about 03:02.700 --> 03:05.810 other serious threats and that includes 03:05.820 --> 03:08.210 North Korea's expanding nuclear and 03:08.210 --> 03:11.770 missile capabilities . And meanwhile 03:11.780 --> 03:14.380 Iran is moving ahead on its nuclear 03:14.380 --> 03:17.410 program , supporting dangerous armed 03:17.410 --> 03:20.560 proxies and even exporting drones that 03:20.560 --> 03:24.370 Russia is using to terrorize Ukrainian 03:24.370 --> 03:27.960 civilians and we remain vigilant 03:27.960 --> 03:30.127 against the ongoing threat from global 03:30.127 --> 03:32.120 terrorist networks as well as from 03:32.120 --> 03:34.880 climate change pandemics and other 03:34.880 --> 03:37.950 dangers that don't respect borders . 03:39.250 --> 03:43.180 So the NDS charges us too defend the U . 03:43.180 --> 03:46.800 S . Homeland to deter strategic attacks 03:46.800 --> 03:48.689 against the United States and our 03:48.689 --> 03:50.920 allies and partners to prepare to 03:50.920 --> 03:54.590 prevail in conflict when necessary and 03:54.590 --> 03:57.480 to build a resilient joint force and 03:57.480 --> 04:00.950 defense ecosystem . So we've moved 04:00.950 --> 04:04.060 out under the nds in three main ways 04:05.450 --> 04:07.390 forging integrated deterrence 04:08.370 --> 04:12.030 campaigning in building enduring 04:12.030 --> 04:16.010 advantages . These three avenues 04:16.020 --> 04:19.170 inform all of our operations activities 04:19.170 --> 04:22.170 and investments . We're strengthening a 04:22.170 --> 04:24.500 21st century combat credible US 04:24.500 --> 04:27.440 military that will deter aggression 04:27.450 --> 04:29.450 that threatens the interests of the 04:29.450 --> 04:31.690 United States or our allies and 04:31.690 --> 04:35.230 partners . That means a military ready 04:35.230 --> 04:37.452 to tackle the full range of threats out 04:37.452 --> 04:40.390 there , harnessing the american spirit 04:40.390 --> 04:43.350 of innovation to meet the complexities 04:43.360 --> 04:46.240 of today's world and first 04:47.590 --> 04:49.490 were seamlessly integrating our 04:49.490 --> 04:51.434 deterrence efforts to make a basic 04:51.434 --> 04:55.320 truth crystal clear to any 04:55.320 --> 04:57.487 potential foe . And that truth is that 04:57.487 --> 05:00.800 the cost the cost of aggression against 05:00.800 --> 05:02.744 the United States , our allies and 05:02.744 --> 05:06.250 partners far outweigh any conceivable 05:06.250 --> 05:08.840 gains . So we're aligning the 05:08.840 --> 05:11.280 department's operations activities and 05:11.280 --> 05:14.460 investments across all theaters 05:14.470 --> 05:17.020 across the full spectrum of conflict 05:17.580 --> 05:19.750 and across all domains , especially in 05:19.750 --> 05:23.460 space and cyberspace in space . 05:23.470 --> 05:25.770 We're working to field resilient 05:25.770 --> 05:28.390 satellite constellations , to dissuade 05:28.400 --> 05:31.480 any adversary from testing our will and 05:31.480 --> 05:34.460 to ensure that we will prevail if they 05:34.460 --> 05:37.950 try in the cyber realm . We're boosting 05:37.950 --> 05:39.783 our resilience and enhancing our 05:39.783 --> 05:41.617 capabilities to conduct military 05:41.617 --> 05:44.720 operations and meanwhile our nuclear 05:44.720 --> 05:46.553 capabilities remain the ultimate 05:46.553 --> 05:49.640 backstop for our strategic deterrence 05:50.420 --> 05:52.642 and that's why we're fully committed to 05:52.642 --> 05:54.780 modernizing all three legs of our 05:54.780 --> 05:58.150 nuclear triad . Now , let me note here 05:58.160 --> 06:00.280 that this is the first time in the 06:00.280 --> 06:02.970 department's history that we conducted 06:02.980 --> 06:05.500 all of our major strategic reviews 06:05.510 --> 06:09.050 together . That means the nDS the 06:09.050 --> 06:11.560 nuclear posture review and the missile 06:11.560 --> 06:14.800 defense review . The nuclear posture 06:14.800 --> 06:17.520 review reaffirms that as long as 06:17.520 --> 06:20.420 nuclear weapons exist , the fundamental 06:20.420 --> 06:23.020 role of U . S . Nuclear weapons is to 06:23.020 --> 06:24.964 deter nuclear attack on the United 06:24.964 --> 06:27.890 States , our allies and our partners . 