WEBVTT 00:01.029 --> 00:03.529 All right , good afternoon , everyone . 00:04.920 --> 00:07.087 Just a couple of things at the top and 00:07.087 --> 00:09.198 then I'll get right to your questions 00:10.439 --> 00:12.689 yesterday , Secretary Austin welcomed 00:12.699 --> 00:14.921 Singapore Minister of Defense in to the 00:14.921 --> 00:17.143 Pentagon for a bilateral meeting during 00:17.143 --> 00:19.366 which they reaffirmed the long standing 00:19.366 --> 00:21.532 defense partnership between the United 00:21.532 --> 00:23.699 States and Singapore . The two leaders 00:23.699 --> 00:25.588 discussed opportunities to expand 00:25.588 --> 00:27.310 Bilateral Force Posture cooper 00:27.310 --> 00:29.088 operation and the importance of 00:29.088 --> 00:30.699 expanding joint training and 00:30.699 --> 00:32.532 interoperability . The officials 00:32.532 --> 00:34.880 emphasized the strength of us Singapore 00:34.889 --> 00:37.209 collaboration on emerging technologies 00:37.310 --> 00:39.619 as demonstrated by the signing of a US 00:39.630 --> 00:42.180 Singapore statement of intent for data 00:42.189 --> 00:44.380 analytics and artificial intelligence 00:44.389 --> 00:46.700 cooper operation by the US , Chief 00:46.709 --> 00:48.400 Digital and Arti Artificial 00:48.409 --> 00:50.687 Intelligence Officer and the Singapore , 00:50.687 --> 00:52.465 Deputy Secretary for Technology 00:53.099 --> 00:54.970 Secretary Austin and Minister NG 00:54.979 --> 00:56.701 reaffirmed their commitment to 00:56.701 --> 00:58.880 advancing the historic momentum in the 00:58.889 --> 01:01.419 US Singapore Defense Partnership and 01:01.430 --> 01:03.486 share and a shared vision for a free 01:03.486 --> 01:05.830 and open Indo Pacific region readout of 01:05.839 --> 01:08.172 the call has been posted to defense.gov . 01:08.860 --> 01:11.027 Finally , I know many of you have been 01:11.027 --> 01:12.971 following the status of the J Lots 01:12.971 --> 01:15.249 humanitarian mission or temporary pier . 01:15.249 --> 01:17.416 This time , the temporary pier remains 01:17.416 --> 01:19.582 in Ashdod and a potential re anchoring 01:19.582 --> 01:22.089 date has not been set . As we've said , 01:22.099 --> 01:24.266 the pier has always been intended as a 01:24.266 --> 01:26.488 temporary solution and it will conclude 01:26.488 --> 01:28.655 its mission soon . But as of today , I 01:28.655 --> 01:30.877 don't have any announcements to make in 01:30.877 --> 01:32.599 terms of when the mission will 01:32.599 --> 01:34.821 officially conclude , very aware of the 01:34.821 --> 01:36.988 press and public interest and we'll be 01:36.988 --> 01:39.266 sure to provide updates as appropriate . 01:39.266 --> 01:38.930 And with that happy to take your 01:38.940 --> 01:41.040 questions , we'll go to A P Alita . 01:41.589 --> 01:44.589 Thank you , Pat Pat . Do you know if 01:44.599 --> 01:47.290 there is any us military involvement at 01:47.300 --> 01:51.190 all in Ashdod as they try to 01:51.370 --> 01:53.980 get more aid in through that port ? Is 01:53.989 --> 01:56.389 there any us involvement at all in any 01:56.400 --> 01:59.980 of that ? Um So we'll have more details 01:59.989 --> 02:02.220 to follow in terms of uh you know , 02:02.230 --> 02:04.660 next steps as far as Ashdod goes , as 02:04.669 --> 02:06.930 you know , we have a convoy management 02:06.940 --> 02:10.449 board uh that's situated there um with 02:10.460 --> 02:14.059 Lieutenant General Frank , um in terms 02:14.070 --> 02:17.679 of us military presence at Ashdod in 02:17.690 --> 02:19.857 terms of accepting aid moving it . I'm 02:19.857 --> 02:22.630 not aware of any uh any activity at the 02:22.639 --> 02:24.699 moment . Uh Other than to say , uh 02:24.710 --> 02:26.766 again , you know , we , we are aware 02:26.766 --> 02:28.988 that aid has moved through Ashdod and , 02:28.988 --> 02:31.619 and uh we have delivered aid to Ashdod 02:31.630 --> 02:34.309 for onward distribution . Um But again , 02:34.320 --> 02:36.264 we'll , we'll have more details to 02:36.264 --> 02:38.487 provide for you in the future just on , 02:38.487 --> 02:40.929 just on that point has the aid . Is 02:40.940 --> 02:43.899 there any aid on the floating dock that 02:43.910 --> 02:47.539 is offshore of Gaza or has all of that 02:47.550 --> 02:49.639 aid been delivered now to ash . 