1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:04,769 --> 00:00:06,491 Uh Good afternoon , ladies and 3 00:00:06,491 --> 00:00:08,825 gentlemen . Thanks for being here today . 4 00:00:08,825 --> 00:00:10,547 It is my pleasure to introduce 5 00:00:10,547 --> 00:00:12,658 Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and 6 00:00:12,658 --> 00:00:14,769 chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 7 00:00:14,769 --> 00:00:16,936 General Mark Milley . Uh the secretary 8 00:00:16,936 --> 00:00:18,825 and chairman will deliver opening 9 00:00:18,825 --> 00:00:20,880 remarks and then have time to take a 10 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,102 few questions . Uh Please note , I will 11 00:00:23,102 --> 00:00:25,158 moderate those questions and call on 12 00:00:25,158 --> 00:00:24,899 journalists . Uh given our tight 13 00:00:24,909 --> 00:00:26,879 schedule . I'd ask that you please 14 00:00:26,889 --> 00:00:29,000 limit your follow ups uh to give your 15 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,833 colleagues a chance to ask their 16 00:00:30,833 --> 00:00:32,500 questions and appreciate your 17 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:34,722 assistance with that . So with that , I 18 00:00:34,722 --> 00:00:36,945 will turn it over to Secretary Austin . 19 00:00:36,945 --> 00:00:38,833 Thanks Chris and good afternoon , 20 00:00:38,833 --> 00:00:40,889 everyone and thanks for being here . 21 00:00:41,470 --> 00:00:43,740 We've just concluded our 14 th meeting 22 00:00:43,750 --> 00:00:45,806 of the Ukraine defense contact group 23 00:00:45,806 --> 00:00:48,599 held virtually this time and I'm 24 00:00:48,610 --> 00:00:50,443 especially grateful to Ukraine's 25 00:00:50,443 --> 00:00:52,509 Minister of Defense Alexi Rezko for 26 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,380 joining us again today in highlighting 27 00:00:55,389 --> 00:00:57,819 Ukraine's most urgent battlefield needs . 28 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,902 I also want to thank General Milley for 29 00:01:00,902 --> 00:01:03,169 his leadership and his deep commitment 30 00:01:03,180 --> 00:01:06,720 to the self defense of Ukraine . Now , 31 00:01:06,730 --> 00:01:08,786 today's meeting of the contact group 32 00:01:08,786 --> 00:01:12,400 comes at a critical time . We're 33 00:01:12,410 --> 00:01:14,354 following on the heels of a highly 34 00:01:14,354 --> 00:01:16,809 successful NATO summit in Vilnius last 35 00:01:16,819 --> 00:01:20,230 week where many of our closest allies 36 00:01:20,239 --> 00:01:22,830 announced significant security packages 37 00:01:23,150 --> 00:01:26,660 for Ukraine's defense and Ukraine is 38 00:01:26,669 --> 00:01:28,529 continuing its critical counter 39 00:01:28,540 --> 00:01:31,029 offensive to regain its sovereign 40 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,870 territory . Now , we're seeing 41 00:01:34,879 --> 00:01:38,010 Ukraine make progress and Russia loses 42 00:01:38,019 --> 00:01:41,099 Russia's losses continue to mount . The 43 00:01:41,110 --> 00:01:43,332 Ukrainian people have shown outstanding 44 00:01:43,332 --> 00:01:45,666 courage as they fight for their country . 45 00:01:46,580 --> 00:01:49,559 As we saw again today , this contact 46 00:01:49,569 --> 00:01:52,019 group stands united behind them . 47 00:01:53,220 --> 00:01:55,276 Today , we recommitted to supporting 48 00:01:55,276 --> 00:01:57,220 Ukraine during its crucial counter 49 00:01:57,220 --> 00:02:01,180 offensive and for the long haul . And 50 00:02:01,190 --> 00:02:03,900 this is no time to slow down . The 51 00:02:03,910 --> 00:02:05,743 United States and our allies and 52 00:02:05,743 --> 00:02:07,577 partners have moved mountains to 53 00:02:07,577 --> 00:02:09,690 provide Ukraine with critical air 54 00:02:09,699 --> 00:02:12,330 defense systems , munitions and more 55 00:02:13,889 --> 00:02:16,056 and so coming out of today's meeting , 56 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,191 I'm grateful to all of our allies and 57 00:02:18,191 --> 00:02:20,470 partners for their commitment and their 58 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:23,360 clarity of purpose . I've asked our 59 00:02:23,369 --> 00:02:25,699 friends to continue to dig deep into 60 00:02:25,710 --> 00:02:28,300 their military stocks because we're 61 00:02:28,309 --> 00:02:30,365 going to do what it takes to support 62 00:02:30,365 --> 00:02:32,531 Ukraine's sovereign right to live free 63 00:02:32,531 --> 00:02:36,279 today and for the future . Now , 64 00:02:36,289 --> 00:02:38,233 during today's meeting , we talked 65 00:02:38,233 --> 00:02:40,529 about Ukraine's ongoing requirements 66 00:02:40,539 --> 00:02:43,110 including , as I've said , it's urgent 67 00:02:43,119 --> 00:02:47,009 need for ammunition . We also discussed 68 00:02:47,020 --> 00:02:50,149 plans to ramp up production at both the 69 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,289 national level and the multinational 70 00:02:52,300 --> 00:02:55,259 level through the European Union's uh 71 00:02:55,270 --> 00:02:57,419 important initiative to produce more 72 00:02:57,429 --> 00:03:01,309 ammunition . We heard from the co leads 73 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,850 of the F-16 training coalition , 74 00:03:04,279 --> 00:03:07,179 Denmark and the Netherlands . They 75 00:03:07,190 --> 00:03:09,580 continue to make progress on a cohesive 76 00:03:09,589 --> 00:03:12,240 training plan and to help some very 77 00:03:12,250 --> 00:03:14,710 eager Ukrainian pilots learn to fly 78 00:03:15,059 --> 00:03:18,639 fourth generation aircraft . I'd like 79 00:03:18,649 --> 00:03:21,580 to thank Minister Paulson and minister 80 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,479 for their leadership . Such initiatives 81 00:03:25,850 --> 00:03:27,739 clearly show that members of this 82 00:03:27,739 --> 00:03:29,889 contact group continue to meet 83 00:03:29,899 --> 00:03:32,960 Ukraine's near term needs while also 84 00:03:32,970 --> 00:03:35,240 working to get Ukraine what it needs 85 00:03:35,250 --> 00:03:38,339 for the long term . In other words , 86 00:03:38,350 --> 00:03:40,461 we're gonna continue to walk and chew 87 00:03:40,461 --> 00:03:43,539 gum at the same time , for example , 88 00:03:43,550 --> 00:03:45,494 Sweden and France have both signed 89 00:03:45,494 --> 00:03:47,606 bilateral agreements with Ukraine for 90 00:03:47,630 --> 00:03:50,699 defense procurements and more . And 91 00:03:50,710 --> 00:03:52,821 that's going to help Ukraine get even 92 00:03:52,821 --> 00:03:54,710 more advanced systems and it will 93 00:03:54,710 --> 00:03:57,360 foster deeper cooperation going forward . 94 00:03:58,779 --> 00:04:00,390 And both of these agreements 95 00:04:00,789 --> 00:04:03,910 demonstrate our long term focus on 96 00:04:03,919 --> 00:04:06,252 building up Ukraine's enduring strength , 97 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,369 these commitments underscore how badly 98 00:04:10,380 --> 00:04:13,210 Putin miscalculated when he invaded 99 00:04:13,220 --> 00:04:16,019 Ukraine last year , three of his 100 00:04:16,029 --> 00:04:18,410 blunders are especially clear today . 