WEBVTT 00:01.159 --> 00:03.381 Good afternoon , ladies and gentlemen . 00:03.381 --> 00:05.326 Thank you very much for being here 00:05.326 --> 00:07.492 today . It is my pleasure to introduce 00:07.492 --> 00:09.715 Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin the 00:09.715 --> 00:11.659 third , the secretary will deliver 00:11.659 --> 00:13.715 opening remarks and then has time to 00:13.715 --> 00:15.937 take a few questions . Please note that 00:15.937 --> 00:17.937 I will moderate those questions and 00:17.937 --> 00:20.103 call on our journalists and due to our 00:20.103 --> 00:20.100 schedule today , I would ask you to 00:20.110 --> 00:21.943 please limit your follow ups and 00:21.943 --> 00:24.166 appreciate your assistance with this uh 00:24.166 --> 00:26.221 with that Mr Secretary over to you , 00:26.221 --> 00:29.709 sir . Thanks Frederick . Good afternoon , 00:29.719 --> 00:31.830 everyone . We've had a great few days 00:31.830 --> 00:34.509 of discussion with my fellow Ministers 00:34.520 --> 00:37.520 of Defense . But before I get to that , 00:37.529 --> 00:40.650 let me add a few words about the 00:40.659 --> 00:44.229 terrible situation in Israel . We are 00:44.240 --> 00:46.639 appalled by the emerging scope of the 00:46.650 --> 00:49.680 atrocities committed by the terrorists 00:49.689 --> 00:52.680 of Hamas . Our hearts are with all 00:52.689 --> 00:55.959 those who whose loved ones were 00:55.970 --> 00:59.860 murdered or wounded or taken hostage . 01:01.159 --> 01:03.540 No country would live with the 01:03.549 --> 01:06.620 wholesale killing and kidnapping of 01:06.629 --> 01:10.010 innocent people including the very old 01:10.019 --> 01:13.449 and the very young . Yesterday , I 01:13.459 --> 01:15.519 mentioned the changes to our force 01:15.529 --> 01:17.790 posture to reinforce deterrence in the 01:17.800 --> 01:20.779 region . And I want to underscore that 01:20.790 --> 01:23.480 message , nobody 01:24.639 --> 01:26.695 should try to take advantage of this 01:26.699 --> 01:30.239 vile Hamas assault to cause more 01:30.250 --> 01:32.440 bloodshed or instability . 01:34.169 --> 01:38.099 Our support for Israel is rock solid . 01:39.300 --> 01:41.550 We're working urgently to get Israel 01:41.559 --> 01:43.392 what it needs to defend itself , 01:43.392 --> 01:46.269 including munitions and iron , iron 01:46.279 --> 01:49.400 dome interceptors , interceptors . And 01:49.410 --> 01:51.699 we will do so even as we continue to 01:51.709 --> 01:54.790 support the people of Ukraine as they 01:54.800 --> 01:58.510 fight against Russian aggression , but 01:58.519 --> 02:02.139 make no mistake , we can and will stand 02:02.150 --> 02:05.099 by Israel . even as we stand by Ukraine , 02:06.620 --> 02:09.029 United States can walk and chew gum at 02:09.039 --> 02:12.360 the same time . So let me turn to the 02:12.369 --> 02:15.000 agenda of this defense ministerial , 02:16.440 --> 02:18.607 especially in challenging times . It's 02:18.607 --> 02:22.100 great to be back at NATO . Let me 02:22.110 --> 02:24.940 thank uh Secretary General Stoltenberg 02:24.949 --> 02:26.838 for bringing up , bringing us all 02:26.838 --> 02:28.940 together today and for all of his 02:28.949 --> 02:31.940 leadership . Now , this was our first 02:31.949 --> 02:34.116 meeting of defense ministers since the 02:34.116 --> 02:37.789 Vilnius Summit in July . Our leaders 02:37.800 --> 02:40.240 made historic decisions at Vilnius to 02:40.250 --> 02:43.399 enhance nato's deterrence and defense . 