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Thank you , Senator Scott , Senator 

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Peters , please . Thank you , Mr 

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Chairman Mr Shea . I certainly believe 

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that a close working relationship and 

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security cooperation between the United 

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States and Israel is of the utmost 

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importance to us foreign policy . And 

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in your previous role as Assistant 

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Secretary of Defense for International 

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Security , you worked closely with your 

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Israeli counterparts to expand security 

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cooperation between our two countries . 

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So my question for you , sir is , what 

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did you learn from that experience and , 

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and if confirmed , what could we expect 

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in your new role in terms of 

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strengthening our defense ties with 

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Israel ? Well , thank you Senator 

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Peters very much for that question . 

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You're indeed right . When I was the 

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assistant secretary for ISA uh 10 years 

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ago , I worked more closely with Israel 

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than any other partner we had . I think 

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I made about a dozen trips to Israel in 

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the course of three years to that job 

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and hosted Israeli friends here many 

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times . And these are relationships 

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that I have kept up ever since I can 

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tell you that the US Israel defense 

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relationship right now is rock solid . 

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It is based on an mou that was 

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negotiated several years ago to ensure 

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that the US is providing significant 

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assistance to our Israel partners . But 

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the cooperation between the US and 

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Israel is a daily hourly uh enterprise . 

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And if confirmed , I would make it a 

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high priority to continue to deepen 

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that relationship and ensure that , 

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that our Israeli friends have what they 

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need to defend themselves by themselves . 

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Just a follow up this congress I 

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introduced along with bipartisan 

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support from Senator Fisher , the US 

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Israel Future of Warfare Act , which 

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would authorize $50 billion in joint 

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research and development funds to 

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enhance cooperation with Israel in 

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areas of emerging technologies , 

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artificial intelligence , cyber 

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security , quantum computing and other 

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technologies . So my question for you 

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is if confirmed , how would the , in 

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your opinion , how would the defense 

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department benefit from such a 

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cooperation ? And do you , would you 

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continue to support expanding our 

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cooperation particularly in these uh 

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emerging technology fields ? Thanks 

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Senator Peters for the for the question . 

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Absolutely . I I'll look forward to uh 

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taking a closer look at your 

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legislation . I can say that because of 

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Israel's significant capabilities on 

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the cutting edge of , of technology and 

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warfare . That's one of the reasons why 

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this partnership is so critical for us . 

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And so if confirmed , I would seek to 

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advance that cooperation because 

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there's a lot that Israel learns from 

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us . But there's also a lot that we 

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learned from Israel . Absolutely . 

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Shale . Israel's integration into the 

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Middle East has certainly been 

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broadened by the historic normalization 

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agreements that we've seen with the 

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United Arab Emirates , Bahrain Morocco 

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Sudan . Uh all of these known as the 

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Abraham Accords , as you're well aware 

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by creating defense and military 

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partnerships with our Gulf allies . 

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Israel is enhancing opportunities for 

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peace and integration while working 

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together to counter some shared threats 

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including Iran's destabilizing 

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activities throughout that region . My 

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question for you is if confirmed , what 

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role do you see the US military playing 

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in strengthening and hopefully 

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expanding the Abraham Accords ? Uh 

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Thanks Senator Peters for the question . 

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In my view , the Abraham Accords were 

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the most positive thing to happen in 

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the Middle East in quite some time . 

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And this administration and I 

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personally have worked hard in the last 

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few years to deepen the Abraham Accords 

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but also expand the network of 

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countries in which Israel has 

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normalized relations . It's 

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unquestionably in our interest to see 

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Israel have closer ties with her 

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neighbors . It's a project I have 

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worked on intensively in my role at the 

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State Department . It's something I 

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would certainly carry forward and make , 

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make a priority in the defense 

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department if confirmed . Right . Well , 

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thank you . Thank you , Mr Chairman . 

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Thank you , Senator Peter , Senator 

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Tuberville , please . Thank you , Mr 

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Chairman . Thanks both of you being 

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here today . Um Just one question on 

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Ukraine Charlette . Uh if Vladimir 

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Putin called you today and said , 

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listen , if you'll just tell me that 

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Ukraine will never be allowed in NATO , 

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we'll move back to our 2021 borders . 

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All fighting will stop . What would you 

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say ? I'd say President Putin . It's 

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not your decision where Ukraine is 

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going to be allied with . Ok . Uh , 

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what do you think was the biggest 

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misstep in the Afghanistan withdrawal 

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in your thoughts after looking at it ? 

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Senator , I think there are so many 

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lessons that we have to learn as a 

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country . Uh , by the 20 year 

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engagement we had in Afghanistan , 2400 

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troops lost 20,000 injured $2 trillion 

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spent . It's why I applaud what 

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Congress did uh with the support of 

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this committee and the leadership of 

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this committee to create the Afghan War 

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Commission . And if confirmed , I 

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pledge to you that I will do whatever I 

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can to support the work of that 

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commission because it's critically 

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important that we learn the lessons and 

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apply the lessons of that 20 year 

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engagement in Afghanistan . So you , 

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you , do you think we made some 

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mistakes in the withdrawal in your , I 

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think Senator that there of course , 

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were mistakes made over that 20 year 

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period ? Absolutely . I've seen some 

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statements that you've made about , uh , 

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our immigration and , and our border . 

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Uh , you know , two years ago , you can 

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talk to pretty much any law enforcement 

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officer in Alabama . They never heard 

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of fentaNYL . Ok . Uh , we had less 

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than 1000 100 overdoses a year . 

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Now fentaNYL is number one in our state 

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and we will , we will lose over 1000 

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people this year . What , what do we 

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tell , you know , the families that , 

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that kids are dying because of fentaNYL 

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that we won't do anything at the border . 

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What do , what do we tell them ? 

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Senator ? I , I really appreciate you 

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asking this question because shining a 

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light on the scourge that is fentaNYL 

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and the damage it it is doing in so 

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many communities across this country is 

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absolutely critical . I can say that 

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the State Department Secretary Blinken 

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has tried to make this into a global 

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issue . FentaNYL is the number one 

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killer of Americans 18 to 49 . And it's 

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a problem that we cannot solve alone 

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because of the elaborate supply chain 

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that creates fentaNYL uh that ends up 

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in US communities . So just last week 

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in New York , Secretary Blinken hosted 

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a AAA meeting of foreign ministers to 

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talk about ways that countries can work 

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together to try to fight the scourge of 

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fentaNYL because it's not just the US 

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alone that is facing this challenge . 

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It's it's also synthetic opioids are 

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ravaging the Middle East and Asia as 

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well . So we have absolutely got to get 

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at this problem . One of the things 

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that I will do if confirmed at dod is 

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to understand Dod S role and see what 

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more dod can do to get at this problem . 

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Yeah , it doesn't seem like that uh 

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that we have everything in order from 

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the dod when in May , our 

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administration sent 1500 troops to the 

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border in August . We pulled out 1100 

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and a few days ago , we sent 800 back , 

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you know , uh , if confirmed , I hope 

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we get a little bit more consistency 

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down there because we're , I don't know 

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if you've been down there . It's , it's 

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a complete mess and we need to save our 

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kids . Uh , let's get to my topic . Uh , 

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You know , you know what I've got , 

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I've got a hold on admirals and 

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generals to abortion . I'm pro life . 

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Um uh You will be part of solving 

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this problem if confirmed and it is a 

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problem . I want to get this over with 

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as much as anybody . How do we work 

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this out ? Senator ? 

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Thanks for the question from where I 

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sit . I know you thought about this 

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from where I sit . Uh Look , we need 

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our team on the field . Uh Given the 

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challenges that we face in the world 

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from the pacing threat of China to , to 

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the threat of Russia . We need all the 

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team on the field . We can't fight with 

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one hand behind our back is , is my 

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view and , and , and the , the job I 

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have been nominated for uh as a senior 

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civilian at the defense department , 

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I'm gonna want my military teammates uh 

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in their jobs as well . So it's , it's , 

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it's my humble view that this issue 

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gets resolved as soon as possible . 

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Yeah . Well , there's nobody more 

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military up here than me . But , uh , 

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you know , I just hope we can work this 

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out the problem that I have and I 

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represent people in Alabama . And , you 

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know , the abortion is a very 

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controversial subject and it should be 

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voted on by the people . Uh , my people 

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in the state of Alabama won't say so 

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about what happens to their tax dollars 

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with abortion and , and that's , that's 

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the situation that I'm in . I represent 

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the people of my state and , uh , 

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hopefully we can work this out . But I 

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just wanted to get your thoughts 

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because you'll be right in the thick of 

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this as we go along , uh , you know , 

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in the next few months . Hopefully , 

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it's not months . Hopefully it's just 

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days . But , uh , thank you for being 

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here . Thank you . Thank you , Mr 

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Chairman . Thank you , Senator , uh , 

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Senator Kelly . Thank you , Mr Chairman . 

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Uh , I think it's important to point 

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out and comment on what Senator 

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Tuberville just said . Uh , he's , I 

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think the quote was , there's nobody 

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more military than me . Ah , as far 

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as I can tell , there's at least four 

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of us , maybe more that served in the 

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United States military , uh , in some 

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cases for decades and at least three 

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combat veterans . So I take great 

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exception to what Senator Tuberville 

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had to say and I've heard him say it 

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before and it just doesn't make any 

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sense . So I wish you would please 

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reevaluate um what you think 

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your experience and , you know , just 

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be a little bit more careful about what 

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you say about the United States 

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military and I'm very happy to defer to 

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senator on active duty . You've got a 

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right to say whatever you want . Thank 

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you very much . I don't think that's 

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the case . You have , you have folks 

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here that have served in the United 

271
00:10:09,507 --> 00:10:11,729
States military and I think in multiple 

272
00:10:11,729 --> 00:10:15,669
branches . Um So uh Mr 

273
00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,179
Sheet just returned from a trip to 

274
00:10:19,190 --> 00:10:22,140
Ukraine last week . This is my second 

275
00:10:22,799 --> 00:10:25,049
this year and I feel it's important to 

276
00:10:25,059 --> 00:10:27,003
be on the ground to understand the 

277
00:10:27,003 --> 00:10:28,781
issues we're facing and they're 

278
00:10:28,781 --> 00:10:30,837
significant . The holds that Senator 

279
00:10:30,837 --> 00:10:32,948
Tuberville has placed in our military 

280
00:10:32,948 --> 00:10:36,539
is having an effect with our forces in 

281
00:10:36,549 --> 00:10:38,716
Ukraine and it's had an impact . But I 

282
00:10:38,716 --> 00:10:41,659
want to talk about something else and 

283
00:10:42,030 --> 00:10:44,197
you know , that is the role commercial 

284
00:10:44,197 --> 00:10:47,340
capabilities have had in Ukraine 

285
00:10:48,099 --> 00:10:51,789
and we've seen this with Starlink and 

286
00:10:51,799 --> 00:10:55,250
others . And you know , I I'm just a 

287
00:10:55,260 --> 00:10:57,371
little surprised that we got this far 

288
00:10:57,371 --> 00:11:00,570
and realized that because of war in 

289
00:11:00,580 --> 00:11:02,691
Europe , that we had a gap in our own 

290
00:11:02,691 --> 00:11:04,469
capability . And I think that's 

291
00:11:04,469 --> 00:11:06,469
something we need to consider going 

292
00:11:06,469 --> 00:11:06,099
forward . And I know there's been a 

293
00:11:06,109 --> 00:11:08,220
little controversy about the Starlink 

294
00:11:08,220 --> 00:11:11,890
Services in Ukraine . I met with Gwen 

295
00:11:11,900 --> 00:11:13,969
Shotwell from SpaceX yesterday . The 

296
00:11:13,979 --> 00:11:15,812
details on this are a little bit 

297
00:11:15,812 --> 00:11:18,780
complicated and what's been publicly 

298
00:11:18,789 --> 00:11:21,539
publicly reported is just not , it's 

299
00:11:21,549 --> 00:11:25,270
not accurate . So 

300
00:11:26,020 --> 00:11:28,076
looking forward here , it's critical 

301
00:11:28,076 --> 00:11:29,964
that dod structures , some of its 

302
00:11:29,964 --> 00:11:32,289
contracts with commercial providers . 

303
00:11:32,299 --> 00:11:34,410
I'm not specifically talking about uh 

304
00:11:34,410 --> 00:11:36,466
space X to ensure that services that 

305
00:11:36,466 --> 00:11:39,710
our troops and allies depend upon will 

306
00:11:39,719 --> 00:11:42,270
be there when they need them . So Mr uh 

307
00:11:42,710 --> 00:11:45,710
like to continue this discussion we had 

308
00:11:45,719 --> 00:11:48,409
in my office a couple of weeks back . 

