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Yeah , as far as like statement . 

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Alright , well , good afternoon 

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everyone . Thank you very much for 

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joining us today here in the briefing 

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room with us today is Deputy Assistant 

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Secretary of Defense for Russia Ukraine 

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and Eurasia Laura Cooper , who will 

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provide some brief remarks about 

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today's announcement regarding approval 

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of the 22nd presidential drawdown 

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authorization in support of Ukraine 

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security assistance . Uh Dash D . 

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Cooper has agreed to be available 

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afterwards to answer any questions 

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regarding the P . D . A . And then 

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we'll pivot to a few other non Ukraine 

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related updates afterwards . Thank you 

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very much , ma'am over to you . Good 

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afternoon today . I'm proud to announce 

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a new security assistance package to 

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provide Ukraine with more weapons , 

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ammunition and equipment that its 

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forces are using so effectively on the 

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battlefield . This authorization of a 

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presidential drawdown of security 

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assistance valued at up to 

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$625 million dollars will 

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contribute to meeting Ukraine's 

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critical defense needs . It is the 

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Biden administration's 22nd drawdown of 

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equipment from D . O . D . inventories 

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for Ukraine since August of 2021 . It 

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is also the first presidential drawdown 

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for Ukraine in the new fiscal year . I 

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want to thank Congress for its support 

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for the continuing resolution which 

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enables the administration to continue 

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providing timely assistance to Ukraine . 

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The capabilities in this package are 

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tailored to meet Ukraine's immediate 

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needs . The highlights of which include 

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four high mobility artillery , rocket 

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systems or as you know them high mars 

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and associated ammunition . Secondly 

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16 m triple 7 

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155 millimeter howitzers 

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along with 

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75,155 millimeter 

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artillery rounds and 500 precision 

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guided 155 millimeter artillery 

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rounds . 3rd 

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1155 millimeter 

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rounds of remote anti armor , mine or 

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RAM systems , 

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16 M 

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119105 millimeter 

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howitzers , 

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30,120 

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millimeter mortar rounds . And then the 

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last item I want to touch on is 200 max 

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pro mine resistant ambush protected 

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vehicles which provide Ukraine with a 

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resilient capability for transporting 

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troops in heavily mined terrain . This 

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package will provide the Ukrainian 

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armed forces with additional 

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capabilities and munitions that it 

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needs to maintain momentum in the east 

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and in the south , including additional 

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artillery and precision fires . Ukraine 

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has demonstrated the ability to use 

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these capabilities to degrade Russian 

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logistics and command and control , 

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creating opportunities for Ukraine to 

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maneuver and to advance . This has 

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created , a secretary , Austin said 

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recently , a change in battlefield 

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dynamics . Even as the Russian 

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government moves legislation today to 

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claim parts of Ukrainian territory 

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illegitimately . The reality on the 

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ground is that the Ukrainian armed 

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forces continue to reclaim territory 

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and to consolidate their gains . The 

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liberation of Lehman was a significant 

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operational accomplishment and 

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Ukrainian forces continue to make 

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deliberate progress in the Kharkiv 

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region and also further south around 

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Carson . The Ukrainian counter 

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offensive in Carson has made 

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significant advances over the last 24 

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hours and Ukrainian forces continue to 

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liberate villages as they press forward . 

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The United States will continue to 

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provide Ukraine with the weapons and 

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equipment to meet its urgent needs on 

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the battlefield . While also building 

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Ukraine's enduring strength to defend 

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its sovereignty over the long term . In 

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total , the United States has now 

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committed more than 17.5 billion in 

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security assistance to Ukraine since 

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the beginning of the Biden 

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administration , including more than 

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16.8 billion since the beginning of 

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Russia's invasion on February 24 . The 

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United States will continue to consult 

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closely with Ukraine to meet its 

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evolving battlefield requirements in 

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coordination with our allies and 

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partners to provide Ukraine with the 

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capabilities it needs . As president 

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biden has said , the United States will 

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continue to stand with Ukrainian people 

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and provide them with the security 

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assistance they need to defend 

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themselves for as long as it takes . 

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Thank you . Thank you very much , ma'am . 

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As mentioned , Deputy Assistant 

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Secretary Cooper has graciously agreed 

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to answer a few questions about the P . 

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D . A . And Ukraine security assistance . 

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I'd ask that you limit your questions 

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to that topic while she's here and 

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afterwards . Again , I'll stay around 

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to talk about any other questions that 

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you might have . Uh let's go ahead and 

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start with a P . Uh thank you MS Cooper 

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for doing this . Um two questions . One 

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is , can you address if possible , 

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specific ways that this most recent 

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package was tailored to Ukraine's 

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apparent battlefield successes if 

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there's specific elements that were 

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added or taken away because of how 

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Ukraine is doing . And it would also be 

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great if you could address the question 

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of ammunition broadly of how how much 

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Ukraine is short ammunition compared to 

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Russia and how , you know , there's 

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been a lot of discussion of how they've 

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made selective use of ammunition to 

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make up for the number of disparity , 

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but if there's , if it's possible to 

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get specific ratios or numbers of how 

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much Ukraine has versus Russia has 

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based on the assessment of the pentagon . 

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Great . So first I would say in terms 

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of how this package responds to what 

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the Ukrainians need , the capabilities 

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that I discussed . These are 

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capabilities that the Ukrainians have 

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received previously and have requested 

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additional capabilities and it also 

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responds to , in terms of , you know , 

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the volume of ammunition that they need 

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on the battlefield today . Um , we're 

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looking very closely at their 

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consumption rates for ammunition to 

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make sure that they have what they need 

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for the counter offensive and then the 

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types of capabilities I think at this 

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point , the high mars are pretty famous 

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because you've seen how the Ukrainians 

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can use these capabilities to take out 

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critical Russian logistics nodes , 

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community control nodes , ammunition 

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depots , et cetera and really weaken 

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the Russian , the Russian forces 

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ability to respond . So having these 

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additional four high MArs is going to 

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enable the Ukrainians and the other 

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capabilities as well too have 

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flexibility in how they employ these 

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capabilities with their forces as they 

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look for additional opportunities to 

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seize the strategic advantage . And in 

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terms of the , you know , the 

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comparison with Russia , you know , I'm 

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not I can't get into you know , 

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specific numbers for you . Um I would 

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just say that you know what Ukraine has 

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on its side right now is not just its 

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own capabilities but you know , the 

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capabilities of all of its allies and 

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partners and what you're seeing is , 

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you know , the United States is 

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providing additional ammunition but 

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we're also investing in ammunition 

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production and we're seeing our allies 

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and partners investing in ammunition 

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production . We had under secretary of 

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the plant last week meeting with allies , 

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armaments directors talking about ways 

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to sustain the industrial base to 

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continue to support Ukraine . Whereas 

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you see Russia , what is Russia doing ? 

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Russia is turning to North Korea for 

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assistance . It's turning to Iran , it 

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doesn't have that depth of support . 

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Thank you . Thank you very much . 

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The Ukrainian armed forces 

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are consuming every month . 

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Much more ammunitions than 

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the US industry is capable of 

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making every month . So 

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how how confident are 

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you that you can help Ukraine as long 

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as it takes as you said . So that's 

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where we get into the question of 

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production and we are confident that we 

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are investing in production . Um it's 

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ramping up and we see our Allies also 

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ramping up in production . Uh so while 

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you know today , you see very high 

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rates of consumption of ammunition , 

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but you also see an incredibly high op 

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tempo on the battlefield as the 

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Ukrainians press forward very 

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successfully . Um , we we are 

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increasing production and we see over 

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time that we will be able to have a 

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sustainable rate both for ourselves and 

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for the Ukrainians . Let's go to town 

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and then we'll go follow up on that 

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second question . Secretary one is uh , 

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that seems like there's a balance 

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between how much we're producing to 

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supply . The we and US allies are 

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producing to supply the Ukrainians as 

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well as their consumption . And we've 

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spoken before about the clock in the 

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sense of seasonal , you know , it's 

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gonna be fall and winter coming uh , 

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without asking you to project , you 

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know what the Ukrainians may or may not 

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do tactically . But is there a part of 

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the calculation is that there has to be 

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a slow down at some point because of 

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mother nature that would help 

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production ramp ups meet the man of the 

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Ukrainians . And my second question off 

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off that , Not on that is announcement 

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earlier about this , This drawdown 

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authority mentioned Claymore mines were 

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supposed to go as well . And you didn't 

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mention it , were they removed from the 

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package ? Sorry about that ? Yes , 

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Claymore mines were in the package . 

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Yes , yes . And we provide , they are , 

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they are in the package and we have 

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provided those before . That's that's 

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correct . That's correct , yes . Um , 

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and in terms of , you know , your your 

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question about season aspects to the 

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fight . Absolutely . Weather , weather 

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plays a big factor in , in any war and 

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here , what we would anticipate is , 

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you know , as the , as the weather 

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changes maneuver will be much more 

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challenging . Um , I mean , you you get 

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really muddy ground . Um , it of course , 

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you know , increases just the challenge 

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to the , the average fighter , the 

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average soldier in term of the impact 

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of the weather on the conditions . Um , 

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now for us , we know that we have been 

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looking to the Ukrainians for what 

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their needs are for the winter . Um , 

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you've seen allies taking a leadership 

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role in providing winter equipment to 

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the Ukrainian soldiers , making sure 

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that they have what they need to 

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sustain themselves throughout this 

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winter before we were talking about 

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ammunition ? But cold weather gear is 

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going to be really , really important . 

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But I'm confident that us with our 

280
00:10:52,988 --> 00:10:55,321
allies are actually meeting those needs . 

281
00:10:55,321 --> 00:10:57,321
Not as sure about about the Russian 

282
00:10:57,321 --> 00:10:59,210
forces . Okay , we're gonna go to 

283
00:10:59,210 --> 00:11:01,321
jennifer griffin and then we'll go to 

284
00:11:01,321 --> 00:11:03,377
the phones . There have been reports 

285
00:11:03,377 --> 00:11:05,855
that the Russians have a train that 

286
00:11:05,855 --> 00:11:08,605
might be carrying tactical nukes toward 

287
00:11:08,605 --> 00:11:10,716
the Ukrainian border . Are you seeing 

288
00:11:10,716 --> 00:11:13,570
any evidence of that ? Is that true ? I 

289
00:11:13,570 --> 00:11:15,820
have I have seen these reports , I have 

290
00:11:15,820 --> 00:11:18,720
nothing to corroborate . Is there 

291
00:11:18,730 --> 00:11:21,490
anything that you will be providing to 

292
00:11:21,490 --> 00:11:24,730
help Ukraine protect themselves against 

293
00:11:24,730 --> 00:11:27,600
a possible nuclear strike ? Well here , 

294
00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:29,544
in terms of protective equipment , 

295
00:11:29,544 --> 00:11:31,656
we've already provided a considerable 

296
00:11:31,656 --> 00:11:33,720
amount of uh protective equipment 

297
00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,350
against chemical , biological and 

298
00:11:36,350 --> 00:11:39,500
radiological threats . Um Going back to 

299
00:11:39,510 --> 00:11:41,121
I believe it was our seventh 

300
00:11:41,121 --> 00:11:43,121
presidential drawdown . We actually 

301
00:11:43,121 --> 00:11:45,890
provided a number of personal 

302
00:11:45,890 --> 00:11:48,300
protective equipment items . And we 

303
00:11:48,300 --> 00:11:50,467
have also had a longstanding tradition 

304
00:11:50,467 --> 00:11:52,411
of cooperating with the Ukrainians 

305
00:11:52,411 --> 00:11:54,133
through the cooperative threat 

306
00:11:54,133 --> 00:11:56,300
reduction program . And we've provided 

307
00:11:56,300 --> 00:11:58,078
um uh significant quantities of 

308
00:11:58,078 --> 00:12:00,189
personal protective equipment through 

309
00:12:00,189 --> 00:12:02,189
that program . Thank you . We'll go 

310
00:12:02,189 --> 00:12:04,300
ahead and go out to the phones here , 

311
00:12:04,300 --> 00:12:08,200
Phil Stewart , Reuters . Yeah . 

