WEBVTT 00:06.619 --> 00:08.730 All right . Well , thank you everyone 00:08.730 --> 00:10.952 for being here today . It's my pleasure 00:10.952 --> 00:13.175 to welcome Secretary of Defense Lloyd J 00:13.175 --> 00:15.008 Austin the third of the Pentagon 00:15.008 --> 00:16.952 briefing room . The secretary will 00:16.952 --> 00:19.063 deliver opening remarks and then take 00:19.063 --> 00:18.680 your questions . Please note that I 00:18.690 --> 00:20.857 will moderate those questions and call 00:20.857 --> 00:22.912 on journalists . So I'd ask that you 00:22.912 --> 00:24.690 raise your hand . If you have a 00:24.690 --> 00:26.801 question , wait to be recognized . Uh 00:26.801 --> 00:28.857 and I'll , I'll call upon you , uh , 00:28.857 --> 00:31.023 with that over to you , Mr Secretary . 00:31.023 --> 00:33.246 Thanks Pat . Good morning . It's been a 00:33.246 --> 00:35.357 difficult few days for the Department 00:35.357 --> 00:37.579 of Defense and the entire department is 00:37.579 --> 00:40.630 united in our outrage and sorrow over 00:40.639 --> 00:43.169 the death of three US service members 00:43.180 --> 00:46.860 on Sunday in Jordan . We all mourn the 00:46.869 --> 00:49.180 loss of three army reserve soldiers 00:49.189 --> 00:52.860 serving at tower 22 Sergeant , William 00:52.869 --> 00:56.770 J Rivers , age 46 Sergeant Kennedy 00:56.779 --> 01:00.470 L Sanders , age 24 and Sergeant 01:00.479 --> 01:03.240 Brianna A Moffett age 23 . 01:04.430 --> 01:06.652 Our thoughts and prayers are with their 01:06.652 --> 01:09.389 families and their loved ones and we 01:09.400 --> 01:11.511 know that this grief will never leave 01:11.511 --> 01:14.839 them and we hope that they know that 01:14.849 --> 01:17.016 the department's love and support will 01:17.016 --> 01:19.690 never leave them either . We're also 01:19.699 --> 01:22.129 praying for the other American troops 01:22.139 --> 01:25.500 who were wounded . Now , our teammates 01:25.510 --> 01:28.639 were killed when a one way attack drone 01:28.650 --> 01:31.269 struck their living quarters and we 01:31.279 --> 01:33.501 continue to gather the facts about this 01:33.501 --> 01:35.949 deadly attack . Our fallen soldiers had 01:35.959 --> 01:38.279 a vital mission to support operation , 01:38.290 --> 01:40.959 inherent resolve and to work with our 01:40.970 --> 01:43.440 partners to ensure the lasting defeat 01:43.449 --> 01:46.769 of ISIS . They risk their lives 01:47.669 --> 01:50.180 and lost their lives to keep their 01:50.190 --> 01:52.079 fellow Americans safe from global 01:52.079 --> 01:55.430 terrorism . The president will not 01:55.440 --> 01:58.779 tolerate attacks on American troops 01:59.519 --> 02:03.489 and neither will I our teammates 02:03.500 --> 02:05.680 were killed by radical militias backed 02:05.690 --> 02:09.479 by Iran and operating inside Syria and 02:09.490 --> 02:12.750 Iraq in the aftermath of the vile Hamas 02:12.759 --> 02:15.309 terrorist assault on Israel on October 02:15.320 --> 02:18.240 7th , terrorist groups backed by Iran 02:18.250 --> 02:21.190 and funded by Iran have tried to create 02:21.199 --> 02:24.449 even more turmoil including the Houthis , 02:25.639 --> 02:27.695 attacking commercial shipping in the 02:27.695 --> 02:30.770 Red Sea . So this is a dangerous moment 02:30.779 --> 02:33.399 in the Middle East . We will continue 02:33.410 --> 02:35.577 to work to avoid a wider conflict in a 02:35.577 --> 02:38.860 region , but we will take all necessary 02:38.869 --> 02:41.699 actions to defend the United States , 02:42.270 --> 02:46.250 our interest and our people and we will 02:46.259 --> 02:50.250 respond when we choose where we 02:50.259 --> 02:52.899 choose and how we choose . 02:55.059 --> 02:57.003 Now . That's what everyone here is 02:57.003 --> 03:00.089 focused on . But in my first week back 03:00.100 --> 03:02.322 in the Pentagon , I did want to address 03:02.322 --> 03:04.544 my recent hospital stay and some of the 03:04.544 --> 03:07.160 issues around it . I'm recovering well . 03:07.169 --> 03:08.891 But as you can see , I'm still 03:08.891 --> 03:11.089 recovering , I'm still having some leg 03:11.100 --> 03:13.529 pain and doing physical therapy to get 03:13.539 --> 03:16.559 past it . I'm deeply grateful to my 03:16.570 --> 03:18.792 doctors and the nursing staff at Walter 03:18.792 --> 03:21.800 Reed and I very much appreciate all the 03:21.809 --> 03:24.669 good wishes , but I wanna be crystal 03:24.679 --> 03:27.919 clear . We did not handle this , right . 03:28.570 --> 03:31.699 And I did not handle this right . I 03:31.710 --> 03:33.932 should have told the president about my 03:33.932 --> 03:36.043 cancer diagnosis . I should have also 03:36.043 --> 03:38.350 told my team and the American public 03:39.410 --> 03:42.190 and I take full responsibility . I 03:42.199 --> 03:44.255 apologize to my teammates and to the 03:44.255 --> 03:47.679 American people . Now , I want to make 03:47.690 --> 03:49.801 it very clear that there were no gaps 03:49.801 --> 03:51.690 in authorities and no risk to the 03:51.690 --> 03:54.460 department's command and control at 03:54.470 --> 03:56.720 every moment . Either I or the deputy 03:56.729 --> 03:59.809 secretary was in full charge and we've 03:59.820 --> 04:01.487 already put in place some new 04:01.487 --> 04:04.029 procedures to make sure that any lapses 04:04.039 --> 04:07.479 and notification don't happen in the 04:07.490 --> 04:09.657 future . If the deputy Secretary needs 04:09.657 --> 04:11.879 to temporarily assume the of the duties 04:11.879 --> 04:13.934 of my office , she and several White 04:13.934 --> 04:16.070 House offices will be immediately 04:16.079 --> 04:18.230 notified , including the White House 04:18.239 --> 04:20.739 situation room . And so will key 04:20.750 --> 04:23.420 officials across the department . And 04:23.429 --> 04:25.318 the reason for that assumption of 04:25.318 --> 04:28.029 duties will be included in writing . 