1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:03,582 Hey , good afternoon , everybody . Just 2 00:00:03,582 --> 00:00:05,693 a few things here at the top and then 3 00:00:05,693 --> 00:00:08,369 we'll get right to your questions . So , 4 00:00:08,380 --> 00:00:11,100 Secretary Austin hosted Czech Republic 5 00:00:11,109 --> 00:00:13,053 Minister of Defense Jana Chernakov 6 00:00:13,430 --> 00:00:15,652 today at the Pentagon , the two leaders 7 00:00:15,652 --> 00:00:17,708 discussed the bilateral relationship 8 00:00:17,708 --> 00:00:19,652 and signed the defense cooperation 9 00:00:19,652 --> 00:00:21,652 agreement to further strengthen our 10 00:00:21,652 --> 00:00:23,930 defense ties , enhance NATO operations , 11 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,270 advance transatlantic security and 12 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:28,391 protect shared interests and values . 13 00:00:28,549 --> 00:00:30,605 Secretary Austin and Minister Chekov 14 00:00:31,090 --> 00:00:33,000 also discussed a broad range of 15 00:00:33,009 --> 00:00:34,842 bilateral and regional issues to 16 00:00:34,842 --> 00:00:37,229 include Ukraine security assistance and 17 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,462 condemned Russia's brutal war of choice 18 00:00:39,470 --> 00:00:41,680 in Ukraine . The two leaders also 19 00:00:41,689 --> 00:00:43,959 saluted the 30 year anniversary of the 20 00:00:43,970 --> 00:00:45,979 Czech Republic's state Partnership 21 00:00:45,990 --> 00:00:48,409 program with both both the Texas 22 00:00:48,419 --> 00:00:50,197 National Guard and the Nebraska 23 00:00:50,197 --> 00:00:52,308 National Guard . A readout of today's 24 00:00:52,340 --> 00:00:54,500 bilateral meeting will be posted on 25 00:00:54,509 --> 00:00:57,930 defense separately , Secretary Austin 26 00:00:57,939 --> 00:00:59,883 also spoke by phone today with the 27 00:00:59,883 --> 00:01:01,939 Ukrainian Minister of Defense Olesky 28 00:01:01,939 --> 00:01:04,050 Reznikoff to discuss priorities ahead 29 00:01:04,050 --> 00:01:06,217 of this week's virtual Ukraine defense 30 00:01:06,217 --> 00:01:07,939 contact route meeting which is 31 00:01:07,939 --> 00:01:09,883 scheduled for Thursday . Secretary 32 00:01:09,883 --> 00:01:12,106 Austin provided Minister Reznikoff with 33 00:01:12,106 --> 00:01:14,106 an update of us security assistance 34 00:01:14,106 --> 00:01:15,995 efforts and the minister detailed 35 00:01:15,995 --> 00:01:18,050 recent developments on the ground in 36 00:01:18,050 --> 00:01:20,161 Ukraine . A full readout of this call 37 00:01:20,161 --> 00:01:22,272 will be posted later today on the dod 38 00:01:22,272 --> 00:01:24,550 website . Looking ahead to this Friday , 39 00:01:24,550 --> 00:01:26,439 Secretary Austin looks forward to 40 00:01:26,439 --> 00:01:28,383 delivering remarks at the US Naval 41 00:01:28,383 --> 00:01:30,559 Academy's 2023 commencement . The 42 00:01:30,569 --> 00:01:32,680 ceremony will be held at 10 AM at the 43 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,889 Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and 44 00:01:35,900 --> 00:01:37,956 the secretary's remarks will be live 45 00:01:37,956 --> 00:01:40,067 streamed on defense dot gov as well . 46 00:01:40,069 --> 00:01:41,958 Shifting gears under Secretary of 47 00:01:41,958 --> 00:01:44,029 Defense for policy , Dr Colin Ka is 48 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,290 slated to depart for California today 49 00:01:46,510 --> 00:01:48,566 where he'll meet with innovators and 50 00:01:48,566 --> 00:01:50,454 chief executives from the private 51 00:01:50,454 --> 00:01:52,454 sector as well as defense personnel 52 00:01:52,454 --> 00:01:54,566 from the Navy and the Air Force . His 53 00:01:54,566 --> 00:01:56,399 visit will be largely focused on 54 00:01:56,399 --> 00:01:58,177 emerging technologies and space 55 00:01:58,177 --> 00:02:00,066 capabilities and how cutting edge 56 00:02:00,066 --> 00:02:02,288 technologies can and should factor into 57 00:02:02,288 --> 00:02:04,566 the department's planning and concepts . 58 00:02:04,566 --> 00:02:06,566 We will post a readout of secretary 59 00:02:06,566 --> 00:02:08,677 call's trip to the dod website at the 60 00:02:08,677 --> 00:02:11,039 conclusion of his travel and in other 61 00:02:11,050 --> 00:02:12,939 travel news . Deputy Secretary of 62 00:02:12,939 --> 00:02:14,772 Defense Doctor Kathleen Hicks is 63 00:02:14,772 --> 00:02:16,439 visiting joint base Elmendorf 64 00:02:16,439 --> 00:02:18,699 Richardson in Anchorage Alaska today to 65 00:02:18,710 --> 00:02:20,654 gain a deeper understanding of the 66 00:02:20,654 --> 00:02:22,766 quality of life issues facing service 67 00:02:22,766 --> 00:02:24,654 members stationed in the Arctic , 68 00:02:24,654 --> 00:02:26,979 receive operational updates and visit 69 00:02:26,990 --> 00:02:28,889 the TED Stevens Center for Arctic 70 00:02:28,899 --> 00:02:31,149 Security Studies throughout the day . 71 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,160 The Deputy Secretary will meet with 72 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,271 service members and to our quality of 73 00:02:35,271 --> 00:02:37,438 life facilities to include childcare , 74 00:02:37,438 --> 00:02:39,271 lodging , healthcare and fitness 75 00:02:39,271 --> 00:02:41,216 facilities to understand how local 76 00:02:41,216 --> 00:02:43,327 leaders are addressing service member 77 00:02:43,327 --> 00:02:45,438 needs and assess where adjustments to 78 00:02:45,438 --> 00:02:47,216 dod policy might enable further 79 00:02:47,216 --> 00:02:49,271 improvements . These quality of life 80 00:02:49,271 --> 00:02:51,049 assessments are part of a wider 81 00:02:51,049 --> 00:02:53,160 community based approach to improving 82 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,104 mental health and reducing harmful 83 00:02:55,104 --> 00:02:57,220 behaviors like suicide . She'll also 84 00:02:57,229 --> 00:02:59,396 receive operational updates from 11 th 85 00:02:59,396 --> 00:03:01,580 Air Force and 11 th airborne division 86 00:03:01,589 --> 00:03:03,710 commanders . Of note , this is the 87 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:05,831 second day of a two day visit for the 88 00:03:05,831 --> 00:03:07,789 Deputy Secretary to Alaska . And 89 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:09,967 yesterday she visited Isleen Air Force 90 00:03:09,967 --> 00:03:12,110 Base and Fort Wainwright , a read out 91 00:03:12,119 --> 00:03:14,341 of those visits is available on defense 92 00:03:14,341 --> 00:03:16,397 dot gov . And finally , on behalf of 93 00:03:16,397 --> 00:03:18,452 Secretary Austin , the department is 94 00:03:18,452 --> 00:03:20,619 pleased to announce the appointment of 95 00:03:20,619 --> 00:03:22,710 Mr Rex and R as the newest member of 96 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:24,720 the defense Policy Board , which is 97 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:26,887 designed to provide independent advice 98 00:03:26,887 --> 00:03:28,609 and recommendations on matters 99 00:03:28,609 --> 00:03:30,442 concerning defense policy to the 100 00:03:30,442 --> 00:03:33,270 Secretary . Mr Yu is president of the 101 00:03:33,279 --> 00:03:35,369 Asia Group Board , Chair of the Asia 102 00:03:35,380 --> 00:03:37,750 Group Foundation and co host of the Tea 103 00:03:37,759 --> 00:03:40,300 Leaves podcast . He has more than 25 104 00:03:40,309 --> 00:03:42,420 years of experience working in global 105 00:03:42,420 --> 00:03:44,779 diplomacy , national policy making and 106 00:03:44,789 --> 00:03:46,956 executive leadership . And with that , 107 00:03:46,956 --> 00:03:49,122 I'll be happy to take your questions . 