312
00:12:08,210 --> 00:12:11,610
Thank you . Um just to just to double 

313
00:12:11,610 --> 00:12:14,010
down on the on the nuclear issue , 

314
00:12:14,020 --> 00:12:16,990
could you just give us a bit greater 

315
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,410
sense of whether you've seen anything 

316
00:12:20,410 --> 00:12:23,360
to indicate that that Russia is 

317
00:12:23,370 --> 00:12:26,020
contemplating a use of nuclear weapons . 

318
00:12:26,020 --> 00:12:28,200
And secondly is there any evidence 

319
00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,180
that's been uncovered so far by by the 

320
00:12:31,180 --> 00:12:33,420
U . S . Or its allies as to who is 

321
00:12:33,420 --> 00:12:35,850
behind the ruptures of the North Stream 

322
00:12:35,850 --> 00:12:39,650
pipelines ? Thanks um Phil so um in 

323
00:12:39,650 --> 00:12:42,740
terms of the nuclear question , we have 

324
00:12:42,740 --> 00:12:45,340
certainly heard the saber rattling from 

325
00:12:45,340 --> 00:12:48,870
Putin but we see no no signs that would 

326
00:12:48,870 --> 00:12:51,930
cause us to alter our posture um in 

327
00:12:51,930 --> 00:12:54,720
terms of the nuclear peace and um on 

328
00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,140
the pipeline issue , I don't have any 

329
00:12:57,150 --> 00:12:59,890
any new information for you . Okay . 

330
00:12:59,900 --> 00:13:03,520
Thanks very much . Thank you . Um First 

331
00:13:03,530 --> 00:13:05,680
I just wanted to um on the nuclear 

332
00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:07,902
question , your answer to genuine you'd 

333
00:13:07,902 --> 00:13:09,736
see nothing to corroborate those 

334
00:13:09,736 --> 00:13:11,780
reports about the convoy heading 

335
00:13:11,790 --> 00:13:14,310
towards the border . I only have seen 

336
00:13:14,310 --> 00:13:16,310
the open source reports . I don't I 

337
00:13:16,310 --> 00:13:18,421
don't have anything else but the open 

338
00:13:18,421 --> 00:13:21,020
source reports . So you so you're not 

339
00:13:21,020 --> 00:13:23,187
telling us that you have not been able 

340
00:13:23,187 --> 00:13:25,990
to corroborate that . I have only the 

341
00:13:25,990 --> 00:13:28,046
open source reports . I have nothing 

342
00:13:28,046 --> 00:13:30,212
else . And I'm sorry I see what you're 

343
00:13:30,212 --> 00:13:32,157
saying . No . And then and then um 

344
00:13:32,157 --> 00:13:34,157
separately on on the high mars it's 

345
00:13:34,157 --> 00:13:36,101
been it's been quite a few weeks I 

346
00:13:36,101 --> 00:13:37,879
think since we've seen him ours 

347
00:13:37,879 --> 00:13:40,157
launchers being transferred to Ukraine . 

348
00:13:40,157 --> 00:13:42,268
Can you just talk about that decision 

349
00:13:42,268 --> 00:13:44,490
to send for more right now ? And how do 

350
00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:46,212
you balance Ukraine's need for 

351
00:13:46,212 --> 00:13:48,650
additional high MArs with our own our 

352
00:13:48,650 --> 00:13:51,140
own needs for contingencies . So with 

353
00:13:51,150 --> 00:13:53,520
every drawdown package for each 

354
00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,576
equipment item and high MArs is just 

355
00:13:55,576 --> 00:13:57,742
one of them . We look at the readiness 

356
00:13:57,742 --> 00:13:59,909
implications for U . S . Forces and we 

357
00:13:59,909 --> 00:14:01,687
are comfortable that we are not 

358
00:14:01,687 --> 00:14:04,350
incurring any uh any serious readiness 

359
00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:06,790
impacts in terms of the High MARS or 

360
00:14:06,790 --> 00:14:09,450
any other capability in this or any 

361
00:14:09,450 --> 00:14:12,110
previous drawdown package and that that 

362
00:14:12,110 --> 00:14:14,221
is something that we will continue to 

363
00:14:14,221 --> 00:14:16,270
do um with every single package in 

364
00:14:16,270 --> 00:14:18,326
terms of high MARS specifically what 

365
00:14:18,326 --> 00:14:20,548
we're seeing on the battlefield is that 

366
00:14:20,548 --> 00:14:22,437
they will be able to um use these 

367
00:14:22,437 --> 00:14:24,548
additional high MArs and it will give 

368
00:14:24,548 --> 00:14:26,881
them additional operational flexibility . 

369
00:14:26,881 --> 00:14:29,103
I should mention that I think we always 

370
00:14:29,103 --> 00:14:31,214
focus on the U . S . The U . S . High 

371
00:14:31,214 --> 00:14:33,437
MARS and I just want to remind everyone 

372
00:14:33,437 --> 00:14:35,603
that we're not the only ones providing 

373
00:14:35,603 --> 00:14:37,270
MlRS systems . Actually , the 

374
00:14:37,270 --> 00:14:39,381
Ukrainians , in addition to what will 

375
00:14:39,381 --> 00:14:41,890
now be 20 us high mars . There's 10 

376
00:14:41,900 --> 00:14:44,590
from allies and there's two more from 

377
00:14:44,590 --> 00:14:48,460
allies that are on the way . Let 

378
00:14:48,460 --> 00:14:50,516
me go to the back here and I'll come 

379
00:14:50,516 --> 00:14:53,570
right back to you as you know , 

380
00:14:53,580 --> 00:14:55,710
Ukrainians would like the next level 

381
00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,240
weapon namely the attack comes , they 

382
00:14:58,250 --> 00:15:01,720
provide a distance far into um 

383
00:15:02,370 --> 00:15:05,030
other places , particularly Crimea . 

384
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,250
Can you uh kind of help us understand 

385
00:15:08,250 --> 00:15:10,361
what the administration's position is 

386
00:15:10,361 --> 00:15:13,250
on attack comes uh given what's been 

387
00:15:13,250 --> 00:15:16,880
said about supporting Ukraine's efforts 

388
00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,850
to restore its territorial integrity 

389
00:15:19,860 --> 00:15:22,210
and if there were assurances provided 

390
00:15:22,220 --> 00:15:25,650
to the U . S . By Ukrainians on 

391
00:15:25,660 --> 00:15:29,490
targeting with that suffice to 

392
00:15:29,490 --> 00:15:33,160
make that provision . So in terms of um 

393
00:15:33,170 --> 00:15:35,350
this capability , but again with other 

394
00:15:35,350 --> 00:15:37,572
capabilities as well , we're looking at 

395
00:15:37,572 --> 00:15:39,794
what the battlefield needs are and it's 

396
00:15:39,794 --> 00:15:42,310
our assessment that with the existing 

397
00:15:42,310 --> 00:15:44,470
Gamblers capability that they have on 

398
00:15:44,470 --> 00:15:46,637
the high MARS and that we're providing 

399
00:15:46,637 --> 00:15:49,420
more of with this package that they can 

400
00:15:49,420 --> 00:15:52,180
reach the vast majority of targets on 

401
00:15:52,180 --> 00:15:54,960
the battlefield into Crimea though , 

402
00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,127
they can't with any other weapons that 

403
00:15:57,127 --> 00:15:59,127
they've been provided thus far , we 

404
00:15:59,127 --> 00:16:01,293
think they can reach the vast majority 

405
00:16:01,293 --> 00:16:03,293
of targets , including Crimea . And 

406
00:16:03,293 --> 00:16:05,460
just to be clear , Crimea is Ukraine . 

407
00:16:05,460 --> 00:16:07,516
Okay , we'll go out to the phone and 

408
00:16:07,516 --> 00:16:07,430
then I'll come back into the room here , 

409
00:16:07,810 --> 00:16:09,640
JJ Green W . T . O . P . 

410
00:16:12,490 --> 00:16:14,670
Thank you very much general for the 

411
00:16:14,670 --> 00:16:16,892
opportunity to ask this question . Um , 

412
00:16:16,892 --> 00:16:20,410
Disney cooper . Um , what kind of 

413
00:16:20,420 --> 00:16:22,309
conversations are you having with 

414
00:16:22,309 --> 00:16:25,790
allies about the concerns that have 

415
00:16:25,790 --> 00:16:28,580
come up regarding the possibility of 

416
00:16:28,580 --> 00:16:30,580
Russia's nuclear activity . They've 

417
00:16:30,580 --> 00:16:32,580
been threatening to do this and I'm 

418
00:16:32,580 --> 00:16:34,636
sure you've been talking with allies 

419
00:16:34,636 --> 00:16:36,747
about this because allies are talking 

420
00:16:36,747 --> 00:16:38,969
about it independently . But what kinds 

421
00:16:38,969 --> 00:16:38,680
of conversations have you had with them ? 

422
00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:40,847
And can you share anything about where 

423
00:16:40,847 --> 00:16:43,520
they go ? Thanks , if I heard correctly , 

424
00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,520
it's a question about consultations 

425
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:47,742
with allies on the nuclear threat . And 

426
00:16:47,742 --> 00:16:50,020
you know , what I would say to that is , 

427
00:16:50,020 --> 00:16:51,742
you know , we have continually 

428
00:16:51,742 --> 00:16:53,909
consulted with allies about the Russia 

429
00:16:53,909 --> 00:16:55,853
threat and the nuclear threat that 

430
00:16:55,853 --> 00:16:58,187
Russia poses is just one aspect of that ? 

431
00:16:58,187 --> 00:17:00,920
And certainly the NATO forum is our 

432
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,720
premier forum for consultation on these 

433
00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:06,887
issues . So this has been , you know , 

434
00:17:06,887 --> 00:17:08,498
a longstanding topic of , of 

435
00:17:08,498 --> 00:17:12,000
consultation for us . Thank you . Two 

436
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:13,833
questions . One on em raps . You 

437
00:17:13,833 --> 00:17:16,160
provided 40 back in august where there 

438
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,382
was quite a bit of speculation that was 

439
00:17:18,382 --> 00:17:20,382
for a counter offensive and now you 

440
00:17:20,382 --> 00:17:22,604
just quintupled that ? Why ? What is it 

441
00:17:22,604 --> 00:17:24,716
about the m wrap that the Ukraine has 

442
00:17:24,716 --> 00:17:26,938
found valuable on the battlefield . And 

443
00:17:26,938 --> 00:17:26,710
then another question President biden 

444
00:17:26,710 --> 00:17:28,877
signed lend lease back in May . It's a 

445
00:17:28,877 --> 00:17:30,932
new fiscal year . Are there plans to 

446
00:17:30,932 --> 00:17:33,043
use lend lease in any way to transfer 

447
00:17:33,043 --> 00:17:35,266
weaponry or is it are you sticking with 

448
00:17:35,266 --> 00:17:34,830
drawdown in U . S . A . I . At this 

449
00:17:34,830 --> 00:17:36,774
point . Okay so I'll take the lead 

450
00:17:36,830 --> 00:17:40,310
first . Um so we appreciate Congress's 

451
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,850
support for Ukraine with the lend lease 

452
00:17:42,850 --> 00:17:45,190
legislation . However right now we're 

453
00:17:45,190 --> 00:17:47,412
really focused on presidential drawdown 

454
00:17:47,412 --> 00:17:50,920
and using that as our primary authority 

455
00:17:50,930 --> 00:17:53,270
for being able to provide equipment 

456
00:17:53,270 --> 00:17:55,550
directly from us military stocks . 

