WEBVTT

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All right , the hearing is in order .

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We completed a productive classified

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session down in the SCIF and now we

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will begin the public portion of this

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hearing . I welcome back Secretary

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Hegseth , General Kane , and our acting

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Controller , Mr . Jay Hurst . Uh , I

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thank all of them , including their

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families , for their service . For the

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dozens of Americans that regularly

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watch our hearings , my next remarks

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will be no surprise , but for new

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viewers , I want to reiterate some

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context for my remarks . I've said this

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at almost every hearing . We live in

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the most dangerous security environment

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since World War II . Every

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uniformed officer who has come before

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this committee has agreed with that

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statement . First and foremost , we're

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locked in a competition with Xi Jinping

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and the Chinese Communist Party . The

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competition is high stakes , and it is

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about whether this will be an

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American-led century or a century

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defined by authoritarian autocratic

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regimes that care little for the needs

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of their citizens or those in

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neighboring countries . The Chinese

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Communist Party has accelerated its

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historic military buildup and its

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predatory economic practices against

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Americans and countries the world over .

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Xi Jinping leads not only China but

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also an axis of aggressors . This

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growing alliance cannot be denied . It

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includes China , Russia , Iran , and

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North Korea . They're united around

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this goal to oppose America's interests .

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And the interests of other like-minded

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democratic countries across the globe .

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Vladimir Putin's war of choice in

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Ukraine has now entered its 5th year .

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In Putin's objectives , we hear echoes

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of the imperialistic ambitions of World

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War II's aggressors , including Adolf

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Hitler . Uh , Vladimir Putin has

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suffered 1.2 million

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casualties and failed miserably in his

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military objectives . Along the way ,

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he has transformed Russia's economy

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into one fueled by war , raising the

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prospect of an even more aggressive

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Moscow for the foreseeable future .

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Most of Iran's leaders are now deceased .

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But they and those who survived them

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have consistently sought violence

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against America , Israel , our Gulf

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allies , and the Iranian people . We ,

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we saw this during the October 7th

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massacre . During their continued

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support for Hezbollah and Hamas and in

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their desire to engage in nuclear

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blackmail , Iran's Ayatollahs have

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consistently represented a threat to

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American interests . Kim Jong Un has

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joined . Mr . Putin's war of aggression .

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He continues the military and nuclear

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buildup that threatens South Korea ,

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Japan , and the United States . Ties

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have never been closer among these four

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dictators , among these four

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dictatorships . They support each

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other's aggressive endeavors . They

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prop each other up financially and they

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scheme to undermine America's

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objectives . We should expect them to

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continue this behavior . This context

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plays out across every dimension of

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national power , the economy ,

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technology , diplomacy , and more . But

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today we're here to talk about the

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military dimension of this competition .

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These regimes have regularly tried to

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take force , take by force what they

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cannot secure through the political

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process . For that reason , we must be

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ready to deter conflicts .

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And if necessary to win them ,

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President Trump has used the US

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military appropriately and effectively

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for American interests . He has viewed

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our adversary adversaries as a united

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block and has taken action in light of

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that reality . In Operation Absolute

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Resolve and associated statecraft , the

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president removed an aspiring dictator

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off the board and set up Venezuela for

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a future aligned with democratic

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interests . In Operation Midnight

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Hammer , he sought to eliminate the

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Ayatollah's nuclear program . When the

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Ayatollah chose to double down the

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president . launched Operation Epic

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Fury . In that mission , he has worked

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to remove the regime's conventional

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military capabilities and force it back

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to the table for a permanent solution .

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While we all mourn the tragic loss of

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the 14 service members who've lost

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their lives in this conflict , We do so

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knowing the world is safer without a

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nuclear Iran . All of these actions are

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part of a peace through strength

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strategy . In this approach , we seek

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first to avoid war , but we take

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military action when necessary to

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achieve US interest . And so Mr .

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Secretary , I'm pleased that you are

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here testifying today in support of

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President Trump's historic $1.5

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trillion defense budget request . That

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sum will go a long way toward

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rebuilding our military capabilities

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for a generation . I should say upfront

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that this may be a long hearing .

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There's much to discuss . This $1.5

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trillion request is chock full of

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important programs and initiatives that

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are absolutely necessary to secure

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American interests in the 21st century .

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I think this funding underpins and

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accentuates three comparative

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advantages . The United States

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possesses over the axis of aggressors .

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The first comparative advantage America

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enjoys over our adversaries is that we

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have the best innovation and industry

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in the world . So I hope our witnesses

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today will cover the progress we've

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made in just the past year . Rebuilding

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the American arsenal . Last year , our

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reconciliation bill combined with

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bipartisan appropriation bills achieved

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about a $1 trillion defense budget .

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This year's request would represent a

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near 50% increase .

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Every penny of it should be money well

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spent , making down payments on crucial

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transformational capabilities such as

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drone warfare , low-cost

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munitions , and missile defense .

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Also last year , Congress and the

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executive branch achieved historic

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acquisition reforms . Consequently ,

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we're well positioned to make huge

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gains on efficiency this year and in

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the years to come . Making it much more

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flexible and a more

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timely process . I look forward to

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discussing how we might accelerate .

