1 00:00:00,009 --> 00:00:02,029 Good afternoon , everyone hope you 2 00:00:02,039 --> 00:00:05,099 survive the snowstorm . Ok . A few 3 00:00:05,110 --> 00:00:07,110 things to pass along at the top and 4 00:00:07,110 --> 00:00:08,943 then I'll be glad to get to your 5 00:00:08,943 --> 00:00:10,832 questions . Uh As you are aware , 6 00:00:10,832 --> 00:00:12,777 Secretary Austin was released from 7 00:00:12,777 --> 00:00:14,888 Walter Reed National Military Medical 8 00:00:14,888 --> 00:00:17,054 Center Monday and on the advice of his 9 00:00:17,054 --> 00:00:19,110 doctors will perform his duties from 10 00:00:19,110 --> 00:00:21,054 home for a period of time while he 11 00:00:21,054 --> 00:00:22,999 recuperates . As our press release 12 00:00:22,999 --> 00:00:24,943 highlighted the secretary has full 13 00:00:24,943 --> 00:00:26,388 access to required secure 14 00:00:26,388 --> 00:00:28,721 communications capabilities in his home . 15 00:00:28,721 --> 00:00:30,832 I don't have a date yet to provide in 16 00:00:30,832 --> 00:00:32,943 terms of when he'll return to work in 17 00:00:32,943 --> 00:00:32,700 the Pentagon , but we'll be sure to 18 00:00:32,709 --> 00:00:35,290 keep you updated . The press release 19 00:00:35,299 --> 00:00:37,077 which includes a statement from 20 00:00:37,077 --> 00:00:39,299 Secretary Austin's doctors as well as a 21 00:00:39,299 --> 00:00:41,077 statement from Secretary Austin 22 00:00:41,077 --> 00:00:43,299 regarding his release from the hospital 23 00:00:43,299 --> 00:00:45,521 are both available on the dod website . 24 00:00:45,521 --> 00:00:47,132 However , to ensure a common 25 00:00:47,132 --> 00:00:48,966 understanding of the secretary's 26 00:00:48,966 --> 00:00:50,966 condition , prognosis and treatment 27 00:00:50,966 --> 00:00:52,910 going forward , I'm gonna read the 28 00:00:52,910 --> 00:00:52,599 statement from his doctors and I 29 00:00:52,610 --> 00:00:54,832 appreciate your patience . This is from 30 00:00:54,832 --> 00:00:56,832 Doctor John Maddox Trauma , medical 31 00:00:56,832 --> 00:00:58,999 Director and Doctor Gregory Chestnut , 32 00:00:58,999 --> 00:01:00,999 director of the Center for prostate 33 00:01:00,999 --> 00:01:03,110 disease Research at the Murtha Cancer 34 00:01:03,110 --> 00:01:05,221 Center , Cancer Center of Walter Reed 35 00:01:05,221 --> 00:01:07,166 National Military Medical Center . 36 00:01:07,166 --> 00:01:09,166 Quote . Secretary Austin progressed 37 00:01:09,166 --> 00:01:10,999 well throughout his stay and his 38 00:01:10,999 --> 00:01:13,300 strength is rebounding . He underwent a 39 00:01:13,309 --> 00:01:15,531 series of medical tests and evaluations 40 00:01:15,531 --> 00:01:17,642 and received non surgical care during 41 00:01:17,642 --> 00:01:19,753 his stay to address his medical needs 42 00:01:19,753 --> 00:01:21,976 to include resolving some lingering leg 43 00:01:21,976 --> 00:01:24,190 pains . He was discharged home with 44 00:01:24,199 --> 00:01:26,255 planned physical therapy and regular 45 00:01:26,255 --> 00:01:28,430 follow up . The secretary is expected 46 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,400 to make a full recovery . Secretary , 47 00:01:31,410 --> 00:01:33,466 Austin's prostate cancer was treated 48 00:01:33,466 --> 00:01:35,688 early and effectively and his prognosis 49 00:01:35,688 --> 00:01:37,839 is excellent . He has no plan for 50 00:01:37,849 --> 00:01:40,190 treatment for his cancer other than 51 00:01:40,199 --> 00:01:42,459 regular prostatectomy surveillance . 52 00:01:42,470 --> 00:01:44,581 End quote . And again , as we receive 53 00:01:44,581 --> 00:01:46,637 pertinent updates , we'll be sure to 54 00:01:46,637 --> 00:01:48,914 pass them along separately as you know , 55 00:01:48,914 --> 00:01:50,970 the US and United Kingdom along with 56 00:01:50,970 --> 00:01:52,914 support from Australia , Bahrain , 57 00:01:52,914 --> 00:01:54,970 Canada and the Netherlands conducted 58 00:01:54,970 --> 00:01:56,970 strikes against military targets in 59 00:01:56,970 --> 00:01:59,081 Houthi controlled areas of Yemen last 60 00:01:59,081 --> 00:02:01,026 week in support of a multinational 61 00:02:01,026 --> 00:02:03,192 effort intended to disrupt and degrade 62 00:02:03,192 --> 00:02:04,859 the houthis ability to attack 63 00:02:04,859 --> 00:02:06,970 international shipping in the Red Sea 64 00:02:06,970 --> 00:02:08,869 and Gulf of Aden . The US also 65 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,047 conducted subsequent follow up strikes 66 00:02:11,047 --> 00:02:12,991 against a radar site on Saturday . 67 00:02:12,991 --> 00:02:14,769 Yemen time that was part of the 68 00:02:14,769 --> 00:02:17,169 original target list and four anti ship 69 00:02:17,179 --> 00:02:19,290 ballistic missiles yesterday at Yemen 70 00:02:19,290 --> 00:02:21,457 time that were prepared to launch from 71 00:02:21,457 --> 00:02:23,623 Houthi controlled areas of Yemen which 72 00:02:23,623 --> 00:02:25,679 presented an imminent threat to both 73 00:02:25,679 --> 00:02:27,568 merchant and US navy ships in the 74 00:02:27,568 --> 00:02:29,623 region . As Secretary Austin said in 75 00:02:29,623 --> 00:02:31,846 his statement on January 11th , quote , 76 00:02:31,846 --> 00:02:33,790 we will not hesitate to defend our 77 00:02:33,790 --> 00:02:35,957 forces the global economy and the free 78 00:02:35,957 --> 00:02:38,123 flow of legitimate commerce and one of 79 00:02:38,130 --> 00:02:40,463 the world's vital waterways . End quote . 80 00:02:40,990 --> 00:02:43,157 In the meantime , more than 20 nations 81 00:02:43,157 --> 00:02:44,990 continue to support the separate 82 00:02:44,990 --> 00:02:46,768 defensive coalition operation , 83 00:02:46,768 --> 00:02:48,934 Prosperity Guardian , which is focused 84 00:02:48,934 --> 00:02:50,990 on protecting international shipping 85 00:02:50,990 --> 00:02:53,212 and Mariners in the Red Sea and Gulf of 86 00:02:53,212 --> 00:02:55,434 Aden . In other news secretary , Austin 87 00:02:55,434 --> 00:02:57,657 spoke yesterday with Ukrainian Minister 88 00:02:57,657 --> 00:02:59,768 of Defense Rust Umarov to discuss the 89 00:02:59,768 --> 00:03:01,934 latest on the situation in Ukraine and 90 00:03:01,934 --> 00:03:03,990 the upcoming Ukraine defense contact 91 00:03:03,990 --> 00:03:06,101 group meeting which will be conducted 92 00:03:06,101 --> 00:03:08,399 virtually on January 23rd . During the 93 00:03:08,410 --> 00:03:10,632 call secretary , Austin reiterated that 94 00:03:10,632 --> 00:03:12,799 the United States and our coalition of 95 00:03:12,799 --> 00:03:14,743 some 50 allies and partners remain 96 00:03:14,743 --> 00:03:16,910 committed to supporting Ukraine in its 97 00:03:16,910 --> 00:03:19,077 fight against Russian aggression . The 98 00:03:19,077 --> 00:03:21,299 readouts been posted to the dod website 99 00:03:21,299 --> 00:03:23,243 and then lastly , on behalf of the 100 00:03:23,243 --> 00:03:24,910 department , we would like to 101 00:03:24,910 --> 00:03:26,854 congratulate us Air Force . Second 102 00:03:26,854 --> 00:03:28,799 Lieutenant Madison Marsh , who was 103 00:03:28,799 --> 00:03:30,910 crowned Miss America over the weekend 104 00:03:30,910 --> 00:03:33,243 in Orlando , Florida . Lieutenant Marsh , 105 00:03:33,243 --> 00:03:35,410 a recent us Air Force Academy graduate 106 00:03:35,410 --> 00:03:37,521 was crowned Miss Colorado in November 107 00:03:37,521 --> 00:03:39,688 of 2023 . She is currently earning her 108 00:03:39,688 --> 00:03:41,521 master's degree from the Harvard 109 00:03:41,521 --> 00:03:41,270 Kennedy School through the Air Force 110 00:03:41,279 --> 00:03:43,259 Institute of Technology's civilian 111 00:03:43,270 --> 00:03:45,809 Institutions programs . She's also 112 00:03:45,820 --> 00:03:47,987 earned a pilot slot and is expected to 113 00:03:47,987 --> 00:03:49,764 attend pilot training after she 114 00:03:49,764 --> 00:03:51,653 graduates from Harvard . For more 115 00:03:51,653 --> 00:03:53,598 information , I'd refer you to Air 116 00:03:53,598 --> 00:03:55,542 Force Public Affairs and with that 117 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:57,764 happy to take your questions , we'll go 118 00:03:57,764 --> 00:03:57,759 to associated press first on the phone . 119 00:03:57,770 --> 00:04:01,460 Uh Lida Baldur , thank you . Uh 120 00:04:01,470 --> 00:04:05,009 Pat 22 separate things . One on 121 00:04:05,020 --> 00:04:08,389 Secretary Austin , uh do , does 122 00:04:08,399 --> 00:04:11,110 his um physical condition at this 123 00:04:11,119 --> 00:04:13,230 moment preclude travel . Can you give 124 00:04:13,230 --> 00:04:16,510 us sort of an idea as to whether uh the , 125 00:04:16,829 --> 00:04:19,051 the meeting is virtual because he can't 126 00:04:19,051 --> 00:04:22,190 travel or just how he is in that regard ? 127 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,256 And then secondly , on the houthis , 128 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,750 the o over the weekend , obviously , 129 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:28,859 there were attacks and by the houthi 130 00:04:28,940 --> 00:04:31,162 houthis , there were counterattacks and 131 00:04:31,162 --> 00:04:33,970 there were several uh strikes by Iran 132 00:04:33,980 --> 00:04:37,529 itself . Can you assess or 133 00:04:37,540 --> 00:04:40,359 tell us whether Secretary Austin 134 00:04:40,369 --> 00:04:44,329 believes that the Gaza War has 135 00:04:44,339 --> 00:04:46,850 already expanded ? Don't all of these 136 00:04:46,859 --> 00:04:50,140 attacks suggest that the war has done 137 00:04:50,149 --> 00:04:52,869 exactly what the US didn't want it to 138 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,549 do early on and that it has expanded 139 00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:58,500 and that attempts to deter the houthis 140 00:04:58,559 --> 00:05:01,380 so far have not worked . Thanks . Yeah , 141 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,790 thanks . Lita on your first question as 142 00:05:03,799 --> 00:05:05,632 I highlighted , uh the secretary 143 00:05:05,632 --> 00:05:08,690 continues to uh recuperate at home . Uh 144 00:05:08,730 --> 00:05:11,440 He does have planned physical therapy 145 00:05:11,450 --> 00:05:13,720 uh as I highlighted there uh in the 146 00:05:13,730 --> 00:05:16,779 secretary or the his doctor's statement . 