02:51.270 --> 02:53.869 Um I I'd have to take that question . I 02:53.880 --> 02:55.936 don't know the answer to that . Ok . 02:56.619 --> 02:58.750 Yes , sir . Thank you , sir . Uh Two 02:58.759 --> 03:02.539 questions . One during the NATO summit 03:02.550 --> 03:04.779 in Washington , Prime Minister Narendra 03:04.970 --> 03:08.169 Modi of India was in Moscow meeting and 03:08.179 --> 03:10.360 greeting with the President Putin of 03:10.369 --> 03:14.330 Russia . They have discussed 03:14.339 --> 03:17.889 so many issues between India and Russia 03:17.899 --> 03:20.789 including military pact and also 03:20.860 --> 03:23.149 situation in the Middle East war going 03:23.160 --> 03:25.779 on . And also of course , uh Russia and 03:25.789 --> 03:28.380 Ukraine war and Prime Minister Modi 03:28.539 --> 03:32.070 offered many options there and both 03:32.080 --> 03:34.080 leaders that this war in the Middle 03:34.080 --> 03:36.289 East should be end because there is in 03:36.300 --> 03:39.020 interest of India , of course , in many 03:39.029 --> 03:41.960 ways . And also at the same time , war 03:41.970 --> 03:45.089 in between Russia and Ukraine also in 03:45.100 --> 03:47.919 the interest of India to end this war 03:47.929 --> 03:50.539 also . So where do we go from there ? 03:50.550 --> 03:53.119 NATO was meeting here and they were 03:53.130 --> 03:55.270 meeting there at the same time . And 03:55.460 --> 03:57.979 where do we stand out for a US India 03:57.990 --> 04:00.139 military to military relations into 04:00.149 --> 04:03.039 this connection also ? Yeah . Um well 04:03.050 --> 04:05.217 as you heard me say last week , uh you 04:05.217 --> 04:07.439 know , India is a strategic partner and 04:07.439 --> 04:09.272 we look forward to continuing to 04:09.272 --> 04:11.439 develop that partnership when it comes 04:11.439 --> 04:13.600 to Ukraine and Russia's illegal 04:13.610 --> 04:16.380 occupation and invasion of Ukraine . Uh 04:16.390 --> 04:18.446 Ultimately , at the end of the day , 04:18.446 --> 04:21.200 it's up to Ukraine to decide , uh you 04:21.209 --> 04:24.119 know , when they are ready to uh to 04:24.130 --> 04:26.241 negotiate for peace . And right now , 04:26.250 --> 04:29.070 our focus continues to be on working 04:29.079 --> 04:31.246 with Ukraine to provide them with what 04:31.246 --> 04:33.412 they need to defend their country . Uh 04:33.412 --> 04:35.579 and , and defend their sovereignty and 04:35.579 --> 04:37.746 take back territory . Uh But they're , 04:37.746 --> 04:39.950 you know , at the end of the day , uh 04:40.190 --> 04:42.301 you know , there's no decisions about 04:42.301 --> 04:43.929 Ukraine without Ukraine . So 04:46.600 --> 04:50.570 if a lawmaker or senator acting 04:50.579 --> 04:54.260 as a foreign agent of the United 04:54.269 --> 04:57.190 States and have been found guilty by 04:57.200 --> 05:00.600 the New Jersey grand jury , uh Senator 05:00.609 --> 05:02.989 Bob Menendez is now as far as the 05:03.000 --> 05:05.320 military connection because he was 05:05.329 --> 05:07.440 found guilty in connection with those 05:07.440 --> 05:09.579 countries that he was acting as a 05:09.589 --> 05:11.756 foreign agent . They , those countries 05:11.756 --> 05:13.700 have a military relations with the 05:13.700 --> 05:16.290 United States . So in any way that uh 05:16.489 --> 05:18.670 this building or military relations 05:18.679 --> 05:21.190 will be uh affected in any way because 05:21.200 --> 05:24.140 of a guilty . Yeah , as it relates to 05:24.149 --> 05:25.927 Senator Menendez , I don't have 05:25.927 --> 05:28.093 anything to provide . I'd refer you to 05:28.093 --> 05:30.093 Department of Justice on that car . 05:30.093 --> 05:32.589 Thanks . Um Just first to follow up on 05:32.600 --> 05:35.000 the situation with the peer . Uh Are 05:35.010 --> 05:37.670 there any additional airdrops going on 05:37.679 --> 05:40.519 or does dod assess that there's still a 05:40.529 --> 05:43.079 great need for humanitarian assistance ? 