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Implementation of these actions . In

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particular , I'd like to see the

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Pentagon do more this year to drive

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competition in the defense industrial

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base . Competition absolutely drives

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better outcomes for our service members

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and taxpayers . Of course our people

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are the final comparative advantage we

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have over our adversaries . We've

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enjoyed significant improvements in

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recruitment and retention , but we need

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to solidify a merit-based environment .

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That fully cares for our personnel . I

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commend you , Mr . Secretary , for your

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efforts over the past year to do just

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that . That task will never be finished ,

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of course , but we embrace it gladly

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and we salute the progress . We will

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always be striving to care for and

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equip American service members as much

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as possible . I look forward to more

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work between this committee and the

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department this coming year . With that ,

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I turn to my friend and colleague ,

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Ranking Member Jack Reed . Well , thank

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you very much , Mr . Chairman and

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Secretary Hegseth , uh , General Kaine ,

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Mr . Hurst , welcome and please convey

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my appreciation , all of our

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appreciation to our military service

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members and defense civilians . Uh , we

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owe them our deepest sense of gratitude .

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Mr . Secretary , this is your first

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public appearance before this committee

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in nearly a year . Since your last

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public testimony , you and President

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Trump have unwisely taken the United

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States to war with Iran . You ordered

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an attack on Venezuela and have

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directed ongoing illegal boat strike

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campaign in the Caribbean and Pacific .

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At your direction , our forces have

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bombed Yemen , Somalia , Iraq . Syria ,

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Nigeria , and Ecuador . In the United

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States , you have deployed thousands of

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troops to cities like Washington , Los

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Angeles , Chicago , and Portland to

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police American citizens , and you have

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personally intervened to end the

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careers of dozens of military leaders

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without explanation . These actions

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will have significant and long-term

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consequences . Now , you , uh ,

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now you appear before us to ask for a

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$1.5 trillion budget , a 45%

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increase above last year . I , I must

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say I'm skeptical , and such a request

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demands intense scrutiny .

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61 days ago , President Trump

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unilaterally began the war in Iran . He

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had no coherent strategy . He refused

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to make a case to the American people

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or consult Congress . He failed to

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present any evidence of an immediate

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threat , and he ignored the advice of

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military and intelligence experts who

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warned him of the consequences . Today

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our nation is in a worse strategic

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position . The Strait of Hormuz was

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open . Now it is closed . 13 service

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members have tragically lost their

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lives , and more than 400 have been

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wounded . We have lost dozens of

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aircraft , sustained significant damage

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to our bases in the area , and expended

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an alarming amount of our missile

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inventory . Morale and readiness across

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the force , especially among

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overdeployed units and vessels like the

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USS Gerald R . Ford aircraft carrier ,

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have suffered . Gasoline and fertilizer

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prices throughout the world have surged .

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American families are bearing the cost

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of a war they wanted nothing to do with

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and have gained nothing from . And yet

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Secretary Head said , you declared

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victory a month ago . On April 8th ,

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you said , in your words , Operation

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Epic Fury was a historic and

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overwhelming victory . By any measure ,

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epic Fury decimated Iran's military and

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rendered its combat . Forces

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ineffective for years to come . Let me

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be clear , tactically , the United

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States military performance against

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Iran has been remarkable , and I salute

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the service members who have executed

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this mission with skill and bravery .

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The problem with your statements , Mr .

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Secretary , is they are dangerously

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exaggerated . Iran's hardline regime

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remains in place . It still retains

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stockpiles of enriched uranium . And

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its nuclear program remains viable .

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Iran's military retains enough combat

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effectiveness to keep the conflict at

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an impasse . Its missiles and drones

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remain a far greater threat than you

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have acknowledged , and the regime has

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demonstrated it can effectively control

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the Strait of Hormuz when it chooses .

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Mr . Secretary , I am concerned that

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you have been telling the president

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what he wants to hear instead of what

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he needs to hear . Bold assurances of

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success are a disservice to both the

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commander in chief and the troops who

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risked their lives based on them . Our

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military has performed heroically , but

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military force without Assad's strategy

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is a path to long-term defeat . I'd

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like to know what options you're

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considering now , given the course from

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this war and the stalemate President

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Trump has put us in . More broadly , Mr .

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Secretary , too often you have made

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dangerous statements that are

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counterproductive to the mission . You

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boasted about , quote , no stupid rules

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of engagement just days after hundreds

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of Iranian schoolgirls were tragically

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killed in a missile strike . You have

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made troubling statements about showing

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no mercy and no quarter to the Iranians ,

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orders that would constitute war crimes .

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As importantly , while our men and

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women are fighting and dying overseas ,

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you have focused unduly on your own

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personal agenda . In the past two

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months alone , you have taken it upon

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yourself to overhaul the chaplain corps .

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Cancel flu vaccine requirements ,

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repeal firearm restrictions on military

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posts , and bar service members from

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attending certain universities . Just

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this week , you brought performer Kid

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Rock to an army base to go for a joy

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ride on an Apache helicopter after

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dismissing an earlier investigation

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into the pilots who recklessly chose to

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hover above his home . That runs

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directly counter to the chain of

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command . And maintaining good order

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and discipline , most disturbingly ,

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during your tenure you have fired

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dozens of our most senior military

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leaders and personally intervened to

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block the promotions of many others .

