WEBVTT 00:03.700 --> 00:05.700 All right . Well , good afternoon , 00:05.700 --> 00:07.700 everyone . I've got a few things to 00:07.700 --> 00:09.867 pass along and we'll get right to your 00:09.867 --> 00:12.033 questions . As most of you are aware , 00:12.033 --> 00:14.033 Secretary Austin welcomed Ukrainian 00:14.033 --> 00:15.978 President Zelinsky to the Pentagon 00:15.978 --> 00:18.144 earlier today and reaffirmed the stead 00:18.144 --> 00:20.311 steadfast support of the United States 00:20.311 --> 00:22.644 for Ukraine and their fight for freedom . 00:22.644 --> 00:24.867 During their meeting , Secretary Austin 00:24.867 --> 00:26.756 provided an update on us security 00:26.756 --> 00:28.644 assistance to meet Ukraine's most 00:28.644 --> 00:30.756 urgent battlefield needs and reviewed 00:30.756 --> 00:32.978 the outcomes of the 15th meeting of the 00:32.978 --> 00:35.200 Ukraine Defense contact Group which was 00:35.200 --> 00:37.256 con conducted at Ramstein Air Base , 00:37.256 --> 00:39.422 Germany earlier this week afterwards , 00:39.422 --> 00:41.533 President Zalenski , Secretary Austin 00:41.533 --> 00:43.533 and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 00:43.533 --> 00:45.700 Staff , General Milley participated in 00:45.700 --> 00:44.919 a wreath laying ceremony at the 00:44.930 --> 00:48.049 Pentagon's 9 11 memorial . A read out 00:48.060 --> 00:50.282 of today's meeting will be available on 00:50.282 --> 00:52.889 our website later today . In other news 00:52.900 --> 00:54.789 earlier today , the United States 00:54.789 --> 00:56.900 delivered more than 13 metric tons of 00:56.900 --> 00:58.789 critical life saving humanitarian 00:58.789 --> 01:01.580 supplies to north eastern Libya . The 01:01.590 --> 01:03.840 US Air Forces 86th Airlift Wing 01:03.849 --> 01:06.209 conducted the C 1 30 airlift mission in 01:06.220 --> 01:07.889 support of the US Agency for 01:07.900 --> 01:10.122 International Development's response to 01:10.122 --> 01:12.400 the devastating floods in that country . 01:12.870 --> 01:15.019 Of note US Africa , Commander General 01:15.029 --> 01:17.500 Michael Langley and US special envoy , 01:17.510 --> 01:19.660 Ambassador Richard Norland were on 01:19.669 --> 01:21.725 board the C 1 30 flight to accompany 01:21.725 --> 01:24.370 the aid into Benghazi . To date the US 01:24.379 --> 01:26.699 has provided $12 million in response to 01:26.709 --> 01:28.765 this humanitarian disaster . And the 01:28.765 --> 01:30.931 supplies were immediately consigned to 01:30.931 --> 01:32.876 the International Organization for 01:32.876 --> 01:35.098 Migration and other relief agencies and 01:35.098 --> 01:37.153 distribution to people displaced and 01:37.153 --> 01:39.320 affected by the floods . I would refer 01:39.320 --> 01:41.265 you to us Africo press release for 01:41.265 --> 01:43.265 further details . Separately , as a 01:43.265 --> 01:45.431 quick recap , the department announced 01:45.431 --> 01:47.320 yesterday , a proactive effort to 01:47.320 --> 01:49.320 review military records of veterans 01:49.320 --> 01:51.376 whose service records indicate their 01:51.376 --> 01:53.265 administrative separation was the 01:53.265 --> 01:55.431 result of their sexual orientation and 01:55.431 --> 01:57.376 who received a less than honorable 01:57.376 --> 01:59.500 conditions discharge . This new 01:59.510 --> 02:01.677 initiative will significantly simplify 02:01.677 --> 02:03.677 the process for . Don't ask , don't 02:03.677 --> 02:05.732 tell era veterans and demonstrates . 02:05.732 --> 02:08.039 Secretary Austin's continued focus on 02:08.050 --> 02:10.217 taking care of our people . One of his 02:10.217 --> 02:12.439 key priorities since becoming Secretary 02:12.439 --> 02:14.550 of Defense , you can learn more about 02:14.550 --> 02:16.494 this at the don't ask , don't tell 02:16.494 --> 02:18.550 resource page located on defense dot 02:18.550 --> 02:21.250 gov . Also yesterday , Deputy Secretary 02:21.259 --> 02:23.481 of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the 02:23.481 --> 02:26.570 award of $238 million in creating 02:26.580 --> 02:28.247 helpful incentives to produce 02:28.247 --> 02:31.190 semiconductors and Science Act funding 02:31.199 --> 02:33.255 for the establishment of eight Micro 02:33.255 --> 02:35.477 Electronics Commons regional innovation 02:35.477 --> 02:37.477 hubs . This is the largest award to 02:37.479 --> 02:39.646 date under President Biden's Chips and 02:39.646 --> 02:41.949 Science Act . The Micro Electronics 02:41.960 --> 02:44.182 Commons program has been spearheaded by 02:44.182 --> 02:46.182 the Office of the Undersecretary of 02:46.182 --> 02:48.404 Defense for Research and engineering in 02:48.404 --> 02:50.349 conjunction with the Naval Surface 02:50.349 --> 02:52.460 Warfare Center crane division and the 02:52.460 --> 02:54.071 National Security Technology 02:54.071 --> 02:56.182 Accelerator . More information on the 02:56.182 --> 02:57.849 program can be found at micro 02:57.849 --> 03:01.169 electronics Commons dot org . Looking 03:01.179 --> 03:03.235 to next week , Secretary Austin will 03:03.235 --> 03:05.012 travel to Africa beginning this 03:05.012 --> 03:07.068 Saturday , September 23rd for a week 03:07.068 --> 03:09.012 long trip to underscore the United 03:09.012 --> 03:10.957 states' commitment to building and 03:10.957 --> 03:13.123 reinforcing security partnerships with 03:13.123 --> 03:15.290 African nations and to promote African 03:15.290 --> 03:17.850 led initiatives and regional regional 03:17.860 --> 03:20.210 solutions to security issues . The 03:20.220 --> 03:22.387 countries he'll visit include Djibouti 03:22.387 --> 03:25.059 Kenya and Angola . We posted a travel 03:25.070 --> 03:26.903 advisory to the dod website with 03:26.903 --> 03:29.126 additional details regarding the trip . 