101 00:04:19,528 --> 00:04:21,528 First , Putin thought that he could 102 00:04:21,528 --> 00:04:24,850 take Kiev in days and force a new 103 00:04:24,859 --> 00:04:26,915 government of Russian puppets on the 104 00:04:26,915 --> 00:04:29,839 Ukrainian Ukrainian people , but 105 00:04:29,850 --> 00:04:32,529 Ukraine chose to fight back . The 106 00:04:32,540 --> 00:04:34,596 Ukrainian armed forces have defended 107 00:04:34,596 --> 00:04:36,762 their country with courage and skill . 108 00:04:38,239 --> 00:04:41,459 Second , the Kremlin bet that the world 109 00:04:41,470 --> 00:04:44,510 would just live with its cruel assault 110 00:04:44,519 --> 00:04:47,579 on Ukraine . But Russia's aggression 111 00:04:47,589 --> 00:04:49,820 and atrocities have shocked the world 112 00:04:50,630 --> 00:04:53,350 including even Moscow's long term 113 00:04:53,359 --> 00:04:56,989 partners . And that brings me to 114 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,230 Putin's final miscalculation . He 115 00:05:00,239 --> 00:05:02,295 thought that Ukraine's friends would 116 00:05:02,295 --> 00:05:05,690 waver or flee instead . Nations of 117 00:05:05,700 --> 00:05:07,730 goodwill from around the world have 118 00:05:07,739 --> 00:05:09,906 stood up for Ukraine's sovereign right 119 00:05:09,906 --> 00:05:13,160 to defend itself . And by joining 120 00:05:13,170 --> 00:05:15,720 together , we have achieved something 121 00:05:15,730 --> 00:05:19,350 extraordinary . And today this contact 122 00:05:19,359 --> 00:05:23,190 group stands as united and firm as ever . 123 00:05:24,380 --> 00:05:27,160 So make no mistake . We are determined 124 00:05:27,170 --> 00:05:29,337 to support Ukraine's fight for freedom 125 00:05:29,609 --> 00:05:32,869 for as long as it takes with that . Let 126 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:34,880 me turn it over to General Milley . 127 00:05:36,149 --> 00:05:38,316 Thanks secretary , I appreciate that . 128 00:05:38,316 --> 00:05:40,371 And uh good afternoon , everyone and 129 00:05:40,371 --> 00:05:42,593 thanks for being here . I want to start 130 00:05:42,593 --> 00:05:44,649 by thanking Secretary Austin for his 131 00:05:44,649 --> 00:05:46,871 unwavering commitment and leadership to 132 00:05:46,871 --> 00:05:49,038 the Ukrainian defense contact group in 133 00:05:49,038 --> 00:05:51,316 support of Ukraine in the time of need . 134 00:05:51,316 --> 00:05:53,260 This is our 14th meeting and month 135 00:05:53,260 --> 00:05:55,316 after month , Secretary Austin keeps 136 00:05:55,316 --> 00:05:57,371 the direction of this 50 nation plus 137 00:05:57,371 --> 00:05:59,149 strong coalition focused on the 138 00:05:59,149 --> 00:06:01,316 strategic objectives . And I also want 139 00:06:01,316 --> 00:06:03,482 to express my deep appreciation to the 140 00:06:03,482 --> 00:06:05,705 various ministers and Chiefs of defense 141 00:06:05,705 --> 00:06:07,316 who participated today whose 142 00:06:07,316 --> 00:06:09,538 unfaltering support to Ukraine has been 143 00:06:09,538 --> 00:06:11,538 a beacon of solidarity since Russia 144 00:06:11,538 --> 00:06:13,538 began its vicious war of choice for 145 00:06:13,538 --> 00:06:16,450 more than 500 days . Russia has 146 00:06:16,459 --> 00:06:18,500 continued their illegal war while 147 00:06:18,510 --> 00:06:20,589 Ukrainians have stood strong in the 148 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,109 face of Russia's unprovoked attacks and 149 00:06:23,119 --> 00:06:25,452 are an inspiration to all three nations . 150 00:06:25,630 --> 00:06:28,739 Russia's war of Choice . Russia's war 151 00:06:28,750 --> 00:06:31,700 of aggression is a frontal assault on 152 00:06:31,709 --> 00:06:33,709 the rules based international order 153 00:06:33,709 --> 00:06:35,876 that has prevented great power war for 154 00:06:35,876 --> 00:06:38,119 the last eight consecutive decades . It 155 00:06:38,130 --> 00:06:39,797 is not only an illegal war of 156 00:06:39,797 --> 00:06:41,908 aggression , it's also an unnecessary 157 00:06:41,908 --> 00:06:44,130 war against a country that presented no 158 00:06:44,130 --> 00:06:45,950 military threat to Russia , an 159 00:06:45,959 --> 00:06:49,230 unnecessary unjust illegal war of 160 00:06:49,239 --> 00:06:52,529 aggression for more than 500 days . And 161 00:06:52,540 --> 00:06:54,290 yet the Ukrainian people have 162 00:06:54,299 --> 00:06:56,132 demonstrated their extraordinary 163 00:06:56,132 --> 00:06:58,769 determination to remain free a freedom . 164 00:06:58,779 --> 00:07:01,140 They have known for the last 30 years , 165 00:07:01,709 --> 00:07:03,709 they fight with grit and tenacity , 166 00:07:03,709 --> 00:07:05,489 exhibiting a profound spirit of 167 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:08,540 resistance and resilience . As Ukraine 168 00:07:08,549 --> 00:07:10,605 continues its counter offensive , we 169 00:07:10,605 --> 00:07:13,130 are reminded that real war is not war 170 00:07:13,140 --> 00:07:15,679 on paper . Real war is unpredictable , 171 00:07:15,890 --> 00:07:17,779 it's filled with fear and fog and 172 00:07:17,779 --> 00:07:20,339 friction . Real war is brutal . The 173 00:07:20,350 --> 00:07:22,572 crucible of combat is enormous costs in 174 00:07:22,572 --> 00:07:24,683 terms of killed , wounded , displaced 175 00:07:24,683 --> 00:07:27,579 persons and refugees . And yet despite 176 00:07:27,589 --> 00:07:29,940 the enormous costs , the Ukrainians are 177 00:07:29,950 --> 00:07:32,260 advancing steadily and deliberately 178 00:07:32,429 --> 00:07:34,709 braving brutal and bloody battles to 179 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,989 reclaim their homeland . As we publicly 180 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,559 said weeks ago , this offensive will be 181 00:07:40,570 --> 00:07:43,339 slow , it will be difficult and it will 182 00:07:43,350 --> 00:07:45,619 come at a high cost . This battle 183 00:07:45,630 --> 00:07:47,519 continues as the Ukrainians fight 184 00:07:47,519 --> 00:07:49,686 through dense minefields and obstacles 185 00:07:49,686 --> 00:07:51,852 while a robust Ukrainian reserve force 186 00:07:51,852 --> 00:07:54,049 lies in wait to be committed at the 187 00:07:54,059 --> 00:07:56,119 optimal time and place of Ukrainian 188 00:07:56,130 --> 00:07:58,549 choosing Ukrainian contact group's 189 00:07:58,559 --> 00:08:00,709 assistance to Ukraine . Goes beyond 190 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,190 mere words or symbolic gestures . We 191 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,367 are committed to helping them where it 192 00:08:05,367 --> 00:08:07,190 matters most collectively , the 193 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,820 coalition has trained 17 brigade combat 194 