147 00:05:17,019 --> 00:05:20,440 Uh And so in terms of travel , um no 148 00:05:20,450 --> 00:05:22,506 travel uh scheduled in the immediate 149 00:05:22,510 --> 00:05:24,732 future . But again , we'll , we'll keep 150 00:05:24,732 --> 00:05:26,843 you updated and to answer your , your 151 00:05:26,843 --> 00:05:29,010 question , uh his , he obviously the U 152 00:05:29,010 --> 00:05:31,066 DC G is very important , the Ukraine 153 00:05:31,066 --> 00:05:33,121 Defense contact group . Uh And as he 154 00:05:33,121 --> 00:05:35,399 continues to recuperate , he of course , 155 00:05:35,399 --> 00:05:37,510 wants to participate in that . Uh And 156 00:05:37,510 --> 00:05:39,677 so that certainly is a factor in terms 157 00:05:39,677 --> 00:05:41,843 of uh why we're doing this virtually . 158 00:05:41,989 --> 00:05:44,299 Um in terms of your second question , 159 00:05:44,459 --> 00:05:46,570 you know , clearly there are tensions 160 00:05:46,570 --> 00:05:48,626 in the Middle East , there have been 161 00:05:48,626 --> 00:05:51,230 tensions there . Uh Since the Israel 162 00:05:51,239 --> 00:05:54,000 Hamas conflict has kicked off , we 163 00:05:54,010 --> 00:05:56,177 continue to work very closely with our 164 00:05:56,177 --> 00:05:58,288 allies and our partners in the region 165 00:05:58,288 --> 00:06:00,343 to prevent the Israel Hamas conflict 166 00:06:00,343 --> 00:06:02,399 from escalating into a wider , wider 167 00:06:02,399 --> 00:06:05,130 regional war . Uh When it comes to the 168 00:06:05,140 --> 00:06:07,839 activities that we see by the Houthis 169 00:06:07,850 --> 00:06:10,640 in the Red Sea again , uh they are 170 00:06:10,649 --> 00:06:12,799 exploiting this situation to conduct 171 00:06:12,809 --> 00:06:16,760 attacks against uh the ships 172 00:06:16,769 --> 00:06:19,230 and vessels from more than 50 countries 173 00:06:19,239 --> 00:06:21,239 uh affecting more than 50 countries 174 00:06:21,239 --> 00:06:24,209 around the world . And so , um we are 175 00:06:24,220 --> 00:06:26,164 going to continue to work with our 176 00:06:26,164 --> 00:06:28,290 partners in the region to prevent uh 177 00:06:28,329 --> 00:06:31,459 those attacks or deter those attacks uh 178 00:06:31,470 --> 00:06:33,899 in the future . And we're also going to 179 00:06:33,910 --> 00:06:36,260 continue to work very hard to prevent 180 00:06:36,269 --> 00:06:37,991 the Israel Hamas conflict from 181 00:06:37,991 --> 00:06:40,399 escalating into a broader regional 182 00:06:40,410 --> 00:06:42,688 conflict . But to answer your question , 183 00:06:42,688 --> 00:06:44,910 no , we currently assess that the fight 184 00:06:44,910 --> 00:06:47,021 between Israel and Hamas continues to 185 00:06:47,021 --> 00:06:49,149 remain contained in Gaza . We got to 186 00:06:49,220 --> 00:06:51,399 tell p do you have a battle damage 187 00:06:51,410 --> 00:06:53,354 assessment at this point on the US 188 00:06:53,359 --> 00:06:55,619 British strikes ? And also the New York 189 00:06:55,630 --> 00:06:57,630 Times has reported that the strikes 190 00:06:57,630 --> 00:06:59,630 took out roughly one quarter of the 191 00:06:59,730 --> 00:07:01,730 Houthi capabilities . I was talking 192 00:07:01,730 --> 00:07:03,952 with some folks on the hill , they were 193 00:07:03,952 --> 00:07:05,952 told the strikes would set back the 194 00:07:05,952 --> 00:07:08,119 Houthis by a few days or a few weeks . 195 00:07:08,119 --> 00:07:10,397 Can you talk about those points ? Yeah , 196 00:07:10,397 --> 00:07:12,563 thanks Tom . So I , you know , I'm not 197 00:07:12,563 --> 00:07:14,786 gonna get into specific intelligence uh 198 00:07:14,786 --> 00:07:16,897 in terms of percentages . What I will 199 00:07:16,897 --> 00:07:19,119 tell you is that um in our assessment , 200 00:07:19,119 --> 00:07:21,790 uh we hit what we intended to hit with 201 00:07:21,799 --> 00:07:24,179 good effects . Uh Again , the objective 202 00:07:24,190 --> 00:07:26,357 here was to disrupt and degrade Houthi 203 00:07:26,357 --> 00:07:28,412 capabilities to conduct attacks . Uh 204 00:07:28,420 --> 00:07:30,820 And we believe that overall , in terms 205 00:07:30,829 --> 00:07:32,996 of the scope and the number of strikes 206 00:07:32,996 --> 00:07:34,940 that we took , we have degraded uh 207 00:07:34,940 --> 00:07:37,029 their ability to attack . Clearly , 208 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,380 they maintain some capability and we 209 00:07:39,390 --> 00:07:42,260 anticipated uh that after any action , 210 00:07:42,269 --> 00:07:44,579 there would likely be some retaliatory 211 00:07:44,589 --> 00:07:46,940 strikes . Uh And that's what you're 212 00:07:46,950 --> 00:07:48,783 seeing now . So we're gonna keep 213 00:07:48,783 --> 00:07:50,783 working alongside our international 214 00:07:50,783 --> 00:07:52,950 partners . And as I highlighted at the 215 00:07:52,950 --> 00:07:55,089 top , we're going to continue to do 216 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:56,989 what we need to do to protect our 217 00:07:56,989 --> 00:07:59,750 forces , but also deter future attacks 218 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:01,760 from the Houthis . I'm not going to 219 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:03,871 telegraph forecast or speculate about 220 00:08:03,871 --> 00:08:05,927 any future strikes other than to say 221 00:08:05,927 --> 00:08:08,038 that these actions by the Houthis are 222 00:08:08,038 --> 00:08:10,093 illegal , reckless and dangerous and 223 00:08:10,093 --> 00:08:12,204 they need to stop . You can't say how 224 00:08:12,204 --> 00:08:14,316 much you've degraded or disrupted the 225 00:08:14,316 --> 00:08:16,538 Houthi capabilities . I'm not gonna get 226 00:08:16,538 --> 00:08:18,704 into percentages or , or talking other 227 00:08:18,704 --> 00:08:20,927 than to say , uh you know , we employed 228 00:08:20,927 --> 00:08:23,038 over 100 and 50 munitions uh targeted 229 00:08:23,038 --> 00:08:26,279 over 16 locations uh and had impact . 230 00:08:26,290 --> 00:08:28,730 Thank you . Thank you , general . I 231 00:08:28,739 --> 00:08:30,961 have two questions we've been reporting 232 00:08:30,961 --> 00:08:33,183 about a new attack today in the Gulf of 233 00:08:33,183 --> 00:08:36,159 Aden from Houthi controlled areas in 234 00:08:36,169 --> 00:08:38,669 Yemen that targeted a US merchant 235 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,049 vessel . Um What can you tell us about 236 00:08:41,059 --> 00:08:43,340 the situation and , and uh any 237 00:08:43,349 --> 00:08:45,182 information you can offer on the 238 00:08:45,182 --> 00:08:47,016 situation ? Thanks , Pari . I am 239 00:08:47,016 --> 00:08:48,960 tracking reports coming out of the 240 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:48,950 region . Uh We're working with central 241 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:50,571 command now to , to get more 242 00:08:50,571 --> 00:08:52,627 information on that and so certainly 243 00:08:52,627 --> 00:08:54,293 will as we have been put that 244 00:08:54,293 --> 00:08:56,460 information out as quickly as we can , 245 00:08:56,460 --> 00:08:58,404 the attack happened , I'm tracking 246 00:08:58,404 --> 00:09:00,349 reports of an attack coming out of 247 00:09:00,349 --> 00:09:02,293 there . As you mentioned , the the 248 00:09:02,293 --> 00:09:05,109 strikes against Houthis in Yemen 249 00:09:07,219 --> 00:09:10,760 are trying to disrupt their ability to 250 00:09:10,770 --> 00:09:13,039 continue these attacks . However , uh 251 00:09:13,049 --> 00:09:16,559 since the first wave of those strikes 252 00:09:16,570 --> 00:09:19,780 in Yemen , two more for the first time , 253 00:09:19,989 --> 00:09:22,650 two US ships have been targeted . Would 254 00:09:22,659 --> 00:09:25,440 you say the security situation in the 255 00:09:25,450 --> 00:09:28,460 Red Sea area is , is better or worse 256 00:09:28,469 --> 00:09:31,739 after those US strikes ? What I can 257 00:09:31,750 --> 00:09:33,820 tell you is that we've degraded uh 258 00:09:33,830 --> 00:09:36,580 Houthi capability to conduct conduct 259 00:09:36,590 --> 00:09:40,059 strikes uh as I highlighted and as we 260 00:09:40,070 --> 00:09:42,403 highlighted shortly after those strikes , 261 00:09:42,403 --> 00:09:45,020 uh we would not be surprised if we saw 262 00:09:45,030 --> 00:09:47,086 efforts on their part to continue to 263 00:09:47,086 --> 00:09:49,141 try to conduct retaliatory strikes . 264 00:09:49,609 --> 00:09:51,665 Ultimately , at the end of the day , 265 00:09:51,665 --> 00:09:53,887 let's , you know , take a step back and 266 00:09:53,887 --> 00:09:56,053 look at how we got here mid November . 267 00:09:56,053 --> 00:09:58,276 We started seeing these attacks despite 268 00:09:58,276 --> 00:10:00,165 multiple warnings uh and multiple 269 00:10:00,165 --> 00:10:02,498 efforts . Uh The Houthis have continued . 