309
00:11:48,419 --> 00:11:50,252
Uh if confirmed , what will your 

310
00:11:50,252 --> 00:11:52,252
approach be to ensuring that future 

311
00:11:52,252 --> 00:11:54,308
commercial contracts , regardless of 

312
00:11:54,308 --> 00:11:56,475
the provider and across the department 

313
00:11:56,475 --> 00:11:58,697
have the provisions necessary to ensure 

314
00:11:58,697 --> 00:12:00,975
their services will be there when they , 

315
00:12:00,975 --> 00:12:03,086
when they need them . Senator Kelly , 

316
00:12:03,086 --> 00:12:05,141
thank you for the question and thank 

317
00:12:05,141 --> 00:12:07,363
you for the time the other week in your 

318
00:12:07,363 --> 00:12:09,475
office . And thank you for going to a 

319
00:12:09,475 --> 00:12:09,359
second time to Ukraine . It's very , 

320
00:12:09,369 --> 00:12:11,591
very important that members of Congress 

321
00:12:11,799 --> 00:12:13,743
go regularly to Ukraine to see for 

322
00:12:13,743 --> 00:12:15,855
yourselves what's going on and assess 

323
00:12:15,855 --> 00:12:17,910
the situation and what we need to do 

324
00:12:17,910 --> 00:12:20,132
differently . Uh This is an issue where 

325
00:12:20,132 --> 00:12:22,299
that I will be engaged in if confirmed 

326
00:12:22,299 --> 00:12:24,130
because Ukraine has been uh an 

327
00:12:24,140 --> 00:12:26,029
incubator in many ways of defense 

328
00:12:26,029 --> 00:12:27,918
innovation just given the way the 

329
00:12:27,918 --> 00:12:29,751
Ukrainians have been , have been 

330
00:12:29,751 --> 00:12:31,973
utilizing the private sector as well as 

331
00:12:31,973 --> 00:12:34,140
what the United States and others have 

332
00:12:34,140 --> 00:12:36,362
been providing them . So if confirmed , 

333
00:12:36,362 --> 00:12:38,584
I would work closely with my colleagues 

334
00:12:38,584 --> 00:12:40,640
in the acquisition space to see that 

335
00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:42,807
we're doing what we can to ensure that 

336
00:12:42,807 --> 00:12:45,029
we're innovating as best we can when it 

337
00:12:45,029 --> 00:12:44,239
comes to working with the private 

338
00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:47,099
sector and in getting , uh , Ukraine 

339
00:12:47,109 --> 00:12:49,331
and anyone else , uh , the systems that 

340
00:12:49,331 --> 00:12:51,442
they need to protect themselves and , 

341
00:12:51,442 --> 00:12:54,140
and Miss Abercrombie , do you intend 

342
00:12:54,150 --> 00:12:56,380
when , when , uh , when you're 

343
00:12:56,390 --> 00:12:58,279
confirmed here , intend to review 

344
00:12:58,279 --> 00:13:01,049
existing contracts that the department 

345
00:13:01,059 --> 00:13:03,115
has with our commercial providers to 

346
00:13:03,115 --> 00:13:05,392
ensure that they meet dod requirements . 

347
00:13:05,729 --> 00:13:07,840
Senator I've confirmed . I think it's 

348
00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:10,062
absolutely essential that I take a look 

349
00:13:10,062 --> 00:13:12,285
to make sure . Number one , we've baked 

350
00:13:12,285 --> 00:13:12,090
in , uh , an understanding with 

351
00:13:12,099 --> 00:13:14,155
commercial providers from the outset 

352
00:13:14,155 --> 00:13:16,266
what the dod requirements are so that 

353
00:13:16,266 --> 00:13:18,377
we don't have surprises down the road 

354
00:13:18,377 --> 00:13:20,543
and we have what we need and certainly 

355
00:13:20,543 --> 00:13:22,543
Senator would commit to making sure 

356
00:13:22,543 --> 00:13:24,655
we're retroactively looking to ensure 

357
00:13:24,655 --> 00:13:26,710
we have , uh , all the capability we 

358
00:13:26,710 --> 00:13:28,710
need when we need it . And , and Mr 

359
00:13:28,710 --> 00:13:28,510
Chalet , do you have any additional 

360
00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,049
concerns about how our adversaries 

361
00:13:31,059 --> 00:13:33,940
might weaponize commercial services 

362
00:13:33,950 --> 00:13:36,006
that are available and what we could 

363
00:13:36,006 --> 00:13:38,500
possibly do to prevent that ? Well , 

364
00:13:38,510 --> 00:13:40,399
Senator , thanks , thanks for the 

365
00:13:40,399 --> 00:13:42,510
question . I do have concerns looking 

366
00:13:42,510 --> 00:13:44,677
at it from the outside because it does 

367
00:13:44,677 --> 00:13:46,843
seem to be an area of vulnerability if 

368
00:13:46,843 --> 00:13:48,899
confirmed . It's something I'll look 

369
00:13:48,899 --> 00:13:48,469
into from the inside and fully 

370
00:13:48,479 --> 00:13:50,035
understand the scope of the 

371
00:13:50,035 --> 00:13:52,257
vulnerability and what we can do to get 

372
00:13:52,257 --> 00:13:54,312
at that . Well , thank you and thank 

373
00:13:54,312 --> 00:13:56,535
you , Mr Chairman . Thank you , Senator 

374
00:13:56,535 --> 00:13:58,757
Kelly , Senator Mullen . Please . Thank 

375
00:13:58,757 --> 00:14:01,090
you , um , Mr Chairman and Mr Kelly , 

376
00:14:01,099 --> 00:14:02,766
you may want to clarify those 

377
00:14:02,766 --> 00:14:04,710
statements because , uh , a family 

378
00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:06,809
member serves alongside the service 

379
00:14:06,820 --> 00:14:08,820
member too , especially a gold Star 

380
00:14:08,820 --> 00:14:11,049
family . And uh and if you don't 

381
00:14:11,059 --> 00:14:13,281
believe that , then go talk to the Gold 

382
00:14:13,281 --> 00:14:15,503
star families themselves because Mr was 

383
00:14:15,503 --> 00:14:17,726
part of that Gold Star family and , and 

384
00:14:17,726 --> 00:14:19,948
you know , comments I appreciate . No , 

385
00:14:19,948 --> 00:14:22,003
no , I'm not yelling time . I'm just 

386
00:14:22,003 --> 00:14:24,003
saying you may want to clarify that 

387
00:14:24,003 --> 00:14:26,281
statement . I can clarify it right now . 

388
00:14:26,281 --> 00:14:28,530
I I know but it's my time . Um Mr , You 

389
00:14:28,539 --> 00:14:30,483
have made several comments talking 

390
00:14:30,483 --> 00:14:32,317
about the Biden administration's 

391
00:14:32,317 --> 00:14:34,539
withdrawal and the success of it . Um , 

392
00:14:34,669 --> 00:14:37,580
obviously I have some serious concerns 

393
00:14:37,590 --> 00:14:39,830
about that . Uh First of all , has 

394
00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:41,896
anybody been , uh , held accountable 

395
00:14:41,896 --> 00:14:44,118
for the disastrous withdrawal that took 

396
00:14:44,118 --> 00:14:46,173
place considering the American lives 

397
00:14:46,173 --> 00:14:48,284
that were lost and how many Americans 

398
00:14:48,284 --> 00:14:50,451
we left behind , uh , Senator Mullen . 

399
00:14:50,451 --> 00:14:52,507
Thank you for the question and thank 

400
00:14:52,507 --> 00:14:54,562
you for the time uh , in your office 

401
00:14:54,562 --> 00:14:54,460
the other week . And I genuinely , I 

402
00:14:54,469 --> 00:14:56,580
just , I just , I'm short on time . I 

403
00:14:56,580 --> 00:14:58,802
just didn't know . Has anybody had been 

404
00:14:58,802 --> 00:14:58,669
held accountable ? Senator . 

405
00:14:58,679 --> 00:15:00,957
Accountability is critically important . 

406
00:15:00,957 --> 00:15:03,068
As I'm just saying , has anybody been 

407
00:15:03,068 --> 00:15:05,346
held accountable ? That's a simple one . 

408
00:15:05,346 --> 00:15:07,512
It's a yes or it's a no . Senator . We 

409
00:15:07,512 --> 00:15:09,568
have tried to learn the lessons from 

410
00:15:09,568 --> 00:15:09,270
that . Anybody been held accountable . 

411
00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:11,502
Senator . We tried to learn the lessons 

412
00:15:11,502 --> 00:15:13,724
from that withdrawal less . So that's a 

413
00:15:13,724 --> 00:15:15,891
no just is that a , no , no one's been 

414
00:15:15,891 --> 00:15:15,419
held accountable . We have tried to 

415
00:15:15,429 --> 00:15:17,596
learn those lessons . So no one's been 

416
00:15:17,596 --> 00:15:19,651
held accountable . We tried to learn 

417
00:15:19,651 --> 00:15:21,818
them so well . It's not hard to really 

418
00:15:21,818 --> 00:15:23,985
learn lessons , especially when you do 

419
00:15:23,985 --> 00:15:26,096
a good debrief . Uh I , I , in fact , 

420
00:15:26,096 --> 00:15:28,096
when I talked to you about it in my 

421
00:15:28,096 --> 00:15:27,989
office , you said , well , the chips 

422
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,400
need to lie or they may . That's , was 

423
00:15:30,409 --> 00:15:32,631
your comments when I was talking to you 

424
00:15:32,631 --> 00:15:34,298
about , about the , about the 

425
00:15:34,298 --> 00:15:36,353
accountability ? Because if we don't 

426
00:15:36,353 --> 00:15:38,576
learn lessons and we'll , we're , we're 

427
00:15:38,576 --> 00:15:40,576
definitely determined to make those 

428
00:15:40,576 --> 00:15:42,520
same mistakes again . Uh , several 

429
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,353
times Secretary Blinken and this 

430
00:15:44,353 --> 00:15:46,409
administration lied , uh , when they 

431
00:15:46,409 --> 00:15:48,465
said that every American that wanted 

432
00:15:48,465 --> 00:15:50,465
out , uh , got out . Do you believe 

433
00:15:50,465 --> 00:15:52,576
those statements were accurate ? Uh , 

434
00:15:52,576 --> 00:15:54,576
Senator I do . Oh , you do . Well , 

435
00:15:54,576 --> 00:15:56,298
then why was there hundreds of 

436
00:15:56,298 --> 00:15:58,631
Americans that got out ? And by the way , 

437
00:15:58,631 --> 00:16:00,742
the night of the , of the 29th , uh , 

438
00:16:00,742 --> 00:16:03,210
and the 28th and 20 the 30th , I was , 

439
00:16:03,219 --> 00:16:05,330
I was assisting , trying to get those 

440
00:16:05,330 --> 00:16:07,441
Americans out when you guys said that 

441
00:16:07,441 --> 00:16:09,497
every American that wanted out could 

442
00:16:09,497 --> 00:16:11,663
get out . But the truth is they aviate 

443
00:16:11,663 --> 00:16:13,775
after the bombing HK was closed and , 

444
00:16:13,775 --> 00:16:17,429
you know , this as a fact , no one was 

445
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,799
getting in to HK , they were getting 

446
00:16:19,809 --> 00:16:22,099
turned around , turned away . In fact , 

447
00:16:22,460 --> 00:16:25,830
the morning of the 30th . Um , and this 

448
00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,330
is recorded on your hotline that you 

449
00:16:28,340 --> 00:16:32,070
set up for Afghanistan . I was asked 

450
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:34,191
because I had a three year old girl , 

451
00:16:34,191 --> 00:16:35,969
plus I had Miriam and her three 

452
00:16:35,969 --> 00:16:38,024
Children , uh , plus a whole host of 

453
00:16:38,024 --> 00:16:40,247
other people that we were trying to get 

454
00:16:40,247 --> 00:16:42,413
in and all the night of the 29th , you 

455
00:16:42,413 --> 00:16:42,380
guys were taking me from gate to gate 

456
00:16:42,390 --> 00:16:44,612
to gate to gate to gate to gate to gate 

457
00:16:44,612 --> 00:16:46,779
trying to get these individuals in and 

458
00:16:46,779 --> 00:16:48,880
all that had to be said was that you 

459
00:16:48,890 --> 00:16:51,001
guys had to call over the gate in Ash 

460
00:16:51,001 --> 00:16:53,057
for because we were dealing with the 

461
00:16:53,057 --> 00:16:55,223
Taliban and see the Taliban ironically 

462
00:16:55,223 --> 00:16:55,080
enough , if we paid them enough money , 

463
00:16:55,090 --> 00:16:58,070
we could get Americans out . But the 

464
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:00,247
State Department was stopping us every 

465
00:17:00,247 --> 00:17:02,469
step of the way . And so the morning of 

466
00:17:02,469 --> 00:17:04,580
the 30th , your employee at the State 

467
00:17:04,580 --> 00:17:07,829
Department asked me personally , do you 

468
00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:09,672
have another way to get them out 

469
00:17:10,290 --> 00:17:13,969
because we've closed the airport ? And 

470
00:17:13,979 --> 00:17:16,035
so for you to sit there and say that 

471
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:18,146
every American wanted , wanted to get 

472
00:17:18,146 --> 00:17:20,257
out , you're absolutely lying and you 

473
00:17:20,257 --> 00:17:22,423
know that to be factual and you say it 

474
00:17:22,423 --> 00:17:25,719
with a straight face . What's bad is 

475
00:17:25,729 --> 00:17:27,840
that three year old girl we're trying 

476
00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,670
to get out died a few days later from a 

477
00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,930
leg infection and you all knew about it 

478
00:17:32,939 --> 00:17:34,828
because I sent you pictures of it 

479
00:17:34,828 --> 00:17:37,050
that's still on my phone was why I said 

480
00:17:37,050 --> 00:17:39,106
it was important that we got her out 

481
00:17:39,106 --> 00:17:41,217
through HK because she needed serious 

482
00:17:41,217 --> 00:17:43,328
medical attention . By the way , this 

483
00:17:43,328 --> 00:17:45,550
wasn't a refugee , this was an American 

484
00:17:45,550 --> 00:17:47,661
citizen and her parents were American 

485
00:17:47,661 --> 00:17:49,828
citizens . And you all knew this to be 

486
00:17:49,828 --> 00:17:51,920
factual . And then when we drive her 

487
00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:53,986
across the country and we get her to 

488
00:17:53,986 --> 00:17:57,780
the border to Chiki , your ambassador , 

489
00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,020
Ambassador Pro , which this is also 

490
00:18:01,030 --> 00:18:04,699
recorded told me personally , I was 

491
00:18:04,709 --> 00:18:08,410
told by Washington DC not to 

492
00:18:08,420 --> 00:18:12,040
assist you in any way . Who told him 

493
00:18:12,050 --> 00:18:15,930
that ? Uh Senator , 

494
00:18:15,939 --> 00:18:18,106
thanks for the question and , and no , 

495
00:18:18,106 --> 00:18:20,272
no , I don't want to know who told him 

496
00:18:20,272 --> 00:18:20,150
that . I don't have much time . I don't 

497
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,271
want you to , I don't want you to try 

498
00:18:22,271 --> 00:18:24,438
to get around it . Who told him that ? 

