1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,000 Good afternoon , everyone , just a few 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,167 things for you and then I'll get right 3 00:00:05,167 --> 00:00:07,250 to your questions . So first , 4 00:00:07,260 --> 00:00:09,810 Secretary Austin began his day today 5 00:00:09,810 --> 00:00:12,410 with two phone calls this morning uh 6 00:00:12,420 --> 00:00:14,476 with his counterparts from Qatar and 7 00:00:14,476 --> 00:00:16,620 Sweden . He spoke first with Qatar's 8 00:00:16,630 --> 00:00:19,140 Minister of State of Defense Affairs . 9 00:00:19,140 --> 00:00:21,440 His Excellency Dr Khalid Mohammad al 10 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,900 Attiyah . The two discussed our shared 11 00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:25,710 commitment to our close defense 12 00:00:25,710 --> 00:00:27,821 partnership and to ensuring stability 13 00:00:27,821 --> 00:00:30,043 across the Middle East region . Shortly 14 00:00:30,043 --> 00:00:32,043 afterwards , Secretary Austin spoke 15 00:00:32,043 --> 00:00:34,210 with Sweden's Minister of Defense paul 16 00:00:34,210 --> 00:00:36,321 johnson . The secretary looks forward 17 00:00:36,321 --> 00:00:38,432 to continuing our shared efforts with 18 00:00:38,432 --> 00:00:40,654 Sweden to providing security assistance 19 00:00:40,654 --> 00:00:42,710 to Ukraine and working together next 20 00:00:42,710 --> 00:00:44,877 week in Germany at the Ukraine Defense 21 00:00:44,877 --> 00:00:46,988 Contact Group . Readouts of these two 22 00:00:46,988 --> 00:00:49,099 engagements will be posted to Defense 23 00:00:49,099 --> 00:00:51,880 dot gov separately , Secretary Austin 24 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:53,750 also attended a memorial service 25 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:55,538 earlier today at the Washington 26 00:00:55,538 --> 00:00:58,160 National Cathedral for former Secretary 27 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,920 of Defense dr Ash carter . Secretary 28 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,160 Austin again offers his condolences and 29 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,530 prayers to the family of Dr carter , a 30 00:01:05,530 --> 00:01:07,697 leader whose commitment and service to 31 00:01:07,697 --> 00:01:09,863 the D . O . D . And to our nation will 32 00:01:09,863 --> 00:01:12,197 long be remembered later this afternoon . 33 00:01:12,197 --> 00:01:14,141 Secretary Austin will host Japan's 34 00:01:14,141 --> 00:01:16,030 Minister of Defense Hamada to the 35 00:01:16,030 --> 00:01:17,860 pentagon for an honor Koran and 36 00:01:17,860 --> 00:01:20,350 bilateral meeting . The secretary looks 37 00:01:20,350 --> 00:01:22,461 forward to welcoming the minister and 38 00:01:22,461 --> 00:01:24,128 to continuing their important 39 00:01:24,128 --> 00:01:26,183 discussion following yesterday's two 40 00:01:26,183 --> 00:01:28,294 plus two consultative talks . We will 41 00:01:28,294 --> 00:01:30,461 also post a readout of today's meeting 42 00:01:30,461 --> 00:01:32,517 on the D . O . D . Website once it's 43 00:01:32,517 --> 00:01:34,683 available and then finally today , the 44 00:01:34,683 --> 00:01:36,628 Office of the Director of National 45 00:01:36,628 --> 00:01:38,183 Intelligence released their 46 00:01:38,183 --> 00:01:40,128 unclassified version of the annual 47 00:01:40,128 --> 00:01:42,350 unidentified aerial phenomena or you Ap 48 00:01:42,350 --> 00:01:44,572 report required by the National Defense 49 00:01:44,572 --> 00:01:46,683 authorization Act for the fiscal year 50 00:01:46,683 --> 00:01:49,460 2022 . The report is available on the O . 51 00:01:49,460 --> 00:01:51,682 D . N . I website but you can also find 52 00:01:51,682 --> 00:01:53,904 the link on our D O . D . Press release 53 00:01:53,904 --> 00:01:56,071 which we put out a short while ago and 54 00:01:56,071 --> 00:01:58,400 which is also posted on defense dot go . 55 00:01:58,410 --> 00:02:00,243 And with that , I will take your 56 00:02:00,243 --> 00:02:02,577 questions . We'll start with a P . Tara . 57 00:02:02,577 --> 00:02:05,810 Um Two on Ukraine . Can you give us a 58 00:02:05,810 --> 00:02:08,740 status update on what department is 59 00:02:08,740 --> 00:02:11,430 seeing in Solid ? Are you know , is 60 00:02:11,430 --> 00:02:13,652 there a chance that Russian forces will 61 00:02:13,652 --> 00:02:15,820 take it ? Um And secondly , uh the 62 00:02:15,820 --> 00:02:18,440 reports today that Russian general 63 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,551 visited Belarus and visited troops in 64 00:02:20,551 --> 00:02:23,170 Belarus . Um what are the pentagon's 65 00:02:23,170 --> 00:02:25,114 insights into this ? What are your 66 00:02:25,114 --> 00:02:27,226 concerns that there might be a spring 67 00:02:27,226 --> 00:02:29,392 offensive that Belarus is supporting ? 68 00:02:29,770 --> 00:02:32,680 Um And in terms of Solid are we do 69 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,700 continue to see intense and heavy 70 00:02:34,700 --> 00:02:37,930 fighting around so lidar and bach mood , 71 00:02:37,930 --> 00:02:41,460 which of course is uh relatively close . 72 00:02:41,470 --> 00:02:44,510 We cannot corroborate any reports . 73 00:02:44,510 --> 00:02:46,750 That cylinder has been taken by Russian 74 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:48,482 forces . We did see some press 75 00:02:48,482 --> 00:02:51,730 reporting on that uh in particular uh 76 00:02:51,740 --> 00:02:54,040 those forces led by the Wagner group . 77 00:02:54,230 --> 00:02:57,300 Um but we do know that the Ukrainians 78 00:02:57,300 --> 00:03:00,850 continue to operate in the vicinity of 79 00:03:00,850 --> 00:03:03,020 Solid are and continue to fight back . 80 00:03:03,020 --> 00:03:04,810 So in the meantime , our focus 81 00:03:04,810 --> 00:03:06,921 obviously remains on continuing to to 82 00:03:06,921 --> 00:03:09,143 work with Ukraine and the international 83 00:03:09,143 --> 00:03:11,254 community to get Ukraine the security 84 00:03:11,254 --> 00:03:13,310 assistance that it needs in terms of 85 00:03:13,310 --> 00:03:15,780 Belarus . Um , you know , it is an area 86 00:03:15,780 --> 00:03:18,113 that we continue to keep a close eye on . 87 00:03:18,113 --> 00:03:20,113 We do know that Russian forces have 88 00:03:20,113 --> 00:03:23,630 conducted exercises with Belarus forces , 89 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:26,280 but at this time no indication of any 90 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,240 type of offensive action uh , that 91 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:31,184 looks imminent . But again , we'll 92 00:03:31,184 --> 00:03:32,990 continue to closely monitor any 93 00:03:32,990 --> 00:03:35,060 additional movements of troops or 94 00:03:35,070 --> 00:03:37,650 equipment that might raised concern . 95 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,940 Nothing at this stage that I would 96 00:03:40,950 --> 00:03:44,450 consider concerning . Thank you on 97 00:03:44,450 --> 00:03:46,617 Ukraine . Can you give us a sense when 98 00:03:46,617 --> 00:03:48,672 those Bradley fighting vehicles will 99 00:03:48,672 --> 00:03:50,839 arrive in Ukraine ? And also there's a 100 00:03:50,839 --> 00:03:52,839 lot of talk among the brits and the 101 00:03:52,839 --> 00:03:54,783 Germans in the polls about sending 102 00:03:54,783 --> 00:03:57,720 tanks to Ukraine . Can you talk about 103 00:03:57,730 --> 00:04:00,010 the Pentagon's discussions with the 104 00:04:00,010 --> 00:04:02,820 allies on that point ? Sure . In terms 105 00:04:02,820 --> 00:04:04,764 of the Bradley fighting vehicles , 106 00:04:04,764 --> 00:04:06,820 while I'm I'm not going to provide a 107 00:04:06,820 --> 00:04:09,120 specific date , as as we've mentioned 108 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,410 before , those vehicles will um go to 109 00:04:12,410 --> 00:04:14,890 Germany first so that the Ukrainians 110 00:04:14,890 --> 00:04:16,723 can train on them as part of the 111 00:04:16,723 --> 00:04:18,723 combined arms uh and joint maneuver 112 00:04:18,723 --> 00:04:22,300 training that we're conducting , we're 113 00:04:22,300 --> 00:04:24,860 looking at weeks , not months . I'll 114 00:04:24,860 --> 00:04:26,971 just leave it at that . Um , and then 115 00:04:26,971 --> 00:04:29,193 I'm sorry , your second question on the 116 00:04:29,193 --> 00:04:32,290 tank . So broadly speaking again , 117 00:04:32,300 --> 00:04:34,610 whether it's tanks , whether it's air 118 00:04:34,610 --> 00:04:37,570 defense , whether it's artillery . Uh , 119 00:04:37,580 --> 00:04:39,802 these are all areas that we continue to 120 00:04:39,802 --> 00:04:41,969 discuss closely with our international 121 00:04:41,969 --> 00:04:44,191 allies and partners as you know , we've 122 00:04:44,191 --> 00:04:46,302 got the Ukraine defense contact group 123 00:04:46,302 --> 00:04:48,358 coming up next week . And so I fully 124 00:04:48,358 --> 00:04:48,310 expect that this will be an area for 125 00:04:48,310 --> 00:04:50,970 further discussion and the Germans have 126 00:04:50,970 --> 00:04:53,710 already talked about the tanks . Can 127 00:04:53,710 --> 00:04:56,190 you give us a sense of the pentagon's 128 00:04:56,190 --> 00:04:58,357 position of this ? Are they supportive 129 00:04:58,357 --> 00:05:00,590 of this ? Is something separate that 130 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,656 those countries will do . You know , 131 00:05:02,656 --> 00:05:04,878 we're absolutely supportive of any type 132 00:05:04,878 --> 00:05:06,711 of defense capabilities that our 133 00:05:06,711 --> 00:05:09,010 international allies and partners can 134 00:05:09,010 --> 00:05:11,180 provide to Ukraine to include tanks . 