1 00:00:00,899 --> 00:00:03,970 How's it going , everybody ? Sir , good 2 00:00:03,970 --> 00:00:06,026 to see you . It's been a great day , 3 00:00:06,150 --> 00:00:08,206 really , uh , any , any day we could 4 00:00:08,206 --> 00:00:10,206 spend with the troops from the very 5 00:00:10,206 --> 00:00:11,872 early morning of PT with some 6 00:00:11,872 --> 00:00:14,649 high-speed guys and gals to two cocoms 7 00:00:14,649 --> 00:00:16,705 that are right in the front lines of 8 00:00:16,705 --> 00:00:18,705 advancing American interests , um , 9 00:00:18,705 --> 00:00:20,538 proud to be here today . Just an 10 00:00:20,538 --> 00:00:22,316 impressive display of , of what 11 00:00:22,316 --> 00:00:25,040 Americans are doing in far flung places , 12 00:00:25,409 --> 00:00:28,069 uh , for the American people . Proud to 13 00:00:28,069 --> 00:00:30,125 be here for sure . I think we have a 14 00:00:30,125 --> 00:00:32,013 local . Where's where's our local 15 00:00:32,013 --> 00:00:34,180 reporter ? I'd like to go first to our 16 00:00:34,180 --> 00:00:33,029 local . Thanks so much . So are you the 17 00:00:33,029 --> 00:00:35,140 newspaper in Germany . Well , it's my 18 00:00:35,140 --> 00:00:33,240 favorite now . 19 00:00:45,029 --> 00:00:47,830 You are visiting Africa as one of your 20 00:00:47,830 --> 00:00:50,229 first points in your duty . Does that 21 00:00:50,229 --> 00:00:53,869 mean that the American strategic aims 22 00:00:53,869 --> 00:00:57,040 in Africa are going to change ? Well , 23 00:00:57,049 --> 00:00:59,200 I think it's a reflection of the 24 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,311 importance of that command as well as 25 00:01:01,311 --> 00:01:03,720 UCO . We spent this morning at UCO as 26 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,040 well . It made sense to come to both if 27 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,262 we're here in Germany , but it's also a 28 00:01:08,262 --> 00:01:10,480 reflection that you know the PRC's 29 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,160 intentions are pernicious , not just in 30 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,720 their part of the world , but also in 31 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,553 South America and on the African 32 00:01:17,553 --> 00:01:21,099 continent and . America's posture 33 00:01:21,099 --> 00:01:23,419 there along with allies and partners is 34 00:01:23,419 --> 00:01:25,530 going to matter about contesting that 35 00:01:25,530 --> 00:01:27,620 space so it certainly remains a 36 00:01:27,620 --> 00:01:29,453 priority . You saw the strike in 37 00:01:29,453 --> 00:01:33,339 Somalia on February 1st that as 38 00:01:33,339 --> 00:01:35,506 we talk to the command , that's that's 39 00:01:35,506 --> 00:01:37,617 a reflection also of pushing decision 40 00:01:37,617 --> 00:01:39,728 authority down . Untying the hands of 41 00:01:39,728 --> 00:01:42,319 war fighters who in the previous 42 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,430 administration made multiple requests 43 00:01:44,430 --> 00:01:46,597 and were often denied for that kind of 44 00:01:46,597 --> 00:01:48,708 kinetic action or the decision had to 45 00:01:48,708 --> 00:01:50,652 be made at the White House when it 46 00:01:50,652 --> 00:01:52,763 should be made at the 4 star level or 47 00:01:52,763 --> 00:01:52,720 at the Secretary of Defense level more 48 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,000 quickly based on the ability to degrade 49 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,639 the enemy . So this is a very important 50 00:01:57,639 --> 00:01:59,361 part of the world for us . The 51 00:01:59,361 --> 00:02:01,528 president feels that way as well , and 52 00:02:01,528 --> 00:02:03,695 we're honored to be here . Thank you , 53 00:02:03,695 --> 00:02:05,750 Mr . Secretary . Are you planning to 54 00:02:05,750 --> 00:02:07,806 cut the number of American forces in 55 00:02:07,806 --> 00:02:09,806 Europe , shift to the Pacific , and 56 00:02:09,806 --> 00:02:11,830 focus on China ? There are no plans 57 00:02:11,830 --> 00:02:14,163 right now in the making to cut anything . 