1 00:00:01,279 --> 00:00:04,489 Right . Hey everyone , good afternoon . 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:06,927 Um Just a few items here to pass along 3 00:00:06,927 --> 00:00:09,093 at the top and then happy to take your 4 00:00:09,093 --> 00:00:11,149 questions . Uh So today , the United 5 00:00:11,149 --> 00:00:13,260 States announced plans to expand four 6 00:00:13,260 --> 00:00:15,427 new sites in the Philippines under the 7 00:00:15,427 --> 00:00:17,593 enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement 8 00:00:17,593 --> 00:00:19,704 arrangement following the secretary's 9 00:00:19,704 --> 00:00:23,340 visit in February Naval Base , Camilo O 10 00:00:24,059 --> 00:00:27,899 in Santa Ana , Caan Camp , Melor Dela 11 00:00:27,909 --> 00:00:30,209 Cruz and Isabella 12 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,990 Island in Palawan and Lalo Airport in 13 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,590 Cagayan . In addition to the five 14 00:00:38,599 --> 00:00:40,655 existing sites , these new locations 15 00:00:40,655 --> 00:00:42,877 will strengthen the interoperability of 16 00:00:42,877 --> 00:00:45,043 the United States and Philippine Armed 17 00:00:45,043 --> 00:00:47,430 Forces and allow us to respond more 18 00:00:47,439 --> 00:00:49,950 seamlessly together to address a range 19 00:00:49,959 --> 00:00:51,792 of shared challenges in the Indo 20 00:00:51,792 --> 00:00:54,130 Pacific region including natural and 21 00:00:54,139 --> 00:00:57,509 humanitarian disasters . The Department 22 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,631 of Defense will work in lockstep with 23 00:00:59,631 --> 00:01:01,742 the Philippine Department of National 24 00:01:01,742 --> 00:01:03,742 Defense and Armed Forces to rapidly 25 00:01:03,742 --> 00:01:05,909 pursue modernization products at these 26 00:01:05,909 --> 00:01:08,020 locations . The United States and the 27 00:01:08,020 --> 00:01:09,964 Philippines have stood shoulder to 28 00:01:09,964 --> 00:01:12,187 shoulder as friends and allies and more 29 00:01:12,187 --> 00:01:14,298 and for far more than seven decades , 30 00:01:14,298 --> 00:01:16,353 unwavering in treaty commitments and 31 00:01:16,353 --> 00:01:18,576 our shared vision for a more peaceful , 32 00:01:18,576 --> 00:01:20,800 secure and prosperous region . And 33 00:01:20,809 --> 00:01:23,031 before I get to questions , I just want 34 00:01:23,031 --> 00:01:25,031 to congratulate one of our very own 35 00:01:25,031 --> 00:01:27,540 Adri Ali on his engagement this weekend . 36 00:01:27,550 --> 00:01:30,029 So congratulations to you . And with 37 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,207 that , I will uh take your questions . 38 00:01:32,207 --> 00:01:34,262 I'll start with the associated press 39 00:01:37,059 --> 00:01:40,699 on the announcement . So what if any 40 00:01:40,709 --> 00:01:42,820 additional us , military assets would 41 00:01:42,820 --> 00:01:45,540 be moving in to help develop these 42 00:01:45,550 --> 00:01:48,830 bases ? And then secondly , on the 43 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,949 spy balloon , can you give us an update 44 00:01:51,959 --> 00:01:55,529 on what sort of intelligence the US has 45 00:01:55,540 --> 00:01:57,596 been able to gather from the balloon 46 00:01:57,596 --> 00:02:00,580 and speak to reports that the balloon 47 00:02:00,589 --> 00:02:03,099 was able to transmit intelligence back 48 00:02:03,110 --> 00:02:05,388 to China that the US could not prevent . 49 00:02:05,388 --> 00:02:07,769 Sure . So I'll take the first uh your 50 00:02:07,779 --> 00:02:09,668 last question first . So , on the 51 00:02:09,668 --> 00:02:12,220 balloon itself right now , the FBI is 52 00:02:12,229 --> 00:02:15,979 the lead still um assessing uh the 53 00:02:15,990 --> 00:02:18,212 parts that we were able to recover from 54 00:02:18,212 --> 00:02:20,889 the balloon , as we mentioned , early 55 00:02:20,899 --> 00:02:23,010 on when we first started tracking the 56 00:02:23,010 --> 00:02:24,843 balloon . Um We do know that the 57 00:02:24,843 --> 00:02:26,899 balloon was able to be maneuvered um 58 00:02:26,899 --> 00:02:28,955 and purposely driven along its track 59 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:30,904 but not going to get into specific 60 00:02:30,904 --> 00:02:33,270 sites , it was able to hover over . Um 61 00:02:33,279 --> 00:02:35,490 But what we did do is take 62 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:38,850 precautionary steps to limit um the 63 00:02:38,860 --> 00:02:40,860 intelligence value that it would be 64 00:02:40,860 --> 00:02:43,679 able to collect . Um And you know , 65 00:02:43,690 --> 00:02:46,360 again , we , we took steps to protect 66 00:02:46,369 --> 00:02:48,809 our own military installations um uh 67 00:02:48,820 --> 00:02:51,110 from Foreign Intelligence collection . 68 00:02:51,380 --> 00:02:53,324 Um And I'm sorry , I think you had 69 00:02:53,324 --> 00:02:55,547 another question on the balloon , but I 70 00:02:55,547 --> 00:02:57,713 just didn't remember the second part . 