135 00:05:11,190 --> 00:05:14,970 Again , part of the factor the equation 136 00:05:14,970 --> 00:05:17,390 that goes into that is the ability to 137 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,210 train on this equipment , sustain it uh 138 00:05:20,210 --> 00:05:22,432 and maintain it . And so that will be a 139 00:05:22,432 --> 00:05:24,543 part of any discussion , whether it's 140 00:05:24,543 --> 00:05:26,766 the United States or our our partners , 141 00:05:26,766 --> 00:05:28,932 but certainly we are supportive of any 142 00:05:28,932 --> 00:05:31,043 type of capability that will give the 143 00:05:31,043 --> 00:05:32,766 Ukrainians an advantage on the 144 00:05:32,766 --> 00:05:34,654 battlefield . Abrams part of that 145 00:05:34,654 --> 00:05:36,599 discussion uh again for the United 146 00:05:36,599 --> 00:05:38,710 States , I don't have anything new to 147 00:05:38,710 --> 00:05:40,821 announce . We're going to continue to 148 00:05:40,821 --> 00:05:40,750 have the discussions in terms of what 149 00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:43,160 we can do to best assist Ukraine janie . 150 00:05:43,290 --> 00:05:46,530 Thank you . I have locations . 151 00:05:46,540 --> 00:05:49,650 Excuse me , South korean President 152 00:05:50,110 --> 00:05:53,660 said they clear that south Korea could 153 00:05:53,670 --> 00:05:56,780 build , it's all nuclear 154 00:05:56,790 --> 00:05:59,110 armament . What is the U . S . 155 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,390 Tradition ? Thanks jenny . I've seen 156 00:06:02,390 --> 00:06:04,612 the press reports on that . It's really 157 00:06:04,612 --> 00:06:06,820 something for the Republic of Korea to 158 00:06:06,820 --> 00:06:08,987 address . I would tell you that from a 159 00:06:08,987 --> 00:06:11,000 U . S . Standpoint , our policy 160 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,170 continues to remain focused on the 161 00:06:13,180 --> 00:06:16,090 complete denuclearization of the korean 162 00:06:16,090 --> 00:06:18,760 peninsula and I'm working as always 163 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:22,030 with r rok japanese and allies in the 164 00:06:22,030 --> 00:06:24,650 region to preserve security and 165 00:06:24,650 --> 00:06:26,960 stability and importantly to deter 166 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,016 aggression from countries like North 167 00:06:29,016 --> 00:06:31,310 Korea , as we've said before , and as 168 00:06:31,310 --> 00:06:33,590 you know , we have nearly 30,000 U . S . 169 00:06:33,590 --> 00:06:37,050 Forces stationed in South Korea alone 170 00:06:37,050 --> 00:06:38,994 that are focused on supporting and 171 00:06:38,994 --> 00:06:41,990 defending our rok allies . So our 172 00:06:41,990 --> 00:06:43,990 commitment towards this and remains 173 00:06:43,990 --> 00:06:47,290 ironclad . But north Korea and china 174 00:06:47,300 --> 00:06:50,440 Russia have nuclear weapons and then 175 00:06:50,450 --> 00:06:53,970 South Korea and Japan do not . There is 176 00:06:53,970 --> 00:06:57,660 a lot of public opinion that nuclear 177 00:06:57,670 --> 00:07:01,360 armament is necessarily in order to 178 00:07:01,370 --> 00:07:04,280 be free from North korean nuclear 179 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:08,230 weapons , but why not , why cannot 180 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,160 have nuclear weapons ? Again , a 181 00:07:12,170 --> 00:07:14,320 lot of this has to do with the fact 182 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,880 from a regional security and 183 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:19,310 stability standpoint and 184 00:07:19,310 --> 00:07:22,140 nonproliferation in terms of preventing 185 00:07:22,330 --> 00:07:25,870 the potential chance for the use of 186 00:07:25,870 --> 00:07:28,760 nuclear weapons . And so from a United 187 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,440 States perspective again , our policy 188 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,718 remains very clear on denuclearization , 189 00:07:33,718 --> 00:07:35,718 but it's important also to remember 190 00:07:35,718 --> 00:07:38,040 that the Republic of Korea falls under 191 00:07:38,050 --> 00:07:40,610 that extended deterrence umbrella . And 192 00:07:40,610 --> 00:07:43,630 so in addition to the U . S . Forces 193 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,180 that are assigned there on the 194 00:07:46,180 --> 00:07:49,070 peninsula , our allies in the region to 195 00:07:49,070 --> 00:07:51,460 include South Korea are are part of 196 00:07:51,460 --> 00:07:53,190 that 197 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,730 umbrella umbrella doesn't work Well 198 00:07:58,730 --> 00:08:00,786 now we're getting into hypotheticals 199 00:08:00,786 --> 00:08:03,130 and speculating and so I would say that 200 00:08:03,140 --> 00:08:05,251 to date it has worked and it's worked 201 00:08:05,251 --> 00:08:07,473 very well . So let me go ahead and move 202 00:08:07,473 --> 00:08:11,020 on . Thank you , sir , on the 2022 . 203 00:08:11,020 --> 00:08:14,880 You ap report . Um there's 366 204 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:18,430 reports since july 2022 . The 205 00:08:18,430 --> 00:08:21,130 majority of those originate from U . S . 206 00:08:21,130 --> 00:08:23,550 Navy and Air Force aviators and 207 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:25,580 operators who witnessed them during 208 00:08:25,580 --> 00:08:27,890 their operation duties and reported 209 00:08:27,890 --> 00:08:30,350 them to the previous task force and now 210 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,260 Arrow through official channels . What 211 00:08:33,260 --> 00:08:35,316 are those official channels that the 212 00:08:35,316 --> 00:08:38,450 pentagon has set up for better 213 00:08:38,450 --> 00:08:40,470 information sharing on this topic ? 214 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:42,727 Thanks very much for the question . So 215 00:08:42,727 --> 00:08:44,949 first of all , let me just say right up 216 00:08:44,949 --> 00:08:47,610 top that the department wants to thank 217 00:08:47,620 --> 00:08:49,787 the office of the Director of National 218 00:08:49,787 --> 00:08:51,398 Intelligence for leading the 219 00:08:51,398 --> 00:08:53,453 collaborative effort to produce this 220 00:08:53,453 --> 00:08:55,231 report as well as all the other 221 00:08:55,231 --> 00:08:57,287 agencies that supported it . I would 222 00:08:57,287 --> 00:08:59,342 encourage you to as I'm sure you are 223 00:08:59,342 --> 00:09:01,630 read that report for any type of 224 00:09:01,630 --> 00:09:05,160 detailed information , broadly speaking 225 00:09:05,170 --> 00:09:07,690 when it comes to the types of processes 226 00:09:07,690 --> 00:09:09,357 and procedures that have been 227 00:09:09,357 --> 00:09:12,230 established . Uh The the Arrow offices 228 00:09:12,230 --> 00:09:16,080 you highlighted has closely worked with 229 00:09:16,090 --> 00:09:19,000 each of the service branches to come up 230 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,167 with a streamlined reporting system to 231 00:09:21,167 --> 00:09:23,278 be able to collect that information . 