06:28.740 --> 06:30.940 Meanwhile the Missile Defense review 06:30.950 --> 06:33.280 underscores that missile defense 06:33.280 --> 06:36.290 contributes to integrated deterrence by 06:36.290 --> 06:39.120 undermining a potential foes confidence 06:39.130 --> 06:41.660 in its ability to amount a successful 06:41.660 --> 06:44.050 attack . And so by weaving these 06:44.050 --> 06:47.020 documents together , we help ensure 06:47.020 --> 06:49.890 that the entire department is moving 06:49.890 --> 06:52.490 forward together and matching our 06:52.490 --> 06:55.260 resources to our goals . Now the 06:55.260 --> 06:57.620 strength and combat credibility of the 06:57.620 --> 07:00.800 joint force remains central to 07:00.800 --> 07:04.260 integrated turns And that's why our 07:04.260 --> 07:07.890 fiscal year 23 budget request Included 07:07.890 --> 07:10.200 more than $56 billion dollars for air 07:10.200 --> 07:13.310 power platforms and systems And more 07:13.310 --> 07:15.920 than $40 billion dollars to maintain 07:15.920 --> 07:18.980 our dominance at sea And almost $13 07:18.980 --> 07:19.980 billion 07:19.980 --> 07:23.710 $34 07:23.710 --> 07:25.432 billion dollars to sustain and 07:25.432 --> 07:28.590 modernize our nuclear forces . But 07:28.600 --> 07:31.450 integrated deterrence isn't just about 07:31.460 --> 07:34.170 the steps that we take on our own . It 07:34.170 --> 07:36.620 also means working even more closely 07:36.620 --> 07:38.920 with our unparalleled network of allies 07:38.920 --> 07:42.000 and partners to deter aggression in 07:42.000 --> 07:44.570 region after region . In the indo 07:44.570 --> 07:46.750 pacific you see the power of 07:46.750 --> 07:49.810 partnership with the historic Aucas 07:49.820 --> 07:52.610 agreement with our trilateral 07:52.610 --> 07:56.610 cooperation with Japan and Korea and 07:57.260 --> 08:00.190 with our many multinational exercises 08:00.190 --> 08:02.120 to increase readiness and 08:02.120 --> 08:06.020 interoperability in europe . You see it 08:06.020 --> 08:09.670 with a united and resolute NATO and 08:09.680 --> 08:11.847 with the extraordinary coordination of 08:11.847 --> 08:14.013 some 50 members of the Ukraine Defense 08:14.013 --> 08:17.470 contact group that we created to stand 08:17.470 --> 08:20.430 up for Ukraine's self defense and in 08:20.430 --> 08:23.320 the Middle East and Africa and latin 08:23.320 --> 08:26.390 America . You see it in our efforts to 08:26.390 --> 08:29.290 bolster our allies and partners and 08:29.290 --> 08:31.100 improve interoperability and 08:31.110 --> 08:32.890 integration wherever possible . 08:35.010 --> 08:38.030 Second , the N . D . S emphasizes the 08:38.030 --> 08:41.400 day to day work of campaigning and that 08:41.400 --> 08:43.240 means conducting and sequencing 08:43.240 --> 08:45.900 military activities that over time 08:45.900 --> 08:48.020 shift the security environment in our 08:48.020 --> 08:51.840 favor and it means working to limit and 08:51.840 --> 08:54.460 disrupt malign activities by our 08:54.460 --> 08:57.290 competitors . So we're building and 08:57.300 --> 08:59.780 exercising the forces that will need in 08:59.780 --> 09:02.480 a crisis or conflict including 09:02.480 --> 09:05.340 requesting $135 billion dollars in last 09:05.340 --> 09:07.890 year's budget to further invest in our 09:07.890 --> 09:10.780 readiness . We've updated our posture 09:10.780 --> 09:12.780 in the indo pacific to make it more 09:12.780 --> 09:16.040 survivable against aggression . And 09:16.040 --> 09:19.290 with Aucas were putting campaigning 09:19.290 --> 09:22.750 into action by linking our cutting edge 09:22.760 --> 09:25.870 capabilities with robust military 09:25.870 --> 09:29.160 exercises alongside our allies . 