02:44.389 --> 02:46.270 And we also had the privilege of 02:46.279 --> 02:50.279 welcoming Finland which joined a NATO 02:50.289 --> 02:52.779 summit for the first time as an ally . 02:54.889 --> 02:56.800 Let me urge all of our allies to 02:56.809 --> 02:59.669 support the immediate accession 02:59.679 --> 03:03.520 accession of Sweden , which is both a 03:03.529 --> 03:06.139 proud democracy and a highly capable 03:06.149 --> 03:09.339 defense partner . Villius was a 03:09.350 --> 03:11.850 watershed for nato's collective 03:11.860 --> 03:15.270 deterrence and defense . Our leaders 03:15.279 --> 03:17.979 endorse nato's new new family of 03:17.990 --> 03:20.839 regional defense plans and that will 03:20.850 --> 03:23.250 significantly improve our ability to 03:23.259 --> 03:26.440 deter and defend against any threat . 03:27.960 --> 03:30.550 We also established a new multinational 03:30.559 --> 03:33.809 and multi domain allied Reaction Force . 03:35.059 --> 03:36.892 This new force will provide more 03:36.892 --> 03:39.589 response options to threats and crises 03:39.970 --> 03:43.809 across all domains . At Vilnius , 03:44.210 --> 03:47.240 our leaders also endorsed a new defense 03:47.250 --> 03:50.679 investment pledge and that pledge 03:50.690 --> 03:53.089 affirmed our shared commitment as 03:53.100 --> 03:56.779 allies to spend at least 2% of GDP on 03:56.789 --> 03:59.850 defense . Let me also 03:59.860 --> 04:03.449 underscore the words of at least 04:03.690 --> 04:07.410 2% . We urgently need to do 04:07.419 --> 04:09.475 more to fulfill the commitments that 04:09.475 --> 04:11.770 all of our leaders have made . And this 04:11.779 --> 04:14.440 investment will help us strengthen our 04:14.449 --> 04:16.790 defense , industrial bases and 04:16.799 --> 04:19.649 standardize critical munitions and 04:19.660 --> 04:21.529 improve NATO interoperability . 04:23.570 --> 04:26.410 Nato's new defense production action 04:26.420 --> 04:28.589 plan will guide this important work . 04:29.040 --> 04:31.850 It will aggregate demand to meet our 04:31.859 --> 04:34.440 capability targets and encourage 04:34.450 --> 04:37.790 multinational co-operation and foster 04:37.799 --> 04:40.429 more agile procurement 04:41.410 --> 04:44.100 and enhance our transparency with 04:44.109 --> 04:47.559 industry . Finally , at 04:47.570 --> 04:50.470 Vilnius , we reaffirmed our enduring 04:50.480 --> 04:54.000 commitment to a free and sovereign 04:54.010 --> 04:57.230 Ukraine . We established the NATO 04:57.250 --> 05:00.480 Ukraine Council . We agreed to develop 05:00.489 --> 05:02.769 the comprehensive assistance package 05:03.519 --> 05:06.279 into a multiyear program for critical 05:06.290 --> 05:10.179 nonlethal aid . We expanded nato's 05:10.190 --> 05:13.809 practical non lethal support for 05:13.820 --> 05:17.100 Ukraine including medical supplies and 05:17.109 --> 05:20.220 Mres . And that complements 05:20.670 --> 05:23.649 bilateral security assistance that the 05:23.660 --> 05:25.549 United States and other countries 05:25.549 --> 05:27.690 around the world have provided to 05:27.700 --> 05:31.399 Ukraine over the past 20 months . And I 05:31.410 --> 05:33.420 should say again that the Ukrainian 05:33.429 --> 05:35.940 forces continue to make steady progress 05:35.950 --> 05:38.850 in their counter offensive . So today , 05:38.859 --> 05:40.859 we discuss the work that we've done 05:40.859 --> 05:43.630 together since Vilnius to implement 05:43.640 --> 