232 00:09:23,430 --> 00:09:26,090 Uh And then in addition to the military 233 00:09:26,090 --> 00:09:28,312 branches is also working with the inter 234 00:09:28,312 --> 00:09:30,970 agency . So organizations like Noah , 235 00:09:30,970 --> 00:09:32,859 the Coast Guard Department of the 236 00:09:32,859 --> 00:09:34,970 Energy just to name a few . And so by 237 00:09:34,970 --> 00:09:37,400 establishing those reporting procedures , 238 00:09:37,410 --> 00:09:39,410 what it does and I think you'll see 239 00:09:39,410 --> 00:09:41,410 this in the report is it allows the 240 00:09:41,410 --> 00:09:43,632 collection of data and more data allows 241 00:09:43,632 --> 00:09:45,799 us to be a little bit more rigorous in 242 00:09:45,799 --> 00:09:47,966 terms of how we go after investigating 243 00:09:47,966 --> 00:09:50,030 these incidents . So hopefully that 244 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,207 does and I appreciate the transparency 245 00:09:52,207 --> 00:09:54,207 here . Just a quick follow up . The 246 00:09:54,207 --> 00:09:56,096 report says that regarding health 247 00:09:56,096 --> 00:09:59,100 concerns so far , no encounters of you 248 00:09:59,100 --> 00:10:01,680 ap have been a lot find with serious 249 00:10:01,690 --> 00:10:04,540 anomalous health incidents . Congress 250 00:10:04,590 --> 00:10:07,280 pushed you guys and mandated Odni and 251 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,447 the pentagon to look into that , which 252 00:10:09,447 --> 00:10:11,730 means there were reports from military 253 00:10:11,730 --> 00:10:13,508 aviators about anomalous health 254 00:10:13,508 --> 00:10:15,674 incidents . Is there anything you guys 255 00:10:15,674 --> 00:10:17,920 can share about what those health 256 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,142 incidents ended up being ? If they were 257 00:10:20,142 --> 00:10:22,364 not ? Yeah , I don't , I don't have any 258 00:10:22,364 --> 00:10:24,531 information to provide . I'd encourage 259 00:10:24,531 --> 00:10:26,587 you to take a look at the report . I 260 00:10:26,587 --> 00:10:28,642 would say broadly speaking , I think 261 00:10:28,642 --> 00:10:30,809 one of the key points in this report , 262 00:10:30,809 --> 00:10:32,976 you know , given , given the potential 263 00:10:32,976 --> 00:10:36,340 hazard that you A P . S . Do present , 264 00:10:36,350 --> 00:10:38,220 notably there's been no reported 265 00:10:38,220 --> 00:10:41,770 collisions of , of military aircraft or 266 00:10:41,770 --> 00:10:43,937 U . S . Aircraft rather . Uh , and you 267 00:10:43,937 --> 00:10:45,714 a P . S . But in terms of those 268 00:10:45,714 --> 00:10:47,937 specifics , I'd , I'd refer you back to 269 00:10:47,937 --> 00:10:49,937 the report , let me go to nancy and 270 00:10:49,937 --> 00:10:53,120 then over here to one follow up 271 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,453 question from yesterday , there's a way , 272 00:10:55,453 --> 00:10:57,509 by the end of the week , if we could 273 00:10:57,509 --> 00:10:59,398 get a sense of other places where 274 00:10:59,398 --> 00:10:59,300 Ukrainian forces have trained in the 275 00:10:59,300 --> 00:11:01,480 United States and a rough estimate of 276 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:03,591 how many they would be very helpful . 277 00:11:03,591 --> 00:11:06,390 And then there are reports that Kathy 278 00:11:06,390 --> 00:11:08,557 chang who works as the Deputy Director 279 00:11:08,557 --> 00:11:10,930 of protocol for the Secretary Austin 280 00:11:10,940 --> 00:11:13,810 has been interviewed as part of the FBI 281 00:11:13,820 --> 00:11:16,042 investing into some of these classified 282 00:11:16,042 --> 00:11:19,015 documents found with President biden . 283 00:11:19,025 --> 00:11:21,945 Can you give us a sense if you at all 284 00:11:21,945 --> 00:11:24,465 about what kinds of how many times 285 00:11:24,465 --> 00:11:26,632 she's been interviewed ? Whether those 286 00:11:26,632 --> 00:11:28,743 interviews have happened at depending 287 00:11:28,743 --> 00:11:30,909 on and whether she retains her current 288 00:11:30,909 --> 00:11:30,545 position as the Deputy Director 289 00:11:30,545 --> 00:11:32,745 Protocol . Thanks nancy on your first 290 00:11:32,745 --> 00:11:34,856 question . Absolutely . I know we owe 291 00:11:34,856 --> 00:11:36,912 you that answer and we're working to 292 00:11:36,912 --> 00:11:38,967 get that for you . So we will aim to 293 00:11:38,967 --> 00:11:41,134 try to provide something to you in the 294 00:11:41,134 --> 00:11:43,412 press corps before the end of the week . 295 00:11:43,412 --> 00:11:45,690 Um in regards to the documents that 296 00:11:45,690 --> 00:11:48,140 you're referring to and any type of FBI 297 00:11:48,140 --> 00:11:50,307 action . I really need to refer you to 298 00:11:50,307 --> 00:11:52,307 the Department of Justice . I'm not 299 00:11:52,307 --> 00:11:54,473 gonna have any comment on that . Uh in 300 00:11:54,473 --> 00:11:56,473 terms of MS chung , she does remain 301 00:11:56,473 --> 00:11:58,696 employed by the Department of Defense , 302 00:11:58,696 --> 00:11:58,650 currently serving as the Deputy 303 00:11:58,650 --> 00:12:00,761 Director of Protocol . Thank you very 304 00:12:00,761 --> 00:12:03,690 much , ma'am . I'll try once more on 305 00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:06,790 tanks , Germany and Poland have talked 306 00:12:06,790 --> 00:12:09,890 about sending main battle tanks as part 307 00:12:09,890 --> 00:12:12,520 of an international coalition or effort . 308 00:12:12,530 --> 00:12:15,770 Um Can that coalition or that effort 309 00:12:15,770 --> 00:12:18,190 happen without the U . S . Sending 310 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:21,050 Abrams are there ? How are you looking 311 00:12:21,050 --> 00:12:23,328 to because Germany yes , it can happen . 312 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:28,530 Okay , of course . I mean you already 313 00:12:28,530 --> 00:12:30,308 have an international coalition 314 00:12:30,308 --> 00:12:32,440 providing a variety of military 315 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:36,010 capabilities to Ukraine . Uh And so 316 00:12:36,020 --> 00:12:39,120 again , I think um you know , an 317 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,190 important point here . Uh And again I 318 00:12:42,190 --> 00:12:44,080 don't mean to come across as as 319 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,191 flippant , I mean I I understand your 320 00:12:46,191 --> 00:12:48,350 question . Um and as as we've said , 321 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:50,360 we're going to continue to keep all 322 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:52,471 options on the table when it comes to 323 00:12:52,471 --> 00:12:54,471 the capabilities that we provide to 324 00:12:54,471 --> 00:12:56,304 Ukraine . But again I don't have 325 00:12:56,304 --> 00:12:58,527 anything to announce regarding tanks or 326 00:12:58,527 --> 00:13:02,110 Abrams today , but but on international 327 00:13:02,110 --> 00:13:05,230 capabilities um and how we bring them 328 00:13:05,230 --> 00:13:08,790 together , I think this is part of the 329 00:13:08,790 --> 00:13:10,790 discussion and part of the training 330 00:13:10,790 --> 00:13:13,710 that you see already taking place uh in 331 00:13:13,710 --> 00:13:15,930 places like europe to enable the 332 00:13:15,930 --> 00:13:18,790 Ukrainians to train on these systems uh 333 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,022 and then employ them effectively on the 334 00:13:21,022 --> 00:13:23,022 battlefield . And one of the things 335 00:13:23,022 --> 00:13:25,022 that Secretary Austin has made very 336 00:13:25,022 --> 00:13:27,189 clear both publicly and privately is I 337 00:13:27,189 --> 00:13:29,340 can give you equipment , I can , you 338 00:13:29,340 --> 00:13:31,173 know , uh and I can give you the 339 00:13:31,173 --> 00:13:33,396 training and I'm providing you with the 340 00:13:33,396 --> 00:13:35,618 capability and that's really what we're 341 00:13:35,618 --> 00:13:35,510 talking about when it comes to the 342 00:13:35,510 --> 00:13:38,370 combined arms employment of these 343 00:13:38,370 --> 00:13:40,481 capabilities in a way that's going to 344 00:13:40,481 --> 00:13:42,740 assist Ukraine , Just one follow up 345 00:13:42,830 --> 00:13:46,300 earlier that you the U . S . Supports 346 00:13:46,310 --> 00:13:48,560 um Germany and others that want to send 347 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:51,090 tanks , but ahead of the meetings next 348 00:13:51,090 --> 00:13:53,312 week , are you encouraging them to send 349 00:13:53,312 --> 00:13:55,423 me in battle tanks ? So I'm not gonna 350 00:13:55,423 --> 00:13:57,534 I'm not gonna necessarily preview the 351 00:13:57,534 --> 00:13:59,368 specifics of what we're going to 352 00:13:59,368 --> 00:14:01,312 encourage them , again , Secretary 353 00:14:01,312 --> 00:14:03,368 Austin and other D . O . D . Leaders 354 00:14:03,368 --> 00:14:05,201 and other members of the U . S . 