09:30.750 --> 09:33.830 And third , we're building enduring 09:33.830 --> 09:35.886 advantages to further strengthen the 09:35.886 --> 09:38.430 foundations of the defense enterprise 09:39.350 --> 09:42.800 and innovation . Is central here . Last 09:42.800 --> 09:45.050 year for instance we established the 09:45.050 --> 09:47.530 rapid defense experimentation reserve 09:48.340 --> 09:50.284 which funds different parts of the 09:50.284 --> 09:52.284 department to work together to fill 09:52.284 --> 09:55.290 critical joint warfighting gaps in our 09:55.290 --> 09:58.070 fiscal year 23 budget request included 09:58.070 --> 10:00.880 more than 100 and $30 billion for 10:00.880 --> 10:03.240 research , development , testing and 10:03.240 --> 10:05.600 evaluation . Now that's the largest R . 10:05.600 --> 10:07.580 And D budget number in D . O . D . 10:07.580 --> 10:10.850 History . We're also working in new 10:10.850 --> 10:13.180 ways with our industry partners 10:13.190 --> 10:15.410 including by strengthening our supply 10:15.410 --> 10:18.380 chains in our defense industrial base . 10:19.080 --> 10:21.080 The department is also tackling the 10:21.080 --> 10:23.080 dangers of climate change including 10:23.080 --> 10:25.540 ensuring that our military can continue 10:25.540 --> 10:28.650 to operate superbly and hotter and 10:28.650 --> 10:32.470 harsher environments and above all 10:32.720 --> 10:34.830 the N . D . S . Demands even deeper 10:34.830 --> 10:38.760 investments in our people . They will 10:38.770 --> 10:40.800 always be this department's most 10:40.800 --> 10:43.810 valuable resource in the bedrock of 10:43.810 --> 10:46.470 american security . And that's why the 10:46.470 --> 10:49.870 president's budget includes a 4.6% pay 10:49.870 --> 10:52.770 raise for service members starting 10:52.770 --> 10:56.290 January 1 , 2023 . And that's why I've 10:56.290 --> 10:58.290 recently directed the department to 10:58.290 --> 11:00.346 ease the strains that can come along 11:00.346 --> 11:02.568 with service . And that includes making 11:02.568 --> 11:05.120 it easier to secure housing and to move 11:05.120 --> 11:07.800 to new duty stations to get superb 11:07.800 --> 11:10.940 childcare and to help military spouses 11:10.950 --> 11:13.600 advance their own exceptional careers . 11:15.330 --> 11:18.410 You know , our outstanding service 11:18.410 --> 11:21.080 members and their families do 11:21.080 --> 11:25.010 everything that we ask of them and more 11:25.800 --> 11:27.930 doing right by them is a national 11:27.930 --> 11:31.350 security imperative . And it's a sacred 11:31.350 --> 11:34.710 trust . So we're looking forward to 11:34.720 --> 11:37.030 working with Congress to secure on time 11:37.030 --> 11:40.070 appropriations to finalize this year's 11:40.070 --> 11:42.420 National Defense authorization act . 11:42.430 --> 11:44.680 And to continue to implement the 11:44.680 --> 11:47.920 strategy and as the president has said , 11:48.130 --> 11:50.880 we will not leave our future vulnerable 11:50.880 --> 11:53.130 to the whims of those who do not share 11:53.140 --> 11:56.330 our vision for a world that is free , 11:56.350 --> 12:00.060 open , prosperous and secure and we're 12:00.060 --> 12:02.110 confident that we've got the right 12:02.110 --> 12:04.240 defense strategy to tackle the 12:04.240 --> 12:06.590 challenges ahead and to defend the 12:06.590 --> 12:09.180 american people and to strengthen our 12:09.180 --> 12:12.270 outstanding all volunteer force and to 12:12.270 --> 12:14.530 safeguard the democratic values that 12:14.530 --> 12:18.090 are the soul of America . Thank you . 12:18.090 --> 12:20.146 And I'll be glad to take a couple of 12:20.146 --> 12:22.312 questions . Thank you . Mr Secretary . 