457
00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:57,700
Because unlike lend lease it doesn't 

458
00:17:57,700 --> 00:17:59,978
have any provisions that would require , 

459
00:17:59,978 --> 00:18:01,811
you know , reimbursement for say 

460
00:18:01,811 --> 00:18:03,756
damaged equip and and that sort of 

461
00:18:03,756 --> 00:18:05,978
thing . So we're sticking with with P . 

462
00:18:05,978 --> 00:18:09,060
D . A . For now . Um in terms of the 

463
00:18:09,110 --> 00:18:11,430
MRAPs , um you know this is this is 

464
00:18:11,430 --> 00:18:13,950
just a capability that you know , we 

465
00:18:13,950 --> 00:18:16,283
think will be useful on the battlefield . 

466
00:18:16,283 --> 00:18:19,600
We see it as useful for maneuver in the 

467
00:18:19,610 --> 00:18:22,080
areas that you know that Ukraine is 

468
00:18:22,090 --> 00:18:25,130
seeking to retake . And so the time was 

469
00:18:25,130 --> 00:18:27,400
right for us to increase the total 

470
00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,730
amount , do a few more 

471
00:18:31,330 --> 00:18:34,730
nuclear weapons . Do you think 

472
00:18:34,730 --> 00:18:38,100
that if uh if President 

473
00:18:38,100 --> 00:18:41,510
Putin uses nuclear weapons to 

474
00:18:41,510 --> 00:18:45,420
Ukraine then north korean kim 

475
00:18:45,420 --> 00:18:49,140
jong un obsession with using nuclear 

476
00:18:49,140 --> 00:18:51,950
weapons on the korean peninsula will 

477
00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,630
become stronger . Yeah , I don't think 

478
00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:57,540
we want to get into hypotheticals 

479
00:18:57,550 --> 00:19:00,200
clearly uh you know we've communicated 

480
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,256
that there would be consequences for 

481
00:19:02,256 --> 00:19:04,478
any use of nuclear weapons but we won't 

482
00:19:04,478 --> 00:19:06,422
get into hypothetical situations . 

483
00:19:06,422 --> 00:19:08,880
Thank you . Let me go to Tony what what 

484
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,880
nuclear question ? One conventional 

485
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:12,936
question , what signs is the U . S . 

486
00:19:12,936 --> 00:19:15,158
Looking for to indicate that the launch 

487
00:19:15,158 --> 00:19:17,158
weapons ? You said that ? We see no 

488
00:19:17,158 --> 00:19:19,324
signs that would cause us to offer our 

489
00:19:19,324 --> 00:19:21,380
posture . Now . What signs or you're 

490
00:19:21,380 --> 00:19:23,491
looking for Tony I'm not going to get 

491
00:19:23,491 --> 00:19:25,658
into the specifics of our intelligence 

492
00:19:25,658 --> 00:19:27,824
and warning posture . Okay this is the 

493
00:19:27,824 --> 00:19:29,991
second round of the artillery launched 

494
00:19:29,991 --> 00:19:32,310
and my any tank mines . It's kind of 

495
00:19:32,310 --> 00:19:34,310
interesting how are they being used 

496
00:19:34,310 --> 00:19:36,532
being used , blow up Russian tanks like 

497
00:19:36,532 --> 00:19:38,630
the javelin or to block Russian tank 

498
00:19:38,630 --> 00:19:41,700
movements clearing block off corridors . 

499
00:19:41,710 --> 00:19:43,821
How are they being used ? So you have 

500
00:19:43,821 --> 00:19:46,043
to talk with the Ukrainians to get kind 

501
00:19:46,043 --> 00:19:48,154
of a full sense but you know my sense 

502
00:19:48,154 --> 00:19:50,370
is that they are incredibly useful for 

503
00:19:50,370 --> 00:19:52,640
being able to block Russian maneuver 

504
00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,310
forces . As the Ukrainians are trying 

505
00:19:55,310 --> 00:19:58,520
to press forward . Let me just do one 

506
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,760
out on the phone here joe Gould Defense 

507
00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:01,190
news . 

508
00:20:04,700 --> 00:20:07,710
I thank you . Um My question is about 

509
00:20:07,710 --> 00:20:10,520
the precision guided um 

510
00:20:11,130 --> 00:20:13,990
munitions depot de budget documents 

511
00:20:13,990 --> 00:20:16,101
have acknowledged that the U . S . Is 

512
00:20:16,101 --> 00:20:18,710
sending Excalibur rounds to Ukraine . 

513
00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,320
Are those munitions in this package ? 

514
00:20:21,330 --> 00:20:24,340
And then separately on high mars is the 

515
00:20:24,340 --> 00:20:27,880
number here for about 

516
00:20:27,890 --> 00:20:31,070
Ukraine's ability to absorb them for 

517
00:20:31,070 --> 00:20:33,650
primarily about controlling 

518
00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:38,140
readiness implications . So 

519
00:20:38,140 --> 00:20:40,390
on . Um the first one on Excalibur . 

520
00:20:40,390 --> 00:20:43,010
Yes when I when I refer to 500 

521
00:20:43,010 --> 00:20:46,440
precision guided uh 155 millimeter 

522
00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,490
artillery rounds . Um that was a 

523
00:20:48,490 --> 00:20:52,280
reference to the excalibur round . Um 

524
00:20:52,290 --> 00:20:55,210
And in terms of the high MARS but again 

525
00:20:55,210 --> 00:20:57,266
the other capabilities as well we're 

526
00:20:57,266 --> 00:20:59,690
looking at what is needed on the 

527
00:20:59,690 --> 00:21:02,330
battlefield um for drawdown , we tend 

528
00:21:02,330 --> 00:21:04,274
to look in terms of more immediate 

529
00:21:04,274 --> 00:21:06,441
timeframes because we know that we you 

530
00:21:06,441 --> 00:21:08,552
can get it there within days or weeks 

531
00:21:08,552 --> 00:21:11,420
or at most months . Um So we're looking 

532
00:21:11,420 --> 00:21:13,540
at what those needs are in that time 

533
00:21:13,540 --> 00:21:15,651
frame when we do our Ukraine security 

534
00:21:15,651 --> 00:21:18,120
assistance initiative packages um like 

535
00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,231
we did last week where we're actually 

536
00:21:20,231 --> 00:21:22,640
procuring , then we're looking out at a 

537
00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,250
much longer time horizon in envisioning 

538
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,210
what the Ukrainians will need on future 

539
00:21:28,210 --> 00:21:30,210
battlefields to defend themselves . 

540
00:21:30,850 --> 00:21:32,961
Cognizant of your time . And so we'll 

541
00:21:32,961 --> 00:21:35,072
just do one or two more here and then 

542
00:21:36,550 --> 00:21:38,494
thanks for doing this , I have two 

543
00:21:38,494 --> 00:21:40,550
questions speaking about immediate 

544
00:21:40,550 --> 00:21:43,350
needs and winter fighting . It is clear 

545
00:21:43,350 --> 00:21:45,580
that Ukraine's have been demanding uh 

546
00:21:45,590 --> 00:21:48,240
tanks at the highest level and they 

547
00:21:48,250 --> 00:21:50,480
think it's an immediate need . So why 

548
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,100
hasn't the U . S . Analyzed uh met that 

549
00:21:53,110 --> 00:21:55,110
need so far ? And then on the other 

550
00:21:55,110 --> 00:21:57,300
question is looking to , you know , 

551
00:21:57,310 --> 00:21:59,730
long terms providing the Ukranian 

552
00:21:59,730 --> 00:22:02,580
weapons capability , Ukrainian military 

553
00:22:02,580 --> 00:22:04,802
with the capability they need . Can you 

554
00:22:04,802 --> 00:22:06,747
address the merits of maybe having 

555
00:22:06,747 --> 00:22:08,802
centralized mechanism for training ? 

556
00:22:08,802 --> 00:22:10,980
And is this something to be that is 

557
00:22:10,980 --> 00:22:14,980
being considered right now or not ? N y 

558
00:22:14,990 --> 00:22:17,530
thank you . Great . Excellent . So on 

559
00:22:17,530 --> 00:22:19,474
tanks we absolutely agree that the 

560
00:22:19,474 --> 00:22:21,641
Ukrainians need tanks and you know , I 

561
00:22:21,641 --> 00:22:23,808
don't have the breakout of numbers but 

562
00:22:23,808 --> 00:22:25,863
you know the U . S . Has worked with 

563
00:22:25,863 --> 00:22:27,880
allies to support Ukraine with 1000 

564
00:22:27,890 --> 00:22:31,780
armored tanks and other armored ap CS . 

565
00:22:31,890 --> 00:22:34,290
Um so far , so we definitely see the 

566
00:22:34,290 --> 00:22:37,260
need for tanks , the easiest to provide 

567
00:22:37,270 --> 00:22:39,650
immediately and be immediately deployed 

568
00:22:39,650 --> 00:22:42,110
on the battlefield . Are the you know , 

569
00:22:42,110 --> 00:22:44,221
soviet type tanks that the Ukrainians 

570
00:22:44,221 --> 00:22:46,388
already know how to operate , but more 

571
00:22:46,388 --> 00:22:48,277
importantly that they know how to 

572
00:22:48,277 --> 00:22:50,388
repair and that they have spare parts 

573
00:22:50,388 --> 00:22:52,388
for . So one of the challenges with 

574
00:22:52,388 --> 00:22:54,277
introducing um other , you know , 

575
00:22:54,277 --> 00:22:57,220
Western type tanks is the maintenance 

576
00:22:57,220 --> 00:22:59,276
and the sustainment piece . And with 

577
00:22:59,276 --> 00:23:01,220
every single capability we give to 

578
00:23:01,220 --> 00:23:03,220
Ukraine or with every capability we 

579
00:23:03,220 --> 00:23:05,276
encourage our allies and partners to 

580
00:23:05,276 --> 00:23:07,276
provide . We want to make sure that 

581
00:23:07,276 --> 00:23:09,498
they have the right maintenance and the 

582
00:23:09,498 --> 00:23:11,442
right sustainment and that they're 

583
00:23:11,442 --> 00:23:13,498
supporting the Ukrainians with being 

584
00:23:13,498 --> 00:23:15,553
able to do that Now on your question 

585
00:23:15,553 --> 00:23:17,498
about training . Um so far we have 

586
00:23:17,498 --> 00:23:19,387
focused now . First of all , it's 

587
00:23:19,387 --> 00:23:21,609
important to note , we've been training 

588
00:23:21,609 --> 00:23:23,720
the Ukrainians since since just after 

589
00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:25,553
2014 and we're very proud of the 

590
00:23:25,553 --> 00:23:25,490
training that we have done of the 

591
00:23:25,490 --> 00:23:27,760
Ukrainian armed forces over the years . 