05:46.690 these important decisions and that 05:46.700 --> 05:49.380 included conversations on several key 05:49.390 --> 05:51.769 issues including deterrence and defense 05:52.269 --> 05:55.769 to support Ukraine and nato's ongoing 05:55.779 --> 05:59.299 operations in the Western Balkans and 05:59.309 --> 06:02.760 in Iraq . So it was a productive day 06:03.350 --> 06:05.950 and I am tremendously proud of all the 06:05.959 --> 06:09.950 progress that NATO has made . We've 06:09.959 --> 06:11.959 still got a lot more to do , but we 06:11.959 --> 06:14.410 will get it done together and we will 06:14.420 --> 06:17.470 live up to the commitments that we have , 06:17.480 --> 06:19.869 we have made to ourselves and to each 06:19.880 --> 06:22.859 other . Now , let me be clear , 06:24.179 --> 06:27.459 NATO is a defensive alliance and we 06:27.470 --> 06:29.690 will not be drawn into Putin's illegal 06:29.700 --> 06:32.890 war of choice , but we will stand up 06:32.899 --> 06:35.399 for Ukraine's right to defend itself . 06:36.220 --> 06:38.442 And we will continue to strengthen this 06:38.442 --> 06:42.019 alliance for the challenges to come and 06:42.029 --> 06:44.070 we will defend the sovereignty and 06:44.079 --> 06:48.019 territory of every NATO ally , 06:49.399 --> 06:52.000 America's commitment to that mission is 06:52.010 --> 06:55.859 ironclad and so is our commitment to 06:55.869 --> 06:58.899 article five . And one last thing 07:00.200 --> 07:02.256 we're especially proud that we'll be 07:02.256 --> 07:04.459 hosting our allies next summer at the 07:04.470 --> 07:07.200 Washington summit and we're excited to 07:07.209 --> 07:09.399 come together to commemorate the 75th 07:09.410 --> 07:13.019 anniversary of this great alliance . So 07:13.029 --> 07:15.179 thanks again for being here and with 07:15.190 --> 07:17.301 that , I'll be happy to take a couple 07:17.301 --> 07:19.634 of questions . Thank you , Mr Secretary . 07:19.634 --> 07:21.801 Uh First question , we'll go to Gordon 07:21.801 --> 07:24.500 Newbold Wall Street Journal . I know 07:24.510 --> 07:26.454 you like multipart questions . I'm 07:26.454 --> 07:28.677 gonna make two different questions real 07:28.677 --> 07:31.200 quick . Um The first one is the crisis 07:31.209 --> 07:35.209 in Gaza has amounted to a moment of 07:35.220 --> 07:37.276 emotion for the Israelis and for the 07:37.276 --> 07:40.589 world . Um uh Prime Minister Netanyahu 07:40.600 --> 07:44.480 referring to uh Hamas militants as dead 07:44.489 --> 07:46.649 men walking your own people referring 07:46.660 --> 07:49.570 to an isis moment into this emotion and 07:49.579 --> 07:52.049 in this conflict , uh the US is pouring 07:52.679 --> 07:55.429 munitions weaponry and other things . 07:55.630 --> 07:59.130 I'm wondering what assurances or what 07:59.140 --> 08:02.980 conditions even have you asked for 08:02.989 --> 08:05.600 from the Israelis to make sure that 08:05.609 --> 08:08.399 some of this weaponry , it's American 08:08.410 --> 08:11.350 weaponry is used discriminately and not 08:11.359 --> 08:13.630 indiscriminately and potentially 08:14.609 --> 08:17.500 killing civilian innocent civilians in 08:17.510 --> 08:19.677 Gaza . And then the second question is 08:19.677 --> 08:23.130 just , um , is ISR coverage part of the 08:23.140 --> 08:26.029 package of offerings . And I guess a 08:26.040 --> 08:29.010 third one . Have you seen , have you 08:29.019 --> 08:32.179 seen any amassing of any Hezbollah 08:32.190 --> 08:34.301 forces along the border ? Thank you . 