12:22.312 --> 12:24.257 Go ahead and start with Associated 12:24.257 --> 12:27.980 Press Mr Secretary as Russia's 12:28.060 --> 12:30.910 invasion of Ukraine continues and it 12:30.910 --> 12:33.460 sustains continued conventional losses . 12:33.470 --> 12:35.710 Are you becoming more concerned that it 12:35.710 --> 12:38.010 might be likelier to resort to a 12:38.010 --> 12:41.050 tactical nuclear weapon as Putin has 12:41.050 --> 12:44.260 suggested ? And secondly , how can the 12:44.260 --> 12:46.590 U . S . And kind of this new security 12:46.590 --> 12:49.550 construct prevent nuclear conflict from 12:49.550 --> 12:51.980 escalating , prevent Russia from using 12:51.980 --> 12:54.091 a nuclear a tactical nuclear weapon ? 12:54.091 --> 12:57.120 While as your own strategy said also 12:57.150 --> 12:59.550 possibly deter china from its own 12:59.550 --> 13:02.330 nuclear ambitions . So are we concerned 13:02.330 --> 13:05.660 about escalation ? We are certainly 13:05.660 --> 13:07.716 concerned about escalation . We have 13:07.716 --> 13:09.938 been so from the very beginning of this 13:09.938 --> 13:11.938 conflict . And uh and that's why we 13:11.938 --> 13:13.827 believe that it's important to uh 13:13.827 --> 13:16.290 communicate with our with our allies 13:16.290 --> 13:18.260 and partners and also with our 13:18.260 --> 13:21.710 adversaries . And as long as we have uh 13:21.720 --> 13:25.320 the channels of communication open uh 13:25.320 --> 13:28.970 and we and we're able to communicate um 13:29.550 --> 13:31.690 you know what what's important to us 13:31.870 --> 13:34.970 and I think we have an opportunity to 13:34.970 --> 13:37.192 manage escalation . So that concern has 13:37.192 --> 13:39.359 been there from the very beginning and 13:39.359 --> 13:42.240 will remain cited on this going forward 13:42.820 --> 13:44.764 is the introduction of potentially 13:44.764 --> 13:47.430 using a tactical nuke enter a new era 13:47.440 --> 13:51.010 of nuclear deterrence . Well , I mean , 13:51.010 --> 13:54.170 it would be The first time that a 13:54.170 --> 13:56.690 nuclear weapon has been used in over 70 13:56.690 --> 13:59.690 years . So that certainly has the 13:59.690 --> 14:01.690 potential of changing things in the 14:01.690 --> 14:03.900 international community . So this is 14:03.900 --> 14:05.789 the thing that I think if if this 14:05.789 --> 14:08.530 happened , uh we have been very clear 14:08.530 --> 14:10.697 from the very beginning that you would 14:10.697 --> 14:13.860 see a very significant response from 14:13.860 --> 14:16.010 the international community . So this 14:16.010 --> 14:18.066 is important to the , to the world . 14:18.066 --> 14:21.230 And uh and again , we remain focused on 14:21.230 --> 14:23.008 making sure that we're gonna do 14:23.008 --> 14:25.174 everything that we can help Ukraine uh 14:25.174 --> 14:28.470 to uh to defend its uh its sovereign 14:28.470 --> 14:30.360 territory . Uh and we're going to 14:30.360 --> 14:32.810 continue to communicate that uh any 14:32.810 --> 14:36.170 type of use of a weapon of that sort or 14:36.170 --> 14:39.160 even the talk of the use of a weapon of 14:39.160 --> 14:41.170 that sort is dangerous and 14:41.170 --> 14:44.020 irresponsible . So , let's go ahead and 14:44.020 --> 14:47.860 go to uh Griffin , Secretary 14:47.860 --> 14:51.010 Austin Vladimir Putin again said today 14:51.010 --> 14:53.550 that Ukraine is planning to use a bomb 14:53.560 --> 14:56.130 is Putin bluffing . And how does 14:56.130 --> 14:58.352 scrapping one of the few tactical nukes 14:58.352 --> 15:00.352 that was in development here in the 15:00.352 --> 15:03.010 pentagon deter Putin right now ? 