270 00:10:02,498 --> 00:10:04,387 And so there was an international 271 00:10:04,387 --> 00:10:06,387 coalition , including the countries 272 00:10:06,387 --> 00:10:08,498 that I highlighted at the top uh that 273 00:10:08,498 --> 00:10:10,442 have taken action to prevent these 274 00:10:10,442 --> 00:10:12,665 strikes or deter these kinds of attacks 275 00:10:12,665 --> 00:10:14,887 in the future . Ultimately , at the end 276 00:10:14,887 --> 00:10:16,887 of the day , uh again , the houthis 277 00:10:16,887 --> 00:10:18,942 need to ask themselves , how much of 278 00:10:18,942 --> 00:10:21,220 their capability do they want degraded , 279 00:10:21,220 --> 00:10:24,270 uh and disrupted ? Uh , in light of 280 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,969 these illegal , reckless and dangerous 281 00:10:26,979 --> 00:10:30,210 attacks , the United States . Uh you 282 00:10:30,219 --> 00:10:32,219 know , this is not about the United 283 00:10:32,219 --> 00:10:34,330 States , this is about the ability of 284 00:10:34,330 --> 00:10:36,497 uh the nations of the world to sail an 285 00:10:36,497 --> 00:10:38,663 international waterway through the Red 286 00:10:38,663 --> 00:10:41,489 Sea uh through which 10 to 15% of 287 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:45,340 economic trade transits and do 288 00:10:45,349 --> 00:10:47,929 so safely and securely . That's what 289 00:10:47,940 --> 00:10:50,107 we're focused on and we'll continue to 290 00:10:50,107 --> 00:10:52,107 work closely with the international 291 00:10:52,107 --> 00:10:54,329 community to deter these attacks . It's 292 00:10:54,329 --> 00:10:56,496 an international problem that requires 293 00:10:56,496 --> 00:10:56,190 an international response . Chris , 294 00:10:56,750 --> 00:10:59,820 thanks Pat Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed 295 00:11:00,039 --> 00:11:02,219 Al Sidani told the Wall Street Journal 296 00:11:02,229 --> 00:11:05,469 that the US led military coalition that 297 00:11:05,479 --> 00:11:07,770 it is in Iraq to fight ISIS was no 298 00:11:07,780 --> 00:11:09,836 longer needed . He said , quote , we 299 00:11:09,836 --> 00:11:12,058 believe that the justifications for the 300 00:11:12,058 --> 00:11:14,280 international coalition have ended . Uh 301 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,336 Sidani didn't set a deadline for the 302 00:11:16,336 --> 00:11:18,447 departure of the co coalition nor did 303 00:11:18,447 --> 00:11:20,613 he close the door . But he said he was 304 00:11:20,613 --> 00:11:23,049 no longer worried um that the departure 305 00:11:23,059 --> 00:11:25,226 of the coalition would undermine Iraqi 306 00:11:25,226 --> 00:11:27,450 military capabilities . So what is the 307 00:11:27,460 --> 00:11:29,979 US response ? Um You know , I'm not 308 00:11:29,989 --> 00:11:32,690 gonna comment on the , the Iraqi , um 309 00:11:32,979 --> 00:11:36,059 you know , uh government's remarks 310 00:11:36,070 --> 00:11:39,270 other than to say us forces are in Iraq 311 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:41,447 at the invitation of the government of 312 00:11:41,447 --> 00:11:44,450 Iraq . We value uh Iraq as a partner . 313 00:11:44,460 --> 00:11:46,627 We'll continue to consult closely with 314 00:11:46,627 --> 00:11:48,682 them at this time . I'm not aware of 315 00:11:48,682 --> 00:11:50,849 any official request by the government 316 00:11:50,849 --> 00:11:53,520 of Iraq for dod forces to depart . Um 317 00:11:53,530 --> 00:11:55,697 I'll just leave it at that . Had there 318 00:11:55,697 --> 00:11:58,419 been requests for any uh visual talks 319 00:11:58,539 --> 00:12:02,539 talk about ? Uh well as I highlighted 320 00:12:02,549 --> 00:12:04,700 uh at the , the last two press 321 00:12:04,710 --> 00:12:07,140 briefings , um you know , we continue 322 00:12:07,150 --> 00:12:10,210 to engage in conversations and 323 00:12:10,219 --> 00:12:12,386 communications with our Iraqi partners 324 00:12:12,386 --> 00:12:15,250 on us force presence in Iraq as it 325 00:12:15,260 --> 00:12:17,371 relates to the safety and security of 326 00:12:17,371 --> 00:12:19,593 those forces . Um But again , us forces 327 00:12:19,593 --> 00:12:21,538 are there at the invitation of the 328 00:12:21,538 --> 00:12:23,427 government of Iraq focused on the 329 00:12:23,427 --> 00:12:25,427 defeat ISIS mission . One more last 330 00:12:25,427 --> 00:12:27,316 question . If you try to ask it a 331 00:12:27,316 --> 00:12:29,482 different way , maybe I'll answer it . 332 00:12:29,482 --> 00:12:32,049 Well , yeah . Uh On the defeat ISIS um 333 00:12:32,260 --> 00:12:34,530 how would that be undermined by that 334 00:12:34,539 --> 00:12:36,650 presence ? I mean , this is obviously 335 00:12:36,650 --> 00:12:38,761 an enduring threat that you've had to 336 00:12:38,784 --> 00:12:42,414 deal with both on the ground in the air . 337 00:12:42,424 --> 00:12:45,424 How would us national security possibly 338 00:12:45,434 --> 00:12:47,434 be undermined if us forces could no 339 00:12:47,434 --> 00:12:49,705 longer operate in Iraq ? Yeah , thanks 340 00:12:49,724 --> 00:12:51,724 Chris . So I don't want to get into 341 00:12:51,724 --> 00:12:55,184 hypotheticals . We know that ISIS 342 00:12:55,414 --> 00:12:58,159 continues to be a threat . The counter 343 00:12:58,169 --> 00:13:00,909 ISIS campaign was largely successful 344 00:13:01,039 --> 00:13:04,030 over the last 10 years in terms of 345 00:13:04,039 --> 00:13:06,890 muting the threat of ISIS as it relates 346 00:13:06,900 --> 00:13:10,059 to Iraq and Syria . In no lar large 347 00:13:10,070 --> 00:13:12,014 part , you know , in no small part 348 00:13:12,014 --> 00:13:14,126 rather than to the professionalism of 349 00:13:14,126 --> 00:13:16,750 the Iraqi security forces as they have 350 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,950 continued to increase their capability 351 00:13:20,210 --> 00:13:22,543 on their skills and their effectiveness . 352 00:13:22,543 --> 00:13:24,710 So , you know , credit where credit is 353 00:13:24,710 --> 00:13:27,390 due , that said , um you know , we 354 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,059 continue to see ISIS as a international 355 00:13:31,070 --> 00:13:33,549 and a regional threat . And so we can't 356 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:35,781 take our eye off the ball when it comes 357 00:13:35,781 --> 00:13:37,837 to Isis . And that is the purpose of 358 00:13:37,837 --> 00:13:40,400 the defeat ISIS mission to ensure the 359 00:13:40,409 --> 00:13:43,869 defer the , the enduring defeat of Isis . 360 00:13:44,500 --> 00:13:46,611 Ultimately , though at the end of the 361 00:13:46,611 --> 00:13:48,611 day , again , we are in Iraq at the 362 00:13:48,611 --> 00:13:50,667 invitation of the government of Iraq 363 00:13:50,667 --> 00:13:52,889 and we will continue to consult closely 364 00:13:52,889 --> 00:13:55,167 with this valued and important partner . 365 00:13:55,167 --> 00:13:57,389 Um And I'll just leave it there . Yes , 366 00:13:57,389 --> 00:13:59,500 sir . On the same topic , what's your 367 00:13:59,500 --> 00:14:02,440 assessment on your personnel in Iraq ? 368 00:14:02,450 --> 00:14:04,561 Do you think that , do you need to be 369 00:14:04,561 --> 00:14:06,783 there for a longer time because Isis is 370 00:14:06,783 --> 00:14:08,450 still a threat or what's your 371 00:14:08,450 --> 00:14:10,617 assessment on your ? Well , you know , 372 00:14:10,617 --> 00:14:12,839 the way that the United States conducts 373 00:14:12,839 --> 00:14:15,006 operations is in consultation with our 374 00:14:15,006 --> 00:14:17,061 allies and partners . That's exactly 375 00:14:17,061 --> 00:14:19,172 what we're doing in the Red Sea . And 376 00:14:19,172 --> 00:14:21,469 so we are there at the invitation of 377 00:14:21,479 --> 00:14:23,701 the government of Iraq . I mean , we've 378 00:14:23,701 --> 00:14:25,812 talked about this before , you know , 379 00:14:25,812 --> 00:14:27,979 but for , for the benefit of those who 380 00:14:27,979 --> 00:14:27,809 have not been following this , if you 381 00:14:27,820 --> 00:14:31,659 go back to , to uh 2014 , uh 382 00:14:31,669 --> 00:14:34,010 when Isis was on the outskirts of 383 00:14:34,020 --> 00:14:37,340 Baghdad , um It was the United States , 384 00:14:37,349 --> 00:14:39,571 you know , working with partners in the 385 00:14:39,571 --> 00:14:42,210 region uh to include Iraq , inviting us 386 00:14:42,219 --> 00:14:45,989 forces to come and help uh to defeat 387 00:14:46,239 --> 00:14:49,690 and counter Isis . Uh And so , you know , 388 00:14:49,700 --> 00:14:51,700 we will continue to consult closely 389 00:14:51,700 --> 00:14:53,811 with our , our partners in the region 390 00:14:53,811 --> 00:14:55,644 and continue to work together to 391 00:14:55,644 --> 00:14:57,820 address regional and international 392 00:14:57,830 --> 00:15:00,052 security threats that affect all of our 393 00:15:00,052 --> 00:15:01,997 security . And one question on the 394 00:15:01,997 --> 00:15:04,163 Iranian attacks on Erbil , what's your 395 00:15:04,163 --> 00:15:06,386 assessment on that attacks ? Because it 396 00:15:06,386 --> 00:15:08,608 was almost within a few miles away from 397 00:15:08,608 --> 00:15:10,774 your bases in Erbil and why you didn't 398 00:15:10,774 --> 00:15:13,969 use your anti missiles , system defense 399 00:15:13,979 --> 00:15:16,201 system to repair some of these missiles 400 00:15:16,201 --> 00:15:19,750 that were attacking civilian areas . So 401 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:21,909 as I understand it , uh none of these 402 00:15:21,919 --> 00:15:24,280 strikes were targeting us , personnel 403 00:15:24,289 --> 00:15:27,229 or , or us facilities . Uh You've heard 404 00:15:27,419 --> 00:15:29,549 the Iraqi government respond , I'll , 405 00:15:29,559 --> 00:15:31,115 I'll refer you to that . My 406 00:15:31,115 --> 00:15:33,115 understanding is that these strikes 407 00:15:33,115 --> 00:15:35,239 were not precise . Um And you know , 408 00:15:35,250 --> 00:15:37,250 just leave it there and , and I , I 409 00:15:37,250 --> 00:15:39,472 need to get to their side of the room . 