03:29.300 --> 03:31.356 And finally , on behalf of Secretary 03:31.356 --> 03:33.467 Austin , the department congratulates 03:33.467 --> 03:35.467 us Army General Randy George on his 03:35.467 --> 03:37.689 confirmation today by the Senate as the 03:37.689 --> 03:39.911 Army Chief of Staff . As you know , the 03:39.911 --> 03:42.078 secretary also issued a statement last 03:42.078 --> 03:44.300 night congratulating Air Force Chief of 03:44.300 --> 03:46.356 Staff General CQ Brown Junior on his 03:46.356 --> 03:48.467 confirmation by the Senate last night 03:48.467 --> 03:48.279 to be the next chairman of the Joint 03:48.289 --> 03:51.179 Chiefs of Staff Secretary , Austin also 03:51.190 --> 03:53.468 expressed his thanks to General Milley , 03:53.468 --> 03:55.412 his wife Holly Anne and the entire 03:55.412 --> 03:57.634 Milly family for their selfless decades 03:57.634 --> 03:59.246 long service to our nation . 03:59.490 --> 04:01.323 Importantly , while this is very 04:01.323 --> 04:03.740 positive news , Secretary Austin also 04:03.750 --> 04:05.917 emphasized that we have over 300 other 04:05.917 --> 04:08.139 military nominees awaiting confirmation 04:08.250 --> 04:10.100 and reaffirmed his commitment to 04:10.110 --> 04:12.332 staying personally engaged with members 04:12.332 --> 04:14.499 of Congress and both parties until all 04:14.499 --> 04:16.832 general and flag officers are confirmed . 04:16.832 --> 04:18.943 And with that , I'll be happy to take 04:18.943 --> 04:21.166 your questions . We'll go to Associated 04:21.166 --> 04:23.277 Press Tara . Thank you , General . Um 04:23.277 --> 04:25.499 Can you talk to us about the purpose of 04:25.499 --> 04:27.610 President Zelinsky visit today ? What 04:27.619 --> 04:30.799 was he and Secretary Austin trying to 04:30.809 --> 04:32.940 accomplish in this meeting ? And also 04:34.130 --> 04:36.352 the Polish Prime Minister has announced 04:36.352 --> 04:38.019 that Poland will no longer be 04:38.019 --> 04:40.130 transferring weapons to Ukraine . How 04:40.130 --> 04:42.352 does this affect ? How does this create 04:42.352 --> 04:44.574 additional pressure on us stockpiles or 04:44.574 --> 04:46.574 European stockpiles to keep weapons 04:46.574 --> 04:49.320 flowing there ? So in terms of the 04:49.329 --> 04:51.551 conversation , and again , we'll have a 04:51.551 --> 04:53.920 read out later today uh as , as I 04:53.929 --> 04:56.151 highlighted in our top or it was really 04:56.151 --> 04:58.151 an opportunity for the secretary to 04:58.151 --> 05:00.096 provide President Zelinsky with an 05:00.096 --> 05:02.262 update on the security assistance that 05:02.262 --> 05:04.207 we're providing to Ukraine . Uh He 05:04.207 --> 05:06.429 reaffirmed that we're going to continue 05:06.429 --> 05:08.596 to work very hard with Ukraine and our 05:08.596 --> 05:10.651 international allies and partners to 05:10.651 --> 05:12.762 ensure they have what they need to be 05:12.762 --> 05:12.720 successful on the battlefield . Uh 05:12.730 --> 05:14.869 Highlighting his personal commitment 05:14.880 --> 05:16.713 and involvement and working with 05:16.713 --> 05:18.824 international leaders on that front . 05:18.824 --> 05:20.491 Uh And then there was also an 05:20.491 --> 05:22.713 opportunity to discuss Ukraine's longer 05:22.713 --> 05:25.269 term uh capability requirements and how 05:25.279 --> 05:27.489 to support them uh in the future in 05:27.500 --> 05:29.959 terms of deterring Russian aggression . 05:31.269 --> 05:33.420 And then on Poland uh on Poland , um 05:33.429 --> 05:36.320 you know , obviously , um I'll refer 05:36.329 --> 05:38.496 you to Poland to speak about their own 05:38.496 --> 05:41.000 internal decisions . Uh You know , 05:41.010 --> 05:43.329 we've always said that that it's a 05:43.339 --> 05:45.450 sovereign decision for any country to 05:45.450 --> 05:47.339 decide what level of support that 05:47.339 --> 05:49.061 they're gonna provide , I will 05:49.061 --> 05:51.228 highlight however , uh that Poland has 05:51.228 --> 05:53.339 been uh one of the leading countries 05:53.350 --> 05:55.350 when it comes to providing security 05:55.350 --> 05:58.089 assistance to Ukraine and not only 05:58.100 --> 06:00.540 security assistance , but also in terms 06:00.549 --> 06:02.839 of providing significant humanitarian 06:02.850 --> 06:05.149 aid and support for more than a million 06:05.160 --> 06:08.269 displaced Ukrainians who have gone to 06:08.279 --> 06:10.501 Poland as a result of Russia's invasion 06:10.690 --> 06:13.339 of Eastern Flank nations who were very 06:13.350 --> 06:15.406 early providers of weapons were very 06:15.406 --> 06:17.461 