592
00:23:27,770 --> 00:23:30,340
But since the envoy , our focus has 

593
00:23:30,340 --> 00:23:32,400
really been on training them for new 

594
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,610
equipment so that those new equipment 

595
00:23:34,610 --> 00:23:36,443
items that we provide , they can 

596
00:23:36,443 --> 00:23:38,388
immediately put to good use on the 

597
00:23:38,388 --> 00:23:40,443
battlefield whether you're talking , 

598
00:23:40,443 --> 00:23:42,499
you know , the M triple seven or the 

599
00:23:42,499 --> 00:23:44,388
high mars or new US is that we're 

600
00:23:44,388 --> 00:23:46,388
providing . Um so that has been our 

601
00:23:46,388 --> 00:23:48,388
focus and we have been coordinating 

602
00:23:48,388 --> 00:23:49,999
that training and we've been 

603
00:23:49,999 --> 00:23:52,380
coordinating with allies via the team , 

604
00:23:52,380 --> 00:23:55,600
the US and UK led team in Germany um to 

605
00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:57,822
make sure that the allies can work work 

606
00:23:57,822 --> 00:24:00,230
together in different locations and 

607
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,010
also to reinforce each other's training 

608
00:24:03,010 --> 00:24:05,550
programs . Um but certainly we really 

609
00:24:05,550 --> 00:24:08,030
welcome additional training that is 

610
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:10,252
being provided right now by the brits . 

611
00:24:10,252 --> 00:24:13,280
Uh the U . K . Has started a major 

612
00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,940
training program to train at the basic 

613
00:24:15,940 --> 00:24:18,020
training level and we'll continue to 

614
00:24:18,020 --> 00:24:20,187
see how we can evolve our own training 

615
00:24:20,187 --> 00:24:22,187
program and , you know , coordinate 

616
00:24:22,187 --> 00:24:23,980
with allies using that central 

617
00:24:23,990 --> 00:24:27,030
coordination hub in Germany . Thank you , 

618
00:24:27,750 --> 00:24:31,690
jennifer and Kasey , can you rule out 

619
00:24:31,700 --> 00:24:33,756
that the U . S . Was involved in any 

620
00:24:33,756 --> 00:24:35,890
way on the attacks on the pipeline , 

621
00:24:35,890 --> 00:24:38,112
the North Stream pipeline . The U . S . 

622
00:24:38,112 --> 00:24:39,501
Was in no way involved . 

623
00:24:41,090 --> 00:24:44,860
A question about nuclear . I know that 

624
00:24:44,860 --> 00:24:46,916
you won't talk about what you see on 

625
00:24:46,916 --> 00:24:49,027
the ground and I know that the United 

626
00:24:49,027 --> 00:24:50,971
States haven't changed , it hasn't 

627
00:24:50,971 --> 00:24:53,082
changed its posture . But what extent 

628
00:24:53,082 --> 00:24:55,193
are you concerned that Russians might 

629
00:24:55,193 --> 00:24:58,500
use tactical nuclear weapons in that ? 

630
00:24:58,510 --> 00:25:02,080
In that Ukraine ? And also another 

631
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,302
question , as a general question , what 

632
00:25:04,302 --> 00:25:06,680
is the biggest lesson that you learned 

633
00:25:06,940 --> 00:25:10,120
about Russians in this war in Ukraine ? 

634
00:25:11,380 --> 00:25:14,500
Okay , that one's really hard . Uh so 

635
00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:17,600
on the nuclear peace . Um certainly we 

636
00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,770
always have to try to take the threat 

637
00:25:19,780 --> 00:25:22,113
of nuclear you seriously . And so we do . 

638
00:25:22,113 --> 00:25:24,790
Um and that's why we are watching very 

639
00:25:24,790 --> 00:25:27,190
closely and that's why we do consult 

640
00:25:27,190 --> 00:25:29,340
closely with allies . Um but at the 

641
00:25:29,340 --> 00:25:31,690
same time uh at this point it's 

642
00:25:31,690 --> 00:25:33,746
rhetoric is is only rhetoric and its 

643
00:25:33,746 --> 00:25:36,480
its irresponsible saber rattling that 

644
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,500
we see at this point . Um you know the 

645
00:25:39,510 --> 00:25:42,550
the greatest lesson um about about 

646
00:25:42,550 --> 00:25:44,772
Russia , it's it's hard to come up with 

647
00:25:44,772 --> 00:25:47,240
just one lesson . Um but I think that 

648
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,350
most of us watching this um have been 

649
00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:53,730
appalled and horrified at 

650
00:25:53,740 --> 00:25:57,530
the state of uh the the Russian 

651
00:25:57,530 --> 00:25:59,780
armed forces . Um you know from the 

652
00:25:59,780 --> 00:26:02,060
ground all the way up to the top in 

653
00:26:02,060 --> 00:26:04,340
terms of the the poor quality 

654
00:26:04,340 --> 00:26:08,020
leadership um the brutality of the 

655
00:26:08,020 --> 00:26:11,640
tactics . Um and uh with every day we 

656
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,980
continue to see this horror unfolding . 

657
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,493
Thank you very much for your time today , 

658
00:26:17,493 --> 00:26:18,827
man , I appreciate it . 

659
00:26:22,770 --> 00:26:26,520
Alright , so in addition to today's 

660
00:26:26,530 --> 00:26:28,697
P . D . Announcement , I do have a few 

661
00:26:28,697 --> 00:26:30,808
other updates to provide . As you are 

662
00:26:30,808 --> 00:26:32,586
aware , the Democratic People's 

663
00:26:32,586 --> 00:26:34,808
Republic of Korea conducted a ballistic 

664
00:26:34,808 --> 00:26:37,030
missile launch last night that overflow 

665
00:26:37,030 --> 00:26:38,974
Japan . The United States condemns 

666
00:26:38,974 --> 00:26:41,141
these actions and calls on the DPRK to 

667
00:26:41,141 --> 00:26:43,030
refrain from further unlawful and 

668
00:26:43,030 --> 00:26:45,610
destabilizing acts . In response to the 

669
00:26:45,610 --> 00:26:47,710
DpRK s ballistic missile launch over 

670
00:26:47,710 --> 00:26:49,710
Japan U . S . Marine Corps fighters 

671
00:26:49,710 --> 00:26:51,890
joined Japan air Self Defense force 

672
00:26:51,890 --> 00:26:54,120
fighters in a bilateral exercise over 

673
00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:57,220
the sea of Japan on october 4th Jap 

674
00:26:57,230 --> 00:27:00,270
Japan time . Uh in addition , US indo 

675
00:27:00,270 --> 00:27:02,381
pacific command and Republic of Korea 

676
00:27:02,381 --> 00:27:04,159
personnel conducted a bilateral 

677
00:27:04,159 --> 00:27:06,550
exercise over the West Sea on october 

678
00:27:06,550 --> 00:27:09,570
4th korean time . These engagements 

679
00:27:09,570 --> 00:27:11,348
were taken to showcase combined 

680
00:27:11,348 --> 00:27:12,959
deterrent and dynamic strike 

681
00:27:12,959 --> 00:27:15,014
capabilities while demonstrating the 

682
00:27:15,014 --> 00:27:17,126
interoperability our nation's share . 

683
00:27:17,126 --> 00:27:19,348
In addition , earlier today , Secretary 

684
00:27:19,348 --> 00:27:21,459
Austin spoke with his counterparts in 

685
00:27:21,459 --> 00:27:23,403
Japan and the Republic of Korea to 

686
00:27:23,403 --> 00:27:25,237
discuss the threats posed by the 

687
00:27:25,237 --> 00:27:27,348
democratic People's Republic of Korea 

688
00:27:27,348 --> 00:27:29,459
uh and their nuclear missile programs 

689
00:27:29,459 --> 00:27:31,510
and to refer reaffirm our mutual 

690
00:27:31,510 --> 00:27:33,788
resolve to maintain regional stability . 

691
00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:36,100
The leaders agreed that yesterday's 

692
00:27:36,100 --> 00:27:38,322
missile launch was a clear violation of 

693
00:27:38,322 --> 00:27:40,100
United Nations Security Council 

694
00:27:40,100 --> 00:27:42,100
resolutions and threatened regional 

695
00:27:42,100 --> 00:27:44,260
peace and Security . Secretary Austin 

696
00:27:44,260 --> 00:27:46,093
also reaffirmed that the U . S . 

697
00:27:46,093 --> 00:27:48,260
Commitment to the defense of Japan and 

698
00:27:48,260 --> 00:27:50,260
the Republic of Korea is ironclad . 

699
00:27:50,660 --> 00:27:52,827
We've issued readouts on both of these 

700
00:27:52,827 --> 00:27:54,827
calls which you should have already 

701
00:27:54,827 --> 00:27:56,993
received . The US remains committed to 

702
00:27:56,993 --> 00:27:59,216
peace and prosperity through the region 

703
00:27:59,216 --> 00:28:01,216
throughout the region . In order to 

704
00:28:01,216 --> 00:28:03,327
secure a free and open indo pacific , 

705
00:28:03,327 --> 00:28:05,382
our commitment to the defense of the 

706
00:28:05,382 --> 00:28:07,382
Republic of Korea and Japan remains 

707
00:28:07,382 --> 00:28:09,493
ironclad . And again , we call on the 

708
00:28:09,493 --> 00:28:11,604
Dprk to refrain from further unlawful 

709
00:28:11,604 --> 00:28:13,716
and destabilizing acts . I do want to 

710
00:28:13,716 --> 00:28:15,827
get to your questions but first , I'd 

711
00:28:15,827 --> 00:28:17,993
also like to provide a brief update on 

712
00:28:17,993 --> 00:28:20,160
the Defense Department's hurricane Ian 

713
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:22,160
recovery efforts across florida and 

714
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,327
support of fema . As of this morning , 

715
00:28:24,327 --> 00:28:26,438
the National Guard had more than 5198 

716
00:28:26,438 --> 00:28:28,438
soldiers and airmen on state active 

717
00:28:28,438 --> 00:28:31,360
duty from florida Tennessee Louisiana 

718
00:28:31,370 --> 00:28:33,610
Mississippi new york Washington Georgia 

719
00:28:33,610 --> 00:28:35,900
and Montana under the command and 

720
00:28:35,900 --> 00:28:38,067
control of the dual status commander , 

721
00:28:38,067 --> 00:28:40,122
Army Guard , Brigadier General Shawn 

722
00:28:40,122 --> 00:28:42,178
Boyett Guard soldiers and airmen are 

723
00:28:42,178 --> 00:28:44,344
providing route clearing , sustainment 

724
00:28:44,344 --> 00:28:46,178
support , logistics , security , 

725
00:28:46,178 --> 00:28:48,289
satellite communications , search and 

726
00:28:48,289 --> 00:28:50,480
rescue . 32 commodities distribution 

727
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,900
sites , shelter support to fema and 

728
00:28:52,900 --> 00:28:55,080
other local first responders . The 

729
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:56,969
National Guard has 24 helicopters 

730
00:28:56,969 --> 00:28:58,969
involved in recovery operations and 

731
00:28:58,969 --> 00:29:01,136
have rescued more than 2100 people and 

732
00:29:01,136 --> 00:29:03,302
50 pets . Thus far , The Florida Guard 

733
00:29:03,302 --> 00:29:05,680
also has more than 1300 ground assets 

734
00:29:05,690 --> 00:29:07,579
actively engaged , including high 

735
00:29:07,579 --> 00:29:09,634
wheeled transports , fuel trucks and 

736
00:29:09,634 --> 00:29:11,990
wreckers and 50 rescue boats . More 

737
00:29:11,990 --> 00:29:13,770
than 180 guard troops have been 

738
00:29:13,770 --> 00:29:16,230
airlifted to Captiva , Sanibel and Pine 

739
00:29:16,230 --> 00:29:18,430
Islands for security assistance and 

740
00:29:18,430 --> 00:29:20,041
food , water and commodities 

741
00:29:20,041 --> 00:29:23,020
distribution . National Guard support 

742
00:29:23,020 --> 00:29:24,900
to hurricane recovery efforts in 

743
00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:26,844
Georgia , north Carolina and south 

744
00:29:26,844 --> 00:29:28,830
Carolina have concluded . But 65 

745
00:29:28,830 --> 00:29:30,774
Virginia . Army Guard soldiers and 

746
00:29:30,774 --> 00:29:32,941
three helicopters remain activated and 

747
00:29:32,941 --> 00:29:35,108
state active duty status for potential 

748
00:29:35,108 --> 00:29:36,941
high water missions in southeast 

749
00:29:36,941 --> 00:29:40,210
Virginia . Uh and separately as uh as I 

750
00:29:40,210 --> 00:29:42,377
speak here today . Secretary Austin is 

751
00:29:42,377 --> 00:29:44,640
hosting Pakistan Chief of Army Staff 

752
00:29:44,650 --> 00:29:46,610
General Qamar javed Bajwa for a 

753
00:29:46,610 --> 00:29:48,777
scheduled meeting here in the pentagon 

754
00:29:48,777 --> 00:29:50,610
today . This year marks the 75th 

755
00:29:50,610 --> 00:29:52,666
anniversary of relations between the 

756
00:29:52,666 --> 00:29:55,290
United States and Pakistan . We will be 

757
00:29:55,290 --> 00:29:57,760
issuing a readout later today . And 

758
00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:59,649
finally on behalf the D . O . D . 