410 00:15:39,472 --> 00:15:42,940 Yeah , the 2020 24 411 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,904 National Defense Authorization Act 412 00:15:44,904 --> 00:15:47,539 includes a provision for equipment for 413 00:15:47,549 --> 00:15:50,000 Iraqi Kurdistan Peshmerga forces with 414 00:15:50,010 --> 00:15:52,177 air defense . Are you going to work on 415 00:15:52,177 --> 00:15:54,288 that ? Um Again , I'm , I'm not gonna 416 00:15:54,288 --> 00:15:56,729 get ahead of uh pending legislation , 417 00:15:56,739 --> 00:16:00,429 you know , in terms of um , yeah , so I 418 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:02,551 don't want to get ahead of that other 419 00:16:02,551 --> 00:16:04,607 than to say again , Iraq is a valued 420 00:16:04,607 --> 00:16:06,384 and important partner and we'll 421 00:16:06,384 --> 00:16:08,607 continue to work closely with Iraq when 422 00:16:08,607 --> 00:16:10,384 it comes to security , regional 423 00:16:10,384 --> 00:16:12,496 security and , and Iraqi needs uh for 424 00:16:12,496 --> 00:16:14,551 from a defense standpoint as we have 425 00:16:14,551 --> 00:16:16,607 for many years . But let me go ahead 426 00:16:16,607 --> 00:16:18,940 and get to their side of the room . Yes , 427 00:16:18,940 --> 00:16:21,051 sir . Griff Jenkins pinch hitting for 428 00:16:21,051 --> 00:16:23,218 Jen Griffin . Uh 22 pronged question . 429 00:16:23,218 --> 00:16:25,780 First , the administration redesigning 430 00:16:25,789 --> 00:16:27,500 the Houthis as this specially 431 00:16:27,510 --> 00:16:30,289 designated global terrorist list , uh 432 00:16:30,299 --> 00:16:32,820 seen as a lesser designation than the 433 00:16:32,830 --> 00:16:36,330 FTO . Um How does that 434 00:16:36,340 --> 00:16:39,929 impact you guys ? Does it take away any 435 00:16:39,940 --> 00:16:41,551 tools for holding terrorists 436 00:16:41,551 --> 00:16:43,718 accountable if you could speak sort of 437 00:16:43,718 --> 00:16:45,940 that ? And then the other question on , 438 00:16:45,940 --> 00:16:49,729 on uh Secretary Austin , as we are now 439 00:16:49,739 --> 00:16:52,369 learning more about the , the lack of 440 00:16:52,380 --> 00:16:54,380 communication he provided in his ho 441 00:16:54,380 --> 00:16:56,658 around surrounding his hospitalization . 442 00:16:56,658 --> 00:16:58,769 Is he being held to the same standard 443 00:16:58,769 --> 00:17:00,729 of accountability that yourself or 444 00:17:00,739 --> 00:17:02,961 anyone else in uniform in this building 445 00:17:02,961 --> 00:17:05,239 would be ? Yeah , thanks Griff on your , 446 00:17:05,239 --> 00:17:07,295 on your first question . I'm I'm not 447 00:17:07,295 --> 00:17:09,406 aware of any impact on our ability to 448 00:17:09,406 --> 00:17:11,579 conduct operations uh as necessary in 449 00:17:11,589 --> 00:17:13,369 terms of supporting operation , 450 00:17:13,380 --> 00:17:15,491 prosperity , Guardian , for example , 451 00:17:15,491 --> 00:17:18,540 or conducting uh self defense strikes 452 00:17:18,550 --> 00:17:21,640 uh or aiming to disrupt and degrade 453 00:17:21,650 --> 00:17:23,719 houthi capability . Again , what I , 454 00:17:23,729 --> 00:17:25,785 what I think you're seeing here is a 455 00:17:25,785 --> 00:17:28,849 whole of government effort to apply the , 456 00:17:28,859 --> 00:17:31,829 the tools of national power uh as it 457 00:17:31,839 --> 00:17:34,040 relates to deterring the houthis . And 458 00:17:34,050 --> 00:17:36,161 that can include a variety of means , 459 00:17:36,161 --> 00:17:37,994 not only military force but also 460 00:17:37,994 --> 00:17:40,349 economic and diplomatic efforts . And 461 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:43,079 importantly , the United , this is not 462 00:17:43,089 --> 00:17:45,200 a United States alone issue . This is 463 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,033 something we're working with the 464 00:17:47,033 --> 00:17:48,867 international community on as it 465 00:17:48,867 --> 00:17:50,978 relates to the secretary . You know , 466 00:17:50,978 --> 00:17:50,819 look , the secretary put a statement 467 00:17:50,829 --> 00:17:53,160 out uh taking full responsibility on , 468 00:17:53,170 --> 00:17:55,819 on the issues related to transparency 469 00:17:55,969 --> 00:17:58,136 and has committed to doing better . Uh 470 00:17:58,136 --> 00:18:00,080 We as a department recognized that 471 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:02,191 there were shortfalls , especially as 472 00:18:02,191 --> 00:18:03,913 it related to the notification 473 00:18:03,913 --> 00:18:06,080 timelines . And so we are conducting a 474 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:07,969 30 day review . In addition , the 475 00:18:07,969 --> 00:18:10,191 Department of Defense Inspector General 476 00:18:10,191 --> 00:18:12,080 is also conducting a separate and 477 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:13,858 independent review . So we will 478 00:18:13,858 --> 00:18:15,939 obviously support those . Uh and we 479 00:18:15,949 --> 00:18:18,171 will make sure that we're doing what we 480 00:18:18,171 --> 00:18:20,338 need to do uh to improve and do better 481 00:18:20,338 --> 00:18:23,250 next time . Thanks . Thank you General , 482 00:18:23,260 --> 00:18:26,739 two questions on Russia and North Korea 483 00:18:26,750 --> 00:18:29,959 uh regarding the solid fuel 484 00:18:30,170 --> 00:18:32,880 intermediate range ballistic missile 485 00:18:33,859 --> 00:18:36,890 that North Korea launched last weekend , 486 00:18:37,250 --> 00:18:39,900 North Korea announced that it was a 487 00:18:39,910 --> 00:18:43,790 hypersonic missile launch . What is 488 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:47,770 the US is uh analysis on that ? Yeah , 489 00:18:47,780 --> 00:18:49,891 thanks Shay again . When it , when it 490 00:18:49,891 --> 00:18:52,750 comes to uh destabilizing activity , 491 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,050 we'll continue to call on North Korea 492 00:18:56,060 --> 00:18:58,449 to refrain from such activity and we'll 493 00:18:58,459 --> 00:19:00,515 continue to consult closely with our 494 00:19:00,515 --> 00:19:03,219 allies in the region to ensure that we 495 00:19:03,229 --> 00:19:05,250 can maintain regional peace and 496 00:19:05,260 --> 00:19:08,349 security . Foreign Minister . 497 00:19:08,630 --> 00:19:12,280 And Russia's President 498 00:19:12,310 --> 00:19:15,479 Putin and Russian Police Minister 499 00:19:15,599 --> 00:19:18,780 Sergei Lavrov have met in Russia 500 00:19:18,790 --> 00:19:21,729 recently . They discussed the further 501 00:19:21,739 --> 00:19:25,489 expanding military cooper operation . 502 00:19:25,709 --> 00:19:28,660 How do you assess this ? Well , we've 503 00:19:28,670 --> 00:19:31,739 talked about this before that clearly 504 00:19:31,750 --> 00:19:33,630 North Korea and Russia have a 505 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,939 relationship . Um You know , what we 506 00:19:36,949 --> 00:19:38,893 don't want to see is the continued 507 00:19:38,893 --> 00:19:41,589 proliferation of aid to Russia to be 508 00:19:41,599 --> 00:19:44,890 used in Ukraine . Um But I'll leave it 509 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:47,122 at that . Let me go to the phone here . 510 00:19:47,122 --> 00:19:49,810 Uh Jeff Shoal task and purpose . 511 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,119 Thank you . Um You had mentioned that 512 00:19:53,130 --> 00:19:56,540 the latest strike in Yemen uh targeted 513 00:19:56,550 --> 00:19:58,606 Houthi assets that posed a threat to 514 00:19:58,606 --> 00:20:01,119 both us navy and merchant ships . And I 515 00:20:01,130 --> 00:20:03,660 wanted to know what uh data , what 516 00:20:03,670 --> 00:20:05,979 evidence do you have that they , the 517 00:20:05,989 --> 00:20:09,189 Houthi were targeting navy ships . And 518 00:20:09,199 --> 00:20:10,921 also does this operation , the 519 00:20:10,921 --> 00:20:13,143 airstrikes against Yemen . Do , does it 520 00:20:13,143 --> 00:20:16,920 have a name ? Uh Thanks Jeff . Uh So a 521 00:20:16,930 --> 00:20:20,520 again , um because you have merchant 522 00:20:20,530 --> 00:20:22,863 vessels and us navy ships in the region . 523 00:20:22,863 --> 00:20:25,086 Uh As I understand it , the information 524 00:20:25,086 --> 00:20:27,086 that we had was that these missiles 525 00:20:27,086 --> 00:20:29,449 were being prepared for launch . Uh And 526 00:20:29,459 --> 00:20:32,209 so uh these strikes were taken in self 527 00:20:32,219 --> 00:20:35,069 defense in order to uh neutralize that 528 00:20:35,079 --> 00:20:37,430 that capability again as part of the 529 00:20:37,439 --> 00:20:40,390 effort to disrupt uh the houthi ability 530 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,030 to conduct strikes . Uh And to answer 531 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,540 your question , uh I , I am not aware 532 00:20:45,550 --> 00:20:47,890 of any official designation that you 533 00:20:47,900 --> 00:20:50,520 named operation uh for these strikes . 534 00:20:51,339 --> 00:20:54,219 Thank you . Let me uh go to Nancy and 535 00:20:54,229 --> 00:20:56,451 then we'll go back to the film . Um , I 536 00:20:56,451 --> 00:20:58,396 wanna start with the strike on the 537 00:20:58,396 --> 00:21:00,618 houthis . Um , to Tom's question , as I 538 00:21:00,618 --> 00:21:02,618 understood , we were gonna get some 539 00:21:02,618 --> 00:21:04,729 sort of , um , battlefield assessment 540 00:21:04,729 --> 00:21:07,007 since the strikes happened on the 11th . 541 00:21:07,007 --> 00:21:09,118 Can you give us a sense of when we'll 542 00:21:09,118 --> 00:21:11,173 see that ? And with what specificity 543 00:21:11,173 --> 00:21:13,507 you'll be able to tell us the effect of , 544 00:21:13,507 --> 00:21:15,673 of those strikes ? That is , could you 545 00:21:15,673 --> 00:21:15,430 answer Tom's question about whether it 546 00:21:15,439 --> 00:21:18,400 was 25% of the capability or more or 547 00:21:18,410 --> 00:21:20,299 less ? Yeah , so I appreciate the 548 00:21:20,299 --> 00:21:22,521 question . Um And , and what I provided 549 00:21:22,521 --> 00:21:25,359 is uh the assessment in terms of the 550 00:21:25,369 --> 00:21:27,369 number of strikes that we took , we 551 00:21:27,369 --> 00:21:30,119 assess that we largely hit what we 552 00:21:30,130 --> 00:21:32,439 intended to hit and had the effect in 553 00:21:32,449 --> 00:21:34,849 terms of degrading those capabilities . 