15:04.300 --> 15:08.010 Um , we have not seen 15:08.010 --> 15:10.040 anything to indicate that Putin has 15:10.040 --> 15:13.580 made a decision to use a bomb , nor 15:13.590 --> 15:17.580 have we seen any indications that uh 15:17.590 --> 15:20.610 that the Ukrainians are planning such a 15:20.610 --> 15:22.721 thing . Ukrainians have in fact their 15:22.721 --> 15:24.777 leadership have indicated to us that 15:24.777 --> 15:28.050 that's not in their plans . So , um , 15:29.150 --> 15:32.540 you know , again , again , um , we've 15:32.540 --> 15:34.484 seen no indications of that . It's 15:34.484 --> 15:36.373 important to make sure that we're 15:36.373 --> 15:38.850 talking to uh , adversaries and allies 15:38.850 --> 15:41.480 alike and making sure that that were 15:41.480 --> 15:45.160 were tamping down um , dangerous talk 15:45.170 --> 15:47.110 and uh , and making sure that we 15:47.110 --> 15:49.840 maintain lines of communication , open 15:49.850 --> 15:53.600 the scrapping the tactical nukes C C 15:53.600 --> 15:56.760 based launch missile . Why do that now ? 15:56.770 --> 15:59.100 Isn't that sending a dangerous message 15:59.110 --> 16:01.221 when you're trying to deter Putin and 16:01.221 --> 16:04.670 china , jen ? We as you know , we have 16:04.680 --> 16:07.640 our inventory of nuclear weapons is 16:07.650 --> 16:11.520 significant . And so , uh , we 16:11.520 --> 16:13.930 determined as we looked at our 16:13.930 --> 16:16.780 inventory that uh , that , you know , 16:16.780 --> 16:19.080 we did not need that capability . We 16:19.080 --> 16:21.302 have a lot of capability in our nuclear 16:21.302 --> 16:23.247 inventory . And I don't think this 16:23.247 --> 16:25.080 sends any message to Putin , he 16:25.080 --> 16:27.136 understands what our capability is . 16:27.136 --> 16:30.590 And uh , and so , you know , we will 16:30.590 --> 16:32.930 continue to move forward . Let's go 16:32.930 --> 16:35.550 ahead and go to Mr Secretary You said 16:35.550 --> 16:37.161 repeatedly and others in the 16:37.161 --> 16:39.439 administration have , and also in NATO , 16:39.439 --> 16:41.494 that it's up to Ukraine to determine 16:41.494 --> 16:43.717 how the war ends . It's their country . 16:43.717 --> 16:45.661 Now , President Zelensky and other 16:45.661 --> 16:47.828 Ukrainian officials have said they aim 16:47.828 --> 16:50.050 to push all the Russians out of Ukraine 16:50.050 --> 16:52.106 not only in the East and the South , 16:52.106 --> 16:54.161 but Crimea as well . Now you talk to 16:54.161 --> 16:56.383 Ukrainian officials repeatedly , you're 16:56.383 --> 16:58.217 an expert on ground warfare as a 16:58.217 --> 17:00.450 retired Four Star , is it realistic to 17:00.450 --> 17:03.460 think that Ukraine can push all Russian 17:03.460 --> 17:05.516 soldiers out of the entire country , 17:05.516 --> 17:09.340 including Crimea ? Well , tom that's uh 17:09.350 --> 17:11.350 when you when you think about where 17:11.350 --> 17:14.400 Ukraine is today , um there are not 17:14.400 --> 17:16.456 many people in the world who thought 17:16.456 --> 17:18.289 that they would be in this place 17:18.289 --> 17:20.400 because they , you know , if you look 17:20.400 --> 17:23.240 at the capability that Russia has uh 17:23.250 --> 17:25.180 you know , a raid against what 17:25.190 --> 17:27.357 initially what the Ukrainians had , uh 17:27.357 --> 17:29.579 most people thought it was not possible 17:29.579 --> 17:32.750 to be where we are today . So in terms 17:32.750 --> 17:34.861 of speculating on what the Ukrainians 17:34.861 --> 17:38.290 are , are capable of , I think , you 17:38.290 --> 17:40.346 know , I wouldn't I wouldn't want to 17:40.346 --> 17:42.457 speculate on that . I think they have 17:42.457 --> 17:44.623 exceeded most people's expectations uh 17:44.623 --> 17:46.846 and they've done that because we in the 17:46.846 --> 17:48.846 international community have really 17:48.846 --> 17:51.930 worked hard and been very moved very 17:51.930 --> 17:54.080 quickly to provide them with the 17:54.080 --> 17:56.930 capability that they need to defend 17:56.930 --> 17:58.986 their sovereign