58 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:15,990 Uh , there are , there is an 59 00:02:16,649 --> 00:02:18,760 understanding that we're gonna review 60 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,038 force posture across the world , right ? 61 00:02:21,038 --> 00:02:22,816 Uh , President Trump's planning 62 00:02:22,816 --> 00:02:25,093 assumptions are different in many ways , 63 00:02:25,093 --> 00:02:27,260 or at least strategic assumptions than 64 00:02:27,260 --> 00:02:29,371 Joe Biden's were . We certainly don't 65 00:02:29,371 --> 00:02:31,093 want a plan on the back of the 66 00:02:31,093 --> 00:02:30,960 withdrawal from Afghanistan and what 67 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,960 happened on October 7th and the war 68 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,016 that was unleashed in Ukraine . Uh , 69 00:02:35,016 --> 00:02:37,127 you have to manage and mitigate those 70 00:02:37,127 --> 00:02:39,349 things by coming alongside your friends 71 00:02:39,349 --> 00:02:41,516 in Israel , ensuring their defense and 72 00:02:41,516 --> 00:02:43,571 peacefully resolving the conflict in 73 00:02:43,571 --> 00:02:45,627 Ukraine . But those shouldn't define 74 00:02:45,627 --> 00:02:47,682 how we orient and with a hopefully a 75 00:02:47,682 --> 00:02:49,793 rapid peace deal in Ukraine which the 76 00:02:49,793 --> 00:02:49,759 president is committed to delivering . 77 00:02:50,229 --> 00:02:52,639 We can then review force posture and 78 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:54,750 encourage as we're gonna you're gonna 79 00:02:54,750 --> 00:02:56,861 see tomorrow in Ukraine and uh at the 80 00:02:56,861 --> 00:02:58,806 Ukraine contact group and the NATO 81 00:02:58,806 --> 00:03:00,917 ministerial we're gonna have straight 82 00:03:00,917 --> 00:03:02,972 talk with our friends . This kind of 83 00:03:02,972 --> 00:03:05,195 urgency of this moment requires friends 84 00:03:05,195 --> 00:03:07,417 talking to friends about capabilities , 85 00:03:07,417 --> 00:03:09,583 about leadership , about stepping up , 86 00:03:09,583 --> 00:03:12,110 about burden sharing and the incentives 87 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,559 to say the European continent deserves 88 00:03:14,559 --> 00:03:17,389 to be free from any aggression , but it 89 00:03:17,389 --> 00:03:19,611 ought to be those in the neighborhood . 90 00:03:19,611 --> 00:03:22,139 Investing the most in that collective 91 00:03:22,139 --> 00:03:24,139 individual and collective defense , 92 00:03:24,139 --> 00:03:26,195 that's common sense as the president 93 00:03:26,195 --> 00:03:28,417 talks a lot about . Common sense is you 94 00:03:28,417 --> 00:03:30,250 defend your neighborhood and the 95 00:03:30,250 --> 00:03:32,306 Americans will come alongside you in 96 00:03:32,306 --> 00:03:34,306 helping in that defense if and when 97 00:03:34,306 --> 00:03:36,361 that happens , and I believe it will 98 00:03:36,361 --> 00:03:38,528 because of President Trump , uh , your 99 00:03:38,528 --> 00:03:40,639 most NATO countries are already close 100 00:03:40,639 --> 00:03:42,639 to 2% . We believe that needs to be 101 00:03:42,639 --> 00:03:44,806 higher . The president has said 5% . I 102 00:03:44,806 --> 00:03:46,639 think he's right . Um , that's a 103 00:03:46,639 --> 00:03:48,750 reflection of a need to invest on the 104 00:03:48,750 --> 00:03:50,695 continent if and when