554 00:21:35,089 --> 00:21:37,033 The reason that I can't get into a 555 00:21:37,033 --> 00:21:39,145 percentage is because now we start to 556 00:21:39,145 --> 00:21:41,311 get into intelligence and I , and from 557 00:21:41,311 --> 00:21:43,533 the podium here , I would start talking 558 00:21:43,533 --> 00:21:45,645 about what we , what we know and what 559 00:21:45,645 --> 00:21:47,867 we don't know which can then be reverse 560 00:21:47,867 --> 00:21:50,449 engineered in terms of uh and potential 561 00:21:50,459 --> 00:21:52,681 adversary or in this case , the houthis 562 00:21:52,681 --> 00:21:55,030 understanding where we may have gaps or 563 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,151 not in our intelligence . So I'm just 564 00:21:57,151 --> 00:21:59,151 not gonna be able to get into those 565 00:21:59,151 --> 00:22:01,096 numbers . And then I've reread the 566 00:22:01,096 --> 00:22:03,207 January 11th review that the chief of 567 00:22:03,207 --> 00:22:05,373 staff called for . And if I've read it 568 00:22:05,373 --> 00:22:04,739 correctly , there's nothing in there 569 00:22:04,750 --> 00:22:08,329 that prevents anyone involved um from 570 00:22:08,339 --> 00:22:10,506 answering questions from the public or 571 00:22:10,506 --> 00:22:13,140 Congress , is that right ? So the 30 572 00:22:13,150 --> 00:22:16,390 day review um is to identify and , and 573 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,456 if you just uh permit me here , just 574 00:22:18,500 --> 00:22:20,839 use the exact words , uh relevant facts 575 00:22:20,849 --> 00:22:22,819 and circumstances and evaluate the 576 00:22:22,829 --> 00:22:25,089 processes and procedures through which 577 00:22:25,469 --> 00:22:27,469 the Deputy Secretary of Defense was 578 00:22:27,469 --> 00:22:29,636 notified that she should carry out the 579 00:22:29,636 --> 00:22:31,747 functions and duties of the Secretary 580 00:22:31,747 --> 00:22:33,858 of Defense . The purpose is to better 581 00:22:33,858 --> 00:22:36,025 understand the facts surrounding these 582 00:22:36,025 --> 00:22:38,025 events and to recommend appropriate 583 00:22:38,025 --> 00:22:40,247 processes going forward . Separate from 584 00:22:40,247 --> 00:22:42,413 that , there will be an independent IG 585 00:22:42,413 --> 00:22:44,747 review to examine the rules , processes , 586 00:22:44,747 --> 00:22:46,636 procedures , responsibilities and 587 00:22:46,636 --> 00:22:48,580 actions related to the secretary's 588 00:22:48,580 --> 00:22:50,302 hospitalization . Uh I'm gonna 589 00:22:50,302 --> 00:22:52,302 paraphrase here . Um But again , th 590 00:22:52,302 --> 00:22:54,302 this uh is all out there and assess 591 00:22:54,302 --> 00:22:56,025 whether the dod s policies and 592 00:22:56,025 --> 00:22:58,136 procedures are sufficient to ensure a 593 00:22:58,136 --> 00:23:00,358 timely and appropriate notification and 594 00:23:00,358 --> 00:23:02,691 the effective transition of authorities . 595 00:23:02,691 --> 00:23:04,691 So , again , all of these , uh as I 596 00:23:04,691 --> 00:23:06,802 understand , it will be comprehensive 597 00:23:06,802 --> 00:23:08,469 in terms of looking at um the 598 00:23:08,469 --> 00:23:10,636 secretary's hospitalization uh and the 599 00:23:10,636 --> 00:23:13,880 required notifications behind all of 600 00:23:13,890 --> 00:23:16,109 this . However , uh again , just to 601 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,719 reiterate at no time , was there a gap 602 00:23:18,729 --> 00:23:20,849 in dod command and control ? But my 603 00:23:20,859 --> 00:23:22,915 question is , there's nothing in the 604 00:23:22,915 --> 00:23:24,859 memos as I read them that prevents 605 00:23:24,859 --> 00:23:26,581 somebody who was involved from 606 00:23:26,581 --> 00:23:28,526 answering questions publicly about 607 00:23:28,526 --> 00:23:30,748 their role in it . There's nothing that 608 00:23:30,748 --> 00:23:33,560 precludes that um you know , at the 609 00:23:33,569 --> 00:23:35,390 risk of trying to prove a null 610 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,030 hypothesis . I think uh the the 611 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,096 department personnel of course , are 612 00:23:40,096 --> 00:23:41,873 going to be available to answer 613 00:23:41,873 --> 00:23:44,207 questions from whoever's conducting the , 614 00:23:44,207 --> 00:23:46,373 the review , whether it's the Director 615 00:23:46,373 --> 00:23:48,596 of Administration and Management or the 616 00:23:48,596 --> 00:23:50,818 dod IG . Right . I guess the reason I'm 617 00:23:50,818 --> 00:23:52,873 asking is , um , as you know , we've 618 00:23:52,873 --> 00:23:54,707 been asking you some of the same 619 00:23:54,707 --> 00:23:56,929 questions over and over again since the 620 00:23:56,929 --> 00:23:56,479 fifth and you've been unable to provide 621 00:23:56,489 --> 00:23:58,939 answers and yet the same three people 622 00:23:58,949 --> 00:24:01,227 seem to be at the key of what happened . 623 00:24:01,227 --> 00:24:03,005 Kelly Maximum General Clark and 624 00:24:03,005 --> 00:24:05,171 Secretary Hicks . And I , I guess what 625 00:24:05,171 --> 00:24:07,282 I'm trying to understand is why can't 626 00:24:07,282 --> 00:24:07,150 they come to the podium and answer the 627 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:09,382 questions that you haven't been able to 628 00:24:09,382 --> 00:24:11,438 answer since there's nothing that in 629 00:24:11,438 --> 00:24:13,271 any of these investigations that 630 00:24:13,271 --> 00:24:15,493 prevents them from doing so . So , um , 631 00:24:15,493 --> 00:24:17,771 you know , Nancy , what I would say is , 632 00:24:17,771 --> 00:24:19,882 again , uh , we , we are committed to 633 00:24:19,882 --> 00:24:22,049 supporting these reviews . Obviously , 634 00:24:22,049 --> 00:24:21,540 we wanna make sure , uh , that we're 635 00:24:21,550 --> 00:24:23,772 getting the facts that we're doing what 636 00:24:23,772 --> 00:24:25,994 we need to do , improve processes going 637 00:24:25,994 --> 00:24:28,050 forward . Uh , in terms of Secretary 638 00:24:28,050 --> 00:24:29,994 Austin engaging the press again as 639 00:24:29,994 --> 00:24:31,939 we've talked about . I'm certainly 640 00:24:31,939 --> 00:24:34,106 aware of the , the interest . Uh , and 641 00:24:34,106 --> 00:24:36,161 we'll make sure that that request is 642 00:24:36,161 --> 00:24:38,161 passed along . But what about those 643 00:24:38,161 --> 00:24:39,994 other three who are clearly very 644 00:24:39,994 --> 00:24:41,939 central ? They're not recovering . 645 00:24:41,939 --> 00:24:44,217 They're here , they're in the building . 646 00:24:44,217 --> 00:24:43,849 There's nothing that prevents them from 647 00:24:43,859 --> 00:24:46,324 answering questions , I think also , uh , 648 00:24:46,334 --> 00:24:48,501 it's important again to allow these re 649 00:24:48,501 --> 00:24:50,612 reviews to run their course to ensure 650 00:24:50,612 --> 00:24:52,834 that we're operating from the facts and 651 00:24:52,834 --> 00:24:55,056 that we have a holistic picture of what 652 00:24:55,056 --> 00:24:57,334 exactly happened . And when , uh again , 653 00:24:57,334 --> 00:24:59,556 understanding the importance uh and the 654 00:24:59,556 --> 00:25:01,334 public interest uh when and the 655 00:25:01,334 --> 00:25:03,501 congressional interest clearly when it 656 00:25:03,501 --> 00:25:05,556 comes to this topic , let me , uh go 657 00:25:05,556 --> 00:25:07,667 ahead and go back to the phone here . 658 00:25:07,667 --> 00:25:11,420 JJ Green WTO P General . Um The houthi 659 00:25:11,430 --> 00:25:14,489 attacks , can you say if these 660 00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,849 attacks that have been coming from 661 00:25:16,859 --> 00:25:20,510 locations recently have been locations 662 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,479 that were hit um in the US led 663 00:25:23,489 --> 00:25:26,699 coalition's strikes or are these coming 664 00:25:26,709 --> 00:25:28,709 from new locations ? And the second 665 00:25:28,709 --> 00:25:30,709 question , how does Iran's recently 666 00:25:30,709 --> 00:25:32,876 affirmed willingness to launch attacks 667 00:25:32,876 --> 00:25:34,765 directly uh impact the Pentagon's 668 00:25:34,765 --> 00:25:37,459 posture in the region ? Yeah , thanks 669 00:25:37,469 --> 00:25:40,979 JJ on your first question . Um I , I'm 670 00:25:40,989 --> 00:25:42,989 not gonna be able to get into the 671 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:45,800 specific launch sites of , of Houthi 672 00:25:45,810 --> 00:25:48,680 missiles other than to say again , um 673 00:25:48,689 --> 00:25:51,780 They do retain some capability clearly . 674 00:25:51,869 --> 00:25:54,339 Uh And again , we will continue to do 675 00:25:54,349 --> 00:25:56,127 what we need to do to work with 676 00:25:56,127 --> 00:25:59,239 partners uh to deter these attacks and 677 00:25:59,250 --> 00:26:01,560 importantly to safeguard vessels uh 678 00:26:01,569 --> 00:26:04,739 that are transiting the Red Sea as for 679 00:26:04,750 --> 00:26:07,540 Iran's attacks , are the missile 680 00:26:07,550 --> 00:26:09,772 strikes that they conducted yesterday ? 