355 00:14:05,201 --> 00:14:07,368 Government are constantly engaged with 356 00:14:07,368 --> 00:14:09,423 their allies and partners around the 357 00:14:09,423 --> 00:14:11,201 world to discuss how we can all 358 00:14:11,201 --> 00:14:13,368 collectively best support Ukraine . Um 359 00:14:13,368 --> 00:14:15,479 and you know I don't necessarily want 360 00:14:15,479 --> 00:14:17,534 to say it's a sovereign decision for 361 00:14:17,534 --> 00:14:19,590 each country what they can or cannot 362 00:14:19,590 --> 00:14:23,250 provide . Uh and so again uh to clarify 363 00:14:23,250 --> 00:14:25,550 what I'm saying is we we certainly 364 00:14:25,550 --> 00:14:27,580 support and are encouraged by any 365 00:14:27,580 --> 00:14:30,540 effort to support Ukraine , whether 366 00:14:30,540 --> 00:14:32,960 that's training or whether that's 367 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:34,904 physical equipment , the important 368 00:14:34,904 --> 00:14:37,127 point being we're all doing it together 369 00:14:37,127 --> 00:14:39,182 to help this country defend itself . 370 00:14:39,182 --> 00:14:41,349 Let me go to the phone here real quick 371 00:14:41,349 --> 00:14:43,571 and I'll come back in the room Liz from 372 00:14:43,571 --> 00:14:45,904 fox . Hey thanks for taking my question . 373 00:14:45,904 --> 00:14:48,670 Can you hear me ? Okay , great . Um so 374 00:14:48,670 --> 00:14:50,670 I have a few questions regarding um 375 00:14:50,670 --> 00:14:52,837 counter drone capabilities . The first 376 00:14:52,837 --> 00:14:54,670 one is how many drones can one ? 377 00:14:54,670 --> 00:14:57,080 Vampire system target at the same time ? 378 00:14:57,090 --> 00:14:59,560 The second one is how will the system 379 00:14:59,570 --> 00:15:01,800 being sent to Ukraine ? How will it 380 00:15:01,810 --> 00:15:03,754 fight Ukraine in its fight against 381 00:15:03,754 --> 00:15:05,866 Russia ? Um and the 3rd 1 is a little 382 00:15:05,866 --> 00:15:08,330 bit broader . Um as enemies of the us 383 00:15:08,340 --> 00:15:10,396 are increasing their use of drones , 384 00:15:10,396 --> 00:15:12,600 does the us have adequate systems to 385 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,450 defend against these drones including a 386 00:15:15,460 --> 00:15:17,682 possible swarm of a of a drone attack ? 387 00:15:17,682 --> 00:15:20,860 Say on a NATO ally or Ukraine . 388 00:15:21,860 --> 00:15:23,916 Thanks Liz um I'll come back on your 389 00:15:23,916 --> 00:15:25,971 last question because I just want to 390 00:15:25,971 --> 00:15:28,082 make sure I understood what you asked 391 00:15:28,082 --> 00:15:29,916 correctly . The first two on the 392 00:15:29,916 --> 00:15:32,138 vampire system . For operation security 393 00:15:32,138 --> 00:15:34,193 reasons . I'm not gonna get into the 394 00:15:34,193 --> 00:15:36,630 specifics in terms of its um you know , 395 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:39,290 the number of drones that can or cannot 396 00:15:39,300 --> 00:15:41,950 effectively guard against as you do 397 00:15:41,950 --> 00:15:43,670 highlight it is an anti drone 398 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,010 capability uh and once 399 00:15:47,010 --> 00:15:49,890 provided to Ukraine that will be 400 00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:53,070 integrated into its broader air defense 401 00:15:53,070 --> 00:15:54,950 capability . It's integrated air 402 00:15:54,950 --> 00:15:57,850 defense system , so to speak uh as as 403 00:15:57,850 --> 00:16:00,290 part of that multilayered defense 404 00:16:00,290 --> 00:16:02,480 capability to protect it from aerial 405 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,220 attacks to include drones . And then I 406 00:16:05,220 --> 00:16:07,780 think your your last question was is 407 00:16:07,790 --> 00:16:10,590 can the U . S . Adequately protect 408 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:12,656 against drone attacks ? Is that what 409 00:16:12,656 --> 00:16:14,670 you were asking ? Yeah . How how 410 00:16:14,670 --> 00:16:17,600 confident is the U . S . As um the U . 411 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,767 S . Enemies are developing their drone 412 00:16:19,767 --> 00:16:22,510 capabilities in defense . Yeah , so I 413 00:16:22,510 --> 00:16:24,890 would say that , you know , largely 414 00:16:24,890 --> 00:16:27,630 speaking , this is an area of continued 415 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:29,584 development , continued research , 416 00:16:29,584 --> 00:16:31,700 development and execution . We we 417 00:16:31,710 --> 00:16:34,400 clearly maintain a capability of 418 00:16:34,410 --> 00:16:36,790 counter drone counter U . A . S . 419 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:40,370 Capability um that said , you know , I 420 00:16:40,380 --> 00:16:43,970 think we've all seen how these uh 421 00:16:44,310 --> 00:16:46,088 you know , these drones , these 422 00:16:46,088 --> 00:16:48,340 capabilities can be used in a variety 423 00:16:48,340 --> 00:16:50,580 of ways in a variety of creative and 424 00:16:50,580 --> 00:16:53,070 unique ways on the battlefield . And so 425 00:16:53,070 --> 00:16:55,070 it's one of those things that we're 426 00:16:55,070 --> 00:16:57,237 gonna have to continue to stay after . 427 00:16:57,237 --> 00:16:59,292 You've seen everything from high end 428 00:16:59,292 --> 00:17:01,850 drones to terrorist organizations , you 429 00:17:01,850 --> 00:17:03,961 know using them to drop hand grenades 430 00:17:03,961 --> 00:17:06,980 on frontline formations in places like 431 00:17:06,980 --> 00:17:09,980 Iraq and Syria . So that is an area 432 00:17:09,980 --> 00:17:12,036 that we're going to continue to work 433 00:17:12,036 --> 00:17:14,091 closely on broadly speaking though ? 434 00:17:14,091 --> 00:17:16,560 Yes , I I remain confident that we do 435 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:18,900 have the capabilities to defend our 436 00:17:18,900 --> 00:17:21,420 forces no matter where they're serving . 437 00:17:21,430 --> 00:17:23,620 Thank you . Let me just go one more 438 00:17:23,620 --> 00:17:25,620 here . Patrick Tucker Defense one . 439 00:17:27,630 --> 00:17:29,963 Hey , thanks for doing this . Yesterday , 440 00:17:29,963 --> 00:17:32,970 Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro made a 441 00:17:32,970 --> 00:17:36,650 comment that if the industrial defense 442 00:17:36,650 --> 00:17:38,817 base doesn't ramp up production , it's 443 00:17:38,817 --> 00:17:42,130 going to be challenging for the US to 444 00:17:42,140 --> 00:17:44,600 continue to to arm itself . He 445 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:46,767 basically said if the conflict does go 446 00:17:46,767 --> 00:17:48,878 on for another six months for another 447 00:17:48,878 --> 00:17:51,100 year , it certainly continues to stress 448 00:17:51,100 --> 00:17:53,267 the supply chain in many ways that are 449 00:17:53,267 --> 00:17:55,322 challenging . Is his direct quote is 450 00:17:55,322 --> 00:17:57,378 that the pentagon's view that if the 451 00:17:57,378 --> 00:17:59,600 Ukraine conflict goes on at its current 452 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:01,822 pace and the support mission goes on at 453 00:18:01,822 --> 00:18:03,822 its current pace , that the US will 454 00:18:03,822 --> 00:18:06,100 face challenges in adequately arming 455 00:18:06,100 --> 00:18:09,020 itself . Yeah . Thanks . Thanks , Pat . 456 00:18:09,030 --> 00:18:11,340 So as you've heard , Secretary Austin 457 00:18:11,340 --> 00:18:14,780 say before , we will not go below 458 00:18:14,790 --> 00:18:17,010 our readiness requirements as we take 459 00:18:17,010 --> 00:18:19,510 into consideration what Ukraine's 460 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,210 security assistance needs are . And so 461 00:18:22,220 --> 00:18:24,820 as we , as we work with them and as we 462 00:18:24,820 --> 00:18:26,987 work with our partners to identify the 463 00:18:26,987 --> 00:18:29,042 specific capabilities , the specific 464 00:18:29,042 --> 00:18:32,420 systems among the capabilities that we 465 00:18:32,420 --> 00:18:35,070 have . Uh , there's going to be a 466 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,360 variety of factors that are taken into 467 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:40,680 account to ensure that we can continue 468 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:42,736 to support Ukraine while at the same 469 00:18:42,736 --> 00:18:44,902 time ensuring that we maintain our own 470 00:18:44,902 --> 00:18:47,880 readiness and our own stocks . Um you 471 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,260 know , importantly , uh this has been 472 00:18:50,260 --> 00:18:52,770 an ongoing conversation and an ongoing 473 00:18:52,770 --> 00:18:55,510 effort from very early on in this 474 00:18:55,510 --> 00:18:57,610 campaign , particularly as we saw it 475 00:18:57,620 --> 00:19:01,340 going out for for a extended 476 00:19:01,340 --> 00:19:04,290 period . And so you've seen things like 477 00:19:04,300 --> 