04:29.079 --> 04:32.459 Now , I want you all to know that to 04:32.470 --> 04:35.799 know why this happened . I was being 04:35.809 --> 04:38.890 treated for prostate cancer . The news 04:38.899 --> 04:41.589 shook me and I know that it shakes so 04:41.600 --> 04:43.711 many others , especially in the black 04:43.711 --> 04:47.549 community . It was a gut punch and 04:47.559 --> 04:50.290 frankly , my first instinct was to keep 04:50.299 --> 04:53.239 it private . I don't think it's news 04:53.250 --> 04:56.459 that I'm a pretty private guy . I never 04:56.470 --> 04:58.359 liked uh burdening others with my 04:58.359 --> 05:01.970 problems . It's just not my way what 05:01.980 --> 05:04.230 I've learned from this experience . So 05:04.239 --> 05:06.295 taking this kind of job means losing 05:06.295 --> 05:08.920 some of the privacy that most of us 05:08.929 --> 05:11.720 expect the American people have a right 05:11.730 --> 05:13.730 to know if their leaders are facing 05:13.730 --> 05:15.730 health challenges that might affect 05:15.730 --> 05:17.841 their ability to perform their duties 05:17.841 --> 05:20.170 even temporarily . So a wider circle 05:20.179 --> 05:22.346 should have been notified , especially 05:22.346 --> 05:24.619 the president . I'll take your 05:24.630 --> 05:26.630 questions today . But as you know , 05:26.630 --> 05:29.910 we've got an ongoing internal review as 05:29.920 --> 05:32.149 well as a dod inspector general review 05:32.160 --> 05:35.399 that we fully support . So I may have 05:35.410 --> 05:39.000 to discuss some aspects later . Now let 05:39.010 --> 05:41.500 me back up a bit . As you know , on 05:41.510 --> 05:44.489 22nd of December , I had a minimally 05:44.500 --> 05:46.500 invasive procedure to cure me of my 05:46.500 --> 05:50.220 recently diagnosed prostate cancer and 05:50.350 --> 05:52.572 then I hit some bad luck during what is 05:52.572 --> 05:56.519 usually a pretty easy recovery . On 05:56.529 --> 05:59.290 January 1st , I felt severe leg pain 06:00.000 --> 06:02.619 and , and pain in the abdomen and hip . 06:03.519 --> 06:05.741 And that evening , an ambulance took me 06:05.741 --> 06:07.989 to Walter Reed . The doctors found that 06:08.000 --> 06:09.833 I had several issues that needed 06:09.833 --> 06:12.056 treatment including a bladder infection 06:12.390 --> 06:15.959 and abdominal problems . On January 2nd , 06:16.269 --> 06:18.158 I was also experiencing fever and 06:18.158 --> 06:20.679 chills and shallow breathing . The 06:20.690 --> 06:23.160 medical staff decided to transfer me to 06:23.170 --> 06:25.579 the critical care unit for several days 06:25.690 --> 06:28.679 for , for closer monitoring and better 06:28.690 --> 06:31.559 uh team care by my doctors and the 06:31.570 --> 06:33.737 deputy secretary assumed the functions 06:33.737 --> 06:36.109 and duties of my office which happens 06:36.119 --> 06:39.920 when necessary . Her senior staff , my 06:39.929 --> 06:42.040 senior staff and the joint staff were 06:42.040 --> 06:44.096 notified of this through our regular 06:44.096 --> 06:47.910 email notification procedures . And I 06:47.920 --> 06:50.769 never directed anyone to keep my 06:50.779 --> 06:52.946 January hospitalization from the White 06:52.946 --> 06:56.529 House . On January 5th , I resumed my 06:56.540 --> 06:58.707 functions and duties as secretary from 06:58.707 --> 07:00.651 the hospital . I was functioning , 07:00.651 --> 07:03.029 functioning well , mentally but not so 07:03.040 --> 07:05.190 well physically . And so I stayed at 07:05.200 --> 07:08.459 Walter Reed for additional time uh for 07:08.470 --> 07:10.303 additional treatment , including 07:10.303 --> 07:12.414 physical therapy , for some lingering 07:12.414 --> 07:15.559 issues with my leg . Now I'm offering 07:15.570 --> 07:18.510 all of this as an explanation and not 07:18.519 --> 07:22.170 an excuse . I am very proud of what 07:22.179 --> 07:24.290 we've achieved at the department over 07:24.290 --> 07:26.500 the past three years , but we fell 07:26.510 --> 07:30.130 short on this one as a rule . I don't 07:30.140 --> 07:32.519 talk about conversations with my boss , 07:33.130 --> 07:35.140 but I can tell you I've apologized 07:35.149 --> 07:38.420 directly to President Biden and I've 07:38.429 --> 07:40.596 told him that I'm deeply sorry for not 07:40.596 --> 07:42.596 letting him know immediately that I 07:42.596 --> 07:44.540 received a heavy diagnosis and was 07:44.540 --> 07:47.279 getting treatment and he has responded 07:47.290 --> 07:49.660 with a grace and warm heart that anyone 07:49.670 --> 07:51.948 who knows President Biden would expect . 07:52.760 --> 07:54.427 And I'm grateful for his full 07:54.427 --> 07:58.179 confidence in me . And finally , I 07:58.190 --> 08:00.246 also missed an opportunity to send a 08:00.246 --> 08:02.660 message on an important public health 08:02.670 --> 08:05.170 issue and I'd like to fix that right 08:05.179 --> 08:07.970 now . I was diagnosed with a highly 08:07.980 --> 08:10.500 treatable form of cancer . A pretty 08:10.510 --> 08:13.640 common one , one in eight American men 08:13.649 --> 08:16.559 will get prostate cancer . One in six 08:16.570 --> 08:20.100 black men will get it . And so I'm here 08:20.109 --> 08:22.109 with a clear message to other men , 08:22.109 --> 08:25.200 especially older men . Get screen , 08:26.059 --> 08:28.880 get your regular checkups . Prostate 08:28.890 --> 08:31.859 cancer has a glass jaw . If your doctor 08:31.869 --> 08:33.900 can spot it , they can treat it and 08:33.909 --> 08:36.710 beat it . And the side effects that I 08:36.719 --> 08:40.140 experienced are highly , highly unusual . 08:41.039 --> 08:43.206 So you can count on me to set a better 08:43.206 --> 08:45.428 example on this issue today and for the 08:45.428 --> 08:47.650 rest of my life . And again , I want to 08:47.650 --> 08:49.706 thank everyone for their well wishes 08:49.706 --> 08:52.039 and their great support . And with that , 08:52.049 --> 08:54.216 I'll take your questions . Thank you , 08:54.216 --> 08:56.327 Mr Secretary . First question will go 08:56.327 --> 08:58.605 to associated press leader . Thank you . 08:58.605 --> 09:00.605 Thank you , Mr Secretary . You said 09:00.605 --> 09:02.660 that uh you never directed anyone to 09:02.660 --> 09:04.716 keep this from the White House . Did 09:04.716 --> 09:06.938 you direct your staff or others to keep 09:06.938 --> 09:09.020 it from the public and from other 09:09.030 --> 09:11.489 senior staff members ? And if you did 09:11.500 --> 09:14.140 not , has anyone been disciplined for 09:14.289 --> 09:16.400 doing something that you did not tell 09:16.400 --> 09:18.511 them to do ? And then just quickly on 09:18.511 --> 09:20.380 uh Iraq and Syria , what is your 09:20.390 --> 09:23.260 response to the KH statement today that 09:23.270 --> 09:26.049 um they are postponing or not doing any 09:26.059 --> 09:28.070 more attacks ? Thank you . 