681 00:26:09,790 --> 00:26:13,729 Uh again , um You know , they put out a 682 00:26:13,739 --> 00:26:15,869 statement in terms of uh what those 683 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,150 attacks uh or those missile strikes 684 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:21,810 were conducted for . Um I'd refer you 685 00:26:21,819 --> 00:26:24,041 to them , the only thing I would say is 686 00:26:24,041 --> 00:26:25,986 again , we've seen reports that uh 687 00:26:25,986 --> 00:26:28,859 these strikes were not precise . Uh And 688 00:26:28,869 --> 00:26:30,910 of course , we in the United States 689 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:32,976 continue to work closely with allies 690 00:26:32,976 --> 00:26:34,809 and partners in the region to uh 691 00:26:34,809 --> 00:26:38,699 prevent uh and the conflict in Gaza 692 00:26:38,709 --> 00:26:40,876 from expanding into a broader regional 693 00:26:40,876 --> 00:26:44,599 war , Missy . Um Just a 694 00:26:44,609 --> 00:26:46,831 couple of questions , could you give us 695 00:26:46,831 --> 00:26:49,170 an update on the um the follow on from 696 00:26:49,180 --> 00:26:52,800 the Seal mission ? Um uh in 697 00:26:52,810 --> 00:26:55,079 terms of when you say an update , 698 00:26:55,089 --> 00:26:58,089 search and rescue . So um on the search 699 00:26:58,099 --> 00:27:01,280 and rescue , uh the Syncom continues to , 700 00:27:01,290 --> 00:27:03,401 to lead that effort . It is ongoing . 701 00:27:03,401 --> 00:27:05,719 Certainly . Um you know , we , we hope 702 00:27:06,060 --> 00:27:07,838 that we are able to recover our 703 00:27:07,838 --> 00:27:09,893 teammates . Our thoughts and prayers 704 00:27:09,893 --> 00:27:12,116 are clearly with their families at this 705 00:27:12,116 --> 00:27:14,116 time . I don't have any specific uh 706 00:27:14,116 --> 00:27:16,171 specific updates provide right now , 707 00:27:16,171 --> 00:27:18,171 other than other than that , that's 708 00:27:18,171 --> 00:27:20,282 ongoing . And then um just going back 709 00:27:20,282 --> 00:27:22,504 to the question about the um the review 710 00:27:22,504 --> 00:27:24,671 and the IG um examination apologies if 711 00:27:24,671 --> 00:27:26,782 you've said this already , but have , 712 00:27:26,782 --> 00:27:29,004 has the , have you guys said whether or 713 00:27:29,004 --> 00:27:31,430 not um um that the results of that will 714 00:27:31,439 --> 00:27:33,699 be made public ? And in what way ? Uh 715 00:27:33,729 --> 00:27:36,390 so for the IG review , that's something 716 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,810 for the IG to respond to as far as the 717 00:27:38,819 --> 00:27:42,619 department review . Um I , I can't uh 718 00:27:42,630 --> 00:27:44,686 answer that question because I don't 719 00:27:44,686 --> 00:27:46,908 know right now , other than to say , we 720 00:27:46,908 --> 00:27:48,963 are committed to making sure that we 721 00:27:48,963 --> 00:27:50,741 keep the media , the public and 722 00:27:50,741 --> 00:27:52,949 congress informed in terms of um you 723 00:27:52,959 --> 00:27:55,237 know , lessons learned on this process . 724 00:27:55,237 --> 00:27:56,903 So and so you , so you're not 725 00:27:56,903 --> 00:27:59,070 committing to making the report public 726 00:27:59,070 --> 00:28:01,403 but saying something about what ? Right . 727 00:28:01,403 --> 00:28:03,626 And , and I just , I just don't know at 728 00:28:03,626 --> 00:28:05,459 this time where we're at in that 729 00:28:05,459 --> 00:28:07,348 process , I know that they have , 730 00:28:07,348 --> 00:28:09,570 obviously they can't release classified 731 00:28:09,570 --> 00:28:11,737 information , but is there any role in 732 00:28:11,737 --> 00:28:14,020 dod encouraging them to make 733 00:28:14,030 --> 00:28:15,808 information public if it is not 734 00:28:15,808 --> 00:28:18,640 classified ? Uh So the , the dod IG uh 735 00:28:18,650 --> 00:28:21,339 by design is independent . Uh And so 736 00:28:21,349 --> 00:28:23,579 again , this is their review . Uh And 737 00:28:23,589 --> 00:28:25,811 ultimately , at the end of the day , uh 738 00:28:25,811 --> 00:28:27,867 it's up to them . Uh again , a lot , 739 00:28:27,867 --> 00:28:30,089 you know , broadly speaking , uh the as 740 00:28:30,089 --> 00:28:31,989 you well know , uh there are 741 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:33,833 circumstances where that type of 742 00:28:33,839 --> 00:28:36,006 information is publicly released or an 743 00:28:36,006 --> 00:28:37,950 unclassified version . But again , 744 00:28:37,950 --> 00:28:40,172 that's something I have to refer you to 745 00:28:40,172 --> 00:28:42,395 the IG to talk about . Yes , ma'am . Hi 746 00:28:42,395 --> 00:28:44,395 Audrey Decker with defense one . in 747 00:28:44,395 --> 00:28:46,989 light of the recent um ship seizure 748 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,000 that just occurred . What is the US 749 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,111 doing to disrupt the flow of missiles 750 00:28:51,111 --> 00:28:53,060 and drones from Iran to the Houthi 751 00:28:53,069 --> 00:28:55,989 rebels ? Uh Well , you had this most 752 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:59,050 recent uh uh interdiction uh 753 00:28:59,060 --> 00:29:02,949 where the uh seals aboard the , the US 754 00:29:02,959 --> 00:29:05,270 S Polar . Uh Of course , you know , 755 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,447 Syncom put out a release on that . I'd 756 00:29:07,447 --> 00:29:09,613 refer you to that , that was the first 757 00:29:09,613 --> 00:29:11,836 interdiction uh since the Houthis began 758 00:29:11,836 --> 00:29:14,058 their attacks if you take a step back , 759 00:29:14,058 --> 00:29:16,002 however , and look , uh the US has 760 00:29:16,002 --> 00:29:18,058 worked very closely with partners in 761 00:29:18,058 --> 00:29:19,780 the region when it comes to uh 762 00:29:19,780 --> 00:29:22,640 conducting a search uh and when 763 00:29:22,650 --> 00:29:24,872 necessary seizure for illicit arms that 764 00:29:24,872 --> 00:29:27,660 are transiting uh that region ? And 765 00:29:27,670 --> 00:29:30,089 does that require more US forces in the 766 00:29:30,099 --> 00:29:32,266 region or a change of posture at all ? 767 00:29:32,569 --> 00:29:34,920 Um I I'm not tracking any announcements 768 00:29:34,930 --> 00:29:36,597 to make right now in terms of 769 00:29:36,597 --> 00:29:38,819 additional US forces in the region . Uh 770 00:29:38,819 --> 00:29:40,986 As you've heard us say , you know , we 771 00:29:40,986 --> 00:29:43,152 do maintain the ability to be flexible 772 00:29:43,152 --> 00:29:45,263 in terms of whether or not we need to 773 00:29:45,263 --> 00:29:47,319 place additional forces uh in the US 774 00:29:47,319 --> 00:29:49,486 central command area of responsibility 775 00:29:49,486 --> 00:29:51,541 or anywhere worldwide . Let me go to 776 00:29:51,541 --> 00:29:54,329 Tony things . You said here , the HS do 777 00:29:54,339 --> 00:29:56,729 retain some capability clearly but 778 00:29:56,739 --> 00:29:58,961 prior to the strikes , did the US see a 779 00:29:58,961 --> 00:30:01,890 widespread dispersion of Houthi forces 780 00:30:01,900 --> 00:30:04,709 that uh in , in hiding , given all the 781 00:30:04,719 --> 00:30:06,497 chatter all the publicity of an 782 00:30:06,497 --> 00:30:08,663 imminent attack ? Yeah , thanks Tony . 783 00:30:08,663 --> 00:30:10,663 Um I'm , I'm just not going to talk 784 00:30:10,663 --> 00:30:12,775 about intelligence about what we knew 785 00:30:12,775 --> 00:30:14,830 pre or uh you know , pre strike . Um 786 00:30:14,830 --> 00:30:16,663 Other than again , we maintain a 787 00:30:16,663 --> 00:30:18,886 significant intelligence capability and 788 00:30:19,119 --> 00:30:21,175 I'll just leave it there yesterday . 789 00:30:21,175 --> 00:30:23,286 The Centcom announcement saying these 790 00:30:23,286 --> 00:30:25,563 missiles were launched prior to strike , 791 00:30:25,563 --> 00:30:27,619 they were hit prior to launch . That 792 00:30:27,619 --> 00:30:29,563 applies that there's a really good 793 00:30:29,563 --> 00:30:31,900 sense of ISR over in Yemen to pick up 794 00:30:31,910 --> 00:30:34,021 missiles on the ground being ready to 795 00:30:34,021 --> 00:30:36,188 launch . Is it fair to say that the US 796 00:30:36,188 --> 00:30:38,243 at this point and the coalition have 797 00:30:38,243 --> 00:30:40,689 established a robust ISR capability , 798 00:30:40,699 --> 00:30:42,143 intelligence surveillance 799 00:30:42,143 --> 00:30:44,510 reconnaissance capability over Yemen . 800 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:46,742 And that the posture now is pre emptive 801 00:30:46,742 --> 00:30:49,229 as strikes versus reactive . And I , 802 00:30:49,300 --> 00:30:51,356 and I , you know , taking on an anti 803 00:30:51,356 --> 00:30:53,709 ship missile to me , I appreciate the 804 00:30:53,719 --> 00:30:55,886 question again . I'm just not gonna be 805 00:30:55,886 --> 00:30:57,830 able to talk about intelligence or 806 00:30:57,830 --> 00:30:59,830 specific capabilities as it , as it 807 00:30:59,830 --> 00:31:03,199 relates to , to Yemen . Um A as always 808 00:31:03,209 --> 00:31:05,376 we maintain the inherent right of self 809 00:31:05,376 --> 00:31:07,598 defense . Uh And if the central command 810 00:31:07,598 --> 00:31:09,709 commander determines that there are a 811 00:31:09,709 --> 00:31:13,099 threat to us , forces uh or innocent uh 812 00:31:13,109 --> 00:31:14,998 you know , vessels transiting the 813 00:31:14,998 --> 00:31:17,020 region , uh He has the authority to 814 00:31:17,030 --> 00:31:20,219 conduct uh dynamic strikes as necessary . 815 00:31:20,239 --> 00:31:22,461 This was a dynamic strike on an eminent 816 00:31:22,461 --> 00:31:25,969 launch . Uh Yes , I mean , a dynamic 817 00:31:25,979 --> 00:31:29,109 strike means if you uh see a 818 00:31:29,119 --> 00:31:32,930 situation where forces are in danger or 819 00:31:32,939 --> 00:31:34,995 there's a threat , then you have the 820 00:31:34,995 --> 00:31:37,217 authorities to conduct a strike , drone 821 00:31:37,217 --> 00:31:39,495 strikes since they were loitering over . 