108 00:03:49,122 --> 00:03:51,233 We'll go to associated press leader . 109 00:03:51,233 --> 00:03:53,860 Thank you . Two things . One 110 00:03:55,050 --> 00:03:57,589 secretary spoke with the Defense 111 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,610 minister today . Can you give us a 112 00:03:59,619 --> 00:04:02,229 sense of what the US assessment is of 113 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,407 the conditions on the ground in Baku ? 114 00:04:05,490 --> 00:04:07,619 Just any sense that the US has as to 115 00:04:07,630 --> 00:04:10,479 who's in control and how much control 116 00:04:10,490 --> 00:04:12,657 Russia actually has of that area . And 117 00:04:12,657 --> 00:04:14,768 then secondly , can you provide us at 118 00:04:14,768 --> 00:04:16,934 this point , any additional details on 119 00:04:16,934 --> 00:04:20,019 the F-16 uh training , et cetera . Is 120 00:04:20,028 --> 00:04:23,319 there any assessment yet on where the 121 00:04:23,329 --> 00:04:25,588 training would take place ? Would it be 122 00:04:25,598 --> 00:04:28,419 on a US base ? And would the US have to 123 00:04:28,428 --> 00:04:30,650 provide any , I guess additional assets 124 00:04:30,650 --> 00:04:32,706 or anything anywhere for that if you 125 00:04:32,706 --> 00:04:35,188 could just fill us in on any details at 126 00:04:35,199 --> 00:04:37,789 all on some of that ? Ok , thanks . Um 127 00:04:37,799 --> 00:04:40,299 So in terms of baku , um obviously , 128 00:04:40,308 --> 00:04:42,475 we'll , we'll let the Ukrainians speak 129 00:04:42,475 --> 00:04:44,530 to the specifics of their operations 130 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:46,760 and the particular situation on the 131 00:04:46,769 --> 00:04:49,369 ground , which I will note does remain 132 00:04:49,380 --> 00:04:52,059 very dynamic . I will say that even if 133 00:04:52,070 --> 00:04:55,410 Russia has taken ground in Baku , uh we 134 00:04:55,420 --> 00:04:57,609 do not assess that it is a strategic 135 00:04:57,619 --> 00:05:00,489 gain and that Russian forces have paid 136 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:02,556 an incredibly high price in terms of 137 00:05:02,556 --> 00:05:05,170 lives and capability . Meanwhile , our 138 00:05:05,179 --> 00:05:07,760 assessment is that Ukraine's defenses 139 00:05:07,769 --> 00:05:09,825 in the areas surrounding Baku remain 140 00:05:09,825 --> 00:05:13,040 very strong . Um in terms of the uh 141 00:05:13,049 --> 00:05:15,470 F-16s , what I can tell you is that 142 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:17,989 training will take place outside of 143 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,440 Ukraine at sites in Europe . Um But in 144 00:05:21,450 --> 00:05:24,920 terms of more details , in terms of um 145 00:05:24,959 --> 00:05:26,959 when that training will begin , how 146 00:05:26,959 --> 00:05:29,126 those jets will be provided , who will 147 00:05:29,126 --> 00:05:31,348 provide them ? We're , we're continuing 148 00:05:31,348 --> 00:05:33,570 to work with our international partners 149 00:05:33,570 --> 00:05:33,309 on that front and we'll definitely keep 150 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,359 you updated . I'm sorry , do you have a 151 00:05:36,369 --> 00:05:38,313 sense of whether the US will be at 152 00:05:38,313 --> 00:05:40,647 least be providing some training assets , 153 00:05:40,647 --> 00:05:42,758 whether it's simulators or anything ? 154 00:05:42,758 --> 00:05:45,750 And is it likely to be on sort of a one 155 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:47,816 of the bases where the US is already 156 00:05:47,816 --> 00:05:49,927 routinely doing training . Uh Again , 157 00:05:49,927 --> 00:05:51,927 we're working through those details 158 00:05:51,927 --> 00:05:53,927 with our partners and we'll provide 159 00:05:53,927 --> 00:05:53,899 them once we have more available . I 160 00:05:53,910 --> 00:05:56,077 don't have more to provide today . Let 161 00:05:56,077 --> 00:05:57,632 me go to Laura and then Jen 162 00:05:59,829 --> 00:06:01,996 questions . Thank you . Thank you . Um 163 00:06:01,996 --> 00:06:04,559 On , on bak mot , can you say um can 164 00:06:04,570 --> 00:06:06,514 you confirm for us that Russia has 165 00:06:06,514 --> 00:06:08,737 taken the city ? Um You sort of kind of 166 00:06:08,737 --> 00:06:10,792 skirted around that point and then I 167 00:06:10,792 --> 00:06:13,014 have a second question on F-16 . Uh I I 168 00:06:13,014 --> 00:06:15,014 again , I don't want to get into an 169 00:06:15,014 --> 00:06:17,126 operational update about Ukraine here 170 00:06:17,126 --> 00:06:19,237 from the podium . Other than to say , 171 00:06:19,237 --> 00:06:21,420 we do know that Russia does uh hold a 172 00:06:21,429 --> 00:06:23,596 significant amount of territory in and 173 00:06:23,596 --> 00:06:25,970 around Baku . Uh But we also assess 174 00:06:25,980 --> 00:06:28,091 that the Ukrainians are continuing to 175 00:06:28,091 --> 00:06:30,313 fight in the vicinity of Baku as well . 176 00:06:30,359 --> 00:06:33,720 And then um at the F-16s , just wanna 177 00:06:33,730 --> 00:06:35,730 try to pull the thread a little bit 178 00:06:35,730 --> 00:06:38,320 here because obviously the the US would 179 00:06:38,329 --> 00:06:40,329 have to green light any transfer of 180 00:06:40,339 --> 00:06:42,283 aircraft . So can you say anything 181 00:06:42,283 --> 00:06:45,980 about what would be the US role in any 182 00:06:45,989 --> 00:06:47,767 kind of training or transfer of 183 00:06:47,767 --> 00:06:50,239 aircraft writ large for this kind of 184 00:06:50,250 --> 00:06:53,350 program ? Yeah , so again , uh Laura , 185 00:06:53,359 --> 00:06:55,359 we're , we're working through those 186 00:06:55,359 --> 00:06:57,303 details . Uh As as you heard , the 187 00:06:57,303 --> 00:06:59,470 president say , the United States will 188 00:06:59,470 --> 00:07:01,581 participate in terms of supporting an 189 00:07:01,589 --> 00:07:03,959 international coalition to help train 190 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,130 uh Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 . But 191 00:07:07,140 --> 00:07:09,600 in terms of who's specifically is going 192 00:07:09,609 --> 00:07:11,609 to provide that training where it's 193 00:07:11,609 --> 00:07:13,776 going to be provided . Um And how many 194 00:07:13,776 --> 00:07:15,887 aircraft ultimately will be delivered 195 00:07:15,887 --> 00:07:18,109 to Ukraine ? Those are all details that 196 00:07:18,109 --> 00:07:20,220 are being worked out uh again . Uh in 197 00:07:20,220 --> 00:07:22,470 terms of general location , uh this 198 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:24,258 will be , this training will be 199 00:07:24,258 --> 00:07:26,480 conducted in Europe and we'll have more 200 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:28,647 details in the days ahead . Thanks Jen 201 00:07:30,799 --> 00:07:32,959 General Ryder . Can you explain what 202 00:07:32,970 --> 00:07:35,989 changed that the secretary has 203 00:07:36,209 --> 00:07:39,709 recommended that F-16s be provided 204 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,589 to Ukraine ? We've been told for months 205 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,730 really that it was not on the table . 