09:29.859 --> 09:33.700 Good morning Lita to 09:33.710 --> 09:35.877 answer your question on whether or not 09:35.877 --> 09:38.289 I directed my staff to conceal my 09:38.299 --> 09:40.466 hospitalization from anyone else . The 09:40.466 --> 09:44.349 answer is no . Um uh in terms 09:44.359 --> 09:47.750 of uh my , my response to KHS statement , 09:48.640 --> 09:52.390 um we always listen to what people are 09:52.400 --> 09:56.020 saying but we watch what they do and , 09:56.030 --> 09:59.450 and again , uh , actions are everything . 09:59.929 --> 10:02.320 Um , so , uh , we'll see what happens 10:02.330 --> 10:04.390 in the future . Ok . Next question , 10:04.400 --> 10:07.010 we'll go to Fox Jennifer . Um , sir , 10:07.020 --> 10:09.131 during that time that you were in the 10:09.131 --> 10:11.359 intensive care unit , there was an 10:11.369 --> 10:13.760 airstrike carried out a drone strike 10:13.770 --> 10:17.760 against a , um , an Iraqi uh leader of 10:17.770 --> 10:21.010 a militia . How is it that , um , 10:22.340 --> 10:25.299 do you regret that the authorities were 10:25.309 --> 10:28.489 not clear at that point ? And um 10:29.030 --> 10:31.030 what can you explain about what was 10:31.030 --> 10:33.197 going through your mind at that time ? 10:33.197 --> 10:35.252 And then separately , there's been a 10:35.252 --> 10:37.474 lot of telegraphing about targeting and 10:37.474 --> 10:39.641 responding to the drone strike so much 10:39.641 --> 10:41.929 so that the Iranian proxy leaders have 10:41.940 --> 10:44.051 left the country . Some are back in , 10:44.309 --> 10:47.419 in Tehran . Um Has there been too much 10:47.429 --> 10:49.440 telegraphing or is the point not to 10:49.450 --> 10:52.090 kill any Iranian commanders 10:54.530 --> 10:55.049 um 11:00.140 --> 11:02.196 regarding the strike on the eighth , 11:02.196 --> 11:06.179 Jen , um that strike was 11:06.190 --> 11:08.179 uh was planned and I , I had made 11:08.190 --> 11:10.357 recommendations to the president on uh 11:10.357 --> 11:12.849 on , on actions that we should carry 11:12.859 --> 11:16.700 out . Uh And , and the president made a 11:16.710 --> 11:19.140 decision , uh and based upon that 11:19.150 --> 11:21.679 decision , authorities were pushed down 11:21.690 --> 11:23.801 to the central command commander . Uh 11:23.801 --> 11:25.968 And as you know , a strike like that , 11:26.039 --> 11:28.690 uh you can't pick the precise time when 11:28.700 --> 11:30.811 that strike is gonna take place . You 11:30.811 --> 11:32.978 wanna minimize collateral damage , you 11:32.978 --> 11:34.644 wanna make sure that you have 11:34.644 --> 11:36.644 everything right . And so uh the uh 11:36.644 --> 11:38.840 subordinate commander had the controls 11:38.849 --> 11:41.799 on that particular strike so that uh I 11:41.809 --> 11:44.087 was very much involved in the , in the , 11:44.087 --> 11:46.309 in planning and the recommendations for 11:46.309 --> 11:48.531 that . And we knew that that would take 11:48.531 --> 11:50.650 place uh uh within a matter of days , 11:50.890 --> 11:54.419 um in terms of uh telegraphing about 11:54.429 --> 11:57.669 strikes and whether or not um uh people 11:57.679 --> 12:00.150 uh leave or will have left , you know , 12:00.159 --> 12:02.500 I won't speculate uh on uh on any of 12:02.510 --> 12:04.710 that . I would just tell you that uh 12:05.280 --> 12:08.219 you know , we will have a , a multi 12:08.349 --> 12:11.640 tiered response . Uh And uh and again , 12:11.710 --> 12:15.049 we have the ability to uh uh to respond 12:15.059 --> 12:17.650 uh a number in a number of times 12:17.659 --> 12:20.299 depending on what the situation is . OK . 12:20.309 --> 12:23.809 Let's go to Reuters . Phil . Um 12:23.820 --> 12:27.320 What did your deputy know uh about your 12:27.330 --> 12:29.497 condition ? And when did you know it ? 12:29.760 --> 12:32.039 Yeah , Phil . I , I think uh in terms 12:32.049 --> 12:34.309 of what she knew and didn't know , I 12:34.320 --> 12:36.890 think we should probably let the , that 12:37.830 --> 12:40.729 uh come out of the review . I think I , 12:40.739 --> 12:42.906 I won't speculate on what she knew and 12:42.906 --> 12:44.830 did not know uh based on what 12:44.840 --> 12:46.896 information was passed to , to her . 12:46.896 --> 12:48.896 Again , I think the details of that 12:48.896 --> 12:51.229 will come out of uh one or both of 12:51.239 --> 12:55.020 those reviews . So , ok , Mr 12:55.030 --> 12:56.974 Secretary , um you said you didn't 12:56.974 --> 13:00.390 direct your staff to hide this truth or , 13:00.400 --> 13:02.511 or lie ? But did you create a culture 13:02.511 --> 13:05.099 of secrecy that then uh the staff kind 13:05.109 --> 13:07.909 of interpreted your de your desires or 13:07.919 --> 13:10.869 your , um , intentions when it came to 13:10.880 --> 13:13.729 you getting sick . Yeah . You know , I , 13:13.750 --> 13:16.690 I , uh , uh , I don't think I've 13:16.700 --> 13:19.020 created a culture of secrecy . Uh , I 13:19.030 --> 13:22.289 think , uh , there will be , uh , 13:22.969 --> 13:25.191 security officers , there will be other 13:25.191 --> 13:27.510 staff members who , who may perceive 13:27.520 --> 13:29.687 that , uh , they're doing things in my 13:29.687 --> 13:31.964 best interest and , you know , I can't , 13:31.964 --> 13:35.289 I can't , uh , uh , predict or , or 13:35.299 --> 13:37.299 determine , or ascertain what those 13:37.299 --> 13:39.780 things may be . I just know what I said 13:39.789 --> 13:41.789 and , uh , and did not say , and of 13:41.789 --> 13:43.929 course , uh you know , I , I have a 13:43.940 --> 13:46.719 great staff and , and they always want 13:46.729 --> 13:49.469 to intend to do the right things , but 13:49.479 --> 13:52.140 in terms of what 1 may or may not have 13:52.150 --> 13:54.317 perceived at any one point in time , I 13:54.317 --> 13:57.130 won't speculate on that . Let's go to 13:57.140 --> 14:00.359 ABC . Hi , sir . Um Thank you for doing 14:00.369 --> 14:02.536 this . And I think on behalf of all of 14:02.536 --> 14:04.869 us here , we wish you to be uh recovery . 14:04.869 --> 14:06.770 Um I'd like to ask you about the 14:06.780 --> 14:08.947 current situation in the Middle East . 14:08.947 --> 14:11.169 The , the message has been deterrence , 14:11.169 --> 14:13.336 deterring the attacks by the houthis , 14:13.336 --> 14:15.558 deterring the attacks by the militias . 