05:43.089 --> 05:44.978 Is there anything going on in the 05:44.978 --> 05:47.089 interim while we're waiting for the ? 05:47.089 --> 05:46.769 Yeah , I don't , I don't have anything 05:46.779 --> 05:48.890 to announce at the moment in terms of 05:48.890 --> 05:50.668 airdrops . Of course , that's a 05:50.668 --> 05:52.835 capability that we maintain . Um But , 05:52.835 --> 05:55.057 but nothing to announce specifically on 05:55.057 --> 05:57.019 that when it comes to humanitarian 05:57.029 --> 05:59.950 assistance for Gaza . Uh We know that 06:00.149 --> 06:01.982 that there is an urgent need for 06:01.982 --> 06:04.205 humanitarian assistance . Of course USA 06:04.205 --> 06:06.427 ID is the lead for the US government in 06:06.427 --> 06:08.649 terms of working with the international 06:08.649 --> 06:10.871 community and the the dod is supporting 06:10.871 --> 06:12.760 their efforts . So we'll continue 06:12.760 --> 06:14.929 obviously to maintain close contact as 06:14.940 --> 06:17.829 we have all along with USA ID uh on 06:17.839 --> 06:19.950 that front to ensure that we're doing 06:19.950 --> 06:22.228 our part to support those efforts . Ok . 06:22.228 --> 06:24.450 Thanks Matt . And then just a couple of 06:24.450 --> 06:26.561 questions on the country of Georgia . 06:26.561 --> 06:28.395 Um following noble partner being 06:28.395 --> 06:30.117 canceled . Are there any other 06:30.117 --> 06:32.450 cancellations ? Has every mil to mil 06:32.459 --> 06:35.510 operation been put on hold for the time 06:35.519 --> 06:37.686 being ? Um There's supposed to be some 06:37.686 --> 06:39.575 sort of celebration at the end of 06:39.575 --> 06:41.686 August is that , has that been put on 06:41.686 --> 06:43.519 hold ? Can you give us any other 06:43.519 --> 06:45.463 updates ? Yeah , I'm not , I'm not 06:45.463 --> 06:47.741 tracking any other cancel at this time . 06:47.741 --> 06:49.963 And then I guess , does dod see Georgia 06:49.963 --> 06:52.299 still as a US friendly ally or does it 06:52.309 --> 06:54.365 see it moving towards Russia at this 06:54.365 --> 06:56.531 point ? Yeah , I mean , we'll continue 06:56.531 --> 06:58.753 to partner with Georgian Defense Forces 06:58.753 --> 07:00.920 and we'll continue to look for ways to 07:00.920 --> 07:02.698 strengthen Georgia's ability to 07:02.698 --> 07:04.865 safeguard its sovereignty and maintain 07:04.865 --> 07:06.642 its territorial integrity . The 07:06.642 --> 07:09.299 decision to cancel the exercise was not 07:09.309 --> 07:12.399 taken lightly . Um We place great 07:12.410 --> 07:14.466 consideration on the extensive value 07:14.466 --> 07:16.243 that allies and partners add to 07:16.243 --> 07:18.750 exercises such as noble partner . Um 07:18.760 --> 07:20.760 And so we're gonna continue to look 07:20.760 --> 07:22.871 forward to future opportunities uh to 07:22.871 --> 07:25.038 cooper with allies and partners . So I 07:25.038 --> 07:26.704 leave it there . Let me go to 07:26.704 --> 07:29.880 Constantine . Thanks . So CNN is 07:29.890 --> 07:33.320 reporting that remnants of two US made 07:33.329 --> 07:35.218 munitions were used in an Israeli 07:35.218 --> 07:37.440 missile strike on Sunday on a school in 07:37.440 --> 07:39.662 central Gaza . Does the Pentagon have a 07:39.662 --> 07:41.829 reaction or comment to that ? I mean , 07:41.829 --> 07:43.829 I've seen the press reports but I'd 07:43.829 --> 07:43.779 have to refer you to Israel to talk 07:43.790 --> 07:46.940 about their operations and just more 07:46.950 --> 07:48.950 broadly , this isn't the first time 07:48.950 --> 07:51.117 that reports like this have come out . 07:51.117 --> 07:52.894 Um You know , does the Pentagon 07:52.894 --> 07:55.117 leadership feel like it's doing , doing 07:55.117 --> 07:57.339 an adequate job of making sure that the 07:57.339 --> 07:59.506 weapons we give Israel are not used in 07:59.506 --> 08:01.672 incidents such as this . Well , look , 08:01.672 --> 08:03.899 I mean , we've been very clear to our 08:03.910 --> 08:06.290 Israeli partners on our view as it 08:06.299 --> 08:08.899 relates to mitigating civilian harm . 