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That is a betrayal of the merit-based

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system that forms the foundation of our

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military . You are hollering out the

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military's bench of experience and high

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highest performing senior officers

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while making young officers wonder if

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they should continue to serve . My

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colleagues and I have heard from

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countless service members throughout

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the ranks , many of whom will be

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watching right now , who are confused

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and disturbed by your actions . Uh ,

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hopefully you can explain them today .

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Additionally , this committee expects a

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fulsome update on Operation Southern

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Sphere . This ongoing campaign against

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suspected drug trafficking boats has

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resulted in nearly 200 fatalities . The

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administration has failed to explain

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the long-term objectives of this

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mission or provide any evidence of

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reduced drug flows into the United

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States . I would ask for a credible

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answer to this most fundamental

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question . What is the operation

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actually meant to accomplish ? Mrs .

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Xray , you are here to promote . The

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president's $1.5 trillion defense

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budget . While this budget provides

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funding for necessary programs

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including shipbuilding and drone

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manufacturing , many other critical

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programs like barracks repair and

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aircraft procurement would rely on the

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passage of a party line reconciliation

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bill . Further , this budget slashes

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research and development , provides no

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funding for Ukraine , and includes no

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funding for losses incurred from the

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Iran war . Yesterday , Mr . Hurst

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testified that Operation Epic Fury has

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cost $25 billion . If nothing else ,

15:23.739 --> 15:26.299
that helped clarifies that we certainly

15:26.299 --> 15:28.500
do not need a supplemental anywhere

15:28.500 --> 15:31.640
near $100 billion much less

15:31.640 --> 15:35.179
$200 billion . And in this record

15:35.179 --> 15:37.068
breaking budget , there is no pay

15:37.068 --> 15:39.346
adjustments for the civilian workforce ,

15:39.346 --> 15:41.512
and with inflation that is a pay cut .

15:41.739 --> 15:43.859
After a year of doge layoffs and a

15:43.859 --> 15:45.970
hiring freeze across the department ,

15:46.049 --> 15:48.900
this is an insult to the 800,000 men

15:48.900 --> 15:51.210
and women who support our warfighters

15:51.210 --> 15:54.380
every day . I cannot imagine a faster

15:54.380 --> 15:56.539
way to erode readiness and distract

15:56.539 --> 15:58.840
from our abilities to deter our

15:58.840 --> 16:02.409
adversaries . Ultimately , Mrs . Eckley ,

16:02.580 --> 16:05.190
I believe you are causing lasting harm

16:05.190 --> 16:08.750
to the military . Like many members of

16:08.750 --> 16:10.917
this committee , I had the opportunity

16:10.917 --> 16:12.806
and the privilege to serve in the

16:12.806 --> 16:15.190
military . And every officer knows they

16:15.190 --> 16:17.079
are duty bound to give their best

16:17.079 --> 16:19.549
professional advice , even if it's not

16:19.549 --> 16:21.929
what their superiors want to hear ,

16:22.510 --> 16:24.590
because when leaders fear to speak

16:24.590 --> 16:27.190
honestly , people die , missions fail ,

16:27.349 --> 16:30.270
wars are lost . The American people's

16:30.270 --> 16:33.390
trust in our military took 250 years to

16:33.390 --> 16:35.989
build . You are dismantling it in a

16:35.989 --> 16:38.229
fraction of that time , and trust ,

16:38.349 --> 16:40.950
once long , can take generations to

16:40.950 --> 16:43.650
rebuild . Mr . Secretary , today I hope

16:43.650 --> 16:46.409
you'll take a step forward toward

16:46.409 --> 16:48.940
rebuilding the trust . That has been

16:48.940 --> 16:52.109
lost . Thank you , Mr . Chairman . Mr .

16:52.119 --> 16:55.349
Secretary , you are now recognized for

16:55.690 --> 16:59.530
your opening statement , sir . Well ,

16:59.609 --> 17:01.609
Mr . Chairman , uh , Ranking Member

17:01.609 --> 17:03.690
Reed , senators , thank you for the

17:03.690 --> 17:05.746
opportunity to testify in support of

17:05.746 --> 17:07.746
President Trump's historic , as you

17:07.746 --> 17:10.170
said , Mr . Chairman , $1.5 trillion

17:10.170 --> 17:12.530
fiscal year 2027 budget for the

17:12.530 --> 17:14.680
Department of War . The president's

17:14.680 --> 17:17.630
budget request reflects the urgency of

17:17.630 --> 17:19.463
the moment , addressing both the

17:19.463 --> 17:21.839
deferment of long-standing problems as

17:21.839 --> 17:24.006
well as positioning our forces for the

17:24.006 --> 17:26.619
current and future fights . I'm honored

17:26.619 --> 17:28.786
to appear alongside General Dan Kane ,

17:28.786 --> 17:31.008
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ,

17:31.008 --> 17:33.008
and Jay Hurst , our Chief Financial

17:33.008 --> 17:35.119
Officer and Comptroller . I'd like to

17:35.119 --> 17:37.175
start by thanking this committee and

17:37.175 --> 17:39.008
Congress for your partnership in

17:39.008 --> 17:41.119
securing the investments needed for a

17:41.119 --> 17:43.063
stronger , prouder and more secure

17:43.063 --> 17:45.286
military . Your focus on acquisitions ,

17:45.286 --> 17:47.119
your focus on efficiency are the

17:47.119 --> 17:49.175
reflection in our department as well

17:49.175 --> 17:51.452
and in this as well and in this budget .