00:19:06,280 the National armaments Directors 478 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,391 meeting regularly . In fact , they'll 479 00:19:08,391 --> 00:19:10,910 meet next week prior to the Defense 480 00:19:10,910 --> 00:19:12,799 Contact Group , Ukraine , Defense 481 00:19:12,799 --> 00:19:14,966 Contact Group . Uh and and they have a 482 00:19:14,966 --> 00:19:17,077 series of regular meetings so that we 483 00:19:17,077 --> 00:19:18,577 can continue to work as an 484 00:19:18,577 --> 00:19:20,854 international community to two . Again , 485 00:19:20,854 --> 00:19:23,540 one , make sure that we're anticipating 486 00:19:23,540 --> 00:19:25,651 and supporting Ukraine in its needs , 487 00:19:25,651 --> 00:19:28,580 but also making sure that we can 488 00:19:28,590 --> 00:19:31,250 maintain and replenish our own stocks 489 00:19:31,260 --> 00:19:34,500 of munitions . And so we are confident 490 00:19:34,510 --> 00:19:36,843 that we can continue on that glide path , 491 00:19:36,843 --> 00:19:39,010 working very closely with industry and 492 00:19:39,010 --> 00:19:41,121 working with our international allies 493 00:19:41,121 --> 00:19:43,288 and partners . I would say it's one of 494 00:19:43,288 --> 00:19:45,232 our great strategic strengths as a 495 00:19:45,232 --> 00:19:47,343 coalition is the fact that we do have 496 00:19:47,343 --> 00:19:49,660 such a large defense and number of 497 00:19:49,660 --> 00:19:51,900 defense industrial base is to draw upon 498 00:19:51,910 --> 00:19:54,420 as well as a motivated defense 499 00:19:54,420 --> 00:19:56,790 industrial base that wants to help us 500 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:58,856 in that regard . So we are confident 501 00:19:58,856 --> 00:20:00,744 that we'll continue to be able to 502 00:20:00,744 --> 00:20:02,967 support Ukraine for as long as it takes 503 00:20:02,967 --> 00:20:05,133 and we're confident that we'll be able 504 00:20:05,133 --> 00:20:07,244 to continue to maintain the readiness 505 00:20:07,244 --> 00:20:07,220 levels that are vital to defending our 506 00:20:07,220 --> 00:20:10,590 nation . Thank you , carla . I just 507 00:20:10,590 --> 00:20:12,757 want a quick clarification on what you 508 00:20:12,757 --> 00:20:14,757 were telling tom about the Bradleys 509 00:20:14,757 --> 00:20:16,868 when you say we're looking at weeks , 510 00:20:16,868 --> 00:20:18,812 not months . Do you mean weeks for 511 00:20:18,812 --> 00:20:20,646 their arrival in Germany and for 512 00:20:20,646 --> 00:20:22,590 training to begin ? Or do you mean 513 00:20:22,590 --> 00:20:24,701 weeks ? Not months for them to get to 514 00:20:24,701 --> 00:20:26,812 Ukraine ? So training training should 515 00:20:26,812 --> 00:20:29,070 start uh for the most part my 516 00:20:29,070 --> 00:20:31,292 understanding is next week in Germany . 517 00:20:31,292 --> 00:20:34,770 Okay . Uh and so on on the on the joint 518 00:20:34,780 --> 00:20:36,669 maneuver training , Combined arms 519 00:20:36,669 --> 00:20:38,724 training Bradley's . It should start 520 00:20:38,724 --> 00:20:40,836 next week in Germany . Um in terms of 521 00:20:40,836 --> 00:20:43,350 again specific dates , uh you'll see 522 00:20:43,350 --> 00:20:45,461 the rallies arrive on the battlefield 523 00:20:45,461 --> 00:20:47,683 when they arrive and will allow Ukraine 524 00:20:47,683 --> 00:20:49,961 to to highlight that ? I'm saying that , 525 00:20:49,961 --> 00:20:51,961 you know , again we anticipate that 526 00:20:51,961 --> 00:20:53,961 that training will take weeks , not 527 00:20:53,961 --> 00:20:53,670 months , but I'm not going to get into 528 00:20:53,670 --> 00:20:56,090 the specific numbers of of weeks or 529 00:20:56,090 --> 00:20:59,090 months . So thank you . Okay . Orrin , 530 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,620 uh what is the U . S . Assessment of 531 00:21:01,630 --> 00:21:03,686 the change at the top of the Russian 532 00:21:03,686 --> 00:21:06,130 military general valery Gerasimov 533 00:21:06,140 --> 00:21:08,350 becoming not only the Chief of Defense 534 00:21:08,350 --> 00:21:10,350 but also the Chief of the so called 535 00:21:10,350 --> 00:21:12,572 Special Military Operation and cervical 536 00:21:12,572 --> 00:21:14,794 becoming his deputy . Is that a sign of 537 00:21:14,794 --> 00:21:16,517 just more dysfunction there or 538 00:21:16,517 --> 00:21:19,470 displeasure with either or . And what 539 00:21:19,470 --> 00:21:21,414 does that say to the U . S . About 540 00:21:21,414 --> 00:21:23,414 precautions position at this time . 541 00:21:24,740 --> 00:21:26,920 So certainly aware of Russia's 542 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,430 announcement regarding the personnel 543 00:21:29,430 --> 00:21:31,430 shift uh and it's something that we 544 00:21:31,430 --> 00:21:33,374 continue to monitor or and I'm not 545 00:21:33,374 --> 00:21:35,486 going to speculate per se on how this 546 00:21:35,486 --> 00:21:37,750 might affect things on the battlefield 547 00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:39,806 in Ukraine other than to say that it 548 00:21:39,806 --> 00:21:42,450 likely does reflect uh some of the 549 00:21:42,450 --> 00:21:44,506 systemic challenges that the Russian 550 00:21:44,506 --> 00:21:46,672 military has faced since the beginning 551 00:21:46,672 --> 00:21:48,672 of this invasion . And we've talked 552 00:21:48,672 --> 00:21:50,839 about some of those things in terms of 553 00:21:50,839 --> 00:21:54,250 um it's uh logistics problems , uh 554 00:21:54,260 --> 00:21:55,982 command and control problems , 555 00:21:55,982 --> 00:21:58,038 sustainment problems , morale uh and 556 00:21:58,038 --> 00:22:00,920 large , the largely uh large failure to 557 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,031 achieve the strategic objectives that 558 00:22:03,031 --> 00:22:05,930 they've set for themselves . Um So it's 559 00:22:05,930 --> 00:22:08,152 something that will continue to keep an 560 00:22:08,152 --> 00:22:10,319 eye on , I would say frankly , I think 561 00:22:10,319 --> 00:22:12,486 that the world would rather see Russia 562 00:22:12,486 --> 00:22:14,597 focus on withdrawing from Ukraine and 563 00:22:14,597 --> 00:22:16,708 saving innocent lives versus spending 564 00:22:16,708 --> 00:22:19,340 time on numerous uh management 565 00:22:19,350 --> 00:22:22,400 reshuffles uh and Russian soldiers and 566 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,511 their families would probably like to 567 00:22:24,511 --> 00:22:26,567 see that too . But other than that , 568 00:22:26,567 --> 00:22:28,678 nothing else to provide . Thank you . 569 00:22:28,678 --> 00:22:30,956 Well , two questions . Um so the U . S . 570 00:22:30,956 --> 00:22:33,289 Has provided a variety of counter U . A . 571 00:22:33,289 --> 00:22:35,289 V . Capabilities to Ukraine . Um Is 572 00:22:35,289 --> 00:22:37,289 there a mechanism for assessing how 573 00:22:37,289 --> 00:22:39,011 well they work and and kind of 574 00:22:39,011 --> 00:22:41,233 Ukrainians feeding that back to the U . 575 00:22:41,233 --> 00:22:43,289 S . And if so what does the US learn 576 00:22:43,289 --> 00:22:45,622 from that so far if such a thing exists ? 577 00:22:45,622 --> 00:22:47,622 Um Well I don't I don't want to get 578 00:22:47,622 --> 00:22:50,500 into uh specific effectiveness rates 579 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:52,722 other than to say , I think the results 580 00:22:52,722 --> 00:22:54,800 largely do speak for themselves . Uh 581 00:22:54,810 --> 00:22:57,070 The Ukrainians have talked publicly 582 00:22:57,070 --> 00:23:00,220 about their air defense abilities and 583 00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:02,331 their success rate in terms of taking 584 00:23:02,331 --> 00:23:04,331 down , for example , Iranian drones 585 00:23:04,331 --> 00:23:08,260 taking down the Russian missiles and um 586 00:23:08,650 --> 00:23:10,830 and and I would say that from a US 587 00:23:10,830 --> 00:23:13,260 perspective that is accurate . They 588 00:23:13,260 --> 00:23:16,060 have done a very good job using the air 589 00:23:16,060 --> 00:23:18,740 defense capabilities that they had 590 00:23:18,750 --> 00:23:21,740 originally and then integrating uh you 591 00:23:21,740 --> 00:23:23,907 know , western capabilities into their 592 00:23:23,907 --> 00:23:25,880 system to to do that . That said 593 00:23:25,890 --> 00:23:29,820 clearly uh Russian missiles and drones 594 00:23:29,820 --> 00:23:31,820 continue to have an impact . And so 595 00:23:31,820 --> 00:23:34,042 what we will do our part to continue to 596 00:23:34,042 --> 00:23:35,931 support them to provide them with 597 00:23:35,931 --> 00:23:37,931 additional air defense capabilities 598 00:23:37,931 --> 00:23:39,653 without getting into what what 599 00:23:39,653 --> 00:23:39,560 specifically