08:09.350 --> 08:11.410 And I , I think there's something I 08:11.420 --> 08:13.630 would hope we could all agree on this 08:13.640 --> 08:15.790 war is undoubtedly tragic . Way too 08:15.799 --> 08:18.200 many civilians have died . Uh It's 08:18.209 --> 08:21.029 heartbreaking to see the images that we 08:21.040 --> 08:23.549 see . Um And that's , I think a reason , 08:23.559 --> 08:25.392 a main reason why you see the US 08:25.392 --> 08:28.570 government working so hard to uh to 08:28.579 --> 08:31.500 obtain a ceasefire between the factions 08:31.510 --> 08:33.929 that are , that are fighting here . Um 08:34.520 --> 08:36.687 When it comes to the ID F operations , 08:36.687 --> 08:38.853 we continue to urge them both publicly 08:38.853 --> 08:42.309 and privately to uh take civilian harm 08:42.320 --> 08:44.830 mitigation into account . We know that 08:44.840 --> 08:47.007 they need to do more on this front and 08:47.007 --> 08:49.173 we're going to continue to communicate 08:49.173 --> 08:51.173 that to them . I , I would also say 08:51.173 --> 08:52.784 though that Hamas bears some 08:52.784 --> 08:55.062 responsibility for this as well in the , 08:55.062 --> 08:57.007 in the sense that they continue to 08:57.007 --> 08:59.118 embed among the civilian population . 08:59.118 --> 09:02.530 Um And if they truly cared uh about the 09:02.539 --> 09:04.761 Palestinian population , one has to ask 09:04.761 --> 09:06.928 why they continue to build command and 09:06.928 --> 09:09.039 control nodes , barracks , armories , 09:09.039 --> 09:11.206 tunnels underneath the city uh and put 09:11.206 --> 09:13.719 themselves in places where there's 09:13.729 --> 09:17.710 active military operations . Um So just 09:17.719 --> 09:21.059 leave it there . Thank you , General . 09:21.190 --> 09:24.520 Uh I have two questions at the US and 09:24.530 --> 09:27.270 South Korea summit . Last week , the 09:27.280 --> 09:30.890 two countries issued a joint statement 09:30.900 --> 09:34.469 on nuclear deterrence and the approval 09:34.479 --> 09:37.929 of nuclear operational guidelines . 09:38.349 --> 09:41.140 That's the approval of a nuclear 09:41.150 --> 09:44.580 operational guide guidelines . Refer to 09:44.760 --> 09:48.520 new guidelines that will enable the 09:48.530 --> 09:52.119 US and South Korea to , to respond to 09:52.130 --> 09:55.340 nuclear weapons in an emergency 09:55.349 --> 09:58.809 situation on the Korean Peninsula . Um 09:58.820 --> 10:01.859 Well , I , I think again , uh you know , 10:01.869 --> 10:04.890 our alliance with the Republic of Korea 10:04.900 --> 10:07.400 is ironclad and we've been very clear 10:07.409 --> 10:09.960 uh that when it comes to extended 10:09.969 --> 10:12.599 deterrence , uh the United States , uh 10:12.609 --> 10:14.340 it makes available all of its 10:14.349 --> 10:17.580 capability to support uh the defense of 10:17.590 --> 10:20.309 the Republic of Korea . Uh Of course , 10:20.320 --> 10:22.729 uh this is a defensive alliance we're 10:22.739 --> 10:26.510 not seeking to uh go to war obviously 10:26.520 --> 10:28.298 in the region and we're seeking 10:28.298 --> 10:30.298 regional security and stability and 10:30.298 --> 10:32.242 that will continue to be our , our 10:32.242 --> 10:34.242 focus Thank you . And , and China , 10:34.242 --> 10:37.289 China and Russia are conducting joint 10:37.299 --> 10:41.010 maritime exercise , including live 10:41.020 --> 10:44.400 fire . Do you see this as a training 10:44.409 --> 10:48.260 aimed at the impact exercise ? Um I'll 10:48.270 --> 10:50.437 let them speak to the rationale behind 10:50.437 --> 10:52.270 their exercises . It's of course 10:52.270 --> 10:54.380 something that we uh monitor closely 10:54.390 --> 10:56.612 and we'll continue to do . So let me go 10:56.612 --> 10:58.779 to the phone here real quick . Heather 10:58.779 --> 11:02.760 uh from us and I hi , thank you so much . 