1 00:00:01,009 --> 00:00:04,650 Hello , good afternoon , everyone . Um 2 00:00:04,659 --> 00:00:06,715 Just a few items here at the top and 3 00:00:06,715 --> 00:00:08,970 then happy to jump into questions as 4 00:00:08,979 --> 00:00:10,868 part of our ongoing multinational 5 00:00:10,868 --> 00:00:12,535 efforts to protect freedom of 6 00:00:12,535 --> 00:00:14,590 navigation and prevent attacks on us 7 00:00:14,590 --> 00:00:16,930 and partner maritime traffic . This 8 00:00:16,940 --> 00:00:18,940 morning , us central Command forces 9 00:00:18,940 --> 00:00:21,280 conducted strikes on two Houthi anti 10 00:00:21,309 --> 00:00:23,476 ship missiles that were aimed into the 11 00:00:23,476 --> 00:00:26,399 Southern Red Sea . Also last night , 12 00:00:26,409 --> 00:00:28,629 the US US central Command conducted 13 00:00:28,639 --> 00:00:31,690 strikes on 14 Houthi missiles at over a 14 00:00:31,700 --> 00:00:34,069 dozen locations . These missiles on 15 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,024 launch rails presented an imminent 16 00:00:36,024 --> 00:00:38,191 threat to merchant vessels and US navy 17 00:00:38,191 --> 00:00:40,413 ships in the region and could have been 18 00:00:40,413 --> 00:00:42,302 fired at any time . The defensive 19 00:00:42,310 --> 00:00:44,310 actions this morning and last night 20 00:00:44,310 --> 00:00:46,199 were taken in accordance with the 21 00:00:46,199 --> 00:00:48,254 standing orders of the secretary and 22 00:00:48,254 --> 00:00:50,477 the president , reflecting the inherent 23 00:00:50,477 --> 00:00:52,588 right to defend ourselves from attack 24 00:00:52,588 --> 00:00:54,477 or threat of imminent attack . In 25 00:00:54,477 --> 00:00:56,699 addition , our actions will degrade the 26 00:00:56,699 --> 00:00:58,866 Houthis capabilities to continue their 27 00:00:58,866 --> 00:01:00,977 reckless attacks on international and 28 00:01:00,977 --> 00:01:03,032 commercial shipping in the Red Sea . 29 00:01:03,032 --> 00:01:05,143 The Bab Al Mandeb Strait and the Gulf 30 00:01:05,143 --> 00:01:07,310 of Aden . The US and the international 31 00:01:07,310 --> 00:01:09,477 community call on the Houthis to cease 32 00:01:09,477 --> 00:01:11,532 their unlawful , unlawful attacks on 33 00:01:11,532 --> 00:01:13,477 commercial shipping vessels and to 34 00:01:13,477 --> 00:01:15,588 respect the international community's 35 00:01:15,588 --> 00:01:17,588 right to freely and safely navigate 36 00:01:17,588 --> 00:01:20,199 international waters . Switching gears . 37 00:01:20,209 --> 00:01:22,209 It's important to remember that the 38 00:01:22,209 --> 00:01:24,431 department continues to operate under a 39 00:01:24,431 --> 00:01:26,209 continuing resolution . We urge 40 00:01:26,209 --> 00:01:27,820 Congress to pass a full year 41 00:01:27,820 --> 00:01:30,370 appropriations . In addition , in 42 00:01:30,379 --> 00:01:32,435 addition to our urgent request , our 43 00:01:32,435 --> 00:01:34,610 urgent supplemental funding request in 44 00:01:34,620 --> 00:01:36,453 order to strengthen our national 45 00:01:36,453 --> 00:01:38,676 security and support for our allies and 46 00:01:38,676 --> 00:01:40,870 partners . As you know , the last 47 00:01:40,879 --> 00:01:42,768 presidential drawdown package for 48 00:01:42,768 --> 00:01:44,768 Ukraine was December of last year . 49 00:01:45,110 --> 00:01:47,221 It's crucially important that Ukraine 50 00:01:47,221 --> 00:01:49,277 has the resources it needs including 51 00:01:49,277 --> 00:01:51,699 air defense and artillery capabilities 52 00:01:51,739 --> 00:01:53,628 to defend itself against Russia's 53 00:01:53,628 --> 00:01:56,089 brutal invasion . And as the president 54 00:01:56,099 --> 00:01:58,650 has said , Congress's continued failure 55 00:01:58,660 --> 00:02:00,790 to act endangers the United states' 56 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,360 national security , the NATO alliance 57 00:02:03,370 --> 00:02:05,930 and the rest of the free world . So yet 58 00:02:05,940 --> 00:02:07,980 again , we urge Congress to send a 59 00:02:07,989 --> 00:02:10,045 strong message of support to Ukraine 60 00:02:10,059 --> 00:02:12,115 and our partners around the world by 61 00:02:12,115 --> 00:02:14,509 approving this additional funding . And 62 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,669 last item here acting under Secretary 63 00:02:16,679 --> 00:02:19,110 of Defense for policy , Miss MS Sasha 64 00:02:19,119 --> 00:02:21,690 Baker hosts Australia's Secretary of 65 00:02:21,699 --> 00:02:25,020 Defense , Mr Greg Mori Moriarty to 66 00:02:25,029 --> 00:02:27,559 discuss key aspects of the US Australia 67 00:02:27,570 --> 00:02:29,850 strategic partnership . Their meeting 68 00:02:29,860 --> 00:02:31,971 will reaffirm the strong and enduring 69 00:02:31,971 --> 00:02:34,027 alliance between the two nations who 70 00:02:34,027 --> 00:02:35,860 are both committed to addressing 71 00:02:35,860 --> 00:02:38,027 current and future security challenges 72 00:02:38,027 --> 00:02:40,289 in the Indo Pacific region and beyond . 73 00:02:40,679 --> 00:02:42,735 And with that , I'd be happy to take 74 00:02:42,735 --> 00:02:44,901 your questions . Yeah . Lita , I think 75 00:02:44,901 --> 00:02:46,846 Sabrina two things . One , can you 76 00:02:46,846 --> 00:02:49,110 update us on the secretary ? And is he 77 00:02:49,119 --> 00:02:51,341 still working from home and is there an 78 00:02:51,341 --> 00:02:53,452 expected release time when he will be 79 00:02:53,452 --> 00:02:55,675 able to come back to the Pentagon ? And 80 00:02:55,679 --> 00:02:58,012 then , um do you wanna do that ? I have , 81 00:02:58,559 --> 00:03:00,929 of course . Um So the secretary remains 82 00:03:00,940 --> 00:03:02,607 working from home . He's been 83 00:03:02,607 --> 00:03:05,729 participating in meetings um since , uh 84 00:03:05,970 --> 00:03:08,270 I mean , since he's returned , uh 85 00:03:08,429 --> 00:03:10,540 resumed full authorities but has been 86 00:03:10,540 --> 00:03:12,596 participating in me meetings here in 87 00:03:12,596 --> 00:03:14,540 the building . Um joining remotely 88 00:03:14,540 --> 00:03:16,762 either by phone or , or by video . Um I 89 00:03:16,762 --> 00:03:18,929 don't have a date of when he'd be back 90 00:03:18,929 --> 00:03:21,040 um in the Pentagon , but I know we're 91 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,262 certainly wishing him a speedy recovery 92 00:03:23,262 --> 00:03:25,373 and I'm , I'm sure he's uh wanting to 93 00:03:25,373 --> 00:03:27,540 come back as soon as he can . And then 94 00:03:27,540 --> 00:03:29,373 secondly , on the strikes on the 95 00:03:29,373 --> 00:03:31,559 houthis , other than the very first 96 00:03:31,570 --> 00:03:33,792 initial barrage that was US and Brits , 97 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,250 um , last Friday , these have all been 98 00:03:37,259 --> 00:03:39,360 US strikes is the US now sort of 99 00:03:39,369 --> 00:03:41,425 unilaterally going its own on all of 100 00:03:41,425 --> 00:03:43,536 these strikes . Why has there been no 101 00:03:43,536 --> 00:03:45,591 allied participation at this point ? 