499
00:18:24,438 --> 00:18:26,549
Senator ? I don't know the details of 

500
00:18:26,549 --> 00:18:28,660
it . Well , the state Department said 

501
00:18:28,660 --> 00:18:28,540
it has , he been held accountable 

502
00:18:28,550 --> 00:18:30,383
because that three year old died 

503
00:18:30,383 --> 00:18:32,550
because of her leg infection before we 

504
00:18:32,550 --> 00:18:34,772
get across the border . Senator again . 

505
00:18:34,772 --> 00:18:36,994
I , I appreciate what you did to help . 

506
00:18:36,994 --> 00:18:39,106
I don't , I don't need that . I don't 

507
00:18:39,106 --> 00:18:41,217
need that . I want accountability . I 

508
00:18:41,217 --> 00:18:43,217
want someone to be held accountable 

509
00:18:43,217 --> 00:18:45,272
because you know what happened after 

510
00:18:45,272 --> 00:18:47,272
that three year old girl died and I 

511
00:18:47,272 --> 00:18:49,272
called you guys and I said that she 

512
00:18:49,272 --> 00:18:51,439
died . I hung up the phone and we went 

513
00:18:51,439 --> 00:18:52,939
back as a team and we quit 

514
00:18:52,939 --> 00:18:55,161
communicating with you . And three days 

515
00:18:55,161 --> 00:18:57,272
later you guys , the State department 

516
00:18:57,272 --> 00:18:58,272
released my photo 

517
00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:03,760
and my approximate location to the 

518
00:19:03,770 --> 00:19:07,000
Washington Post and said I was lost in 

519
00:19:07,010 --> 00:19:10,349
Afghanistan with a bag of cash and 

520
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,569
never called my family to see if that 

521
00:19:12,579 --> 00:19:16,069
was true . Never called my wife . You 

522
00:19:16,079 --> 00:19:20,030
guys released it to a political rag and 

523
00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:22,040
they ran it and they put my life in 

524
00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:24,151
serious danger , including the entire 

525
00:19:24,151 --> 00:19:25,929
team that was trying to get the 

526
00:19:25,929 --> 00:19:28,151
Americans out that you guys left behind 

527
00:19:28,151 --> 00:19:30,459
and not one single person has been held 

528
00:19:30,469 --> 00:19:32,650
accountable . And then when Maryam and 

529
00:19:32,660 --> 00:19:34,619
her three kids from Arlington from 

530
00:19:34,630 --> 00:19:37,109
Amarillo , Texas , when we finally got 

531
00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:39,469
them out across the border to Chiki 

532
00:19:42,310 --> 00:19:44,421
without y'all's help because you guys 

533
00:19:44,421 --> 00:19:46,643
refused to help us because you told the 

534
00:19:46,643 --> 00:19:48,921
ambassador not to assist us in any way . 

535
00:19:48,921 --> 00:19:51,589
Secretary Blinken , the person he was 

536
00:19:51,599 --> 00:19:55,510
advising goes to the podium and says 

537
00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,280
the State Department has successfully 

538
00:19:58,310 --> 00:20:01,400
negotiated to get the first Americans 

539
00:20:01,410 --> 00:20:05,410
out since the fall of Afghanistan . I 

540
00:20:05,420 --> 00:20:07,476
didn't know you guys were there when 

541
00:20:07,476 --> 00:20:09,698
she had a gun held to her hand with her 

542
00:20:09,698 --> 00:20:11,680
two year old in her arms and she 

543
00:20:11,689 --> 00:20:13,578
started puking because she was so 

544
00:20:13,578 --> 00:20:15,633
scared . I didn't know you guys were 

545
00:20:15,633 --> 00:20:17,745
helping that . I didn't know you guys 

546
00:20:17,745 --> 00:20:19,745
were making a single phone call . I 

547
00:20:19,745 --> 00:20:19,260
didn't know you guys were there paying 

548
00:20:19,270 --> 00:20:21,930
off the Taliban with that bag of cash 

549
00:20:23,750 --> 00:20:26,030
that you said I had in the hands . I 

550
00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,040
didn't know you guys were there and 

551
00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:30,420
you're gonna tell me that you can't say 

552
00:20:30,430 --> 00:20:32,541
if someone's been held accountable or 

553
00:20:32,541 --> 00:20:34,430
not . Senator among your time has 

554
00:20:34,430 --> 00:20:38,010
expired . There's a problem here and 

555
00:20:38,020 --> 00:20:39,909
there's zero chance I support you 

556
00:20:39,909 --> 00:20:40,909
moving forward . 

557
00:20:46,209 --> 00:20:48,739
Uh Let me now recognize , uh 

558
00:20:48,750 --> 00:20:51,189
Senator , uh King . 

559
00:20:52,819 --> 00:20:56,270
Um We're the Senate armed services 

560
00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,336
committee . It's not you guys and us 

561
00:20:58,336 --> 00:21:02,250
guys . Um We're Americans , we , 

562
00:21:03,479 --> 00:21:05,829
we're Americans , this committee , 

563
00:21:05,839 --> 00:21:07,839
we're all Americans . We might have 

564
00:21:07,839 --> 00:21:09,617
different political parties and 

565
00:21:09,617 --> 00:21:11,728
different political views . Criticism 

566
00:21:11,728 --> 00:21:13,839
is an American , right ? And we ought 

567
00:21:13,839 --> 00:21:15,950
to be critical when we need to be and 

568
00:21:15,950 --> 00:21:18,117
we can have different views about what 

569
00:21:18,117 --> 00:21:20,228
criticisms are fair or not , but it's 

570
00:21:20,228 --> 00:21:22,450
not you guys and us guys in this room , 

571
00:21:22,450 --> 00:21:24,617
we are , we're all Americans trying to 

572
00:21:24,617 --> 00:21:26,839
serve the public and I hope we will act 

573
00:21:26,839 --> 00:21:28,560
that way . I , I do think the 

574
00:21:28,569 --> 00:21:31,069
discussion , you know about lessons 

575
00:21:31,079 --> 00:21:33,246
learned from Afghanistan can't just be 

576
00:21:33,246 --> 00:21:35,246
punted to a commission that's gonna 

577
00:21:35,246 --> 00:21:37,301
come back with answers later because 

578
00:21:37,301 --> 00:21:39,190
we've , we've spent a lot of time 

579
00:21:39,190 --> 00:21:41,412
around this committee table and we have 

580
00:21:41,412 --> 00:21:43,635
views . I'm not an expert for those who 

581
00:21:43,635 --> 00:21:45,746
want to read the report that has been 

582
00:21:45,746 --> 00:21:47,968
provided by state to the Senate Foreign 

583
00:21:47,968 --> 00:21:50,135
Relations Committee members who aren't 

584
00:21:50,135 --> 00:21:52,246
on the committee probably didn't know 

585
00:21:52,246 --> 00:21:51,819
that report had been provided . I think 

586
00:21:51,829 --> 00:21:53,940
you're entitled to it . So you should 

587
00:21:53,940 --> 00:21:56,107
just ask to see that report and if any 

588
00:21:56,107 --> 00:21:58,329
of you have a challenge getting it . Uh 

589
00:21:58,329 --> 00:22:00,218
Senator Shaheen and I and Senator 

590
00:22:00,218 --> 00:22:02,218
rounds are on the Foreign Relations 

591
00:22:02,218 --> 00:22:04,273
Committee come to us and we'll go to 

592
00:22:04,273 --> 00:22:06,440
bat for you . A lot of reports are out 

593
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:08,551
there that we can see , but you never 

594
00:22:08,551 --> 00:22:08,229
know that it's been given to another 

595
00:22:08,239 --> 00:22:10,209
committee . Well , now we do know 

596
00:22:10,219 --> 00:22:12,163
that's been provided to the Senate 

597
00:22:12,163 --> 00:22:14,108
Foreign Relations Committee and if 

598
00:22:14,108 --> 00:22:16,330
folks wanna read it , ask to see it and 

599
00:22:16,330 --> 00:22:18,386
if you have trouble come to the SFRC 

600
00:22:18,386 --> 00:22:20,386
members and we'll work to make sure 

601
00:22:20,386 --> 00:22:20,290
that you see it . You know , the , the , 

602
00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:22,800
the mistakes that seem the most obvious 

603
00:22:22,810 --> 00:22:26,520
ones to me . Um , and , and yet 

604
00:22:26,780 --> 00:22:28,891
we need to dig into it even further . 

605
00:22:28,891 --> 00:22:31,058
The mistakes that seem most obvious is 

606
00:22:31,058 --> 00:22:33,169
one President Trump should never have 

607
00:22:33,169 --> 00:22:35,002
negotiated a peace deal with the 

608
00:22:35,002 --> 00:22:36,724
Taliban and cut out the Afghan 

609
00:22:36,724 --> 00:22:38,910
government . It basically threw them 

610
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,260
under the bus . It committed to a deal 

611
00:22:41,270 --> 00:22:44,020
that they had no ownership in that they 

612
00:22:44,030 --> 00:22:46,510
found to be unacceptable . And that 

613
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:49,229
caused a huge loss of Afghan morale for 

614
00:22:49,239 --> 00:22:51,350
the US to negotiate a withdrawal with 

615
00:22:51,350 --> 00:22:53,239
the Taliban without including the 

616
00:22:53,239 --> 00:22:55,350
Afghan government . Who , who thought 

617
00:22:55,350 --> 00:22:57,461
that was a good idea , who , who came 

618
00:22:57,461 --> 00:22:59,670
up with that idea of not inviting the 

619
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,030
Afghan government to participate in the 

620
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,040
withdrawal agreement . And then the 

621
00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,207
second agreement that goes more on the 

622
00:23:06,207 --> 00:23:08,429
Biden administration shoulders is there 

623
00:23:08,429 --> 00:23:10,540
were a variety of scenarios presented 

624
00:23:10,540 --> 00:23:12,707
to the administration about the Afghan 

625
00:23:12,707 --> 00:23:15,479
military's capacity and how strong they 

626
00:23:15,489 --> 00:23:18,160
would be . And um some were really 

627
00:23:18,170 --> 00:23:20,337
pessimistic , some were kind of middle 

628
00:23:20,337 --> 00:23:22,114
of the road and some were quite 

629
00:23:22,114 --> 00:23:24,170
optimistic . And , and what we heard 

630
00:23:24,170 --> 00:23:26,689
from the dod and administration 

631
00:23:26,699 --> 00:23:28,810
witnesses who came before us were the 

632
00:23:28,810 --> 00:23:30,588
optimistic ones that the Afghan 

633
00:23:30,588 --> 00:23:32,755
military would be very strong . And we 

634
00:23:32,755 --> 00:23:34,810
now know that the administration was 

635
00:23:34,810 --> 00:23:36,866
being given pessimistic estimates as 

636
00:23:36,866 --> 00:23:39,589
well . And when you get a range of 

637
00:23:39,599 --> 00:23:41,869
estimates , you shouldn't just accept 

638
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,119
the rosy one . And I think that was , 

639
00:23:44,130 --> 00:23:47,079
that was clearly a mistake . Now , even 

640
00:23:47,089 --> 00:23:49,699
with those mistakes , if there had been 

641
00:23:49,709 --> 00:23:51,709
a proposal before this committee or 

642
00:23:51,709 --> 00:23:53,931
before Congress to do , what would have 

643
00:23:53,931 --> 00:23:55,931
had to be done to stay longer , put 

644
00:23:55,931 --> 00:23:57,979
more American troops in . I can't 

645
00:23:57,989 --> 00:24:00,156
imagine that would have gotten support 

646
00:24:00,156 --> 00:24:02,156
on either side of the aisle in this 

647
00:24:02,156 --> 00:24:05,119
committee in Congress , either house 

648
00:24:05,130 --> 00:24:07,297
that would have been necessary to stay 

649
00:24:07,297 --> 00:24:10,339
longer . But the rosy scenarios about 

650
00:24:10,349 --> 00:24:12,238
what the Afghan military would do 

651
00:24:12,238 --> 00:24:14,293
probably led to some mistakes at the 

652
00:24:14,293 --> 00:24:16,516
end . I mean , that we , we shouldn't , 

653
00:24:16,516 --> 00:24:18,682
we should have planned on a worst case 

654
00:24:18,682 --> 00:24:20,960
scenario , not on a rosy case scenario . 

655
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:20,760
And I think that was , that was a 

656
00:24:20,770 --> 00:24:22,969
mistake and I think we gotta own it 

657
00:24:22,979 --> 00:24:25,312
because people who are watching at home , 

658
00:24:25,312 --> 00:24:27,368
they don't want to just see . Well , 

659
00:24:27,368 --> 00:24:29,590
you know , we'll have a commission that 

660
00:24:29,590 --> 00:24:29,050
will come back and give us some 

661
00:24:29,060 --> 00:24:32,030
recommendations down the road . Um So 

662
00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,151
anyway , to my committee members , if 

663
00:24:34,151 --> 00:24:36,151
you want to see the report that has 

664
00:24:36,151 --> 00:24:35,839
been given to the Senate Foreign 

665
00:24:35,849 --> 00:24:38,071
Relations Committee , ask for it and if 

666
00:24:38,071 --> 00:24:40,127
you have trouble getting it , ask me 

667
00:24:40,127 --> 00:24:42,238
and I'll try to help MS Abercrombie . 