vocal out front even a year ago that 06:17.579 --> 06:19.690 the pressures on their own stockpiles 06:19.690 --> 06:22.359 were immense . Are you concerned that 06:22.369 --> 06:24.480 ultimately it's going to be up to the 06:24.480 --> 06:26.536 US to keep providing the weapons for 06:26.536 --> 06:28.536 this war ? Yeah , I would , I would 06:28.536 --> 06:30.425 point back to the Ukraine defense 06:30.425 --> 06:33.820 contact group as uh a prime example of 06:33.829 --> 06:36.880 the fact that unity and resolve is 06:36.890 --> 06:38.589 still very strong within the 06:38.600 --> 06:40.711 international community . We had more 06:40.711 --> 06:43.070 than 50 nations participate uh in that 06:43.079 --> 06:45.829 contact group , the 15th contact group 06:45.839 --> 06:48.750 as I highlighted . Uh And so we still 06:48.760 --> 06:51.040 see very strong international support 06:51.049 --> 06:53.190 across the board when it comes to 06:53.200 --> 06:55.367 ensuring Ukraine has what they need to 06:55.367 --> 06:57.679 defend themselves . Thank you . Um 06:57.690 --> 06:59.690 Questions on two different topics . 06:59.690 --> 07:02.440 First . Why has the US not decided to 07:02.450 --> 07:04.809 send attacks to Ukraine and why not 07:04.820 --> 07:07.089 send them ? Now ? Look , I don't have 07:07.100 --> 07:09.267 anything to announce . I will say that 07:09.267 --> 07:11.549 that later today . Um The dod will 07:11.559 --> 07:13.448 announce an additional tranche of 07:13.448 --> 07:16.059 security assistance uh to meet 07:16.070 --> 07:18.292 Ukraine's critical security and defense 07:18.292 --> 07:20.514 needs on the battlefield , not going to 07:20.514 --> 07:22.514 get ahead of that announcement . Um 07:22.514 --> 07:24.459 What you can expect the package to 07:24.459 --> 07:26.514 include will be more air defense and 07:26.514 --> 07:28.626 artillery capabilities to support the 07:28.626 --> 07:30.848 Ukrainian armed forces . Um , but as it 07:30.848 --> 07:32.959 pertains to attack him , I just don't 07:32.959 --> 07:35.126 have anything to announce second topic 07:35.126 --> 07:37.690 on the , um , the past , the 07:37.700 --> 07:40.109 confirmation of General Brown . Um , 07:40.119 --> 07:42.559 and General George are these one by one 07:42.570 --> 07:44.848 confirmations , something to celebrate . 07:45.299 --> 07:47.619 Um , Well , I , I think Secretary 07:47.630 --> 07:49.790 Austin's statement was very clear and 07:49.799 --> 07:52.029 that uh it's positive news and , and we 07:52.040 --> 07:54.079 welcome the confirmation of General 07:54.089 --> 07:57.109 Brown and now General George . Um but 07:57.119 --> 08:00.000 the statement was also uh clear and 08:00.010 --> 08:02.470 that these holds present a national 08:02.480 --> 08:05.459 security and military readiness risk . 08:05.750 --> 08:07.869 Uh And so , if you will allow me to 08:07.880 --> 08:10.500 extend my football analogy that I used 08:10.510 --> 08:12.950 recently , uh with the , with the 08:12.959 --> 08:15.019 confirmation of the chairman of the 08:15.029 --> 08:17.209 Joint chiefs of staff , we have a 08:17.220 --> 08:20.190 quarterback solo on the field on the 08:20.200 --> 08:23.079 line of scrimmage uh facing players of 08:23.089 --> 08:25.720 the opposing team and we owe it to our 08:25.730 --> 08:29.070 team to and to the coach to put 08:29.440 --> 08:31.551 all of our other players on the field 08:31.551 --> 08:33.662 and enable them to win the game . And 08:33.662 --> 08:35.662 so as I highlighted , the secretary 08:35.662 --> 08:37.551 remains committed to working with 08:37.551 --> 08:39.718 members of Congress to do exactly that 08:39.718 --> 08:41.773 and how will it be determined who is 08:41.773 --> 08:43.829 voted on one by one and who is still 08:43.829 --> 08:45.996 held up ? Uh , again , that's really a 08:45.996 --> 08:48.162 question for for Congress to address . 08:48.162 --> 08:50.799 Thank you . A follow up question on 08:50.809 --> 08:52.698 Senator Tuberville as part of the 08:52.698 --> 08:54.531 statement we got last night from 08:54.531 --> 08:54.369 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin . He 08:54.380 --> 08:56.602 said he'd continue to personally engage 08:56.602 --> 08:58.436 with members of Congress in both 08:58.436 --> 09:00.658 parties since the confirmation vote for 09:00.658 --> 09:02.436 General Brown . Has he had more 09:02.436 --> 09:04.713 conversations with members of Congress ? 09:04.713 --> 09:04.159 And is there another conversation 09:04.169 --> 09:06.349 planned with Senator Tuberville ? Now 09:06.359 --> 09:08.919 that we've seen two or three soon 09:10.090 --> 09:12.770 votes advanced ? Thanks or ? Well , as 09:12.780 --> 09:15.119 you know , the , the confirmation came 09:15.130 --> 09:17.299 late last night , the secretary was on 09:17.309 --> 09:20.090 the hill yesterday , uh , in a closed 09:20.099 --> 09:22.400 session , uh , with the full Senate . 09:22.619 --> 09:25.059 Um , so he will continue to stay 09:25.070 --> 09:27.403 engaged with , with members of Congress . 