102 00:03:45,630 --> 00:03:47,889 Well , I mean , the last time we had 103 00:03:47,899 --> 00:03:50,010 allied participation wasn't that long 104 00:03:50,010 --> 00:03:52,066 ago , it was just a week ago . We've 105 00:03:52,066 --> 00:03:54,121 taken these strikes because they are 106 00:03:54,121 --> 00:03:56,177 inherently defensive in nature . The 107 00:03:56,177 --> 00:03:59,250 central command commander has the right 108 00:03:59,289 --> 00:04:01,729 uh when he sees a threat posed to our 109 00:04:01,822 --> 00:04:03,933 forces or commercial shipping , um to 110 00:04:03,933 --> 00:04:06,044 take the action that he needs , which 111 00:04:06,044 --> 00:04:08,123 is why you saw um , the strikes just 112 00:04:08,132 --> 00:04:10,483 yesterday and early this morning of 113 00:04:10,492 --> 00:04:12,659 what appeared to be missiles that were 114 00:04:12,659 --> 00:04:14,714 getting ready or preparing to launch 115 00:04:14,742 --> 00:04:17,842 into the Red Sea . Um , we always work 116 00:04:17,852 --> 00:04:20,185 with our partners and , and I certainly , 117 00:04:20,185 --> 00:04:21,963 uh , inform them of when we are 118 00:04:21,963 --> 00:04:24,733 conducting any operations . Um , these 119 00:04:24,743 --> 00:04:26,910 are just happened to be ones that have 120 00:04:26,910 --> 00:04:29,132 been done by the United States , but of 121 00:04:29,132 --> 00:04:31,132 course not , not forecasting future 122 00:04:31,132 --> 00:04:32,687 operations . But , um , the 123 00:04:32,687 --> 00:04:34,521 multilateral coalition that came 124 00:04:34,521 --> 00:04:37,055 together last Thursday , um , was 125 00:04:37,066 --> 00:04:39,288 something that was unique to that day , 126 00:04:39,288 --> 00:04:41,510 but that doesn't preclude anything from 127 00:04:41,510 --> 00:04:43,566 going forward . And what was used in 128 00:04:43,566 --> 00:04:45,566 these latest strikes today ? Uh The 129 00:04:45,566 --> 00:04:47,788 latest strikes from , you mean from the 130 00:04:47,788 --> 00:04:49,844 one this morning ? Um So that was uh 131 00:04:49,844 --> 00:04:51,865 Navy fighter aircraft that was used 132 00:04:53,635 --> 00:04:56,200 Natasha . Um Thanks Sabrina . So 133 00:04:56,209 --> 00:04:58,540 President Biden said this morning in 134 00:04:58,549 --> 00:05:00,605 response to a question about whether 135 00:05:00,605 --> 00:05:02,438 the strikes are actually working 136 00:05:02,438 --> 00:05:04,493 against the houthis . He said , when 137 00:05:04,493 --> 00:05:04,000 you say working , are they stopping the 138 00:05:04,179 --> 00:05:06,012 houthis ? No , are they going to 139 00:05:06,012 --> 00:05:07,957 continue ? Yes . Does the Pentagon 140 00:05:07,957 --> 00:05:10,068 agree with the President's assessment 141 00:05:10,068 --> 00:05:12,290 that these strikes are not stopping the 142 00:05:12,290 --> 00:05:14,179 houthis ? And what is the overall 143 00:05:14,179 --> 00:05:16,290 strategy here apart from kind of just 144 00:05:16,290 --> 00:05:18,346 preemptively striking them when they 145 00:05:18,346 --> 00:05:20,179 appear to launch a missile , for 146 00:05:20,179 --> 00:05:20,170 example , or are preparing to launch a 147 00:05:20,179 --> 00:05:22,512 missile ? Well , I I think , and also I , 148 00:05:22,512 --> 00:05:24,457 I believe um the National Security 149 00:05:24,457 --> 00:05:26,885 Advisor , uh Jake Sullivan also spoke 150 00:05:26,894 --> 00:05:29,172 to a little bit about this , this week . 151 00:05:29,172 --> 00:05:31,227 We never said that the houthis would 152 00:05:31,227 --> 00:05:33,283 immediately stop . That is something 153 00:05:33,283 --> 00:05:35,283 that um they will have to make that 154 00:05:35,283 --> 00:05:37,394 decision and that calculation to do . 155 00:05:37,454 --> 00:05:39,635 Um , it's in their best interests , I 156 00:05:39,644 --> 00:05:41,811 think to stop . You've seen that we've 157 00:05:41,811 --> 00:05:43,700 been able to degrade and severely 158 00:05:43,700 --> 00:05:45,714 disrupt and destroy a significant 159 00:05:45,915 --> 00:05:47,859 number of their capabilities since 160 00:05:47,859 --> 00:05:50,220 Thursday . Um , but it's really on them 161 00:05:50,230 --> 00:05:52,452 when they decide that they want to stop 162 00:05:52,452 --> 00:05:54,786 interrupting , uh , commercial shipping , 163 00:05:54,786 --> 00:05:56,897 innocent Mariners that are transiting 164 00:05:56,897 --> 00:05:58,980 the Red Sea . Um , we also expected 165 00:05:58,989 --> 00:06:00,822 that there would be some type of 166 00:06:00,822 --> 00:06:02,822 retaliation from our first , uh our 167 00:06:02,822 --> 00:06:05,350 initial strike on um last week on 168 00:06:05,359 --> 00:06:07,470 January 11th . Um So we are expecting 169 00:06:07,470 --> 00:06:09,526 that , but what we've seen are lower 170 00:06:09,526 --> 00:06:12,839 scale uh uh retaliatory like one or two 171 00:06:12,850 --> 00:06:15,279 missiles going into the Red Sea . Um 172 00:06:15,290 --> 00:06:17,579 Nothing like what we saw the previous 173 00:06:17,589 --> 00:06:19,533 Tuesday where that was the largest 174 00:06:19,533 --> 00:06:21,422 barrage that we had seen from the 175 00:06:21,422 --> 00:06:23,540 Houthis . That that is because of the 176 00:06:23,549 --> 00:06:25,605 extent to which the US has destroyed 177 00:06:25,605 --> 00:06:27,716 their infrastructure that they're not 178 00:06:27,716 --> 00:06:29,827 launching these large barrages . They 179 00:06:29,827 --> 00:06:31,993 simply can't . Um I , I can't say that 180 00:06:31,993 --> 00:06:31,750 they can't , but they certainly have 181 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,538 less capabilities than they did 182 00:06:33,538 --> 00:06:35,899 yesterday or the day before that . Um 183 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,720 Our initial assessments are , are that 184 00:06:38,730 --> 00:06:40,730 we've been very successful and that 185 00:06:40,730 --> 00:06:42,910 we've been able to um destroy pretty 186 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,031 much all of the targets that we hit . 187 00:06:45,230 --> 00:06:47,397 So , um again , that's like that's one 188 00:06:47,397 --> 00:06:49,286 less capability , that's one less 189 00:06:49,286 --> 00:06:51,119 missile that they're able to use 190 00:06:51,119 --> 00:06:53,230 tomorrow . Um And so , so it's really 191 00:06:53,230 --> 00:06:55,008 up to the Houthis and their own 192 00:06:55,008 --> 00:06:57,008 calculations on the actions that if 193 00:06:57,008 --> 00:06:59,008 they are going to continue , but we 194 00:06:59,008 --> 00:07:01,286 will continue to respond if we need to , 195 00:07:01,286 --> 00:07:03,397 to what extent are they continuing to 196 00:07:03,397 --> 00:07:05,397 be resupplied by the Iranians ? How 197 00:07:05,397 --> 00:07:07,619 often is that happening ? So I wouldn't 198 00:07:07,619 --> 00:07:09,619 be able to get into an intelligence 199 00:07:09,619 --> 00:07:11,730 assessment on how often . But we know 200 00:07:11,730 --> 00:07:13,619 that the houthis along with other 201 00:07:13,619 --> 00:07:15,760 militant groups are um you know , 202 00:07:15,769 --> 00:07:18,220 funded equipped , supported by Iran , 203 00:07:18,230 --> 00:07:22,220 but I don't have um necessarily a daily , 204 00:07:22,230 --> 00:07:24,452 you know , schedule to , to read out on 205 00:07:24,452 --> 00:07:26,563 how often they're resupplied . As you 206 00:07:26,563 --> 00:07:28,508 saw earlier this week , um Central 207 00:07:28,508 --> 00:07:30,730 Command announced that we interdicted a 208 00:07:30,730 --> 00:07:32,952 ship that was likely heading towards um 209 00:07:32,952 --> 00:07:35,209 Houthi controlled territory in Yemen 210 00:07:35,230 --> 00:07:38,429 that had house or was carrying 211 00:07:38,450 --> 00:07:40,929 warheads other weapons and capabilities 212 00:07:40,940 --> 00:07:43,880 that they've been using to launch um 213 00:07:43,890 --> 00:07:46,529 weapons into the Red Sea . So , um well , 214 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:48,651 I can't give you more of a time frame 215 00:07:48,651 --> 00:07:50,818 of how quickly they're , they're being 216 00:07:50,818 --> 00:07:52,818 resupplied . We certainly know that 217 00:07:52,818 --> 00:07:54,818 Iran is supporting them . Thank you 218 00:07:54,820 --> 00:07:56,876 Sabrina . So , in light of President 219 00:07:56,876 --> 00:07:58,859 Biden's statement today that these 220 00:07:58,869 --> 00:08:01,019 strikes will not stop the Houthis . 