759
00:29:59,649 --> 00:30:01,538
Public affairs team and Secretary 

760
00:30:01,538 --> 00:30:03,760
Austin . I want to welcome assistant to 

761
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:05,760
the Secretary of defense for public 

762
00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:07,704
affairs chris Mayer who arrived on 

763
00:30:07,704 --> 00:30:09,704
station this week as the department 

764
00:30:09,704 --> 00:30:11,871
senior public affairs leader . He will 

765
00:30:11,871 --> 00:30:11,700
oversee D . O . D . S . Media relations 

766
00:30:11,700 --> 00:30:13,811
and public outreach efforts and serve 

767
00:30:13,811 --> 00:30:15,978
as Secretary Austin senior adviser and 

768
00:30:15,978 --> 00:30:17,589
public affairs and strategic 

769
00:30:17,589 --> 00:30:19,311
communication . He brings deep 

770
00:30:19,311 --> 00:30:21,367
communications experience and we all 

771
00:30:21,367 --> 00:30:23,422
look forward to his leadership . And 

772
00:30:23,422 --> 00:30:25,589
with that I will take your questions . 

773
00:30:25,589 --> 00:30:27,756
We already went to a piece . I'm going 

774
00:30:27,756 --> 00:30:26,900
to go to Janie 1st . 

775
00:30:35,410 --> 00:30:38,610
North Korea's continued provocations . 

776
00:30:38,620 --> 00:30:42,210
Is there any military response ? 

777
00:30:44,060 --> 00:30:46,282
Is there any military response in North 

778
00:30:46,282 --> 00:30:48,449
Korea as well ? As I highlighted in my 

779
00:30:48,449 --> 00:30:50,810
comments , um the United States 

780
00:30:50,810 --> 00:30:53,200
conducted bilateral exercises with both 

781
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,970
Japan and the Republic of Korea . Uh 

782
00:30:55,980 --> 00:30:59,880
again demonstrate our solid alliance uh 

783
00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:02,270
and our firm commitment to working with 

784
00:31:02,270 --> 00:31:04,070
one another and to enable 

785
00:31:04,070 --> 00:31:06,670
interoperability . You have another one . 

786
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:10,050
The South korean government said 

787
00:31:10,060 --> 00:31:13,870
North Korea had around the medium range 

788
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:17,840
missiles . But today uh 

789
00:31:18,460 --> 00:31:22,330
national Security and council saying 

790
00:31:22,340 --> 00:31:25,150
that it was the 

791
00:31:26,730 --> 00:31:30,600
what is is why are 

792
00:31:30,610 --> 00:31:33,600
the two countries making different 

793
00:31:33,610 --> 00:31:35,980
announcement about this ? 

794
00:31:37,330 --> 00:31:39,600
So what I would right now is that we're 

795
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:41,767
still assessing the launch , assessing 

796
00:31:41,767 --> 00:31:45,040
the missile and so when and if we're 

797
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,151
able to provide additional details on 

798
00:31:47,151 --> 00:31:49,096
that will certainly make sure that 

799
00:31:53,770 --> 00:31:55,770
again we're assessing the missile 

800
00:31:55,770 --> 00:31:56,900
launch . So that's 

801
00:31:56,910 --> 00:32:01,220
okay . 

802
00:32:01,230 --> 00:32:04,060
I understand . I understand . I mean 

803
00:32:04,060 --> 00:32:06,600
the missile over flew Japan but in 

804
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,030
terms of the type of missile um the 

805
00:32:09,030 --> 00:32:11,760
point of impact the range all that's 

806
00:32:11,770 --> 00:32:13,881
being assessed right now . So I'm not 

807
00:32:13,881 --> 00:32:15,830
going to have I'm not going to . 

808
00:32:15,830 --> 00:32:17,830
Characterize it again , We're gonna 

809
00:32:17,830 --> 00:32:19,997
assess it . Okay , thank you , ma'am . 

810
00:32:19,997 --> 00:32:21,941
I'm gonna go back here . Yes sir . 

811
00:32:22,090 --> 00:32:24,750
Thank you Pat . I want to ask about the 

812
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,390
hurricane response . I know that this 

813
00:32:27,390 --> 00:32:29,390
partly up to the state , but do you 

814
00:32:29,390 --> 00:32:31,168
have any sense of how long this 

815
00:32:31,168 --> 00:32:33,112
military assistance is going to be 

816
00:32:33,112 --> 00:32:35,001
needed ? Um You know , due to the 

817
00:32:35,001 --> 00:32:38,460
devastation there And um secondly on 

818
00:32:38,460 --> 00:32:41,610
that is do you have any sense of how 

819
00:32:41,610 --> 00:32:44,380
this response compares to responses to 

820
00:32:44,390 --> 00:32:46,720
other past large storms ? I mean , just 

821
00:32:46,730 --> 00:32:49,160
numbers wise , is this a particularly 

822
00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,800
large military response or does it kind 

823
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:54,200
of um is it similar to other large 

824
00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,590
storms we've seen ? Well , I think , 

825
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,878
you know , to your last question there . 

826
00:32:58,878 --> 00:33:02,420
Um I think every single situation in 

827
00:33:02,420 --> 00:33:05,560
and of itself um you know , will merit 

828
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,750
the size and scope of the military 

829
00:33:07,750 --> 00:33:09,972
response . Certainly in this particular 

830
00:33:09,972 --> 00:33:11,694
case , given the swath and the 

831
00:33:11,694 --> 00:33:13,917
destruction that the storm has caused , 

832
00:33:13,917 --> 00:33:16,028
It's a significant amount of military 

833
00:33:16,028 --> 00:33:18,250
support to fema and and to the states . 

834
00:33:18,620 --> 00:33:21,020
Um and far as far as how long this will 

835
00:33:21,020 --> 00:33:24,460
last . I'd be speculating clearly will 

836
00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:26,682
continue to work . The National Guard . 

837
00:33:26,682 --> 00:33:28,904
The Department defense will continue to 

838
00:33:28,904 --> 00:33:31,071
work with fema , continue to work with 

839
00:33:31,071 --> 00:33:33,293
the States and support them for however 

840
00:33:33,293 --> 00:33:35,870
long it will take . Thanks let me go 

841
00:33:35,870 --> 00:33:38,203
ahead and share the wealth a little bit . 

842
00:33:38,203 --> 00:33:40,259
Now , I'll come back to you . Okay . 

843
00:33:40,259 --> 00:33:42,880
Yes sir . Thank you at another North 

844
00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:45,020
Korea question . Um what's the 

845
00:33:45,020 --> 00:33:47,020
pentagon's latest assessment of the 

846
00:33:47,020 --> 00:33:49,700
likelihood of North Korea um launching 

847
00:33:49,700 --> 00:33:52,130
a nuclear test and whatever that 

848
00:33:52,130 --> 00:33:54,297
assessment is , has it now become more 

849
00:33:54,297 --> 00:33:56,463
likely from your point of view , given 

850
00:33:56,463 --> 00:34:00,010
this most recent launch over Japan . Um , 

851
00:34:00,020 --> 00:34:02,630
so I don't want to speculate on whether 

852
00:34:02,630 --> 00:34:04,990
they will or not . Um , as you know , 

853
00:34:04,990 --> 00:34:07,350
there has been indications in the past 

854
00:34:07,350 --> 00:34:10,360
that the DpRK is preparing a test site 

855
00:34:10,370 --> 00:34:12,560
for what would be its seventh nuclear 

856
00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:15,960
test . Um if they do do such a test 

857
00:34:15,970 --> 00:34:17,890
uh , from our perspective , would 

858
00:34:17,890 --> 00:34:21,280
clearly constitute a grave escalatory 

859
00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:23,140
action and seriously threatened 

860
00:34:23,140 --> 00:34:25,362
regional and international security and 

861
00:34:25,362 --> 00:34:27,584
stability . Regardless , we continue to 

862
00:34:27,584 --> 00:34:30,120
work with our republic of Korea and 

863
00:34:30,130 --> 00:34:32,910
Japanese partners for all contingencies . 

864
00:34:32,910 --> 00:34:35,110
And again , we call on the DPRK to 

865
00:34:35,300 --> 00:34:37,920
cease these type of destabilizing and 

866
00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,170
unlawful actions . Thank you . 

867
00:34:45,030 --> 00:34:46,930
General question on the bilateral 

868
00:34:46,930 --> 00:34:49,400
exercises being conducted right now . 

869
00:34:49,410 --> 00:34:51,460
When you say demonstrating 

870
00:34:51,470 --> 00:34:54,210
interoperability between partners um 

871
00:34:54,220 --> 00:34:56,442
from a technology perspective , what do 

872
00:34:56,442 --> 00:34:59,790
you mean ? So interoperability , the 

873
00:34:59,790 --> 00:35:02,610
ability to fly uh and fight together is 

874
00:35:02,610 --> 00:35:04,832
not something that you can just wake up 

875
00:35:04,832 --> 00:35:06,666
in the morning and do right , as 

876
00:35:06,666 --> 00:35:10,510
evidenced by uh our operations during 

877
00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,650
the counter ISIS campaign , as 

878
00:35:12,650 --> 00:35:14,594
evidenced by the current effort in 

879
00:35:14,594 --> 00:35:17,630
Ukraine , our ability to work uh and 

880
00:35:17,630 --> 00:35:20,780
fight and deter alongside our partners 

881
00:35:21,020 --> 00:35:24,490
is critical in terms of deterrence , uh , 

882
00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:26,389
demonstrating that we do have the 

883
00:35:26,389 --> 00:35:28,500
capability to fight together when and 

884
00:35:28,500 --> 00:35:31,030
if we need to And so uh these exercises 

885
00:35:31,030 --> 00:35:33,690
are an opportunity for our military 

886
00:35:33,690 --> 00:35:36,410
members to work together to exercise 

887
00:35:36,410 --> 00:35:38,980
those capabilities uh to one send a 

888
00:35:38,980 --> 00:35:42,550
message that we are prepared uh and to 

889
00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:44,671
that if we need to fight , we can and 

890
00:35:44,671 --> 00:35:46,970
we can do it together just really 

891
00:35:46,970 --> 00:35:49,200
quickly . The classified version of the 

892
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:51,311
NDS was sent to Congress in March and 

893
00:35:51,311 --> 00:35:53,478
we've been waiting for an unclassified 

894
00:35:53,478 --> 00:35:55,422
version since then last week . The 

895
00:35:55,422 --> 00:35:57,422
President's Coordinator for Defense 

896
00:35:57,422 --> 00:35:59,500
Policy said that we could expect an 

897
00:35:59,510 --> 00:36:01,920
unclassified version coming out soon . 