09:27.409 --> 09:30.950 Uh , as for again , as for what's next , 09:30.960 --> 09:33.460 uh , for the Senate , in terms of any 09:33.469 --> 09:35.247 potential votes , that's really 09:35.247 --> 09:37.413 something I'd have to refer you to the 09:37.413 --> 09:39.636 Senate on you see a window opening here 09:39.636 --> 09:42.190 to advance 300 plus other nominees from 09:42.200 --> 09:44.533 a department of Defense standpoint . Uh , 09:44.533 --> 09:46.533 we've been very clear that we would 09:46.533 --> 09:48.700 like the holds to be lifted so that we 09:48.700 --> 09:50.589 can ensure that we have the right 09:50.589 --> 09:52.700 officers , uh , and the right jobs at 09:52.700 --> 09:54.811 the right time . But again , in terms 09:54.811 --> 09:56.978 of any type of , uh , senate actions , 09:56.978 --> 09:58.978 it would be inappropriate for me to 09:58.978 --> 10:01.089 tell Congress , uh , how to do it and 10:01.089 --> 10:03.409 when to do it . Thank you . Laura think 10:03.590 --> 10:05.909 that , um , just on Ukraine , can you 10:05.919 --> 10:08.299 tell us when you expect the Abrams 10:08.309 --> 10:10.630 tanks to arrive on the battlefield and 10:10.640 --> 10:12.862 then separately . Um Can you give us an 10:12.862 --> 10:14.862 update on when the F-16 training is 10:14.862 --> 10:16.809 going to begin ? Sure . So , uh in 10:16.820 --> 10:18.542 terms of the Abrams tanks , um 10:18.542 --> 10:21.080 everything is , is on schedule for 10:21.090 --> 10:23.146 operation security reasons . I'm not 10:23.146 --> 10:25.257 going to be able to go into specifics 10:25.257 --> 10:27.312 in terms of when exactly those tanks 10:27.312 --> 10:29.534 will arrive . Uh Other than to say , we 10:29.534 --> 10:31.757 expect them to arrive in Ukraine in the 10:31.757 --> 10:33.979 coming days and weeks . And then on the 10:33.979 --> 10:37.659 F-16 on F-16 training , um uh to my 10:37.669 --> 10:40.059 knowledge uh that training in Denmark 10:40.159 --> 10:42.210 has already begun . Uh But as it 10:42.219 --> 10:44.219 relates to the training here in the 10:44.219 --> 10:46.010 United States , we do expect uh 10:46.020 --> 10:48.640 Ukrainian pilots and maintainers to uh 10:48.650 --> 10:51.049 arrive in the United States soon to 10:51.059 --> 10:53.460 conduct uh the initial English language 10:53.469 --> 10:55.320 training . Uh and then the pilot 10:55.330 --> 10:58.119 training to start in the , in the weeks 10:58.130 --> 11:00.297 after that . So again , we'll continue 11:00.297 --> 11:02.519 to keep you updated as we have relevant 11:02.519 --> 11:04.686 updates to provide . Can you tell us , 11:04.686 --> 11:06.797 tell us how the potential shutdown is 11:06.797 --> 11:09.019 going to impact that training ? Is that 11:09.019 --> 11:11.186 something that um you know , typically 11:11.186 --> 11:13.186 training would not continue under a 11:13.186 --> 11:15.186 shutdown ? Is that something that's 11:15.186 --> 11:14.950 important enough that the defense 11:14.960 --> 11:17.609 secretary would create an exemption for 11:17.619 --> 11:20.679 it ? So as I understand it , um for 11:20.690 --> 11:24.520 F-16 training , um work or delivery of 11:24.530 --> 11:27.840 any um equipment uh 11:27.869 --> 11:30.619 funded on previous USA I notifications 11:30.630 --> 11:32.940 such as F-16 pilot training that would 11:32.950 --> 11:36.409 continue um execution could be 11:36.419 --> 11:39.440 impacted by furloughs , uh and dod s 11:39.450 --> 11:42.039 suspension of non accepted activities . 11:42.049 --> 11:44.309 So in other words , the training would 11:44.320 --> 11:47.380 happen , but depending on , on uh 11:47.390 --> 11:49.279 whether or not there were certain 11:49.279 --> 11:51.446 personnel that were not able to report 11:51.446 --> 11:53.390 for duty , for example , that that 11:53.390 --> 11:55.668 could have an impact on it . But again , 11:55.668 --> 11:57.834 we'll keep you updated . The secretary 11:57.834 --> 11:59.946 make an ex exception for some of that 11:59.946 --> 12:02.001 training and some of those furloughs 12:02.001 --> 12:04.168 for that specific mission . So at this 12:04.168 --> 12:03.599 stage , I don't , I don't want to get 12:03.609 --> 12:06.169 into the hypotheticals . Um So we'll 12:06.179 --> 12:09.090 keep you posted . Chris , thanks Pat , 12:09.099 --> 12:11.619 I follow up on the F-16 question . Um 12:11.630 --> 12:13.797 When you announced it originally , you 12:13.797 --> 12:16.219 said um about several pilots would be 12:16.229 --> 12:18.460 coming over . Um Do you have any update 12:18.469 --> 12:22.169 for us in terms of numbers 10 ish more 12:22.179 --> 12:24.512 or is it ? Yeah , at this point , Chris , 12:24.512 --> 12:26.830 I don't uh as , as you highlight , we 12:26.840 --> 12:29.090 expect uh several Ukrainian pilots and 12:29.099 --> 12:31.510 dozens of maintainers . So again , as 12:31.520 --> 12:33.742 we have more to provide , we will thank 12:33.742 --> 12:36.169 you . Um I wanted to ask for an update 12:36.179 --> 12:39.270 on the missing F-35 . Uh That's now 12:39.280 --> 12:41.969 been found , what exactly happened that 12:41.979 --> 12:44.390 caused the pilot to eject himself . Uh 12:44.400 --> 12:46.820 Where does the no fly order stand ? Now , 12:46.869 --> 12:49.091 what does all this mean in terms of our 12:49.091 --> 12:51.258 broader national security and things ? 