206 00:07:44,739 --> 00:07:47,630 What changed ? Yeah , so uh kind of 207 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:49,807 taking a step back again as you know , 208 00:07:49,807 --> 00:07:52,029 the United States has been very focused 209 00:07:52,029 --> 00:07:54,196 on ensuring that Ukraine has what they 210 00:07:54,196 --> 00:07:56,019 need to be successful on the 211 00:07:56,029 --> 00:07:58,600 battlefield today , right ? If they , 212 00:07:58,609 --> 00:08:00,660 if they are not successful in their 213 00:08:00,670 --> 00:08:02,970 counter offensive , then everything 214 00:08:02,980 --> 00:08:05,320 else is largely a moot point . And so 215 00:08:05,329 --> 00:08:08,000 to date , we have given them alongside 216 00:08:08,010 --> 00:08:10,232 our international allies and partners . 217 00:08:10,232 --> 00:08:12,121 Uh an incredible amount of combat 218 00:08:12,121 --> 00:08:14,066 capability , help them build their 219 00:08:14,066 --> 00:08:16,690 combat power . That said we've said all 220 00:08:16,700 --> 00:08:18,422 along that we are committed to 221 00:08:18,422 --> 00:08:20,478 supporting Ukraine for as long as it 222 00:08:20,478 --> 00:08:22,644 takes both in the near term and in the 223 00:08:22,644 --> 00:08:24,880 long term at the last Ukraine defense 224 00:08:24,890 --> 00:08:27,079 contact group in April . And then 225 00:08:27,089 --> 00:08:29,200 shortly afterwards , Secretary Austin 226 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,709 had received several requests from 227 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,000 countries seeking us permission to 228 00:08:34,010 --> 00:08:36,469 train Ukrainians on the F-16 . So he 229 00:08:36,479 --> 00:08:38,590 subsequently took that matter , 230 00:08:38,700 --> 00:08:40,950 introduced it into our National 231 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,340 Security Council policy process as part 232 00:08:43,349 --> 00:08:46,030 of a conversation about how we support 233 00:08:46,039 --> 00:08:48,270 Ukraine in the mid to long term in 234 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,447 terms of their defense needs and there 235 00:08:50,447 --> 00:08:52,558 was unanimous agreement that this was 236 00:08:52,558 --> 00:08:54,613 something that we should and need to 237 00:08:54,613 --> 00:08:56,599 support . So prior to the G7 , 238 00:08:56,609 --> 00:08:58,469 Secretary , Austin made the 239 00:08:58,799 --> 00:09:01,260 recommendation to proceed with 240 00:09:01,270 --> 00:09:03,000 approving allies to train the 241 00:09:03,010 --> 00:09:05,343 Ukrainians and transfer that capability . 242 00:09:05,599 --> 00:09:07,432 But is it fair to say that these 243 00:09:07,432 --> 00:09:09,729 weapons will be ready for future 244 00:09:09,739 --> 00:09:11,906 operations but not part of the counter 245 00:09:11,906 --> 00:09:13,739 offensive ? Are they going to be 246 00:09:13,739 --> 00:09:15,700 trained up in time for this , this 247 00:09:15,710 --> 00:09:18,450 counter offensive ? So F-16s for 248 00:09:18,460 --> 00:09:21,419 Ukraine is about the long term 249 00:09:21,429 --> 00:09:24,400 commitment to Ukraine . These F-16s 250 00:09:24,409 --> 00:09:26,890 will not be relevant to the upcoming 251 00:09:26,900 --> 00:09:29,530 counter offensive separately . Last 252 00:09:29,539 --> 00:09:31,483 question , there are new satellite 253 00:09:31,483 --> 00:09:34,590 images showing new progress being made 254 00:09:34,599 --> 00:09:36,488 at an underground facility in the 255 00:09:36,488 --> 00:09:39,020 center of Iran near Natanz . It's a 256 00:09:39,030 --> 00:09:42,429 deeper facility . Supposedly the 257 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,809 images show that that it wouldn't be 258 00:09:45,820 --> 00:09:48,739 accessible to us conventional weapons . 259 00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:51,239 What do you plan to do to stop Iran 260 00:09:51,250 --> 00:09:54,059 from using this facility and and 261 00:09:54,070 --> 00:09:56,580 creating a place where they can enrich 262 00:09:56,590 --> 00:09:58,909 uranium to weapons grade ? Thanks 263 00:09:58,919 --> 00:10:01,739 Jennifer . So from a dod standpoint , I 264 00:10:01,750 --> 00:10:03,750 don't have any specifics to provide 265 00:10:03,750 --> 00:10:06,083 other than to say that as you well know , 266 00:10:06,083 --> 00:10:08,250 the United States has taken a whole of 267 00:10:08,250 --> 00:10:10,306 government approach when it comes to 268 00:10:10,306 --> 00:10:12,639 addressing Iran and its nuclear program . 269 00:10:12,690 --> 00:10:15,450 Uh And so from a dod standpoint , we'll 270 00:10:15,460 --> 00:10:17,627 continue to work very closely with the 271 00:10:17,627 --> 00:10:19,793 interagency uh to make sure that we're 272 00:10:19,793 --> 00:10:22,016 supporting those efforts which are very 273 00:10:22,016 --> 00:10:24,182 focused on the diplomatic front as you 274 00:10:24,182 --> 00:10:26,349 know . Uh And so I'll just leave it at 275 00:10:26,349 --> 00:10:28,989 that . Thank you . Is it accurate to 276 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,659 say that militarily you could not stop 277 00:10:31,669 --> 00:10:33,836 them from using this facility ? Yeah , 278 00:10:33,836 --> 00:10:35,447 I'm , I'm not gonna get into 279 00:10:35,447 --> 00:10:37,502 hypotheticals or talk about specific 280 00:10:37,502 --> 00:10:39,502 capabilities that we may or may not 281 00:10:39,502 --> 00:10:41,909 have to one last more on the F-16 . So 282 00:10:41,919 --> 00:10:44,590 we , you , you do not expect the F-16s 283 00:10:44,599 --> 00:10:47,650 to arrive this year . Um Again , we're 284 00:10:47,659 --> 00:10:49,770 working through the details . I'm not 285 00:10:49,770 --> 00:10:51,992 going to get into timelines right now . 286 00:10:51,992 --> 00:10:54,103 Uh We would hope that we will be able 287 00:10:54,103 --> 00:10:56,215 to start the training uh within , you 288 00:10:56,215 --> 00:10:58,048 know , weeks or months uh in the 289 00:10:58,048 --> 00:10:59,881 relatively near term in terms of 290 00:10:59,881 --> 00:11:01,881 deliveries . Again , we'll keep you 291 00:11:01,881 --> 00:11:04,103 updated on that front , but we're gonna 292 00:11:04,103 --> 00:11:03,830 work closely with our allies and our 293 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,349 partners on ensuring that the Ukrainian 294 00:11:07,359 --> 00:11:10,099 pilots are trained on the F-16 . And 295 00:11:10,109 --> 00:11:12,330 then at some point in time , uh we'll 296 00:11:12,340 --> 00:11:14,451 be able to have the actual aircraft . 297 00:11:14,451 --> 00:11:16,673 But as far as this year , you can't say 298 00:11:16,673 --> 00:11:18,673 at this point , whether I , I don't 299 00:11:18,673 --> 00:11:20,840 want to put a timeline on it , I don't 300 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:20,640 want to give you bad info . So again , 301 00:11:20,650 --> 00:11:22,872 we're working through those right now . 302 00:11:22,872 --> 00:11:24,150 Thanks . Ok , we go or 303 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,159 uh another F-16 question . Uh The E US 304 00:11:32,169 --> 00:11:34,336 high representative Joseph Barrel said 305 00:11:34,336 --> 00:11:36,169 Ukrainian pilots have started to 306 00:11:36,169 --> 00:11:38,391 undergo training on F-16 fighter jets . 307 00:11:38,391 --> 00:11:40,725 Can you confirm in several eu countries . 308 00:11:40,725 --> 00:11:42,891 Can you confirm that is the US part of 309 00:11:42,891 --> 00:11:44,780 whatever training that uh form is 310 00:11:44,780 --> 00:11:46,947 taking right now ? Uh So I did see the 311 00:11:46,947 --> 00:11:49,169 press reports . I also saw , I also saw 312 00:11:49,169 --> 00:11:51,225 a press report uh that I believe the 313 00:11:51,225 --> 00:11:53,447 and I refer you to Poland . Uh but they 314 00:11:53,447 --> 00:11:55,669 essentially came out and said , confirm 315 00:11:55,669 --> 00:11:57,836 that no training has begun . Uh And to 316 00:11:57,836 --> 00:11:59,725 that point , I'm not aware of any 317 00:11:59,725 --> 00:12:01,669 training have begun , has that has 318 00:12:01,669 --> 00:12:03,947 begun at this point in time . So again , 319 00:12:03,947 --> 00:12:03,059 we're working through those details . 