668
00:24:42,239 --> 00:24:44,183
Um We talk a lot about some of the 

669
00:24:44,183 --> 00:24:46,350
things you'd focus on have confirmed . 

670
00:24:46,350 --> 00:24:48,628
Um Can you expand on for my colleagues , 

671
00:24:48,628 --> 00:24:50,683
some of the acquisition strategies . 

672
00:24:50,683 --> 00:24:52,739
You talked about error reduc , error 

673
00:24:52,739 --> 00:24:55,069
reduction incentive structures for the 

674
00:24:55,079 --> 00:24:57,079
contracting process . Can you share 

675
00:24:57,079 --> 00:24:59,750
some of those ideas ? Thank you , 

676
00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:01,704
Senator for the question and , and 

677
00:25:01,704 --> 00:25:03,871
thanks for the time in your office the 

678
00:25:03,871 --> 00:25:06,149
other week . Um Senator I've confirmed , 

679
00:25:06,149 --> 00:25:08,204
uh I think I've got a few priorities 

680
00:25:08,204 --> 00:25:10,427
and that would be certainly making sure 

681
00:25:10,427 --> 00:25:12,593
we get equipment at speed and scale to 

682
00:25:12,593 --> 00:25:12,530
the war fighter . And so that does look 

683
00:25:12,540 --> 00:25:15,479
to uh reduce timelines both by ensuring 

684
00:25:15,489 --> 00:25:17,545
we're using the flexible acquisition 

685
00:25:17,545 --> 00:25:19,711
authorities that have been provided by 

686
00:25:19,711 --> 00:25:21,545
Congress and the new acquisition 

687
00:25:21,545 --> 00:25:23,711
pathways that have been implemented by 

688
00:25:23,711 --> 00:25:25,822
dod . It's making sure we're training 

689
00:25:25,822 --> 00:25:27,822
the workforce properly to apply all 

690
00:25:27,822 --> 00:25:29,989
those and make sure that that is it is 

691
00:25:29,989 --> 00:25:29,489
being applied across the department , 

692
00:25:29,500 --> 00:25:31,469
sharing lessons learned and also 

693
00:25:31,479 --> 00:25:33,090
reducing the barriers to the 

694
00:25:33,090 --> 00:25:35,312
non-traditional suppliers , making sure 

695
00:25:35,312 --> 00:25:37,590
we have competition in the marketplace , 

696
00:25:37,590 --> 00:25:39,423
so to speak , attracting smaller 

697
00:25:39,423 --> 00:25:41,035
businesses , disadvantaged , 

698
00:25:41,035 --> 00:25:43,312
traditionally disadvantaged businesses , 

699
00:25:43,312 --> 00:25:45,479
et cetera , uh potentially by reducing 

700
00:25:45,479 --> 00:25:47,479
regulatory barriers . Uh and making 

701
00:25:47,479 --> 00:25:49,646
sure those pathways are clear . I look 

702
00:25:49,646 --> 00:25:49,369
forward to working with you on those 

703
00:25:49,380 --> 00:25:51,547
and supporting both your nominations . 

704
00:25:51,547 --> 00:25:53,436
Thank you , Senator Senator , but 

705
00:25:53,436 --> 00:25:56,170
please thank you Mr Chairman 

706
00:25:57,780 --> 00:26:00,002
and again , both of you all . Thank you 

707
00:26:00,002 --> 00:25:59,869
for being here . Congrats on your 

708
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:02,500
nominations . Uh Mr I , I'd like to do 

709
00:26:02,510 --> 00:26:05,010
a bit of a quick round if you would on 

710
00:26:05,020 --> 00:26:07,020
a range of topics . So if you would 

711
00:26:07,020 --> 00:26:10,280
keep your answers uh rather short , uh 

712
00:26:10,540 --> 00:26:12,707
Assistant secretary Wander and General 

713
00:26:12,900 --> 00:26:15,011
Cali uh they're on the record stating 

714
00:26:15,011 --> 00:26:17,880
that 2% of GDP is no longer sufficient 

715
00:26:17,969 --> 00:26:20,359
spending goal for NATO . Do you agree ? 

716
00:26:21,900 --> 00:26:23,956
Senator Thank you for the question . 

717
00:26:23,956 --> 00:26:26,122
Thanks for the time in your office the 

718
00:26:26,122 --> 00:26:28,233
other day . I do agree . The new NATO 

719
00:26:28,233 --> 00:26:27,920
agreement at the Vilnius summit is at 

720
00:26:27,930 --> 00:26:30,550
2% as the floor , not the ceiling for 

721
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:32,727
defense spending for our NATO allies . 

722
00:26:33,060 --> 00:26:35,650
Thank you . So , one of the criticisms 

723
00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:38,140
of ongoing support to Ukraine is a 

724
00:26:38,150 --> 00:26:40,369
potential trade off of munitions that 

725
00:26:40,380 --> 00:26:42,619
we're sending compared to what Taiwan 

726
00:26:42,900 --> 00:26:44,869
requires to defend itself from an 

727
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,729
increasingly aggressive China . So if 

728
00:26:47,739 --> 00:26:49,906
confirmed , do you commit to reviewing 

729
00:26:49,906 --> 00:26:51,906
this and providing your best policy 

730
00:26:51,910 --> 00:26:55,030
advice to se as secretary as well as to 

731
00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:57,930
Congress ? Yes , Senator Absolutely . 

732
00:26:59,869 --> 00:27:01,980
If you determine that such trade offs 

733
00:27:01,980 --> 00:27:04,091
exist , do you commit to working with 

734
00:27:04,091 --> 00:27:06,036
your colleagues , particularly the 

735
00:27:06,036 --> 00:27:08,036
undersecretary for acquisitions and 

736
00:27:08,036 --> 00:27:09,813
sustainment to request both the 

737
00:27:09,813 --> 00:27:11,980
resources and authorities necessary to 

738
00:27:11,980 --> 00:27:13,869
meet our defense requirements and 

739
00:27:13,869 --> 00:27:15,702
commitments including maximizing 

740
00:27:15,702 --> 00:27:17,810
existing production lines and or 

741
00:27:17,819 --> 00:27:20,041
increasing production lines of critical 

742
00:27:20,041 --> 00:27:23,319
munitions . Yes , Senator , absolutely . 

743
00:27:25,270 --> 00:27:27,880
So in the fiscal year 2017 nd a 

744
00:27:28,939 --> 00:27:31,869
congress included section 9 22 to 

745
00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:34,400
enhance or upgrade the Assistant 

746
00:27:34,410 --> 00:27:36,390
Secretary of Defense for Special 

747
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,622
Operations and low intensity conflict . 

748
00:27:38,780 --> 00:27:40,891
It upgraded their responsibilities to 

749
00:27:40,891 --> 00:27:42,669
be more like those of a service 

750
00:27:42,669 --> 00:27:45,770
secretary . So if confirmed , do you 

751
00:27:45,780 --> 00:27:47,780
commit to take actions necessary to 

752
00:27:47,780 --> 00:27:50,359
fully implement section 9 22 ? Yes or 

753
00:27:50,369 --> 00:27:53,270
no Yes , Senator , I will look forward 

754
00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,502
to if confirmed uh working to implement 

755
00:27:55,502 --> 00:27:57,502
that and working with you on that . 

756
00:27:57,502 --> 00:28:01,250
Thank you , Mr , on a different topic . 

757
00:28:01,260 --> 00:28:04,079
Um You're on record stating that . And 

758
00:28:04,089 --> 00:28:07,170
I quote , and my colleagues mentioned 

759
00:28:07,180 --> 00:28:09,770
um similar things a few moments ago , 

760
00:28:10,839 --> 00:28:13,170
but I quote , you said it was 

761
00:28:13,180 --> 00:28:15,069
preposterous and not supported by 

762
00:28:15,069 --> 00:28:16,958
evidence that there is a security 

763
00:28:16,958 --> 00:28:19,180
threat along the Southwest border . But 

764
00:28:19,180 --> 00:28:21,180
we know now that that's objectively 

765
00:28:21,180 --> 00:28:23,347
false . So earlier this week , customs 

766
00:28:23,347 --> 00:28:25,569
and border protection stated that there 

767
00:28:25,569 --> 00:28:28,170
were approximately 11,000 encounters at 

768
00:28:28,180 --> 00:28:31,800
the Southwest border in a 24 hour span , 

769
00:28:32,699 --> 00:28:34,699
making it the single highest day in 

770
00:28:34,699 --> 00:28:37,589
recent memory . So as of July , 160 

771
00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:39,859
migrants who matched those listed on 

772
00:28:39,869 --> 00:28:42,219
the terrorist watch list have been 

773
00:28:42,229 --> 00:28:44,173
apprehended crossing the US Mexico 

774
00:28:44,173 --> 00:28:48,060
border during 2023 compared to 100 in 

775
00:28:48,069 --> 00:28:50,260
all of 2022 . That's just the ones we 

776
00:28:50,270 --> 00:28:53,459
know about . So would you still say 

777
00:28:53,469 --> 00:28:55,636
that there is no security threat along 

778
00:28:55,636 --> 00:28:58,180
the southern border ? Senator ? We need 

779
00:28:58,189 --> 00:29:00,300
to have a safe and secure border . Do 

780
00:29:00,300 --> 00:29:02,522
you ? You say that there is no security 

781
00:29:02,522 --> 00:29:04,856
threat along the Southwest border ? Sir ? 

782
00:29:04,856 --> 00:29:06,911
I believe there are security threats 

783
00:29:06,911 --> 00:29:06,760
across the Southwest border , which is 

784
00:29:06,770 --> 00:29:08,937
why we need a safe and secure . But at 

785
00:29:08,937 --> 00:29:11,103
one point , you said it's preposterous 

786
00:29:11,103 --> 00:29:13,048
and not supported by evidence that 

787
00:29:13,048 --> 00:29:12,410
there's a security threat . So you 

788
00:29:12,420 --> 00:29:14,642
don't agree with your prior statement , 

789
00:29:14,642 --> 00:29:16,864
Senator , I don't recall the specific , 

790
00:29:16,864 --> 00:29:18,920
uh , example , uh , or that quote or 

791
00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:20,976
what the security threat in question 

792
00:29:20,976 --> 00:29:22,976
was being , I was being asked . But 

793
00:29:22,976 --> 00:29:25,198
what I can tell you is if confirmed , I 

794
00:29:25,198 --> 00:29:27,142
believe we need to have a safe and 

795
00:29:27,142 --> 00:29:27,119
secure border and if confirmed , I'll 

796
00:29:27,130 --> 00:29:29,297
work to ensure the dud is played . And 

797
00:29:29,297 --> 00:29:31,352
you believe that there is a security 

798
00:29:31,352 --> 00:29:33,574
threat along the Southwest border as of 

799
00:29:33,574 --> 00:29:35,686
now . I believe that Secretary Austin 

800
00:29:35,686 --> 00:29:37,352
was absolutely correct to add 

801
00:29:37,352 --> 00:29:39,463
additional dod resources . I'm just , 

802
00:29:39,463 --> 00:29:41,574
sir , I'm just asking you , would you 

803
00:29:41,574 --> 00:29:40,859
believe that there is no security 

804
00:29:40,869 --> 00:29:43,091
threat along the Southwest border as of 

805
00:29:43,091 --> 00:29:45,202
right now ? I believe that there is a 

806
00:29:45,202 --> 00:29:47,369
threat that warrants the deployment of 

807
00:29:47,369 --> 00:29:49,480
us active duty troops to the border , 

808
00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,591
which Secretary Austin has done . Let 

809
00:29:51,591 --> 00:29:53,702
me broaden the aperture a bit . So is 

810
00:29:53,702 --> 00:29:53,670
it's a basic matter of sovereignty for 

811
00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,030
nations to secure their border . Do you 

812
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,839
agree ? Absolutely . 

813
00:30:00,719 --> 00:30:02,941
To understand that you would prefer not 

814
00:30:02,941 --> 00:30:05,180
to send troops to the border so that we 

815
00:30:05,189 --> 00:30:07,245
can maintain readiness to respond to 

816
00:30:07,245 --> 00:30:09,245
the military threats posed by China 

817
00:30:09,245 --> 00:30:12,530
Russia and other bad actors . But 

818
00:30:13,329 --> 00:30:15,051
until the Biden administration 

819
00:30:15,051 --> 00:30:17,280
prioritizes border security , I believe 

820
00:30:17,290 --> 00:30:19,479
it's a necessity . Do you not believe 

821
00:30:19,489 --> 00:30:22,719
to secure our southern border ? Senator ? 