08:36.719 --> 08:40.299 Any massing of Hezbollah forces . Yeah . 08:41.330 --> 08:44.789 Um uh in terms of thanks Gordon for the 08:44.799 --> 08:47.359 questions , but uh even though there 08:47.369 --> 08:50.318 were like six of them , but uh in , in 08:50.328 --> 08:53.549 terms of uh conditions that we would 08:53.559 --> 08:57.400 place on the um security assistance 08:57.409 --> 09:00.020 that we're providing to uh Israel , 09:00.090 --> 09:02.690 we've not placed any conditions on uh 09:02.700 --> 09:04.969 on the provision of this equipment . 09:05.250 --> 09:07.306 This is a professional military , uh 09:07.306 --> 09:09.929 led by professional leadership and we 09:09.940 --> 09:13.330 would hope and expect that they would 09:13.340 --> 09:15.507 do the right things in the prosecution 09:15.507 --> 09:18.010 of their , of their campaign and , and 09:18.020 --> 09:21.030 we'll uh we will make sure that we will 09:21.039 --> 09:23.150 leave it to them to define what their 09:23.150 --> 09:25.317 operations are going to look like . Uh 09:25.317 --> 09:27.150 But again , we have no reason to 09:27.150 --> 09:29.317 believe that uh they would do anything 09:29.317 --> 09:32.849 different um in terms of um 09:34.210 --> 09:36.321 our provision , our assistance and uh 09:36.321 --> 09:38.154 intel intelligence assistance to 09:38.154 --> 09:41.380 Ukraine uh to excuse me , to Israel . 09:41.570 --> 09:45.059 Um We will 09:45.070 --> 09:48.700 support them in any way that we can and 09:48.710 --> 09:50.799 certainly intelligence is a part of 09:50.809 --> 09:53.880 that and I won't get into the specifics 09:53.890 --> 09:57.549 of what that means . ISR other types of 09:57.559 --> 10:00.020 collection we've worked with the uh 10:00.030 --> 10:03.340 Israelis uh you know , over many , many 10:03.349 --> 10:05.900 years and uh those sharing uh 10:05.909 --> 10:08.049 mechanisms are there , those channels 10:08.059 --> 10:10.299 are there to , to share information . 10:10.619 --> 10:12.869 Uh And we will look to continue to do 10:12.880 --> 10:16.489 that . So , um so I think I 10:16.500 --> 10:20.479 got Hezbollah . OK . 10:20.559 --> 10:23.919 Uh We've not seen any massing of forces 10:23.929 --> 10:26.909 along the border . Uh And uh and again , 10:26.919 --> 10:29.280 this is something that uh you know , 10:29.289 --> 10:31.890 the Israelis are , are focused on . We 10:31.900 --> 10:35.080 are also looking for additional things 10:35.090 --> 10:37.034 that , that , that could widen the 10:37.034 --> 10:39.320 conflict here and hopefully we won't 10:39.330 --> 10:41.330 see those things , but uh we've not 10:41.330 --> 10:43.497 seen that to this point . So thank you 10:43.497 --> 10:45.441 very much . Uh Our next question , 10:45.441 --> 10:47.719 we'll go to Thomas Guha Frankfurt Gale . 10:47.719 --> 10:47.640 It , I 10:53.010 --> 10:56.169 thanks a lot , Zeitung , Mister 10:56.179 --> 10:58.235 Secretary . I also asked a couple of 10:58.235 --> 11:01.080 questions also related to Israel . The 11:01.090 --> 11:03.146 first one would be , have there been 11:03.146 --> 11:05.510 other allies besides the US and Germany 11:05.599 --> 11:08.020 that today pledged military support to 11:08.030 --> 11:11.030 Israel . And uh when it comes to this 11:11.039 --> 11:14.270 support in your assessment , what would 11:14.280 --> 11:17.789 be or could be the further needs of 11:17.799 --> 11:21.719 Israel if this conflict continues . Um 11:21.729 --> 