320 00:12:03,070 --> 00:12:05,292 Thank you . You go back here to Tom and 321 00:12:05,292 --> 00:12:04,940 then 322 00:12:10,590 --> 00:12:12,701 thanks General . Uh I have a question 323 00:12:12,701 --> 00:12:15,619 on uh Secretary hicks' trip to Alaska . 324 00:12:16,010 --> 00:12:19,229 I'm curious from a broader perspective 325 00:12:19,250 --> 00:12:21,472 how it , how it's determined the timing 326 00:12:21,472 --> 00:12:23,840 of these trips . She's in Alaska to 327 00:12:23,849 --> 00:12:26,320 survey and study living conditions 328 00:12:26,330 --> 00:12:28,441 including the high rate of suicide up 329 00:12:28,441 --> 00:12:30,530 there . She's going in May when the 330 00:12:30,539 --> 00:12:33,190 weather is great and when many service , 331 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,311 men and women take the opportunity to 332 00:12:35,311 --> 00:12:37,429 go and take advantage of Alaska's 333 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,979 natural resources , why does she not go 334 00:12:39,989 --> 00:12:42,390 into winter time when it's actually 335 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:45,179 more bleak when the rate of suicide in 336 00:12:45,190 --> 00:12:48,250 Alaska bases is higher and she might 337 00:12:48,260 --> 00:12:51,849 get a more um thorough uh opinion of 338 00:12:51,859 --> 00:12:53,859 living conditions . Thanks . Yeah , 339 00:12:53,859 --> 00:12:56,137 thanks Tom . So I think it's important , 340 00:12:56,137 --> 00:12:57,748 first of all to look at this 341 00:12:57,748 --> 00:13:00,500 holistically , uh the deputy secretary 342 00:13:00,510 --> 00:13:02,820 uh obviously conducts a lot of travel . 343 00:13:02,830 --> 00:13:05,359 Uh And in terms of the timing of this 344 00:13:05,369 --> 00:13:08,809 visit . Uh This was AAA , good time for 345 00:13:08,820 --> 00:13:10,820 her to go and do that . But I would 346 00:13:10,820 --> 00:13:12,820 highlight to you that she's not the 347 00:13:12,820 --> 00:13:16,020 only senior dod leader to visit Alaska . 348 00:13:16,130 --> 00:13:18,130 Uh There's been AAA wide variety of 349 00:13:18,130 --> 00:13:20,241 senior leaders to include in the army 350 00:13:20,241 --> 00:13:22,297 and Air Force side to go there uh to 351 00:13:22,297 --> 00:13:24,760 meet with uh base officials and to meet 352 00:13:24,770 --> 00:13:26,603 with families . Uh We're , we're 353 00:13:26,603 --> 00:13:28,492 obviously taking this very , very 354 00:13:28,492 --> 00:13:30,659 seriously . Thank you and let me go to 355 00:13:30,700 --> 00:13:34,440 and then I'll come back to uh thank you , 356 00:13:34,450 --> 00:13:37,280 General . I have a question on Bahm and 357 00:13:37,289 --> 00:13:39,450 one on the situation in Bel Road . So 358 00:13:39,460 --> 00:13:41,682 Mahmoud , I believe you , you basically 359 00:13:41,682 --> 00:13:45,419 said Russia did not gain any strategic 360 00:13:45,919 --> 00:13:47,975 outcome from , from Bahu . However , 361 00:13:47,975 --> 00:13:50,469 the Ukrainians tried to defend it for 362 00:13:50,479 --> 00:13:52,900 almost a year suffered major losses and 363 00:13:52,909 --> 00:13:56,030 equipment and , and units to include uh 364 00:13:56,039 --> 00:13:58,830 elite units from the dod perspective , 365 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:01,007 which is providing , that is providing 366 00:14:01,007 --> 00:14:04,909 weapons and advice and uh and 367 00:14:04,919 --> 00:14:07,109 training to the Ukrainians . Did it 368 00:14:07,119 --> 00:14:10,130 make sense to defend Bamu at this cost ? 369 00:14:10,140 --> 00:14:12,196 And you think the losses suffered by 370 00:14:12,196 --> 00:14:14,307 the Ukrainians will have an impact on 371 00:14:14,307 --> 00:14:16,307 their ability to launch the counter 372 00:14:16,307 --> 00:14:18,196 offensive , the so called counter 373 00:14:18,196 --> 00:14:20,362 offensive . Yeah , thanks Patty . So a 374 00:14:20,362 --> 00:14:22,418 couple of things there . Um First of 375 00:14:22,418 --> 00:14:24,584 all , in terms of whether or not um it 376 00:14:24,584 --> 00:14:26,696 was the right decision for Ukraine to 377 00:14:26,696 --> 00:14:28,862 commit the resources that they have in 378 00:14:28,862 --> 00:14:31,340 Baku . That's clearly a decision for 379 00:14:31,349 --> 00:14:33,729 them to make . It's their sovereign 380 00:14:33,739 --> 00:14:36,150 territory and only they can decide how 381 00:14:36,159 --> 00:14:40,070 much and where to commit what I mean in 382 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,619 terms of lack of strategic gain for 383 00:14:42,630 --> 00:14:44,352 Russia . If you go back to the 384 00:14:44,352 --> 00:14:46,463 beginning of this campaign , in terms 385 00:14:46,463 --> 00:14:48,408 of what were the Russian strategic 386 00:14:48,408 --> 00:14:50,574 objectives as it relates to Ukraine to 387 00:14:50,574 --> 00:14:52,780 essentially eliminate Ukraine as a 388 00:14:52,789 --> 00:14:55,770 state as a country . Uh They have 389 00:14:55,780 --> 00:14:58,320 committed , you know , tens of 390 00:14:58,330 --> 00:15:02,059 thousands of forces into this area to 391 00:15:02,070 --> 00:15:04,640 fight the Ukrainians . And it's taken 392 00:15:04,650 --> 00:15:06,706 how many months for them to gain the 393 00:15:06,706 --> 00:15:09,080 ground that they have so clearly again , 394 00:15:09,179 --> 00:15:12,179 while they may hold a significant 395 00:15:12,190 --> 00:15:14,359 amount of territory in that area . Uh 396 00:15:14,369 --> 00:15:16,820 The question is to what end to what 397 00:15:16,830 --> 00:15:19,119 strategic gain and again , we would 398 00:15:19,130 --> 00:15:22,789 assess not much at this point . Um So 399 00:15:22,799 --> 00:15:24,966 hopefully that answers your question , 400 00:15:24,966 --> 00:15:26,799 losses suffered by Ukrainian and 401 00:15:26,799 --> 00:15:28,966 whether it will have any impact on the 402 00:15:28,966 --> 00:15:30,688 ability to launch this counter 403 00:15:30,688 --> 00:15:32,910 offensive so called , you know , look , 404 00:15:32,910 --> 00:15:34,966 as I mentioned before , we have been 405 00:15:34,966 --> 00:15:37,021 working very closely with our allies 406 00:15:37,021 --> 00:15:39,132 and partners to help Ukraine build up 407 00:15:39,132 --> 00:15:41,390 its combat power . They have nine 408 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,400 mechanized armored brigades that we 409 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,456 provided . They have significant air 410 00:15:45,456 --> 00:15:47,567 defense capability . The entire world 411 00:15:47,567 --> 00:15:49,678 has come together to ensure that they 412 00:15:49,678 --> 00:15:51,678 have ammunition . And importantly , 413 00:15:51,678 --> 00:15:53,900 we're also providing training and we're 414 00:15:53,900 --> 00:15:55,789 working very closely with them on 415 00:15:55,789 --> 00:15:58,530 sustainment and logistics aspects . So 416 00:15:58,539 --> 00:16:02,090 as they prepare to conduct counter 417 00:16:02,109 --> 00:16:04,869 offensive operations , they have got a 418 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:07,030 very strong hand and we're very 419 00:16:07,039 --> 00:16:09,039 confident that they have the combat 420 00:16:09,039 --> 00:16:11,150 capability that they'll need . Uh And 421 00:16:11,150 --> 00:16:13,206 so again , our focus now is