that happens 105 00:03:50,695 --> 00:03:52,417 through investments in defense 106 00:03:52,417 --> 00:03:54,472 industrial base as well , then yes , 107 00:03:54,472 --> 00:03:56,695 America as the leader of the free world 108 00:03:56,695 --> 00:03:58,806 defending American interests is gonna 109 00:03:58,806 --> 00:03:58,789 need to make sure we're focused 110 00:03:58,789 --> 00:04:00,910 properly on the communist Chinese and 111 00:04:00,910 --> 00:04:03,270 their ambitions in the Indo-Pacific and 112 00:04:03,270 --> 00:04:05,548 as I mentioned before around the world , 113 00:04:05,710 --> 00:04:07,599 uh , so we would be remiss in not 114 00:04:07,599 --> 00:04:09,654 reviewing force posture everywhere , 115 00:04:09,654 --> 00:04:11,599 but it would be the wrong planning 116 00:04:11,599 --> 00:04:13,321 assumption to say oh America . 117 00:04:13,321 --> 00:04:15,210 abandoning something or America's 118 00:04:15,210 --> 00:04:17,135 leaving . No , America's smart to 119 00:04:17,295 --> 00:04:20,464 observe , plan , prioritize and project 120 00:04:20,464 --> 00:04:23,214 power where we need to deter conflict . 121 00:04:23,265 --> 00:04:25,432 We don't want conflict with China . We 122 00:04:25,432 --> 00:04:27,543 don't want that the president has ran 123 00:04:27,543 --> 00:04:29,543 on being a peace president and he's 124 00:04:29,543 --> 00:04:31,543 delivered that . But being strong , 125 00:04:31,543 --> 00:04:33,765 peace through strength is how you deter 126 00:04:33,765 --> 00:04:35,821 that and we want to posture for that 127 00:04:35,821 --> 00:04:37,765 just like we believe the Europeans 128 00:04:37,765 --> 00:04:37,424 alongside our support need to on the 129 00:04:37,424 --> 00:04:39,368 continent as well . Is the biggest 130 00:04:39,368 --> 00:04:41,424 threat to the United States ? Well , 131 00:04:41,424 --> 00:04:43,368 right now . The biggest threat was 132 00:04:43,368 --> 00:04:45,535 securing our own border , which we are 133 00:04:45,535 --> 00:04:47,646 addressing rapidly , and I'm proud of 134 00:04:47,646 --> 00:04:49,813 what NorthCOM has done and the Defense 135 00:04:49,813 --> 00:04:52,035 Department has done is shifting there . 136 00:04:52,035 --> 00:04:51,440 You don't have a country if you don't 137 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,440 have borders , as the president has 138 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,607 pointed out , and we've been defending 139 00:04:55,607 --> 00:04:55,529 other people's borders for a long time , 140 00:04:55,559 --> 00:04:57,726 time to defend ours , so we're sealing 141 00:04:57,726 --> 00:04:59,837 that border . We're continue to doing 142 00:04:59,837 --> 00:05:02,059 that , but as far as external threats , 143 00:05:02,059 --> 00:05:04,059 there's just no doubt the communist 144 00:05:04,059 --> 00:05:06,309 Chinese ambitions are robust . Their 145 00:05:06,309 --> 00:05:08,365 view of the world is quite different 146 00:05:08,365 --> 00:05:09,365 than ours , 147 00:05:21,239 --> 00:05:23,183 and whoever carries that mantle is 148 00:05:23,183 --> 00:05:21,459 going to set the tone for the 21st 149 00:05:21,459 --> 00:05:23,570 century . Why was it so important for 150 00:05:23,570 --> 00:05:22,709 you to do this and I did do PT with the 151 00:05:22,709 --> 00:05:25,429 troops this morning . Uh , I , I , I , 152 00:05:25,500 --> 00:05:27,722 it's not that long ago that I was right 153 00:05:27,722 --> 00:05:29,611 there with them . I probably , no 154 00:05:29,611 --> 00:05:31,778 offense , General , I probably connect 155 00:05:31,778 --> 00:05:33,889 more with those guys than I do with 4 156 00:05:33,889 --> 00:05:35,778 star generals , but now I get the 157 00:05:35,778 --> 00:05:35,760 chance of working with 4 stars and , 158 00:05:35,769 --> 00:05:37,779 and others who are committed to the 159 00:05:37,779 --> 00:05:40,001 troops . But when I can get down , uh , 160 00:05:40,001 --> 00:05:42,299 do pushups and , uh , deadlifts with 161 00:05:42,299 --> 00:05:44,355 the troops , um , and just hear from 162 00:05:44,355 --> 00:05:47,739 them what's working , what isn't . Um , 163 00:05:48,369 --> 00:05:50,591 how , how do you see your mission set ? 