12:51.429 --> 12:54.400 Uh So as it , as it relates to the F-35 , 12:54.409 --> 12:56.299 uh as you , as you're aware , the 12:56.309 --> 12:58.531 Marine Corps is currently investigating 12:58.531 --> 13:00.753 that . So it would be inappropriate for 13:00.753 --> 13:02.809 me to , to provide any comment while 13:02.809 --> 13:04.920 they conduct their investigation . Um 13:04.920 --> 13:06.865 We have no doubt that it will be a 13:06.865 --> 13:09.087 thorough investigation and when there's 13:09.087 --> 13:11.309 information to share , they will . Um , 13:11.309 --> 13:13.476 and similarly for the , the stand down 13:13.476 --> 13:15.587 that the uh Marine Corps , the acting 13:15.587 --> 13:17.809 comment on the Marine Corps initiated , 13:17.809 --> 13:19.865 I'd refer you to the Marine Corps to 13:19.865 --> 13:22.031 talk about that . Um It's important to 13:22.031 --> 13:24.253 take a step back , you know , as far as 13:24.253 --> 13:26.198 national security goes , it , it's 13:26.198 --> 13:28.365 always unfortunate any time we lose an 13:28.365 --> 13:30.420 aircraft . In this case , we're very 13:30.420 --> 13:32.476 thankful that the pilot was ok . But 13:32.476 --> 13:34.729 broadly speaking , we're confident that 13:34.739 --> 13:36.795 we can continue to defend the nation 13:36.795 --> 13:38.461 and do what we need to do . I 13:38.461 --> 13:40.683 understand . You said the investigation 13:40.683 --> 13:40.460 is still ongoing with the Marines , but 13:40.469 --> 13:42.636 there's a lot of questions surrounding 13:42.636 --> 13:44.858 this and a lot of headlines right now . 13:44.858 --> 13:47.080 Is there anything that you can share to 13:47.080 --> 13:46.960 people that are wondering what happened 13:46.969 --> 13:49.080 here ? Well , that's exactly what the 13:49.080 --> 13:51.191 investigation will tell us and that's 13:51.191 --> 13:53.358 why it's important that we not jump to 13:53.358 --> 13:55.358 conclusions that we not speculate , 13:55.358 --> 13:57.525 that we don't allow our imagination to 13:57.525 --> 13:59.247 fill gaps . And we have a very 13:59.247 --> 14:01.358 methodical , very deliberate and very 14:01.358 --> 14:03.358 uh tried and true process that will 14:03.358 --> 14:05.136 take a look at exactly what the 14:05.136 --> 14:07.191 situation was , uh get the facts and 14:07.191 --> 14:09.413 then as appropriate , apply those facts 14:09.413 --> 14:11.525 to prevent these kinds of things from 14:11.525 --> 14:13.747 happening again . Thank you very much . 14:13.747 --> 14:13.729 Bill ? Um Could you just going back to 14:13.739 --> 14:16.090 the visit ? Could , could you uh let us 14:16.099 --> 14:18.266 know , was he briefed on this upcoming 14:18.266 --> 14:19.988 announcement on the package of 14:19.988 --> 14:22.155 assistance ? Does he knew was going to 14:22.155 --> 14:24.210 be announced later on today and then 14:24.210 --> 14:26.266 separately ? Um Is there any kind of 14:26.266 --> 14:26.010 anecdote or anything that struck you 14:26.020 --> 14:28.150 from that meeting ? Um that , that we 14:28.159 --> 14:30.103 should know ? Yeah , so you know , 14:30.103 --> 14:32.215 again , we we'll have a read out that 14:32.215 --> 14:34.437 will go into more details . What I what 14:34.437 --> 14:36.492 I would tell you is that uh it was a 14:36.492 --> 14:38.381 very warm meeting , it was a very 14:38.381 --> 14:40.492 engaging meeting . Um Both leaders uh 14:40.492 --> 14:42.659 had a great conversation . Uh It was , 14:42.669 --> 14:46.520 it was very clear uh that uh President 14:46.599 --> 14:48.543 Zelinsky very much appreciates the 14:48.543 --> 14:50.599 support that the United States , the 14:50.599 --> 14:52.432 people of the United States have 14:52.432 --> 14:54.599 provided to Ukraine . And again , as I 14:54.599 --> 14:56.543 mentioned , the secretary gave his 14:56.543 --> 14:58.710 personal commitment to stay engaged to 14:58.710 --> 15:00.932 work with uh our allies and partners to 15:00.932 --> 15:03.099 ensure that they have what they need . 15:03.099 --> 15:05.266 Um And just leave it at that as far as 15:05.266 --> 15:07.432 the announcement did he was he briefed 15:07.432 --> 15:09.432 on the upcoming package ? Uh Phil , 15:09.432 --> 15:09.289 what I would tell you again is that 15:09.299 --> 15:11.500 what they were focused on was uh an 15:11.510 --> 15:13.454 update on security assistance that 15:13.454 --> 15:15.510 we've provided . Uh And then again , 15:15.510 --> 15:18.210 talking briefly about what , what we 15:18.219 --> 15:20.386 will do to work with Ukraine to ensure 15:20.386 --> 15:22.663 they have what they need in the future . 