822 00:31:39,495 --> 00:31:41,328 Yeah . So for operation security 823 00:31:41,328 --> 00:31:43,439 considerations , I'm just not able to 824 00:31:43,439 --> 00:31:45,717 go into more details uh in that regard . 825 00:31:45,717 --> 00:31:47,828 So let me go back to the phone here . 826 00:31:47,828 --> 00:31:49,995 Uh Howard War Zone . Yeah , thanks . I 827 00:31:49,995 --> 00:31:51,883 just wanted to follow up on a few 828 00:31:51,883 --> 00:31:53,939 things . First of all , I , I wasn't 829 00:31:53,939 --> 00:31:56,161 sure , did you say you're not saying um 830 00:31:56,161 --> 00:31:58,328 how that strike on the preempts strike 831 00:31:58,328 --> 00:32:00,550 was carried out ? Um And additionally , 832 00:32:00,550 --> 00:32:02,550 um the , the houthis have said that 833 00:32:02,550 --> 00:32:04,772 they're going to strike us bases in the 834 00:32:04,772 --> 00:32:06,995 region . Do you anticipate that's gonna 835 00:32:06,995 --> 00:32:09,217 happen ? And then another question . Um 836 00:32:09,217 --> 00:32:11,439 Iran said it , it carried out a missile 837 00:32:11,439 --> 00:32:13,328 strike with a new missile um that 838 00:32:13,328 --> 00:32:16,020 reached about 800 miles . Are you 839 00:32:16,030 --> 00:32:18,086 tracking that ? And how concerned is 840 00:32:18,086 --> 00:32:20,319 the Pentagon about this capability ? 841 00:32:20,469 --> 00:32:22,802 Thanks . Yeah , thanks Howard . On your , 842 00:32:22,802 --> 00:32:24,969 on your last question . Um I , I don't 843 00:32:24,969 --> 00:32:26,969 have anything to provide other than 844 00:32:26,969 --> 00:32:28,636 obviously , uh you know , the 845 00:32:28,636 --> 00:32:31,109 capabilities that , that Iran maintains 846 00:32:31,119 --> 00:32:33,341 and develops is something that we watch 847 00:32:33,341 --> 00:32:35,869 closely all the time . Um And then on 848 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,290 your , on your first question , um 849 00:32:40,060 --> 00:32:42,116 I apologize . What did you ask again 850 00:32:42,116 --> 00:32:45,040 for that was , can you say what ca what 851 00:32:45,050 --> 00:32:47,430 uh how the um preemptively strike was 852 00:32:47,439 --> 00:32:50,170 carried out on those uh QT missiles the 853 00:32:50,180 --> 00:32:52,489 other day ? What , what struck it again 854 00:32:52,500 --> 00:32:55,140 for reasons of operation security ? I'm , 855 00:32:55,150 --> 00:32:57,206 I'm just not able to go into further 856 00:32:57,206 --> 00:32:59,261 details on that again . We , we will 857 00:32:59,261 --> 00:33:01,483 try to uh lean forward as far as we can 858 00:33:01,483 --> 00:33:03,650 uh when we're able to talk about those 859 00:33:03,650 --> 00:33:05,706 kinds of capabilities . Um But there 860 00:33:05,706 --> 00:33:08,219 will be times for uh either operation 861 00:33:08,229 --> 00:33:09,951 security reasons or diplomatic 862 00:33:09,951 --> 00:33:12,007 sensitivities that , that we're just 863 00:33:12,007 --> 00:33:14,173 not able to go into detail . Let me go 864 00:33:14,173 --> 00:33:17,819 to uh Reuters . Uh Hey , this is Phil . 865 00:33:17,829 --> 00:33:20,530 Thanks . Um Real quick . Uh On the BD A 866 00:33:20,540 --> 00:33:22,651 thing , the White House had suggested 867 00:33:22,651 --> 00:33:24,484 that you would be able to answer 868 00:33:24,484 --> 00:33:26,429 questions about the BD A uh in the 869 00:33:26,429 --> 00:33:28,429 briefing yesterday . And BD A uh uh 870 00:33:28,429 --> 00:33:30,729 BDAS in the past have been uh you know , 871 00:33:30,739 --> 00:33:34,219 given out without uh reservations or 872 00:33:34,229 --> 00:33:36,396 caveats . Like the ones we heard today 873 00:33:36,396 --> 00:33:38,229 wondering whether or not there's 874 00:33:38,229 --> 00:33:40,007 concern about a US intelligence 875 00:33:40,007 --> 00:33:42,173 capability in Yemen or , or what it is 876 00:33:42,173 --> 00:33:44,118 that , that , that , that , that's 877 00:33:44,118 --> 00:33:46,340 making this case different if you could 878 00:33:46,340 --> 00:33:48,507 explain that . And then secondly , can 879 00:33:48,507 --> 00:33:50,618 you assure us today um that there are 880 00:33:50,618 --> 00:33:52,729 no us troops on the ground in Yemen , 881 00:33:52,729 --> 00:33:54,951 uh providing intelligence or , or other 882 00:33:54,951 --> 00:33:57,118 support for what's going on ? Thanks . 883 00:33:57,118 --> 00:33:59,062 Yeah , thanks , Phil . I , I'm not 884 00:33:59,062 --> 00:34:01,229 aware of any US forces on the ground . 885 00:34:01,229 --> 00:34:03,949 Um , in terms of BD A , you know , 886 00:34:03,959 --> 00:34:05,903 we'll , we'll continue to keep you 887 00:34:05,903 --> 00:34:08,350 updated as , as best we can . Uh if we 888 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:10,229 have a more detailed analysis to 889 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:12,909 provide , you know , um we'll , we'll 890 00:34:12,919 --> 00:34:15,938 be sure to , to do that . Um And I'll 891 00:34:15,948 --> 00:34:17,837 just , I'll just leave it there . 892 00:34:17,837 --> 00:34:20,004 Thanks , Phil time for a couple more . 893 00:34:20,004 --> 00:34:22,170 Constantine . Thanks , writer , thanks 894 00:34:22,170 --> 00:34:24,739 General . Um uh Just following up on um , 895 00:34:24,878 --> 00:34:26,767 Secretary Austin , there was some 896 00:34:26,767 --> 00:34:29,099 reporting yesterday that um the 911 897 00:34:29,108 --> 00:34:31,275 call was released to several outlets . 898 00:34:31,275 --> 00:34:33,579 And an aide on the call says , uh we're 899 00:34:33,589 --> 00:34:35,589 trying to remain a little subtle in 900 00:34:35,589 --> 00:34:37,645 asking the ambulance to approach the 901 00:34:37,645 --> 00:34:39,867 house quietly . Um Is there any context 902 00:34:39,867 --> 00:34:41,978 to those remarks that you can offer ? 903 00:34:41,978 --> 00:34:44,145 Well , again , uh A as I highlighted , 904 00:34:44,145 --> 00:34:46,200 we're conducting a review , uh , the 905 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,200 secretary has publicly come out and 906 00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:50,256 taken responsibility in terms of the 907 00:34:50,256 --> 00:34:52,949 need uh to do better uh in terms of 908 00:34:52,959 --> 00:34:54,848 transparency as it relates to his 909 00:34:54,848 --> 00:34:57,015 medical treatment . So I'll just leave 910 00:34:57,015 --> 00:34:59,126 it there and just a quick follow up . 911 00:34:59,126 --> 00:35:01,292 Um Does that mean that he's got a live 912 00:35:01,292 --> 00:35:04,399 in Pentagon military aid in his house 913 00:35:04,409 --> 00:35:06,590 with him at all times ? The secretary 914 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:09,000 has , you know , for obvious reasons , 915 00:35:09,010 --> 00:35:12,760 24 hour seven day a week , security and 916 00:35:12,770 --> 00:35:15,040 staff support as one would expect for 917 00:35:15,050 --> 00:35:17,620 the Secretary of Defense . Thanks . I 918 00:35:17,679 --> 00:35:19,679 want to just follow up on that more 919 00:35:19,679 --> 00:35:21,879 specifically . Can you say why the aid 920 00:35:21,889 --> 00:35:23,729 asked for subtlety uh from the 921 00:35:23,739 --> 00:35:25,850 ambulance ? I understand there's a 30 922 00:35:25,850 --> 00:35:27,961 day review , but it shouldn't take 30 923 00:35:27,961 --> 00:35:29,906 days to , to know why he asked for 924 00:35:29,906 --> 00:35:32,017 subtlety . Was that an order from the 925 00:35:32,017 --> 00:35:31,969 secretary or do you do that on his own 926 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:34,391 accord ? Yeah , thanks or again , I'm 927 00:35:34,391 --> 00:35:36,613 not going to have more details provided 928 00:35:36,613 --> 00:35:38,724 we're , we're reviewing this . Uh The 929 00:35:38,724 --> 00:35:40,169 secretary has again taken 930 00:35:40,169 --> 00:35:42,391 responsibility in terms of the need for 931 00:35:42,391 --> 00:35:44,280 transparency as it relates to his 932 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,391 medical care . Uh But beyond that , I 933 00:35:46,391 --> 00:35:48,336 don't have any further details . I 934 00:35:48,336 --> 00:35:48,270 follow up on , on a different topic if 935 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,580 I may on the seals . Um Why were seals 936 00:35:51,590 --> 00:35:53,534 on this on this mission if I'm not 937 00:35:53,534 --> 00:35:55,757 mistaken ? And I may be mistaken here . 938 00:35:55,757 --> 00:35:57,757 Seals aren't normally part of the a 939 00:35:57,757 --> 00:35:59,979 team that does visit board , search and 940 00:35:59,979 --> 00:36:01,812 seizure operations . Was there a 941 00:36:01,812 --> 00:36:03,868 specific reason that this particular 942 00:36:03,868 --> 00:36:05,868 mission involved seals ? So I'm not 943 00:36:05,868 --> 00:36:07,812 gonna go into the specifics of the 944 00:36:07,812 --> 00:36:09,923 operation other than to say you use a 945 00:36:09,923 --> 00:36:12,146 wide variety of capabilities around the 946 00:36:12,146 --> 00:36:14,312 world for a wide variety of missions . 