71 00:02:57,713 --> 00:02:59,880 Um It was on the being , being able to 72 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:02,179 transmit to China ? And were you able 73 00:03:02,190 --> 00:03:06,160 to prevent uh intelligence from 74 00:03:06,169 --> 00:03:08,391 some of these sites from uh China being 75 00:03:08,391 --> 00:03:10,336 able to collect from the balloon ? 76 00:03:10,336 --> 00:03:12,502 Because of the steps that we were able 77 00:03:12,502 --> 00:03:15,220 to take , we were able to prevent um 78 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,240 transmission of , of uh certain aspects 79 00:03:19,250 --> 00:03:21,250 of our sites to be transmitted just 80 00:03:21,250 --> 00:03:22,806 because of what we were the 81 00:03:22,806 --> 00:03:24,917 precautionary steps that we were able 82 00:03:24,917 --> 00:03:26,528 to take . Um But in terms of 83 00:03:26,528 --> 00:03:28,694 transmission back to , to the PR C and 84 00:03:28,694 --> 00:03:30,861 what was able to be transmitted back , 85 00:03:30,861 --> 00:03:30,809 I just don't have further information 86 00:03:30,820 --> 00:03:33,449 for you at this time . Um As of right 87 00:03:33,460 --> 00:03:35,571 now , we're still doing an assessment 88 00:03:35,571 --> 00:03:38,179 of what exactly um uh the intel was 89 00:03:38,190 --> 00:03:40,357 that China was able to gather . But we 90 00:03:40,357 --> 00:03:42,523 do know that the steps that we took um 91 00:03:42,523 --> 00:03:44,746 provided little additive value for what 92 00:03:44,746 --> 00:03:46,801 they've been able to collect on from 93 00:03:46,801 --> 00:03:49,023 satellites before . Um And then you had 94 00:03:49,023 --> 00:03:52,419 an uh a question on um the uh and 95 00:03:52,429 --> 00:03:55,110 specifically what would uh your 96 00:03:55,119 --> 00:03:58,160 question was on ? Just what ? Sure . So 97 00:03:58,169 --> 00:04:00,280 this is gonna be um we're not seeking 98 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,502 permanent basing here . So you're gonna 99 00:04:02,502 --> 00:04:04,725 see an increase of um rotational forces 100 00:04:04,725 --> 00:04:06,725 in the region . But um this is more 101 00:04:06,725 --> 00:04:08,836 about supporting combined training um 102 00:04:08,836 --> 00:04:10,669 being able to respond to natural 103 00:04:10,669 --> 00:04:12,780 disaster or humanitarian disasters in 104 00:04:12,780 --> 00:04:14,725 the region . But um this is really 105 00:04:14,725 --> 00:04:17,609 about regional readiness . Yeah , I see 106 00:04:18,838 --> 00:04:20,894 another follow up on the Philippines 107 00:04:20,894 --> 00:04:23,269 sites . Um Could you get into like uh 108 00:04:23,278 --> 00:04:25,222 what these sites are and like what 109 00:04:25,222 --> 00:04:27,389 capabilities would be using them ? Are 110 00:04:27,389 --> 00:04:29,500 we talking about ports where warships 111 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:31,445 and submarines would stop ? Are we 112 00:04:31,445 --> 00:04:33,611 talking about airfields ? Um What does 113 00:04:33,611 --> 00:04:35,778 it look like ? Well , as I mentioned , 114 00:04:35,778 --> 00:04:37,889 one of them is an airport expansion , 115 00:04:37,889 --> 00:04:39,722 but some of these sites uh would 116 00:04:39,722 --> 00:04:41,945 include areas to further our training , 117 00:04:41,945 --> 00:04:43,945 which would of course include naval 118 00:04:43,945 --> 00:04:45,945 assets . Um But I think what's most 119 00:04:45,945 --> 00:04:48,056 important is that um the expansion of 120 00:04:48,250 --> 00:04:50,083 just makes our training with the 121 00:04:50,083 --> 00:04:52,306 Philippines just more resilient . It is 122 00:04:52,306 --> 00:04:55,390 about um creating uh regional readiness 123 00:04:55,399 --> 00:04:57,730 but also being able to respond to any 124 00:04:57,739 --> 00:04:59,683 type of disaster or any type of uh 125 00:04:59,683 --> 00:05:01,850 humanitarian disaster that could arise 126 00:05:01,850 --> 00:05:04,183 in the region if I could just follow up . 127 00:05:04,183 --> 00:05:07,279 Um regarding the Iran backed militia 128 00:05:07,290 --> 00:05:09,869 attacks in Syria , I think last week we 129 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,102 heard that there had been six diagnoses 130 00:05:12,102 --> 00:05:14,436 of TB I . Do you have an update on that ? 131 00:05:14,436 --> 00:05:16,769 And has there been additional diagnosis ? 132 00:05:16,769 --> 00:05:19,019 Um I don't have an update on additional 133 00:05:19,029 --> 00:05:21,899 diagnosis , diagnoses of TB I or their 134 00:05:21,910 --> 00:05:24,077 condition . But I'm happy to take that 135 00:05:24,077 --> 00:05:26,188 question and get back to you . Yeah , 136 00:05:26,188 --> 00:05:30,029 Jen Jennifer Sabrina , back to the spy 137 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,420 balloon . Is there a new analysis 138 00:05:32,429 --> 00:05:34,540 suggesting that the Chinese were able 139 00:05:34,540 --> 00:05:36,519 to collect in real time , more 140 00:05:36,529 --> 00:05:39,149 intelligence than from the spy balloon 141 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,869 than you first realized ? No , I think 142 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,047 