221 00:08:01,029 --> 00:08:02,862 What is the strategic aim of the 222 00:08:02,862 --> 00:08:05,519 Pentagon ? Do you acknowledge that the 223 00:08:05,529 --> 00:08:07,362 Pentagon is not able to stop the 224 00:08:07,362 --> 00:08:09,585 Houthis ? Well , I wouldn't say that we 225 00:08:09,585 --> 00:08:11,473 are not able to , I mean , we are 226 00:08:11,473 --> 00:08:13,473 taking defensive strikes or they're 227 00:08:13,473 --> 00:08:15,690 defensive in nature um because we do 228 00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:17,811 not want to see commercial shipping , 229 00:08:17,811 --> 00:08:19,644 innocent Mariners continue to be 230 00:08:19,644 --> 00:08:21,811 targeted and our US forces . So that's 231 00:08:21,811 --> 00:08:24,000 why you saw the action that we took um 232 00:08:24,239 --> 00:08:26,572 earlier this morning and late yesterday , 233 00:08:26,709 --> 00:08:29,209 um to degrade and destroy their 234 00:08:29,220 --> 00:08:31,220 capabilities . But when the Houthis 235 00:08:31,220 --> 00:08:33,442 decide to stop , that's really going to 236 00:08:33,442 --> 00:08:35,387 be a decision that they make . And 237 00:08:35,387 --> 00:08:38,000 again , um I mean , a completely valid 238 00:08:38,010 --> 00:08:40,619 question , but 10 to 15% of the world's 239 00:08:40,630 --> 00:08:42,963 commerce is flowing through the Red Sea . 240 00:08:42,963 --> 00:08:45,019 Over 50 nations have been impacted , 241 00:08:45,019 --> 00:08:47,130 many of which have no connection or , 242 00:08:47,130 --> 00:08:49,500 or uh you know , uh affiliation with 243 00:08:49,510 --> 00:08:51,940 the , with the Middle East . Um But the 244 00:08:51,950 --> 00:08:54,380 cost of the , these are , are , you 245 00:08:54,390 --> 00:08:56,057 know , continuing to occur to 246 00:08:56,057 --> 00:08:58,279 commercial vessels not only impacts the 247 00:08:58,279 --> 00:09:00,390 region and impacts the entire world . 248 00:09:00,390 --> 00:09:02,223 So that's a calculation that the 249 00:09:02,223 --> 00:09:04,279 Houthis are going to have to make if 250 00:09:04,279 --> 00:09:03,969 they're going to want to continue going 251 00:09:03,979 --> 00:09:06,690 down this path . And up until last 252 00:09:06,700 --> 00:09:08,644 Tuesday , when that complex attack 253 00:09:08,644 --> 00:09:11,020 happened , the Pentagon wasn't able to 254 00:09:11,030 --> 00:09:14,630 assess whether um all the missiles 255 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,549 and drones that us Navy was able to 256 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:19,670 intercept were actually targeting the 257 00:09:19,670 --> 00:09:22,710 Navy . Now suddenly the Pentagon is 258 00:09:22,719 --> 00:09:24,719 very confident that all of these 259 00:09:24,794 --> 00:09:28,184 strikes against Houthi assets . These 260 00:09:28,195 --> 00:09:30,195 assets are actually a threat to the 261 00:09:30,195 --> 00:09:32,215 Navy . How , how did you make that 262 00:09:32,224 --> 00:09:34,002 switch and assessment ? Are you 263 00:09:34,002 --> 00:09:36,294 deploying new capabilities to be able 264 00:09:36,304 --> 00:09:39,974 to detect uh these threats ? I think 265 00:09:40,539 --> 00:09:42,761 just taking apart that question a bit . 266 00:09:42,761 --> 00:09:44,761 I think what you're implying in the 267 00:09:44,761 --> 00:09:46,595 question is that every single um 268 00:09:46,595 --> 00:09:48,739 missile launched , what you're saying 269 00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:50,917 was that the Houthis were targeting us 270 00:09:50,917 --> 00:09:52,972 ships . We don't know that to be the 271 00:09:52,972 --> 00:09:55,083 case . In some cases in the Red Sea , 272 00:09:55,083 --> 00:09:56,917 it's a very narrow waterway . Um 273 00:09:56,917 --> 00:09:58,917 Multiple ships are in the area . We 274 00:09:58,917 --> 00:10:01,139 can't always assess that the US was the 275 00:10:01,139 --> 00:10:03,361 target of that intended missile . Um So 276 00:10:03,361 --> 00:10:05,528 I take a little issue with the premise 277 00:10:05,528 --> 00:10:07,639 of that . Um what we took the actions 278 00:10:07,639 --> 00:10:09,639 that that central command took last 279 00:10:09,639 --> 00:10:11,760 night was to destroy missiles that 280 00:10:11,770 --> 00:10:13,603 could be launched and that we're 281 00:10:13,603 --> 00:10:15,826 preparing to launch either towards us , 282 00:10:15,826 --> 00:10:17,992 navy ships that are in the region that 283 00:10:17,992 --> 00:10:19,659 are in that waterway or other 284 00:10:19,659 --> 00:10:21,714 commercial vessels . It wouldn't say 285 00:10:21,714 --> 00:10:23,492 that there has been a change in 286 00:10:23,492 --> 00:10:25,714 assessment or anything like that . They 287 00:10:25,714 --> 00:10:25,640 took the action that they did because 288 00:10:25,650 --> 00:10:28,119 these missiles were going to launch and 289 00:10:28,130 --> 00:10:30,700 could cause harm to innocent Mariners . 290 00:10:30,909 --> 00:10:33,330 Ask one last question . Do you , does 291 00:10:33,340 --> 00:10:36,380 the Pentagon expect the Houthi Houthis 292 00:10:36,510 --> 00:10:38,830 to carry on with their attacks in the 293 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:41,173 in the near future in the region ? Well , 294 00:10:41,173 --> 00:10:43,396 I can't speak for the Houthis . Um We , 295 00:10:44,450 --> 00:10:46,561 they still retain some cap , I mean , 296 00:10:46,561 --> 00:10:48,672 they still retain some capabilities . 297 00:10:48,672 --> 00:10:50,783 They've been degraded in some areas . 298 00:10:50,783 --> 00:10:52,783 Um You know , we , we saw that they 299 00:10:52,783 --> 00:10:54,561 launched attacks as recently as 300 00:10:54,561 --> 00:10:56,940 yesterday . Um But I can't predict when 301 00:10:56,950 --> 00:10:59,117 they'll continue to launch or , or how 302 00:10:59,117 --> 00:11:02,260 long they'll continue this trend for 303 00:11:02,270 --> 00:11:04,381 all we can say is that we continue to 304 00:11:04,381 --> 00:11:06,179 urge them to stop . Uh They're 305 00:11:06,190 --> 00:11:08,630 interrupting the economy , they're 306 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:10,929 disrupting , uh , just commercial 307 00:11:10,940 --> 00:11:12,940 vessels from transiting the Red Sea 308 00:11:12,940 --> 00:11:15,107 innocent lives are being put at risk . 309 00:11:15,107 --> 00:11:17,107 And so we can only continue to urge 310 00:11:17,107 --> 00:11:19,162 them both , you know , publicly here 311 00:11:19,162 --> 00:11:21,107 and through other channels to stop 312 00:11:21,107 --> 00:11:23,329 these reckless attacks . I'm just gonna 313 00:11:23,329 --> 00:11:23,229 go to the phones and then I'll come 314 00:11:23,239 --> 00:11:25,350 back into the room . Uh , Liz Frieden 315 00:11:25,350 --> 00:11:29,340 Fox . Thanks Sabrina . Um Do you 316 00:11:29,349 --> 00:11:31,238 have an update on , um , how many 317 00:11:31,238 --> 00:11:33,182 attacks have been launched on US ? 