947 00:36:14,312 --> 00:36:16,399 Uh And so , you know , there are , 948 00:36:16,409 --> 00:36:18,669 there are going to be uh missions that 949 00:36:18,679 --> 00:36:20,901 seals are involved in that require that 950 00:36:20,901 --> 00:36:24,889 specialized skill . So Courtney , did 951 00:36:24,899 --> 00:36:26,677 you answer ? I think it was the 952 00:36:26,677 --> 00:36:28,788 question about the , I'm saying there 953 00:36:28,788 --> 00:36:31,066 were no us troops in Yemen . I'm sorry , 954 00:36:31,066 --> 00:36:33,177 I'm not tracking any us forces on the 955 00:36:33,177 --> 00:36:37,149 ground in Yemen . And in terms of , you 956 00:36:37,159 --> 00:36:39,381 know , who the controlled areas , which 957 00:36:39,381 --> 00:36:41,270 you know , I think is what he was 958 00:36:41,270 --> 00:36:44,120 asking . And then on the um I , I'm 959 00:36:44,129 --> 00:36:46,351 still , I just want to go back one more 960 00:36:46,351 --> 00:36:48,573 time to this review because I , I don't 961 00:36:48,573 --> 00:36:48,050 understand how in one breath you're 962 00:36:48,060 --> 00:36:50,171 saying that you and the secretary are 963 00:36:50,171 --> 00:36:52,116 committing to transparency and you 964 00:36:52,116 --> 00:36:54,060 aren't committing to providing the 965 00:36:54,060 --> 00:36:56,227 review publicly . It's not a class . I 966 00:36:56,227 --> 00:36:58,449 didn't say I wasn't committing . I said 967 00:36:58,449 --> 00:36:58,370 I just don't know the answer to that 968 00:36:58,379 --> 00:37:00,657 question where we're at in the process . 969 00:37:00,657 --> 00:37:02,879 And so I don't want to over promise and 970 00:37:02,879 --> 00:37:04,823 under deliver when it comes to the 971 00:37:04,823 --> 00:37:06,935 review . So what I'm committing to is 972 00:37:06,935 --> 00:37:08,935 we will um obviously work to ensure 973 00:37:08,935 --> 00:37:11,268 that the public has an understanding of , 974 00:37:11,268 --> 00:37:13,490 of what we found . Uh and you know what 975 00:37:13,490 --> 00:37:15,712 we're doing to improve , but I , I just 976 00:37:15,712 --> 00:37:17,712 can't stand here today and tell you 977 00:37:17,712 --> 00:37:19,768 what the , where , where we're at in 978 00:37:19,768 --> 00:37:21,935 that process . Maybe we could ask that 979 00:37:21,935 --> 00:37:23,935 you , I'll take the question . That 980 00:37:23,935 --> 00:37:25,935 would be great because it just , it 981 00:37:25,935 --> 00:37:28,046 just doesn't seem like the review has 982 00:37:28,046 --> 00:37:29,995 been away for a week or so now . I 983 00:37:30,004 --> 00:37:32,060 don't even know what day it is today 984 00:37:32,060 --> 00:37:34,282 for a week or so now . And it doesn't , 985 00:37:34,282 --> 00:37:36,226 I don't understand why it wouldn't 986 00:37:36,226 --> 00:37:38,448 already be established that it would be 987 00:37:38,448 --> 00:37:38,235 provided publicly that we , we had , we 988 00:37:38,245 --> 00:37:40,412 did ask last week as well if you could 989 00:37:40,412 --> 00:37:42,735 commit to that . So maybe next time we 990 00:37:42,745 --> 00:37:44,967 could get an answer . Thanks . Thanks . 991 00:37:45,649 --> 00:37:48,000 You mentioned these strikes that Iran 992 00:37:48,010 --> 00:37:50,419 carried out in Iraq , northern Iraq and 993 00:37:50,429 --> 00:37:52,596 Syria were not precise . I'm wondering 994 00:37:52,596 --> 00:37:54,707 if you can offer a little more detail 995 00:37:54,707 --> 00:37:56,596 on that . Did they , uh is it the 996 00:37:56,596 --> 00:37:56,350 department's assessment that they 997 00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:58,582 didn't hit ? What Iran intended them to 998 00:37:58,582 --> 00:38:00,416 hit or were they , uh , they hit 999 00:38:00,416 --> 00:38:02,638 something that Iran later publicly said 1000 00:38:02,638 --> 00:38:04,860 was actually not connected to what they 1001 00:38:04,860 --> 00:38:06,971 hit ? Um And if you can give any more 1002 00:38:06,971 --> 00:38:06,810 clarity on which ones were not precise , 1003 00:38:06,820 --> 00:38:09,042 the ones in northern Iraq or Syria or I 1004 00:38:09,042 --> 00:38:10,876 just , I'd point you back to the 1005 00:38:10,876 --> 00:38:13,098 comments coming from both Pakistan , uh 1006 00:38:13,098 --> 00:38:15,540 and I Iraq in terms of where those uh , 1007 00:38:15,550 --> 00:38:17,550 missiles struck , uh , and the 1008 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:19,790 allegations of civilian casualties . 1009 00:38:19,919 --> 00:38:21,919 All right , we can do uh , one more 1010 00:38:21,919 --> 00:38:24,030 question . Yes , sir . And then we'll 1011 00:38:24,030 --> 00:38:25,641 get your last question , one 1012 00:38:25,641 --> 00:38:27,530 clarification from you . Just one 1013 00:38:27,530 --> 00:38:29,641 question , clarification . Ok . Thank 1014 00:38:29,641 --> 00:38:31,752 you general while your forces in Iraq 1015 00:38:31,752 --> 00:38:33,919 at the invitation of the government of 1016 00:38:33,919 --> 00:38:36,435 Iraq if you are asked in what way you 1017 00:38:36,445 --> 00:38:38,445 can protect the Kurdistan region as 1018 00:38:38,445 --> 00:38:41,635 part of Iraq from Iranian attacks and 1019 00:38:41,645 --> 00:38:44,639 it is backed militia groups . Uh , I'm 1020 00:38:44,649 --> 00:38:46,871 sorry , can you rephrase that ? I'm not 1021 00:38:46,871 --> 00:38:49,149 sure I fully understood . I mean , the , 1022 00:38:49,149 --> 00:38:51,149 uh , your forces are in Iraq at the 1023 00:38:51,149 --> 00:38:53,316 invitation of the government of Iraq . 1024 00:38:53,316 --> 00:38:55,371 But if you are asked in what way you 1025 00:38:55,371 --> 00:38:57,593 can protect Kurdistan region where Iran 1026 00:38:57,593 --> 00:38:59,760 attacked recently , which is that part 1027 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:01,982 of Iraq in what way you can protect the 1028 00:39:01,982 --> 00:39:04,316 region ? Well , to your , to your point , 1029 00:39:04,316 --> 00:39:06,371 we're there at the invitation of the 1030 00:39:06,371 --> 00:39:08,371 government of Iraq and the focus of 1031 00:39:08,371 --> 00:39:10,316 those forces is on the defeat ISIS 1032 00:39:10,316 --> 00:39:13,479 mission . So uh when it comes to the 1033 00:39:13,489 --> 00:39:15,211 sovereign protection of Iraq , 1034 00:39:15,211 --> 00:39:17,267 ultimately , at the end of the day , 1035 00:39:17,267 --> 00:39:19,100 that's the responsibility of the 1036 00:39:19,100 --> 00:39:21,322 government of Iraq . And if they ask us 1037 00:39:21,322 --> 00:39:23,433 for support and that's something that 1038 00:39:23,433 --> 00:39:25,656 we're able to mutually agree upon and , 1039 00:39:25,656 --> 00:39:27,711 and support , then clearly those are 1040 00:39:27,711 --> 00:39:29,822 discussions and , and things we would 1041 00:39:29,822 --> 00:39:32,045 do . Um But I , I'm just can't get into 1042 00:39:32,045 --> 00:39:34,520 uh hypothetical scenarios about um you 1043 00:39:34,530 --> 00:39:37,189 know , the United States and taking on 1044 00:39:37,199 --> 00:39:39,088 security responsibilities for the 1045 00:39:39,088 --> 00:39:41,143 government , you know , short of a , 1046 00:39:41,143 --> 00:39:42,755 you know , if , if we're not 1047 00:39:42,755 --> 00:39:44,977 specifically asked to do that . So , so 1048 00:39:44,977 --> 00:39:46,921 thank you , General . Um the , the 1049 00:39:46,921 --> 00:39:49,088 strikes on the uh Yemen infrastructure 1050 00:39:49,088 --> 00:39:50,979 um who actually authorizes those 1051 00:39:50,989 --> 00:39:53,045 strikes , um you know , each time it 1052 00:39:53,045 --> 00:39:55,156 occurs , is that a secretary decision 1053 00:39:55,156 --> 00:39:57,322 or is it the same conversation . Uh So 1054 00:39:57,322 --> 00:39:59,100 the , the the strikes that were 1055 00:39:59,100 --> 00:40:01,211 conducted last week , of course , you 1056 00:40:01,211 --> 00:40:03,100 know , per the statement that the 1057 00:40:03,100 --> 00:40:05,100 president authorized directed those 1058 00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:07,378 strikes , the secretary gave the order . 1059 00:40:07,378 --> 00:40:09,322 Um and again , the central command 1060 00:40:09,322 --> 00:40:11,378 commander has authorities to certain 1061 00:40:11,378 --> 00:40:13,267 authorities to be able to conduct 1062 00:40:13,267 --> 00:40:15,378 strikes . Uh Should there be uh a , a 1063 00:40:15,378 --> 00:40:17,800 requirement in terms of self defense or 1064 00:40:17,810 --> 00:40:20,032 in support of the authorities that have 1065 00:40:20,032 --> 00:40:21,790 been given . Again , the , the 1066 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:24,239 overarching objective here is to 1067 00:40:24,270 --> 00:40:27,379 disrupt and degrade Houthis , the 1068 00:40:27,389 --> 00:40:29,611 Houthis ability to conduct the kinds of 1069 00:40:29,611 --> 00:40:31,833 attacks that they've been conducting in 1070 00:40:31,833 --> 00:40:33,445 the Red Sea . So the initial 1071 00:40:33,445 --> 00:40:35,667 authorization came from the president's 1072 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:37,778 subsequent strikes are pushed down to 1073 00:40:37,778 --> 00:40:41,689 sen again , there's a constant flow of 1074 00:40:41,699 --> 00:40:44,010 communication between the central 1075 00:40:44,020 --> 00:40:46,280 command commander , the secretary , the 1076 00:40:46,290 --> 00:40:48,889 chairman . Of course , keeping the 1077 00:40:48,899 --> 00:40:51,010 White House informed and part of that 1078 00:40:51,010 --> 00:40:53,389 discussion all along . Yeah . And last 1079 00:40:53,399 --> 00:40:55,800 question , clarification outside areas 1080 00:40:55,810 --> 00:40:59,159 controlled by h there remains to be 1081 00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:02,580 us forces in Yemen to , I'm not 1082 00:41:02,590 --> 00:41:04,929 tracking any US forces in Yemen . But I 1083 00:41:04,939 --> 00:41:07,310 think , and again , I apologize if Phil 1084 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,542 wasn't implying this . But the question 1085 00:41:09,542 --> 00:41:11,653 is , I inferred , it was , do we have 1086 00:41:11,653 --> 00:41:13,542 us forces on the ground in Houthi 1087 00:41:13,542 --> 00:41:16,679 controlled areas of Yemen ? Uh you know , 1088 00:41:16,689 --> 00:41:18,919 conducting intelligence operations . 1089 00:41:18,929 --> 00:41:21,096 Again , I'm not tracking any US forces 1090 00:41:21,096 --> 00:41:23,889 in Yemen at this point in time . Yeah . 1091 00:41:25,129 --> 00:41:27,129 Ok . All right . Thanks very much , 1092 00:41:27,129 --> 00:41:26,830 everybody .