15:22.663 --> 15:25.450 So I just stay there . Yeah . Pat the , 15:25.460 --> 15:27.516 I guess there are polls out now that 15:27.516 --> 15:30.869 are showing uh eroding 15:30.880 --> 15:34.590 support for support to Ukraine 15:35.250 --> 15:37.650 is , um , Secretary Austin worried 15:37.659 --> 15:39.826 about that and is there something that 15:39.826 --> 15:41.826 he can do to perhaps , uh , buck up 15:41.826 --> 15:44.048 that support ? Yeah , thanks Jim . Um , 15:44.048 --> 15:46.215 so , uh I , I think you're alluding to 15:46.215 --> 15:48.437 some of the , the press reports about , 15:48.437 --> 15:51.780 um , congressional support as it , as 15:51.789 --> 15:53.011 it relates to Ukraine 15:56.840 --> 15:59.859 with the poll saying roughly 50% of 15:59.869 --> 16:01.925 Americans say that we've done enough 16:01.925 --> 16:04.479 for Ukraine , which is down from like 16:04.489 --> 16:08.000 68% of 24 . Yeah . Um So , so I'll 16:08.010 --> 16:10.121 touch on both those things then , you 16:10.121 --> 16:12.232 know , certainly from a congressional 16:12.232 --> 16:14.454 standpoint , we have enjoyed bipartisan 16:14.454 --> 16:16.566 congressional support . We don't take 16:16.566 --> 16:19.510 that for granted uh as evidenced by the 16:19.520 --> 16:21.742 secretary and the chairman being on the 16:21.742 --> 16:23.576 hill yesterday to talk about the 16:23.576 --> 16:25.464 Ukraine supplemental . Uh We will 16:25.464 --> 16:27.409 continue to work very closely with 16:27.409 --> 16:29.242 Congress to ensure they have the 16:29.242 --> 16:31.409 information they need to make informed 16:31.409 --> 16:33.576 decisions . Um And , and when it comes 16:33.576 --> 16:35.742 to the public , I think it's important 16:35.742 --> 16:37.576 again to reemphasize why Ukraine 16:37.576 --> 16:40.359 matters . Um in addition to helping our 16:40.390 --> 16:42.612 Ukrainian partners to defend themselves 16:42.612 --> 16:44.609 from unprovoked aggression . The 16:44.619 --> 16:46.869 implications not only on European 16:46.880 --> 16:48.820 security , but also on us . And 16:48.830 --> 16:51.010 international security are very stark 16:51.809 --> 16:53.976 and , and you've heard me say before , 16:53.976 --> 16:55.587 if Russia were to succeed in 16:55.587 --> 16:58.090 eliminating Ukraine as a nation , they 16:58.099 --> 17:00.155 won't stop there . I mean , you only 17:00.155 --> 17:02.760 have to look at other gray zone efforts 17:02.770 --> 17:06.150 in places like Moldova Belarus , 17:06.650 --> 17:09.540 Georgia , uh and other places to see 17:09.550 --> 17:11.272 that if they can get away with 17:11.272 --> 17:14.380 subsuming or invading other nations , 17:14.390 --> 17:16.380 uh their neighbors not to include 17:16.390 --> 17:18.920 threatening NATO nations , they will . 17:19.780 --> 17:21.920 Uh and , and I have no doubt that 17:21.930 --> 17:24.041 countries like China are watching and 17:24.041 --> 17:26.263 seeing how the US and the international 17:26.263 --> 17:28.097 community have rallied and , and 17:28.097 --> 17:30.310 responded in support of and aiding 17:30.319 --> 17:32.430 Ukraine . So there's definitely a 17:32.439 --> 17:34.930 deterrent effect there as well . Thank 17:34.939 --> 17:38.280 you . Sure . Yeah , just a follow up on 17:38.290 --> 17:40.880 the Tuberville confirmation uh holds 17:40.890 --> 17:43.112 you mentioned that 300 others are still 17:43.112 --> 17:45.279 held up and Senator Tuberville said he 17:45.279 --> 17:47.501 was pleased to have those nominees move 17:47.501 --> 17:49.501 forward on an individual basis . So 17:49.501 --> 17:51.723 does the dod worry that confirming this 17:51.723 --> 17:53.557 batch of nominees only emboldens 17:53.557 --> 17:55.670 Senator Tuberville's holds and will 17:55.680 --> 17:57.624 make him dig in until the Pentagon 17:57.670 --> 17:59.726 rescinds or changes its reproductive 17:59.726 --> 18:01.670 health care policy with regards to 18:01.670 --> 18:03.781 travel . Yeah , again , when it comes 18:03.781 --> 18:07.489 to um how the Senate handles the 18:07.500 --> 18:09.556 holds . Again , I'd refer you to the 18:09.556 --> 18:11.750 Senate on on the way to what the dod 18:11.760 --> 18:13.927 worries about is ensuring that we have 18:13.927 --> 18:17.510 qualified capable leaders confirmed by 18:17.520 --> 18:19.464 the Senate in place so that we can 18:19.464 --> 18:21.630 carry out the mission that the nation 18:21.640 --> 18:23.529 has entrusted us to do , which is 18:23.529 --> 18:25.529 defending the nation . And so we'll 18:25.529 --> 18:27.770 continue to stay focused on working 18:27.780 --> 18:30.002 with the hill uh and providing whatever 18:30.010 --> 18:32.449 information is necessary to ensure that 18:32.510 --> 18:34.732 that those holes are lifted uh and that 18:34.732 --> 18:36.788 we can continue to do the work we've 18:36.788 --> 18:39.121 been interested to do . Thank you , sir . 18:39.569 --> 18:42.420 Uh So last month , um I asked you about 18:42.430 --> 18:44.652 uh Pentagon language about fighting and 18:44.652 --> 18:46.874 winning our nation's wars . And I asked 18:46.874 --> 18:49.041 you given that language in the context 18:49.041 --> 18:51.152 of Afghanistan , did we win or lose ? 