00:08:09,829 --> 00:08:12,429 teams for this offensive and more than 195 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,630 63,000 troops and the United States 196 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,739 alone has trained 15,000 of those with 197 00:08:18,750 --> 00:08:21,269 more training . Ongoing training has 198 00:08:21,279 --> 00:08:23,480 included individual non commissioned 199 00:08:23,489 --> 00:08:25,420 officers and officers and staff 200 00:08:25,429 --> 00:08:27,690 training along with artillery , air 201 00:08:27,700 --> 00:08:29,809 defense , artillery engineers , 202 00:08:29,820 --> 00:08:31,779 logistics , medical and of course 203 00:08:31,790 --> 00:08:33,846 putting it all together and combined 204 00:08:33,846 --> 00:08:36,012 arms maneuver at night . This training 205 00:08:36,012 --> 00:08:38,234 has developed tangible skills that have 206 00:08:38,234 --> 00:08:40,457 helped create capable Ukrainian leaders 207 00:08:40,457 --> 00:08:42,623 and units that are having a measurable 208 00:08:42,623 --> 00:08:44,846 impact on the battlefield . Today , the 209 00:08:44,846 --> 00:08:46,846 United States additionally recently 210 00:08:46,846 --> 00:08:48,679 announced an additional security 211 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:50,734 package of up to $800 million . This 212 00:08:50,739 --> 00:08:52,683 latest security assistance package 213 00:08:52,683 --> 00:08:54,572 includes substantial provision of 214 00:08:54,572 --> 00:08:56,461 additional artillery munitions to 215 00:08:56,461 --> 00:08:58,350 include high mars and air defense 216 00:08:58,350 --> 00:09:00,461 weapons such as patriot missiles . It 217 00:09:00,461 --> 00:09:02,183 also includes a broad range of 218 00:09:02,183 --> 00:09:04,350 artillery systems and munitions , anti 219 00:09:04,350 --> 00:09:06,239 army munitions , precision aerial 220 00:09:06,239 --> 00:09:08,520 munitions , demolitions and various 221 00:09:08,530 --> 00:09:10,640 other supplies that are necessary to 222 00:09:10,650 --> 00:09:12,372 keep Ukraine in the fight . In 223 00:09:12,372 --> 00:09:14,150 combination , this training and 224 00:09:14,150 --> 00:09:16,261 equipment enables Ukraine to have the 225 00:09:16,261 --> 00:09:18,372 capacity and the capability to defend 226 00:09:18,372 --> 00:09:20,590 itself . Us . Security assistance to 227 00:09:20,599 --> 00:09:22,969 Ukraine now totals over $40 million.40 228 00:09:22,979 --> 00:09:24,960 billion dollars which sends a very 229 00:09:24,969 --> 00:09:27,679 clear message as President Biden , 230 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:30,099 Secretary Austin and the various heads 231 00:09:30,109 --> 00:09:32,276 of all the nation states in support of 232 00:09:32,276 --> 00:09:34,276 Ukraine and Vilnius stated we stand 233 00:09:34,276 --> 00:09:36,570 firm in our ironclad commitment to 234 00:09:36,580 --> 00:09:38,802 provide practical support to Ukraine as 235 00:09:38,802 --> 00:09:41,136 it continues to defend its independence , 236 00:09:41,136 --> 00:09:43,136 sovereignty , territorial integrity 237 00:09:43,136 --> 00:09:45,247 within its internationally recognized 238 00:09:45,247 --> 00:09:47,469 borders . The Vilnius summit communique 239 00:09:47,469 --> 00:09:49,260 said we reaffirm our unwavering 240 00:09:49,270 --> 00:09:51,437 solidarity with the government and the 241 00:09:51,437 --> 00:09:53,659 people of Ukraine in the heroic defense 242 00:09:53,659 --> 00:09:55,714 of their nation , their land and our 243 00:09:55,714 --> 00:09:58,048 shared values . As President Biden said , 244 00:09:58,450 --> 00:10:00,729 our commitment to Ukraine will not 245 00:10:00,739 --> 00:10:02,906 weaken . We will stand for liberty and 246 00:10:02,906 --> 00:10:04,906 freedom today tomorrow . And for as 247 00:10:04,906 --> 00:10:08,440 long as it takes Ukraine's fight is not 248 00:10:08,450 --> 00:10:10,561 merely a battle against an aggressive 249 00:10:10,561 --> 00:10:12,283 invader . It's a fight for the 250 00:10:12,283 --> 00:10:14,506 principles that bind us as a free world 251 00:10:14,506 --> 00:10:16,561 sovereignty , self determination and 252 00:10:16,561 --> 00:10:18,506 the rule of law versus the rule of 253 00:10:18,506 --> 00:10:20,359 force . Today's gathering of the 254 00:10:20,369 --> 00:10:22,036 Ukraine defense contact group 255 00:10:22,036 --> 00:10:23,980 underlines our global commitment . 256 00:10:23,980 --> 00:10:26,036 Thank you and I look forward to your 257 00:10:26,036 --> 00:10:28,313 questions . All right . Thank you both . 258 00:10:28,313 --> 00:10:30,425 We'll go to questions now . The first 259 00:10:30,425 --> 00:10:32,091 we go to Lita Baldor with the 260 00:10:32,091 --> 00:10:33,980 associated Press . Thank you , Mr 261 00:10:33,980 --> 00:10:36,909 Secretary . Good afternoon . As you 262 00:10:36,919 --> 00:10:40,510 both know , a US soldier crossed the 263 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,349 border into North Korea today after 264 00:10:43,359 --> 00:10:45,780 having been released from South Korea 265 00:10:45,789 --> 00:10:49,609 prison . Can you tell us 266 00:10:49,739 --> 00:10:52,570 what you know about this case right now ? 267 00:10:52,750 --> 00:10:54,989 Are the North Koreans forcibly 268 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,340 detaining this soldier ? Are you 269 00:10:57,349 --> 00:10:59,890 concerned about what security breach 270 00:10:59,900 --> 00:11:03,340 this could represent ? And for General 271 00:11:03,349 --> 00:11:05,405 Milley , General Milley , there have 272 00:11:05,405 --> 00:11:07,627 been a recent increase in the number of 273 00:11:07,627 --> 00:11:09,880 very aggressive incidents over Syria 274 00:11:09,890 --> 00:11:13,150 involving Russia . What do you think 275 00:11:13,159 --> 00:11:16,750 has caused this ? Is this a result , do 276 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,280 you think of the Ukraine war pressure 277 00:11:19,289 --> 00:11:22,590 on Russia ? And does the US need to 278 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,219 send more assets to that area ? 279 00:11:27,059 --> 00:11:29,281 Well , thanks leader . Good afternoon . 