going to 422 00:16:13,206 --> 00:16:15,317 continue to be on providing them with 423 00:16:15,317 --> 00:16:17,317 the security assistance required to 424 00:16:17,317 --> 00:16:19,317 sustain and sustain their fight and 425 00:16:19,317 --> 00:16:21,483 defend their country if I may on Belga 426 00:16:21,483 --> 00:16:23,539 Road , footage circulating on social 427 00:16:23,539 --> 00:16:25,539 media accounts about the units that 428 00:16:25,539 --> 00:16:27,690 attacked Belga road showed what it 429 00:16:27,700 --> 00:16:30,405 seems to be . Uh some uh Western and 430 00:16:30,414 --> 00:16:33,655 American provided uh vehicles or 431 00:16:33,664 --> 00:16:35,664 weapons to include Humvees . And at 432 00:16:35,664 --> 00:16:39,135 least one max uh uh is 433 00:16:39,534 --> 00:16:41,715 confident that none of the weapons 434 00:16:41,724 --> 00:16:44,815 provided to Ukraine were used uh on 435 00:16:44,825 --> 00:16:47,974 Russian . So uh we've seen those 436 00:16:47,984 --> 00:16:49,775 reports . Uh something that we 437 00:16:49,784 --> 00:16:52,094 obviously continue to monitor very 438 00:16:52,104 --> 00:16:54,260 closely . Uh I will say that we can 439 00:16:54,270 --> 00:16:56,640 confirm that the US government has not 440 00:16:56,650 --> 00:16:58,960 approved any third party transfers of 441 00:16:58,969 --> 00:17:01,640 equipment to paramilitary organizations 442 00:17:01,650 --> 00:17:03,706 outside the Ukrainian armed forces , 443 00:17:03,706 --> 00:17:05,539 nor has the Ukrainian government 444 00:17:05,539 --> 00:17:08,800 requested any such uh transfer . So 445 00:17:08,810 --> 00:17:10,977 again , something we will keep a close 446 00:17:10,977 --> 00:17:14,239 eye on . Thank you . Let me go to , I 447 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,308 will follow up on that . So if you 448 00:17:17,318 --> 00:17:19,151 haven't authorized the Ukrainian 449 00:17:19,151 --> 00:17:22,650 military to , to , to , to give the US 450 00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:25,810 provided armored vehicles to the groups 451 00:17:25,819 --> 00:17:28,790 associated with the military , then 452 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,000 does that mean that there were some 453 00:17:31,010 --> 00:17:34,020 divergence of the , some of the 454 00:17:34,030 --> 00:17:36,252 equipment provided by the United States 455 00:17:36,252 --> 00:17:38,419 and found their ways into the hands of 456 00:17:38,419 --> 00:17:40,586 paramilitary groups that went into the 457 00:17:40,586 --> 00:17:43,500 Russian territories and what , what's 458 00:17:43,510 --> 00:17:47,250 going to be the US response ? If 459 00:17:47,719 --> 00:17:50,770 this footage are authentic . Yeah , 460 00:17:50,780 --> 00:17:53,739 thanks . So , um , so a couple of 461 00:17:53,750 --> 00:17:55,917 hypothetical questions there . Right . 462 00:17:55,917 --> 00:17:58,083 Again , we , it's something that we're 463 00:17:58,083 --> 00:18:00,139 keeping a close eye on . Um , as you 464 00:18:00,139 --> 00:18:01,750 know , the United States has 465 00:18:01,750 --> 00:18:03,750 communicated regularly with Ukraine 466 00:18:03,750 --> 00:18:05,972 that the security assistance that we're 467 00:18:05,972 --> 00:18:07,861 providing them is for them to use 468 00:18:07,861 --> 00:18:10,083 inside Ukraine as part of their efforts 469 00:18:10,083 --> 00:18:11,972 to defend their country and their 470 00:18:11,972 --> 00:18:13,972 sovereignty . Um You know , I would 471 00:18:13,972 --> 00:18:17,800 tell you that um when you see imagery 472 00:18:17,810 --> 00:18:19,859 like that , um you know , again , 473 00:18:19,869 --> 00:18:21,869 something we'll look into , I don't 474 00:18:21,869 --> 00:18:24,036 know if it's true or not . Uh in terms 475 00:18:24,036 --> 00:18:26,036 of the veracity of that imagery . I 476 00:18:26,036 --> 00:18:28,036 mean , you recall yesterday , there 477 00:18:28,036 --> 00:18:29,980 were some bogus images of reported 478 00:18:29,980 --> 00:18:32,202 alleged uh explosions at the Pentagon . 479 00:18:32,202 --> 00:18:34,369 So , you know , we just , all of us uh 480 00:18:34,369 --> 00:18:36,591 both within the dod and I'm sure in the 481 00:18:36,591 --> 00:18:38,647 journalism journalistic community uh 482 00:18:38,647 --> 00:18:40,869 have to take a look at these things and 483 00:18:40,869 --> 00:18:40,479 make sure we get the facts before we 484 00:18:40,489 --> 00:18:42,890 make assumptions . Um Like I said , at 485 00:18:42,900 --> 00:18:44,900 this point in time , uh we have not 486 00:18:44,900 --> 00:18:47,067 authorized any transfer of equipment . 487 00:18:47,067 --> 00:18:49,067 Uh They have not asked for transfer 488 00:18:49,067 --> 00:18:51,067 equipment to so called paramilitary 489 00:18:51,067 --> 00:18:54,140 organizations . And we've put in place 490 00:18:54,150 --> 00:18:57,489 some very uh strict protocols in terms 491 00:18:57,500 --> 00:18:59,722 of end use monitoring and have had good 492 00:18:59,722 --> 00:19:01,778 success working with their Ukrainian 493 00:19:01,778 --> 00:19:03,889 partners toward that end . So again , 494 00:19:03,889 --> 00:19:06,056 we'll keep an eye on it . Uh And let's 495 00:19:06,056 --> 00:19:08,167 leave it there uh with respect to the 496 00:19:08,167 --> 00:19:10,278 uh defense Cooperation Agreement with 497 00:19:10,278 --> 00:19:13,660 the Papua New Guinea Um would you say 498 00:19:13,670 --> 00:19:16,819 that with this agreement , the doors 499 00:19:16,829 --> 00:19:19,969 of uh Papua New Guinea is closed to 500 00:19:19,979 --> 00:19:23,030 China . Now , um I , I'd have to have 501 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,151 Papua New Guinea speak for themselves 502 00:19:25,151 --> 00:19:26,762 in terms of their diplomatic 503 00:19:26,762 --> 00:19:28,873 relationship with China . Thank you . 504 00:19:28,873 --> 00:19:30,984 All right . Time for a few more . Let 505 00:19:30,984 --> 00:19:33,829 me go over here and then there . Thank 506 00:19:33,839 --> 00:19:36,117 you General . I work for German debate . 507 00:19:36,117 --> 00:19:38,228 May I ask you to elaborate a bit more 508 00:19:38,228 --> 00:19:40,395 on the F-16 ? You said that it is more 509 00:19:40,395 --> 00:19:42,506 long term ? So are we seeing actually 510 00:19:42,506 --> 00:19:44,561 kind of a new chapter , the post war 511 00:19:44,561 --> 00:19:46,506 planning ? And yeah , if you could 512 00:19:46,506 --> 00:19:48,672 elaborate on that , thank you . Sure . 513 00:19:48,672 --> 00:19:50,839 Thanks for the question . So , so no , 514 00:19:50,839 --> 00:19:53,061 I wouldn't necessarily broadly speaking 515 00:19:53,061 --> 00:19:55,283 bill it as a new chapter we've said all 516 00:19:55,283 --> 00:19:58,489 along that we will work to support 517 00:19:58,500 --> 00:20:02,189 Ukraine's long term defense and 518 00:20:02,199 --> 00:20:04,489 security as it relates to deterring 519 00:20:04,500 --> 00:20:07,170 future aggression . Clearly , the fight 520 00:20:07,180 --> 00:20:09,469 right now is to ensure that they are 521 00:20:09,479 --> 00:20:12,969 able to successfully defend themselves 522 00:20:12,979 --> 00:20:14,923 while at the same time taking back 523 00:20:14,923 --> 00:20:16,812 sovereign territory . But we look 524 00:20:16,812 --> 00:20:18,812 forward to a long term relationship 525 00:20:18,812 --> 00:20:21,035 with Ukraine in terms of their security 526 00:20:21,035 --> 00:20:23,257 assistance needs . And again , with the 527 00:20:23,257 --> 00:20:25,920 idea here that they can secure their 528 00:20:25,930 --> 00:20:27,719 hard won gains and deter future 529 00:20:27,729 --> 00:20:30,689 aggression by Russia . Thank you , sir . 