territory . And they 17:58.986 --> 18:01.097 have employed it very very well uh in 18:01.097 --> 18:03.440 terms of their objectives , tom i uh 18:03.450 --> 18:06.600 again , uh Ukrainians must outline 18:06.600 --> 18:08.822 their objectives . We won't do that for 18:08.822 --> 18:11.040 them . Uh And uh and again they are 18:11.040 --> 18:14.140 fighting for the defense uh fighting to 18:14.140 --> 18:16.196 defend their sovereign territory and 18:16.196 --> 18:18.418 we're going to continue to support them 18:18.418 --> 18:20.473 for as long as it takes . Again , we 18:20.473 --> 18:22.584 keep asking you this , the long range 18:22.584 --> 18:24.640 missile systems . The attack comes , 18:24.640 --> 18:26.807 they still want those you're unwilling 18:26.807 --> 18:29.029 to give them those will that change now 18:29.029 --> 18:28.790 that Russia is basically taking out 18:28.790 --> 18:32.180 their grid system . Tom it's 18:32.190 --> 18:35.800 uh the Ukrainians can service just 18:35.800 --> 18:37.856 about every target that they want to 18:37.856 --> 18:40.530 service using the the the Gamblers 18:40.540 --> 18:42.707 missiles that they've been employing . 18:42.707 --> 18:44.818 Uh and so they have what they need to 18:44.818 --> 18:46.929 be successful , they're putting it to 18:46.929 --> 18:49.380 good use uh and uh and so we're going 18:49.380 --> 18:51.602 to continue to do those things that are 18:51.602 --> 18:53.658 that are working for us on uh on the 18:53.658 --> 18:55.324 battlefield , working for the 18:55.324 --> 18:57.658 Ukrainians on the battlefield right now , 18:57.658 --> 18:59.824 what they need more than anything else 18:59.824 --> 18:59.350 tom as you know , is air defense 18:59.350 --> 19:02.560 capability . And so as we had our last 19:02.570 --> 19:04.792 Ukraine defense contact group meeting , 19:04.792 --> 19:07.170 we really emphasize this and uh some of 19:07.170 --> 19:09.230 the countries have stepped up right 19:09.230 --> 19:11.940 away and provided capability . We have 19:11.940 --> 19:13.940 been pressing hard to get them in a 19:13.940 --> 19:15.970 SAM's capability . Uh and we expect 19:15.970 --> 19:18.940 that in the next uh early next month 19:18.940 --> 19:21.162 we'll be able to get the capability and 19:21.162 --> 19:23.700 train and train troops married up there 19:23.710 --> 19:26.470 in Ukraine , no announcements to make 19:26.470 --> 19:28.810 here today but but we're pressing hard 19:28.810 --> 19:30.754 to get that capability in . We saw 19:30.754 --> 19:33.560 spain step forward and and provide hawk 19:33.570 --> 19:36.660 uh anti aircraft capability 19:36.670 --> 19:40.640 uh Air defense capability . Excuse me . 19:40.650 --> 19:42.780 And uh and that was commendable . We 19:42.780 --> 19:44.947 got now have to get the troops trained 19:44.947 --> 19:47.169 on on the hawk system and we're working 19:47.169 --> 19:49.169 on that and we continue to press to 19:49.169 --> 19:52.250 make sure that uh um where possible 19:52.260 --> 19:54.482 countries provide as much capability in 19:54.482 --> 19:57.150 terms of air defense as quickly as they 19:57.150 --> 20:00.050 can to support Ukraine . Okay , give it 20:00.050 --> 20:03.270 to Megan military times . What changes 20:03.270 --> 20:05.381 does this N . D . S call for in terms 20:05.381 --> 20:08.190 of force structure . Either manpower 20:08.190 --> 20:10.390 levels overall or or where they're 20:10.390 --> 20:12.279 postured around the world , where 20:12.279 --> 20:14.223 troops need to be around the world 20:14.223 --> 20:17.490 whether that's increasing or or 20:17.490 --> 20:19.434 stabilizing this 100,000 number in 20:19.434 --> 20:21.657 europe , something like that . And what 20:21.657 --> 20:23.823 are your concerns about the recruiting 20:23.823 --> 20:25.768 environment and being able to meet 20:25.768 --> 20:27.546 those needs going forward ? I'm 20:27.546 --> 20:27.430 confident that we'll have the force 20:27.430 --> 20:30.590 Megan to to execute our strategy . 