280 00:11:29,281 --> 00:11:33,150 Um Yeah , what I can confirm and uh I 281 00:11:33,159 --> 00:11:35,669 would say up front that we're very 282 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,289 early uh in this uh event . And so 283 00:11:38,299 --> 00:11:42,080 there's a lot uh that uh that we're 284 00:11:42,090 --> 00:11:44,257 still trying to learn . But what we do 285 00:11:44,257 --> 00:11:46,479 know is that one of our service members 286 00:11:46,479 --> 00:11:49,599 who was on a tour uh willfully and 287 00:11:49,609 --> 00:11:51,609 without authorization , crossed the 288 00:11:51,609 --> 00:11:54,229 military demarcation line , we believe 289 00:11:54,239 --> 00:11:57,239 that he is in the BRK custody . And so 290 00:11:57,250 --> 00:11:58,861 we're closely monitoring and 291 00:11:58,869 --> 00:12:01,710 investigating the situation and working 292 00:12:01,719 --> 00:12:04,869 to notify the soldiers next of kin , uh 293 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:07,359 and engaging to address this incident 294 00:12:07,890 --> 00:12:09,890 in terms of my concerns . I'm , I'm 295 00:12:09,890 --> 00:12:12,030 absolutely foremost , concerned about 296 00:12:12,039 --> 00:12:15,159 the welfare of our troop . And so we 297 00:12:15,169 --> 00:12:17,391 will remain focused on this and again , 298 00:12:17,510 --> 00:12:20,330 uh this , this will develop in the next 299 00:12:20,340 --> 00:12:22,780 uh uh several days and hours and uh 300 00:12:22,789 --> 00:12:26,250 we'll keep you posted . So , and later 301 00:12:26,260 --> 00:12:28,549 on the uh Syria piece , uh there is a , 302 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:31,049 a bit of an uptick , but uh I wouldn't 303 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:33,530 overstate it too much . Um I think that 304 00:12:33,700 --> 00:12:35,729 our forces have adequate rules of 305 00:12:35,739 --> 00:12:37,906 engagement and authorities provided to 306 00:12:37,906 --> 00:12:40,049 defend themselves . Uh And the second 307 00:12:40,059 --> 00:12:42,359 thing is we have uh a deconfliction 308 00:12:42,369 --> 00:12:44,647 channel . I think you're aware of that . 309 00:12:44,647 --> 00:12:46,869 Uh We have a deconfliction channel that 310 00:12:46,869 --> 00:12:49,036 Centcom operates on a day to day basis 311 00:12:49,036 --> 00:12:50,813 in order to prevent any sort of 312 00:12:50,813 --> 00:12:52,536 incident or escalation . We're 313 00:12:52,536 --> 00:12:54,591 monitoring it very closely as to the 314 00:12:54,591 --> 00:12:54,059 reason why the a little bit of an 315 00:12:54,070 --> 00:12:56,292 uptick . I'm not really certain . We've 316 00:12:56,292 --> 00:12:58,570 got analysts trying to figure that out . 317 00:12:58,570 --> 00:13:00,459 I don't know if it's connected to 318 00:13:00,459 --> 00:13:00,409 Ukraine or not right now . There's 319 00:13:00,419 --> 00:13:02,820 nothing to suggest that it is , but we 320 00:13:02,830 --> 00:13:04,941 are , we are adequately protected and 321 00:13:04,941 --> 00:13:06,997 our focus is always on our own force 322 00:13:06,997 --> 00:13:08,886 protection . The need to put more 323 00:13:08,886 --> 00:13:11,108 forces in that region considering a lot 324 00:13:11,108 --> 00:13:13,219 have been shifted to Asia . We've got 325 00:13:13,219 --> 00:13:14,997 adequate capabilities to defend 326 00:13:14,997 --> 00:13:16,997 ourselves . All right , thank you . 327 00:13:16,997 --> 00:13:19,052 Second question will go to Irece Ali 328 00:13:19,052 --> 00:13:21,799 with Reuters . Uh Thank you , um , 329 00:13:22,330 --> 00:13:24,799 Chairman Milley . Um We're now entering 330 00:13:24,809 --> 00:13:27,070 the fifth week uh of the counter 331 00:13:27,109 --> 00:13:29,109 offensive . So going into the sixth 332 00:13:29,109 --> 00:13:31,220 week , um and , and you publicly have 333 00:13:31,220 --> 00:13:33,331 talked about as have others in the US 334 00:13:33,331 --> 00:13:35,165 government about how the counter 335 00:13:35,165 --> 00:13:36,998 offensive is growing slower than 336 00:13:36,998 --> 00:13:38,720 expected . Um I appreciate the 337 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:40,942 realities of , of the front lines , the 338 00:13:40,942 --> 00:13:43,165 minds and the situation there , but has 339 00:13:43,165 --> 00:13:45,387 the counter offensive stalled ? And how 340 00:13:45,387 --> 00:13:47,580 is this not a failure so far ? And um 341 00:13:47,590 --> 00:13:50,260 Secretary Austin , um you talked about 342 00:13:50,270 --> 00:13:52,381 the alliance um and , and the contact 343 00:13:52,381 --> 00:13:54,960 group um being together . Um but public , 344 00:13:55,025 --> 00:13:56,969 there seems to be a bit of fraying 345 00:13:56,969 --> 00:13:59,474 Defense Minister Wallace last week said 346 00:13:59,484 --> 00:14:01,206 that he had told his Ukrainian 347 00:14:01,206 --> 00:14:03,262 counterparts that quote , we are not 348 00:14:03,262 --> 00:14:05,262 Amazon and that they should show us 349 00:14:05,262 --> 00:14:07,373 some appreciation . Do you agree with 350 00:14:07,373 --> 00:14:09,484 the sentiments that Secretary Wallace 351 00:14:09,484 --> 00:14:11,484 expressed ? And what exactly do the 352 00:14:11,484 --> 00:14:13,540 Ukrainians need to sort of break the 353 00:14:13,540 --> 00:14:15,595 front lines in the security zone and 354 00:14:15,595 --> 00:14:17,817 make the progress that you had expected 355 00:14:17,817 --> 00:14:20,580 them to make ? Well , first , uh thanks 356 00:14:20,590 --> 00:14:24,289 Idris . Um and I'll , I'll 357 00:14:24,299 --> 00:14:26,466 answer first and then the chairman can 358 00:14:26,466 --> 00:14:29,010 uh can chime in , um you know , we're 359 00:14:29,020 --> 00:14:32,219 just off of uh just back from the 360 00:14:33,830 --> 00:14:36,349 summit in uh in Vilnius . And what I 361 00:14:36,359 --> 00:14:40,099 witnessed in Vilnius was indeed unity 362 00:14:40,380 --> 00:14:43,609 and cohesion uh in every meeting that I , 363 00:14:43,619 --> 00:14:47,559 I sat in and uh and so I would , 364 00:14:47,729 --> 00:14:49,785 it's the same thing that I witnessed 365 00:14:49,785 --> 00:14:52,190 today as I talk to uh Ministers of 366 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,650 Defense and Chiefs of Defense , that 367 00:14:54,659 --> 00:14:57,340 unity is still there . Uh There's no 368 00:14:57,349 --> 00:14:59,590 question that we have provided Ukraine 369 00:14:59,599 --> 00:15:02,330 a lot . We uh the international 370 00:15:02,340 --> 00:15:05,780 coalition uh Ukraine is in a fight and 371 00:15:05,789 --> 00:15:08,011 we have to remember that uh when you're 372 00:15:08,011 --> 00:15:10,059 in a fight , uh you , you want 373 00:15:10,070 --> 00:15:12,237 everything that you can get your hands 374 00:15:12,237 --> 00:15:15,390 on . And uh and so that , that's to be 375 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,400 expected . Uh Ben Wallace and I have 376 00:15:18,409 --> 00:15:20,229 worked along with the coalition 377 00:15:20,239 --> 00:15:24,020 partners over the last uh year or 378 00:15:24,030 --> 00:15:27,169 so um on this 379 00:15:27,179 --> 00:15:30,530 particular issue and , and Ben has done 380 00:15:30,539 --> 00:15:34,349 a lot to uh to enable and , and to help 381 00:15:34,359 --> 00:15:37,130 the Ukrainian military . And so he's 382 00:15:37,140 --> 00:15:39,251 been , he's been a great partner . Uh 383 00:15:39,251 --> 00:15:42,590 But again , uh I continue to see 384 00:15:42,599 --> 00:15:45,969 unity and cohesion . I continue to 385 00:15:45,979 --> 00:15:49,419 hear ministers say that we're going to 386 00:15:49,429 --> 00:15:51,969 support Ukraine for as long as it takes . 