what we said at the very beginning was 143 00:05:44,047 --> 00:05:46,970 um still holds true to today . Uh As 144 00:05:46,980 --> 00:05:48,924 soon as we realized that they were 145 00:05:48,924 --> 00:05:51,147 collecting intelligence and um hovering 146 00:05:51,147 --> 00:05:53,091 over our sensitive sites , we took 147 00:05:53,091 --> 00:05:56,130 measures and put into place um measures 148 00:05:56,140 --> 00:05:58,559 that limited the additive value that 149 00:05:58,570 --> 00:06:00,681 the balloon could collect on . So did 150 00:06:00,681 --> 00:06:02,681 you know at the time that they were 151 00:06:02,681 --> 00:06:04,792 able to transmit back in real time to 152 00:06:04,792 --> 00:06:07,540 Beijing ? Well , I wouldn't be able to 153 00:06:07,549 --> 00:06:09,549 say that they were able to transmit 154 00:06:09,549 --> 00:06:11,716 back to Beijing . We just don't have , 155 00:06:11,716 --> 00:06:13,438 I just don't have that type of 156 00:06:13,438 --> 00:06:15,382 information at this point . You're 157 00:06:15,382 --> 00:06:17,438 saying that is not confirmed at this 158 00:06:17,438 --> 00:06:16,829 point , that is not confirmed at this 159 00:06:16,899 --> 00:06:19,769 point . And you , how confident are you 160 00:06:19,779 --> 00:06:21,890 that the mitigation measures that you 161 00:06:21,890 --> 00:06:24,380 took actually worked or is there new 162 00:06:24,390 --> 00:06:27,380 evidence suggesting that uh some 163 00:06:27,390 --> 00:06:29,557 intelligence was collected despite the 164 00:06:29,557 --> 00:06:31,557 mitigation efforts ? Yeah . No . Um 165 00:06:31,557 --> 00:06:33,557 Thanks for the question . So we are 166 00:06:33,557 --> 00:06:35,668 confident in the measures that we did 167 00:06:35,668 --> 00:06:37,723 put in place . Um I , I know I sound 168 00:06:37,723 --> 00:06:40,001 like a broken record . I don't mean to , 169 00:06:40,001 --> 00:06:41,946 but um what we know is that um the 170 00:06:41,946 --> 00:06:44,269 intent of this balloon was surveillance 171 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:46,446 and that what the measures that we put 172 00:06:46,446 --> 00:06:50,399 in place did did not um had 173 00:06:50,410 --> 00:06:52,466 limited additive value for what they 174 00:06:52,466 --> 00:06:54,688 were able to collect over our sensitive 175 00:06:54,688 --> 00:06:57,750 sites . You mean maybe you mean that 176 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,489 the mitigation efforts limited , 177 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:02,556 correct ? I'm sorry , the mitigation 178 00:07:02,556 --> 00:07:04,500 efforts that we put into place had 179 00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:07,649 little additive value for the PR C ? OK . 180 00:07:07,700 --> 00:07:09,700 And is it true that the that you've 181 00:07:09,700 --> 00:07:12,049 learned that the spy balloon had the 182 00:07:12,059 --> 00:07:14,230 ability to self destruct and did not 183 00:07:14,239 --> 00:07:16,350 self destruct . And do you know why I 184 00:07:16,350 --> 00:07:18,406 just wouldn't be able to say at this 185 00:07:18,406 --> 00:07:20,517 time ? Um that something that uh as I 186 00:07:20,517 --> 00:07:22,683 mentioned earlier , the FBI is looking 187 00:07:22,683 --> 00:07:25,130 into um at Quantico and , and we are 188 00:07:25,140 --> 00:07:27,362 certainly in touch with them . Um We've 189 00:07:27,362 --> 00:07:29,584 been offer , uh we've offered resources 190 00:07:29,584 --> 00:07:31,751 to the FBI but I just wouldn't be able 191 00:07:31,751 --> 00:07:31,709 to comment further at this time . Yeah , 192 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,579 Jenny , thank you , Sabrina . I have 193 00:07:35,589 --> 00:07:38,899 two questions . Uh It has been reported 194 00:07:38,910 --> 00:07:42,119 that the nuclear production activities 195 00:07:42,130 --> 00:07:45,829 have been detected at the nuclear 196 00:07:45,839 --> 00:07:49,239 facility in North Korea . What is the 197 00:07:49,250 --> 00:07:52,410 Pentagon's analysis of these 198 00:07:52,649 --> 00:07:55,130 activities ? Thanks Jenny for the 199 00:07:55,140 --> 00:07:57,307 question . So I've seen the reports of 200 00:07:57,307 --> 00:07:59,418 that , but I just don't have anything 201 00:07:59,418 --> 00:08:01,473 to add at this time . We continue to 202 00:08:01,473 --> 00:08:03,529 monitor , you know , things that are 203 00:08:03,529 --> 00:08:05,529 activity in the D PR K , but I just 204 00:08:05,529 --> 00:08:07,751 don't have anything further to add into 205 00:08:07,751 --> 00:08:09,862 those reports . Ok . This , this kind 206 00:08:09,862 --> 00:08:12,029 of feeling , do you see in North Korea 207 00:08:12,029 --> 00:08:14,029 conduct another nuclear test soon ? 