17:52.170 --> 17:54.003
A nation's ability to build , to

17:54.003 --> 17:56.170
innovate , and to support the critical

17:56.170 --> 17:58.281
needs of its warfighters at speed and

17:58.281 --> 18:00.589
at scale is the foundation upon which

18:00.589 --> 18:02.839
its deterrence and survival rests .

18:03.750 --> 18:05.989
However , upon taking office on January

18:05.989 --> 18:09.310
20th , 2025 , President Trump inherited

18:09.310 --> 18:11.532
a defense industrial base that had been

18:11.532 --> 18:13.643
hollowed out by years of America last

18:13.643 --> 18:16.229
policies , resulting in a diminished

18:16.229 --> 18:19.680
capacity to project strength . Under

18:19.680 --> 18:21.680
the previous administration we were

18:21.680 --> 18:24.280
offshoring , outsourcing , beset by

18:24.280 --> 18:26.760
cost overruns and degraded capabilities .

18:27.780 --> 18:29.891
But under the leadership of President

18:29.891 --> 18:32.002
Trump , our builder in chief , we are

18:32.002 --> 18:33.891
reversing this systemic decay and

18:33.891 --> 18:35.891
putting our defense industrial base

18:35.891 --> 18:38.540
back on a wartime footing . Urgency

18:38.540 --> 18:41.030
informs everything we do . We're

18:41.030 --> 18:43.252
rebuilding a military that the American

18:43.252 --> 18:45.141
people can be proud of . One that

18:45.141 --> 18:47.308
instills nothing less than unrelenting

18:47.308 --> 18:49.363
fear in our adversaries and inspires

18:49.363 --> 18:52.630
historic morale and recruiting in its

18:52.630 --> 18:55.810
ranks . We fight to win in every

18:55.810 --> 18:59.180
scenario . The $1.5 trillion budget put

18:59.180 --> 19:01.180
forward by the president will build

19:01.180 --> 19:03.939
upon a previous $1 trillion FY 26 top

19:03.939 --> 19:06.339
line and will continue to reverse the

19:06.339 --> 19:08.660
four years of underinvestment and

19:08.660 --> 19:10.319
mismanagement of the Biden

19:10.319 --> 19:12.959
administration . The $1.5 trillion

19:12.959 --> 19:14.903
budget will ensure that the United

19:14.903 --> 19:16.737
States continues to maintain the

19:16.737 --> 19:18.626
world's most powerful and capable

19:18.626 --> 19:21.119
military as we grapple with a complex

19:21.119 --> 19:23.099
threat environment across multiple

19:23.099 --> 19:25.750
theaters . Not to mention the budget

19:25.750 --> 19:28.390
also includes a historic troop pay

19:28.390 --> 19:32.069
increase , 7% for junior enlisted , and

19:32.069 --> 19:34.469
the budget eliminates all poor or

19:34.469 --> 19:36.709
failing barracks . Quality of life for

19:36.709 --> 19:39.270
our troops is front and center in this

19:39.270 --> 19:42.540
budget . By supercharging our defense

19:42.540 --> 19:44.596
industrial capacity and transforming

19:44.596 --> 19:46.707
how the department does business , we

19:46.707 --> 19:48.599
are restoring American commercial

19:48.599 --> 19:50.949
dominance at a pace unseen in

19:50.949 --> 19:53.116
generations , transforming the defense

19:53.116 --> 19:55.005
industrial base from the broken ,

19:55.005 --> 19:58.180
slow-moving systems of the past . We

19:58.180 --> 20:00.670
have flipped the Pentagon acquisition

20:00.670 --> 20:03.150
process from a bureaucratic model to a

20:03.150 --> 20:05.790
business model . Decisively moving from

20:05.790 --> 20:08.349
an acquisitions environment paralyzed

20:08.550 --> 20:10.829
by bureaucratic red tape into an

20:10.829 --> 20:13.430
outcomes-driven organization focused on

20:13.430 --> 20:15.630
delivering the most for taxpayer

20:15.630 --> 20:18.359
dollars . Over the past year , through

20:18.359 --> 20:20.239
historic multi-year procurement

20:20.239 --> 20:21.961
agreements that this committee

20:21.961 --> 20:24.540
supported . We've cut smart business

20:24.540 --> 20:27.699
deals that have sent unambiguous demand

20:27.699 --> 20:30.430
signals to industry to build more and

20:30.430 --> 20:33.619
build faster . The result has been a

20:33.619 --> 20:36.699
surge , a revitalization of our great

20:36.699 --> 20:38.643
American factories , and a massive

20:38.643 --> 20:40.699
reinvestment in the skilled American

20:40.699 --> 20:42.699
workers who serve as the industrial

20:42.699 --> 20:46.010
muscle behind our warriors . No .