20:30.730 --> 20:33.580 And in terms of our force posture , we 20:33.580 --> 20:35.580 went through a force posture review 20:35.580 --> 20:37.691 very early on . There are incremental 20:37.691 --> 20:39.858 adjustments , adjustments from time to 20:39.858 --> 20:41.858 time to that force posture lay down 20:41.858 --> 20:45.350 that we provided . Uh and again um we 20:45.350 --> 20:47.700 have the ability to rapidly deploy 20:47.700 --> 20:50.820 capability to uh to europe . Uh And you 20:50.820 --> 20:53.410 saw that exercise uh at the very 20:53.410 --> 20:55.243 beginning of this conflict as we 20:55.243 --> 20:57.680 deployed forces from heavy forces armed 20:57.680 --> 21:00.980 forces from the United States uh to uh 21:00.990 --> 21:03.890 to europe very very quickly we could do 21:03.890 --> 21:06.001 that because of the things that we've 21:06.001 --> 21:07.770 done with the european defense 21:07.770 --> 21:10.460 initiative uh and we we 21:10.630 --> 21:14.330 established preposition equipment sites 21:14.340 --> 21:16.229 that troops could fall in on very 21:16.229 --> 21:18.451 quickly . And so those things that have 21:18.451 --> 21:20.562 worked out very very well for us . Uh 21:20.562 --> 21:22.618 We're confident that we'll have that 21:22.618 --> 21:24.673 that we have the force to be able to 21:24.673 --> 21:27.090 execute our strategy and in terms of 21:27.100 --> 21:30.890 recruiting we continue to focus on this 21:30.890 --> 21:32.890 issue . This is a priority for me . 21:32.890 --> 21:34.890 It's also a priority for all of our 21:34.890 --> 21:37.112 service leaders . And so we continue to 21:37.112 --> 21:39.880 invest in those things that uh and that 21:39.880 --> 21:43.270 will allow us to recruit the best um 21:43.280 --> 21:46.440 talent that's out there uh to uh to man 21:46.440 --> 21:49.310 this incredible force . So , time for 21:49.310 --> 21:51.590 about one more . Go to eric Schmidt new 21:51.590 --> 21:55.260 York Times said Vladimir Putin used a 21:55.260 --> 21:57.204 tactical weapon , nuclear weapon . 21:57.204 --> 21:59.093 There would be a very significant 21:59.093 --> 22:00.871 response from the international 22:00.871 --> 22:03.149 community in your professional opinion . 22:03.149 --> 22:05.371 Would a military response by the United 22:05.371 --> 22:07.371 States be a prudent action or would 22:07.371 --> 22:09.371 that only continue to climb up this 22:09.371 --> 22:11.427 letter of escalation ? Well , eric I 22:11.427 --> 22:13.970 won't get into any potential responses 22:13.970 --> 22:15.859 here . I'm the guy that makes the 22:15.859 --> 22:18.081 recommendation to my boss on on what we 22:18.081 --> 22:20.192 should do and uh and how we should do 22:20.192 --> 22:23.470 it . And so I'll make sure that that he 22:23.470 --> 22:27.380 has um credible 22:27.390 --> 22:30.090 um responses that are that are actually 22:30.090 --> 22:32.257 effective and in terms of what we want 22:32.257 --> 22:34.960 to do and uh as we always have uh and 22:34.960 --> 22:37.970 so I'll just leave it at that , Ladies 22:37.970 --> 22:40.137 and gentlemen , that's all the time we 22:40.137 --> 22:42.370 have available for us today . Secretary 22:42.370 --> 22:44.426 Austin , thank you very much , sir , 22:44.426 --> 22:46.314 Thank you on the Russia strategic 22:46.650 --> 22:48.706 exercise . Is there any concern that 22:48.706 --> 22:50.872 that could be a cover for a strike , a 22:50.872 --> 22:53.094 nuclear strike inside Ukraine . Are you 22:53.094 --> 22:55.261 confident that that's not what this is 22:55.261 --> 22:58.150 something we continue to watch . And we 22:58.150 --> 23:00.206 haven't seen anything to cause us to 23:00.206 --> 23:02.372 believe at this point , that that that 23:02.372 --> 23:03.690 is some kind of cover activity .