208 00:08:14,029 --> 00:08:15,807 Your view , we haven't seen any 209 00:08:15,807 --> 00:08:17,751 indications right now . Again , we 210 00:08:17,751 --> 00:08:20,619 continue to monitor um testing and uh 211 00:08:20,630 --> 00:08:22,980 you know , what , what activities of 212 00:08:22,989 --> 00:08:25,489 the D pr K . But our end goal here is 213 00:08:25,500 --> 00:08:27,444 the denuclearization of the Korean 214 00:08:27,444 --> 00:08:29,556 Peninsula as you as you know . Um And 215 00:08:29,559 --> 00:08:31,781 so I just don't have , have more to add 216 00:08:31,781 --> 00:08:34,320 at this time , North Korea Kim Jong 217 00:08:34,739 --> 00:08:38,650 Un's sister Kim President 218 00:08:39,630 --> 00:08:43,179 of Ukraine and that the 219 00:08:43,190 --> 00:08:46,299 United States and Nuclear Umbrellas 220 00:08:46,309 --> 00:08:50,179 is on that , I mean useless . And the 221 00:08:50,190 --> 00:08:53,140 Kim Yo Jong activity defended 222 00:08:53,409 --> 00:08:57,190 Russia . How would you react ? 223 00:08:57,530 --> 00:08:59,030 I just wanna make sure I'm 224 00:08:59,030 --> 00:09:01,141 understanding . Uh Can you repeat the 225 00:09:01,141 --> 00:09:03,141 question ? OK , North Korea and Kim 226 00:09:03,141 --> 00:09:05,909 Jong Un's sister , Kim Jong warned 227 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,789 President Jelinski of Ukraine that 228 00:09:09,919 --> 00:09:13,440 the US nuclear umbrella is 229 00:09:14,159 --> 00:09:18,059 useless and the Kim activity 230 00:09:18,070 --> 00:09:21,539 depended Russia . How would you , 231 00:09:22,059 --> 00:09:24,281 I wouldn't really be able to respond to 232 00:09:24,281 --> 00:09:26,392 that . I , I think , you know , uh as 233 00:09:26,392 --> 00:09:28,969 we've said before , um we continue to 234 00:09:28,979 --> 00:09:32,369 monitor the activities of , of um the D 235 00:09:32,380 --> 00:09:35,830 pr K and um we continue to assess , you 236 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:37,840 know , and work with our allies and 237 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:39,951 partners in the region . Our goal and 238 00:09:39,951 --> 00:09:41,507 our allies goal is the full 239 00:09:41,507 --> 00:09:43,229 denuclearization of the Korean 240 00:09:43,229 --> 00:09:45,229 Peninsula and I'll just leave it at 241 00:09:45,229 --> 00:09:47,400 that . Um is , you know , in the South 242 00:09:47,669 --> 00:09:51,085 Korea , I , I , I'm sorry , nuclear 243 00:09:51,655 --> 00:09:54,465 to South Korea . But this meaning is 244 00:09:54,474 --> 00:09:56,594 that they , regarding uh you know , 245 00:09:56,604 --> 00:09:59,125 Ukraine or North Korea or , you know , 246 00:09:59,135 --> 00:10:01,315 South Korea , they involved with all 247 00:10:01,325 --> 00:10:04,385 those areas . Why they uh you know , 248 00:10:04,395 --> 00:10:08,349 underscored United States , I 249 00:10:08,359 --> 00:10:10,303 wouldn't be able to speak to those 250 00:10:10,303 --> 00:10:12,359 comments of why they're underscoring 251 00:10:12,359 --> 00:10:14,526 the United States . We are responsible 252 00:10:14,526 --> 00:10:16,748 nuclear power that will continue to act 253 00:10:16,748 --> 00:10:18,915 responsibly and would encourage others 254 00:10:18,915 --> 00:10:22,349 to do so . I'll go to in the back just 255 00:10:22,359 --> 00:10:24,581 to double check . I'm understanding the 256 00:10:24,581 --> 00:10:26,803 balloon . Um You can confirm that there 257 00:10:26,803 --> 00:10:30,109 was real time transmission back over 258 00:10:30,119 --> 00:10:31,952 military base . Right . I cannot 259 00:10:31,952 --> 00:10:33,786 confirm that there was real time 260 00:10:33,786 --> 00:10:36,008 transmission back from the balloon back 261 00:10:36,008 --> 00:10:38,230 to the PR C at this time specifically . 262 00:10:38,230 --> 00:10:40,230 Correct . I cannot confirm that and 263 00:10:40,230 --> 00:10:42,452 your analysis is ongoing on that . Ok . 264 00:10:42,452 --> 00:10:44,786 And then just a separate topic on Syria . 265 00:10:44,786 --> 00:10:46,952 Have there been any more attacks on us 266 00:10:46,952 --> 00:10:49,063 forces over the weekend ? And has the 267 00:10:49,063 --> 00:10:51,190 US carried out any attacks against 268 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,200 Iranian backed forces against ? I'm 269 00:10:53,210 --> 00:10:55,488 sorry , Iranian backed forces in Syria . 270 00:10:55,488 --> 00:10:57,488 No , there , I mean , as far as I'm 271 00:10:57,488 --> 00:10:57,479 aware , there have been no updates or 272 00:10:57,489 --> 00:10:59,322 no attacks on us forces over the 273 00:10:59,322 --> 00:11:01,489 weekend and no further strikes from US 274 00:11:01,489 --> 00:11:04,159 forces on I RGC back groups . I'll come 275 00:11:04,169 --> 00:11:07,229 to Laura and then go to Oscar , Laura 276 00:11:07,239 --> 00:11:09,659 over here right here . 