has worked and how well 600 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,710 it's worked is is what's working in 601 00:23:42,710 --> 00:23:44,821 Ukraine kind of being incorporated by 602 00:23:44,821 --> 00:23:46,988 the U . S . And into into its planning 603 00:23:46,988 --> 00:23:50,870 for us . Um , so I would say that 604 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,920 any time uh , there's a significant 605 00:23:53,930 --> 00:23:56,100 conflict . The United States military 606 00:23:56,100 --> 00:23:58,300 is a learning organization is going to 607 00:23:58,310 --> 00:24:01,450 observe um what works and what doesn't 608 00:24:01,450 --> 00:24:03,394 work on the battlefield and try to 609 00:24:03,394 --> 00:24:05,450 apply those lessons learned into our 610 00:24:05,450 --> 00:24:08,330 own joint doctrine and training . So I 611 00:24:08,330 --> 00:24:10,497 think that the situation in Ukraine is 612 00:24:10,497 --> 00:24:14,120 no different . Thanks sir to two 613 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:16,060 different questions . One , a few 614 00:24:16,060 --> 00:24:18,460 briefings ago before the defense bill 615 00:24:18,460 --> 00:24:20,627 was passed , one of my colleagues here 616 00:24:20,627 --> 00:24:24,000 asked about the possible impact on of 617 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,340 the vaccine mandate being taken away , 618 00:24:26,340 --> 00:24:28,730 which it has been now on the ability to 619 00:24:28,730 --> 00:24:30,952 send troops into countries that require 620 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:32,960 the mandate . I wonder if you could 621 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,182 consider bringing back response to that 622 00:24:35,182 --> 00:24:37,430 at some point , if it would impact our 623 00:24:37,430 --> 00:24:39,263 troops going into countries that 624 00:24:39,263 --> 00:24:42,960 require a vaccine mandate . So um 625 00:24:42,970 --> 00:24:46,940 yeah , so certainly commanders do 626 00:24:46,940 --> 00:24:49,590 have a responsibility to ensure that if 627 00:24:49,590 --> 00:24:52,910 they're sending forces to a place that 628 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,720 requires uh vaccine , that that's a 629 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:57,887 situation that will be addressed , you 630 00:24:57,887 --> 00:25:00,570 know , on a case by case basis . Um but 631 00:25:00,580 --> 00:25:02,802 you know , we have a responsibility for 632 00:25:02,802 --> 00:25:05,024 the health and welfare of our forces uh 633 00:25:05,024 --> 00:25:07,080 and so you know , again depending on 634 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,247 the situation and the circumstances it 635 00:25:09,247 --> 00:25:11,469 is incumbent on commanders to to ensure 636 00:25:11,469 --> 00:25:13,691 that they're doing what they need to do 637 00:25:13,691 --> 00:25:15,858 to make sure those forces already . So 638 00:25:15,858 --> 00:25:17,691 decision , basically , generally 639 00:25:17,691 --> 00:25:19,580 speaking would be at that level , 640 00:25:19,580 --> 00:25:21,747 correct ? Okay , my second question is 641 00:25:21,747 --> 00:25:25,690 uh the british military statement 642 00:25:25,690 --> 00:25:28,040 today how it's tracking the new Russian 643 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,096 aircraft carrier that's in the North 644 00:25:30,096 --> 00:25:32,590 Sea and it said that they're tracking 645 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:34,930 it's a task force tracking it with NATO 646 00:25:34,940 --> 00:25:36,880 allies as the United States 647 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,290 participating in that . I don't have an 648 00:25:39,290 --> 00:25:41,623 answer to that time . I just don't know . 649 00:25:41,623 --> 00:25:43,790 I'd recommend you contact you calm and 650 00:25:43,790 --> 00:25:45,846 they may be able to provide you some 651 00:25:45,846 --> 00:25:47,846 additional insight . Thank you very 652 00:25:47,846 --> 00:25:49,957 much . Uh two questions first . We've 653 00:25:49,957 --> 00:25:52,170 talked a lot about tanks , Bradleys , 654 00:25:52,180 --> 00:25:55,430 uh combined arms training that enables 655 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,790 um Ukrainians to effectively fight . 656 00:25:57,800 --> 00:25:59,856 But one thing the US does is when it 657 00:25:59,856 --> 00:26:02,189 goes to war , it has a lot of air power . 658 00:26:02,189 --> 00:26:04,430 So is there gonna be any discussion 659 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,384 about among all the members of the 660 00:26:06,384 --> 00:26:09,020 Defense contact Group about providing 661 00:26:09,030 --> 00:26:11,430 Ukraine with fixed wing aircraft . 662 00:26:12,780 --> 00:26:15,750 Uh So so I think as I mentioned before , 663 00:26:15,750 --> 00:26:18,270 you know , the primary focus of the 664 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,970 upcoming contact group will largely be 665 00:26:20,970 --> 00:26:24,580 on air defense and armor . Um That said 666 00:26:24,580 --> 00:26:27,240 again , broadly speaking as an 667 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,351 international coalition and certainly 668 00:26:29,351 --> 00:26:31,462 within the Department of Defense , we 669 00:26:31,462 --> 00:26:33,684 continue to look at the near medium and 670 00:26:33,684 --> 00:26:35,629 long term defense requirements for 671 00:26:35,629 --> 00:26:37,980 Ukraine . Uh and so while I don't have 672 00:26:37,980 --> 00:26:40,202 any announcements to make in regards to 673 00:26:40,202 --> 00:26:42,147 aircraft at this time , you know , 674 00:26:42,147 --> 00:26:44,313 certainly will continue to take a look 675 00:26:44,313 --> 00:26:46,536 at the situation and consider Ukraine's 676 00:26:46,536 --> 00:26:48,591 security assistance needs . And then 677 00:26:48,591 --> 00:26:52,390 the second question is um yesterday the 678 00:26:52,390 --> 00:26:54,640 U . S . And Japan said they committed 679 00:26:54,650 --> 00:26:57,690 to expand joint shared use of U . S . 680 00:26:57,700 --> 00:27:00,710 And Japanese facilities . Um but it was 681 00:27:00,710 --> 00:27:03,040 not more specific than that . Um Could 682 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:05,360 that include increased ability for the 683 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:07,430 U . S . Air Force to operate from 684 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,080 Japanese air air bases or what does 685 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:15,010 that entail a little ? Yeah , well 686 00:27:15,010 --> 00:27:17,121 we'll have more details to provide in 687 00:27:17,121 --> 00:27:19,440 the future as the U . S . Military and 688 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,060 Japanese Self Defense Force staffs work 689 00:27:22,060 --> 00:27:25,650 together on those details as you do 690 00:27:25,650 --> 00:27:28,100 highlight um you know , without getting 691 00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:30,910 into specifics whether it's the United 692 00:27:30,910 --> 00:27:33,077 States Marine Corps , whether it's the 693 00:27:33,077 --> 00:27:35,243 United States Air Force , the Army and 694 00:27:35,243 --> 00:27:36,743 others taking advantage of 695 00:27:36,743 --> 00:27:39,510 opportunities to to be able to position 696 00:27:39,510 --> 00:27:42,320 forces throughout the indo pacific 697 00:27:42,330 --> 00:27:45,150 region in a distributed way that 698 00:27:45,150 --> 00:27:47,950 provides us with agility flexibility uh 699 00:27:47,950 --> 00:27:50,810 and and maneuverability to be able to 700 00:27:50,810 --> 00:27:52,699 respond to any regional threats . 701 00:27:54,230 --> 00:27:56,730 Ongoing conversation . Thank you . 702 00:27:58,660 --> 00:28:01,140 So we've we've seen in the last number 703 00:28:01,140 --> 00:28:03,196 of weeks Bradley , several different 704 00:28:03,196 --> 00:28:05,362 kinds of armored vehicles are going to 705 00:28:05,362 --> 00:28:07,210 be donated to Ukraine . Um we're 706 00:28:07,210 --> 00:28:09,850 talking about different kinds of tanks 707 00:28:09,850 --> 00:28:13,830 potentially going to uh Ukraine um the 708 00:28:13,830 --> 00:28:16,140 Secretary of Defense leads the contact 709 00:28:16,150 --> 00:28:19,190 group , what's his level of concern or 710 00:28:19,190 --> 00:28:22,400 confidence in Ukraine's ability to 711 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:24,690 sustain all these various types of 712 00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:28,680 vehicles ? Um you know , simultaneously . 713 00:28:28,690 --> 00:28:31,400 And is that a to what degree is that a 714 00:28:31,410 --> 00:28:34,120 factor in and decisions about providing 715 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,120 them with more types of equipment ? 