11:02.770 --> 11:05.460 Um So US S Dwight D Eisenhower just 11:05.469 --> 11:07.580 returned from a nine month deployment 11:07.580 --> 11:09.136 that everyone is calling um 11:09.136 --> 11:11.299 unprecedented . So uh two questions 11:11.309 --> 11:13.531 based on what you're seeing or what the 11:13.531 --> 11:15.698 Pentagon has seen since um February of 11:15.698 --> 11:19.099 2021 does the Secretary of Defense uh 11:19.109 --> 11:22.039 uh predict that these extended 11:22.049 --> 11:24.049 deployments are going to become the 11:24.049 --> 11:26.840 norm ? Um And then if so , uh and based 11:26.849 --> 11:29.071 on what's already been happening , what 11:29.071 --> 11:31.238 resources is the Pentagon offering the 11:31.238 --> 11:33.219 Navy in order to um bolster up 11:33.229 --> 11:35.719 resilience among sailors who are stuck 11:35.729 --> 11:37.880 on a ship for nine months ? Yeah , 11:37.890 --> 11:40.001 thanks Heather . So I , I won't , you 11:40.001 --> 11:41.612 know , speculate or get into 11:41.612 --> 11:43.779 hypotheticals about uh the duration of 11:43.779 --> 11:45.834 deployments . I mean , as you know , 11:45.834 --> 11:47.557 the military , the US military 11:47.557 --> 11:49.112 maintains a wide variety of 11:49.112 --> 11:51.279 capabilities that enable us to respond 11:51.279 --> 11:53.223 to a wide variety of contingencies 11:53.223 --> 11:55.501 around the world . In other words , we , 11:55.501 --> 11:58.010 we are able to surge assets to where 11:58.020 --> 12:00.570 they're needed most uh to support our 12:00.580 --> 12:02.580 national security interests and our 12:02.580 --> 12:05.000 obligations around the world . And so 12:05.010 --> 12:07.780 uh in , in the Red Sea area right now , 12:07.900 --> 12:10.289 uh we continue to see houthi aggression , 12:10.409 --> 12:12.309 impacting the innocent lives of 12:12.320 --> 12:15.340 Mariners and the freedom of navigation 12:15.349 --> 12:17.405 through that important waterway . So 12:17.405 --> 12:19.182 we'll continue to work with the 12:19.182 --> 12:21.349 international community uh toward that 12:21.349 --> 12:23.571 end . Uh And as for navy personnel , uh 12:23.571 --> 12:25.880 you know , uh confident that navy 12:25.890 --> 12:28.710 leadership will continue to look at uh 12:28.719 --> 12:30.941 doing everything it needs to do to take 12:30.941 --> 12:33.108 care of our sailors and their families 12:33.108 --> 12:34.886 as they conduct these important 12:34.886 --> 12:36.997 missions around the world . Let me go 12:36.997 --> 12:38.941 to Jeff Shog task and purpose . Uh 12:38.941 --> 12:40.997 Thank you , the Coast Guard recently 12:40.997 --> 12:43.052 rescued Dave Portnoy , founder of uh 12:43.052 --> 12:45.163 Barstool Sports . And I was wondering 12:45.163 --> 12:47.330 if any dod assets were involved in the 12:47.330 --> 12:49.552 rescue , like satellites , seal teams , 12:49.552 --> 12:53.450 aircraft . Uh Thanks very much , 12:53.460 --> 12:55.460 Jeff , I , I will have to take that 12:55.460 --> 12:57.682 question . I don't have any information 12:57.682 --> 12:59.799 on that . All right , let's come back 12:59.809 --> 13:02.299 to the room here . You and then to Tony 13:04.659 --> 13:07.140 Airway News Pakistan yesterday , eight 13:07.150 --> 13:09.094 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13:09.094 --> 13:11.039 dozens of them injured in a , in a 13:11.039 --> 13:12.650 terrorist attack , terrorist 13:12.650 --> 13:14.483 organization affiliated with the 13:14.700 --> 13:16.200 Taliban . Pakistan claimed 13:16.200 --> 13:18.033 responsibility . Do you have any 13:18.033 --> 13:20.130 comments ? Well , certainly our 13:20.140 --> 13:22.029 thoughts and prayers are with the 13:22.029 --> 13:24.196 families of those soldiers that were , 13:24.196 --> 13:26.307 were lost . I know that that as we've 13:26.309 --> 13:29.359 talked about in the past Pakistan uh is 13:29.369 --> 13:31.591 in a tough fight at times when it comes 13:31.591 --> 13:33.758 to fighting terrorists in the region . 