898
00:36:01,930 --> 00:36:04,208
What does the timing look like on that ? 

899
00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:06,982
Um It would probably a huge mistake for 

900
00:36:06,982 --> 00:36:09,260
me to give you a time from this podium . 

901
00:36:09,260 --> 00:36:11,204
All I can say is that when we have 

902
00:36:11,204 --> 00:36:12,982
something to announce , we will 

903
00:36:12,982 --> 00:36:16,980
announce it . Well , first there has to 

904
00:36:16,980 --> 00:36:19,450
be the unclassified National Security 

905
00:36:19,450 --> 00:36:21,860
Strategy released and then after that , 

906
00:36:21,870 --> 00:36:24,360
then we'll be in a position to release 

907
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:26,360
the National Defense Strategy . The 

908
00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:29,300
unclassified version . Again , I'm not 

909
00:36:29,300 --> 00:36:33,230
gonna sit here and do action officer 

910
00:36:33,230 --> 00:36:35,452
work at the podium . But thank you very 

911
00:36:35,452 --> 00:36:37,674
much . Alright , let me go back over to 

912
00:36:37,674 --> 00:36:39,674
kevin . General Kevin Baron . I'm a 

913
00:36:39,674 --> 00:36:39,550
friend of 

914
00:36:40,660 --> 00:36:44,560
I have a question 

915
00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:46,616
on Mike , Pompeo has come out with a 

916
00:36:46,616 --> 00:36:49,870
series of ads through his pack on 

917
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,150
localism in the military and part of a 

918
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:55,060
political conservative accusation that 

919
00:36:55,060 --> 00:36:57,004
woke isM is affecting recruiting . 

920
00:36:57,004 --> 00:36:59,227
Among other things here is the pentagon 

921
00:36:59,227 --> 00:37:01,282
doing anything to dig into this . Do 

922
00:37:01,282 --> 00:37:03,282
you have any data showing yes or no 

923
00:37:03,282 --> 00:37:05,970
that woke ism that all the programs 

924
00:37:05,970 --> 00:37:08,192
that have been put in place in the last 

925
00:37:08,192 --> 00:37:10,137
couple of years here on racism and 

926
00:37:10,137 --> 00:37:12,137
extremism , etcetera are negatively 

927
00:37:12,137 --> 00:37:14,026
affecting or any anyway affecting 

928
00:37:14,026 --> 00:37:16,303
recruiting and retention levels . Yeah , 

929
00:37:16,303 --> 00:37:18,359
Thanks for the question , kevin . As 

930
00:37:18,359 --> 00:37:18,020
I'm sure you can appreciate , I'm not 

931
00:37:18,020 --> 00:37:20,310
gonna comment on anybody's particular 

932
00:37:20,310 --> 00:37:22,421
election campaign to . Thanks for the 

933
00:37:22,421 --> 00:37:24,532
question , Do you have any data ? Are 

934
00:37:24,532 --> 00:37:26,532
you studying this this issue at all 

935
00:37:26,540 --> 00:37:28,373
that pertains to an individual's 

936
00:37:28,373 --> 00:37:30,450
election campaign now ? To the 

937
00:37:30,460 --> 00:37:32,516
recruiting difficulties the services 

938
00:37:32,516 --> 00:37:34,516
have been reporting . I think we've 

939
00:37:34,516 --> 00:37:36,349
been very public in terms of the 

940
00:37:36,349 --> 00:37:38,571
challenges that we face as a department 

941
00:37:38,571 --> 00:37:40,793
in terms of recruiting to include a lot 

942
00:37:40,793 --> 00:37:42,960
of the reasons that we assess why that 

943
00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,127
is to include a propensity to serve to 

944
00:37:45,127 --> 00:37:47,490
include to include the recruiting age 

945
00:37:47,490 --> 00:37:49,910
population . Uh , and so the department 

946
00:37:49,910 --> 00:37:51,966
continues to work very , very hard . 

947
00:37:51,966 --> 00:37:54,390
All the services due to find ways to 

948
00:37:54,390 --> 00:37:56,612
demonstrate to the american public that 

949
00:37:56,612 --> 00:37:59,580
this is an attractive , uh , and great 

950
00:37:59,580 --> 00:38:01,780
way of life . Um , I mean , the 

951
00:38:01,780 --> 00:38:03,613
opportunities that you get while 

952
00:38:03,613 --> 00:38:05,169
serving in the military are 

953
00:38:05,169 --> 00:38:07,391
unparalleled . Um , no matter what walk 

954
00:38:07,391 --> 00:38:09,336
of life you come from or what your 

955
00:38:09,336 --> 00:38:11,810
background is . So I am confident that 

956
00:38:11,820 --> 00:38:14,042
each of our services will continue to , 

957
00:38:14,042 --> 00:38:16,098
uh , to research that and look at it 

958
00:38:16,098 --> 00:38:18,264
and find ways that we can connect with 

959
00:38:18,264 --> 00:38:20,320
the public because at the end of the 

960
00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:22,376
day , this all volunteer force needs 

961
00:38:22,376 --> 00:38:24,598
volunteers . Uh , and it's essential to 

962
00:38:24,598 --> 00:38:26,653
defending our country and our way of 

963
00:38:26,653 --> 00:38:28,820
life . And I'm going to go to the next 

964
00:38:28,820 --> 00:38:30,931
question row , Thank you very much to 

965
00:38:30,931 --> 00:38:33,340
questions on north Korea that the 

966
00:38:33,340 --> 00:38:35,451
secretary Hong kong with the Japanese 

967
00:38:35,451 --> 00:38:37,340
and South korean counterpart this 

968
00:38:37,340 --> 00:38:41,320
morning , did you discuss deployment of 

969
00:38:41,330 --> 00:38:43,540
more U . S . Military assets to the 

970
00:38:43,540 --> 00:38:45,910
south Korea and Japan to reinforce 

971
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,670
deterrence and secondary ? Do you still 

972
00:38:48,670 --> 00:38:51,460
believe that the nuclearization of the 

973
00:38:51,470 --> 00:38:54,450
korean peninsula is a realistic and the 

974
00:38:54,450 --> 00:38:56,561
goal of the U . S . Policy from north 

975
00:38:56,561 --> 00:38:59,520
Korea ? So denuclearization continues 

976
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,400
to be the policy , as we've said in the 

977
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:04,780
past . Um in terms of the phone call 

978
00:39:04,780 --> 00:39:07,130
this morning , I think the readout that 

979
00:39:07,130 --> 00:39:09,370
we provided provided the contours of 

980
00:39:09,370 --> 00:39:11,990
the discussion uh to include a 

981
00:39:11,990 --> 00:39:14,880
discussion about the exercises that our 

982
00:39:14,890 --> 00:39:16,890
two countries have conducted in the 

983
00:39:16,890 --> 00:39:19,240
past and the exercise that we conducted 

984
00:39:19,240 --> 00:39:20,950
today . Thank you 

985
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:24,670
Kassem , The 

986
00:39:24,670 --> 00:39:27,440
nuclear , the north korean missile flew 

987
00:39:27,450 --> 00:39:29,506
over Japan . Apparently there was no 

988
00:39:29,506 --> 00:39:31,450
engagement against the missile was 

989
00:39:31,450 --> 00:39:33,617
there . Do you rule out that there was 

990
00:39:33,617 --> 00:39:35,672
no engagement against the missile in 

991
00:39:35,672 --> 00:39:39,130
terms of china ? And also you mentioned 

992
00:39:39,130 --> 00:39:42,050
that there was an exercise with Japan 

993
00:39:42,350 --> 00:39:44,530
and also you tried to characterize it 

994
00:39:44,540 --> 00:39:47,350
as a way of response response . 

995
00:39:48,810 --> 00:39:52,560
That was it was a 

996
00:39:52,570 --> 00:39:54,560
demonstration of our commitment to 

997
00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:56,730
working to with one another and 

998
00:39:56,730 --> 00:39:58,900
interoperability , again , sending a 

999
00:39:58,900 --> 00:40:02,440
message uh to the DPRK 

1000
00:40:02,450 --> 00:40:05,360
that the alliance between the United 

1001
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:07,650
States , Japan and the Republic of 

1002
00:40:07,650 --> 00:40:11,510
Korea is very , very strong and 

1003
00:40:11,510 --> 00:40:14,060
that we are prepared to work together 

1004
00:40:14,070 --> 00:40:16,860
to deter any type of threats ? So , 

1005
00:40:16,870 --> 00:40:19,670
those were conducted in response to 

1006
00:40:19,670 --> 00:40:22,840
that , that launch , 

1007
00:40:22,850 --> 00:40:25,017
I'll come back to you . I want to give 

1008
00:40:25,017 --> 00:40:26,350
other folks . Yes sir , 

1009
00:40:28,420 --> 00:40:30,720
us Africa Command said they launched a 

1010
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:32,810
strike this weekend targeting Al 

1011
00:40:32,810 --> 00:40:34,910
Shabaab militants . It's the fourth 

1012
00:40:34,910 --> 00:40:37,230
strike since about mid august . Could 

1013
00:40:37,230 --> 00:40:39,008
you give us an update about the 

1014
00:40:39,008 --> 00:40:41,063
situation on the ground there and if 

1015
00:40:41,063 --> 00:40:41,050
the threat from Al Shabaab is 

1016
00:40:41,050 --> 00:40:44,980
increasing ? Um So I'll talk 

1017
00:40:44,980 --> 00:40:46,869
in general terms really , I would 

1018
00:40:46,869 --> 00:40:49,036
encourage you to talk with Africom who 

1019
00:40:49,036 --> 00:40:50,980
can give you more of a deep dive . 

1020
00:40:50,980 --> 00:40:52,924
Clearly al Shabaab is a concerning 

1021
00:40:52,924 --> 00:40:54,870
organization uh you know , as an 

1022
00:40:54,870 --> 00:40:58,370
offshoot of um ISIS and 

1023
00:40:58,380 --> 00:41:01,490
um we continue to work closely with the 

1024
00:41:01,490 --> 00:41:03,720
Somali government to try to train , 

1025
00:41:03,720 --> 00:41:06,680
advise assist as they confront that 

1026
00:41:06,690 --> 00:41:08,523
threat to try to prevent it from 

1027
00:41:08,523 --> 00:41:10,730
spreading further . Uh clearly these 

1028
00:41:10,730 --> 00:41:14,030
strikes are meant to try to 

1029
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,262
prevent that from happening . We've all 

1030
00:41:16,262 --> 00:41:18,373
seen in the past what can happen when 

1031
00:41:18,373 --> 00:41:20,596
it does . And so we'll continue to work 

1032
00:41:20,596 --> 00:41:22,596
closely with Somali on that . But I 

1033
00:41:22,596 --> 00:41:24,596
would I would recommend you contact 

1034
00:41:24,596 --> 00:41:26,596
Africom . Okay , let me go here and 

1035
00:41:26,596 --> 00:41:28,707
then the back and then I'll come back 

1036
00:41:28,707 --> 00:41:30,929
to Sylvia . Thank you sir ? Thank you . 