277 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,840 So one day we will be back in the 278 00:11:16,849 --> 00:11:18,900 PV R but today is not that day , it 279 00:11:18,909 --> 00:11:21,130 will be a good day . Um So two 280 00:11:21,140 --> 00:11:23,362 questions . Um First of all , follow up 281 00:11:23,362 --> 00:11:25,380 on the spy balloon , is it possible 282 00:11:25,390 --> 00:11:27,168 that China could have collected 283 00:11:27,168 --> 00:11:29,168 sensitive information from military 284 00:11:29,168 --> 00:11:31,334 sites before you put these measures in 285 00:11:31,334 --> 00:11:33,279 place ? Was there time for that to 286 00:11:33,279 --> 00:11:36,119 happen ? Um And then suddenly on the , 287 00:11:36,130 --> 00:11:37,908 the Philippines , you mentioned 288 00:11:37,908 --> 00:11:40,359 modernization projects . Could you say 289 00:11:40,369 --> 00:11:42,591 more ? Could you be more specific about 290 00:11:42,591 --> 00:11:44,200 what these entail um on the 291 00:11:44,210 --> 00:11:47,150 modernization products ? Um uh or 292 00:11:47,159 --> 00:11:49,159 projects ? Let me take that and get 293 00:11:49,159 --> 00:11:51,270 back to you just to get you some more 294 00:11:51,270 --> 00:11:53,381 specifics on that ? Um on the balloon 295 00:11:53,381 --> 00:11:55,359 And uh on your first question , on 296 00:11:55,369 --> 00:11:58,919 being able to um collect data over 297 00:11:58,929 --> 00:12:01,040 military sites , I mean , you have to 298 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:03,151 remember that we started tracking the 299 00:12:03,151 --> 00:12:05,262 balloon around January 27th . So when 300 00:12:05,262 --> 00:12:08,229 the balloon , um , was coming over and 301 00:12:08,239 --> 00:12:10,239 up through the United States dipped 302 00:12:10,239 --> 00:12:12,461 into Canada and then dipped back down , 303 00:12:12,461 --> 00:12:14,517 we were already taking precautionary 304 00:12:14,517 --> 00:12:16,628 measures at this time to mitigate any 305 00:12:16,628 --> 00:12:18,683 type of intelligence collection that 306 00:12:18,683 --> 00:12:20,850 the balloon would be able to pick up . 307 00:12:20,859 --> 00:12:22,803 And I think by that point , we had 308 00:12:22,803 --> 00:12:24,859 already identified that it was APR C 309 00:12:24,859 --> 00:12:26,859 affiliated balloon . So I think the 310 00:12:26,859 --> 00:12:29,081 measures that we put in place certainly 311 00:12:29,081 --> 00:12:31,619 limited , um what the PR C was able to 312 00:12:31,630 --> 00:12:34,250 collect . Um , and that was on due 313 00:12:34,260 --> 00:12:36,260 diligence on our part . So you were 314 00:12:36,260 --> 00:12:38,593 able to predict the path of the balloon . 315 00:12:38,593 --> 00:12:40,593 So you knew what it was going to go 316 00:12:40,593 --> 00:12:40,590 over . I don't think we would say that 317 00:12:40,599 --> 00:12:42,766 we were able to predict the path , but 318 00:12:42,766 --> 00:12:44,988 we were following the balloon and as it 319 00:12:44,988 --> 00:12:47,840 did traverse over sensitive military 320 00:12:47,849 --> 00:12:50,669 sites and as we mentioned early on , um , 321 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:54,609 when we January , early February , we 322 00:12:54,619 --> 00:12:56,841 did see the balloon begin to hover over 323 00:12:56,841 --> 00:12:58,897 military sites . Um , that certainly 324 00:12:58,969 --> 00:13:01,539 gave us pause and re entered the United 325 00:13:01,549 --> 00:13:04,419 States when it dipped back down through 326 00:13:04,429 --> 00:13:07,400 Canada . Yes . Yeah , Rio , I'm sorry , 327 00:13:07,409 --> 00:13:09,520 in a minute , I'll come back to you . 328 00:13:12,830 --> 00:13:16,210 Thank you . Hi . Uh Thank you very much . 329 00:13:16,219 --> 00:13:18,275 I want to follow up about the new uh 330 00:13:18,275 --> 00:13:20,250 new locations that the US and the 331 00:13:20,260 --> 00:13:23,559 Philippines agree on the three out of 332 00:13:23,570 --> 00:13:26,479 the four new locations are in the Lion 333 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,099 Island , which is very close to Taiwan . 334 00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:32,250 So how much do you assess such new 335 00:13:32,260 --> 00:13:35,309 locations will help enhance the US 336 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,489 ability to respond to our contingency 337 00:13:38,500 --> 00:13:40,667 in the Taiwan ? Right . Well , this is 338 00:13:40,667 --> 00:13:43,320 more about um regional , regional 339 00:13:43,330 --> 00:13:45,552 response , regional readiness . Um This 340 00:13:45,552 --> 00:13:47,774 is an arrangement that we have with the 341 00:13:47,774 --> 00:13:49,997 Philippines that goes back many years . 342 00:13:49,997 --> 00:13:52,190 Um And then is an investment in our uh 343 00:13:52,210 --> 00:13:54,210 cooperation with the Philippines in 344 00:13:54,210 --> 00:13:58,000 order to um uh better for 345 00:13:58,010 --> 00:14:00,419 better interoperability . But um the , 346 00:14:00,429 --> 00:14:02,580 it's not just about the the regions 347 00:14:02,590 --> 00:14:04,929 also for our forces to be able to 348 00:14:04,940 --> 00:14:06,884 respond to any type of disasters , 349 00:14:06,884 --> 00:14:09,107 whether it be natural or humanitarian . 350 00:14:09,109 --> 00:14:11,950 Um So this is about um you know , again , 351 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,127 we do not seek permanent basing in the 352 00:14:14,127 --> 00:14:16,789 Philippines . Um And this is just one 353 00:14:16,890 --> 00:14:19,539 uh additional um aspect that will 354 00:14:19,549 --> 00:14:21,438 increase training between our two 355 00:14:21,438 --> 00:14:23,380 countries . Great . Yeah , 356 00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:30,381 thanks , Sabrina . I just had one quick 357 00:14:30,381 --> 00:14:32,780 one on the balloon . Um When you talk 358 00:14:32,789 --> 00:14:34,900 about the mitigation efforts that the 359 00:14:34,900 --> 00:14:37,122 US took . My understanding was that was 360 00:14:37,122 --> 00:14:39,345 mostly involving kind of limiting the , 361 00:14:39,345 --> 00:14:41,400 the information footprint , limiting 362 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,609 the signals that uh the US was using . 