20:47.319 --> 20:50.890
Further um interruptions of our

20:50.890 --> 20:53.530
hearing will , will be treated in like

20:53.530 --> 20:55.400
manner . We appreciate the First

20:55.400 --> 20:57.439
Amendment rights of Americans to

20:57.439 --> 21:00.670
express , uh , themselves , but , um ,

21:01.369 --> 21:03.729
disruption of this hearing will not be

21:03.729 --> 21:06.130
tolerated . So Mr . Secretary , you may

21:06.130 --> 21:08.849
continue . I'll , I'll briefly provide

21:08.849 --> 21:10.849
some concrete high-level metrics of

21:10.849 --> 21:12.960
what we've accomplished over just the

21:12.960 --> 21:15.071
past few months . These are announced

21:15.071 --> 21:16.960
new facilities and investments to

21:16.960 --> 21:18.905
support American warfighters . The

21:18.905 --> 21:20.960
department has helped stimulate more

21:20.960 --> 21:23.829
than 250 private investment deals in 39

21:23.829 --> 21:27.119
states , 180 cities , and 150 companies

21:27.469 --> 21:31.069
worth more than $50 billion . It's

21:31.069 --> 21:33.550
resulted in 280 new or expanded

21:33.550 --> 21:35.670
facilities , more than 18 million new

21:35.670 --> 21:38.109
square feet of American manufacturing ,

21:38.510 --> 21:41.829
and more than 70,000 new jobs . These

21:41.829 --> 21:44.069
$50 billion in investments in new

21:44.069 --> 21:46.349
plants , new assembly lines , and new

21:46.349 --> 21:49.579
factories are private investments , not

21:49.579 --> 21:52.300
taxpayer dollars . By completely

21:52.300 --> 21:54.467
transforming our department's business

21:54.467 --> 21:56.189
model , American companies are

21:56.189 --> 21:58.189
investing in America with their own

21:58.189 --> 22:01.040
dollars . A historic demonstration of

22:01.040 --> 22:02.984
American manufacturing and defense

22:02.984 --> 22:05.239
revitalization , all with their money ,

22:05.589 --> 22:08.119
not Uncle Sam's . This has never been

22:08.119 --> 22:11.030
done before and is long overdue from a

22:11.030 --> 22:13.859
bureaucratic model to a business model .

22:14.930 --> 22:17.130
These investments equal great things

22:17.130 --> 22:19.241
for America , for American families ,

22:19.241 --> 22:21.463
and American workers to ensure that our

22:21.463 --> 22:23.686
warfighters have everything they need ,

22:23.686 --> 22:26.339
all American made . Together with the

22:26.339 --> 22:28.061
help of the policy updates and

22:28.061 --> 22:30.061
appropriations passed by Congress ,

22:30.260 --> 22:32.316
President Trump's War Department has

22:32.316 --> 22:34.538
begun to turn the lights back on in our

22:34.538 --> 22:36.871
manufacturing towns across this country ,

22:36.871 --> 22:39.660
forging a lethal arsenal of freedom .

22:40.420 --> 22:42.142
Every policy we pursue , every

22:42.142 --> 22:44.142
budgetary item we request serves to

22:44.142 --> 22:46.142
ensure that this department remains

22:46.142 --> 22:48.253
laser focused on increasing lethality

22:48.469 --> 22:50.729
and survivability from the front lines

22:50.790 --> 22:52.829
to the factory floor . This is a

22:52.829 --> 22:55.030
historic budget , as you said , Mr .

22:55.040 --> 22:56.910
Chairman . This is a fiscally

22:56.910 --> 23:00.150
responsible budget , and this is a war

23:00.150 --> 23:02.780
fighting budget . Speaking of war

23:02.780 --> 23:05.002
fighting , the topic of Iran , I'm sure

23:05.002 --> 23:07.199
will come up often today , which I

23:07.199 --> 23:09.421
welcome . I look forward to sharing the

23:09.421 --> 23:11.729
incredible success of our military

23:11.729 --> 23:14.290
effort achieved in a matter of weeks .

23:15.050 --> 23:17.489
President Trump has the courage , has

23:17.489 --> 23:19.433
had , unlike other presidents , to

23:19.433 --> 23:22.050
ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear

23:22.050 --> 23:24.650
weapon and that their nuclear blackmail

23:24.930 --> 23:27.290
never succeeds . We have the best

23:27.290 --> 23:30.209
negotiator in the world driving a great

23:30.209 --> 23:33.569
deal . Unfortunately , as I said

23:33.569 --> 23:35.902
yesterday , and I'll say it again today ,

23:35.902 --> 23:38.449
the biggest adversary we face at this

23:38.449 --> 23:41.170
point are the reckless naysayers and

23:41.170 --> 23:43.329
defeatist words of congressional

23:43.329 --> 23:45.209
Democrats and some Republicans .