1037
00:41:30,929 --> 00:41:33,780
Met with Mayadeen network uh regarding 

1038
00:41:33,780 --> 00:41:35,860
to the North Korea General ? Are you 

1039
00:41:35,860 --> 00:41:38,290
willing to sit with North Korea 

1040
00:41:38,300 --> 00:41:41,640
officials and on what principles 

1041
00:41:41,650 --> 00:41:44,250
table for these talks ? If it's gonna 

1042
00:41:44,250 --> 00:41:46,920
be held between the U . S . Officials . 

1043
00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:50,270
Are North Korea in terms of 

1044
00:41:50,270 --> 00:41:53,740
diplomatic relations with North Korea ? 

1045
00:41:53,750 --> 00:41:57,190
I think that's really a question for 

1046
00:41:57,190 --> 00:41:59,930
the State Department to address clearly 

1047
00:41:59,930 --> 00:42:02,097
our focus as the Department of Defense 

1048
00:42:02,097 --> 00:42:04,620
is working with our partners and allies 

1049
00:42:04,620 --> 00:42:08,050
in the region uh to uh deter 

1050
00:42:08,060 --> 00:42:10,720
and you know , certainly I think it 

1051
00:42:10,720 --> 00:42:12,331
goes without saying that any 

1052
00:42:12,331 --> 00:42:14,498
constructive positive communication is 

1053
00:42:14,498 --> 00:42:18,280
welcome . Um firing 

1054
00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:20,502
missiles is not a good way to do that . 

1055
00:42:20,502 --> 00:42:22,613
So um , you know , we would again ask 

1056
00:42:22,613 --> 00:42:24,760
them to stop with the destabilizing 

1057
00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,510
actions . Uh and um in the meantime we 

1058
00:42:28,510 --> 00:42:30,780
will continue to be prepared to defend 

1059
00:42:30,790 --> 00:42:33,560
our allies . Let me go to the person 

1060
00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:35,727
behind you . Yes ma'am . Yes erin with 

1061
00:42:35,727 --> 00:42:38,160
Kyoto and how does the Pentagon assess 

1062
00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:40,890
North Korea's capabilities in terms of 

1063
00:42:40,900 --> 00:42:43,400
accuracy ? Um 

1064
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:46,711
that's really a subjective question . 

1065
00:42:46,711 --> 00:42:48,600
Right ? So without knowing what a 

1066
00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,960
particular what particularly they were 

1067
00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:53,370
aiming at , you know , and I really 

1068
00:42:53,370 --> 00:42:55,537
don't want to get into intelligence on 

1069
00:42:55,537 --> 00:42:58,890
that . So over Japan , 

1070
00:42:58,890 --> 00:43:02,290
correct . Um I'd have to double check 

1071
00:43:02,300 --> 00:43:04,890
but I think that's right . But um , but 

1072
00:43:04,900 --> 00:43:06,733
in terms of accuracy , if you're 

1073
00:43:06,733 --> 00:43:08,456
talking about precision guided 

1074
00:43:08,456 --> 00:43:10,622
capabilities and things like that . Um 

1075
00:43:10,622 --> 00:43:12,344
yeah , I don't I don't have an 

1076
00:43:12,344 --> 00:43:14,567
assessment to provide for you but thank 

1077
00:43:14,567 --> 00:43:16,678
you . Okay . Yes ma'am . And then and 

1078
00:43:16,678 --> 00:43:19,011
then I'll come back to you guys , sorry , 

1079
00:43:19,011 --> 00:43:21,410
long range ballistic missiles that are 

1080
00:43:21,410 --> 00:43:23,640
rumored that North Korea might be 

1081
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:25,640
working on . Is there any update on 

1082
00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:27,862
that ? I don't have any updates . Thank 

1083
00:43:27,862 --> 00:43:30,000
you . Any worry about that program ? 

1084
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,860
That's escalated again . The issue here 

1085
00:43:32,870 --> 00:43:36,460
is North Korea's behavior and the 

1086
00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,210
destabilizing impact that it has on the 

1087
00:43:39,210 --> 00:43:41,850
region . Uh , and so um that of course 

1088
00:43:41,850 --> 00:43:44,420
is concerning to everyone . Yes sir . 

1089
00:43:44,420 --> 00:43:46,309
We'll go here and I'm gonna go to 

1090
00:43:46,309 --> 00:43:48,950
Sylvia . Um I am curious on how 

1091
00:43:48,950 --> 00:43:51,061
seriously the US government is taking 

1092
00:43:51,061 --> 00:43:53,283
the most recent missile launch . I mean 

1093
00:43:53,283 --> 00:43:56,540
it flew 4600 kilometers which is long 

1094
00:43:56,540 --> 00:43:58,707
enough to strike Guam more development 

1095
00:43:58,707 --> 00:44:00,651
could allow it to maybe hit Hawaii 

1096
00:44:00,651 --> 00:44:02,818
Alaska , possibly the West coast . Has 

1097
00:44:02,818 --> 00:44:05,040
there been a change in U . S . Strategy 

1098
00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:07,096
due to this launch on how to react , 

1099
00:44:07,096 --> 00:44:09,318
how to um handle these missile launches 

1100
00:44:09,318 --> 00:44:11,373
from the DpRK ? Well , I think we're 

1101
00:44:11,373 --> 00:44:13,484
taking it very seriously as evidenced 

1102
00:44:13,484 --> 00:44:15,596
by the fact that again , we conducted 

1103
00:44:15,596 --> 00:44:17,520
two bilateral exercises with the 

1104
00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:19,380
Republic of Korea and with Japan 

1105
00:44:19,390 --> 00:44:21,840
shortly after the launch . Uh And also 

1106
00:44:21,850 --> 00:44:25,270
uh you saw the series of uh 

1107
00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:27,502
communications between , you know , not 

1108
00:44:27,502 --> 00:44:29,669
only senior leaders throughout the U . 

1109
00:44:29,669 --> 00:44:31,669
S . Government but Secretary Austin 

1110
00:44:31,669 --> 00:44:33,891
talking to his counterparts in uh Korea 

1111
00:44:33,891 --> 00:44:37,600
and in Japan . Thank you , Sylvie . Yes . 

1112
00:44:37,610 --> 00:44:39,620
Thank you . Can you confirm that 

1113
00:44:39,620 --> 00:44:43,370
secretary has decided to deploy the 

1114
00:44:43,380 --> 00:44:46,760
aircraft carrier USs Ronald Reagan in 

1115
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:50,710
the Japan sea in response to the , to 

1116
00:44:50,720 --> 00:44:53,570
the missile launch . So as you know , 

1117
00:44:53,580 --> 00:44:55,830
the Reagan was in South Korea , it's 

1118
00:44:55,830 --> 00:44:57,780
departed in terms of its future 

1119
00:44:57,780 --> 00:44:59,836
movements . I'm not gonna talk about 

1120
00:44:59,836 --> 00:45:02,058
that . But when and if we have anything 

1121
00:45:02,058 --> 00:45:03,891
to announce on that ? Well we'll 

1122
00:45:03,891 --> 00:45:06,002
certainly be sure to do that . Let me 

1123
00:45:06,002 --> 00:45:08,224
go to the phone real quick tom . Um Let 

1124
00:45:08,224 --> 00:45:10,002
me go to Hyun kim from Yonhap , 

1125
00:45:14,550 --> 00:45:18,280
john are you there ? Okay Heather 

1126
00:45:18,290 --> 00:45:19,850
Mongie Leo from us and I 

1127
00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:24,560
I was actually wondering if you can 

1128
00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:26,782
talk a little bit about the secretary's 

1129
00:45:26,782 --> 00:45:29,004
meeting when he went to Red Hill . Um I 

1130
00:45:29,004 --> 00:45:30,949
saw that the Department of Defense 

1131
00:45:30,949 --> 00:45:33,060
released a new supplement to the plan 

1132
00:45:33,060 --> 00:45:35,660
that's now looking at a reduced um 

1133
00:45:35,670 --> 00:45:37,837
timeline of 30 days instead of 100 and 

1134
00:45:37,837 --> 00:45:41,640
20 days um for refueling as if and if 

1135
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:43,862
that is a possibility . I was wondering 

1136
00:45:43,862 --> 00:45:45,862
if you have any comments on whether 

1137
00:45:45,862 --> 00:45:45,710
this is something that the department 

1138
00:45:45,710 --> 00:45:48,830
is pursuing ? Seriously ? Yeah . Thanks 

1139
00:45:48,830 --> 00:45:50,830
heather . So as you highlight , the 

1140
00:45:50,830 --> 00:45:53,170
Secretary did visit uh Joint Task Force 

1141
00:45:53,170 --> 00:45:55,337
Red Hill this last week when he was in 

1142
00:45:55,337 --> 00:45:57,448
Hawaii he had the opportunity also to 

1143
00:45:57,448 --> 00:46:00,540
visit the bulk storage facility and 

1144
00:46:00,540 --> 00:46:03,630
meet with uh the indo pay com Commander 

1145
00:46:03,640 --> 00:46:06,330
and with the Joint Task Force Red Hill 

1146
00:46:06,330 --> 00:46:09,040
Commander , Rear Admiral wade . Um And 

1147
00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:11,850
as part of those discussions uh the 

1148
00:46:11,860 --> 00:46:15,590
emphasis on uh expert de 

1149
00:46:15,590 --> 00:46:17,660
fueling this facility as swiftly as 

1150
00:46:17,660 --> 00:46:21,030
possible was a was a key 

1151
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:23,600
aspect of the discussions as well as 

1152
00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:26,090
doing it as safely as possible . Rear 

1153
00:46:26,090 --> 00:46:28,312
Admiral Weight has taken command of J . 

1154
00:46:28,312 --> 00:46:30,390
T . F . J . T . F . Redhill , I know 

1155
00:46:30,390 --> 00:46:32,501
that he and his team are working very 

1156
00:46:32,501 --> 00:46:34,668
hard towards that end uh and certainly 

1157
00:46:34,668 --> 00:46:36,834
they're gonna work it again as fast as 

1158
00:46:36,834 --> 00:46:38,834
they can but just as importantly as 

1159
00:46:38,834 --> 00:46:40,840
safe safely as they can given the 

1160
00:46:40,840 --> 00:46:43,330
environmental and community impacts . 

1161
00:46:43,340 --> 00:46:47,130
Thank you . Okay back to you and then 

1162
00:46:47,130 --> 00:46:49,310
to Utah and then and then we're gonna 

1163
00:46:49,310 --> 00:46:53,100
start to wrap it up the woke 

1164
00:46:53,100 --> 00:46:55,211
ism question and kind of the cultural 

1165
00:46:55,211 --> 00:46:57,100
wars going on around the military 

1166
00:46:57,100 --> 00:46:59,550
specifically transgender service . Um 

1167
00:46:59,550 --> 00:47:01,383
that was granted and then it was 

1168
00:47:01,383 --> 00:47:03,383
reversed and then that reversal was 

1169
00:47:03,383 --> 00:47:05,383
reversed again and now we have open 

1170
00:47:05,383 --> 00:47:07,439
service but advocates say that there 

1171
00:47:07,439 --> 00:47:09,383
should be a law that enshrines the 

1172
00:47:09,383 --> 00:47:11,606
ability for transgender people to serve 

1173
00:47:11,606 --> 00:47:13,606
in the military because it could be 

1174
00:47:13,606 --> 00:47:15,717
potentially reversed again by another 

1175
00:47:15,717 --> 00:47:17,661
administration . Does the pentagon 

1176
00:47:17,661 --> 00:47:20,400
believe that a law is needed to protect 

1177
00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:22,870
service by those troops ? Yeah I 

1178
00:47:22,870 --> 00:47:25,092
appreciate the question . Again I'm not 

1179
00:47:25,092 --> 00:47:27,259
going to talk about or speculate about 

1180
00:47:27,259 --> 00:47:29,481
potential legislation . That's the role 

1181
00:47:29,481 --> 00:47:32,120
of congress and our elected leaders . 