164 00:05:50,591 --> 00:05:52,647 I love , I love that . Uh , so there 165 00:05:52,647 --> 00:05:54,869 was never a doubt even though we got in 166 00:05:54,869 --> 00:05:53,850 at 2 in the morning that we were 167 00:05:53,850 --> 00:05:55,794 getting up a couple , couple hours 168 00:05:55,794 --> 00:05:58,070 later to go do do PT . Uh , it's a 169 00:05:58,070 --> 00:06:00,369 reminder that you guys , the press in 170 00:06:00,369 --> 00:06:03,119 Washington might think I'm young . But 171 00:06:03,119 --> 00:06:05,679 in military terms I'm old , uh , and 172 00:06:05,679 --> 00:06:07,679 that showed this morning with these 173 00:06:07,679 --> 00:06:09,901 young guys who ran circles around me in 174 00:06:09,901 --> 00:06:12,989 that parking lot . Thanks for doing 175 00:06:12,989 --> 00:06:14,878 this . You mentioned earlier that 176 00:06:14,878 --> 00:06:17,100 President Trump wants NATO countries to 177 00:06:17,100 --> 00:06:20,559 spend 5% of their GDP on defense . Do 178 00:06:20,559 --> 00:06:22,670 you think the US should also spend 5% 179 00:06:22,670 --> 00:06:24,837 of its GDP on defense ? Well , I think 180 00:06:24,837 --> 00:06:26,948 the US needs . To spend more than the 181 00:06:26,948 --> 00:06:29,170 Biden administration was willing to who 182 00:06:29,170 --> 00:06:31,059 historically underinvested in the 183 00:06:31,059 --> 00:06:33,170 capabilities of our military , so the 184 00:06:33,170 --> 00:06:35,392 president is committed as he was in the 185 00:06:35,392 --> 00:06:37,337 first term to rebuilding America's 186 00:06:37,337 --> 00:06:39,503 military by investing and you're gonna 187 00:06:39,503 --> 00:06:39,049 see that in the conversations on 188 00:06:39,049 --> 00:06:40,938 Capitol Hill . We've already been 189 00:06:40,938 --> 00:06:43,049 intimately involved with the folks on 190 00:06:43,049 --> 00:06:45,216 Hask and Sask and the appropriations , 191 00:06:45,329 --> 00:06:47,329 uh , talking about the capability . 192 00:06:47,329 --> 00:06:49,551 We're gonna need not just next year and 193 00:06:49,551 --> 00:06:51,662 the year after that or for the next 4 194 00:06:51,662 --> 00:06:53,718 years but for power projection going 195 00:06:53,718 --> 00:06:55,885 forward and then the reforms needed to 196 00:06:55,885 --> 00:06:57,718 make sure that every dollar goes 197 00:06:57,718 --> 00:06:59,940 further now at a minimum we should , we 198 00:06:59,940 --> 00:07:02,107 should not go below 3% . That's a view 199 00:07:02,107 --> 00:07:04,162 I know the president shares , but as 200 00:07:04,162 --> 00:07:06,218 far as going forward in that , those 201 00:07:06,218 --> 00:07:08,385 are decisions he will make based on my 202 00:07:08,385 --> 00:07:10,496 consultations with him . Listen , any 203 00:07:10,496 --> 00:07:12,496 defense secretary would be lying if 204 00:07:12,496 --> 00:07:14,607 they said they didn't want more . You 205 00:07:14,607 --> 00:07:16,773 always want more , uh , but we live in 206 00:07:16,773 --> 00:07:18,773 fiscally constrained times where we 207 00:07:18,773 --> 00:07:18,540 need to be responsible with taxpayer 208 00:07:18,540 --> 00:07:21,540 dollars . We're $37 trillion in debt . 