13:33.758 --> 13:35.813 Uh And so certainly saddened to hear 13:35.813 --> 13:38.619 that . Um , you know , when it comes to 13:38.630 --> 13:40.852 counter terrorism , the US and Pakistan 13:40.852 --> 13:43.074 have worked together in the past and we 13:43.074 --> 13:45.409 continue to discuss ways that we can 13:45.419 --> 13:48.419 work together and so just leave it 13:48.429 --> 13:50.880 there . And Pakistani military is 13:50.890 --> 13:53.539 asking for us support Pakistani 13:53.549 --> 13:55.750 military is asking for modern weapons 13:55.760 --> 13:57.704 to deal with the situation because 13:57.704 --> 13:59.871 according to them , all the terrorists 13:59.871 --> 14:01.982 in Afghanistan using American weapons 14:01.982 --> 14:04.299 left by us forces . I know us forces 14:04.309 --> 14:06.650 left those weapons for Afghan forces , 14:06.659 --> 14:08.715 but somehow they are in the hands of 14:08.715 --> 14:10.937 terrorists right now . So are you going 14:10.937 --> 14:12.992 to consider to provide more American 14:12.992 --> 14:14.937 weapons to Pakistan ? I don't have 14:14.937 --> 14:17.048 anything to announce as you know , we 14:17.048 --> 14:18.715 do maintain a security cooper 14:18.715 --> 14:21.940 relationship with Pakistan . And so I'm 14:21.950 --> 14:23.728 sure that those discussions are 14:23.728 --> 14:25.783 happening uh via those mechanisms to 14:25.783 --> 14:27.894 look at Pakistan's requirements and , 14:27.894 --> 14:30.049 and what the US can do to support 14:31.770 --> 14:34.059 it is about the assassination attempt 14:34.070 --> 14:36.880 on President Trump . Um I don't know if 14:36.890 --> 14:38.969 us military is involved in the 14:38.979 --> 14:41.369 investigations , but do you think that 14:41.380 --> 14:43.436 any foreign country involved in this 14:43.436 --> 14:45.658 kind of assassination attempt to create 14:45.658 --> 14:47.769 disturbance in this country ? We have 14:47.769 --> 14:49.824 uh watching a lot of news stories on 14:49.824 --> 14:51.658 the media that maybe any foreign 14:51.658 --> 14:53.658 country because we recently we have 14:53.658 --> 14:55.602 seen that a foreign government and 14:55.602 --> 14:57.769 foreign intelligence agencies involved 14:57.769 --> 14:59.991 in the assassination on us citizen here 14:59.991 --> 15:02.158 in New York and uh also in Canada . So 15:02.158 --> 15:04.269 do you think that any foreign country 15:04.269 --> 15:06.789 can . Yeah , I mean , as it relates to 15:06.799 --> 15:09.479 the attempted assassination of former 15:09.489 --> 15:12.039 President Trump , um I , I would point 15:12.049 --> 15:14.049 you to Secretary Austin's statement 15:14.049 --> 15:15.938 over the weekend , condemning the 15:15.938 --> 15:18.160 violence has absolutely no place in our 15:18.160 --> 15:20.270 democracy as it relates to that uh 15:20.280 --> 15:22.789 attempt , I'd have to refer you to the 15:22.799 --> 15:24.743 FBI and the secret service for any 15:24.743 --> 15:26.855 questions on , on the investigation . 15:27.820 --> 15:30.042 Yeah , I've seen those reports . Um I'd 15:30.042 --> 15:32.669 have to refer you to to DH S or doj for 15:32.679 --> 15:34.679 any questions on that . Thank you , 15:34.679 --> 15:37.570 Tony , the House Oversight and 15:37.580 --> 15:39.580 accountability chairman today wrote 15:39.580 --> 15:42.619 Secretary Austin demanding V 22 15:42.630 --> 15:44.797 accident documents going back a couple 15:44.797 --> 15:46.908 of year 23 years and he's threatening 15:46.908 --> 15:48.963 subpoena if they're not , if they're 15:48.963 --> 15:50.963 not produced . This has been a long 15:50.963 --> 15:53.130 running controversy with that submit . 15:53.130 --> 15:55.074 Do you have any comment on that in 15:55.074 --> 15:57.186 terms of providing documentation that 15:57.186 --> 15:59.186 the committee is asking for on this 15:59.186 --> 16:01.352 highly controversial aircraft ? Yeah . 16:01.352 --> 16:03.519 Well , first of all , I would just say 16:03.519 --> 16:05.519 upfront that the department remains 16:05.519 --> 16:05.309 committed to the safety health and the 16:05.320 --> 16:07.153 well being of all of our service 16:07.153 --> 16:10.590 members . Um We have worked uh very 16:10.599 --> 16:12.719 hard to accommodate the houses , the 16:12.729 --> 16:14.896 House Oversight Committee's requests . 