716 00:28:36,530 --> 00:28:38,697 Yeah , well , I mean , again , kind of 717 00:28:38,697 --> 00:28:40,697 going back to what I said earlier , 718 00:28:40,697 --> 00:28:43,020 broadly speaking , um logistics and 719 00:28:43,020 --> 00:28:46,180 sustainment is a factor in decisions 720 00:28:46,180 --> 00:28:48,530 about providing Ukraine with 721 00:28:48,530 --> 00:28:50,530 capabilities , not because we don't 722 00:28:50,530 --> 00:28:52,752 want to give it to them , but because , 723 00:28:52,752 --> 00:28:54,752 you know , something that you can't 724 00:28:54,752 --> 00:28:56,808 operate isn't going to help you . Um 725 00:28:56,808 --> 00:28:58,974 and you know , it could potentially um 726 00:28:58,974 --> 00:29:02,050 give you a disadvantage um that said to 727 00:29:02,050 --> 00:29:04,630 your point integrating all of these 728 00:29:04,630 --> 00:29:07,670 capabilities is a priority , uh and 729 00:29:07,670 --> 00:29:09,781 it's part of the ongoing conversation 730 00:29:09,781 --> 00:29:12,250 and collaboration in terms of how we 731 00:29:12,250 --> 00:29:15,760 train the Ukrainians , whether it's um 732 00:29:15,770 --> 00:29:18,260 you know , collective training or 733 00:29:18,260 --> 00:29:20,427 individual training on those systems . 734 00:29:20,427 --> 00:29:22,482 So that is part of the discussion is 735 00:29:22,482 --> 00:29:25,040 how once those capabilities are put 736 00:29:25,050 --> 00:29:27,540 back into Ukraine how they can best 737 00:29:27,540 --> 00:29:29,762 employ them together in a combined arms 738 00:29:29,762 --> 00:29:32,230 approach . All that said , I would also 739 00:29:32,230 --> 00:29:35,430 not underestimate um what we've seen 740 00:29:35,430 --> 00:29:37,800 the Ukrainians do time and time again , 741 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,610 which is take these systems and uh 742 00:29:40,620 --> 00:29:42,398 employ them in a way that spent 743 00:29:42,398 --> 00:29:45,090 extremely effective under incredibly 744 00:29:45,090 --> 00:29:48,490 trying circumstances . So um there is 745 00:29:48,490 --> 00:29:51,430 that there is that X factor as well um 746 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,780 that they've been demonstrating since 747 00:29:53,780 --> 00:29:56,910 this invasion began and I have a follow 748 00:29:56,910 --> 00:29:59,230 up on Pat Tucker's question earlier 749 00:29:59,230 --> 00:30:02,040 about readiness levels . I think we've 750 00:30:02,050 --> 00:30:04,217 heard a number of times from different 751 00:30:04,217 --> 00:30:07,650 defense officials yourself that the um 752 00:30:07,660 --> 00:30:09,827 that that leaders here aren't going to 753 00:30:09,827 --> 00:30:12,890 allow um you know stocks to fall below 754 00:30:12,890 --> 00:30:15,057 a certain readiness level or or what's 755 00:30:15,057 --> 00:30:17,168 required . But are those requirements 756 00:30:17,168 --> 00:30:20,970 static over the last year or is that is 757 00:30:20,970 --> 00:30:23,240 that like a rolling assessment And have 758 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,020 those , you know , have those 759 00:30:25,030 --> 00:30:27,710 assessments changed over time as they 760 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,530 have uh folks here um 761 00:30:31,540 --> 00:30:33,940 grown to accept more risk because of 762 00:30:33,940 --> 00:30:36,162 changing conditions ? Yeah . So I'm not 763 00:30:36,162 --> 00:30:38,218 as I'm sure you can appreciate , I'm 764 00:30:38,218 --> 00:30:40,107 not going to get into specific um 765 00:30:40,107 --> 00:30:42,560 systems and units and readiness and 766 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:44,504 things like that other than to say 767 00:30:44,504 --> 00:30:46,616 again , I meant what I said that that 768 00:30:46,616 --> 00:30:48,860 is part of the discussion uh in terms 769 00:30:48,860 --> 00:30:51,200 of as things are considered , there is 770 00:30:51,210 --> 00:30:54,610 there is always a lot of input and um 771 00:30:54,610 --> 00:30:56,610 deliberation in terms of okay if we 772 00:30:56,610 --> 00:30:58,840 provide this , what would the impact be 773 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:01,800 on our forces on our alliance uh And 774 00:31:01,810 --> 00:31:03,921 and again the secretary has been very 775 00:31:03,921 --> 00:31:06,088 clear that we're not gonna do anything 776 00:31:06,088 --> 00:31:08,310 that's going to prevent us from meeting 777 00:31:08,310 --> 00:31:10,366 our security commitments worldwide . 778 00:31:10,366 --> 00:31:12,900 And so again , you know , Russia 779 00:31:12,900 --> 00:31:15,040 invading Ukraine has prevented has 780 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,340 presented a significant challenge not 781 00:31:17,340 --> 00:31:19,080 only you to Ukraine but to the 782 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,191 international rules based order . And 783 00:31:21,191 --> 00:31:23,024 so I think everyone collectively 784 00:31:23,024 --> 00:31:25,247 worldwide understands the importance of 785 00:31:25,247 --> 00:31:28,680 this task and the fact that um we've 786 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:30,791 all got to work together to make sure 787 00:31:30,791 --> 00:31:32,736 that we can sustain the support to 788 00:31:32,736 --> 00:31:34,902 Ukraine because of the consequences if 789 00:31:34,902 --> 00:31:36,791 we don't . And so again , as as I 790 00:31:36,791 --> 00:31:39,013 highlighted before , I think we're very 791 00:31:39,013 --> 00:31:41,120 confident that we have the 792 00:31:41,130 --> 00:31:43,550 relationships , we have the network and 793 00:31:43,550 --> 00:31:45,550 we have the capability and capacity 794 00:31:45,550 --> 00:31:47,606 worldwide to work together to ensure 795 00:31:47,606 --> 00:31:49,606 that we can meet Ukraine's security 796 00:31:49,606 --> 00:31:51,828 assistance means while at the same time 797 00:31:51,828 --> 00:31:53,939 working very closely together to make 798 00:31:53,939 --> 00:31:55,828 sure we can meet our own national 799 00:31:55,828 --> 00:31:57,994 defense requirements . Thank you . Let 800 00:31:57,994 --> 00:31:59,994 me just do a few more , Sir , Peter 801 00:31:59,994 --> 00:32:01,939 Martin from Bloomberg News . And I 802 00:32:01,939 --> 00:32:04,161 wondered if I could follow up on the M1 803 00:32:04,161 --> 00:32:06,750 question again and specifically , you 804 00:32:06,750 --> 00:32:08,472 talked about the importance of 805 00:32:08,472 --> 00:32:11,670 logistics and sustainment . How do you 806 00:32:11,670 --> 00:32:13,892 see that ? How did how does that impact 807 00:32:13,892 --> 00:32:16,059 Pentagon thinking on whether or not to 808 00:32:16,059 --> 00:32:18,059 provide the the Ukrainians , do you 809 00:32:18,059 --> 00:32:17,570 think that's something they could 810 00:32:17,570 --> 00:32:19,750 effectively integrate into their 811 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:22,060 operations or that it would simply be 812 00:32:22,070 --> 00:32:25,520 too complex . Um so you know , 813 00:32:25,530 --> 00:32:28,560 without , again , trying to , again , 814 00:32:28,570 --> 00:32:30,681 first of all , I'm not gonna have any 815 00:32:30,681 --> 00:32:32,848 announcement to make , let me just say 816 00:32:32,848 --> 00:32:31,950 that again , I'm not sure if you knew 817 00:32:31,950 --> 00:32:35,870 that , but um , The the M1 is 818 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,460 a logistics uh and and fuel 819 00:32:39,460 --> 00:32:43,250 intensive vehicle . Okay , so um 820 00:32:43,260 --> 00:32:45,580 that certainly is part of the equation . 821 00:32:45,590 --> 00:32:49,380 Um but again , we will continue to move 822 00:32:49,380 --> 00:32:51,547 as we move forward , we'll continue to 823 00:32:51,547 --> 00:32:53,713 keep all options on the table . Um but 824 00:32:53,860 --> 00:32:55,916 you know , like we were just talking 825 00:32:55,916 --> 00:32:58,138 about , you've got to take into account 826 00:32:58,138 --> 00:33:00,249 if I'm gonna provide you with a piece 827 00:33:00,249 --> 00:33:02,471 of equipment , are you going to be able 828 00:33:02,471 --> 00:33:04,582 to sustain it , maintain it , operate 829 00:33:04,582 --> 00:33:06,804 it , fuel it . Uh And is it going to be 830 00:33:06,804 --> 00:33:08,916 an albatross around your neck , so to 831 00:33:08,916 --> 00:33:11,027 speak , on the battlefield ? Or is it 832 00:33:11,027 --> 00:33:13,138 going to be something that's going to 833 00:33:13,138 --> 00:33:13,070 contribute to your combat capability ? 