318 00:11:33,182 --> 00:11:35,619 Forces in Iraq and Syria ? Uh Sure , 319 00:11:35,630 --> 00:11:39,049 give me one second . Um , Liz , to date , 320 00:11:39,059 --> 00:11:41,170 there have been approximately 100 and 321 00:11:41,170 --> 00:11:43,570 40 attacks on US troops in Iraq and 322 00:11:43,580 --> 00:11:47,530 Syria if um 57 attacks , attacks in 323 00:11:47,539 --> 00:11:51,289 Iraq and 83 attacks in Syria . Great . 324 00:11:51,299 --> 00:11:55,070 Uh Idris Ali Reuters . Hey , 325 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,302 Sabrina . Uh is it now fair to say that 326 00:11:57,309 --> 00:12:00,030 the US is at war in Yemen ? And 327 00:12:00,039 --> 00:12:02,630 secondly , uh there are some reports 328 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:04,909 about A US MQ nine being shot down over 329 00:12:04,919 --> 00:12:06,919 Iraq by Iranian backed militia . Is 330 00:12:06,919 --> 00:12:09,141 that something you're tracking ? Thanks 331 00:12:09,141 --> 00:12:11,141 to juice . In terms , I'll take the 332 00:12:11,141 --> 00:12:13,308 second , the , the last one first . Um 333 00:12:13,308 --> 00:12:15,308 I have seen those reports . I don't 334 00:12:15,308 --> 00:12:17,419 have anything for you on that . Um So 335 00:12:17,419 --> 00:12:19,475 I'd have to circle back with you . I 336 00:12:19,475 --> 00:12:19,429 just , I've seen those reports but 337 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,496 don't have anything to add . Um , in 338 00:12:21,496 --> 00:12:23,859 terms of your first question . No , we 339 00:12:23,869 --> 00:12:26,091 don't seek war . We don't think that we 340 00:12:26,091 --> 00:12:29,159 are at war . Um We don't want to see a 341 00:12:29,169 --> 00:12:32,275 regional war . Um The Houthis are the 342 00:12:32,284 --> 00:12:35,104 ones that continue to launch , uh , 343 00:12:35,554 --> 00:12:37,724 cruise missiles , anti ship missiles , 344 00:12:37,734 --> 00:12:40,465 um , at innocent Mariners at commercial 345 00:12:40,474 --> 00:12:42,825 vessels that are just transiting an 346 00:12:42,835 --> 00:12:45,705 area that sees , you know , 10 to 15% 347 00:12:45,715 --> 00:12:48,125 of the world's commerce . Um , the US 348 00:12:48,135 --> 00:12:50,924 is what we are doing with our partners 349 00:12:50,994 --> 00:12:54,500 is self defense . Um , we certainly 350 00:12:54,510 --> 00:12:56,621 don't want to see this widen out to a 351 00:12:56,621 --> 00:12:58,732 regional war and we don't want to see 352 00:12:58,732 --> 00:13:00,843 this continue , which is why you have 353 00:13:00,843 --> 00:13:03,010 seen the action that we've taken . And 354 00:13:03,010 --> 00:13:05,232 as the secretary has stated before , we 355 00:13:05,232 --> 00:13:07,454 will continue to take that action if we 356 00:13:07,454 --> 00:13:09,690 need to , uh I will come back in the 357 00:13:09,700 --> 00:13:12,150 room . Yeah , Constantine . Um Just to 358 00:13:12,159 --> 00:13:14,270 follow up on the , on the question of 359 00:13:14,270 --> 00:13:16,270 the houthis capabilities . I is the 360 00:13:16,270 --> 00:13:18,270 Pentagon's assessment that they are 361 00:13:18,270 --> 00:13:20,103 sophisticated enough to target a 362 00:13:20,103 --> 00:13:22,630 specific ship . You know , meaning , 363 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,650 you know , if a US destroyer is 364 00:13:24,659 --> 00:13:27,659 escorting some merchant ships along 365 00:13:27,669 --> 00:13:29,669 Yemen or the Red Sea is the Houthis 366 00:13:29,669 --> 00:13:31,613 targeting capability sophisticated 367 00:13:31,613 --> 00:13:33,669 enough to differentiate between a US 368 00:13:33,669 --> 00:13:35,836 warship and a merchant ship . Well , I 369 00:13:35,836 --> 00:13:37,836 don't think we should rule out that 370 00:13:37,836 --> 00:13:39,447 they have very sophisticated 371 00:13:39,447 --> 00:13:41,447 capabilities . Um in terms of their 372 00:13:41,447 --> 00:13:43,613 precision and targeting , we have seen 373 00:13:43,613 --> 00:13:47,039 that these are not precise um missile 374 00:13:47,049 --> 00:13:49,270 launches , they often land , uh you 375 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,336 know , they , they often land in the 376 00:13:51,336 --> 00:13:53,558 area where there are many ships . Um We 377 00:13:53,558 --> 00:13:55,669 can't say that , you know , sometimes 378 00:13:55,669 --> 00:13:57,780 we can't say who exactly or what ship 379 00:13:57,780 --> 00:13:59,947 they are exactly . Targeting . Um So I 380 00:13:59,947 --> 00:14:02,169 think there is some imprecision when it 381 00:14:02,169 --> 00:14:04,113 comes to the actual targeting of a 382 00:14:04,113 --> 00:14:06,190 specific vessel . Um But again , it 383 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,690 still puts many , many lives and many , 384 00:14:08,700 --> 00:14:10,644 many ships at risk when you have a 385 00:14:10,644 --> 00:14:12,950 ballistic missile traveling that way 386 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,182 that a commander is forced to make that 387 00:14:15,182 --> 00:14:17,182 decision in that moment to shoot it 388 00:14:17,182 --> 00:14:19,238 down in the vicinity of however many 389 00:14:19,238 --> 00:14:21,182 ships are transiting such a narrow 390 00:14:21,182 --> 00:14:23,127 waterway . Well , right . And so I 391 00:14:23,127 --> 00:14:25,238 guess to follow up on that , I mean , 392 00:14:25,238 --> 00:14:27,460 is the distinct , you know , given that 393 00:14:27,460 --> 00:14:29,682 imprecision is the distinction of , you 394 00:14:29,682 --> 00:14:31,904 know , the houthis meant to target a US 395 00:14:31,904 --> 00:14:34,016 destroyer , not sort of meaningless . 396 00:14:34,016 --> 00:14:36,182 No , I mean , we can do our assessment 397 00:14:36,182 --> 00:14:37,904 and sometimes we believe their 398 00:14:37,904 --> 00:14:39,904 assessment is an intended target of 399 00:14:39,904 --> 00:14:42,224 whichever MV commercial ship is 400 00:14:42,234 --> 00:14:44,401 transiting or sometimes we assess that 401 00:14:44,401 --> 00:14:46,345 it is a US destroyer that's in the 402 00:14:46,345 --> 00:14:48,401 region or one of our partners in the 403 00:14:48,401 --> 00:14:50,456 region . Again , I don't think we've 404 00:14:50,456 --> 00:14:52,567 seen exact precision , but it is when 405 00:14:52,567 --> 00:14:54,734 we give our assessments and when we uh 406 00:14:54,734 --> 00:14:56,623 read those out to you , it is our 407 00:14:56,623 --> 00:14:58,901 assessment that of what the target was . 