387 00:15:52,340 --> 00:15:54,507 And I heard their leaders say the same 388 00:15:54,507 --> 00:15:57,349 thing uh in uh in Vilnius uh last week , 389 00:15:57,710 --> 00:16:01,200 uh this is more much , it's about much 390 00:16:01,210 --> 00:16:03,710 more than uh just Ukraine . This is 391 00:16:03,719 --> 00:16:05,719 about the rules based international 392 00:16:05,719 --> 00:16:07,941 order . And I think people realize that 393 00:16:07,941 --> 00:16:10,108 people around the globe realize that . 394 00:16:10,108 --> 00:16:12,469 And uh you know , I i it's about the 395 00:16:12,479 --> 00:16:14,479 ability of a country to protect its 396 00:16:14,479 --> 00:16:16,849 sovereign territory . And , and so 397 00:16:16,859 --> 00:16:18,970 there is an interest across the globe 398 00:16:18,970 --> 00:16:21,719 around the globe uh to ensure that 399 00:16:21,729 --> 00:16:23,979 Ukraine can be successful in defending 400 00:16:23,989 --> 00:16:27,400 its sovereign territory . So I just , I 401 00:16:27,409 --> 00:16:30,090 would uh say a couple of things . First 402 00:16:30,099 --> 00:16:31,988 of all , uh the Russians have had 403 00:16:31,989 --> 00:16:34,211 several months to put in a very complex 404 00:16:34,211 --> 00:16:36,322 defense in depth . The linear defense 405 00:16:36,322 --> 00:16:38,322 in depth . Uh It's , it's not quite 406 00:16:38,322 --> 00:16:40,433 connected trench lines like World War 407 00:16:40,433 --> 00:16:42,545 One , but it's uh not dissimilar from 408 00:16:42,545 --> 00:16:44,378 that either . Uh lots of complex 409 00:16:44,378 --> 00:16:46,378 minefields , dragons teeth , barbed 410 00:16:46,378 --> 00:16:48,545 wire trenches , et cetera . Uh They've 411 00:16:48,545 --> 00:16:50,656 got a very uh extensive security zone 412 00:16:50,656 --> 00:16:52,822 in depth and then they've got at least 413 00:16:52,822 --> 00:16:55,045 two , perhaps even three main defensive 414 00:16:55,045 --> 00:16:57,100 bels . So they've had a long time to 415 00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:59,322 prepare that now they suffered a lot of 416 00:16:59,322 --> 00:17:01,545 casualties , the Russians did to date . 417 00:17:01,545 --> 00:17:03,822 So they've also done that mobilization , 418 00:17:03,822 --> 00:17:05,822 you know , from months ago . So the 419 00:17:05,822 --> 00:17:05,449 troops that are manning , those Russian 420 00:17:05,459 --> 00:17:07,348 lines are poorly trained , poorly 421 00:17:07,348 --> 00:17:09,515 equipped , their sustainment logistics 422 00:17:09,515 --> 00:17:11,626 is not high , the morale is low . And 423 00:17:11,626 --> 00:17:13,626 now recently because of the Persian 424 00:17:13,626 --> 00:17:15,540 mutiny , the command and control 425 00:17:15,550 --> 00:17:17,550 apparatus at the strategic level is 426 00:17:17,550 --> 00:17:19,661 certainly confusing at best and , and 427 00:17:19,661 --> 00:17:21,661 probably challenging in many , many 428 00:17:21,661 --> 00:17:23,550 other ways at the operational and 429 00:17:23,550 --> 00:17:25,161 tactical level . They've had 430 00:17:25,161 --> 00:17:27,217 significant casualties among their , 431 00:17:27,217 --> 00:17:29,328 their officer corps . But in addition 432 00:17:29,328 --> 00:17:29,239 to that , the recent events of Prego 433 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:31,622 has also led to and you're reporting it 434 00:17:31,622 --> 00:17:34,010 in the media about various folks being 435 00:17:34,020 --> 00:17:36,349 replaced . So the Russian situation is 436 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:38,660 not very good , even though they've 437 00:17:38,670 --> 00:17:40,726 been fighting a fight because of the 438 00:17:40,726 --> 00:17:42,837 minefields . What the Ukrainians have 439 00:17:42,837 --> 00:17:44,726 though is a significant amount of 440 00:17:44,726 --> 00:17:46,892 combat power , not yet committed . And 441 00:17:46,892 --> 00:17:49,003 I will not say what's going to happen 442 00:17:49,003 --> 00:17:48,910 in the future because that's going to 443 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,142 be a Ukrainian decision as to where and 444 00:17:51,142 --> 00:17:53,142 when uh they commit their reserve , 445 00:17:53,142 --> 00:17:54,809 etcetera right now , they are 446 00:17:54,809 --> 00:17:56,976 preserving their combat power . Uh And 447 00:17:56,976 --> 00:17:59,031 they are slowly and deliberately and 448 00:17:59,031 --> 00:18:01,198 steadily working their way through all 449 00:18:01,198 --> 00:18:03,364 these minefields . Uh And , and it's a 450 00:18:03,364 --> 00:18:03,189 tough fight , it's a very difficult 451 00:18:03,199 --> 00:18:05,719 fight . Um It started about five or six 452 00:18:05,729 --> 00:18:08,380 weeks ago . Um And the various war 453 00:18:08,390 --> 00:18:10,612 games that were done ahead of time have 454 00:18:10,612 --> 00:18:12,723 predicted certain levels of advance . 455 00:18:12,723 --> 00:18:14,612 Uh And that has slowed down why ? 456 00:18:14,612 --> 00:18:16,834 Because that's a different war on paper 457 00:18:16,834 --> 00:18:19,057 and real war . These are real people in 458 00:18:19,057 --> 00:18:21,279 real machines that are out there really 459 00:18:21,279 --> 00:18:20,579 clearing real minefields and they're 460 00:18:20,589 --> 00:18:22,867 really dying . Uh So when that happens , 461 00:18:22,867 --> 00:18:25,089 units tend to slow down . Uh And that's 462 00:18:25,089 --> 00:18:27,300 rightly . So in order to survive , uh 463 00:18:27,310 --> 00:18:28,977 in order to get through these 464 00:18:28,977 --> 00:18:31,088 minefields , so they're working their 465 00:18:31,088 --> 00:18:33,143 way through it . Uh It is far from a 466 00:18:33,143 --> 00:18:35,310 failure in my view , I think that it's 467 00:18:35,310 --> 00:18:37,643 way too early to make that kind of call . 468 00:18:37,643 --> 00:18:39,810 I think there's a lot of fighting left 469 00:18:39,810 --> 00:18:41,977 to go and I'll stay with the , what we 470 00:18:41,977 --> 00:18:41,619 said before . This is going to be long . 471 00:18:41,630 --> 00:18:43,574 It's gonna be hard , it's gonna be 472 00:18:43,574 --> 00:18:45,519 bloody . And at the end of the day 473 00:18:45,519 --> 00:18:47,574 we'll see what the Ukrainians end up 474 00:18:47,574 --> 00:18:49,574 vis a vis the Russians . And let me 475 00:18:49,574 --> 00:18:51,797 just tag on to what the chairman said . 476 00:18:51,797 --> 00:18:53,963 I absolutely agree with everything the 477 00:18:53,963 --> 00:18:56,074 chairman said . Uh but I would remind 478 00:18:56,074 --> 00:18:58,074 you that we , this is not over . We 479 00:18:58,074 --> 00:18:59,969 continue to generate combat power 480 00:19:00,020 --> 00:19:02,242 training , three training and equipping 481 00:19:02,242 --> 00:19:04,849 three brigades in uh in Germany right 482 00:19:04,859 --> 00:19:06,890 now . And there's other training 483 00:19:06,900 --> 00:19:09,067 ongoing around the around the region . 