530 00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:35,660 The uh contract has been awarded yet 531 00:20:35,670 --> 00:20:37,726 for the commercial satellite imagery 532 00:20:37,726 --> 00:20:39,837 services that were part of the latest 533 00:20:39,837 --> 00:20:41,948 USA I package and if not , what's the 534 00:20:41,948 --> 00:20:44,114 hold up there that seems like a pretty 535 00:20:44,114 --> 00:20:46,337 straightforward procurement compared to 536 00:20:46,337 --> 00:20:46,260 some of the other stuff that's been in 537 00:20:46,270 --> 00:20:48,939 these USA I packages . Yeah , thanks 538 00:20:48,949 --> 00:20:51,171 John . I don't I don't have any updates 539 00:20:51,171 --> 00:20:53,282 to provide on that front . We'll look 540 00:20:53,282 --> 00:20:55,505 into that and come back to you . Thanks 541 00:20:55,505 --> 00:20:55,469 and let me just go to this gentleman 542 00:20:55,479 --> 00:20:59,160 right here . Thank you . 543 00:20:59,790 --> 00:21:02,250 So , different topic about the G7 , the 544 00:21:02,260 --> 00:21:04,719 G7 leaders agreed to reduce nuclear 545 00:21:04,729 --> 00:21:06,849 weapons , but in light of recent 546 00:21:06,859 --> 00:21:08,970 international situation , the nuclear 547 00:21:08,970 --> 00:21:11,000 weapons have become essential for 548 00:21:11,010 --> 00:21:13,589 defense . So how will the US keep this 549 00:21:13,599 --> 00:21:16,410 balance ? I'm sorry , can you say that 550 00:21:16,420 --> 00:21:18,531 last part ? How will we keep , what , 551 00:21:18,531 --> 00:21:20,642 how to keep the balance of the , keep 552 00:21:20,642 --> 00:21:22,880 the balance ? Um So really , you know , 553 00:21:22,890 --> 00:21:25,223 from a Department of Defense standpoint , 554 00:21:25,223 --> 00:21:28,119 I'll , I'll defer to uh state 555 00:21:28,130 --> 00:21:31,119 Department and to the White House to 556 00:21:31,130 --> 00:21:34,699 talk about broad us nuclear policy from 557 00:21:34,709 --> 00:21:37,040 a dod standpoint , clearly , nuclear 558 00:21:37,050 --> 00:21:40,160 weapons are an important deterrent 559 00:21:40,170 --> 00:21:43,800 capability and we obviously maintain 560 00:21:43,810 --> 00:21:47,560 three legs of a triad . But in terms of 561 00:21:47,630 --> 00:21:49,741 how we balance , I think part of that 562 00:21:49,741 --> 00:21:52,530 is continuing to be very responsible in 563 00:21:52,540 --> 00:21:54,207 our management of our nuclear 564 00:21:54,207 --> 00:21:56,760 capabilities , making sure that we 565 00:21:56,770 --> 00:21:59,880 remain transparent in terms of what our 566 00:21:59,890 --> 00:22:02,560 policies are when it comes to the use 567 00:22:02,569 --> 00:22:05,239 of nuclear weapons and also keeping 568 00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:07,472 channels of communication open with our 569 00:22:07,472 --> 00:22:09,472 partners and adversaries around the 570 00:22:09,472 --> 00:22:11,583 world and something that we've worked 571 00:22:11,583 --> 00:22:13,806 very hard and I think our record speaks 572 00:22:13,806 --> 00:22:15,861 for itself . Thank you . All right . 573 00:22:15,861 --> 00:22:17,917 Let me go . To and then we'll go all 574 00:22:17,917 --> 00:22:19,939 the way in the back there . Reports 575 00:22:19,949 --> 00:22:22,005 that the Russian Defense Ministry is 576 00:22:22,005 --> 00:22:24,171 claiming that it intercepted two B one 577 00:22:24,171 --> 00:22:26,338 bombers over the Baltic Sea . I'm just 578 00:22:26,338 --> 00:22:28,393 wondering if you can confirm that or 579 00:22:28,393 --> 00:22:30,616 have any other information on that . So 580 00:22:30,616 --> 00:22:32,727 we do have two B one bombers that are 581 00:22:32,727 --> 00:22:34,893 part of a bomber task force , which of 582 00:22:34,893 --> 00:22:36,893 course is a air force global strike 583 00:22:36,893 --> 00:22:39,209 command uh formation that we fly 584 00:22:39,219 --> 00:22:41,400 regularly around the world in various 585 00:22:41,410 --> 00:22:44,130 countries . Uh This is a long planned 586 00:22:44,140 --> 00:22:47,520 exercise uh in Europe . Uh And my 587 00:22:47,530 --> 00:22:50,079 understanding is that uh it was a safe 588 00:22:50,089 --> 00:22:52,369 and professional interaction with 589 00:22:52,380 --> 00:22:54,890 Russian aircraft . So , so nothing 590 00:22:54,939 --> 00:22:57,050 significant to report on that front . 591 00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:58,613 Thank you . Yes , sir . 592 00:23:01,459 --> 00:23:03,570 I have a question about the real time 593 00:23:03,570 --> 00:23:05,910 North Korean missile warning 594 00:23:06,060 --> 00:23:08,116 information sharing among the United 595 00:23:08,116 --> 00:23:10,338 States , South Korea and Japan . So can 596 00:23:10,338 --> 00:23:12,560 you tell me any specific implementation 597 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,560 plan , how to share the information 598 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,782 with among the three countries ? Yeah , 599 00:23:16,782 --> 00:23:18,560 I don't , I don't have anything 600 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:18,540 specific to share from the podium here . 601 00:23:18,550 --> 00:23:20,717 Other than to say , as you highlight , 602 00:23:20,717 --> 00:23:23,750 we do have uh long standing agreements 603 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:25,982 to work with our partners and allies in 604 00:23:25,982 --> 00:23:27,927 the region to share information uh 605 00:23:27,927 --> 00:23:29,816 particularly as it relates to our 606 00:23:29,816 --> 00:23:32,089 mutual defense . Uh But uh for 607 00:23:32,099 --> 00:23:34,210 specifics , I'd refer you to us F K . 608 00:23:34,449 --> 00:23:36,290 Thank you . So do you have any 609 00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:38,133 indication that those Koreas are 610 00:23:38,133 --> 00:23:40,189 preparing that are like launch ? I I 611 00:23:40,189 --> 00:23:42,300 don't have any information to provide 612 00:23:42,300 --> 00:23:44,356 on that . Thank you very much and go 613 00:23:44,356 --> 00:23:47,119 here and then we'll go back here and 614 00:23:47,130 --> 00:23:49,241 then I'll come to this side . Sorry . 615 00:23:49,241 --> 00:23:51,186 Thanks General is Secretary Austin 616 00:23:51,186 --> 00:23:53,241 still confident in the civilian harm 617 00:23:53,241 --> 00:23:55,408 mitigation efforts . He's put in place 618 00:23:55,408 --> 00:23:57,241 considering the May 3rd strike . 619 00:23:57,241 --> 00:23:59,463 Absolutely . And I think it's important 620 00:23:59,463 --> 00:24:01,630 here again to , to look at this uh big 621 00:24:01,630 --> 00:24:04,510 picture . So , uh in terms of Centcom's 622 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,479 strike , uh as you know , they 623 00:24:06,489 --> 00:24:08,433 conducted that strike on the , the 624 00:24:08,433 --> 00:24:09,933 third of May , uh they are 625 00:24:09,933 --> 00:24:12,449 investigating the allegations of 626 00:24:12,459 --> 00:24:15,050 civilian casualties . So , uh you know , 627 00:24:15,060 --> 00:24:17,282 I think our record speaks for itself in 628 00:24:17,282 --> 00:24:19,338 terms of how seriously we take these 629 00:24:19,338 --> 00:24:21,504 very few countries around the world do 630 00:24:21,504 --> 00:24:23,393 that . The secretary has complete 631 00:24:23,393 --> 00:24:25,393 confidence that we will continue to 632 00:24:25,393 --> 00:24:27,560 abide by the policies that we put into 633 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:29,727 place . Thank you . All right , let me 634 00:24:29,727 --> 00:24:31,782 go to Rachel and then I'll come back 635 00:24:31,782 --> 00:24:34,459 here to you . Hi Rachel Cohen . 