408 00:14:58,901 --> 00:15:01,123 Yeah . Hey , Missy , how are you ? Um I 409 00:15:01,123 --> 00:15:03,234 know that you guys have said that our 410 00:15:03,234 --> 00:15:05,401 pat said yesterday that you may not be 411 00:15:05,401 --> 00:15:07,401 able to give precise um information 412 00:15:07,401 --> 00:15:09,456 about their , the reduction in their 413 00:15:09,456 --> 00:15:11,512 military capability or their missile 414 00:15:11,512 --> 00:15:13,623 stockpile . But can you guys give any 415 00:15:13,623 --> 00:15:15,790 information about casualties ? Because 416 00:15:15,790 --> 00:15:17,901 that is something that has been given 417 00:15:17,901 --> 00:15:17,809 kind of information that has been given 418 00:15:17,820 --> 00:15:19,739 in the past in terms of , um , 419 00:15:19,750 --> 00:15:21,917 casualties , we have not assessed that 420 00:15:21,917 --> 00:15:23,583 there have been any civil and 421 00:15:23,583 --> 00:15:25,750 casualties . I can't give you a , um , 422 00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:27,750 assessment just yet on any militant 423 00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:29,917 casualties . That's , that's something 424 00:15:29,917 --> 00:15:32,194 that's still ongoing . Give us because , 425 00:15:32,194 --> 00:15:34,083 because the dod has provided that 426 00:15:34,083 --> 00:15:36,083 information in the past for certain 427 00:15:36,083 --> 00:15:38,250 kinds of strikes . It's something that 428 00:15:38,250 --> 00:15:40,306 we're continuing to assess and if we 429 00:15:40,306 --> 00:15:42,472 can and , and are able to , you know , 430 00:15:42,472 --> 00:15:44,139 conclude that there have been 431 00:15:44,139 --> 00:15:46,139 casualties , we will , we will read 432 00:15:46,139 --> 00:15:48,194 that out . Yeah , of course . Yeah , 433 00:15:48,194 --> 00:15:50,083 Brad in the back . Yeah . So , um 434 00:15:50,083 --> 00:15:52,194 Congress is calling for a briefing on 435 00:15:52,194 --> 00:15:54,361 the secretary's hospitalization is the 436 00:15:54,361 --> 00:15:56,361 secretary committed to sitting down 437 00:15:56,361 --> 00:15:58,194 with lawmakers for a briefing or 438 00:15:58,194 --> 00:16:00,194 hearing like sometime soon . Well , 439 00:16:00,194 --> 00:16:02,139 we'll always work with Congress in 440 00:16:02,139 --> 00:16:04,139 addressing what they need , whether 441 00:16:04,139 --> 00:16:06,361 that's briefing or a hearing , whatever 442 00:16:06,361 --> 00:16:08,583 it might be . We're always , you know , 443 00:16:08,583 --> 00:16:08,364 in touch with our congressional 444 00:16:08,375 --> 00:16:10,724 partners . Um And just , I think 445 00:16:10,734 --> 00:16:12,956 yesterday we responded to a few letters 446 00:16:12,956 --> 00:16:15,123 from lawmakers . Um So we're always in 447 00:16:15,123 --> 00:16:16,956 touch with the hill , but I have 448 00:16:16,956 --> 00:16:16,945 nothing to announce or read out in 449 00:16:16,955 --> 00:16:19,011 terms of anything that's scheduled . 450 00:16:19,429 --> 00:16:21,651 Great . I'm gonna go back to the phones 451 00:16:21,651 --> 00:16:25,109 here . Uh Laura Suliman Politico . Hi , 452 00:16:25,119 --> 00:16:27,230 thanks Sabrina . Um Just to follow up 453 00:16:27,230 --> 00:16:29,739 on Idris S question . Uh You said that 454 00:16:29,830 --> 00:16:31,969 we are not at war with the houthis , 455 00:16:31,979 --> 00:16:34,820 but if , if you know this tit for tat 456 00:16:34,830 --> 00:16:37,163 bombing . We bombed them five times now . 457 00:16:37,163 --> 00:16:39,274 So , if this isn't war , can you just 458 00:16:39,274 --> 00:16:41,330 explain that a little , a little bit 459 00:16:41,330 --> 00:16:43,497 more to us if this isn't war ? What is 460 00:16:43,497 --> 00:16:47,460 war ? Sure . Laura . Sure . Uh , great 461 00:16:47,469 --> 00:16:49,580 question . I just wasn't expecting it 462 00:16:49,580 --> 00:16:51,747 phrased exactly that way . Um , look , 463 00:16:51,747 --> 00:16:53,858 we are , we do not seek war . Uh , we 464 00:16:53,858 --> 00:16:55,940 are , we do not , we are not at war 465 00:16:55,950 --> 00:16:58,080 with the houthis . Um , in terms of a 466 00:16:58,090 --> 00:17:00,312 definition , I think that would be more 467 00:17:00,312 --> 00:17:02,257 of a clear declaration um from the 468 00:17:02,257 --> 00:17:05,140 United States . But again , uh what we 469 00:17:05,150 --> 00:17:07,261 are doing and the actions that we are 470 00:17:07,261 --> 00:17:10,270 taking are defensive in nature . Um 471 00:17:11,530 --> 00:17:14,989 I would turn back to the fact that 472 00:17:15,180 --> 00:17:17,770 there have been over 30 attacks by 473 00:17:17,780 --> 00:17:20,959 Houthis on um 50 different nations that 474 00:17:20,969 --> 00:17:23,302 are transiting the Red Sea at this time . 475 00:17:23,339 --> 00:17:25,561 I can only repeat so many times that we 476 00:17:25,561 --> 00:17:27,728 do not seek war with the Houthis , but 477 00:17:27,728 --> 00:17:29,950 we will take self defense actions if we 478 00:17:29,950 --> 00:17:33,040 need to protect our troops to protect 479 00:17:33,099 --> 00:17:36,800 um commercial shipping and to um ensure 480 00:17:36,810 --> 00:17:38,859 that freedom of navigation is still 481 00:17:38,869 --> 00:17:41,202 allowed through international waterways . 482 00:17:41,202 --> 00:17:43,202 I'll take another question from the 483 00:17:43,202 --> 00:17:45,313 phone here . Uh Jared uh Zuber , I'll 484 00:17:45,313 --> 00:17:46,313 monitor . 485 00:17:50,459 --> 00:17:52,681 Hi , Sabrina , thanks just following up 486 00:17:52,681 --> 00:17:54,848 on the previous questions on the , the 487 00:17:54,848 --> 00:17:57,070 Houthi engagement uh or engagement with 488 00:17:57,070 --> 00:17:59,237 the Houthis and their material there . 489 00:17:59,237 --> 00:18:01,459 Uh The , you mentioned the actions that 490 00:18:01,459 --> 00:18:03,570 we're taking are the US is taking are 491 00:18:03,570 --> 00:18:02,949 defensive in nature . They're also 492 00:18:02,959 --> 00:18:05,070 preemptively , I mean , is it fair to 493 00:18:05,070 --> 00:18:07,739 characterize this as a sort of , uh , 494 00:18:07,750 --> 00:18:09,920 conflict of attrition in terms of the 495 00:18:09,930 --> 00:18:12,229 Houthis supplies here ? I mean , what 496 00:18:12,239 --> 00:18:14,790 is the , the end goal here is , is the 497 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:16,856 department seeking to sort of , uh , 498 00:18:16,856 --> 00:18:19,369 leave the Houthis with nothing left to , 499 00:18:19,380 --> 00:18:21,602 uh , to , to strike commercial shipping 500 00:18:21,602 --> 00:18:23,713 at the end of this . Thanks , Jared . 501 00:18:23,713 --> 00:18:25,859 The end goal is for these attacks to 502 00:18:25,869 --> 00:18:29,469 stop , for us to deter , uh Houthi 503 00:18:29,479 --> 00:18:31,900 strikes again from commercial shipping 504 00:18:31,910 --> 00:18:34,430 that has been transiting the Red Sea 505 00:18:34,439 --> 00:18:36,680 for many , many decades and should be 506 00:18:36,689 --> 00:18:39,260 allowed to continue uh freely without 507 00:18:39,270 --> 00:18:40,979 harassment or without fear of 508 00:18:40,989 --> 00:18:44,560 bombardment from Houthi controlled 509 00:18:44,569 --> 00:18:47,020 areas in Yemen . Uh So the ultimate 510 00:18:47,030 --> 00:18:49,197 goal is for these attacks to stop . Um 511 00:18:49,197 --> 00:18:51,308 It's up to the Houthis to decide when 512 00:18:51,308 --> 00:18:53,739 that occurs . Um It's their decision to 513 00:18:53,750 --> 00:18:55,917 continue to launch these attacks . But 514 00:18:55,917 --> 00:18:58,119 again , what they have available to 515 00:18:58,130 --> 00:19:00,241 them , the systems , the capabilities 516 00:19:00,241 --> 00:19:02,019 that they had available to them 517 00:19:02,019 --> 00:19:04,074 yesterday are not the same ones that 518 00:19:04,074 --> 00:19:06,241 they have available to them today . Um 519 00:19:06,339 --> 00:19:08,506 So we're going to continue to take the 520 00:19:08,506 --> 00:19:10,469 action that we need to disrupt and 521 00:19:10,479 --> 00:19:12,829 degrade the Houthis avail availability 522 00:19:12,859 --> 00:19:15,369 or ability I should say to attack uh 523 00:19:15,380 --> 00:19:18,469 whether it's US personnel or others um 524 00:19:18,479 --> 00:19:20,535 that are transiting that Red Sea and 525 00:19:20,535 --> 00:19:22,590 Gulf of Aden area . I can go back in 526 00:19:22,590 --> 00:19:24,646 the room . Yeah , thanks very much . 