363 00:14:43,619 --> 00:14:45,890 So as to not leave very much for that 364 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:48,122 balloon to be able to , to intercept or 365 00:14:48,122 --> 00:14:50,344 to scoop up . Can you say whether there 366 00:14:50,344 --> 00:14:52,619 were also efforts to intercept any 367 00:14:52,630 --> 00:14:54,852 outgoing transmissions from the balloon 368 00:14:54,852 --> 00:14:56,963 as it maybe tried to transmit back to 369 00:14:56,963 --> 00:14:58,963 Beijing . That's a great question . 370 00:14:58,963 --> 00:15:00,908 Unfortunately , that gets into our 371 00:15:00,908 --> 00:15:02,908 intelligence capabilities , which I 372 00:15:02,908 --> 00:15:05,130 just wouldn't want to , I just wouldn't 373 00:15:05,130 --> 00:15:04,330 be able to speak to on that front , so 374 00:15:04,340 --> 00:15:06,673 I'll just leave it at that . Yeah , Dan . 375 00:15:07,909 --> 00:15:11,900 And then just on the 376 00:15:11,909 --> 00:15:14,869 book , when you say that you can't 377 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,047 confirm that it was transmitting , the 378 00:15:17,047 --> 00:15:19,324 balloon was transmitting back to China . 379 00:15:19,324 --> 00:15:21,380 Is that because that's classified or 380 00:15:21,380 --> 00:15:23,213 that's because you , the defense 381 00:15:23,213 --> 00:15:25,158 department does not know it cannot 382 00:15:25,158 --> 00:15:25,030 determine that . That's a great 383 00:15:25,039 --> 00:15:27,206 question . That's something that we're 384 00:15:27,206 --> 00:15:28,983 analyzing right now . Um That's 385 00:15:28,983 --> 00:15:31,261 something that we've been looking into . 386 00:15:31,261 --> 00:15:33,206 That's why we're doing some of the 387 00:15:33,206 --> 00:15:35,317 analysis at Quantico and I just don't 388 00:15:35,317 --> 00:15:37,650 have an update for you on that just yet . 389 00:15:37,650 --> 00:15:37,609 So when do you anticipate this 390 00:15:37,619 --> 00:15:40,169 assessment would be wrapped up ? I 391 00:15:40,179 --> 00:15:41,957 don't want to put a timeline on 392 00:15:41,957 --> 00:15:44,068 anything as that could take a while , 393 00:15:44,068 --> 00:15:46,235 but um it's certainly something that , 394 00:15:46,235 --> 00:15:48,401 you know , we can get back to you on . 395 00:15:48,401 --> 00:15:50,623 And is it still possible that as you go 396 00:15:50,623 --> 00:15:52,235 back over old data using the 397 00:15:52,235 --> 00:15:54,235 information you now have since that 398 00:15:54,235 --> 00:15:56,159 incident , that there were other 399 00:15:56,169 --> 00:15:59,700 balloon flights in us airspace that 400 00:15:59,710 --> 00:16:02,130 have not so far been recognized or 401 00:16:02,140 --> 00:16:06,080 publicly acknowledged . Well , there 402 00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:08,201 were , I mean , we did mention at the 403 00:16:08,201 --> 00:16:11,200 time there were previous uh balloons um 404 00:16:11,210 --> 00:16:13,690 in and around the United States and 405 00:16:13,700 --> 00:16:15,922 during the previous administration , is 406 00:16:15,922 --> 00:16:17,978 that what you're referring to or you 407 00:16:17,978 --> 00:16:20,200 did acknowledge a certain number during 408 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,311 the Biden and Trump administrations . 409 00:16:22,311 --> 00:16:24,367 I'm asking , were there more flights 410 00:16:24,367 --> 00:16:26,311 that you've since recognize or you 411 00:16:26,311 --> 00:16:28,533 think you might recognize it ? No , not 412 00:16:28,533 --> 00:16:28,429 that I'm aware of . I think that's all 413 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:30,662 that we assessed and I don't , I mean , 414 00:16:30,662 --> 00:16:32,884 I don't have any other data to indicate 415 00:16:32,884 --> 00:16:34,773 otherwise . Um but it's certainly 416 00:16:34,773 --> 00:16:36,829 something that we continue to assess 417 00:16:36,829 --> 00:16:38,996 and that's how we knew going back that 418 00:16:38,996 --> 00:16:41,162 we did see three incursions during the 419 00:16:41,162 --> 00:16:43,384 Trump administration and then one uh at 420 00:16:43,384 --> 00:16:45,607 the start of the Biden administration . 421 00:16:45,607 --> 00:16:47,718 So if you could just , it was it , it 422 00:16:47,718 --> 00:16:49,940 is , is it would it be possible for the 423 00:16:49,940 --> 00:16:49,429 defense department to release more 424 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,551 information about the previous flight 425 00:16:51,551 --> 00:16:53,440 during the Biden administration ? 