636 00:24:34,469 --> 00:24:36,930 Military times . Give us an idea of 637 00:24:36,939 --> 00:24:38,772 what to expect from the upcoming 638 00:24:38,772 --> 00:24:40,828 contact group . You know , are there 639 00:24:40,828 --> 00:24:42,661 any particular areas of security 640 00:24:42,661 --> 00:24:44,828 assistance that he plans to focus on ? 641 00:24:44,839 --> 00:24:47,006 And now that the gears are starting to 642 00:24:47,006 --> 00:24:49,560 turn on F-16s , what are you hearing 643 00:24:49,569 --> 00:24:51,513 from the partners and allies about 644 00:24:51,513 --> 00:24:53,739 what's the next , you know , hard thing 645 00:24:53,750 --> 00:24:56,010 or insurmountable thing on the wish 646 00:24:56,020 --> 00:24:59,890 list to work through at 647 00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:02,489 this contact group like the others . Uh 648 00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:05,819 It , it will all start with uh Ukraine 649 00:25:05,829 --> 00:25:07,773 providing an overview of the , the 650 00:25:07,773 --> 00:25:09,996 current security situation there and uh 651 00:25:09,996 --> 00:25:12,162 what their most urgent needs are . And 652 00:25:12,170 --> 00:25:15,069 so I would expect that ground based air 653 00:25:15,079 --> 00:25:17,869 defense will continue to be a uh topic 654 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:20,020 of priority discussion as will 655 00:25:20,030 --> 00:25:22,619 ammunition uh to ensure again that , 656 00:25:22,630 --> 00:25:25,459 that they can uh sustain the fight . Um 657 00:25:25,469 --> 00:25:27,560 And then there will also be a 658 00:25:27,569 --> 00:25:30,290 discussion about F-16 training . Thank 659 00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:32,356 you . Ok , go to Carla and then I'll 660 00:25:32,356 --> 00:25:34,300 come right to you . Thanks just to 661 00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:36,578 quickly follow up on the B one bombers . 662 00:25:36,578 --> 00:25:39,949 Uh What aircraft uh intercepted them ? 663 00:25:39,959 --> 00:25:42,126 Can you give us more specifics on , on 664 00:25:42,126 --> 00:25:44,292 where this was ? You know , how many , 665 00:25:44,292 --> 00:25:46,403 what type ? Yeah , I'll have to refer 666 00:25:46,403 --> 00:25:48,626 you to on that Carl . I don't have that 667 00:25:48,626 --> 00:25:50,880 in front of me . Yep . Ok . Yes , sir . 668 00:25:53,859 --> 00:25:55,692 Thank you general uh Constantine 669 00:25:55,692 --> 00:25:57,692 military dot com . Um Last week the 670 00:25:57,692 --> 00:26:00,069 Navy released uh two reports into 671 00:26:00,079 --> 00:26:02,260 suicides at two of their commands . Um 672 00:26:02,270 --> 00:26:04,492 The details of the report , reports are 673 00:26:04,492 --> 00:26:06,270 pretty damning . Um One of them 674 00:26:06,270 --> 00:26:08,270 included the fact that the Navy has 675 00:26:08,270 --> 00:26:10,437 failed its own internal audit in terms 676 00:26:10,437 --> 00:26:12,548 of suicide prevention . Um especially 677 00:26:12,548 --> 00:26:14,603 given the deputy secretary's trip to 678 00:26:14,603 --> 00:26:14,500 Alaska , which suicide prevention is 679 00:26:14,510 --> 00:26:16,920 one of the aspects there . Um Does the , 680 00:26:17,010 --> 00:26:20,550 does the secretary have any concerns uh 681 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,689 with the Navy's ability to protected uh 682 00:26:23,699 --> 00:26:25,921 service members from suicide ? Yeah , I 683 00:26:25,930 --> 00:26:28,380 think that the secretary is uh very 684 00:26:28,390 --> 00:26:30,334 confident that Navy leadership are 685 00:26:30,334 --> 00:26:32,550 taking this issue seriously as are all 686 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:34,579 the service leaders . Uh This is 687 00:26:34,589 --> 00:26:36,811 something that he talks about with them 688 00:26:36,811 --> 00:26:38,867 regularly . Uh For example , we just 689 00:26:38,867 --> 00:26:40,978 recently had a Commander's conference 690 00:26:40,978 --> 00:26:42,978 and this was a significant topic of 691 00:26:42,978 --> 00:26:45,380 discussion in terms of recognizing that 692 00:26:45,390 --> 00:26:47,880 for leaders across the department , 693 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,087 this is something that we just have to 694 00:26:50,087 --> 00:26:51,809 continue to be very focused on 695 00:26:51,809 --> 00:26:54,087 recognizing that at the end of the day , 696 00:26:54,087 --> 00:26:56,142 uh despite all the equipment we have 697 00:26:56,142 --> 00:26:58,142 and all the advanced technologies , 698 00:26:58,142 --> 00:27:00,253 people are what matter the most . And 699 00:27:00,253 --> 00:27:02,142 so , uh he is very confident that 700 00:27:02,142 --> 00:27:03,809 senior leaders throughout the 701 00:27:03,809 --> 00:27:05,864 department got that message and that 702 00:27:05,864 --> 00:27:08,087 they'll continue to work this uh very , 703 00:27:08,087 --> 00:27:10,198 very actively and just a quick follow 704 00:27:10,198 --> 00:27:12,309 up . Does he feel that the , the Navy 705 00:27:12,309 --> 00:27:11,579 and all the services have all the 706 00:27:11,589 --> 00:27:14,160 resources they need to tackle this 707 00:27:14,170 --> 00:27:16,337 problem ? Um I know that he's going to 708 00:27:16,339 --> 00:27:19,079 continue to advocate for them and ask 709 00:27:19,089 --> 00:27:21,089 them for what they need and if they 710 00:27:21,089 --> 00:27:23,033 feel that there's more that that's 711 00:27:23,033 --> 00:27:25,200 required , they will come to him . But 712 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,200 again , this will not be a topic we 713 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,311 ever stop discussing . Thank you very 714 00:27:29,311 --> 00:27:31,533 much time for a couple more . Let me go 715 00:27:31,533 --> 00:27:30,890 here and then go to Louie and then I'll 716 00:27:30,900 --> 00:27:33,178 come back to you for the last question . 717 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,489 Regard them to F F-16s . Um What 718 00:27:36,500 --> 00:27:38,849 assurances that um do you have from 719 00:27:38,859 --> 00:27:41,150 Ukraine that uh they will not use uh 720 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,510 these F-16 to fire into Russia ? I mean , 721 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,760 their territory which could widen this 722 00:27:46,770 --> 00:27:49,290 war . Uh I would just refer you back to 723 00:27:49,300 --> 00:27:51,300 the president's comments during his 724 00:27:51,300 --> 00:27:53,244 press briefing uh over the weekend 725 00:27:53,244 --> 00:27:55,467 where uh he stated that President solos 726 00:27:55,890 --> 00:27:57,834 uh assured him that these aircraft 727 00:27:57,839 --> 00:28:00,560 would be used within Ukraine . Thank 728 00:28:00,569 --> 00:28:01,579 you , Louis . 