527 00:19:24,646 --> 00:19:26,757 First , can you , can you be any more 528 00:19:26,757 --> 00:19:28,979 specific than uh with the damage that's 529 00:19:28,979 --> 00:19:28,859 been done to the , with these 530 00:19:28,869 --> 00:19:31,250 capabilities beyond significant . And 531 00:19:31,260 --> 00:19:33,369 then also you've talked about taking 532 00:19:33,380 --> 00:19:35,269 defensive measures , you want the 533 00:19:35,269 --> 00:19:37,491 attacks to stop and deterrence , but it 534 00:19:37,491 --> 00:19:39,658 seems like the houthis so far have not 535 00:19:39,658 --> 00:19:41,824 been deterred . So , does the Pentagon 536 00:19:41,824 --> 00:19:43,991 have any assessment or any plan on how 537 00:19:43,991 --> 00:19:46,310 to change the Houthis calculus and what 538 00:19:46,319 --> 00:19:48,263 it will take for the houthis to be 539 00:19:48,263 --> 00:19:50,560 deterred at this point ? I think , I 540 00:19:50,569 --> 00:19:52,736 appreciate the question . I think I've 541 00:19:52,736 --> 00:19:54,847 answered that one again . It's , it's 542 00:19:54,847 --> 00:19:56,958 up to the houthis to decide when they 543 00:19:56,958 --> 00:19:58,902 want stop . How much cost are they 544 00:19:58,902 --> 00:20:01,425 willing to incur every single time that 545 00:20:01,435 --> 00:20:03,046 we disrupt and degrade their 546 00:20:03,046 --> 00:20:05,157 capabilities ? How much cost are they 547 00:20:05,157 --> 00:20:06,991 willing to incur every time they 548 00:20:06,991 --> 00:20:09,102 disrupt commercial trade that doesn't 549 00:20:09,102 --> 00:20:11,157 just impact that region , the Middle 550 00:20:11,157 --> 00:20:13,213 East . Uh But all around the world , 551 00:20:13,213 --> 00:20:15,324 that's really a calculation that they 552 00:20:15,324 --> 00:20:17,379 have to make . Um We can't make that 553 00:20:17,379 --> 00:20:19,324 for them . We can continue to urge 554 00:20:19,324 --> 00:20:21,379 publicly and privately um that these 555 00:20:21,379 --> 00:20:23,829 attacks stop and again and reiterate 556 00:20:23,839 --> 00:20:25,895 that we always reserve that right to 557 00:20:25,895 --> 00:20:27,783 self defense and will protect our 558 00:20:27,783 --> 00:20:30,500 forces um where they are located in the 559 00:20:30,510 --> 00:20:33,290 Red Sea or all around the world . Um In 560 00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:35,411 terms of your , I think you're asking 561 00:20:35,411 --> 00:20:37,578 about your first question was on BDA . 562 00:20:37,578 --> 00:20:39,578 I mean , I , I think at the top , I 563 00:20:39,578 --> 00:20:41,744 said that we assessed that our strikes 564 00:20:41,744 --> 00:20:43,829 last night uh destroyed or had the 565 00:20:43,839 --> 00:20:47,489 intended impacts that it was um that it 566 00:20:47,500 --> 00:20:49,667 was intended , sorry , that's a bit of 567 00:20:49,667 --> 00:20:51,778 a word jar B there um that it had the 568 00:20:51,778 --> 00:20:54,000 intended impacts with almost all of the 569 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,944 missile launchers destroyed . If I 570 00:20:55,944 --> 00:20:57,833 could follow up if it's up to the 571 00:20:57,833 --> 00:20:59,778 houthis to decide when to stop the 572 00:20:59,778 --> 00:21:02,489 attacks . How is that , how is the US 573 00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:04,667 creating any sort of deterrence ? If , 574 00:21:04,667 --> 00:21:07,109 if , if the US isn't willing to do more 575 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:09,560 to change the houthis calculus , where 576 00:21:09,569 --> 00:21:11,625 does the deterrence come in ? Well , 577 00:21:11,625 --> 00:21:13,680 again , I think you are seeing us do 578 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:15,902 more . We are continuing to , we , we , 579 00:21:15,902 --> 00:21:17,847 on last Thursday , you saw us take 580 00:21:17,847 --> 00:21:20,013 action with coalition partners . Since 581 00:21:20,013 --> 00:21:22,125 then , you've seen us take subsequent 582 00:21:22,125 --> 00:21:24,180 action and follow on actions . Uh We 583 00:21:24,180 --> 00:21:23,859 can't , we don't control the Houthis . 584 00:21:23,869 --> 00:21:26,091 The houthis have to make the decision , 585 00:21:26,091 --> 00:21:28,258 the calculation that this is not worth 586 00:21:28,258 --> 00:21:30,258 it anymore . Uh We will continue to 587 00:21:30,258 --> 00:21:32,313 reserve the right to self defense to 588 00:21:32,313 --> 00:21:34,313 defend our forces , but it is up to 589 00:21:34,313 --> 00:21:36,369 them at what expense do they want to 590 00:21:36,369 --> 00:21:38,313 continue to go down this path ? We 591 00:21:38,313 --> 00:21:40,425 don't want to continue to see this uh 592 00:21:40,425 --> 00:21:42,530 go , we want to ensure that Mariners 593 00:21:42,540 --> 00:21:44,780 that trade can continue to flow through 594 00:21:44,790 --> 00:21:46,790 the Red Sea . And that's what you , 595 00:21:46,790 --> 00:21:48,790 that's why you saw the secretary in 596 00:21:48,790 --> 00:21:50,790 December announced the formation of 597 00:21:50,790 --> 00:21:52,901 operation Prosperity Guardian , which 598 00:21:52,901 --> 00:21:55,012 is to ensure that commercial shipping 599 00:21:55,012 --> 00:21:58,290 can continue freely and openly of 600 00:21:58,300 --> 00:22:00,467 harassment from the Houthis . And then 601 00:22:00,467 --> 00:22:02,819 you've seen us since then since I mean , 602 00:22:02,829 --> 00:22:04,900 as , as recently as last week , take 603 00:22:04,910 --> 00:22:07,021 self defense action . So again , it's 604 00:22:07,021 --> 00:22:09,132 up to a calculation on the houthis of 605 00:22:09,132 --> 00:22:11,466 when they want to stop from here . Yeah , 606 00:22:11,466 --> 00:22:13,521 Rio , thank you so much . Um Earlier 607 00:22:13,521 --> 00:22:15,521 this week , us force Japan issued a 608 00:22:15,521 --> 00:22:17,577 statement and started reading a vote 609 00:22:17,577 --> 00:22:20,079 for earthquake in Japan . How do you 610 00:22:20,089 --> 00:22:22,369 see the significance of this cooper 611 00:22:22,380 --> 00:22:24,989 operation and is us force Japan ready 612 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,310 for further assistance if requested by 613 00:22:27,319 --> 00:22:29,689 Japan ? So I think General Ryder might 614 00:22:29,699 --> 00:22:32,739 have announced that we are um assisting . 615 00:22:32,750 --> 00:22:34,917 We we did receive a formal request for 616 00:22:34,917 --> 00:22:38,000 support . Uh 260 aircraft from us . 617 00:22:38,010 --> 00:22:40,540 Army aviation battalion , Japan are 618 00:22:40,550 --> 00:22:43,150 assisting um Japanese self defense 619 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,216 forces with the delivery of material 620 00:22:45,216 --> 00:22:47,739 for those um that have been affected by 621 00:22:47,750 --> 00:22:50,739 the earthquake . Um This allows the 622 00:22:50,750 --> 00:22:53,099 Japanese self uh Japanese self defense 623 00:22:53,109 --> 00:22:55,069 forces aircraft to focus aviation 624 00:22:55,079 --> 00:22:57,190 efforts on transporting evacuees from 625 00:22:57,190 --> 00:22:59,190 affected areas . So that's , that's 626 00:22:59,190 --> 00:23:01,412 what we're doing right now if we are um 627 00:23:01,412 --> 00:23:03,412 receive another request for further 628 00:23:03,412 --> 00:23:05,523 support , of course , we'll work with 629 00:23:05,523 --> 00:23:07,635 the government of Japan to um to help 630 00:23:07,635 --> 00:23:11,310 accommodate that one lo um Serena . 