822
00:30:22,729 --> 00:30:24,896
Thanks for the question . I believe we 

823
00:30:24,896 --> 00:30:27,118
need to have a safe and secure border , 

824
00:30:27,118 --> 00:30:30,819
full stop chair . I go back . Thank you 

825
00:30:30,829 --> 00:30:32,885
very much , Senator Bud . Uh Senator 

826
00:30:32,885 --> 00:30:34,930
Duckworth , please . Thank you Mr 

827
00:30:34,939 --> 00:30:36,772
Chairman and good morning to our 

828
00:30:36,772 --> 00:30:38,550
witnesses . I want to take this 

829
00:30:38,550 --> 00:30:40,772
opportunity to reinforce the importance 

830
00:30:40,772 --> 00:30:43,349
of our support for Ukraine . I attended 

831
00:30:43,359 --> 00:30:45,415
a very important briefing on Ukraine 

832
00:30:45,415 --> 00:30:47,137
with members of this committee 

833
00:30:47,137 --> 00:30:49,359
yesterday and I believe that the United 

834
00:30:49,359 --> 00:30:51,470
States continue , it's vital that the 

835
00:30:51,470 --> 00:30:53,581
United States continue to support the 

836
00:30:53,581 --> 00:30:55,581
Ukrainian people against unprovoked 

837
00:30:55,581 --> 00:30:57,526
Russian aggression . And I urge my 

838
00:30:57,526 --> 00:30:59,581
colleagues to consider how important 

839
00:30:59,581 --> 00:30:59,510
assistance to Ukraine is to our 

840
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:02,449
national security . Putin and the rest 

841
00:31:02,459 --> 00:31:04,570
of the world are watching our actions 

842
00:31:04,570 --> 00:31:06,570
and any failure of this Congress to 

843
00:31:06,570 --> 00:31:08,792
continue appropriating funds to support 

844
00:31:08,792 --> 00:31:10,403
Ukraine's defenses will have 

845
00:31:10,403 --> 00:31:12,292
consequences throughout the world 

846
00:31:12,292 --> 00:31:14,403
including right here at home . And if 

847
00:31:14,403 --> 00:31:16,626
we fail to support Ukraine , Putin will 

848
00:31:16,626 --> 00:31:15,810
learn the lesson that he can do 

849
00:31:15,819 --> 00:31:18,479
whatever he wants . Others will learn 

850
00:31:18,489 --> 00:31:20,920
that same lesson as well . That makes 

851
00:31:20,930 --> 00:31:22,986
the world a less safe place , a less 

852
00:31:22,986 --> 00:31:25,208
free place and that impacts our economy 

853
00:31:25,208 --> 00:31:27,630
and our national security . Our allies 

854
00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:29,473
are providing immense support to 

855
00:31:29,473 --> 00:31:31,307
Ukraine right now , but they are 

856
00:31:31,307 --> 00:31:33,196
watching what we do closely if we 

857
00:31:33,196 --> 00:31:35,418
retreat early , we are jeopardizing the 

858
00:31:35,418 --> 00:31:37,418
war effort and playing into Putin's 

859
00:31:37,418 --> 00:31:39,751
hands , Miss Abercrombie , if confirmed , 

860
00:31:39,751 --> 00:31:41,918
your position would be responsible for 

861
00:31:41,918 --> 00:31:44,140
working with other interagency partners 

862
00:31:44,140 --> 00:31:46,251
to deliver vital defense capabilities 

863
00:31:46,251 --> 00:31:48,689
to Ukraine . And Mr , you would become 

864
00:31:48,699 --> 00:31:50,810
the lead architect of dod policy . If 

865
00:31:50,810 --> 00:31:52,866
confirmed . Can both of you speak to 

866
00:31:52,866 --> 00:31:54,866
the importance of our assistance to 

867
00:31:54,866 --> 00:31:56,810
Ukraine's war effort as well as to 

868
00:31:56,810 --> 00:31:58,699
United States national security , 

869
00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:02,467
Senator Duckworth . Thank you for that 

870
00:32:02,467 --> 00:32:04,244
important question . I think as 

871
00:32:04,244 --> 00:32:06,467
President Biden has said , we want to , 

872
00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:08,633
we will support Ukraine for as long as 

873
00:32:08,633 --> 00:32:08,599
it takes . And then from the defense 

874
00:32:08,609 --> 00:32:10,831
department perspective , that certainly 

875
00:32:10,831 --> 00:32:12,887
includes contracting and getting the 

876
00:32:12,887 --> 00:32:14,665
equipment to Ukraine . So we've 

877
00:32:14,665 --> 00:32:16,665
confirmed I would work very closely 

878
00:32:16,665 --> 00:32:18,720
with interagency partners and across 

879
00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:20,887
the department . Importantly , to make 

880
00:32:20,887 --> 00:32:22,998
sure as Congress has appropriated the 

881
00:32:22,998 --> 00:32:24,942
dollars , we are getting things on 

882
00:32:24,942 --> 00:32:27,165
contract as quickly as possible . Thank 

883
00:32:27,165 --> 00:32:29,498
you . And so thank you for the question . 

884
00:32:29,498 --> 00:32:31,553
Thanks for the time in your office a 

885
00:32:31,553 --> 00:32:33,776
few weeks ago , fully agree with , with 

886
00:32:33,776 --> 00:32:35,942
my colleague here and fully agree with 

887
00:32:35,942 --> 00:32:37,942
the thrust of your statement on the 

888
00:32:37,942 --> 00:32:40,109
importance of Ukraine winning . It's a 

889
00:32:40,109 --> 00:32:40,109
very simple proposition from my 

890
00:32:40,119 --> 00:32:42,175
perspective . If Russia were to stop 

891
00:32:42,175 --> 00:32:44,397
fighting , the war would end if Ukraine 

892
00:32:44,397 --> 00:32:46,508
were to stop fighting , Ukraine would 

893
00:32:46,508 --> 00:32:48,730
end . And I think it is in our national 

894
00:32:48,730 --> 00:32:50,563
security interest to continue to 

895
00:32:50,563 --> 00:32:52,841
provide significant support to Ukraine . 

896
00:32:52,841 --> 00:32:54,897
Thank you . Um Earlier this year , I 

897
00:32:54,897 --> 00:32:57,119
introduced a Southeast Asia Partnership 

898
00:32:57,119 --> 00:32:58,952
Expansion Act um and secured its 

899
00:32:58,952 --> 00:33:01,175
inclusion into the Senate version of fy 

900
00:33:01,175 --> 00:33:03,540
24 NDA A my bill expands a military 

901
00:33:03,550 --> 00:33:05,859
cyber security partnership with 

902
00:33:05,869 --> 00:33:08,091
Southeast Asian partners that I created 

903
00:33:08,091 --> 00:33:10,147
in 2020 based on the success of that 

904
00:33:10,147 --> 00:33:12,147
program in Thailand , Indonesia and 

905
00:33:12,147 --> 00:33:14,313
Vietnam for cybersecurity training and 

906
00:33:14,313 --> 00:33:16,369
partnership with the United States . 

907
00:33:16,369 --> 00:33:18,091
I'm now seeking to include the 

908
00:33:18,091 --> 00:33:19,980
Philippines and Malaysia into the 

909
00:33:19,980 --> 00:33:22,202
program . Additionally , I recently led 

910
00:33:22,202 --> 00:33:24,258
a code to Indonesia Thailand and the 

911
00:33:24,258 --> 00:33:26,202
Philippines to strengthen ties and 

912
00:33:26,202 --> 00:33:28,202
reinforce support between Southeast 

913
00:33:28,202 --> 00:33:30,369
Asia and the United States . During my 

914
00:33:30,369 --> 00:33:32,536
trip , I spoke with us service members 

915
00:33:32,536 --> 00:33:34,480
advising partner militaries in the 

916
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,591
region and heard that there is a huge 

917
00:33:36,591 --> 00:33:38,591
demand for additional training that 

918
00:33:38,591 --> 00:33:40,647
could increase interoperability like 

919
00:33:40,647 --> 00:33:42,758
English language training . In fact , 

920
00:33:42,758 --> 00:33:42,430
they mentioned the fact that they've 

921
00:33:42,439 --> 00:33:45,390
had some of their um candidates uh 

922
00:33:45,505 --> 00:33:47,864
return from the US Military Academy 

923
00:33:47,875 --> 00:33:49,653
because they failed the English 

924
00:33:49,653 --> 00:33:51,875
language test three times and this is a 

925
00:33:51,875 --> 00:33:54,042
very capable officer and yet could not 

926
00:33:54,042 --> 00:33:56,264
pass the English language test . Mr How 

927
00:33:56,264 --> 00:33:58,264
important are programs like English 

928
00:33:58,264 --> 00:34:00,153
language training and basic cyber 

929
00:34:00,153 --> 00:34:02,635
security training for interoperability 

930
00:34:02,824 --> 00:34:04,824
and what other ideas do you have to 

931
00:34:04,824 --> 00:34:06,713
build our interoperability in the 

932
00:34:06,713 --> 00:34:08,713
region ? Well , thank you , Senator 

933
00:34:08,713 --> 00:34:10,380
Duckworth and thanks for your 

934
00:34:10,380 --> 00:34:12,602
championing the importance of Southeast 

935
00:34:12,602 --> 00:34:14,657
Asia as we've discussed many times . 

936
00:34:14,657 --> 00:34:16,602
It's been a priority for the Biden 

937
00:34:16,602 --> 00:34:16,409
administration . It's been a priority 

938
00:34:16,419 --> 00:34:18,739
for me personally . And in the last 2.5 

939
00:34:18,750 --> 00:34:20,806
years at the State Department , I've 

940
00:34:20,806 --> 00:34:22,861
done around eight trips to Southeast 

941
00:34:22,861 --> 00:34:24,972
Asia because I believe those partners 

942
00:34:24,972 --> 00:34:26,750
are critically important to our 

943
00:34:26,750 --> 00:34:28,806
national security and our posture in 

944
00:34:28,806 --> 00:34:30,917
the Indo Pacific . I think we've made 

945
00:34:30,917 --> 00:34:33,028
some very , very important strides in 

946
00:34:33,028 --> 00:34:35,139
deepening those relationships , but I 

947
00:34:35,139 --> 00:34:37,361
think there is a much further to go and 

948
00:34:37,361 --> 00:34:39,361
I would , if confirmed , would look 

949
00:34:39,361 --> 00:34:41,361
forward to work with you closely on 

950
00:34:41,361 --> 00:34:41,159
some of the innovative ideas you and 

951
00:34:41,169 --> 00:34:43,280
others have had . And a way we can do 

952
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:45,502
deepen those partnerships . Thank you , 

953
00:34:45,502 --> 00:34:47,613
sir . So if confirmed , will you work 

954
00:34:47,613 --> 00:34:47,135
with me to help secure funding 

955
00:34:47,185 --> 00:34:49,296
authorities and resources for some of 

956
00:34:49,296 --> 00:34:50,963
these ideas in future years ? 

957
00:34:50,963 --> 00:34:53,074
Absolutely , Senator I'd like to work 

958
00:34:53,074 --> 00:34:52,784
with you on that . Thank you . Thank 

959
00:34:52,804 --> 00:34:54,860
you . Yes , because I want to ensure 

960
00:34:54,860 --> 00:34:57,082
that we are prioritizing and adequately 

961
00:34:57,082 --> 00:34:59,193
resourcing programs that can build on 

962
00:34:59,193 --> 00:35:01,415
these ties in Southeast Asia . Um uh If 

963
00:35:01,415 --> 00:35:03,637
confirm , Mr , how do you plan on using 

964
00:35:03,637 --> 00:35:05,526
your diplomatic experience gained 

965
00:35:05,526 --> 00:35:05,175
during your time at the State 

966
00:35:05,185 --> 00:35:07,407
Department to shape the dod s policy on 

967
00:35:07,407 --> 00:35:09,629
building relationships with partners in 

968
00:35:09,629 --> 00:35:11,796
the Indo Pacific region , specifically 

969
00:35:11,796 --> 00:35:13,796
Southeast Asia . Well , thank you , 

970
00:35:13,796 --> 00:35:16,018
Senator Duckworth for the question . As 

971
00:35:16,018 --> 00:35:18,185
I said earlier , I believe that what I 

972
00:35:18,185 --> 00:35:20,241
call defense diplomacy is a critical 

973
00:35:20,241 --> 00:35:22,296
part of the job of undersecretary of 

974
00:35:22,296 --> 00:35:24,185
defense for policy . And , and if 

975
00:35:24,185 --> 00:35:24,010
confirmed , I would seek to pursue that 

976
00:35:24,020 --> 00:35:26,242
and work with my colleagues as well who 

977
00:35:26,242 --> 00:35:28,409
are doing that these relationships and 

978
00:35:28,409 --> 00:35:30,520
partnerships are critically important 

979
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:32,409
to our security . They're a force 

980
00:35:32,409 --> 00:35:34,464
multiplier for us . They are part of 

981
00:35:34,464 --> 00:35:36,798
our enduring advantage and that they're , 

982
00:35:36,798 --> 00:35:36,530
they're at the heart of our national 

983
00:35:36,540 --> 00:35:39,479
defense strategy . So whatever we can 

984
00:35:39,489 --> 00:35:41,211
do to make those alliances and 

985
00:35:41,211 --> 00:35:43,433
partnerships stronger is something that 

986
00:35:43,433 --> 00:35:45,545
I'm gonna set out to do . Thank you . 

987
00:35:45,545 --> 00:35:47,545
Thank you , Mr Chairman . Thank you 

988
00:35:47,545 --> 00:35:49,656
very much , Senator Senator Schmidt , 

989
00:35:49,656 --> 00:35:51,767
please . Thank you , Mr Chairman . Um 

990
00:35:51,767 --> 00:35:53,822
Mr , what did you mean when you told 

991
00:35:53,822 --> 00:35:55,822
the New York Times that the army in 

992
00:35:55,822 --> 00:35:57,933
particular is a pretty bubba oriented 

993
00:35:57,933 --> 00:35:59,878
system . Thanks question , Senator 

994
00:35:59,878 --> 00:36:01,878
Schmidt for the question . I really 

995
00:36:01,878 --> 00:36:03,989
appreciate it . As I , as I mentioned 

996
00:36:03,989 --> 00:36:05,822
earlier , I was referring to the 

997
00:36:05,822 --> 00:36:08,156
importance of mentorship and leadership . 

998
00:36:08,156 --> 00:36:10,322
It was sort of a colloquial way to say 

999
00:36:10,322 --> 00:36:12,600
that mentors and leaders really matter . 