23:46.140 --> 23:48.660
Defeatists from the cheap seats who two

23:48.660 --> 23:51.099
months in seek to undermine the

23:51.099 --> 23:52.988
incredible efforts that have been

23:52.988 --> 23:55.300
undertaken and the historic nature of

23:55.300 --> 23:57.939
taking on a 47 year threat with the

23:57.939 --> 24:00.260
courage no other president has had to

24:00.260 --> 24:02.900
great success and great opportunity for

24:02.900 --> 24:05.140
preventing Iran from having a nuclear

24:05.140 --> 24:08.189
weapon . Despite this , under President

24:08.189 --> 24:09.800
Trump , we are restoring the

24:09.800 --> 24:11.467
unbreakable might of American

24:11.467 --> 24:13.689
manufacturing . We're providing for our

24:13.689 --> 24:15.633
warfighters and we are putting the

24:15.633 --> 24:17.689
people and interests of this country

24:17.689 --> 24:20.459
first . May Almighty God continue to

24:20.459 --> 24:22.900
watch over our troops wherever they are .

24:23.540 --> 24:25.596
And may we honor the legacy of those

24:25.596 --> 24:28.079
brave Americans that we have lost .

24:28.579 --> 24:30.690
This is our sacred mission , and this

24:30.690 --> 24:33.199
is what we will continue to execute on .

24:33.660 --> 24:35.771
Thank you , Mr . Chairman . Thank you

24:35.771 --> 24:37.771
for that statement , Mr . Secretary

24:37.771 --> 24:39.716
General King . You're recognized .

24:39.716 --> 24:41.827
Thank you , Chairman Wicker , Ranking

24:41.827 --> 24:44.104
Member Reed , members of the committee ,

24:44.104 --> 24:46.271
and your staff who we never get to say

24:46.271 --> 24:48.549
thanks to . Thanks for having me today .

24:48.549 --> 24:50.604
I'm honored to be here alongside the

24:50.604 --> 24:50.229
Honorable Pete Hegseth and the

24:50.229 --> 24:52.469
Honorable Jay Hurst to testify on the

24:52.469 --> 24:56.089
president's fiscal 2027 budget . I'm

24:56.089 --> 24:58.689
grateful for the opportunity to testify

24:58.689 --> 25:00.578
today , and I'm thankful for your

25:00.578 --> 25:02.633
continued partnership and support of

25:02.633 --> 25:04.411
our warfighters , defending the

25:04.411 --> 25:06.522
homeland and our interests around the

25:06.522 --> 25:08.859
world . It's a privilege to speak with

25:08.859 --> 25:11.380
you today about the foundation of

25:11.380 --> 25:13.890
America's strength , the 2.8 million

25:13.890 --> 25:16.219
members of our joint force , and I am

25:16.219 --> 25:19.010
continually inspired by the soldiers ,

25:19.140 --> 25:22.260
sailors , airmen , marines , guardians ,

25:22.420 --> 25:24.599
coast guardsmen , and civilians

25:24.900 --> 25:26.900
standing the watch for the nation ,

25:26.979 --> 25:29.119
supported always by their families .

25:29.390 --> 25:31.446
They could have chosen a much easier

25:31.446 --> 25:33.279
path , any other path , but they

25:33.279 --> 25:36.390
volunteered for a life of purpose and

25:36.390 --> 25:39.030
passion and service , and every single

25:39.030 --> 25:40.974
day they rise to meet the nation's

25:40.974 --> 25:43.400
challenge , challenges , from combat

25:43.400 --> 25:45.890
operations to critical support roles

25:46.119 --> 25:48.670
with the courage , tenacity , and grit

25:48.670 --> 25:51.410
that keeps our nation strong and secure .

25:51.989 --> 25:54.819
I would also like to express my deep

25:55.219 --> 25:58.760
gratitude for the 39 members of the

25:58.760 --> 26:02.079
Joint Force who've passed in operations ,

26:02.280 --> 26:05.280
combat , and training during my time as

26:05.280 --> 26:08.199
the chairman and specifically highlight

26:08.199 --> 26:10.959
the 14 who've passed in Operation Epic

26:10.959 --> 26:13.319
Fury . The Secretary and I are deeply

26:13.319 --> 26:15.800
grateful for each of them and their

26:15.800 --> 26:17.911
families , and their names will never

26:17.911 --> 26:21.150
be forgotten . As the chairman , my

26:21.150 --> 26:22.910
duty is to ensure our civilian

26:22.910 --> 26:25.949
leadership has a comprehensive range of

26:25.949 --> 26:28.880
military options and the associated

26:28.880 --> 26:31.430
risks required to make the nation's

26:31.430 --> 26:34.739
hardest and most complex decisions . I

26:34.739 --> 26:37.150
owe the President , the Secretary , and

26:37.150 --> 26:39.317
the Congress the truth at every turn .

26:39.709 --> 26:42.310
And my blueprint for this role has

26:42.310 --> 26:44.709
always been that of General George C .