484 00:19:09,067 --> 00:19:11,178 As the chairman pointed out earlier , 485 00:19:11,178 --> 00:19:13,760 uh countries continue to provide uh 486 00:19:13,770 --> 00:19:16,569 platforms and you know , we talked 487 00:19:16,579 --> 00:19:19,650 about the uh additional leopards and , 488 00:19:19,660 --> 00:19:21,849 and uh and infantry fighting vehicles 489 00:19:21,859 --> 00:19:24,290 that uh that are on the horizon as well 490 00:19:24,300 --> 00:19:27,989 as artillery pieces . And so we're 491 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,056 going to continue to generate combat 492 00:19:30,056 --> 00:19:32,278 power . We're going to continue to push 493 00:19:32,278 --> 00:19:34,500 in additional Bradley fighting vehicles 494 00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:37,829 and also strikers in artillery pieces . 495 00:19:37,839 --> 00:19:40,061 And you heard the chairman mention that 496 00:19:40,061 --> 00:19:42,061 earlier . So our work continues and 497 00:19:42,069 --> 00:19:44,236 we're going to do everything we can to 498 00:19:44,236 --> 00:19:46,069 make sure that Ukrainians can be 499 00:19:46,069 --> 00:19:48,125 successful . All right . Thank you . 500 00:19:48,125 --> 00:19:50,291 Third question . I'll go to Missy Ryan 501 00:19:50,291 --> 00:19:52,402 at the Washington Post . Um I have uh 502 00:19:52,402 --> 00:19:54,625 two Ukraine related questions following 503 00:19:54,625 --> 00:19:56,791 up on Idris First Secretary Austin for 504 00:19:56,791 --> 00:19:59,013 you . I wanted to , to follow up on the 505 00:19:59,013 --> 00:20:01,069 G7 statement that came out last week 506 00:20:01,069 --> 00:20:03,619 regarding the framework for providing 507 00:20:03,630 --> 00:20:05,463 security assurances to Ukraine . 508 00:20:05,463 --> 00:20:08,500 President Biden has publicly the Israel 509 00:20:08,510 --> 00:20:11,829 mou model . Do you believe that um 510 00:20:11,839 --> 00:20:14,099 is there a possibility that the United 511 00:20:14,109 --> 00:20:16,810 States could help Ukraine achieve or 512 00:20:16,819 --> 00:20:19,449 secure some sort of parallel 513 00:20:19,550 --> 00:20:21,989 qualitative military edge or could the 514 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,167 United States provide a mutual defense 515 00:20:24,167 --> 00:20:27,689 agreement to Ukraine as part of that 516 00:20:27,699 --> 00:20:29,866 security assurance ? And do you expect 517 00:20:29,866 --> 00:20:33,180 that it's politically feasible to um 518 00:20:33,189 --> 00:20:35,670 have the kind of agreement that we have 519 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,180 with Israel for Ukraine ? And then for 520 00:20:38,189 --> 00:20:41,930 you , Chairman Milly , um Ukrainian 521 00:20:41,939 --> 00:20:44,161 military leaders have said how grateful 522 00:20:44,161 --> 00:20:46,217 they are for us support . But at the 523 00:20:46,217 --> 00:20:47,995 same time , the various leaders 524 00:20:47,995 --> 00:20:50,619 including general slush , you talk to 525 00:20:50,630 --> 00:20:53,829 regularly have said that they don't 526 00:20:53,839 --> 00:20:55,895 think it's reasonable for the United 527 00:20:55,895 --> 00:20:57,950 States to be for Ukraine , excuse me 528 00:20:57,950 --> 00:21:00,545 conducting this kind of major offensive 529 00:21:00,555 --> 00:21:02,333 and especially do combined arms 530 00:21:02,333 --> 00:21:04,444 maneuvers without the ability to have 531 00:21:04,444 --> 00:21:06,333 greater air power and provide air 532 00:21:06,333 --> 00:21:08,388 support to the troops . And they say 533 00:21:08,388 --> 00:21:10,444 NATO would never dream of asking its 534 00:21:10,444 --> 00:21:12,277 forces to do that even given the 535 00:21:12,277 --> 00:21:14,277 Russian air defense system , that's 536 00:21:14,277 --> 00:21:16,499 there . What is your response to that ? 537 00:21:16,499 --> 00:21:18,499 And can you help us sort of walk us 538 00:21:18,499 --> 00:21:20,722 through your thinking about why Ukraine 539 00:21:20,722 --> 00:21:23,119 is able and should be able to conduct 540 00:21:23,130 --> 00:21:25,297 this offensive without the greater air 541 00:21:25,297 --> 00:21:27,130 power that some of the Ukrainian 542 00:21:27,130 --> 00:21:29,186 leaders are asking for ? Thank you . 543 00:21:29,186 --> 00:21:31,880 Thanks , Missy . Uh I counted about 12 544 00:21:31,890 --> 00:21:34,900 questions but uh we'll do our best to 545 00:21:34,910 --> 00:21:38,369 uh to get to uh first on the 546 00:21:38,380 --> 00:21:40,959 agreement with Ukraine we can expect . 547 00:21:40,969 --> 00:21:44,069 And you saw evidence of this uh with 548 00:21:44,079 --> 00:21:46,190 the G7 announcement at the end of the 549 00:21:46,190 --> 00:21:48,439 Vilnius summit , we can expect that 550 00:21:48,449 --> 00:21:51,939 countries uh will um 551 00:21:53,199 --> 00:21:55,609 execute bilateral agreements with , 552 00:21:55,619 --> 00:21:57,810 with Ukraine going forward and 553 00:21:57,819 --> 00:22:00,209 certainly we will as well . And , and 554 00:22:00,219 --> 00:22:02,500 that's a work in progress . But I would 555 00:22:02,510 --> 00:22:05,689 tell you uh our part of that , the 556 00:22:05,699 --> 00:22:08,329 chairman and I are focused on not only 557 00:22:08,339 --> 00:22:10,395 making sure that Ukraine has what it 558 00:22:10,395 --> 00:22:13,770 needs to be successful today . Uh but 559 00:22:13,780 --> 00:22:15,780 we also have to make sure that they 560 00:22:15,780 --> 00:22:18,119 have a capability to defend themselves 561 00:22:18,410 --> 00:22:21,000 in the future and to deter aggression 562 00:22:21,010 --> 00:22:23,239 in the future . So , uh while we're 563 00:22:23,250 --> 00:22:25,250 doing what's necessary to make sure 564 00:22:25,250 --> 00:22:27,417 that they can be successful today , uh 565 00:22:27,417 --> 00:22:29,361 we're also gonna have to work with 566 00:22:29,361 --> 00:22:32,439 allies and partners uh uh to do to 567 00:22:32,449 --> 00:22:35,880 build a future force . And uh and so 568 00:22:35,890 --> 00:22:38,239 that's a hard work that's gotta , gotta 569 00:22:38,250 --> 00:22:40,417 happen . And right now , we're kind of 570 00:22:40,417 --> 00:22:42,417 at that , at that point where we're 571 00:22:42,417 --> 00:22:46,239 doing both uh uh simultaneously . Uh So 572 00:22:46,250 --> 00:22:48,219 you see that in some cases we've 573 00:22:48,229 --> 00:22:51,219 invested in some things uh that because 574 00:22:51,229 --> 00:22:53,451 they have to be produced , they won't , 575 00:22:53,451 --> 00:22:56,119 they won't uh materialize until um 576 00:22:56,829 --> 00:22:59,051 couple of uh months down the road or in 577 00:22:59,051 --> 00:23:01,162 some cases a year down the road . But 578 00:23:01,162 --> 00:23:03,273 those kinds of things help uh provide 579 00:23:03,273 --> 00:23:05,496 the capability that Ukraine is going to 580 00:23:05,496 --> 00:23:07,718 need in the future . So the core of any 581 00:23:07,718 --> 00:23:09,662 agreement will be their ability to 582 00:23:09,849 --> 00:23:12,127 defend themselves and deter aggression . 