209 00:07:21,619 --> 00:07:23,841 That's a national security liability as 210 00:07:23,841 --> 00:07:26,063 well . So we're gonna work with Capitol 211 00:07:26,063 --> 00:07:28,119 Hill , president . Going to lead the 212 00:07:28,119 --> 00:07:30,286 way on making sure the troops have the 213 00:07:30,286 --> 00:07:29,809 resources they need and that we truly 214 00:07:30,019 --> 00:07:31,741 rebuild our military just like 215 00:07:31,741 --> 00:07:33,963 President Trump did in the first term . 216 00:07:33,989 --> 00:07:36,100 Biden vowed against sending US troops 217 00:07:36,100 --> 00:07:38,190 into Ukraine . Would you be open to 218 00:07:38,190 --> 00:07:40,470 sending US troops into Ukraine to track 219 00:07:40,470 --> 00:07:42,637 weapons shipments ? We are not sending 220 00:07:42,637 --> 00:07:44,192 US troops to Ukraine . Uh , 221 00:07:47,519 --> 00:07:49,297 you talked to Elon Musk and the 222 00:07:49,297 --> 00:07:49,269 Pentagon in the next few weeks . Do you 223 00:07:49,269 --> 00:07:51,102 expect him to start unilaterally 224 00:07:51,102 --> 00:07:53,269 cutting programs and contracts the way 225 00:07:53,269 --> 00:07:55,380 he's done at USA and other agencies , 226 00:07:55,380 --> 00:07:57,602 and are there any limits or supervision 227 00:07:57,602 --> 00:07:57,200 you'd want to place on his team given 228 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,399 his conflicts of interest ? Well , uh , 229 00:08:00,429 --> 00:08:02,485 we've been in touch with , I've I've 230 00:08:02,485 --> 00:08:04,707 been in touch with with Elon Musk who's 231 00:08:04,707 --> 00:08:06,485 a great patriot . Interested in 232 00:08:06,485 --> 00:08:08,818 advancing the America first agenda , um , 233 00:08:08,818 --> 00:08:10,707 knows that President Trump got 77 234 00:08:10,707 --> 00:08:12,707 million votes in a mandate from the 235 00:08:12,707 --> 00:08:14,818 American people , and part of that is 236 00:08:14,818 --> 00:08:14,619 bringing actual businesslike efficiency 237 00:08:14,619 --> 00:08:16,563 to government , hence what Doge is 238 00:08:16,563 --> 00:08:18,786 doing . Uh , we've been talking to them 239 00:08:18,786 --> 00:08:20,952 in partnership with them and as I said 240 00:08:20,952 --> 00:08:23,063 on social media , we welcome those to 241 00:08:23,063 --> 00:08:24,952 the Pentagon , uh , and I hope to 242 00:08:24,952 --> 00:08:27,063 welcome Elo to the Pentagon very soon 243 00:08:27,063 --> 00:08:29,175 and his team working in collaboration 244 00:08:29,175 --> 00:08:31,230 with us . There is , there are waste 245 00:08:31,230 --> 00:08:33,239 redundancies and headcounts and 246 00:08:33,239 --> 00:08:35,517 headquarters that need to be addressed . 247 00:08:35,517 --> 00:08:37,628 There's just no doubt . Look at a lot 248 00:08:37,628 --> 00:08:39,795 of the climate programs that have been 249 00:08:39,795 --> 00:08:41,795 pursued at the Defense Department . 250 00:08:41,795 --> 00:08:41,559 Defense Department is not in the 251 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,479 business of climate change , solving 252 00:08:44,479 --> 00:08:46,559 the global . Thermostat we're in the 253 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,837 business of deterring and winning wars , 254 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,880 uh , so things like that we want to 255 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:52,991 look forward to find efficiencies and 256 00:08:52,991 --> 00:08:55,102 many others the way we acquire weapon 257 00:08:55,102 --> 00:08:56,991 system procurement , uh , there's 258 00:08:56,991 --> 00:08:59,213 plenty of places where we want the keen 259 00:08:59,213 --> 00:09:01,436 eye of Doge , but they'll , we'll do it 260 00:09:01,436 --> 00:09:03,491 in coordination . We're not gonna do 261 00:09:03,491 --> 00:09:05,491 things that are to the detriment of 262 00:09:05,491 --> 00:09:05,440 American operational or tactical 263 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:07,440 capabilities . There's just the 264 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,384 President Trump is is committed to 265 00:09:09,384 --> 00:09:11,607 delivering the best possible military . 