1000
00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:12,100
Well , you could have said that . Uh 

1001
00:36:12,110 --> 00:36:14,820
but you didn't , the Merriam Webster uh 

1002
00:36:14,830 --> 00:36:18,739
uh defines it as very simply as redneck 

1003
00:36:19,239 --> 00:36:21,128
and offers that the term is quote 

1004
00:36:21,128 --> 00:36:23,840
informal and often disparaging . It 

1005
00:36:23,850 --> 00:36:26,449
also cites the word's origin as a quote 

1006
00:36:26,459 --> 00:36:28,729
stereotypical nickname of Southern 

1007
00:36:28,739 --> 00:36:30,850
white males . You understand how that 

1008
00:36:30,850 --> 00:36:32,969
might be offensive ? I do Senator . 

1009
00:36:32,979 --> 00:36:35,312
That was certainly not my intent in you , 

1010
00:36:35,312 --> 00:36:38,979
right ? And um you're um you're asking 

1011
00:36:38,989 --> 00:36:40,933
to be promoted to the number three 

1012
00:36:40,933 --> 00:36:43,156
position at the Department of Defense . 

1013
00:36:43,156 --> 00:36:45,322
There are recruitment challenges . I'm 

1014
00:36:45,322 --> 00:36:47,500
sure that there are um Southern white 

1015
00:36:47,510 --> 00:36:49,343
males who might like to join the 

1016
00:36:49,343 --> 00:36:51,566
military . Do you think this is helpful 

1017
00:36:51,566 --> 00:36:53,788
in that recruitment effort ? So I think 

1018
00:36:53,788 --> 00:36:55,899
the most important thing we can do to 

1019
00:36:55,899 --> 00:36:55,780
have good recruitment is ensuring that 

1020
00:36:55,790 --> 00:36:57,734
we have good , strong leadership , 

1021
00:36:57,734 --> 00:36:59,734
which was the point I was trying to 

1022
00:36:59,734 --> 00:36:59,580
make , right ? Do you think a lot , you 

1023
00:36:59,590 --> 00:37:01,919
know , um lobbing a slur their way is 

1024
00:37:01,929 --> 00:37:04,262
helpful with that . As I said , Senator , 

1025
00:37:04,262 --> 00:37:06,485
that was certainly not my intent . OK . 

1026
00:37:06,485 --> 00:37:09,570
In your book , the middle way , you 

1027
00:37:09,580 --> 00:37:11,820
said that you , you noted that systemic 

1028
00:37:11,830 --> 00:37:14,139
racism has been a problem in this 

1029
00:37:14,149 --> 00:37:16,419
mostly white and male establishment for 

1030
00:37:16,429 --> 00:37:18,429
a long time referring to the , uh , 

1031
00:37:18,429 --> 00:37:20,540
foreign policy establishment . Do you 

1032
00:37:20,540 --> 00:37:22,596
believe that the State Department is 

1033
00:37:22,596 --> 00:37:24,651
systemically racist ? Senator ? I do 

1034
00:37:24,651 --> 00:37:26,318
not , do you believe that the 

1035
00:37:26,318 --> 00:37:26,209
Department of Defense is just 

1036
00:37:26,219 --> 00:37:28,275
systemically racist ? Senator ? I do 

1037
00:37:28,275 --> 00:37:30,330
not . Do you believe that , um , our 

1038
00:37:30,330 --> 00:37:32,608
armed services are systemically racist ? 

1039
00:37:32,608 --> 00:37:34,663
Absolutely not . Ok . I want to turn 

1040
00:37:34,663 --> 00:37:36,830
your attention um , to another topic . 

1041
00:37:37,330 --> 00:37:39,663
Um , you're familiar with the , uh , uh , 

1042
00:37:39,663 --> 00:37:41,608
the Department's Global Engagement 

1043
00:37:41,608 --> 00:37:43,497
Center , the Department of States 

1044
00:37:43,497 --> 00:37:46,250
Global . Yeah . And , uh , working with 

1045
00:37:46,260 --> 00:37:49,409
the election integrity Project only 

1046
00:37:49,419 --> 00:37:51,697
vaguely familiar with that . Ok . Well , 

1047
00:37:51,697 --> 00:37:53,808
it happens to be that in the Missouri 

1048
00:37:53,808 --> 00:37:55,949
versus Biden lawsuit that , um , I 

1049
00:37:55,959 --> 00:37:57,848
happen to know something about as 

1050
00:37:57,848 --> 00:38:00,070
Missouri's Attorney General . Um , uh , 

1051
00:38:00,070 --> 00:38:02,181
the State Department was specifically 

1052
00:38:02,181 --> 00:38:04,500
part of this in their effort to censor 

1053
00:38:04,510 --> 00:38:06,879
Americans and judge Doherty in his 

1054
00:38:06,889 --> 00:38:09,000
order when he issued the injunction , 

1055
00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:10,945
noted that the , the election inte 

1056
00:38:10,945 --> 00:38:13,320
integrity project , all 21 of the 

1057
00:38:13,330 --> 00:38:15,469
repeat spreaders of so called 

1058
00:38:15,479 --> 00:38:18,010
disinformation were conservative or 

1059
00:38:18,020 --> 00:38:20,242
right wing political , had conservative 

1060
00:38:20,242 --> 00:38:22,131
or right wing political views and 

1061
00:38:22,131 --> 00:38:24,570
supported President Trump . Of those 21 

1062
00:38:24,580 --> 00:38:26,899
included President Trump , Eric Trump , 

1063
00:38:26,909 --> 00:38:30,379
Breitbart News and Sean Hannity . Um , 

1064
00:38:30,929 --> 00:38:33,659
I wanna ask you , do you think that the 

1065
00:38:33,669 --> 00:38:36,219
government should be telling Americans 

1066
00:38:36,229 --> 00:38:38,451
what they can see or what they can hear 

1067
00:38:38,451 --> 00:38:40,949
or what they can say ? Senator , thanks 

1068
00:38:40,959 --> 00:38:43,126
for the question . What I can say is I 

1069
00:38:43,126 --> 00:38:45,292
know the work of the Global Engagement 

1070
00:38:45,292 --> 00:38:47,348
Center at the Department of State is 

1071
00:38:47,348 --> 00:38:46,889
critically important as we seek to 

1072
00:38:46,899 --> 00:38:49,090
fight disinformation , misinformation 

1073
00:38:49,100 --> 00:38:51,156
around the world . I do not know the 

1074
00:38:51,156 --> 00:38:53,322
specifics of this instance . So I'd be 

1075
00:38:53,322 --> 00:38:55,433
happy to take this back and , and get 

1076
00:38:55,433 --> 00:38:57,600
back to you on a more fulsome answer . 

1077
00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,711
OK . So how would you combat , what , 

1078
00:38:59,711 --> 00:38:59,139
what would you say is the best way to 

1079
00:38:59,149 --> 00:39:01,449
combat information that you deemed to 

1080
00:39:01,459 --> 00:39:03,879
be uh not accurate but would be the way 

1081
00:39:03,889 --> 00:39:06,750
to do that . Well , I first when it 

1082
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,520
comes to foreign source misinformation , 

1083
00:39:09,530 --> 00:39:11,697
I mean , let's , let's say , let's say 

1084
00:39:11,697 --> 00:39:13,808
let's talk about political viewpoints 

1085
00:39:13,808 --> 00:39:16,030
of Americans because that's really what 

1086
00:39:16,030 --> 00:39:18,141
this case is about . What is the best 

1087
00:39:18,141 --> 00:39:20,308
way to do that ? Senator again , I I'm 

1088
00:39:20,308 --> 00:39:22,474
not familiar with this case , so I'm , 

1089
00:39:22,474 --> 00:39:24,586
I'm just asking your opinion if you , 

1090
00:39:24,586 --> 00:39:26,697
if there was an , an American , let's 

1091
00:39:26,697 --> 00:39:28,863
say the President of the United States 

1092
00:39:28,863 --> 00:39:31,030
or a news outlet or somebody , uh uh a 

1093
00:39:31,030 --> 00:39:33,252
resident of the State of Missouri had a 

1094
00:39:33,252 --> 00:39:34,974
viewpoint that you thought was 

1095
00:39:34,974 --> 00:39:37,086
inaccurate . What is the best way for 

1096
00:39:37,086 --> 00:39:36,879
you as a government actor to deal with 

1097
00:39:36,889 --> 00:39:39,860
that ? Senator ? It's not something I'm 

1098
00:39:39,870 --> 00:39:41,926
particularly qualified to opine on , 

1099
00:39:41,926 --> 00:39:44,092
but I would say that you were a senior 

1100
00:39:44,092 --> 00:39:46,092
member of the state department when 

1101
00:39:46,092 --> 00:39:48,203
they actively engaged in censorship . 

1102
00:39:48,203 --> 00:39:50,259
According to the judge , as I said , 

1103
00:39:50,259 --> 00:39:49,639
Senator , I'm not familiar with this 

1104
00:39:49,649 --> 00:39:51,649
case , so I'd be happy to take this 

1105
00:39:51,649 --> 00:39:53,982
back and get back to you on a more full . 

1106
00:39:53,982 --> 00:39:53,850
Do you believe that the government 

1107
00:39:53,860 --> 00:39:56,189
should collude with big tech companies 

1108
00:39:56,199 --> 00:39:58,899
to censor speech ? Sarah ? I do not . 

1109
00:39:58,909 --> 00:40:01,131
And you're aware that that was actually 

1110
00:40:01,131 --> 00:40:03,353
the finding of the court , right ? As I 

1111
00:40:03,353 --> 00:40:05,631
said , I'm not familiar with this case . 

1112
00:40:05,631 --> 00:40:07,798
Ok . Well , I'm informing you and I'll 

1113
00:40:07,798 --> 00:40:10,020
be happy to follow up . But the judge's 

1114
00:40:10,020 --> 00:40:10,020
ruling found that the State Department 

1115
00:40:10,030 --> 00:40:12,159
through this election integrity 

1116
00:40:12,169 --> 00:40:14,600
initiative was censoring Americans 

1117
00:40:14,610 --> 00:40:16,840
threatening legal action if they didn't 

1118
00:40:16,850 --> 00:40:19,100
censor Americans threatening antitrust 

1119
00:40:19,110 --> 00:40:21,277
investigations . If they didn't censor 

1120
00:40:21,277 --> 00:40:23,388
Americans , I find that this activity 

1121
00:40:23,388 --> 00:40:25,499
that isn't talked about a lot up here 

1122
00:40:25,659 --> 00:40:29,050
is , um , uh , could be devastating to 

1123
00:40:29,060 --> 00:40:31,282
the fundamental right of free speech in 

1124
00:40:31,282 --> 00:40:33,550
this country and the fact that people 

1125
00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:35,770
have the right to speak their minds , 

1126
00:40:35,780 --> 00:40:37,947
even if you don't agree with it , even 

1127
00:40:37,947 --> 00:40:40,169
if you think it's inaccurate , the best 

1128
00:40:40,169 --> 00:40:40,070
way to deal with that is more 

1129
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,669
information . So I would encourage as 

1130
00:40:42,679 --> 00:40:44,846
you go back to the State Department or 

1131
00:40:44,846 --> 00:40:46,901
whoever you talk to , that's legit . 

1132
00:40:46,901 --> 00:40:48,901
But working to censor America , the 

1133
00:40:48,901 --> 00:40:50,901
government has zero business , zero 

1134
00:40:50,901 --> 00:40:52,957
business telling Americans what they 

1135
00:40:52,957 --> 00:40:52,879
can say , what they can hear , what 

1136
00:40:52,889 --> 00:40:55,056
they could think . And they also can't 

1137
00:40:55,056 --> 00:40:57,167
outsource that censorship to big tech 

1138
00:40:57,167 --> 00:40:59,389
giants , which is exactly what happened 

1139
00:40:59,389 --> 00:40:59,270
here . And I'm troubled by the fact 

1140
00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:01,447
that you were in set , you were center 

1141
00:41:01,447 --> 00:41:03,558
stage in this , your comments that we 

1142
00:41:03,558 --> 00:41:05,729
talked about . Aside , the State 

1143
00:41:05,739 --> 00:41:08,649
Department was actively working with 

1144
00:41:08,659 --> 00:41:11,050
big tech giants to shut down American 

1145
00:41:11,060 --> 00:41:14,699
speech . And so , uh you know , 

1146
00:41:14,739 --> 00:41:16,961
your testimony here doesn't give me any 

1147
00:41:16,961 --> 00:41:18,961
greater comfort as you're seeking a 

1148
00:41:18,961 --> 00:41:21,017
promotion is with that Mr Chairman . 

1149
00:41:21,017 --> 00:41:23,570
You back . Thank you , Senator Schmidt , 

1150
00:41:23,620 --> 00:41:25,509
Senator Sullivan . Thank you , Mr 

1151
00:41:25,509 --> 00:41:27,800
Chairman and uh to our nominees . Uh 

1152
00:41:27,810 --> 00:41:30,729
Thank you and thank your families for 

1153
00:41:30,989 --> 00:41:34,379
service . Kids are doing well there , 

1154
00:41:34,389 --> 00:41:37,459
Mr Schlott . So , um long hearing , 

1155
00:41:38,260 --> 00:41:41,100
um I appreciated our meeting the other 

1156
00:41:41,110 --> 00:41:44,719
day . Let me uh let me ask you directly 

1157
00:41:44,729 --> 00:41:47,062
the question that I asked . What do you , 

1158
00:41:47,062 --> 00:41:49,007
what's the number one goal for the 

1159
00:41:49,007 --> 00:41:51,229
Department of Defense ? Senator ? Thank 

1160
00:41:51,229 --> 00:41:52,896
you very much and I very much 

1161
00:41:52,896 --> 00:41:55,118
appreciate uh the meeting the other day 

1162
00:41:55,118 --> 00:41:57,285
and the , the conversation we had on a 

1163
00:41:57,285 --> 00:41:59,451
whole range of issues . The number one 

1164
00:41:59,451 --> 00:42:01,673
goal of the Department of Defense is to 

1165
00:42:01,673 --> 00:42:01,370
make sure that we have a force that is 

1166
00:42:01,379 --> 00:42:04,800
lethal , that is precise and that 

1167
00:42:04,810 --> 00:42:07,270
establishes robust deterrence . And we 

1168
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:09,290
want our , we want our a and to win 

1169
00:42:09,300 --> 00:42:13,040
wars if we're to win wars . 