14:15.558 --> 14:17.849 Um , has deterrence failed . And if you 14:17.859 --> 14:20.026 are going to retaliate at the time and 14:20.026 --> 14:22.248 place of your choosing , is that not an 14:22.248 --> 14:24.470 escalation , particularly given all the 14:24.470 --> 14:27.380 rhetoric with Iran and a question on 14:27.390 --> 14:30.010 your recovery , sir . Um , at any point , 14:30.020 --> 14:33.340 did you feel that you , your situation 14:33.349 --> 14:35.349 had caused you to consider possibly 14:35.349 --> 14:38.070 resigning uh given all of the political 14:38.080 --> 14:40.280 attention that that had developed as a 14:40.289 --> 14:43.099 result of it . Um In terms of 14:43.109 --> 14:47.030 resignation , the answer is no um uh 14:47.039 --> 14:50.289 in terms of uh of 14:50.299 --> 14:53.460 escalation in the Middle East . Uh you 14:53.469 --> 14:55.636 know , our , our goal was to make sure 14:55.636 --> 14:59.169 that that we contain uh this 14:59.179 --> 15:03.179 crisis uh in uh in , in 15:03.190 --> 15:06.380 Gaza . Uh And uh and that we prevented 15:06.390 --> 15:08.919 things from , from spreading to a wider , 15:08.929 --> 15:11.151 wider conflict . Now , there's a lot of 15:11.151 --> 15:13.373 activity uh in the region , but there's 15:13.373 --> 15:15.429 always been a lot of activity in the 15:15.429 --> 15:17.651 region and , and , you know , well that 15:17.651 --> 15:19.540 um Iranian proxy groups have been 15:19.540 --> 15:21.770 attacking our troops uh even well 15:21.780 --> 15:24.140 before October 7th and you can go , we 15:24.150 --> 15:26.206 can go back and count the numbers of 15:26.206 --> 15:28.317 attacks before October 7th . Uh And , 15:28.317 --> 15:30.650 and they're not insignificant . Um 15:31.289 --> 15:33.178 There , there are things that are 15:33.178 --> 15:35.520 ongoing now . Uh well , things that are 15:35.530 --> 15:37.700 not ongoing , you know , we , we don't 15:37.710 --> 15:39.570 see a , a conflict , an all out 15:39.580 --> 15:42.880 conflict between Israel uh and Lebanese 15:42.890 --> 15:45.450 Hezbollah . Uh And so I think managing 15:45.460 --> 15:48.729 that , I think is uh uh has been 15:49.280 --> 15:51.613 artfully done . And , and so , you know , 15:51.613 --> 15:54.130 we remain in contact with our uh 15:54.140 --> 15:56.362 Israeli counterparts and make sure that 15:56.362 --> 15:59.039 that doesn't uh blossom into AAA war on 15:59.049 --> 16:01.659 another front . Uh We don't see Israel 16:01.669 --> 16:04.039 engaged in uh in a conflict with other 16:04.049 --> 16:06.216 countries in the region . We're not at 16:06.216 --> 16:08.382 war with with Iran . Uh and yeah , the 16:08.520 --> 16:10.631 Houthis uh continue to do some things 16:10.631 --> 16:12.919 that are very , uh irresponsible and 16:12.929 --> 16:16.510 illegal . And , uh , and so , uh our 16:16.520 --> 16:18.798 goal is to make sure that we take away , 16:18.798 --> 16:20.798 we continue to take away capability 16:20.798 --> 16:22.964 from the Houthis uh to do what they've 16:22.964 --> 16:25.076 been doing . And this is not a , uh , 16:25.409 --> 16:27.409 this is not a US issue , this is an 16:27.409 --> 16:29.576 international issue . You know , we're 16:29.576 --> 16:31.465 gonna either be serious about the 16:31.469 --> 16:34.260 freedom of navigation uh and uh 16:35.059 --> 16:37.159 or , or , or we're not . And , and , 16:37.169 --> 16:39.336 and so as we look at partners like the 16:39.336 --> 16:41.502 UK and so many others that have joined 16:41.502 --> 16:44.760 us uh in this effort , uh This is about 16:44.770 --> 16:46.659 freedom of navigation . There are 16:46.659 --> 16:48.770 others in the world that are watching 16:48.770 --> 16:50.714 us to see how , how serious we are 16:50.714 --> 16:52.992 about this and we are serious . Uh and , 16:52.992 --> 16:55.214 and again , our partners and allies are 16:55.214 --> 16:57.159 serious about it as well . This is 16:57.159 --> 17:01.020 costing uh uh countries and companies 17:01.030 --> 17:03.520 significant amounts of money as uh as 17:03.530 --> 17:05.641 they've had to redirect uh commercial 17:05.641 --> 17:07.900 traffic around . But the houthis uh I 17:07.910 --> 17:10.250 mean , their activity needs to come to 17:10.260 --> 17:12.790 a halt and we will call upon Iran to uh 17:12.800 --> 17:16.189 to quit or to cease supplying the 17:16.390 --> 17:18.390 Houthis with uh with these advanced 17:18.390 --> 17:20.557 conventional weapons that they've used 17:20.557 --> 17:22.779 to attack ships in the , in the Red Sea 17:22.779 --> 17:24.890 and the Bab Al Mandeb . Ok . Let's go 17:24.890 --> 17:27.569 to le uh sir , commiserations on your 17:27.579 --> 17:29.690 illness is , and it's good to see you 17:29.690 --> 17:31.857 back on your feet . Um , at least on 1 17:31.857 --> 17:35.699 ft on 1 ft . Um , uh , you said , uh , 17:35.709 --> 17:38.849 that you never directed your staff to 17:38.859 --> 17:41.081 keep the news of your hospitalization , 17:41.209 --> 17:44.130 uh , from the , from anyone , uh , did 17:44.140 --> 17:46.196 any senior members of your family or 17:46.196 --> 17:48.780 your wife direct people to keep this a 17:48.790 --> 17:52.780 secret , um , to my knowledge , 17:52.790 --> 17:55.010 no members , I don't know , I don't 17:55.020 --> 17:57.810 know what anyone on my , on my staff 17:57.819 --> 17:59.708 may have said , but I think these 17:59.708 --> 18:01.763 things will come out in the , in the 18:01.763 --> 18:03.986 review . And so rather than speculate , 18:03.989 --> 18:06.100 I , I think we should , we should let 18:06.100 --> 18:08.400 that uh the facts come out as a review 18:08.410 --> 18:10.410 is done . So can I ask you one more 18:10.410 --> 18:13.140 question about you ? It , it , it , you 18:13.150 --> 18:15.372 mentioned during your opening statement 18:15.372 --> 18:17.619 that uh this was an opportunity to talk 18:17.630 --> 18:19.741 about prostate cancer , especially in 18:19.741 --> 18:22.199 the black community . I wonder though , 18:22.209 --> 18:24.042 do you have any regret that your 18:24.042 --> 18:26.300 silence on this reinforced this culture 18:26.310 --> 18:28.650 of secrecy among black black men about 18:28.660 --> 18:31.079 prostate cancer ? Yeah . And you 18:31.089 --> 18:34.040 mentioned that and it's probably not a 18:34.050 --> 18:36.569 uh an issue of 18:36.829 --> 18:40.329 secrecy as much as it's an issue 18:40.969 --> 18:44.420 of privacy . And uh this is uh this is 18:44.430 --> 18:47.579 a very cancer period , is , is very 18:47.589 --> 18:49.930 private and there may be cancer 18:49.939 --> 18:52.140 survivors amongst , amongst us in this 18:52.150 --> 18:54.261 room right here . And I know there is 18:54.449 --> 18:56.616 at least a couple , there are at least 18:56.616 --> 18:59.430 a couple . Uh but , but you know uh