729 00:28:08,530 --> 00:28:10,641 I'm gonna speak very loudly since I'm 730 00:28:10,641 --> 00:28:12,752 in the last row . Yeah , I can barely 731 00:28:12,752 --> 00:28:14,919 hear you . Um Thank you for laying out 732 00:28:14,919 --> 00:28:18,020 the timeline of what , how the F-16 733 00:28:18,030 --> 00:28:20,560 decision um happened . But can you 734 00:28:20,569 --> 00:28:22,569 provide us with an evolution in the 735 00:28:22,569 --> 00:28:25,680 secretary's thinking of where , you 736 00:28:25,689 --> 00:28:27,633 know how his thinking evolved from 737 00:28:27,633 --> 00:28:29,633 where it was understanding that the 738 00:28:29,633 --> 00:28:31,800 difference between immediate needs and 739 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,689 long term needs ? But how did his 740 00:28:33,689 --> 00:28:35,689 thinking evolve ? And then I have a 741 00:28:35,689 --> 00:28:37,745 question about F-16 support that you 742 00:28:37,745 --> 00:28:39,967 mentioned earlier ? Yeah . So again , I 743 00:28:39,967 --> 00:28:42,078 think I was , you know , pretty clear 744 00:28:42,078 --> 00:28:44,133 um in terms of , of how we got to uh 745 00:28:44,133 --> 00:28:47,439 that decision . Again , the secretary 746 00:28:47,449 --> 00:28:49,671 from the very beginning has been one of 747 00:28:49,671 --> 00:28:52,180 the most staunch advocates for Ukraine 748 00:28:52,189 --> 00:28:55,109 and their defense . As demonstrated by 749 00:28:55,119 --> 00:28:57,063 the fact that every single month , 750 00:28:57,300 --> 00:28:59,467 almost since the beginning of Russia's 751 00:28:59,467 --> 00:29:01,920 invasion , he has hosted a contact 752 00:29:01,930 --> 00:29:04,140 group to ensure that they have what 753 00:29:04,150 --> 00:29:05,872 they need to be able to defend 754 00:29:05,872 --> 00:29:08,094 themselves . And again , if you go back 755 00:29:08,094 --> 00:29:10,369 to February of 2022 the situation that 756 00:29:10,380 --> 00:29:13,089 Ukraine found itself in versus today , 757 00:29:13,209 --> 00:29:15,890 I think that demonstrates how Secretary 758 00:29:15,900 --> 00:29:18,170 Austin and his counterparts from around 759 00:29:18,180 --> 00:29:20,013 the world have been able to come 760 00:29:20,013 --> 00:29:22,209 together to ensure that Ukraine can 761 00:29:22,219 --> 00:29:24,930 fight today and be prepared to defend 762 00:29:24,939 --> 00:29:27,050 their country and take back sovereign 763 00:29:27,050 --> 00:29:29,979 territory when it comes to any type of 764 00:29:29,989 --> 00:29:33,250 capability . The key there is making 765 00:29:33,260 --> 00:29:35,609 sure that we are focused on getting 766 00:29:35,619 --> 00:29:37,675 them what they need to be successful 767 00:29:37,675 --> 00:29:39,890 now . And we're at a point in time 768 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,359 where as Ukraine has built up 769 00:29:42,369 --> 00:29:44,420 significant defensive combat 770 00:29:44,430 --> 00:29:47,500 capabilities , we can now start to talk 771 00:29:47,510 --> 00:29:49,829 about things like what their long term 772 00:29:49,839 --> 00:29:51,959 needs are going to be . And also keep 773 00:29:51,969 --> 00:29:53,913 in mind too that it's not just the 774 00:29:53,913 --> 00:29:56,025 United States . And as we look at the 775 00:29:56,025 --> 00:29:58,410 dollars that we have allocated to us to 776 00:29:58,420 --> 00:30:00,587 be able to provide security assistance 777 00:30:00,587 --> 00:30:02,587 for Ukraine , how are those dollars 778 00:30:02,587 --> 00:30:04,753 best spent to ensure that they can get 779 00:30:04,753 --> 00:30:06,809 the security assistance they need in 780 00:30:06,809 --> 00:30:09,031 the immediate term ? And so again , the 781 00:30:09,031 --> 00:30:10,976 United States will be working very 782 00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:10,859 closely with our allies and partners 783 00:30:10,869 --> 00:30:13,036 around the world to look at how we can 784 00:30:13,036 --> 00:30:15,258 pool resources as we've done , not only 785 00:30:15,258 --> 00:30:17,369 for the near term , the medium term , 786 00:30:17,369 --> 00:30:19,425 but the long term now in the case of 787 00:30:19,425 --> 00:30:21,258 F-16s . So one of the things you 788 00:30:21,258 --> 00:30:23,313 mentioned at the top was that the US 789 00:30:23,313 --> 00:30:25,536 will be providing support for this F-16 790 00:30:25,536 --> 00:30:27,480 training . Does that mean that the 791 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:29,536 United States will provide pilots to 792 00:30:29,536 --> 00:30:31,589 train Ukrainian pilots or is that 793 00:30:31,599 --> 00:30:33,821 something that is not on the table ? Uh 794 00:30:33,821 --> 00:30:35,988 again , we'll we'll be working through 795 00:30:35,988 --> 00:30:38,099 those details . Louis , I think , you 796 00:30:38,099 --> 00:30:40,321 know , as a US built platform , clearly 797 00:30:40,321 --> 00:30:42,339 export ability , uh aspects , 798 00:30:42,349 --> 00:30:44,579 technology transfer aspects are things 799 00:30:44,589 --> 00:30:46,469 that we'll be looking at as well 800 00:30:46,479 --> 00:30:48,701 working with our allies and partners on 801 00:30:48,701 --> 00:30:50,868 that front . Um But again , we'll have 802 00:30:50,868 --> 00:30:53,090 much more to follow in the days ahead . 803 00:30:53,090 --> 00:30:55,257 So let me go to the last question . Uh 804 00:30:55,257 --> 00:30:57,257 two more . OK ? And then we'll come 805 00:30:57,257 --> 00:30:59,423 right back here general a follow up on 806 00:30:59,423 --> 00:31:01,349 the May 3rd strike . So civilian 807 00:31:01,359 --> 00:31:04,250 casualty is one aspect of the story . 808 00:31:04,260 --> 00:31:06,149 But there is another aspect , the 809 00:31:06,149 --> 00:31:08,420 statement that released uh was saying 810 00:31:08,430 --> 00:31:11,000 that was claiming that a senior Al 811 00:31:11,010 --> 00:31:13,459 Qaeda leader was targeted and we never 812 00:31:13,469 --> 00:31:17,209 heard back from the who the leader was . 813 00:31:17,459 --> 00:31:19,626 Is there a reason that the US military 814 00:31:19,626 --> 00:31:21,920 is not releasing the name of the , the 815 00:31:21,930 --> 00:31:24,880 senior Al Qaeda leader ? I I'd refer 816 00:31:24,890 --> 00:31:26,834 you to Centcom to talk about their 817 00:31:26,834 --> 00:31:29,469 release and is really in speaking about 818 00:31:29,479 --> 00:31:31,890 the leader they were targeting . Could , 819 00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:34,122 could you take the question and then if 820 00:31:34,122 --> 00:31:37,099 possible uh come up with the reason why , 821 00:31:37,109 --> 00:31:39,130 why us military is not releasing it 822 00:31:39,140 --> 00:31:41,410 again ? What I would tell you is that 823 00:31:41,420 --> 00:31:44,359 uh central Command is investigating the 824 00:31:44,369 --> 00:31:46,369 allegation and when there's more to 825 00:31:46,369 --> 00:31:48,258 provide on that front , they'll , 826 00:31:48,258 --> 00:31:50,536 they'll be sure to do that . Thank you . 827 00:31:50,536 --> 00:31:52,758 All right . Last question . Yes , sir . 828 00:31:52,758 --> 00:31:55,091 Right . General , thanks for doing this . 829 00:31:55,091 --> 00:31:55,030 Um Earlier this month , the Air Force 830 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:58,359 released imagery of GB U 57 munitions 831 00:31:58,369 --> 00:32:00,536 at Whiteman Air Force Base . I believe 832 00:32:00,536 --> 00:32:02,939 it was um the photos were later deleted 833 00:32:02,949 --> 00:32:05,550 from uh social media uh by the Air 834 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,782 force , presumably wondering if you can 835 00:32:07,782 --> 00:32:09,949 tell us why . And then I have a follow 836 00:32:09,949 --> 00:32:09,729 up . Uh , I'd have to refer to the Air 837 00:32:09,739 --> 00:32:11,850 Force and that I don't , I don't have 838 00:32:11,850 --> 00:32:11,829 any information . Does the US have 839 00:32:11,839 --> 00:32:13,783 sufficient GB U 50 sevens ? I know 840 00:32:13,783 --> 00:32:15,895 that's been a major unfunded priority 841 00:32:15,895 --> 00:32:17,895 in recent years . I'm not , I'm not 842 00:32:17,895 --> 00:32:20,117 gonna get into stockpile levels or , or 843 00:32:20,117 --> 00:32:22,172 readiness discussions . Thanks . All 844 00:32:22,172 --> 00:32:24,339 right . Thanks very much . Everybody . 845 00:32:24,339 --> 00:32:23,339 Appreciate it .