1170
00:42:14,010 --> 00:42:16,177
Senator . So here , here's a big issue 

1171
00:42:16,177 --> 00:42:18,288
and you just saw the frustration from 

1172
00:42:18,288 --> 00:42:20,232
Senator Schmidt and I'm gonna talk 

1173
00:42:20,232 --> 00:42:22,177
about it . Um I think our civilian 

1174
00:42:22,177 --> 00:42:24,288
leadership at the Pentagon , a lot of 

1175
00:42:24,288 --> 00:42:26,343
them , particularly your predecessor 

1176
00:42:26,343 --> 00:42:28,677
pushed an agenda that had a lot that in , 

1177
00:42:28,677 --> 00:42:30,788
in many ways , had nothing to do with 

1178
00:42:30,788 --> 00:42:32,732
that . You and I talked about this 

1179
00:42:32,732 --> 00:42:34,677
yesterday and look , it was a very 

1180
00:42:34,677 --> 00:42:36,954
legitimate line of questioning , sadly , 

1181
00:42:36,954 --> 00:42:38,677
because three years ago , your 

1182
00:42:38,677 --> 00:42:40,288
predecessor was here in this 

1183
00:42:40,288 --> 00:42:41,788
confirmation hearing , the 

1184
00:42:41,788 --> 00:42:44,330
undersecretary for policy , who my view 

1185
00:42:44,479 --> 00:42:47,889
was a political hack , political hack . 

1186
00:42:48,989 --> 00:42:51,919
And one of his opening statements said 

1187
00:42:51,929 --> 00:42:54,000
his goal was to quote , stamp out 

1188
00:42:54,010 --> 00:42:56,239
systemic racism within the ranks of the 

1189
00:42:56,250 --> 00:42:58,270
military . I said , wow , that's a 

1190
00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:00,560
pretty damning question to the ranks of 

1191
00:43:00,570 --> 00:43:02,681
the military . You ever served in the 

1192
00:43:02,681 --> 00:43:04,848
military ? Mr Secretary Mr Professor . 

1193
00:43:04,848 --> 00:43:06,848
No , Senator . Do you have any data 

1194
00:43:06,848 --> 00:43:09,070
backing that up ? That we have systemic 

1195
00:43:09,070 --> 00:43:11,403
racism within the ranks of the military ? 

1196
00:43:11,403 --> 00:43:13,626
No , Senator . So let's just be , I , I 

1197
00:43:13,626 --> 00:43:15,792
wanna get this directly . Do you think 

1198
00:43:15,792 --> 00:43:19,620
that the US military , one of the most 

1199
00:43:19,629 --> 00:43:22,209
admirable civil rights organizations in 

1200
00:43:22,219 --> 00:43:26,209
US history has systemic racism within 

1201
00:43:26,219 --> 00:43:28,219
the ranks ? And do we need to stamp 

1202
00:43:28,219 --> 00:43:30,550
that out ? As your predecessor said in 

1203
00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:32,860
his confirmation hearing , do you agree 

1204
00:43:32,870 --> 00:43:35,709
with him ? Senator , as we discussed 

1205
00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:37,886
yesterday in your office ? I , I don't 

1206
00:43:37,886 --> 00:43:40,052
believe that that was an insult to our 

1207
00:43:40,052 --> 00:43:42,108
troops and the guy went on to be the 

1208
00:43:42,108 --> 00:43:44,219
number three guy in the Pentagon . Do 

1209
00:43:44,219 --> 00:43:46,899
you wanna apologize perhaps uh for that ? 

1210
00:43:46,919 --> 00:43:49,197
Even though you didn't say it , say it . 

1211
00:43:49,500 --> 00:43:51,222
You understand why that's just 

1212
00:43:51,222 --> 00:43:53,167
insulting to the men and women who 

1213
00:43:53,167 --> 00:43:55,444
serve in the military ? You understand , 

1214
00:43:55,444 --> 00:43:57,667
you understand why Senator Schmidt gets 

1215
00:43:57,667 --> 00:44:00,629
upset about this ? I get upset about it . 

1216
00:44:00,639 --> 00:44:02,479
I was really mad at the previous 

1217
00:44:02,489 --> 00:44:05,280
undersecretary Senator II , I fully 

1218
00:44:05,290 --> 00:44:08,520
understand you think would you want to 

1219
00:44:08,530 --> 00:44:11,370
apologize on his behalf . So it wasn't 

1220
00:44:11,379 --> 00:44:13,546
my statement to make . I can just tell 

1221
00:44:13,546 --> 00:44:15,712
you my views . Ok . Well , look , it's 

1222
00:44:15,712 --> 00:44:17,969
good that if you're confirmed that we 

1223
00:44:17,979 --> 00:44:19,757
have an undersecretary actually 

1224
00:44:19,757 --> 00:44:21,979
respects the troops , doesn't disparage 

1225
00:44:21,979 --> 00:44:24,649
them without any data . 

1226
00:44:26,340 --> 00:44:28,340
Car was supposed to come back to me 

1227
00:44:28,340 --> 00:44:30,396
with his data . He never did , never 

1228
00:44:30,396 --> 00:44:32,340
had it . Let me ask another agenda 

1229
00:44:32,340 --> 00:44:34,451
that's being pushed . You believe the 

1230
00:44:34,451 --> 00:44:36,562
Secretary of the Navy got his climate 

1231
00:44:36,562 --> 00:44:38,784
change action plan to this committee 18 

1232
00:44:38,784 --> 00:44:40,673
months ago , got his war fighting 

1233
00:44:40,673 --> 00:44:42,618
shipbuilding plan the night of his 

1234
00:44:42,679 --> 00:44:44,901
posture hearing two months ago , what's 

1235
00:44:44,901 --> 00:44:46,679
more important war fighting and 

1236
00:44:46,679 --> 00:44:48,790
shipbuilding for the US Navy or their 

1237
00:44:48,790 --> 00:44:51,012
climate action plan ? Senator , I would 

1238
00:44:51,012 --> 00:44:53,123
say just answer it directly . It's an 

1239
00:44:53,123 --> 00:44:55,346
easy question . You should just give me 

1240
00:44:55,346 --> 00:44:57,290
the right answer . I , I would say 

1241
00:44:57,290 --> 00:44:59,401
they're both important but what's the 

1242
00:44:59,401 --> 00:44:58,860
most important is getting you uh 

1243
00:44:58,870 --> 00:45:01,037
responses in a timely fashion ? Well , 

1244
00:45:01,037 --> 00:45:03,148
no , I'm talking about building ships 

1245
00:45:03,148 --> 00:45:05,259
and war fighting or some , you know , 

1246
00:45:05,259 --> 00:45:07,580
nebulous climate plan for the US Navy . 

1247
00:45:07,590 --> 00:45:09,812
What's more important for the US Navy ? 

1248
00:45:09,812 --> 00:45:12,439
Come on . This is not a hard question . 

1249
00:45:12,449 --> 00:45:14,830
Just we need to have , I know your 

1250
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:17,290
minders are watching and everything but 

1251
00:45:17,300 --> 00:45:19,356
this is what we need you to do is be 

1252
00:45:19,356 --> 00:45:21,411
strong when you get the woke part of 

1253
00:45:21,411 --> 00:45:23,522
the military trying to shove all this 

1254
00:45:23,522 --> 00:45:25,800
stuff down the throats of the Pentagon . 

1255
00:45:25,969 --> 00:45:28,136
It's war fighting and shipbuilding for 

1256
00:45:28,136 --> 00:45:30,191
the Secretary of Navy isn't it isn't 

1257
00:45:30,191 --> 00:45:32,247
that more of a priority than climate 

1258
00:45:32,247 --> 00:45:34,247
change . War fighting is absolutely 

1259
00:45:34,247 --> 00:45:36,358
critical and having a capable navy is 

1260
00:45:36,358 --> 00:45:38,525
absolutely critical . If confirmed , I 

1261
00:45:38,525 --> 00:45:40,413
will do whatever I can to be more 

1262
00:45:40,413 --> 00:45:42,636
important than climate change . I think 

1263
00:45:42,636 --> 00:45:44,525
climate change is , is absolutely 

1264
00:45:44,525 --> 00:45:44,139
critical as well . The national defense 

1265
00:45:44,149 --> 00:45:46,482
strategy is equally important . Come on , 

1266
00:45:46,482 --> 00:45:48,959
this is not hard , right ? And this is 

1267
00:45:48,969 --> 00:45:51,379
why I worry about Biden administration 

1268
00:45:51,389 --> 00:45:54,520
officials who are civilian nominees 

1269
00:45:54,530 --> 00:45:56,697
coming in . This is an easy question . 

1270
00:45:56,697 --> 00:45:58,863
Of course , it's war fighting and ship 

1271
00:45:58,863 --> 00:46:02,689
building . Just answer it . Senator 

1272
00:46:02,699 --> 00:46:04,921
again . A as I as I said to you in your 

1273
00:46:04,921 --> 00:46:07,139
office , I think we need to be getting 

1274
00:46:07,149 --> 00:46:09,205
you your these responses in a timely 

1275
00:46:09,205 --> 00:46:11,538
fashion . That's the bottom line for me , 

1276
00:46:11,538 --> 00:46:13,593
whether it's about climate change or 

1277
00:46:13,593 --> 00:46:15,705
the Navy or the Air Force or anything 

1278
00:46:15,705 --> 00:46:17,816
else . So this answer , this exchange 

1279
00:46:17,816 --> 00:46:19,927
is very disappointing because part of 

1280
00:46:19,927 --> 00:46:22,093
the biggest concern that so many of us 

1281
00:46:22,093 --> 00:46:25,610
have is the 

1282
00:46:25,620 --> 00:46:28,860
civilians at the Pentagon are shoving 

1283
00:46:28,870 --> 00:46:32,689
down a system of values that 

1284
00:46:33,070 --> 00:46:35,126
don't relate to war fighting , don't 

1285
00:46:35,126 --> 00:46:37,469
relate to lethality . Let me give you 

1286
00:46:37,479 --> 00:46:41,139
another question . This president has 

1287
00:46:41,149 --> 00:46:43,479
put forward a budget three years in a 

1288
00:46:43,489 --> 00:46:45,600
row that shrinks . The army shrinks , 

1289
00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:49,510
the Navy shrinks the Marine Corps , um 

1290
00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:51,439
shrinks the budget each year the 

1291
00:46:51,449 --> 00:46:53,227
president put forward inflation 

1292
00:46:53,227 --> 00:46:57,070
adjusted cuts . And next 

1293
00:46:57,080 --> 00:47:00,120
year the Biden budget will take us 

1294
00:47:00,129 --> 00:47:02,919
below 3% of GDP for military spending . 

1295
00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:05,167
I I looked it up that's , that'll only 

1296
00:47:05,167 --> 00:47:08,379
be the fourth time in 70 years . And 

1297
00:47:08,389 --> 00:47:10,167
yet everybody comes before this 

1298
00:47:10,167 --> 00:47:12,000
committee and says it's the most 

1299
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:14,167
dangerous period since world war two . 

1300
00:47:14,167 --> 00:47:16,111
And the president continually puts 

1301
00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:19,050
forward budgets to cut defense spending 

1302
00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:22,850
will be below 3% next year . I think 

1303
00:47:22,860 --> 00:47:26,169
the , the fifth time in 70 years . 

1304
00:47:27,229 --> 00:47:29,110
What's your sense on 

1305
00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:33,222
where the budget should be ? And do you 

1306
00:47:33,222 --> 00:47:35,389
agree with the President United States 

1307
00:47:35,389 --> 00:47:37,556
that we should be cutting the budget ? 

1308
00:47:37,556 --> 00:47:39,556
That's where he has put forward his 

1309
00:47:39,556 --> 00:47:41,722
budget in the current budget shrinks . 

1310
00:47:41,722 --> 00:47:43,944
The army shrinks , the navy shrinks the 

1311
00:47:43,944 --> 00:47:46,000
Marine Corps . Is that the signal we 

1312
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:48,056
want to send to Xi Jinping and Putin 

1313
00:47:48,056 --> 00:47:50,167
Senator ? I believe we need to have a 

1314
00:47:50,167 --> 00:47:52,333
robust defense budget if confirmed , I 

1315
00:47:52,333 --> 00:47:52,070
want to work to see the defense 

1316
00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:54,247
department get as much resources as it 

1317
00:47:54,247 --> 00:47:56,469
can . I of course , support the support 

1318
00:47:56,469 --> 00:47:58,636
the administration's budget submission 

1319
00:47:58,636 --> 00:48:00,691
to you . But if confirmed would look 

1320
00:48:00,691 --> 00:48:00,500
forward to working with Congress to see 

1321
00:48:00,510 --> 00:48:02,399
whatever we can do to get the war 

1322
00:48:02,399 --> 00:48:04,677
fighter , what they need . Mr Chairman , 

1323
00:48:04,677 --> 00:48:06,899
I have a couple of additional questions 

1324
00:48:06,899 --> 00:48:06,840
if I may , if there's no one else here . 