how , 18:59.439 --> 19:02.770 how private that that is uh uh and , 19:02.780 --> 19:05.002 and you know what the initial diagnosis 19:05.002 --> 19:07.969 feels like . And uh uh and so among the 19:07.979 --> 19:10.035 black community though , it's , it's 19:10.035 --> 19:12.880 even more a thing that , that people 19:12.890 --> 19:15.640 wanna wanna keep private . And , and 19:15.650 --> 19:18.010 again , it's more about privacy than 19:18.020 --> 19:21.339 secrecy . Uh In my case , uh I should 19:21.349 --> 19:23.349 have informed my boss . I did not , 19:23.349 --> 19:25.319 that was a mistake . Uh And uh and 19:25.329 --> 19:27.273 again , I apologize to him for not 19:27.273 --> 19:30.589 doing so . N Pr Mr Secretary , you went 19:30.599 --> 19:32.979 to the hospital on December 22nd , was 19:32.989 --> 19:35.211 your staff aware that you'd gone to the 19:35.211 --> 19:37.378 hospital ? And if so , why didn't they 19:37.378 --> 19:39.600 tell the White House ? You went back to 19:39.600 --> 19:41.822 the hospital on January 1st and an aide 19:41.822 --> 19:44.380 told the dispatcher , uh , when the 19:44.390 --> 19:46.334 ambulance arrives , no lights , no 19:46.334 --> 19:48.557 sirens . Did you direct the aide to say 19:48.557 --> 19:52.280 that I asked , uh my assistant to 19:52.290 --> 19:54.780 call the ambulance . I , that did not 19:54.790 --> 19:56.739 direct him , uh , to do anything 19:56.750 --> 19:58.917 further than just call the ambulance . 19:58.930 --> 20:02.089 Uh And so what he said , uh and why he 20:02.099 --> 20:04.270 said it , I think that should come out 20:04.280 --> 20:06.391 in the , in the review as well . What 20:06.391 --> 20:08.447 about December 22nd when you went to 20:08.447 --> 20:10.447 the hospital the first time was the 20:10.447 --> 20:12.669 staff aware ? And if so why didn't they 20:12.669 --> 20:14.891 tell the White House when , when I went 20:14.891 --> 20:17.113 to the hospital on December 22nd , uh , 20:17.113 --> 20:19.336 it was , I went in for that procedure . 20:19.336 --> 20:21.391 Uh My duties were transferred to the 20:21.391 --> 20:23.790 deputy that was planned and uh and I 20:23.800 --> 20:25.578 decided to stay in the hospital 20:25.578 --> 20:27.689 overnight , didn't have to decided to 20:27.689 --> 20:29.744 stay there overnight . Uh Because of 20:29.744 --> 20:31.856 the anesthesia that was involved . Uh 20:31.856 --> 20:33.911 And then the next day , later in the 20:33.911 --> 20:35.800 afternoon , early evening , we 20:35.810 --> 20:37.754 transferred the authorities back . 20:39.739 --> 20:43.020 Peter Mr Secretary . First of all , we 20:43.030 --> 20:45.197 wish you good health and thank you for 20:45.197 --> 20:47.252 taking our questions and we hope you 20:47.252 --> 20:46.969 have a quick recovery . I have two 20:46.979 --> 20:49.090 questions . I'll start with the first 20:49.090 --> 20:51.257 one on your hospitalization . You were 20:51.257 --> 20:53.090 hospitalized for days before you 20:53.090 --> 20:52.869 informed the White House or the 20:52.880 --> 20:55.102 commander in chief of your condition in 20:55.102 --> 20:57.213 your absence , anyone else within the 20:57.213 --> 20:59.269 military chain of command would have 20:59.269 --> 21:01.849 faced reprimand or even dismissal . Why 21:01.859 --> 21:03.970 shouldn't that same standard apply to 21:03.970 --> 21:06.270 you , sir ? Well , let me just say that 21:06.280 --> 21:08.660 uh uh thanks for the question that , 21:08.670 --> 21:10.989 that we didn't get this right . And as 21:11.000 --> 21:13.510 I said , I take full responsibility for 21:13.800 --> 21:17.089 uh for uh the department's actions . Uh 21:17.099 --> 21:20.739 in terms of why uh on the 21:20.750 --> 21:23.020 second notification was , was not made 21:23.030 --> 21:25.040 to the White House . Uh That 21:25.050 --> 21:27.217 information was available . Uh I'm not 21:27.217 --> 21:30.089 sure uh at this point uh what exactly 21:30.099 --> 21:32.959 happened , but I think details uh will 21:32.969 --> 21:35.280 uh will play out as a review is , is 21:35.290 --> 21:37.346 conducted . So let's follow up about 21:37.346 --> 21:39.512 the situation overseas right now . And 21:39.512 --> 21:41.790 the deliberation in regards to strikes , 21:41.790 --> 21:43.846 there have been more than 100 and 60 21:43.846 --> 21:46.012 strikes on American targets across the 21:46.012 --> 21:48.234 region as you noted since October , why 21:48.234 --> 21:50.068 has the US waited until American 21:50.068 --> 21:52.880 service members were killed to escalate 21:52.890 --> 21:56.459 its response ? Well , um , 21:57.989 --> 22:00.156 as you know , we've responded a number 22:00.156 --> 22:04.089 of times , uh , and taken out , uh , um , 22:04.510 --> 22:07.920 first of all their attacks , uh , 22:07.930 --> 22:10.170 many of them , most of them are going 22:10.180 --> 22:12.347 to be ineffective . Many of , and most 22:12.347 --> 22:14.458 of them are going to defend ourselves 22:14.458 --> 22:16.890 against . Uh , and , um , uh , 22:16.900 --> 22:20.010 whenever we , uh , conduct a , uh , a 22:20.020 --> 22:22.187 strike , we're gonna hit at what we're 22:22.187 --> 22:24.076 aiming at , we're gonna take away 22:24.076 --> 22:26.242 capability , we're gonna , we're gonna 22:26.242 --> 22:28.650 do what we're uh uh desiring to do . Uh 22:28.660 --> 22:31.930 And so this , this particular attack 22:32.189 --> 22:35.819 um was egregious and that it , you know , 22:35.829 --> 22:39.479 the attack uh was on the sleeping area 22:39.489 --> 22:42.660 of one of , of , of , of our base . And , 22:42.670 --> 22:45.670 and again , uh we have uh uh 22:46.060 --> 22:49.550 we've Katab Hezbollah and , and 22:49.560 --> 22:53.150 other uh elements uh continue 22:53.160 --> 22:56.300 to um uh uh 22:56.310 --> 22:59.239 attack our troops . Uh And , uh and 22:59.250 --> 23:02.930 again , I think at this point , uh we , 23:02.939 --> 23:06.069 we should , uh it's time to uh to take 23:06.079 --> 23:08.135 away even more capability than we've 23:08.135 --> 23:10.468 taken in the past . And in terms of the , 23:10.468 --> 23:12.468 the , you use the term escalation , 23:12.530 --> 23:14.752 we've not described what our , what our 23:14.752 --> 23:16.863 response is gonna be . Uh But we look 23:16.863 --> 23:19.260 to hold the people that are responsible 23:19.270 --> 23:21.869 for this accountable and we also look 23:21.880 --> 23:24.130 to make sure that uh we continue to 23:24.140 --> 23:26.362 take away capability from them as we go 23:26.362 --> 23:28.418 forward . Let's go , let's go to the 23:28.418 --> 23:30.640 next question Washington Post , Missy . 