266 00:09:11,607 --> 00:09:13,718 The Defense Department is not USAID . 267 00:09:13,849 --> 00:09:15,905 USAID's got a lot of problems that I 268 00:09:15,905 --> 00:09:18,016 talked about with the troops pursuing 269 00:09:18,016 --> 00:09:20,016 globalist agendas that don't have a 270 00:09:20,016 --> 00:09:21,960 connection to America first . Um , 271 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,182 that's not the Defense Department , but 272 00:09:24,182 --> 00:09:26,127 we're also not perfect either . So 273 00:09:26,127 --> 00:09:28,349 where we can find billions of dollars , 274 00:09:28,349 --> 00:09:30,516 and he's right to save billions inside 275 00:09:30,516 --> 00:09:32,627 the Defense Department , every dollar 276 00:09:32,627 --> 00:09:32,229 we save there is a dollar that goes to 277 00:09:32,229 --> 00:09:34,340 warfighters , and that's good for the 278 00:09:34,340 --> 00:09:38,200 American people . I have a 279 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,270 question about Africa . Now when you 280 00:09:40,270 --> 00:09:42,270 serve , you jihadists in the Middle 281 00:09:42,270 --> 00:09:44,437 East and there's a lot of jihadists in 282 00:09:44,437 --> 00:09:46,659 Africa , whether it's ISIS , Al Qaeda , 283 00:09:46,659 --> 00:09:49,349 al-Shabaab , go on and on . How do you 284 00:09:49,349 --> 00:09:51,469 plan to handle that ? I'm not saying 285 00:09:51,469 --> 00:09:53,580 put troops on the ground in Africa to 286 00:09:53,580 --> 00:09:55,802 fight them , but are you concerned that 287 00:09:55,802 --> 00:09:57,913 there could be some sort of cell that 288 00:09:57,913 --> 00:10:00,136 might be plotting attacks against other 289 00:10:00,136 --> 00:10:02,413 parts of the world , trying to recruit . 290 00:10:02,413 --> 00:10:04,358 because it's Africa with a growing 291 00:10:04,358 --> 00:10:06,302 population . How concerned are you 292 00:10:06,302 --> 00:10:08,247 about the jihad threat in Africa ? 293 00:10:08,247 --> 00:10:10,469 Definitely concerned . I mean , anybody 294 00:10:10,469 --> 00:10:12,691 of anybody of my generation that served 295 00:10:12,691 --> 00:10:14,858 in Iraq and Afghanistan or been a part 296 00:10:14,858 --> 00:10:17,025 of post 9/11 understands the threat of 297 00:10:17,025 --> 00:10:19,247 global jihad , especially the desire to 298 00:10:19,247 --> 00:10:21,136 export that against our allies in 299 00:10:21,136 --> 00:10:23,025 Europe or Israel or certainly the 300 00:10:23,025 --> 00:10:24,913 United States of America . So the 301 00:10:24,913 --> 00:10:26,969 counterterrorism threat . Focused on 302 00:10:26,969 --> 00:10:29,080 those who would seek to do us harm is 303 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:29,030 at the highest priority , which is why 304 00:10:29,030 --> 00:10:31,950 you saw what AFRICO did so well in that 305 00:10:31,950 --> 00:10:34,780 strike in Somalia where we see those 306 00:10:35,229 --> 00:10:37,118 growing plotting or planning with 307 00:10:37,118 --> 00:10:39,340 increased capabilities , we will strike 308 00:10:39,340 --> 00:10:42,380 and that that that pertains to Islamist 309 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:44,658 organizations all across the continent , 310 00:10:44,658 --> 00:10:46,769 um , but it also we have to work with 311 00:10:46,769 --> 00:10:48,824 partners and allies . I mean foreign 312 00:10:48,824 --> 00:10:51,030 internal defense and uh security force 313 00:10:51,030 --> 00:10:53,030 assistance . I was with Green Green 314 00:10:53,030 --> 00:10:55,030 Berets this morning . You know , we 315 00:10:55,030 --> 00:10:57,030 think