583 00:23:12,180 --> 00:23:14,402 They've got to have the combat power to 584 00:23:14,402 --> 00:23:16,513 do that and that's what we're focused 585 00:23:16,513 --> 00:23:18,847 on . And then around that , uh you know , 586 00:23:18,847 --> 00:23:21,930 the bilateral agreement will certainly 587 00:23:21,939 --> 00:23:23,939 be formed . And , and this is gonna 588 00:23:23,949 --> 00:23:26,369 have to be work that uh nations take on 589 00:23:26,380 --> 00:23:28,880 together , not one nation alone . And 590 00:23:28,890 --> 00:23:31,112 so I look forward to working with my uh 591 00:23:31,112 --> 00:23:33,869 my uh colleagues and working with state 592 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:35,991 and uh and other foreign ministers to 593 00:23:35,991 --> 00:23:38,158 develop uh the way ahead for Ukraine . 594 00:23:39,109 --> 00:23:42,630 So miss the offer two things . One is , 595 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,807 you know , what's the military problem 596 00:23:44,807 --> 00:23:46,862 to solve here with the air power and 597 00:23:46,862 --> 00:23:49,029 its control of the air space ? And you 598 00:23:49,029 --> 00:23:51,196 can do that two ways , you can do that 599 00:23:51,196 --> 00:23:53,362 air to air or you can do that from the 600 00:23:53,362 --> 00:23:55,529 ground to the air in terms of the most 601 00:23:55,529 --> 00:23:57,362 effective and efficient and cost 602 00:23:57,362 --> 00:23:59,529 effective way to do that right now for 603 00:23:59,529 --> 00:23:59,510 the Ukrainians is from ground to air 604 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:01,687 through air defense systems and that's 605 00:24:01,687 --> 00:24:03,687 what they've been provided from the 606 00:24:03,687 --> 00:24:05,909 beginning of this war till now . Uh And 607 00:24:05,909 --> 00:24:08,076 that's important because what you want 608 00:24:08,076 --> 00:24:10,187 to do is protect those assault forces 609 00:24:10,187 --> 00:24:12,353 from Russian , close air support and , 610 00:24:12,353 --> 00:24:11,979 or attack helicopter support and 611 00:24:11,989 --> 00:24:14,100 they've got air defense systems , the 612 00:24:14,100 --> 00:24:16,267 Ukrainians do uh that can do that . Uh 613 00:24:16,267 --> 00:24:17,933 The , the casualties that the 614 00:24:17,933 --> 00:24:19,933 Ukrainians are suffering uh on this 615 00:24:19,933 --> 00:24:22,100 offensive are not so much from Russian 616 00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:24,211 air power , they're from minefields , 617 00:24:24,211 --> 00:24:26,433 minefields that are covered with direct 618 00:24:26,433 --> 00:24:28,600 fire from anti tank 100 K teams , that 619 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,767 sort of thing . Uh So it's minefield . 620 00:24:30,767 --> 00:24:32,989 So the problem to solve is minefields , 621 00:24:32,989 --> 00:24:35,156 not the air piece , right ? Right this 622 00:24:35,156 --> 00:24:37,267 minute . Um And , and that's what the 623 00:24:37,267 --> 00:24:39,267 coalition is trying to provide them 624 00:24:39,267 --> 00:24:41,489 additional mine clearing line charges . 625 00:24:41,489 --> 00:24:43,711 Bangalore's that sort of thing in order 626 00:24:43,711 --> 00:24:45,545 to continue to work their way uh 627 00:24:45,545 --> 00:24:47,767 through the uh through the minefields . 628 00:24:47,767 --> 00:24:47,430 So I I'm confident that they can do 629 00:24:47,439 --> 00:24:49,661 this and especially if they execute the 630 00:24:49,661 --> 00:24:51,661 tactics , techniques and procedures 631 00:24:51,661 --> 00:24:51,640 that they've been taught , which they 632 00:24:51,650 --> 00:24:53,750 are doing uh and execute these 633 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:55,927 operations at night , which would deny 634 00:24:55,927 --> 00:24:58,093 the uh Russians the ability to use any 635 00:24:58,093 --> 00:25:00,204 of their air power anyway . Uh So the 636 00:25:00,204 --> 00:25:02,316 real problem is the minefields . It's 637 00:25:02,316 --> 00:25:04,482 not right now , the air power . Uh Now 638 00:25:04,482 --> 00:25:06,593 having said that just do a quick math 639 00:25:06,593 --> 00:25:08,871 drill here , uh 10 F-16s or $2 billion . 640 00:25:08,871 --> 00:25:11,310 So the Russians have hundreds of 4th 641 00:25:11,319 --> 00:25:14,000 and 5th generation uh uh airframes . So 642 00:25:14,010 --> 00:25:15,899 if they're gonna try to match the 643 00:25:15,899 --> 00:25:17,954 Russians , one for one or even , you 644 00:25:17,954 --> 00:25:20,177 know , 2 to 1 , uh you're talking about 645 00:25:20,177 --> 00:25:22,399 a large number of aircraft that's gonna 646 00:25:22,399 --> 00:25:24,566 take years to train the pilots , years 647 00:25:24,566 --> 00:25:26,677 to do the maintenance and sustainment 648 00:25:26,677 --> 00:25:28,899 years to uh generate that the degree of 649 00:25:28,899 --> 00:25:30,788 uh financial support to do that . 650 00:25:30,788 --> 00:25:32,788 You're talking way more billions of 651 00:25:32,788 --> 00:25:35,066 dollars and has already been generated . 652 00:25:35,066 --> 00:25:34,959 So the key thing is to focus on air 653 00:25:34,969 --> 00:25:36,790 defense , focus on the , the uh 654 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,022 blocking and tackling sort of offensive 655 00:25:39,022 --> 00:25:40,911 combined arms maneuver , which is 656 00:25:40,911 --> 00:25:42,911 artillery uh at both long range and 657 00:25:42,911 --> 00:25:45,133 short range artillery . Uh and then get 658 00:25:45,133 --> 00:25:47,189 in uh your engineers and your , your 659 00:25:47,189 --> 00:25:49,300 mind breaching equipment . That's the 660 00:25:49,300 --> 00:25:48,949 kind of stuff they need . That's what 661 00:25:48,959 --> 00:25:51,126 they want . That's what they're asking 662 00:25:51,126 --> 00:25:53,181 for . Uh , when I talked to , that's 663 00:25:53,181 --> 00:25:54,959 what he's asking for . So final 664 00:25:54,959 --> 00:25:57,015 question I'll go to Jennifer Griffin 665 00:25:57,015 --> 00:25:59,181 with Fox News . Uh , defense secretary 666 00:25:59,181 --> 00:26:01,126 Austin . I'd like to ask you about 667 00:26:01,126 --> 00:26:03,181 Senator Tuber Tuberville's . Hold on 668 00:26:03,181 --> 00:26:05,403 military nominations . Are you prepared 669 00:26:05,403 --> 00:26:07,403 to meet him halfway ? And isn't the 670 00:26:07,403 --> 00:26:09,348 current policy in violation of the 671 00:26:09,348 --> 00:26:11,515 spirit of the Hyde amendment ? Even if 672 00:26:11,515 --> 00:26:13,403 technically you're not paying for 673 00:26:13,403 --> 00:26:15,459 abortions , you're paying for travel 674 00:26:15,459 --> 00:26:17,570 for potential abortions . And General 675 00:26:17,570 --> 00:26:19,681 Milley , you say that you have enough 676 00:26:19,681 --> 00:26:21,900 assets in the Middle East to counter 677 00:26:21,910 --> 00:26:24,349 Russia to deter Russia . But last week , 678 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:28,189 Russian planes loitered over 679 00:26:28,199 --> 00:26:30,489 the base where us military personnel 680 00:26:30,500 --> 00:26:33,339 are based and just today , almost daily , 681 00:26:33,349 --> 00:26:35,689 they are countering us military 682 00:26:35,699 --> 00:26:37,755 aircraft including a manned aircraft 683 00:26:37,755 --> 00:26:40,069 today . Why can't you deter Russia in 684 00:26:40,079 --> 00:26:42,819 the Middle East ? Well , like I , I go 685 00:26:42,829 --> 00:26:44,996 ahead , you can answer the first one . 