26:44.829 --> 26:47.410
Marshall . His firm commitment to

26:47.410 --> 26:50.329
civilian control and nonpartisan and a

26:50.329 --> 26:52.930
nonpartisan military remains my

26:52.930 --> 26:55.770
constant standard , and I strive to

26:55.770 --> 26:57.930
emulate his candor , delivering the

26:57.930 --> 27:00.969
facts leaders need to hear , not always

27:00.969 --> 27:03.400
what they want to hear . And once a

27:03.400 --> 27:05.640
decision is made , executing it with

27:05.640 --> 27:08.170
the absolute dedication while keeping

27:08.170 --> 27:10.410
the joint force precisely where it

27:10.410 --> 27:12.599
should be . That's the demand of our

27:12.599 --> 27:15.420
profession . As I sit before you today

27:15.420 --> 27:17.753
representing our incredible joint force ,

27:17.753 --> 27:19.809
I want to emphasize my commitment to

27:19.809 --> 27:21.976
this committee and to the Congress . I

27:21.976 --> 27:24.087
will always follow General Marshall's

27:24.087 --> 27:27.079
steadfast example by providing clear

27:27.079 --> 27:29.719
and candid nonpartisan military advice ,

27:30.020 --> 27:32.380
working together to ensure the military

27:32.380 --> 27:35.040
remains squarely focused on one thing ,

27:35.310 --> 27:37.959
being . Prepared to deter and if called

27:37.959 --> 27:40.599
upon fight and win our nation's war ,

27:40.680 --> 27:42.920
and that is our mission . America's

27:42.920 --> 27:45.680
joint force is operational at its core ,

27:45.839 --> 27:48.839
purpose built for the realities in a

27:48.839 --> 27:50.790
complex world . We're organized ,

27:51.160 --> 27:53.589
trained , and equipped to execute the

27:53.589 --> 27:55.533
most demanding missions across the

27:55.533 --> 27:58.540
globe with unrivaled precision . And

27:58.540 --> 28:01.260
over the past year our warfighters have

28:01.260 --> 28:04.619
consistently demonstrated exactly what

28:04.619 --> 28:07.339
it means to be the most capable and

28:07.339 --> 28:10.819
most professional force on Earth . Our

28:10.819 --> 28:13.589
shared goal is to ensure the joint

28:13.589 --> 28:16.689
force remains the strategic ,

28:17.060 --> 28:19.500
sustains the strategic initiative and

28:19.500 --> 28:22.339
advantage and ability to project power

28:22.339 --> 28:24.540
to respond to the global challenges on

28:24.540 --> 28:27.859
our nation's terms . During Operation

28:27.859 --> 28:30.020
Rough Rider , Midnight Hammer ,

28:30.380 --> 28:33.140
Southern Spear , Absolute Resolve , and

28:33.140 --> 28:35.579
Epic Fury , the Joint Force executed

28:35.579 --> 28:39.020
globally integrated missions alongside

28:39.020 --> 28:41.300
our interagency and international

28:41.300 --> 28:44.089
partners . And once our leaders made a

28:44.089 --> 28:46.256
decision , our forces demonstrated the

28:46.256 --> 28:48.300
unmatched ability to seamlessly

28:48.300 --> 28:51.140
synchronize actions and activities from

28:51.140 --> 28:54.260
the seabed to cislunar space . We're

28:54.260 --> 28:56.371
able to accomplish . Accomplish these

28:56.371 --> 28:58.538
complex things that we are asked to do

28:58.619 --> 29:01.430
because we draw from a deep reservoir

29:01.619 --> 29:03.800
of training , professionalism , and

29:03.800 --> 29:06.619
commitment . Our operational tempo is

29:06.619 --> 29:09.339
high , but we're designed to sustain it ,

29:09.420 --> 29:11.619
rebuilding readiness every day ,

29:11.979 --> 29:14.300
training professionals every day , and

29:14.300 --> 29:16.420
sharpening our edge every day . And I

29:16.420 --> 29:19.459
am incredibly proud of this joint force

29:19.459 --> 29:22.380
team and the leaders at every echelon

29:22.380 --> 29:25.310
who command it . As the chairman said ,

29:25.599 --> 29:27.859
we're living in a complex environment .

29:28.599 --> 29:30.766
Today I look forward to discussing how

29:30.766 --> 29:32.655
we can sustain America's military

29:32.655 --> 29:34.766
advantage . And I know this committee

29:34.766 --> 29:36.719
recognizes the challenges and the

29:36.719 --> 29:39.239
urgency in the environment that we face .

29:39.520 --> 29:41.589
We're operating in delicate and

29:41.589 --> 29:44.520
dangerous times where risk is scaling .

29:44.800 --> 29:47.359
And the complexity of the modern

29:47.359 --> 29:50.250
battlefield demands America's constant

29:50.250 --> 29:52.890
adaptation , innovation , and

29:52.890 --> 29:55.660
partnership with Congress . As a joint

29:55.660 --> 29:57.660
force , we're up to the challenge .

29:57.660 --> 29:59.604
We're built for this environment .

29:59.604 --> 30:02.650
However , our continued success is not

30:02.650 --> 30:05.189
guaranteed by our past achievements .

30:05.449 --> 30:07.727
We must continue to be forward-looking .