23:30.640 --> 23:33.270 Um Welcome back , Mr Secretary . Um 23:33.380 --> 23:35.158 what , first of all , we um the 23:35.158 --> 23:37.213 chairman of the House Armed Services 23:37.213 --> 23:39.324 Committee , one of the main oversight 23:39.324 --> 23:41.491 committees for this building has asked 23:41.491 --> 23:43.658 if you will come testify on a specific 23:43.658 --> 23:45.936 date , will you do that ? And secondly , 23:45.936 --> 23:45.619 on the Middle East , what's your 23:45.630 --> 23:48.189 response to the criticism um that the 23:48.199 --> 23:50.310 United States is sort of playing into 23:50.310 --> 23:52.839 the hands of the Houthis because the US 23:52.849 --> 23:54.930 response is elevating their status . 23:54.939 --> 23:56.883 They've demonstrated an ability to 23:56.883 --> 23:59.050 withstand years of bombing in the past 23:59.050 --> 24:01.272 and more broadly playing into the hands 24:01.272 --> 24:03.106 of the Iranians that support the 24:03.106 --> 24:05.272 Houthis and the other groups . Um when 24:05.272 --> 24:07.217 the goal of President Biden in the 24:07.217 --> 24:09.106 United States has been to prevent 24:09.106 --> 24:11.106 increased violence um in the Middle 24:11.106 --> 24:13.328 East and , and now the United States is 24:13.328 --> 24:15.550 taking part in actually increasing it . 24:15.550 --> 24:14.989 Thanks . 24:19.660 --> 24:21.716 Uh Missy , what was your , the first 24:21.716 --> 24:23.549 part of your question ? Will you 24:23.549 --> 24:25.716 testify as Chairman Rogers has asked ? 24:25.716 --> 24:29.660 Yeah . So , uh Congress had uh had 24:29.670 --> 24:33.219 some uh very relevant questions uh 24:33.229 --> 24:36.670 that uh they've asked us . Uh and we 24:36.680 --> 24:38.680 will continue to uh to answer those 24:38.680 --> 24:40.869 questions . Uh We'll continue to work 24:40.880 --> 24:44.780 with uh Chairman Rogers O office uh to 24:44.790 --> 24:47.430 uh to address uh any additional 24:47.439 --> 24:49.717 questions or issues that he might have . 24:49.729 --> 24:51.785 And again , we'll stay in touch with 24:51.785 --> 24:53.951 Chairman rogers' office as , and , and 24:53.951 --> 24:56.062 uh you know , as things play out . So 24:56.439 --> 24:59.189 I'm sorry on the Middle East , are you 24:59.420 --> 25:02.930 into the hand of the more , you know , 25:02.939 --> 25:05.310 if you take a look at what the HS are 25:05.319 --> 25:07.359 doing , I mean , they're , they're 25:07.369 --> 25:10.310 attacking uh commercial shipping . You 25:10.319 --> 25:12.263 know , initially they said that uh 25:12.263 --> 25:14.375 they're attacking commercial shipping 25:14.375 --> 25:16.375 because these ships were supporting 25:16.375 --> 25:19.869 Israel . Uh they've attacked the uh uh 25:20.050 --> 25:22.239 ships that , that , that are , that 25:22.250 --> 25:24.959 have the interest of some 50 countries 25:24.969 --> 25:27.136 that are not supporting Israel . And , 25:27.136 --> 25:28.691 and so this is , this is an 25:28.691 --> 25:30.747 international crime . Uh , and , and 25:30.747 --> 25:32.858 this is something we have to do about 25:32.858 --> 25:35.025 it . And I , in terms of elevating the 25:35.025 --> 25:37.247 status of the Hies , I think we have to 25:37.247 --> 25:37.060 do something about that . This is not 25:37.069 --> 25:39.236 elevating their status . This is about 25:39.236 --> 25:41.739 preventing them from , uh , having the 25:41.750 --> 25:43.770 ability to do what they've done in 25:43.780 --> 25:45.800 terms of attacking ships , uh , and 25:45.810 --> 25:48.040 trying to sink ships , uh , that have 25:48.050 --> 25:50.106 nothing to do with , uh , with the , 25:50.106 --> 25:52.328 with the Israeli conflict . Let's go to 25:52.328 --> 25:55.060 CBS David Mr Secretary . We all saw a 25:55.069 --> 25:58.199 golf cart out in the hallway . Is , is , 25:58.209 --> 26:00.859 is that how you're getting around now ? 26:00.869 --> 26:04.359 And how confident are you that your 26:04.369 --> 26:07.040 recovery is going to be complete enough 26:07.050 --> 26:09.680 to allow you to continue in what 26:09.689 --> 26:12.280 everybody recognizes is a very 26:12.290 --> 26:15.069 demanding job . Yeah . Well , nobody 26:15.079 --> 26:17.849 recognizes that more than me . Uh , but , 26:17.859 --> 26:20.439 uh , um , that's the first time I used 26:20.449 --> 26:22.616 that golf cart by the way . And , uh , 26:22.616 --> 26:24.719 but I think it's pretty neat . Um , 26:26.390 --> 26:28.780 my leg will continue to prove improve . 26:28.790 --> 26:30.846 Uh The doctors are confident that it 26:30.846 --> 26:34.410 will . Uh the , my uh pt specialist who 26:34.420 --> 26:36.760 I think is a is , uh , you know , he 26:36.770 --> 26:39.449 continues to work me hard and uh , and , 26:39.459 --> 26:41.699 and he has confidence as well . It'll 26:41.709 --> 26:43.931 just take time because of the nature of 26:43.931 --> 26:47.209 the , of the , of the uh , no , they , 26:47.219 --> 26:49.163 they can't put a number on uh , in 26:49.163 --> 26:52.010 terms of days or , or , or weeks , but , 26:52.160 --> 26:54.327 but it'll be incremental improvement . 26:54.327 --> 26:56.549 I won't be ready for the Olympics , but 26:56.549 --> 26:58.900 uh but I'll uh I'll improve . So let's 26:58.910 --> 27:01.920 go to a FP . Thank you , Mr Secretary . 27:02.020 --> 27:04.489 Um Does the US need to escalate its 27:04.500 --> 27:06.722 military actions or do something new or 27:06.722 --> 27:08.500 unprecedented in order to deter 27:08.500 --> 27:10.722 rounding it proxies ? And , and if so , 27:10.722 --> 27:12.944 how can that be done without um without 27:12.944 --> 27:16.219 uh sparking a broader conflict ? I 27:16.229 --> 27:18.340 think everyone recognizes the , the , 27:18.340 --> 27:20.396 the challenge associated with making 27:20.396 --> 27:23.180 sure that we hold the right people 27:23.189 --> 27:26.060 accountable uh that uh that we do 27:26.069 --> 27:28.069 everything necessary to protect our 27:28.069 --> 27:30.439 troops and that we manage things so 27:30.449 --> 27:32.660 that they , they don't escalate . I 27:32.670 --> 27:34.559 don't think there's any , any set 27:34.559 --> 27:36.559 formula for doing this . I do think 27:36.559 --> 27:38.726 though that uh that in everything that 27:38.726 --> 27:41.780 we do uh as we work our way through our 27:41.790 --> 27:43.729 decision making process