686 00:26:44,996 --> 00:26:46,996 I'll take the second one . Thanks , 687 00:26:46,996 --> 00:26:48,869 Chairman Wow , 688 00:26:51,599 --> 00:26:53,543 Jennifer . I think we have to keep 689 00:26:53,543 --> 00:26:56,310 things in perspective . One in five of 690 00:26:56,319 --> 00:26:58,989 my troops , our troops are women . 691 00:27:00,099 --> 00:27:02,459 Um They don't get a chance to pick 692 00:27:02,469 --> 00:27:04,580 where they're aside , they're serving 693 00:27:04,589 --> 00:27:06,589 their country . They're sacrificing 694 00:27:06,589 --> 00:27:09,949 each and every day and they 695 00:27:09,959 --> 00:27:12,709 deserve in my view and in the view of 696 00:27:12,719 --> 00:27:15,459 our leadership , they deserve uh to 697 00:27:15,469 --> 00:27:18,089 have access to a noncovered 698 00:27:18,099 --> 00:27:20,390 reproductive health care and that's 699 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,910 what this policy does . Uh And um 700 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:27,689 it focuses on uh health care , 701 00:27:27,699 --> 00:27:29,755 non , non reproductive health care , 702 00:27:29,755 --> 00:27:31,921 which includes other things like uh uh 703 00:27:31,921 --> 00:27:35,000 IVF and , and uh and some other things . 704 00:27:35,219 --> 00:27:38,880 So , um it's important that uh 705 00:27:39,489 --> 00:27:41,900 that our troops , our women understand 706 00:27:41,910 --> 00:27:44,021 that , that we care about them , that 707 00:27:44,021 --> 00:27:46,243 uh you know , we understand that they , 708 00:27:46,243 --> 00:27:48,466 they don't get a chance to choose where 709 00:27:48,466 --> 00:27:50,577 they're assigned . And so this policy 710 00:27:50,577 --> 00:27:52,790 uh helps them maintain access to uh to 711 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:55,699 that health care . Uh And you know , 712 00:27:55,709 --> 00:27:58,030 the import , the uh the health and 713 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,262 welfare of my troops is really , really 714 00:28:00,262 --> 00:28:02,040 important to me and we're gonna 715 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,260 continue to do what's necessary to uh 716 00:28:04,270 --> 00:28:07,560 to ensure that they have that access . 717 00:28:07,900 --> 00:28:11,430 Uh And there's , I know Senator 718 00:28:11,810 --> 00:28:13,921 has said that it's illegal , it's not 719 00:28:13,921 --> 00:28:16,550 illegal . And uh we've made that point 720 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:18,727 a number of times . Uh We point to the 721 00:28:18,727 --> 00:28:21,229 fact that there's a , uh there's a uh 722 00:28:21,239 --> 00:28:24,319 an opinion that's posted on uh the Do 723 00:28:24,329 --> 00:28:26,440 J's public facing website that really 724 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,369 details uh this issue . Uh And so , 725 00:28:30,380 --> 00:28:33,180 um this , this is a readiness issue , 726 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,770 the fact that Senator Ville is uh 727 00:28:35,780 --> 00:28:38,650 maintains this hole on the promotions 728 00:28:38,949 --> 00:28:42,829 of our senior uh officers . Um It 729 00:28:42,839 --> 00:28:45,380 cascades it , it , it creates uh uh 730 00:28:45,739 --> 00:28:49,310 friction uh throughout the entire chain . 731 00:28:49,319 --> 00:28:52,000 It uh disadvantages families . And 732 00:28:52,010 --> 00:28:54,177 we've taught , you heard us talk about 733 00:28:54,177 --> 00:28:56,343 the , the impact of that . Uh And so I 734 00:28:56,349 --> 00:28:58,780 would , I would ask uh Senator 735 00:28:59,010 --> 00:29:01,719 Tuberville to uh to lift his hope . Uh 736 00:29:01,729 --> 00:29:04,319 And and you know , as you think about 737 00:29:04,329 --> 00:29:06,440 this , Jennifer , I , I would imagine 738 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,662 our adversaries would look at something 739 00:29:08,662 --> 00:29:10,719 like this and be and be pretty happy 740 00:29:10,750 --> 00:29:12,750 that uh that we create this kind of 741 00:29:12,750 --> 00:29:16,599 turbulence with within our force . So 742 00:29:16,609 --> 00:29:18,720 Jennifer , as I said before , we have 743 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,130 rules of engagement . Um Our pilots are 744 00:29:21,140 --> 00:29:23,307 extraordinarily well trained , they're 745 00:29:23,307 --> 00:29:25,418 empowered , the chains of command are 746 00:29:25,418 --> 00:29:27,251 empowered . Uh The secretary has 747 00:29:27,251 --> 00:29:29,362 granted the authorities necessary for 748 00:29:29,362 --> 00:29:31,418 them to defend themselves . Uh If at 749 00:29:31,418 --> 00:29:33,529 any point in time , any of our troops 750 00:29:33,529 --> 00:29:33,189 uh sense that it's a hostile act , a 751 00:29:33,199 --> 00:29:35,143 hostile intent , they will protect 752 00:29:35,143 --> 00:29:37,088 themselves . Uh So that's 0.1 . Uh 753 00:29:37,089 --> 00:29:38,880 Secondly , if there's unsafe or 754 00:29:38,890 --> 00:29:40,612 unprofessional acts , that's a 755 00:29:40,612 --> 00:29:42,612 different issue . Uh We try to work 756 00:29:42,612 --> 00:29:44,112 that out uh through the uh 757 00:29:44,112 --> 00:29:46,168 deconfliction channel that's done at 758 00:29:46,168 --> 00:29:48,168 the tactical level so that we don't 759 00:29:48,168 --> 00:29:50,390 have an inadvertent air to air accident 760 00:29:50,390 --> 00:29:52,557 or incident . But I am quite confident 761 00:29:52,557 --> 00:29:54,668 that General Curer and all the forces 762 00:29:54,668 --> 00:29:54,459 in Centcom know how to protect 763 00:29:54,469 --> 00:29:56,747 themselves and will protect themselves . 764 00:29:59,339 --> 00:30:01,395 Well , it's not gonna stop them from 765 00:30:01,395 --> 00:30:03,450 flying in the air space , that's for 766 00:30:03,450 --> 00:30:05,450 sure . But if they're hostile act , 767 00:30:05,450 --> 00:30:05,270 hostile intent or if they're acting 768 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,719 unsafely or unprofessionally , uh then 769 00:30:07,729 --> 00:30:09,729 we'll work through that , but uh we 770 00:30:09,729 --> 00:30:11,896 will protect ourselves . Uh if there's 771 00:30:11,896 --> 00:30:14,062 any sort of challenge in that regard . 772 00:30:14,062 --> 00:30:15,951 All right . Thank you , Secretary 773 00:30:15,951 --> 00:30:15,829 Austin and General Milley . That's all 774 00:30:15,839 --> 00:30:18,006 the time we have . Thanks , ladies and 775 00:30:18,006 --> 00:30:19,119 gentlemen . Thanks , everybody .