of Green Berets , uh , in the 316 00:10:57,030 --> 00:10:59,197 context of post 9/11 , right , kicking 317 00:10:59,197 --> 00:11:01,419 down doors and they they're really good 318 00:11:01,419 --> 00:11:03,530 at that , but what they're best at is 319 00:11:03,530 --> 00:11:03,320 doing security force assistance and 320 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:05,320 foreign internal defense where they 321 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:07,264 work with local security forces to 322 00:11:07,264 --> 00:11:09,264 build up their capabilities so that 323 00:11:09,264 --> 00:11:11,130 it's indigenous forces fighting 324 00:11:11,130 --> 00:11:13,241 Islamists because they want to secure 325 00:11:13,241 --> 00:11:15,352 their country as well , uh , and AFRO 326 00:11:15,352 --> 00:11:17,400 is very directly committed to doing 327 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,622 that . That's a mission very much worth 328 00:11:19,622 --> 00:11:23,159 resourcing . And if I mean Africa is 329 00:11:23,159 --> 00:11:25,210 very much the front lines of a of a 330 00:11:25,210 --> 00:11:27,099 fight from Islamists . You've got 331 00:11:27,099 --> 00:11:29,154 Christian populations that are under 332 00:11:29,154 --> 00:11:30,988 siege in Africa and have been uh 333 00:11:30,988 --> 00:11:33,280 ignored for far too long and American 334 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,447 interests there , uh , it , it matters 335 00:11:35,447 --> 00:11:37,613 a great deal and Islamists , we're not 336 00:11:37,613 --> 00:11:39,724 gonna allow them to maintain a . Hold 337 00:11:39,724 --> 00:11:42,002 especially to try to strike at America . 338 00:11:42,002 --> 00:11:44,002 We're going with two questions from 339 00:11:44,002 --> 00:11:46,169 these two local one more here and then 340 00:11:46,169 --> 00:11:48,391 here the strikes also related to Africa 341 00:11:48,391 --> 00:11:50,613 and Somalia during the end of President 342 00:11:50,613 --> 00:11:52,836 Trump's first term , he elected to pull 343 00:11:52,836 --> 00:11:54,836 forces out of Somalia and switch to 344 00:11:54,836 --> 00:11:56,558 more of a rotational concept . 345 00:11:56,558 --> 00:11:58,960 President Biden sent Troops back in 346 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,159 there on a full time basis . What's 347 00:12:01,159 --> 00:12:03,950 your vision going forward for Somalia ? 348 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,496 Do you want to maintain troops there 349 00:12:06,496 --> 00:12:08,662 continuously , or are you looking more 350 00:12:08,662 --> 00:12:10,718 towards pulling them back ? Well , I 351 00:12:10,718 --> 00:12:10,159 mean , I want to listen to the 352 00:12:10,159 --> 00:12:12,130 commanders on the ground first and 353 00:12:12,130 --> 00:12:14,352 foremost , as does the president . He's 354 00:12:14,352 --> 00:12:16,408 charged me with , hey , give me your 355 00:12:16,408 --> 00:12:18,630 best advice , but also keep your ear to 356 00:12:18,630 --> 00:12:20,741 the ground of what's most effective . 357 00:12:20,741 --> 00:12:22,686 But he's also been Very clear that 358 00:12:22,686 --> 00:12:24,908 we're not trying to have American boots 359 00:12:24,908 --> 00:12:26,852 all over the globe where we can do 360 00:12:26,852 --> 00:12:28,963 counterterrorism effectively over the 361 00:12:28,963 --> 00:12:31,074 horizon , that's the preference , but 362 00:12:31,074 --> 00:12:33,130 we'll review the force posture there 363 00:12:33,130 --> 00:12:35,297 with with the generals doing the heavy 364 00:12:35,297 --> 00:12:36,908 lifting and and take it into 365 00:12:36,908 --> 00:12:36,375 consideration , no doubt , but 366 00:12:36,375 --> 00:12:38,455 thankfully we had the intelligence 367 00:12:38,455 --> 00:12:40,566 