1325
00:48:07,459 --> 00:48:10,040
Second round is a really important 

1326
00:48:10,050 --> 00:48:13,830
position and I would ask uh senator to 

1327
00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:16,250
just direct your questions and , and uh 

1328
00:48:16,260 --> 00:48:19,969
do so as succinctly as possible . Um 

1329
00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:22,111
Thank you , Mr Chairman yesterday . I 

1330
00:48:22,111 --> 00:48:24,870
brought to the Senate floor my bill to 

1331
00:48:24,879 --> 00:48:27,010
pay our military . If there's a 

1332
00:48:27,020 --> 00:48:30,489
government shutdown this bill 

1333
00:48:31,379 --> 00:48:33,500
would say , hey , even if there's a 

1334
00:48:33,510 --> 00:48:35,621
government shutdown , we're gonna pay 

1335
00:48:35,621 --> 00:48:37,750
the men and women of the US military 

1336
00:48:38,080 --> 00:48:40,413
because they're not gonna get a day off . 

1337
00:48:40,413 --> 00:48:42,636
Even if there's a government shutdown . 

1338
00:48:42,636 --> 00:48:46,310
Do you support that bill ? Senator , I , 

1339
00:48:46,340 --> 00:48:48,100
I pay our troops if there's a 

1340
00:48:48,110 --> 00:48:50,510
government , I don't know the specifics 

1341
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:52,742
of that bill . But absolutely , we need 

1342
00:48:52,742 --> 00:48:54,798
to ensure that our national security 

1343
00:48:54,798 --> 00:48:57,020
needs to be taken care of and hopefully 

1344
00:48:57,020 --> 00:48:59,242
we can do that by avoiding a shutdown . 

1345
00:48:59,242 --> 00:48:59,020
Yeah , I agree . I hope we avoid a 

1346
00:48:59,030 --> 00:49:02,600
shutdown too . Um On Ukraine , you and 

1347
00:49:02,610 --> 00:49:04,669
I talked about this , I've been a 

1348
00:49:04,679 --> 00:49:06,790
supporter of Ukraine . You , you said 

1349
00:49:06,790 --> 00:49:08,623
if aid was cut off , it would be 

1350
00:49:08,623 --> 00:49:10,439
devastating . Uh I , I've been 

1351
00:49:10,449 --> 00:49:14,129
supporting Ukraine aid . However , 

1352
00:49:14,439 --> 00:49:17,090
there's been a pattern within this 

1353
00:49:17,100 --> 00:49:19,520
administration and a lot of it was the , 

1354
00:49:19,530 --> 00:49:21,141
the blame was pinned on your 

1355
00:49:21,141 --> 00:49:24,320
predecessor is that almost every weapon 

1356
00:49:24,330 --> 00:49:26,108
systems , it's a long less high 

1357
00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,040
stingers , javelins patriots F-16s 

1358
00:49:29,050 --> 00:49:32,889
tanks . Um The administration has 

1359
00:49:32,899 --> 00:49:35,121
said , uh we're not sure we're gonna do 

1360
00:49:35,121 --> 00:49:37,288
that . There's a self deterrence , you 

1361
00:49:37,288 --> 00:49:39,621
know , under secretary would say , well , 

1362
00:49:39,621 --> 00:49:42,800
that that might make Putin mad . Um And 

1363
00:49:42,810 --> 00:49:45,159
then we , this committee in particular 

1364
00:49:45,169 --> 00:49:47,225
Democrats and Republicans pressure , 

1365
00:49:47,225 --> 00:49:49,280
pressure , pressure , pressure , and 

1366
00:49:49,280 --> 00:49:52,250
you finally relent . Now that is really 

1367
00:49:52,260 --> 00:49:53,927
hurting the war effort and it 

1368
00:49:53,927 --> 00:49:55,649
frustrates people . I think it 

1369
00:49:55,649 --> 00:49:58,979
undermines certain members support for 

1370
00:49:58,989 --> 00:50:02,280
Ukraine if confirmed . Can you commit 

1371
00:50:03,340 --> 00:50:05,451
to actually accelerate the ability to 

1372
00:50:05,451 --> 00:50:07,929
get the Ukrainians weapons systems and 

1373
00:50:07,939 --> 00:50:11,050
not delay it for 9 , 10 , 11 months . 

1374
00:50:11,719 --> 00:50:13,941
Get pressure from the Congress and then 

1375
00:50:13,941 --> 00:50:16,330
finally do it . Senator . Thanks for 

1376
00:50:16,340 --> 00:50:18,507
the question . As we discussed in your 

1377
00:50:18,507 --> 00:50:20,507
office . If confirmed , I will move 

1378
00:50:20,507 --> 00:50:22,673
heaven and earth to get the Ukrainians 

1379
00:50:22,673 --> 00:50:24,784
what they need when they need it . We 

1380
00:50:24,784 --> 00:50:24,239
need to think about what they can 

1381
00:50:24,250 --> 00:50:26,306
operate , what they can maintain and 

1382
00:50:26,306 --> 00:50:28,306
what would be most effective in the 

1383
00:50:28,306 --> 00:50:30,510
fight we need Ukraine to win . So I 

1384
00:50:30,520 --> 00:50:32,187
would see it as one of my top 

1385
00:50:32,187 --> 00:50:34,409
priorities to ensure that we're getting 

1386
00:50:34,409 --> 00:50:36,520
Ukraine what it needs . Um Let me ask 

1387
00:50:36,520 --> 00:50:38,520
just a few more quick questions and 

1388
00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:38,340
maybe we'll just get commitments for 

1389
00:50:38,350 --> 00:50:40,350
you on the record . Uh I care a lot 

1390
00:50:40,350 --> 00:50:42,072
about the Arctic . America has 

1391
00:50:42,072 --> 00:50:43,794
strategic , strong , strategic 

1392
00:50:43,794 --> 00:50:45,961
interests in the Arctic . You may have 

1393
00:50:45,961 --> 00:50:48,189
seen in August , Chinese and Russians 

1394
00:50:48,199 --> 00:50:50,689
sent a joint naval patrol of 11 war 

1395
00:50:50,699 --> 00:50:53,270
ships off the coast of my state , 

1396
00:50:53,689 --> 00:50:56,270
Alaska . We're an Arctic nation because 

1397
00:50:56,280 --> 00:50:58,620
of Alaska . The Pentagon in my view has 

1398
00:50:58,629 --> 00:51:01,959
been the last agency in DC to 

1399
00:51:01,969 --> 00:51:04,080
understand the strategic interests of 

1400
00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:06,302
the Arctic . This committee has pressed 

1401
00:51:06,302 --> 00:51:08,302
the Pentagon for almost a decade to 

1402
00:51:08,302 --> 00:51:10,525
focus on it more . Can you give me your 

1403
00:51:10,525 --> 00:51:12,636
views on the strategic imperative and 

1404
00:51:12,636 --> 00:51:14,858
interest we have as an Arctic nation in 

1405
00:51:14,858 --> 00:51:17,080
the Arctic ? Absolutely , Senator . And 

1406
00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:19,247
thank you for focusing so much on this 

1407
00:51:19,247 --> 00:51:21,413
issue . It's an issue that I've worked 

1408
00:51:21,413 --> 00:51:23,580
on quite a bit in the last year at the 

1409
00:51:23,580 --> 00:51:25,302
Pentagon or sorry at the State 

1410
00:51:25,302 --> 00:51:27,413
Department . And if I confirmed to go 

1411
00:51:27,413 --> 00:51:29,469
to the Pentagon , I would carry that 

1412
00:51:29,469 --> 00:51:29,080
forward . I , my understanding is the 

1413
00:51:29,090 --> 00:51:31,312
defense department is , is working on a 

1414
00:51:31,312 --> 00:51:33,699
new Arctic strategy uh which is gonna 

1415
00:51:33,709 --> 00:51:35,850
nest under the national strategy for 

1416
00:51:35,860 --> 00:51:38,199
the Arctic that was released last year , 

1417
00:51:38,209 --> 00:51:41,010
Arctic is critically important to us 

1418
00:51:41,020 --> 00:51:43,080
and we've seen Russia , but then of 

1419
00:51:43,090 --> 00:51:45,090
course , the PR C is doing more and 

1420
00:51:45,090 --> 00:51:47,860
more in the Arctic and I would urge my 

1421
00:51:47,870 --> 00:51:50,092
colleagues at the defense department if 

1422
00:51:50,092 --> 00:51:52,203
confirmed that we're gonna do more on 

1423
00:51:52,203 --> 00:51:52,179
that . If confirmed . Can you give us 

1424
00:51:52,189 --> 00:51:54,689
more incentive to Sullivan your second 

1425
00:51:54,699 --> 00:51:56,588
around time has expired ? My last 

1426
00:51:56,588 --> 00:51:58,755
question is , and this is just a quick 

1427
00:51:58,755 --> 00:52:00,810
question , Mr Chairman and thank you 

1428
00:52:00,810 --> 00:52:03,379
for your uh um indulgence , indulgence . 

1429
00:52:05,139 --> 00:52:07,310
That's the term I was looking for um 

1430
00:52:08,060 --> 00:52:10,340
the Chinese spy balloon incident . As 

1431
00:52:10,350 --> 00:52:12,350
you know , a lot of that took place 

1432
00:52:12,350 --> 00:52:14,517
over Alaska . We've gotten essentially 

1433
00:52:14,517 --> 00:52:18,500
zero information on the aftermath 

1434
00:52:18,510 --> 00:52:20,177
of that . Maybe a lot of it's 

1435
00:52:20,177 --> 00:52:22,288
classified . Can you confirm to brief 

1436
00:52:22,288 --> 00:52:26,219
this committee soon ? Um What , 

1437
00:52:26,229 --> 00:52:28,229
what are the results of that ? What 

1438
00:52:28,229 --> 00:52:30,396
happened ? What was it when we shot it 

1439
00:52:30,396 --> 00:52:32,600
down , shot it down over Alaska 22 of 

1440
00:52:32,610 --> 00:52:35,229
those aircraft shot it down over the 

1441
00:52:35,610 --> 00:52:37,909
Carolina Coast . Can you confirm to 

1442
00:52:37,919 --> 00:52:40,030
give us a detailed briefing on all of 

1443
00:52:40,030 --> 00:52:42,086
that ? The Pentagon has kind of gone 

1444
00:52:42,086 --> 00:52:44,197
silent and these are really important 

1445
00:52:44,197 --> 00:52:46,308
issues . Senator , thanks for raising 

1446
00:52:46,308 --> 00:52:48,252
the question if confirmed , I will 

1447
00:52:48,252 --> 00:52:50,308
absolutely dig into that and get you 

1448
00:52:50,308 --> 00:52:49,810
the information you need . Thank you . 

1449
00:52:49,820 --> 00:52:51,653
Thank you , Mr Chairman for your 

1450
00:52:51,653 --> 00:52:53,598
indulgence . Thank you very much , 

1451
00:52:53,598 --> 00:52:55,709
Senator Sullivan for your questions . 

1452
00:52:55,709 --> 00:52:57,931
And uh uh Mr and MS Abercrombie , thank 

1453
00:52:57,931 --> 00:53:00,560
you for your , your testimony . I have 

1454
00:53:00,570 --> 00:53:02,792
uh two administrative issues . One is , 

1455
00:53:02,792 --> 00:53:05,014
I would like to uh submit to the record 

1456
00:53:05,014 --> 00:53:07,219
a letter signed by 35 senior national 

1457
00:53:07,229 --> 00:53:09,899
security professionals on the past four 

1458
00:53:09,909 --> 00:53:12,131
Republican administrations on behalf of 

1459
00:53:12,131 --> 00:53:14,570
Mr Shale , including among them is uh 

1460
00:53:14,580 --> 00:53:16,636
James A Baker who is one of the most 

1461
00:53:16,636 --> 00:53:18,747
outstanding civil servants we've ever 

1462
00:53:18,747 --> 00:53:20,520
had in this country uh without 

1463
00:53:20,530 --> 00:53:23,860
objection so ordered . Now , uh when I 

1464
00:53:23,870 --> 00:53:26,709
asked you , uh Mr Miss Abercrombie , 

1465
00:53:26,719 --> 00:53:28,830
the standard nominee questions at the 

1466
00:53:28,830 --> 00:53:30,497
beginning of this hearing , I 

1467
00:53:30,497 --> 00:53:32,719
inadvertently included a question asked 

1468
00:53:32,719 --> 00:53:34,552
only of military nominees . That 

1469
00:53:34,552 --> 00:53:36,719
question was quote . Do you agree when 

1470
00:53:36,719 --> 00:53:38,719
asked before this committee to give 

1471
00:53:38,719 --> 00:53:40,663
your personal views ? Even if your 

1472
00:53:40,663 --> 00:53:42,830
views differ from the administration , 

1473
00:53:42,830 --> 00:53:45,179
this question and your answer do not 

1474
00:53:45,189 --> 00:53:48,100
apply to your positions ? And I ask 

1475
00:53:48,110 --> 00:53:51,540
that the record reflect this fact and 

1476
00:53:51,550 --> 00:53:53,550
without objection , the record will 

1477
00:53:53,550 --> 00:53:55,883
reflect this fact . Thank you very much . 

1478
00:53:55,883 --> 00:53:57,550
You've both demonstrated your 

1479
00:53:57,550 --> 00:53:59,606
capability . Uh I look forward to uh 

1480
00:54:00,100 --> 00:54:02,469
seeing your confirmation and getting 

1481
00:54:02,479 --> 00:54:05,510
you uh uh to lead the Department of 

1482
00:54:05,520 --> 00:54:08,449
Defense with that . I would uh recess 

1483
00:54:08,459 --> 00:54:10,350
the hearing . Yeah .