16:14.896 --> 16:17.320 Um We've provided more than 3500 pages 16:17.330 --> 16:19.119 of documents . In addition , 16:19.130 --> 16:21.210 representatives from the V 22 joint 16:21.219 --> 16:22.997 program office and the military 16:22.997 --> 16:24.941 departments provided a briefing to 16:24.941 --> 16:26.886 committee staff in March . And the 16:26.886 --> 16:28.830 department made multiple officials 16:28.830 --> 16:30.886 including the commander of Naval Air 16:30.886 --> 16:33.108 Systems Command available to testify at 16:33.108 --> 16:35.219 the committee's hearing last month on 16:35.219 --> 16:37.386 the safety of the V 22 Osprey . Um All 16:37.386 --> 16:39.441 that to say we will continue to work 16:39.441 --> 16:41.663 with the committee to accommodate their 16:41.663 --> 16:43.809 requests and we will continue to do 16:43.820 --> 16:45.780 everything we can to ensuring the 16:45.789 --> 16:48.200 safety of all of our aircraft platforms 16:48.210 --> 16:50.590 including the V 22 Osprey , less 16:50.599 --> 16:52.821 contentious hypersonic weapons question 16:52.869 --> 16:54.813 last week at the NATO summit , the 16:54.813 --> 16:56.536 White House and NATO put out a 16:56.536 --> 16:58.702 statement saying that starting in 2026 16:58.830 --> 17:01.030 the US army , the army is a multi 17:01.080 --> 17:03.919 domain task force will start fielding 17:03.929 --> 17:06.869 long range fires to include the now 17:06.880 --> 17:09.510 developmental hypersonic weapon that 17:09.520 --> 17:12.168 the US is working on . On June 28th . 17:12.178 --> 17:14.400 You put out a press release saying that 17:14.400 --> 17:16.567 the weapon successfully completed what 17:16.568 --> 17:18.499 they call an end to end test . My 17:18.509 --> 17:20.968 question is this , how close is this 17:20.979 --> 17:24.568 weapon to being deemed operationally 17:24.578 --> 17:26.999 suitable for production and eventual 17:27.009 --> 17:29.468 fielding ? Will there be more tests or 17:29.479 --> 17:31.701 was this the one big one that it had to 17:31.701 --> 17:35.449 pass for graduation ? Yeah , so um with 17:35.459 --> 17:37.292 regards to hypersonics , we will 17:37.300 --> 17:39.022 continue to develop a range of 17:39.022 --> 17:41.369 hypersonic based programs . Uh We'll 17:41.380 --> 17:43.640 work to accelerate development and 17:43.650 --> 17:45.859 testing uh on these programs . As you 17:45.869 --> 17:47.969 highlight the Navy and the army did 17:47.979 --> 17:50.035 recently complete a flight test of a 17:50.035 --> 17:52.035 hypersonic missile from the Pacific 17:52.035 --> 17:54.201 missile range in Hawaii . Uh That test 17:54.201 --> 17:56.423 provided data on the performance of the 17:56.423 --> 17:58.646 conventional prompt strike and the long 17:58.646 --> 18:01.089 range hypersonic weapon um for reasons 18:01.099 --> 18:03.210 of operation security . I'm not gonna 18:03.210 --> 18:05.339 be able to get into details on future 18:05.349 --> 18:07.599 tests . Um I will say though that we 18:07.609 --> 18:09.665 remain committed to developing these 18:09.665 --> 18:11.720 hypersonic capabilities that support 18:11.720 --> 18:13.720 the national defense strategy . You 18:13.720 --> 18:15.831 guys have spent like $12 billion over 18:15.831 --> 18:17.887 the last five trying to develop this 18:17.887 --> 18:20.109 capability . You can't say whether this 18:20.109 --> 18:22.053 was the graduation test or whether 18:22.053 --> 18:24.276 there will be subsequent tests to prove 18:24.276 --> 18:26.442 it out more . What I would say is that 18:26.442 --> 18:28.387 the test marked a step forward for 18:28.387 --> 18:30.553 those programs . Uh And I'll just have 18:30.553 --> 18:30.359 to leave it at that graduation , but a 18:30.369 --> 18:33.349 step forward , I'll just step forward 18:33.780 --> 18:36.520 that . Thank you , sir . Thank you um 18:36.530 --> 18:38.474 regarding to the escalation of the 18:38.474 --> 18:40.650 border of Lebanon . Um do you still 18:40.660 --> 18:44.599 believe that uh escalation could lead 18:44.609 --> 18:46.665 to the wider war ? Do you have still 18:46.665 --> 18:49.069 these concerns ? And um do you think 18:49.079 --> 18:52.000 that the politic or diplomatic solution 18:52.010 --> 18:54.439 is still exist ? And what's your 18:54.449 --> 18:56.829 message to the both parties there ? 