capabilities to do the kind of strike 368 00:12:40,566 --> 00:12:42,622 that we saw and we believe we can do 369 00:12:42,622 --> 00:12:46,159 more of that . So , so you , um , 370 00:12:46,169 --> 00:12:49,119 renamed the name of Fort Liberty into 371 00:12:49,119 --> 00:12:51,690 Fort Bragg , and you are not a private 372 00:12:51,690 --> 00:12:53,579 first class who lost his life for 373 00:12:53,579 --> 00:12:55,849 liberating Germany . What does that 374 00:12:55,849 --> 00:12:59,830 mean for the US forces ? Well , first 375 00:12:59,830 --> 00:13:03,049 it means rag is back . It means the 376 00:13:03,049 --> 00:13:04,919 legacy of an institution that 377 00:13:04,919 --> 00:13:07,210 generations of Americans have mobilized 378 00:13:07,210 --> 00:13:09,377 through and served at is back . I mean 379 00:13:09,377 --> 00:13:12,049 it's a shame what was done to vets , 380 00:13:12,090 --> 00:13:14,312 service members , their families , uh , 381 00:13:14,312 --> 00:13:16,423 who were born there , deployed out of 382 00:13:16,423 --> 00:13:18,479 there , lived there , gave the I was 383 00:13:18,479 --> 00:13:20,479 with airborne troops here , some of 384 00:13:20,479 --> 00:13:22,646 which spent 25 years at Fort Bragg and 385 00:13:22,646 --> 00:13:24,868 never called it Fort Liberty because it 386 00:13:24,868 --> 00:13:27,090 wasn't Fort Liberty , it's Fort Bragg . 387 00:13:27,090 --> 00:13:27,030 And so I was honored to be able to put 388 00:13:27,030 --> 00:13:29,197 my signature on that by the way , with 389 00:13:29,197 --> 00:13:31,197 the support of the President of the 390 00:13:31,197 --> 00:13:33,363 United States who set the tone on this 391 00:13:33,363 --> 00:13:35,641 and said , I want Fort Bragg back , uh , 392 00:13:35,641 --> 00:13:37,710 and we're honored to to to support a 393 00:13:37,710 --> 00:13:40,390 private first class who received a 394 00:13:40,390 --> 00:13:43,190 Purple Heart and the Silver Star at the 395 00:13:43,190 --> 00:13:45,301 Battle of the Bulge , uh , you know , 396 00:13:45,309 --> 00:13:47,476 we've got , we're honoring a private . 397 00:13:47,476 --> 00:13:49,642 First class and I'm proud that we have 398 00:13:49,642 --> 00:13:51,420 a a Marine Corporal is the vice 399 00:13:51,420 --> 00:13:51,390 president of the United States too . 400 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:53,936 Junior listed have never seen better 401 00:13:53,936 --> 00:13:55,880 days , uh , but it's , it's , it's 402 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:57,824 about that legacy . It's about the 403 00:13:57,824 --> 00:13:59,880 connection to the community to those 404 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:01,936 who served , uh , and we're not , as 405 00:14:01,936 --> 00:14:04,158 the president has said and I've said as 406 00:14:04,158 --> 00:14:06,380 well , we're not done there . There are 407 00:14:06,380 --> 00:14:08,602 many of there are other bases that have 408 00:14:08,602 --> 00:14:10,824 been renamed that erodes that very same 409 00:14:10,824 --> 00:14:12,936 legacy . There's a reason I said brag 410 00:14:12,936 --> 00:14:14,880 and Benning when I walked into the 411 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:14,799 Pentagon on day one , but it's not just 412 00:14:14,799 --> 00:14:17,021 brag and Benning . Uh , there are a lot 413 00:14:17,021 --> 00:14:18,966 of other service members that have 414 00:14:18,966 --> 00:14:21,077 connections , uh , and we're gonna do 415 00:14:21,077 --> 00:14:20,659 our best to restore it . It's an honor 416 00:14:20,659 --> 00:14:22,937 to do so . Thank you all for your time . 417 00:14:22,937 --> 00:14:25,270 I appreciate it . Thank you . Thank you . 418 00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:26,460 Thank you . Thank you .