11:23.951 And a third question , somewhat related 11:23.951 --> 11:27.010 to what my colleague asked , Secretary 11:27.020 --> 11:30.429 General Stoltenberg told us after the 11:30.440 --> 11:33.440 meeting or he made an announcement 11:33.450 --> 11:35.672 after the meeting that allies have made 11:35.672 --> 11:38.340 clear , Israel has a right to defend 11:38.349 --> 11:41.359 itself . But with proportionality , 11:41.469 --> 11:45.400 could you please explain if you share 11:45.409 --> 11:48.520 this , this this 11:48.869 --> 11:51.409 statement with proportionality and what 11:51.419 --> 11:53.641 it actually entails in a situation like 11:53.641 --> 11:57.619 this ? Thank you . Yeah . So 11:57.979 --> 12:01.880 um as we um we briefed 12:01.890 --> 12:04.299 by Minister Gallant earlier today , uh 12:04.309 --> 12:07.429 what we heard from allies in the room 12:07.440 --> 12:10.770 was uh unity among 12:11.169 --> 12:14.729 all of the allies uh in terms of strong 12:14.739 --> 12:17.700 support for Israel and unity in 12:17.710 --> 12:21.090 condemning the horrible actions of 12:21.099 --> 12:23.140 Hamas . Um 12:25.320 --> 12:27.549 what the United States is doing . Uh 12:27.559 --> 12:29.969 You've heard us talk about a number of 12:29.979 --> 12:32.530 times and that is we are , we're moving 12:32.539 --> 12:36.530 rapidly to provide uh Israel uh what uh 12:36.539 --> 12:39.789 what it needs to continue to protect 12:39.799 --> 12:43.289 its citizens and to protect its uh its 12:43.299 --> 12:46.190 territory . And uh you've already seen 12:46.200 --> 12:48.489 the evidence of , of that happening and 12:48.500 --> 12:50.869 uh that will continue and we'll stay 12:50.880 --> 12:53.080 engaged with uh with the Israeli 12:53.090 --> 12:56.000 leadership and make sure that uh you 12:56.010 --> 12:58.010 know , we're tracking along with uh 12:58.010 --> 13:00.288 with their needs as those needs change . 13:00.288 --> 13:03.159 And as is the case with any fight uh or , 13:03.169 --> 13:06.349 or any uh operation uh needs will 13:06.359 --> 13:09.289 change as uh as , as uh you know , 13:09.299 --> 13:11.520 things evolve there . So we anticipate 13:11.530 --> 13:13.363 that , you know , I've talked to 13:13.363 --> 13:15.530 Minister Gallant , uh just about every 13:15.530 --> 13:18.250 day since , uh since this began , we 13:18.260 --> 13:20.280 had a great relationship uh leading 13:20.289 --> 13:22.789 into this . Uh And that made it very 13:22.799 --> 13:25.599 easy for us to uh to connect and , uh , 13:25.609 --> 13:28.520 and exchange information in , uh in , 13:28.530 --> 13:31.239 in Frank and open ways . Uh So , uh 13:31.250 --> 13:33.528 we're gonna continue to do what , what , 13:33.659 --> 13:37.280 what's needed to uh uh to uh support 13:37.289 --> 13:39.229 them and we're going to do it as 13:39.239 --> 13:43.210 rapidly as possible in terms of needs 13:43.219 --> 13:46.789 for Israel going forward again . I go 13:46.799 --> 13:48.966 back to what I just said , this , this 13:48.966 --> 13:51.132 will evolve and , and those needs will 13:51.132 --> 13:54.070 emerge and we'll let uh Minister Galant 13:54.080 --> 13:56.460 and the uh and , and the Israeli 13:56.469 --> 13:58.109 leadership define what those 13:58.119 --> 13:59.897 requirements are . We'll try to 13:59.897 --> 14:02.580 anticipate as best we can . Uh And , 14:02.590 --> 14:04.960 and I am sure that uh countries on a 14:04.969 --> 14:08.010 bilateral basis will engage uh Minister 14:08.080 --> 