426 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,299 Exactly exactly what happened . What 427 00:16:56,309 --> 00:16:58,789 was the response ? Were you aware that 428 00:16:58,799 --> 00:17:00,743 it was a Chinese airship ? Did you 429 00:17:00,743 --> 00:17:02,799 believe it was a Chinese balloon ? I 430 00:17:02,799 --> 00:17:04,910 think it , I think during this time , 431 00:17:04,910 --> 00:17:06,910 earlier this year , we did give you 432 00:17:06,910 --> 00:17:06,339 some of those details . So I'm happy to 433 00:17:06,349 --> 00:17:08,430 go back and , and , and find out if 434 00:17:08,439 --> 00:17:10,661 there's any more that we can release at 435 00:17:10,661 --> 00:17:12,550 this time , but I just don't have 436 00:17:12,550 --> 00:17:14,661 anything more to share at this moment 437 00:17:14,661 --> 00:17:16,772 and then I'm gonna throw you one more 438 00:17:16,772 --> 00:17:18,995 separate . I hope it's a balloon , it's 439 00:17:18,995 --> 00:17:21,106 not balloon . Sadly for you , uh East 440 00:17:21,106 --> 00:17:24,030 China Sea , Japan said that it 441 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,290 documented sort of a record number of 442 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:31,160 hours of incursions by Chinese 443 00:17:31,170 --> 00:17:34,339 vessels and aircraft in and around the 444 00:17:34,390 --> 00:17:37,050 Senkaku Islands . What , what's your 445 00:17:37,060 --> 00:17:39,282 assessment of what's going on there and 446 00:17:39,282 --> 00:17:41,616 how concerned are you about that ? Well , 447 00:17:41,616 --> 00:17:43,504 I'd refer you to those nations to 448 00:17:43,504 --> 00:17:45,616 discuss their ship movements . But um 449 00:17:45,616 --> 00:17:47,449 from here at this podium and the 450 00:17:47,449 --> 00:17:49,671 secretary has spoken about this , we've 451 00:17:49,671 --> 00:17:51,893 been clear on our concerns regarding pr 452 00:17:51,893 --> 00:17:53,671 C escalation and provocation uh 453 00:17:53,671 --> 00:17:56,119 particularly in the East China Sea and 454 00:17:56,130 --> 00:17:58,439 South China Sea . Um And so we continue 455 00:17:58,449 --> 00:18:00,939 to cooperate and coordinate with Japan . 456 00:18:00,949 --> 00:18:02,838 But um I would refer you to those 457 00:18:02,838 --> 00:18:05,171 nations to discuss their ship movements , 458 00:18:09,140 --> 00:18:12,119 the Apple at the Philippines sites . Um 459 00:18:12,310 --> 00:18:14,421 I assume as part of any agreement the 460 00:18:14,421 --> 00:18:16,532 US made with Manila that there was an 461 00:18:16,532 --> 00:18:18,532 understanding on how many US troops 462 00:18:18,532 --> 00:18:20,754 would be rotated through . Can you give 463 00:18:20,754 --> 00:18:22,643 us an idea of how many troops you 464 00:18:22,643 --> 00:18:24,866 expect to be in the Philippines as part 465 00:18:24,866 --> 00:18:27,280 of this , these new sites ? Um And 466 00:18:27,290 --> 00:18:29,401 second part of that is , can you give 467 00:18:29,401 --> 00:18:31,568 us an idea of when those new rotations 468 00:18:31,568 --> 00:18:33,900 may begin ? Um in terms of how many it 469 00:18:33,910 --> 00:18:36,077 will be rotational , I can get back to 470 00:18:36,077 --> 00:18:38,243 you on the exact number . And in terms 471 00:18:38,243 --> 00:18:40,299 of when I'd also have to get back to 472 00:18:40,299 --> 00:18:39,819 you on when that's going to start , I 473 00:18:39,829 --> 00:18:41,940 just don't have that at the top of my 474 00:18:41,940 --> 00:18:43,996 fingers right now . Yeah , I'm right 475 00:18:43,996 --> 00:18:47,859 here . Thank you 476 00:18:49,709 --> 00:18:53,469 to Syria . The decision to extend 477 00:18:53,479 --> 00:18:56,920 the deployment of the Georgia H W W 478 00:18:56,930 --> 00:18:59,930 Bush carrier strike group near Syria . 479 00:19:00,199 --> 00:19:03,609 What your assessment that lead you 480 00:19:04,030 --> 00:19:07,349 to put that carrier strike 481 00:19:07,489 --> 00:19:10,930 still there near Syria ? And do you 482 00:19:10,939 --> 00:19:13,780 have any plans to change your footprint 483 00:19:13,790 --> 00:19:16,180 inside Syria ? Thank you . So I'll take 484 00:19:16,189 --> 00:19:18,300 the last question first . No plans to 485 00:19:18,300 --> 00:19:20,356 change our footprint at this time in 486 00:19:20,356 --> 00:19:24,060 Syria in terms of why the US S J 487 00:19:24,069 --> 00:19:26,579 George W H W Bush carrier was 488 00:19:26,589 --> 00:19:28,829 repositioned . I mean , as you saw , we 489 00:19:28,839 --> 00:19:31,459 saw increased attacks from I RGC 490 00:19:31,469 --> 00:19:33,691 affiliated groups targeting our service 491 00:19:33,691 --> 00:19:36,819 members across , across Syria . And so 492 00:19:36,829 --> 00:19:39,989 as a precaution , uh we did move the 493 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,300 carrier to be slightly uh closer , but 494 00:19:42,310 --> 00:19:44,599 it's still in the purview of U C . Um 495 00:19:44,609 --> 00:19:46,849 But it was in response to , of course 496 00:19:46,859 --> 00:19:49,760 what we saw as increasing attacks um on 497 00:19:49,770 --> 00:19:51,770 our service members in the region . 