with the 27:43.739 --> 27:47.719 National Security uh um Council , uh 27:47.729 --> 27:50.010 we're , we're , we're , we're managing 27:50.020 --> 27:52.076 all of that , looking at all of that 27:52.076 --> 27:54.500 and , and we're using every instrument 27:54.510 --> 27:57.020 of national power to , to address 27:57.030 --> 27:59.160 various issues . So , so I think , I 27:59.170 --> 28:01.448 mean , there , there are ways to uh to , 28:01.448 --> 28:03.670 to manage this so it doesn't spiral out 28:03.670 --> 28:05.892 of control and that's been our focus uh 28:05.892 --> 28:07.781 throughout let's go to Al Jazeera 28:09.359 --> 28:12.829 Speedy recovery . Uh Mr Secretary . Um 28:12.839 --> 28:15.900 I have , I have two things um in , back 28:15.910 --> 28:17.910 in December , in your speech at the 28:17.910 --> 28:21.300 Reagan library , you told Israeli 28:21.310 --> 28:23.421 leaders they have to protect civilian 28:23.421 --> 28:25.989 lives in Gaza . Since that speech , 28:26.000 --> 28:28.056 12,000 more Palestinians have been , 28:28.500 --> 28:31.949 we're now at 27,000 killed . Why are 28:31.959 --> 28:35.040 you still supporting this war when this 28:35.050 --> 28:37.217 government that is the most extreme in 28:37.217 --> 28:39.383 the history of Israel , led by someone 28:39.383 --> 28:41.640 who refuses to recognize any political 28:41.650 --> 28:43.859 right for the Palestinians and with 28:43.869 --> 28:47.640 element that are calling for uh ethnic 28:47.650 --> 28:49.317 cleansing and displacement of 28:49.317 --> 28:51.539 Palestinians . Do Palestinians have the 28:51.539 --> 28:53.609 right to dignity ? As you said in 28:53.619 --> 28:55.780 Angola , when I was with you on , you 28:55.790 --> 28:57.846 said the future belongs to those who 28:57.846 --> 29:01.060 protect dignity , not trampoline . Yeah . 29:01.939 --> 29:04.550 Um I I said that in the speech at the 29:04.560 --> 29:08.300 Reagan forum , uh I've said that to 29:08.459 --> 29:10.810 my counterpart , Minister Gallant every 29:10.819 --> 29:13.369 time that I talk to him and I talk to 29:13.380 --> 29:16.359 him every week . Uh And I I emphasize 29:16.369 --> 29:19.589 the importance of protecting civilian 29:19.599 --> 29:22.250 lives . I also emphasize the importance 29:22.260 --> 29:25.650 of providing humanitarian assistance to 29:25.819 --> 29:28.390 the Palestinians . It's critical , it's , 29:28.400 --> 29:31.130 it's really important . Uh This is uh 29:31.140 --> 29:33.084 there's no question that this is a 29:33.084 --> 29:35.307 tough , it's been a tough uh conflict . 29:35.339 --> 29:38.410 Uh But we're , as I said earlier , we 29:38.420 --> 29:41.160 are starting to see uh the Israelis 29:41.170 --> 29:43.250 kind of shift their stance and , and 29:43.260 --> 29:45.660 change their approach to a more uh 29:45.680 --> 29:49.250 focused . Uh and uh um 29:49.989 --> 29:53.859 um controlled 29:53.900 --> 29:56.178 control is probably not the right word , 29:56.178 --> 29:58.400 but a more focused effort uh focused on 29:58.400 --> 30:00.511 a discrete set of objectives . Uh And 30:00.511 --> 30:04.430 so , um I think , uh you know , we , 30:04.439 --> 30:07.589 we talk to him about that uh weeks ago . 30:07.969 --> 30:10.136 Uh And uh they said they were gonna do 30:10.136 --> 30:12.589 that and they are doing that . But I 30:12.599 --> 30:14.710 will continue to emphasize and I know 30:14.710 --> 30:16.821 Secretary Blinken and President Biden 30:16.821 --> 30:18.543 will continue to emphasize the 30:18.543 --> 30:20.655 importance of addressing the issue of 30:20.655 --> 30:22.766 the Palestinian people . Uh It , it's 30:22.766 --> 30:25.280 critical and uh you know , we're doing 30:25.290 --> 30:27.479 more uh but , but we're not doing 30:27.489 --> 30:29.600 enough so time for a few more . Let's 30:29.600 --> 30:31.880 go to CNN uh Secretary , allow me to 30:31.890 --> 30:33.890 join my colleagues in wishing you a 30:33.890 --> 30:36.057 speedy recovery . Uh The 30 day review 30:36.057 --> 30:38.168 is due in a matter of days now . Uh I 30:38.168 --> 30:38.119 think less than a week if I'm not 30:38.130 --> 30:40.352 mistaken , do you commit to making that 30:40.352 --> 30:42.463 review public ? And second question , 30:42.463 --> 30:44.686 has your chief of staff , Kelly Maximan 30:44.686 --> 30:46.797 offered her resignation or have there 30:46.797 --> 30:48.963 been discussions about her resignation 30:48.963 --> 30:48.839 in the wake of the failure to notify ? 30:49.689 --> 30:53.380 Um I commit to being uh 30:53.390 --> 30:57.219 as , as transparent as possible uh and 30:57.229 --> 31:00.459 uh and sharing as much as possible . Um 31:00.829 --> 31:02.996 Or , and you understand , that because 31:02.996 --> 31:05.130 this is a command and control of uh 31:05.140 --> 31:08.619 policies of uh of our government here . 31:08.630 --> 31:10.969 There'll be um elements of this that 31:10.979 --> 31:13.339 are classified , but uh we're committed 31:13.349 --> 31:15.650 to sharing uh as , as much as possible 31:15.660 --> 31:17.882 as soon as possible . And your chief of 31:17.882 --> 31:19.993 staff , she offered her resignation . 31:19.993 --> 31:22.160 Uh She has not . So , ok , let's go to 31:22.160 --> 31:24.900 PBS Nick , uh Mr Secretary , I've seen 31:24.910 --> 31:27.021 what you're going through up close uh 31:27.021 --> 31:29.021 among loved ones . So again , uh we 31:29.021 --> 31:31.077 wish you a full recovery and , and I 31:31.077 --> 31:33.243 know it's possible . So thank you . Um 31:33.243 --> 31:35.243 You described this as a gut punch , 31:35.243 --> 31:37.243 your instinct to privacy . But if I 31:37.243 --> 31:39.299 could just ask you bluntly , you had 31:39.299 --> 31:41.299 nearly a month between the time you 31:41.299 --> 31:43.299 learned of your cancer and the time 31:43.299 --> 31:45.132 that this came out to inform the 31:45.132 --> 31:47.077 president , how could you possibly 31:47.077 --> 31:49.299 think that it was ok not to tell him if 31:49.299 --> 31:51.188 I could be blunt and just a small 31:51.188 --> 31:53.354 question on Iran and the Middle East , 31:53.354 --> 31:55.021 what do you believe Iran knew 31:55.021 --> 31:56.910 operationally about the attack in 31:56.910 --> 31:58.910 Jordan ? And , and how important is 31:58.910 --> 32:01.132 that when it comes to the US response ? 