18:57.839 --> 19:00.300 Well , sure . Uh I mean , I think uh 19:00.459 --> 19:03.939 that dip a diplomatic solution does 19:04.079 --> 19:06.619 remain possible . Uh So far , we have 19:06.630 --> 19:10.459 not seen a wider regional conflict . Um 19:10.469 --> 19:13.619 Tensions do obviously remain along the 19:13.630 --> 19:16.979 Israel Lebanon border . And so uh we 19:16.989 --> 19:19.109 continue to stay in constant 19:19.119 --> 19:22.140 communication with um 19:23.430 --> 19:24.579 with um 19:26.839 --> 19:29.199 Lebanon , Israel and others in the 19:29.209 --> 19:31.209 region to ensure that , that , that 19:31.540 --> 19:33.959 this does not become a broader conflict . 19:33.969 --> 19:36.080 Of course , the , the concern here is 19:36.080 --> 19:38.247 the risk of miscalculation which could 19:38.247 --> 19:40.859 spark a wider conflict that no one 19:40.869 --> 19:43.689 wants . So we'll continue to stay very 19:43.699 --> 19:46.280 focused on that . I do believe that the 19:46.310 --> 19:48.750 ceasefire deal could be reflect in a 19:48.760 --> 19:51.699 positive way to that escalation of this 19:51.709 --> 19:54.500 area . Uh Well , it's , it's difficult 19:54.510 --> 19:56.890 to , uh , get into hypotheticals or 19:56.900 --> 19:59.400 speculate . But I think again , uh , 19:59.410 --> 20:01.132 what we would like to see is a 20:01.132 --> 20:04.010 ceasefire in Gaza , uh so that we can 20:04.020 --> 20:06.076 restore calm and we can start to get 20:06.076 --> 20:08.187 humanitarian assistance in there . Uh 20:08.187 --> 20:10.131 Certainly , I , I think that would 20:10.131 --> 20:12.839 contribute uh to uh more positive 20:12.849 --> 20:15.016 outcomes in the region and a reduction 20:15.016 --> 20:16.960 of tension . So , um again , we'll 20:16.960 --> 20:19.071 continue to work toward that end . We 20:19.071 --> 20:21.293 go to Charlie , welcome to the briefing 20:21.293 --> 20:23.293 room , Charlie . Um If I understood 20:23.293 --> 20:25.460 correctly , you mentioned a word about 20:25.460 --> 20:27.460 re anchoring the pier at the top of 20:27.460 --> 20:30.000 today's session . Uh Sources tell us 20:30.010 --> 20:31.954 what's actually being discussed is 20:31.954 --> 20:34.010 pulling the plug and dismantling the 20:34.010 --> 20:36.066 pier and that may happen in the next 20:36.066 --> 20:38.177 couple of days . Where are we on that 20:38.177 --> 20:40.343 decision making ? Yeah , what I , what 20:40.343 --> 20:42.066 I said was that a potential re 20:42.066 --> 20:44.066 anchoring date has not been set and 20:44.066 --> 20:46.288 we've said all along that this is going 20:46.288 --> 20:48.288 to be temporary uh and that it will 20:48.288 --> 20:50.399 conclude its mission soon . But as of 20:50.399 --> 20:52.566 today , I don't have any announcements 20:52.566 --> 20:54.621 to make in terms of when the mission 20:54.621 --> 20:56.788 will officially conclude . And when we 20:56.788 --> 20:58.843 do have information in that regard . 20:58.843 --> 20:58.719 We'll certainly be sure to let you all 20:58.729 --> 21:02.660 know . No window . Well , 21:02.859 --> 21:04.915 no , I , I don't have a window other 21:04.915 --> 21:07.026 than soon , you know , and , and part 21:07.026 --> 21:09.248 of the discussion , of course , here is 21:09.248 --> 21:11.192 taking into account whether states 21:11.192 --> 21:12.803 taking into account uh , the 21:12.803 --> 21:14.803 requirement to deliver humanitarian 21:14.803 --> 21:16.859 assistance . Um , again , uh , the , 21:16.859 --> 21:18.970 the most specific I can get right now 21:18.970 --> 21:18.900 is , uh , we anticipate that the 21:18.910 --> 21:21.132 mission will conclude soon . I just , I 21:21.132 --> 21:23.466 don't have a date to give you right now . 21:23.466 --> 21:25.688 So keep you posted . All right , thanks 21:25.688 --> 21:27.910 very much . Everybody . Appreciate your 21:27.910 --> 21:26.770 time today .