631 00:23:11,319 --> 00:23:13,790 Um we've seen an uptick in these US 632 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,040 strikes uh following um incidents where 633 00:23:17,050 --> 00:23:20,699 us owned operated vessels uh were 634 00:23:20,709 --> 00:23:23,089 struck by either 50 drones or missiles . 635 00:23:23,099 --> 00:23:26,140 Are these latest strikes in direct 636 00:23:26,150 --> 00:23:28,609 retaliation and direct response to 637 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,069 those incidents in terms of which 638 00:23:31,079 --> 00:23:33,301 incidents , like just generally are the 639 00:23:33,301 --> 00:23:35,523 ones that have 24 hours . We've had two 640 00:23:35,523 --> 00:23:37,746 and then over the earlier in the week , 641 00:23:37,746 --> 00:23:39,968 these were self defense strikes that as 642 00:23:39,968 --> 00:23:43,119 the central command commander saw that 643 00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:45,186 these missile launchers were getting 644 00:23:45,270 --> 00:23:47,492 prepared to launch . He took the action 645 00:23:47,492 --> 00:23:49,714 that he needed to . So we should not be 646 00:23:49,714 --> 00:23:51,770 making a direct connection between a 647 00:23:51,770 --> 00:23:53,881 particular Houthi , not necessarily a 648 00:23:53,881 --> 00:23:56,103 tit for tat every single time . Again , 649 00:23:56,103 --> 00:23:59,430 the actions that you saw Centcom take 650 00:23:59,550 --> 00:24:02,390 uh early , early this morning , late 651 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,000 last night um was in self defense 652 00:24:05,010 --> 00:24:07,232 because we saw that these missiles were 653 00:24:07,232 --> 00:24:09,399 getting ready to launch , they were on 654 00:24:09,399 --> 00:24:11,829 those uh launch rails and as a matter 655 00:24:11,839 --> 00:24:14,260 of being an imminent threat to the Red 656 00:24:14,270 --> 00:24:16,599 Sea . Um and to commercial shipping , 657 00:24:17,270 --> 00:24:19,492 the central command commander made that 658 00:24:19,492 --> 00:24:21,659 decision to take that action . So does 659 00:24:21,659 --> 00:24:23,548 that mean that has been given the 660 00:24:23,548 --> 00:24:25,381 authority that whenever they see 661 00:24:25,381 --> 00:24:27,548 anything like that , that they will be 662 00:24:27,548 --> 00:24:29,714 continuing to carry out these types of 663 00:24:29,714 --> 00:24:31,714 the commander has the right to take 664 00:24:31,714 --> 00:24:34,089 action when us forces and , or , or 665 00:24:34,099 --> 00:24:36,321 when there is a need for self defense . 666 00:24:36,321 --> 00:24:38,377 He does have that authority from the 667 00:24:38,377 --> 00:24:40,660 secretary and the president . Despite , 668 00:24:40,670 --> 00:24:42,948 I mean , despite prosperity , Guardian , 669 00:24:42,948 --> 00:24:45,114 there's still a significant percentage 670 00:24:45,114 --> 00:24:47,337 of maritime traffic that's avoiding the 671 00:24:47,337 --> 00:24:49,559 area going around the cape of good . Is 672 00:24:49,559 --> 00:24:51,781 there any thought in the future of sort 673 00:24:51,781 --> 00:24:54,589 of altering the strategy rather than to 674 00:24:54,599 --> 00:24:57,280 actually have the warships uh uh 675 00:24:58,489 --> 00:25:00,819 these commercial vessels through the 676 00:25:00,829 --> 00:25:03,150 area of the choke point or rather than 677 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,500 this uh potentially picket line that 678 00:25:05,510 --> 00:25:08,989 you have them set up as changing the 679 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,111 strategy in terms of what I'm sorry , 680 00:25:11,111 --> 00:25:13,111 I'm not exactly . We are doing some 681 00:25:13,111 --> 00:25:15,333 escorting of ships in the Red Sea where 682 00:25:15,333 --> 00:25:17,109 necessary . Um That is part of 683 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:19,119 operation , prosperity , Guardian , 684 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:21,119 where we need or where we feel that 685 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:23,175 ships do need an . That is something 686 00:25:23,175 --> 00:25:25,230 that they are doing . But their main 687 00:25:25,230 --> 00:25:27,230 focus of course is uh defending and 688 00:25:27,230 --> 00:25:29,452 ensuring freedom of navigation in those 689 00:25:29,452 --> 00:25:31,563 waters . How do they get an ? Do they 690 00:25:31,563 --> 00:25:33,730 have to radio ahead and say we need an 691 00:25:33,730 --> 00:25:37,650 or you have to um part of part of the 692 00:25:37,660 --> 00:25:40,410 operation is , is being in touch with 693 00:25:40,420 --> 00:25:42,531 the ships that are transiting through 694 00:25:42,531 --> 00:25:44,253 there . So of course , there's 695 00:25:44,253 --> 00:25:46,420 communication with the commander of OS 696 00:25:46,420 --> 00:25:48,642 O operation . Prosperity , Guardian and 697 00:25:48,642 --> 00:25:50,587 other ships transiting . There's , 698 00:25:50,587 --> 00:25:52,642 there's , you know , advice given of 699 00:25:52,642 --> 00:25:54,864 places to avoid . Um Admiral Cooper has 700 00:25:54,864 --> 00:25:56,920 spoken uh more about this . I'm sure 701 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,031 more eloquently than I am right now . 702 00:25:59,031 --> 00:26:01,031 But of course , we're in touch with 703 00:26:01,031 --> 00:26:03,198 those ships that are transiting , they 704 00:26:03,198 --> 00:26:05,309 call and if we feel that they need it 705 00:26:05,309 --> 00:26:07,520 or if they feel or if we feel or our 706 00:26:07,530 --> 00:26:09,530 forces or forces within operation , 707 00:26:09,530 --> 00:26:11,641 prosperity , Guardian feel that there 708 00:26:11,641 --> 00:26:13,697 needs to be a bolstering of security 709 00:26:13,697 --> 00:26:15,752 around ships they will be escorted . 710 00:26:17,199 --> 00:26:19,421 Did I see someone over here ? Yes , all 711 00:26:19,421 --> 00:26:21,643 the way in the back . Just a little bit 712 00:26:21,643 --> 00:26:23,532 of a different question regarding 713 00:26:23,532 --> 00:26:25,699 everything going on in the Middle East 714 00:26:25,699 --> 00:26:27,588 since October , Iran backed Hamas 715 00:26:27,588 --> 00:26:29,643 launched that massive attack against 716 00:26:29,643 --> 00:26:31,643 Israeli civilians and tourists from 717 00:26:31,643 --> 00:26:33,755 other countries . Iran backed Houthis 718 00:26:33,755 --> 00:26:33,140 have attacked international shipping 719 00:26:33,150 --> 00:26:35,369 lanes . Dozens of times . Iran backed 720 00:26:35,380 --> 00:26:37,602 militants have launched attacks on us . 721 00:26:37,602 --> 00:26:39,602 Forces in Iraq and Syria . Iran has 722 00:26:39,602 --> 00:26:41,602 supplied Russia with weapons to use 723 00:26:41,602 --> 00:26:43,491 against Ukraine . And now Iran is 724 00:26:43,491 --> 00:26:45,602 launching strikes in Pakistan . I was 725 00:26:45,602 --> 00:26:47,713 wondering what the Pentagon's message 726 00:26:47,713 --> 00:26:49,936 is to Iran and his deterrents working . 