18:51.152 --> 18:53.152 And you said at the time last month 18:53.152 --> 18:55.208 that you didn't want to oversimplify 18:55.208 --> 18:57.208 our experiences in Afghanistan this 18:57.208 --> 18:57.180 past Sunday General Milley gave an 18:57.189 --> 18:59.619 interview to ABC News . He was asked , 18:59.630 --> 19:01.630 you know , uh , to characterize the 19:01.630 --> 19:03.630 withdrawal . He said it didn't , he 19:03.630 --> 19:05.797 said , quote , it didn't end the way I 19:05.797 --> 19:07.963 wanted it , that it didn't end the way 19:07.963 --> 19:10.130 any of us wanted it unquote . And then 19:10.130 --> 19:11.963 he goes on to say , quote in the 19:11.963 --> 19:14.074 broader sense , the war was lost . Uh 19:14.074 --> 19:16.241 We were fighting the Taliban and their 19:16.241 --> 19:18.241 allies for 20 plus years . Um So my 19:18.241 --> 19:20.463 question is , uh , is this the personal 19:20.463 --> 19:22.574 view of General Milley or is this the 19:22.574 --> 19:24.939 view of the Department of Defense ? And 19:25.069 --> 19:27.236 given this , can you now say , whether 19:27.890 --> 19:29.890 is it a win or loss ? Yeah , thanks 19:29.890 --> 19:32.223 James . Um , so , you know , again , uh , 19:32.223 --> 19:35.000 General Milley uh provides his 19:35.010 --> 19:37.060 perspective . Uh and I'm not gonna 19:37.069 --> 19:39.291 speak for General General Milley , uh , 19:39.291 --> 19:41.790 or try to analyze his words from the 19:41.800 --> 19:43.800 podium . I think he's very clear in 19:43.800 --> 19:45.911 terms of how he feels , uh , and very 19:45.911 --> 19:48.133 clear , uh , and very well respected in 19:48.133 --> 19:51.500 terms of uh his experience in that war . 19:51.619 --> 19:53.841 Uh , and , and so I'll just leave it at 19:53.841 --> 19:56.008 that . But look , I mean , you've been 19:56.008 --> 19:57.897 following , uh , the situation in 19:57.897 --> 20:00.230 Afghanistan just as long as I have . Um , 20:00.230 --> 20:02.286 I know you served , I know you fully 20:02.286 --> 20:05.099 understand , um , the , the blood sweat 20:05.109 --> 20:07.479 and tears that went into the mission in 20:07.489 --> 20:10.099 Afghanistan . Um , and , and again , 20:10.109 --> 20:12.400 what I'm talking about when I say , 20:12.410 --> 20:15.819 don't oversimplify it is , um , let's 20:15.829 --> 20:18.051 not reduce this to ones and zeros . I , 20:18.051 --> 20:20.273 I think that dishonors , everybody that 20:20.273 --> 20:22.440 ever served there and anything we were 20:22.440 --> 20:24.718 trying to accomplish there in terms of , 20:24.718 --> 20:26.440 uh , look at the good that was 20:26.440 --> 20:28.640 accomplished , uh , granted to General 20:28.650 --> 20:30.872 Millie's point . It did not end the way 20:30.872 --> 20:33.094 that we wanted it to end , but you also 20:33.094 --> 20:35.750 cannot discount uh the efforts that , 20:35.760 --> 20:38.359 that service men and women , uh , the 20:38.369 --> 20:40.609 interagency , the world actually , uh , 20:40.619 --> 20:42.670 what , what we did and what we were 20:42.680 --> 20:44.902 trying to do to help support the people 20:44.902 --> 20:46.736 of Afghanistan and also regional 20:46.736 --> 20:48.902 security and stability when it came to 20:48.902 --> 20:51.124 the broader reason we were there in the 20:51.124 --> 20:53.236 first place , which was when Al Qaeda 20:53.236 --> 20:55.569 attacked the United States on 9 11 , uh , 20:55.569 --> 20:57.489 which was planned from inside 20:57.500 --> 21:00.329 Afghanistan , uh , and to be able to , 21:00.339 --> 21:04.069 to stop and check that external threat 21:04.079 --> 21:06.140 of terrorism , we did that we 21:06.150 --> 21:09.199 accomplished that , um , that said 21:09.209 --> 21:11.265 again to General Miller's point , it 21:11.265 --> 21:13.376 did not end the way anybody wanted it 21:13.376 --> 21:15.859 to end . Thank you , sir . Thank you , 21:15.869 --> 21:18.091 sir . Um , on the Abrams . Can you tell 21:18.091 --> 21:20.313 us what the immediate impact will be on 21:20.313 --> 21:22.369 the Ukrainian uh counter offensive ? 21:22.369 --> 21:24.258 And do you believe this will be a 21:24.258 --> 21:26.425 catalyst that could change the pace of 21:26.425 --> 21:25.839 the counter offensive ? Yeah , thanks 21:25.849 --> 21:27.960 for the question . So , I mean , that 21:27.960 --> 21:30.071 will really be up to the Ukrainians . 21:30.071 --> 21:32.238 Um We are , we are providing them with 21:32.238 --> 21:34.339 a significant combat capability . Um 21:34.349 --> 21:36.460 You know , in terms of whether or not 21:36.460 --> 21:38.571 they will choose to apply that to the 21:38.571 --> 21:40.460 current uh operation again , that 21:40.460 --> 21:42.571 that's a tactical decision for them . 21:42.571 --> 21:44.571 Um but it will be another weapon in 21:44.571 --> 21:46.349 their arsenal that they'll have 21:46.349 --> 21:48.849 available to them . Thank you . Go back 21:48.949 --> 21:51.171 to the question of Ukraine assistance . 21:51.171 --> 21:53.227 One of the pieces of assistance that 21:53.227 --> 21:55.227 you guys have repeatedly not talked 21:55.227 --> 21:57.369 about is the June Starlink contract . 21:57.689 --> 21:59.633 This keeps coming up in every musk 21:59.633 --> 22:01.745 story that the Pentagon refuses to do 22:01.745 --> 22:03.839 any kind of details . Three months 22:03.849 --> 22:05.738 later , what was the value of the 22:05.738 --> 22:07.849 contract and broadly , can you talk a 22:07.849 --> 22:09.793 little bit about what the sterling 22:09.793 --> 22:12.127 services are providing ? Uh Thanks Tony . 22:12.127 --> 22:15.680 So , um to your point , you know , we 22:15.689 --> 22:17.578 we do try to be as transparent as 22:17.578 --> 22:19.959 possible when it comes to our contracts . 