1182
00:47:32,130 --> 00:47:34,352
Our job in the Department of Defense is 

1183
00:47:34,352 --> 00:47:36,630
to implement the policies that we have . 

1184
00:47:36,630 --> 00:47:38,741
Uh and we continue to implement those 

1185
00:47:38,741 --> 00:47:40,630
policies . What would you say the 

1186
00:47:40,630 --> 00:47:42,741
transgender troops who feel a certain 

1187
00:47:42,741 --> 00:47:45,860
amount of insecurity . Um and you know 

1188
00:47:45,860 --> 00:47:48,110
the future may feel uncertain to them . 

1189
00:47:49,110 --> 00:47:51,150
Uh what would I say to transgender 

1190
00:47:51,150 --> 00:47:53,800
troops as a U . S . Air Force officer 

1191
00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:55,967
currently serving in the Department of 

1192
00:47:55,967 --> 00:47:58,140
Defense . Is that um if you're wearing 

1193
00:47:58,140 --> 00:48:00,251
the uniform and you're next to me and 

1194
00:48:00,251 --> 00:48:02,362
we're gonna fight , we're gonna fight 

1195
00:48:02,362 --> 00:48:04,584
together and you're my teammate and I'm 

1196
00:48:04,584 --> 00:48:06,390
your teammate . Okay . 

1197
00:48:08,170 --> 00:48:10,210
When the secretary announced the 

1198
00:48:10,210 --> 00:48:12,432
extremist program and there was a stand 

1199
00:48:12,432 --> 00:48:15,180
down earlier this year , then press 

1200
00:48:15,180 --> 00:48:17,980
spokesperson john Kirby said the new 

1201
00:48:17,980 --> 00:48:19,869
regulations permit D . O . D . To 

1202
00:48:19,869 --> 00:48:22,510
investigate possibilities of extremism 

1203
00:48:22,510 --> 00:48:24,732
ranks when the information came forward 

1204
00:48:24,732 --> 00:48:26,843
through various media other ways . As 

1205
00:48:26,843 --> 00:48:29,066
you know , we talked a couple weeks ago 

1206
00:48:29,066 --> 00:48:31,232
how at least 100 and 10 members of the 

1207
00:48:31,232 --> 00:48:34,330
military were identified in a report by 

1208
00:48:34,330 --> 00:48:37,410
the aid of having possible links to the 

1209
00:48:37,420 --> 00:48:39,780
oath keepers . And I'm wondering what 

1210
00:48:39,780 --> 00:48:42,002
steps that was two weeks ago and that's 

1211
00:48:42,002 --> 00:48:44,224
that's coming right . What steps if any 

1212
00:48:44,224 --> 00:48:46,770
is taken to begin to investigate these 

1213
00:48:46,770 --> 00:48:48,714
individuals who were cited in this 

1214
00:48:48,714 --> 00:48:50,770
report ? Yeah , I don't I don't have 

1215
00:48:50,770 --> 00:48:52,826
any specifics in terms of individual 

1216
00:48:52,826 --> 00:48:55,048
cases . Right ? But what I would say at 

1217
00:48:55,048 --> 00:48:56,770
large is again , we have clear 

1218
00:48:56,790 --> 00:48:59,012
guidelines and policy on what is and is 

1219
00:48:59,012 --> 00:49:00,957
not acceptable behavior within the 

1220
00:49:00,957 --> 00:49:03,290
Department of Defense . And if you viol , 

1221
00:49:03,290 --> 00:49:05,401
those policies or those guidelines or 

1222
00:49:05,401 --> 00:49:08,060
there's a reason to investigate , we 

1223
00:49:08,060 --> 00:49:10,227
will and we'll take a pro production . 

1224
00:49:10,530 --> 00:49:12,752
Again , I don't have any information on 

1225
00:49:12,752 --> 00:49:14,890
individual cases that you're you're 

1226
00:49:14,890 --> 00:49:16,120
talking about . 

1227
00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:20,580
So I would recommend you contact the 

1228
00:49:20,580 --> 00:49:22,580
individual services and they may be 

1229
00:49:22,580 --> 00:49:24,580
able to provide you with additional 

1230
00:49:24,580 --> 00:49:26,802
details because depending on the agency 

1231
00:49:26,802 --> 00:49:28,858
that would be the responsible agency 

1232
00:49:28,858 --> 00:49:31,300
for investigating . Thanks . Okay Tony . 

1233
00:49:31,300 --> 00:49:33,522
And then I'm gonna do one more from the 

1234
00:49:33,522 --> 00:49:35,133
film All Afghanistan is that 

1235
00:49:35,133 --> 00:49:36,967
everybody's mind there's still a 

1236
00:49:36,967 --> 00:49:39,022
classified after action report . Can 

1237
00:49:39,022 --> 00:49:41,133
you check the status of that and when 

1238
00:49:41,133 --> 00:49:41,050
the secretary is going to be able to 

1239
00:49:41,050 --> 00:49:43,520
release an unclassified summary and 

1240
00:49:43,530 --> 00:49:46,840
just to yes I can do that . And we're 

1241
00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:49,420
six months into the Ukraine invasion by 

1242
00:49:49,420 --> 00:49:51,770
Russia . Is there any attempt to name 

1243
00:49:51,770 --> 00:49:55,080
the U . S . And NATO operation to arm 

1244
00:49:55,080 --> 00:49:58,210
the Ukrainians at this time ? I'm not 

1245
00:49:58,210 --> 00:50:00,710
aware that there's any request to 

1246
00:50:00,720 --> 00:50:02,520
formally name the operation 

1247
00:50:05,850 --> 00:50:07,360
body last one . 

1248
00:50:09,710 --> 00:50:12,450
These two exercises in response to the 

1249
00:50:12,460 --> 00:50:15,200
missile launch by North Korea . Can you 

1250
00:50:15,210 --> 00:50:17,432
explain to us the significance of using 

1251
00:50:17,432 --> 00:50:20,200
the J dam with what South Korea ? What 

1252
00:50:20,210 --> 00:50:22,210
I mean what kind of message are you 

1253
00:50:22,210 --> 00:50:24,750
sending with using those and how um 

1254
00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:28,250
exercise with fighter jets is 

1255
00:50:28,250 --> 00:50:31,450
relevant . Two missile launch . How do 

1256
00:50:31,450 --> 00:50:33,617
you defend that ? And a separate topic 

1257
00:50:33,617 --> 00:50:36,010
of the Secretary spoke with his Saudi 

1258
00:50:36,020 --> 00:50:38,353
counterpart . You have anything on that ? 

1259
00:50:38,740 --> 00:50:41,380
So we will we will issue a read out on 

1260
00:50:41,380 --> 00:50:43,500
the phone call and thanks for 

1261
00:50:43,510 --> 00:50:45,288
mentioning that . I should have 

1262
00:50:45,288 --> 00:50:48,930
mentioned that in my topper in terms of 

1263
00:50:48,940 --> 00:50:51,310
fighter aircraft in terms of any type 

1264
00:50:51,310 --> 00:50:53,532
of exercises that we conduct . Again it 

1265
00:50:53,532 --> 00:50:55,254
demonstrates the full range of 

1266
00:50:55,254 --> 00:50:57,477
capabilities that we have . But I think 

1267
00:50:57,477 --> 00:50:59,532
uh if you look at the forest through 

1268
00:50:59,532 --> 00:51:01,754
the trees here . It's the fact that our 

1269
00:51:01,754 --> 00:51:03,754
militaries can work together across 

1270
00:51:03,754 --> 00:51:05,977
multiple different types of platforms , 

1271
00:51:05,977 --> 00:51:08,199
capabilities , environments that we can 

1272
00:51:08,199 --> 00:51:10,254
fly together , we can fight together 

1273
00:51:10,254 --> 00:51:12,421
and that are uh you know , not even in 

1274
00:51:12,421 --> 00:51:14,588
the air , not just in the air , on the 

1275
00:51:14,588 --> 00:51:16,588
sea and on the land uh that we have 

1276
00:51:16,588 --> 00:51:18,310
capabilities that enable us to 

1277
00:51:18,310 --> 00:51:20,477
integrate and synchronize and to deter 

1278
00:51:20,477 --> 00:51:22,699
and defend . Uh and so your question in 

1279
00:51:22,699 --> 00:51:24,699
terms of what's the significance of 

1280
00:51:24,699 --> 00:51:28,130
using J dams um as we have seen in 

1281
00:51:28,130 --> 00:51:31,200
multiple conflicts , uh the ability to 

1282
00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:33,770
conduct precision strike to be able to 

1283
00:51:33,770 --> 00:51:36,430
strike a target that you want to strike 

1284
00:51:36,430 --> 00:51:38,470
when you want to strike . It is a 

1285
00:51:38,470 --> 00:51:40,692
distinct advantage on the battlefield . 

1286
00:51:40,692 --> 00:51:43,130
And so our militaries in this case the 

1287
00:51:43,130 --> 00:51:45,590
Republic of Korea and the in the United 

1288
00:51:45,590 --> 00:51:48,000
States military , uh the ability for 

1289
00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:50,000
them to fly together and to conduct 

1290
00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:52,056
precision strike again sends a clear 

1291
00:51:52,056 --> 00:51:55,550
message . So actually I'm sorry I got 

1292
00:51:55,550 --> 00:51:57,883
one person I did not call john ter pack , 

1293
00:51:57,883 --> 00:51:59,820
Air and Space force magazine , 

1294
00:52:03,790 --> 00:52:06,350
thank you . General uh the President or 

1295
00:52:06,350 --> 00:52:09,850
the White House last night issued a uh 

1296
00:52:09,860 --> 00:52:12,350
change to the defense production act 

1297
00:52:12,360 --> 00:52:14,660
relative to the drawdown relative to 

1298
00:52:14,660 --> 00:52:16,716
production of weapons . Can you talk 

1299
00:52:16,716 --> 00:52:18,549
about what some of the practical 

1300
00:52:18,549 --> 00:52:20,771
aspects are to that and how it directly 

1301
00:52:20,771 --> 00:52:23,240
or perhaps is separate from uh the 

1302
00:52:23,240 --> 00:52:26,070
Ukraine weapons announcements that were 

1303
00:52:26,070 --> 00:52:28,890
made earlier in your briefing ? Yeah , 

1304
00:52:28,900 --> 00:52:31,890
thanks john . Unfortunately I can't um 

1305
00:52:31,900 --> 00:52:34,011
because I just don't know . So let me 

1306
00:52:34,011 --> 00:52:36,067
take that question and we'll , we'll 

1307
00:52:36,067 --> 00:52:38,122
get back to you on that one . Okay ? 

1308
00:52:38,122 --> 00:52:40,344
Thanks very much . Everybody appreciate 

1309
00:52:40,344 --> 00:52:39,170
it .