727 00:26:49,936 --> 00:26:52,047 So I think our message has , has been 728 00:26:52,047 --> 00:26:54,269 very clear from the beginning . We know 729 00:26:54,269 --> 00:26:57,089 Iran funds , supports equips trains 730 00:26:57,099 --> 00:26:59,321 these groups , the very groups that you 731 00:26:59,321 --> 00:27:02,109 just listed out in places throughout 732 00:27:02,170 --> 00:27:04,380 whether it be Iraq in Syria , in 733 00:27:04,390 --> 00:27:08,280 Lebanon , in , in , we know Iran's hand 734 00:27:08,290 --> 00:27:10,457 is behind all of these groups . And so 735 00:27:10,457 --> 00:27:12,512 our message has been very clear , we 736 00:27:12,512 --> 00:27:14,512 don't seek a regional conflict . We 737 00:27:14,512 --> 00:27:16,623 don't want to see a regional conflict 738 00:27:16,623 --> 00:27:16,550 and we certainly don't want what's 739 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:19,699 happening in Gaza to spill out into a 740 00:27:19,709 --> 00:27:22,689 larger regional or wider scale war . Um 741 00:27:23,650 --> 00:27:25,983 We know tensions are high in the region . 742 00:27:25,983 --> 00:27:28,039 We've , you know , we , we certainly 743 00:27:28,039 --> 00:27:30,206 acknowledge that . Um But we also have 744 00:27:30,206 --> 00:27:32,680 called on Iran repeatedly to stop . Um 745 00:27:32,689 --> 00:27:34,856 And that's what you're going to see us 746 00:27:34,856 --> 00:27:36,800 continuing to do and we're meeting 747 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:38,911 those words with actions . That's why 748 00:27:38,911 --> 00:27:38,750 you've seen the strikes that we've 749 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:40,871 conducted . You've seen the formation 750 00:27:40,871 --> 00:27:42,871 of operation Prosperity Guardian in 751 00:27:42,871 --> 00:27:45,510 December . Um as a direct response to 752 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,089 some of the actions that these uh 753 00:27:48,300 --> 00:27:51,400 Iranian funded and militia groups are 754 00:27:51,469 --> 00:27:53,670 um the activities that they're 755 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:55,791 continuing to engage in . So we are , 756 00:27:55,791 --> 00:27:57,680 we are being very public with our 757 00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:59,989 message to Iran . And we want these , 758 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,520 we , we certainly want these attacks to 759 00:28:02,530 --> 00:28:05,609 stop not only on our forces but on our 760 00:28:05,619 --> 00:28:07,563 forces in Iraq and Syria , but our 761 00:28:07,563 --> 00:28:09,619 forces in the Red Sea and commercial 762 00:28:09,619 --> 00:28:12,130 shipping . Li Yeah , just a quick 763 00:28:12,140 --> 00:28:14,260 clarification . Initially , when a uh 764 00:28:14,369 --> 00:28:17,989 prosperity Guardian was set up , it was 765 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:20,056 specifically said that they were not 766 00:28:20,056 --> 00:28:22,239 doing escorts that this was a broader 767 00:28:22,250 --> 00:28:24,750 effort to protect the ships in the 768 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,199 region because of the amount of traffic 769 00:28:27,209 --> 00:28:30,560 that's going through the Bob . Um Has 770 00:28:30,569 --> 00:28:33,319 there been a change ? Have ships 771 00:28:33,329 --> 00:28:35,989 actually started requesting , I'm not 772 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,890 aware of or because my understanding 773 00:28:38,900 --> 00:28:40,956 was at least initially they were not 774 00:28:40,956 --> 00:28:43,011 doing individual escorts . Have they 775 00:28:43,011 --> 00:28:45,233 started doing individual escorts ? No , 776 00:28:45,233 --> 00:28:47,400 I think Mike's question . I'm sorry if 777 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,456 I didn't phrase it as . Ok . They're 778 00:28:49,456 --> 00:28:51,511 not doing individual escorts if , if 779 00:28:51,511 --> 00:28:54,709 ships or a collective of ships need um 780 00:28:54,849 --> 00:28:57,069 to be escorted through or have , you 781 00:28:57,079 --> 00:28:59,190 know , one of our ships follow them . 782 00:28:59,190 --> 00:29:01,510 Um I believe that's what's been been 783 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:03,631 because you , like you said , there's 784 00:29:03,631 --> 00:29:05,853 so much traffic but it's not individual 785 00:29:05,853 --> 00:29:07,964 ships necessarily being escorted . My 786 00:29:07,964 --> 00:29:07,719 understanding was that the ships are 787 00:29:07,729 --> 00:29:09,849 just going back and forth through the 788 00:29:09,859 --> 00:29:13,344 band to propose uh securing the 789 00:29:13,354 --> 00:29:15,076 highways . Yeah , securing the 790 00:29:15,076 --> 00:29:17,298 waterways . No , that has not changed . 791 00:29:17,298 --> 00:29:19,744 Yeah . Ok Fadi I'll do one more and 792 00:29:19,755 --> 00:29:22,675 then we will wrap it up . So you , you , 793 00:29:22,685 --> 00:29:26,114 as you mentioned , the Houthis , it's 794 00:29:26,125 --> 00:29:28,292 up to the Houthis to determine when to 795 00:29:28,292 --> 00:29:30,236 stop these attacks . In fact , the 796 00:29:30,236 --> 00:29:33,155 Houthis since the first attack and when 797 00:29:33,165 --> 00:29:35,109 they announced every single attack 798 00:29:35,109 --> 00:29:37,109 since then , they said when they're 799 00:29:37,109 --> 00:29:39,332 going to stop these attacks , it's when 800 00:29:39,332 --> 00:29:41,443 Israel stops its war on Gaza and lift 801 00:29:41,443 --> 00:29:44,430 the uh its siege on the people of Gaza . 802 00:29:44,479 --> 00:29:46,640 This deal , Pentagon see this as 803 00:29:46,650 --> 00:29:50,040 unrealistic objective . So I appreciate 804 00:29:50,050 --> 00:29:52,161 the question Fadi . Um Again , what's 805 00:29:52,161 --> 00:29:55,180 happening in Gaza is despite what the 806 00:29:55,189 --> 00:29:58,050 Houthis say is very different from what 807 00:29:58,060 --> 00:30:01,540 they're doing . Uh 50 nations , some of 808 00:30:01,550 --> 00:30:04,359 which have no geographic location or 809 00:30:04,369 --> 00:30:06,591 connection to the Middle East are being 810 00:30:06,591 --> 00:30:09,400 attacked by the Houthis . Um I mean , 811 00:30:09,410 --> 00:30:11,577 you have Chinese ships going through , 812 00:30:11,577 --> 00:30:13,743 you have Russian ships going through , 813 00:30:13,743 --> 00:30:15,854 you have all sorts of country ships , 814 00:30:15,854 --> 00:30:17,577 um commercial vessels that are 815 00:30:17,577 --> 00:30:19,521 transiting this waterway that have 816 00:30:19,521 --> 00:30:21,688 nothing to do with what's happening in 817 00:30:21,688 --> 00:30:24,469 Israel and in Gaza . Um So I understand 818 00:30:24,479 --> 00:30:26,701 what the Houthis are saying in terms of 819 00:30:26,701 --> 00:30:28,868 when they , when you know what they've 820 00:30:28,868 --> 00:30:31,035 put out publicly . But again , we have 821 00:30:31,035 --> 00:30:33,090 to remember that what's happening in 822 00:30:33,090 --> 00:30:34,959 the Red Sea there is not that 823 00:30:34,969 --> 00:30:36,858 connection there . And so we will 824 00:30:36,858 --> 00:30:39,080 continue to urge them to stop , we will 825 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,780 continue to um continue to take action 826 00:30:41,790 --> 00:30:44,170 that we need to . And as a , as a 827 00:30:44,180 --> 00:30:47,849 reminder , this is action with partners , 828 00:30:47,859 --> 00:30:49,748 whether it be through operation , 829 00:30:49,748 --> 00:30:51,859 prosperity , guardian or what you saw 830 00:30:51,859 --> 00:30:54,026 last week . Um that was multilateral . 831 00:30:54,026 --> 00:30:56,192 Ok , I'm gonna leave it there . Thanks 832 00:30:56,192 --> 00:30:55,319 everyone .