14:10.380 Gallant and uh and work with them and 14:10.390 --> 14:13.299 if they can provide uh assistance or 14:13.309 --> 14:15.420 resources and they , they will , they 14:15.420 --> 14:17.929 will do that . I would , I would agree 14:17.940 --> 14:20.500 with the Secretary General in that 14:22.900 --> 14:25.880 the Israelis have a right to protect 14:25.890 --> 14:28.750 their people . And uh and we would , we 14:28.760 --> 14:30.649 would expect that they were gonna 14:30.649 --> 14:32.871 remain focused on it . So , and I won't 14:32.871 --> 14:35.093 try to define proportionality for you . 14:35.093 --> 14:37.429 So thank you very much . Our next 14:37.440 --> 14:39.607 question will go to Will Dunlop agency 14:39.607 --> 14:43.210 F press , I'll give you two 14:43.219 --> 14:45.919 questions . Um Secretary Austin first , 14:45.929 --> 14:48.151 did the United States have any advanced 14:48.151 --> 14:50.318 warning or other indication that Hamas 14:50.318 --> 14:52.262 would attack Israel . And second , 14:52.262 --> 14:54.373 there have been contradictory reports 14:54.373 --> 14:56.429 about Iran's potential role . What's 14:56.429 --> 14:58.485 the latest US assessment on Tehran's 14:58.485 --> 14:58.359 involvement in or knowledge of the 14:58.369 --> 15:00.425 Hamas attack ? Thank you . Give me a 15:00.429 --> 15:02.485 second piece again . Um , there have 15:02.485 --> 15:04.739 been contradictory reports about Iran's 15:04.750 --> 15:06.861 potential role in the attacks . Uh If 15:06.861 --> 15:08.694 any , um , what is the latest US 15:08.694 --> 15:10.806 assessment on Tehran's involvement in 15:10.806 --> 15:12.417 or knowledge of the attack ? 15:15.270 --> 15:17.437 We'll take the second part first . And 15:17.437 --> 15:19.492 I think you heard us say yesterday , 15:19.492 --> 15:21.214 well , that we've not seen any 15:21.214 --> 15:24.450 indication that Iran was involved in 15:24.460 --> 15:27.950 the planning or the execution of this 15:27.960 --> 15:30.016 attack . We've not seen any , any of 15:30.016 --> 15:31.904 those indications yet and this is 15:31.904 --> 15:34.016 something that we remain focused on . 15:34.016 --> 15:37.989 Uh And uh and of course , um you know , 15:38.900 --> 15:40.919 what we know at this point is that 15:40.929 --> 15:43.179 there are no indications that that was 15:43.190 --> 15:45.301 the case , but again , we will remain 15:45.301 --> 15:49.289 focused on this . Um We also know that 15:49.299 --> 15:52.049 Iran has a long track record of 15:52.059 --> 15:55.320 supporting Hamas . And so there's a , 15:55.330 --> 15:57.219 there's a relationship there that 15:57.219 --> 16:00.340 extends over the years , but , but in 16:00.349 --> 16:03.789 terms of their active 16:03.799 --> 16:06.750 participation in the planning and the 16:06.760 --> 16:09.190 execution of this attack , we've not 16:09.200 --> 16:11.390 seen any indications of that yet . So 16:12.380 --> 16:14.640 um in terms of uh 16:16.869 --> 16:20.750 early warning or our or our uh uh indic 16:20.780 --> 16:22.780 indications and warning that we may 16:22.780 --> 16:25.289 have had to uh that this was going to 16:25.299 --> 16:27.410 occur , of course , will , if we , if 16:27.410 --> 16:29.410 we had those indications , we would 16:29.410 --> 16:31.355 share them with our , with uh with 16:31.355 --> 16:33.577 Israel . Uh but uh to my knowledge , we 16:33.577 --> 16:37.429 did not see that . So we'll go 16:37.440 --> 16:39.359 to Stuart Lau Politico Eu 16:41.760 --> 16:43.927 from Political Mr Secretary , a couple 16:43.927 --> 16:45.760 of questions first regarding the 16:45.760 --> 16:47.649 disruption of the undersea cables 16:47.649 --> 16:49.816 between Finland and Estonia . Is there 16:49.816 --> 16:51.704 any indication that Russia may be 16:51.704 --> 16:53.871 behind this ? And what possible action 16:53.871 --> 16:55.927 should NASO consider if state actors 16:55.927 --> 16:58.149 are behind it ? And the second question 16:58.149 --> 17:00.719 about military commitment to Europe , 17:00.729 --> 17:02.729 is there any indication that future 17:02.729 --> 17:05.359 delivery of iron dome to Israel might 17:05.489 --> 17:07.579 come at a cost of existing security 17:07.589 --> 17:09.533 commitments to Europe , especially 17:09.533 --> 17:10.700 Poland ? Thank you . 17:14.280 --> 17:17.819 Um First , I am certainly aware of the 17:17.829 --> 17:20.459 reports of the um 17:22.619 --> 17:26.280 attacks on the um the 17:26.290 --> 17:28.579 infrastructure undersea infrastructure 17:28.589 --> 17:30.920 there . And uh and I have been in touch 17:30.930 --> 17:33.839 with uh my colleagues uh in Finland and , 17:33.849 --> 17:36.890 and uh Estonia , they are investigating 17:36.900 --> 17:38.920 this and so because they are 17:38.930 --> 17:41.359 investigating this , I won't speculate 17:41.369 --> 17:43.591 on who may have been involved . I think 17:43.591 --> 17:45.758 we have the , the right thing to do is 17:45.758 --> 17:47.480 to wait for the results of the 17:47.480 --> 17:49.702 investigation . I will tell you that uh 17:49.702 --> 17:51.591 uh uh we have offered our help to 17:51.591 --> 17:53.813 Finland , anything that they need to uh 17:53.813 --> 17:56.036 to conduct this investigation . Uh We , 17:56.036 --> 17:59.640 we stand ready to provide um in terms 17:59.650 --> 18:01.594 of iron . Do you know what's being 18:01.594 --> 18:03.428 provided to Israel and will that 18:03.428 --> 18:05.372 disadvantage uh other countries in 18:05.372 --> 18:07.594 Europe ? I certainly don't think so . I 18:07.594 --> 18:11.119 think Uh again , um for our focus is to 18:11.130 --> 18:13.186 make sure that we get Israel what it 18:13.186 --> 18:15.241 needs in order to protect itself and 18:15.241 --> 18:17.019 protect its uh its uh sovereign 18:17.019 --> 18:19.890 territory . So , um and I won't 18:19.900 --> 18:21.956 speculate on , you know , one way or 18:21.956 --> 18:24.180 the other on uh you know , but , but I 18:24.189 --> 18:26.589 will tell you that Poland is , uh you 18:26.599 --> 18:28.710 know , has a lot of capability and as 18:28.710 --> 18:31.189 you , as you may know , I am in contact 18:31.199 --> 18:33.160 with my Polish counterpart uh on a 18:33.170 --> 18:35.550 routine basis . Uh And , and they have 18:35.560 --> 18:38.670 played a key role in providing uh 18:38.680 --> 18:41.750 security assistance uh to , to Ukraine . 18:42.010 --> 18:45.750 So um uh I think uh again , my 18:45.760 --> 18:48.839 focus is gonna continue to be uh to 18:48.849 --> 18:52.209 support Ukraine and to provide support 18:52.219 --> 18:56.050 to Israel as rapidly and as effectively 18:56.060 --> 18:58.089 as we can . And so I'll leave it at 18:58.099 --> 19:00.500 that ladies and gentlemen , that is all 19:00.510 --> 19:02.399 the time we have for today . This 19:02.399 --> 19:04.566 concludes the press conference . Thank 19:04.566 --> 19:06.599 you very much for coming . I'll get 19:06.609 --> 19:07.469 that . Yeah , you go .