498 00:19:51,770 --> 00:19:53,826 Yeah , of course , right here in the 499 00:19:53,826 --> 00:19:55,881 back and then I'll come back to Mike 500 00:19:55,881 --> 00:19:58,579 and wrap it up . Thank you for taking 501 00:19:58,589 --> 00:20:01,689 my question um regarding the uh air 502 00:20:01,699 --> 00:20:04,310 defense agreement reached last week , 503 00:20:04,319 --> 00:20:06,541 Nordic air defense agreement between uh 504 00:20:06,541 --> 00:20:08,949 Norway , Sweden , Finland and Denmark . 505 00:20:09,540 --> 00:20:11,689 Um How would , how do you think this 506 00:20:11,699 --> 00:20:15,339 will impact uh us dod 507 00:20:15,489 --> 00:20:18,270 Arctic security strategy ? And when 508 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,224 might we be able to see the Arctic 509 00:20:20,224 --> 00:20:22,959 security strategy , dod strategy ? Sure . 510 00:20:22,969 --> 00:20:25,295 This is a , a partnership in an 511 00:20:25,305 --> 00:20:28,444 agreement with um friends and allies 512 00:20:28,454 --> 00:20:31,625 and um something that we , you know , 513 00:20:31,635 --> 00:20:33,785 will strengthen our country's 514 00:20:33,795 --> 00:20:36,114 cooperation together . Um I'm happy to 515 00:20:36,125 --> 00:20:38,181 get you more on the agreement itself 516 00:20:38,181 --> 00:20:40,292 but um that's all all really safe for 517 00:20:40,292 --> 00:20:43,729 now at this time . Yeah , sure . Just a 518 00:20:43,739 --> 00:20:46,910 clarification on George W H Bush . So 519 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:49,680 the , that ship was actually close to 520 00:20:49,689 --> 00:20:53,300 Turkey during the , the coup , excuse 521 00:20:53,310 --> 00:20:55,510 me , during the earthquake , um , 522 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:58,560 efforts . And would you say that it 523 00:20:58,569 --> 00:21:00,760 changed its position coming closer to 524 00:21:00,770 --> 00:21:02,826 Syria ? That's one . And also it was 525 00:21:02,826 --> 00:21:05,103 also on the way back to San Diego . Do , 526 00:21:05,209 --> 00:21:07,640 do you think that it changed its , uh , 527 00:21:07,650 --> 00:21:09,819 schedule and extended its schedule in 528 00:21:09,829 --> 00:21:13,359 Mediterranean ? Yes , it did change its 529 00:21:13,369 --> 00:21:15,790 schedule and reposition closer in order 530 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:19,520 to be um in a closer position to , to 531 00:21:19,530 --> 00:21:22,170 Syria . And then is there any time like 532 00:21:22,219 --> 00:21:24,290 how , how for how long it change is 533 00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:26,300 scheduled to , I'm not going to get 534 00:21:26,300 --> 00:21:28,411 into more specifics on the timeline . 535 00:21:28,411 --> 00:21:30,467 Um But what I can say is that we are 536 00:21:30,467 --> 00:21:32,467 taking precautions , of course , to 537 00:21:32,467 --> 00:21:34,578 protect our service members as we saw 538 00:21:34,578 --> 00:21:36,522 an increase in , in strikes on our 539 00:21:36,522 --> 00:21:38,744 bases and um our , our , our facilities 540 00:21:38,744 --> 00:21:40,911 and our and our service members in the 541 00:21:40,911 --> 00:21:43,079 region . I'm gonna go to , would you 542 00:21:43,089 --> 00:21:45,540 rule out that this is only because 543 00:21:45,630 --> 00:21:47,574 there were some strikes or attacks 544 00:21:47,574 --> 00:21:49,797 against us forces but has nothing to do 545 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,329 with a possible potential contingent 546 00:21:52,339 --> 00:21:54,849 action against Iran in case the Iranian 547 00:21:54,859 --> 00:21:58,839 regime go ahead , goes ahead with its 548 00:21:58,849 --> 00:22:02,439 nuclear program . This was about the 549 00:22:02,449 --> 00:22:04,393 attacks that we saw on our service 550 00:22:04,393 --> 00:22:06,760 members in the region and response to 551 00:22:06,770 --> 00:22:08,319 that . Yeah , Mike 552 00:22:11,819 --> 00:22:14,040 uh yeah , the British Defense Ministry 553 00:22:14,050 --> 00:22:16,050 is assessing that General Gerasimov 554 00:22:16,050 --> 00:22:18,819 tenure in Russia as the chief of the 555 00:22:18,829 --> 00:22:21,530 general staff , there may be shaky 556 00:22:21,540 --> 00:22:24,689 owing to Russia's failures in the 557 00:22:24,699 --> 00:22:26,880 Ukraine . Is that a viewpoint that's 558 00:22:26,890 --> 00:22:29,229 shared here in the Pentagon ? I 559 00:22:29,239 --> 00:22:31,406 wouldn't be able to say one way or the 560 00:22:31,406 --> 00:22:33,406 other . Shaky . I'm not sure is the 561 00:22:33,406 --> 00:22:35,461 right word . I think we've certainly 562 00:22:35,461 --> 00:22:38,380 seen failures that the Russian military 563 00:22:38,390 --> 00:22:40,390 has not been able to execute on the 564 00:22:40,390 --> 00:22:42,410 battlefield and failures in their 565 00:22:42,420 --> 00:22:44,790 command and control . Um , I wouldn't 566 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,829 be able to speculate on Mr Gasim's 567 00:22:47,020 --> 00:22:48,964 future . I would leave that to the 568 00:22:48,964 --> 00:22:51,760 Russians to do instead or , or yes , or 569 00:22:51,770 --> 00:22:53,369 that . All right . Thanks . All .