22:20.310 --> 22:23.449 Um We have acknowledged publicly that 22:23.459 --> 22:25.859 we do contract with Starlink for 22:25.869 --> 22:28.949 services and support of Ukraine , but 22:29.339 --> 22:31.339 as we've also stated previously for 22:31.339 --> 22:33.450 operation security reasons due to the 22:33.450 --> 22:35.979 critical nature of these systems , uh 22:36.310 --> 22:38.532 we're just not gonna be able to provide 22:38.532 --> 22:40.588 additional information regarding the 22:40.588 --> 22:42.199 specific capabilities or the 22:42.199 --> 22:44.729 operational details of these services . 22:45.040 --> 22:48.020 Um We'll continue to review the current 22:48.030 --> 22:50.270 operational context to determine if 22:50.280 --> 22:52.391 more information can be released at a 22:52.391 --> 22:54.447 later date . But for right now , I'm 22:54.447 --> 22:56.613 just not able to go into more detail , 22:56.613 --> 22:58.780 rough value of the contract . It's tax 22:58.780 --> 23:00.836 dollars again . Right now , I'm just 23:00.836 --> 23:02.891 not able to go into more . I need to 23:02.891 --> 23:04.947 ask you on the Isaacson book . You , 23:04.947 --> 23:07.058 you field , there are questions about 23:07.058 --> 23:09.058 the attack on the Crimea area . But 23:09.058 --> 23:11.169 within the book , they also talk , he 23:11.169 --> 23:14.430 quotes the uh Star SpaceX uh CEO who's 23:14.439 --> 23:16.619 saying that back in October , the 23:16.630 --> 23:19.109 Pentagon was ready to award 100 and $45 23:19.119 --> 23:21.819 million contract to Mosque for Sterling 23:21.829 --> 23:23.773 services that he had threatened to 23:23.773 --> 23:25.773 withdraw . You were up here talking 23:25.773 --> 23:28.260 about taking questions on it , but the 23:28.270 --> 23:30.430 Pentagon , the Starling pulled back 23:30.439 --> 23:33.060 when the Pentagon leaked the story that 23:33.069 --> 23:35.069 the $145 million contract was gonna 23:35.069 --> 23:37.290 come back , come , come out . Was the 23:37.300 --> 23:39.619 Pentagon prepared at that time to issue 23:39.650 --> 23:42.359 100 $45 million contract as this book 23:42.369 --> 23:44.709 claims . Yeah , thanks Tony . So , so 23:44.719 --> 23:47.670 I'm just not gonna uh address any types 23:47.680 --> 23:49.989 of allegations or assertions uh from a 23:50.000 --> 23:53.390 book again , I can confirm that we do 23:53.400 --> 23:56.660 contract for Starlink for services in 23:56.670 --> 23:59.439 support of Ukraine uh with the ultimate 23:59.449 --> 24:01.560 objective to be ensuring that Ukraine 24:01.560 --> 24:03.338 has the satellite communication 24:03.338 --> 24:06.010 infrastructure that it needs . Confirm 24:06.020 --> 24:08.131 if this story was baloney or not that 24:08.910 --> 24:11.132 I'm not gonna entertain the , the , the 24:11.132 --> 24:13.243 assertions or the , the allegations . 24:13.243 --> 24:15.577 Thank you . Ok , time for a couple more , 24:15.577 --> 24:18.640 sir . Um So on September 6th , there 24:18.650 --> 24:20.761 was the missile strike in the Donetsk 24:20.761 --> 24:23.039 region which killed about 15 civilians . 24:23.039 --> 24:25.094 Initially , the Ukrainian government 24:25.094 --> 24:27.150 came out and said this was a Russian 24:27.150 --> 24:29.317 missile this week , the New York Times 24:29.317 --> 24:31.094 put out an analysis that it was 24:31.094 --> 24:33.261 probably an errant Ukrainian missile . 24:33.261 --> 24:32.920 Does the , do , do you have any intel 24:32.930 --> 24:34.819 to share on that situation ? Uh I 24:34.819 --> 24:37.041 really don't . I saw the New York Times 24:37.041 --> 24:39.374 story . Uh You know , and in that story , 24:39.374 --> 24:41.208 it said that the Ukrainians were 24:41.208 --> 24:43.430 investigating it . So I , I'd refer you 24:43.430 --> 24:45.486 to Ukraine to talk about that . Ok , 24:45.486 --> 24:47.708 we'll do one more from the phone here . 24:47.708 --> 24:49.652 Uh Heather from us and I , great , 24:49.652 --> 24:51.986 thank you so much . Um To the Black Sea , 24:51.986 --> 24:53.930 there's been a lot of um different 24:53.930 --> 24:55.874 attacks going on there uh with the 24:55.880 --> 24:57.890 Ukraine uh knocking out some of the 24:57.900 --> 25:00.170 assets over at Sevastopol . Is there 25:00.180 --> 25:02.180 anything that these attacks tell us 25:02.180 --> 25:04.347 about what uh Ukraine and Russia might 25:04.347 --> 25:06.458 be doing in the Black Sea and whether 25:06.458 --> 25:08.513 or not this might be a new front for 25:08.513 --> 25:10.800 them ? Yeah , thanks Heather . So , um 25:10.810 --> 25:13.130 you know , really Ukraine is in the 25:13.140 --> 25:15.719 best position to talk about uh their , 25:15.729 --> 25:19.040 their overall approach . Um You know , 25:19.680 --> 25:22.280 it's not the first time that we've seen 25:22.479 --> 25:24.646 combat action in the Black Sea as , as 25:24.646 --> 25:26.646 you've seen , uh the Russian attack 25:26.646 --> 25:29.469 Ukrainian targets uh in their , uh you 25:29.479 --> 25:31.660 know , most notably putting at risk 25:31.670 --> 25:34.569 grain going out of the region . Um But 25:34.579 --> 25:36.746 I would refer you to the Ukrainians to 25:36.746 --> 25:39.023 talk about um their , their operations . 25:39.180 --> 25:41.069 All right . Thank you very much , 25:41.069 --> 25:41.349 ladies and gentlemen , I appreciate it .