834 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:15,247 I'm not suggesting that the Ukrainians 835 00:33:15,247 --> 00:33:17,413 can't operate the systems that they're 836 00:33:17,413 --> 00:33:19,413 provided . I'm just suggesting that 837 00:33:19,413 --> 00:33:21,636 these are the kinds of things that have 838 00:33:21,636 --> 00:33:23,691 to be part of that conversation . So 839 00:33:23,691 --> 00:33:25,913 again , we're going to continue to work 840 00:33:25,913 --> 00:33:25,910 closely with them , we're going to 841 00:33:25,910 --> 00:33:27,799 continue to work closely with our 842 00:33:27,799 --> 00:33:30,021 partners and allies to determine how we 843 00:33:30,021 --> 00:33:31,966 can best support them based on the 844 00:33:31,966 --> 00:33:33,966 conditions on the ground to to give 845 00:33:33,966 --> 00:33:36,210 them the best chance of success . Do 846 00:33:36,210 --> 00:33:38,377 you think the M1 would be an albatross 847 00:33:38,377 --> 00:33:40,543 around the Ukrainians neck if it would 848 00:33:40,543 --> 00:33:42,654 provide it ? Again , I'm not going to 849 00:33:42,654 --> 00:33:42,630 speculate about the future , I'm going 850 00:33:42,630 --> 00:33:44,797 to talk about right now , I don't have 851 00:33:44,797 --> 00:33:46,908 anything to announce . I mean , we've 852 00:33:46,908 --> 00:33:49,019 provided $24 billion dollars worth of 853 00:33:49,019 --> 00:33:51,186 security assistance . Uh , I'm sure no 854 00:33:51,186 --> 00:33:53,408 one anywhere would doubt our commitment 855 00:33:53,408 --> 00:33:55,074 to supporting Ukraine and the 856 00:33:55,074 --> 00:33:57,297 capabilities that that we've given them 857 00:33:57,297 --> 00:33:59,352 and we're going to remain focused on 858 00:33:59,352 --> 00:34:01,519 doing that and giving them whatever it 859 00:34:01,519 --> 00:34:03,519 is that they need at this moment in 860 00:34:03,519 --> 00:34:03,080 time based on the situation on the 861 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:05,136 ground to be effective . Thank you . 862 00:34:05,136 --> 00:34:07,302 Let me go back out to the phone here . 863 00:34:07,302 --> 00:34:10,200 Got Sean from National Defense . Thanks 864 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:13,490 Pat . Uh one of the problems that 865 00:34:13,490 --> 00:34:16,200 was concerns raised last year by 866 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:20,060 members of Congress was oversight 867 00:34:20,070 --> 00:34:22,890 of the support to Ukraine . And 868 00:34:22,890 --> 00:34:25,270 obviously after Iraq Afghanistan , 869 00:34:25,270 --> 00:34:27,381 there's a lot of concerns . Inspector 870 00:34:27,381 --> 00:34:29,680 general findings . Can you address what 871 00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:32,240 the department is doing regarding 872 00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:35,750 oversight of support to Ukraine in 873 00:34:35,750 --> 00:34:37,861 light of any lessons learned from the 874 00:34:37,861 --> 00:34:40,620 previous conflicts ? Yeah , thank you 875 00:34:40,620 --> 00:34:42,676 Sean . Um , you know , we we've been 876 00:34:42,676 --> 00:34:45,210 very public in terms of the steps that 877 00:34:45,210 --> 00:34:47,760 we've taken , uh working closely with 878 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,090 State Department and Ukraine , uh in 879 00:34:50,090 --> 00:34:52,770 terms of monitoring of the of the 880 00:34:52,770 --> 00:34:55,170 equipment that we've provided to them 881 00:34:55,180 --> 00:34:58,300 as well as being responsive to Congress 882 00:34:58,310 --> 00:35:00,980 when it comes to oversight of the 883 00:35:00,980 --> 00:35:03,100 capabilities uh that that we've 884 00:35:03,100 --> 00:35:05,920 provided and so we will continue to do 885 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:08,087 that . We look forward to working with 886 00:35:08,087 --> 00:35:11,010 the Congress uh , and to the strong 887 00:35:11,010 --> 00:35:13,177 bipartisan support that we've received 888 00:35:13,177 --> 00:35:15,710 to this stage . Thank you . All right , 889 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:17,887 let me just do a couple more sir . And 890 00:35:17,887 --> 00:35:20,570 then back here . Thanks . I had a 891 00:35:20,570 --> 00:35:22,860 question on the Tomahawk tomahawk 892 00:35:22,860 --> 00:35:25,082 missiles that Japan has been looking to 893 00:35:25,082 --> 00:35:27,193 purchase . Um I understand that there 894 00:35:27,193 --> 00:35:29,416 is nothing publicly released concerning 895 00:35:29,416 --> 00:35:31,638 this yesterday after the two plus two . 896 00:35:31,638 --> 00:35:33,582 Can we expect some kind of deal or 897 00:35:33,582 --> 00:35:35,304 purchase to be done today with 898 00:35:35,304 --> 00:35:37,416 Secretary Austin and Defense Minister 899 00:35:37,416 --> 00:35:39,027 Hamada ? Or will there be an 900 00:35:39,027 --> 00:35:41,193 announcement concerning these missiles 901 00:35:41,193 --> 00:35:43,416 at all ? Yeah , thanks very much . So , 902 00:35:43,416 --> 00:35:45,304 I don't have anything to announce 903 00:35:45,304 --> 00:35:47,471 regarding foreign military sales . I'd 904 00:35:47,471 --> 00:35:49,471 refer to the State Department on on 905 00:35:49,471 --> 00:35:51,750 that . Thank you . General . Do you 906 00:35:51,750 --> 00:35:55,330 have any update on Iranian support to 907 00:35:55,330 --> 00:35:57,660 Russia ? Especially recently , the 908 00:35:57,660 --> 00:36:00,710 Ukraine have said that Iran may send 909 00:36:00,710 --> 00:36:03,870 more drones uh to Russia in the near 910 00:36:03,870 --> 00:36:07,420 future . Any steps to stop 911 00:36:07,430 --> 00:36:10,530 that supporting ? Yeah , thanks very 912 00:36:10,530 --> 00:36:13,670 much . So . We do know , you know 913 00:36:13,670 --> 00:36:16,910 obviously that Iran has provided drones 914 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,970 to Russia for use in Ukraine . We do 915 00:36:19,970 --> 00:36:21,970 know that there's Russian intent to 916 00:36:21,970 --> 00:36:24,137 acquire more of those drones . I don't 917 00:36:24,137 --> 00:36:26,359 have any updates to provide in terms of 918 00:36:26,359 --> 00:36:28,380 uh you know , the levels of or the 919 00:36:28,380 --> 00:36:30,269 numbers rather that they provided 920 00:36:30,269 --> 00:36:32,436 beyond the hundreds we've talked about 921 00:36:32,436 --> 00:36:35,890 before . Um And again um working with 922 00:36:35,890 --> 00:36:39,160 the inter agency on uh you know , what 923 00:36:39,170 --> 00:36:41,003 what types of sanctions might be 924 00:36:41,003 --> 00:36:43,540 applied to prevent Iran from doing that . 925 00:36:43,550 --> 00:36:45,550 Um But I don't have anything beyond 926 00:36:45,550 --> 00:36:47,717 that . Thank you . Alright . What time 927 00:36:47,717 --> 00:36:49,828 for one more and then we'll call it a 928 00:36:49,828 --> 00:36:51,883 day . Yes , ma'am . Um So just to go 929 00:36:51,883 --> 00:36:54,050 back to what the Secretary of the Navy 930 00:36:54,050 --> 00:36:55,772 said . Um , so , so beyond the 931 00:36:55,772 --> 00:36:57,606 Secretary of the Navy , multiple 932 00:36:57,606 --> 00:36:57,480 comments were made by Navy officials 933 00:36:57,480 --> 00:36:59,840 about industries , timelines and delays 934 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:02,050 in industry , is that a concern shared 935 00:37:02,050 --> 00:37:03,994 by the pentagon ? And is there any 936 00:37:03,994 --> 00:37:06,080 concern that supplies to Ukraine is 937 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:08,670 being prioritized over supplies for the 938 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:11,910 United States military ? Again , we're 939 00:37:11,910 --> 00:37:14,021 not gonna do anything that's going to 940 00:37:14,021 --> 00:37:16,188 prevent us from being able to meet our 941 00:37:16,188 --> 00:37:18,410 national security requirements . And as 942 00:37:18,410 --> 00:37:20,299 I highlighted , the Department of 943 00:37:20,299 --> 00:37:22,354 Defense is working very closely with 944 00:37:22,354 --> 00:37:24,577 the industry to identify what our needs 945 00:37:24,577 --> 00:37:26,577 and our requirements are . Uh , and 946 00:37:26,577 --> 00:37:28,799 we're confident that , you know , given 947 00:37:28,799 --> 00:37:31,132 the robust industrial base that we have , 948 00:37:31,132 --> 00:37:33,077 that we'll be able to work through 949 00:37:33,077 --> 00:37:35,243 those challenges and make sure that we 950 00:37:35,243 --> 00:37:37,521 can replenish our stocks , uh You know , 951 00:37:37,521 --> 00:37:37,040 in addition to working closely with our 952 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:39,262 allies and partners around the world on 953 00:37:39,262 --> 00:37:41,373 the same problem set . So , thank you 954 00:37:41,373 --> 00:37:43,040 very much . Thanks everyone , 955 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:43,540 appreciate it .