32:03.729 --> 32:07.349 So , um the diagnosis was made , 32:07.630 --> 32:11.209 um doctor highlighted that you have a 32:11.219 --> 32:14.390 finite window of time to actually get 32:14.400 --> 32:16.400 this done . If you go beyond that , 32:16.400 --> 32:19.189 that window , then then you will have a 32:19.199 --> 32:21.366 problem . Christmas holidays coming up 32:21.366 --> 32:25.069 uh for me uh to be have as 32:25.079 --> 32:28.949 little impact on , on uh what 32:28.959 --> 32:31.890 we're doing in an apartment . Christmas 32:31.920 --> 32:34.109 was a time for me to , uh , to take a 32:34.119 --> 32:36.650 look at getting that done . Uh , it was 32:36.660 --> 32:38.716 a tough decision for me . Uh , and I 32:38.716 --> 32:41.199 did not decide until , you know , very 32:41.209 --> 32:43.431 close to when the procedure was done to 32:43.431 --> 32:45.431 actually , uh , do the procedure in 32:45.431 --> 32:47.819 terms of informing the president again . 32:47.930 --> 32:50.459 I , uh , I admit that that was a 32:50.469 --> 32:52.580 mistake to not talk to him about that 32:52.580 --> 32:54.439 early on . Uh , when you're the 32:54.449 --> 32:56.505 president of the United States , you 32:56.505 --> 32:58.727 got a lot of things on your plate . And 32:58.727 --> 33:01.199 so putting my personal uh issue uh on 33:01.209 --> 33:03.829 adding , adding to his uh all the 33:03.839 --> 33:05.950 things that he's got on his plate . I 33:05.950 --> 33:07.950 just didn't feel that that was , uh 33:07.950 --> 33:09.895 that was a thing that I should , I 33:09.895 --> 33:12.006 should do at the time . But again , I 33:12.006 --> 33:14.390 recognize that that was a mistake and 33:14.400 --> 33:16.678 uh I should have done that differently . 33:16.678 --> 33:18.789 So what Iron knew about the attack in 33:18.789 --> 33:20.733 Jordan or how operationally he was 33:20.733 --> 33:22.733 involved . Um You know , we believe 33:22.733 --> 33:24.750 that this was done by an element of 33:25.170 --> 33:28.349 what is known as the axis of resistance . 33:28.810 --> 33:31.760 Uh And uh these are Iranian proxy 33:31.770 --> 33:34.239 groups . Uh and how much Iran knew or 33:34.250 --> 33:36.479 didn't know we , we don't know , but it 33:36.489 --> 33:39.040 really doesn't matter because Iran 33:39.189 --> 33:41.356 sponsors these groups , it funds these 33:41.356 --> 33:44.469 groups . Uh and uh in some cases , it 33:44.479 --> 33:46.257 uh it trains these groups on uh 33:46.257 --> 33:48.423 advanced conventional weapons . Uh And 33:48.423 --> 33:51.579 so , you know , I , again , I , I think 33:51.640 --> 33:54.040 without that facilitation , these kinds 33:54.050 --> 33:56.217 of things don't happen . OK , let's go 33:56.217 --> 33:58.550 to FT and then Politico to close it out . 33:59.910 --> 34:02.089 Have you seen any sign that China has 34:02.099 --> 34:04.260 been successful in pressuring Iran to 34:04.270 --> 34:07.469 rein in the Houthis in the Red Sea ? Uh 34:07.479 --> 34:10.070 We , we have not um 34:10.080 --> 34:13.760 again , what's happening in terms 34:13.770 --> 34:17.100 of uh close communications between , 34:17.110 --> 34:20.500 between leaders . Uh you know , we , we 34:20.510 --> 34:22.699 don't know but uh but we've not seen 34:22.709 --> 34:25.389 any visible evidence that they are , 34:25.399 --> 34:28.879 they are encouraging or pressuring uh 34:28.889 --> 34:31.659 Iran to uh cause the hootie to , to 34:31.669 --> 34:33.780 back off of what they've been doing . 34:33.780 --> 34:36.540 Final question . Good to see you , Mr 34:36.550 --> 34:38.772 Secretary . I also hope that you make a 34:38.772 --> 34:41.050 speedy recovery . I have two questions . 34:41.050 --> 34:43.217 Um First of all , um do you regret not 34:43.217 --> 34:45.469 personally telling the deputy the 34:45.479 --> 34:47.535 details , the two times you that you 34:47.535 --> 34:49.146 were in the hospital and the 34:49.146 --> 34:51.257 authorities were transferred to her ? 34:51.257 --> 34:53.312 Do you think that she had a right to 34:53.312 --> 34:53.199 know ? And then I have a question on 34:53.209 --> 34:55.270 the Middle East as well . Um As you 34:55.280 --> 34:57.447 heard me say in my opening statement , 34:57.447 --> 35:00.290 uh I apologize to all my colleagues . 35:00.370 --> 35:04.080 Uh And uh and also the American 35:04.090 --> 35:06.360 people that uh that I wasn't as 35:06.370 --> 35:08.426 transparent as I , I probably should 35:08.426 --> 35:10.537 have been up front . So , and then my 35:10.537 --> 35:12.259 second question , is there any 35:12.259 --> 35:14.259 discussion right now of withdrawing 35:14.259 --> 35:16.203 troops from either Syria or Iraq , 35:16.203 --> 35:18.314 especially given what has happened in 35:18.314 --> 35:20.370 the last couple of weeks . Um what's 35:20.370 --> 35:22.592 happened in the last couple of weeks is 35:22.592 --> 35:25.449 not driving us to um consider 35:25.459 --> 35:27.570 withdrawing troops from Syria . There 35:27.570 --> 35:29.919 are ongoing discussions with the uh 35:29.929 --> 35:33.379 Iraq uh Iraqi leadership about uh 35:33.389 --> 35:36.360 about our future footprint uh in Iraq . 35:36.370 --> 35:38.537 And I think that's , that's been uh uh 35:38.537 --> 35:40.419 fairly well publicized the High 35:40.429 --> 35:42.590 Military Commission . Uh We've taken 35:42.600 --> 35:44.919 the first steps uh in , in conducting 35:44.929 --> 35:47.096 those meetings . And so that will play 35:47.096 --> 35:49.207 out over time . And does that include 35:49.207 --> 35:51.262 discussions about withdrawing troops 35:51.262 --> 35:53.669 from Iraq ? It'll include discussions 35:53.679 --> 35:55.901 about our footprint going forward . For 35:55.901 --> 35:57.679 sure . Thank you very much , Mr 35:57.679 --> 35:59.623 Secretary , ladies and gentlemen , 35:59.623 --> 35:59.500 that's all the time we have for today . 35:59.510 --> 36:03.310 Thank you very much . Uh We're still 36:03.320 --> 36:04.959 doing the forensics jam but 36:07.050 --> 36:09.719 um mo most of the drones in the , in 36:09.729 --> 36:12.500 the region um have uh 36:14.709 --> 36:16.653 have a connection with Iran . So , 36:22.429 --> 36:25.570 hm , you know , I don't think the 36:26.439 --> 36:28.870 uh the adversaries are of a one and 36:28.879 --> 36:32.850 done mindset . Uh And so uh they have a 36:32.860 --> 36:35.020 lot of capability . I have a lot more 36:35.429 --> 36:38.179 and , and so , you know , we , uh we , 36:38.189 --> 36:40.411 we , as I said earlier , we're gonna do 36:40.411 --> 36:42.578 what's necessary to protect our troops 36:42.578 --> 36:44.810 and our interests . So , thank you very 36:44.959 --> 36:47.139 much . Thank you .