30:07.727 --> 30:09.949
And innovate together with the Congress

30:10.152 --> 30:12.003
to drive the pace of change and

30:12.003 --> 30:14.922
maintain our superiority requires

30:14.922 --> 30:17.963
timely , predictable , and sustained

30:17.963 --> 30:20.019
investment , and the resources we're

30:20.019 --> 30:22.723
going to discuss today are critical to

30:22.723 --> 30:24.883
modernizing the joint force and

30:24.883 --> 30:27.483
ensuring whatever threats might emerge ,

30:27.603 --> 30:29.802
we are prepared to defeat them .

30:30.036 --> 30:32.092
Protect our interests and defend the

30:32.092 --> 30:34.395
nation and win . This president's

30:34.395 --> 30:37.875
budget for 2027 supports the secretary

30:37.875 --> 30:39.486
and the department's goal of

30:39.486 --> 30:41.836
reinvigorating , recharging the defense

30:41.836 --> 30:44.276
industrial base and the national

30:44.276 --> 30:46.054
industrial base , enhancing our

30:46.054 --> 30:48.206
readiness and securing our military

30:48.206 --> 30:50.235
advantage to ensure that our

30:50.235 --> 30:52.495
warfighters are properly armed .

30:53.050 --> 30:55.770
Globally integrated and ready while

30:55.770 --> 30:58.410
always taking care of our people , and

30:58.410 --> 31:01.540
that is what truly sets America's joint

31:01.540 --> 31:03.207
force apart from each other ,

31:03.207 --> 31:06.089
especially the 1.8 million members ,

31:06.209 --> 31:09.050
enlisted members of our joint . Force .

31:09.369 --> 31:11.202
It is them , the character , the

31:11.202 --> 31:12.930
competence of that force that

31:12.930 --> 31:16.130
transforms our capabilities into a

31:16.130 --> 31:18.969
decisive advantage . And our enlisted

31:18.969 --> 31:20.969
force is represented today by the

31:20.969 --> 31:24.170
senior enlisted advisor to the chairman ,

31:24.890 --> 31:27.001
United States Navy Fleet Master Chief

31:27.001 --> 31:29.250
Dave Isom sitting behind me , a

31:29.250 --> 31:31.361
teammate who I greatly appreciate and

31:31.361 --> 31:33.583
many of , many of you on this committee

31:33.583 --> 31:35.861
know from his time in the Indo-Pacific .

31:36.060 --> 31:39.050
While we face dynamic and dangerous

31:39.050 --> 31:42.050
times , I have absolute trust and

31:42.050 --> 31:44.660
confidence in the extraordinary men and

31:44.660 --> 31:47.420
women within our joint force who every

31:47.420 --> 31:50.339
day execute the missions we ask them to

31:50.339 --> 31:53.010
quietly and with precision , and

31:53.010 --> 31:55.010
coupled with the American spirit to

31:55.010 --> 31:57.380
outthink , outcompete , and

31:57.380 --> 31:59.635
relentlessly innovate . We will

31:59.635 --> 32:02.355
maintain our decisive edge , but doing

32:02.355 --> 32:04.633
so requires your continued partnership .

32:04.916 --> 32:06.860
We stand ready today to answer the

32:06.860 --> 32:09.395
nation's call . I humbly ask that as

32:09.395 --> 32:11.995
we're here today in this hearing , we

32:11.995 --> 32:14.217
remember those deployed service members

32:14.316 --> 32:16.427
who are out there right now doing our

32:16.427 --> 32:20.206
nation's work , and may we always

32:20.206 --> 32:22.262
forget remember our fallen and Never

32:22.262 --> 32:24.411
forget them or their families who

32:24.411 --> 32:26.578
continue to show us what courage looks

32:26.578 --> 32:28.522
like . Thank you for your enduring

32:28.522 --> 32:30.578
support , and I look forward to your

32:30.578 --> 32:32.467
questions . Thank you very much ,

32:32.467 --> 32:34.633
General . We appreciate your service .

32:34.633 --> 32:36.689
Uh , let's jump right in . Secretary

32:36.689 --> 32:38.911
Heeth , let's talk about the money from

32:38.911 --> 32:41.982
reconciliation 1.0 last year . There

32:41.982 --> 32:43.982
have been some complaints about the

32:43.982 --> 32:47.239
speed . But , um , not everything we

32:47.239 --> 32:49.461
hear is actually accurate . How much of

32:49.461 --> 32:52.260
the $154 billion from

32:52.650 --> 32:55.680
reconciliation has the Pentagon put on

32:55.689 --> 32:58.810
contract ? My understanding , Mr .

32:58.859 --> 33:01.081
Chairman , uh , first , I'd like to say

33:01.081 --> 33:02.526
what an important vehicle

33:02.526 --> 33:04.748
reconciliation was for us and how , how

33:04.748 --> 33:06.970
it gave us a chance coming out of FY 25

33:06.970 --> 33:09.192
to advance the president's priorities ,

33:09.192 --> 33:11.303
whether it's drone dominance , Golden

33:11.303 --> 33:13.415
Dome for America , shipbuilding , the

33:13.415 --> 33:13.339
defense industrial base . It was a

33:13.339 --> 33:15.619
critical vehicle for us . Uh , the

33:15.619 --> 33:17.841
number you're looking for is about what

33:17.841 --> 33:19.952
I'm looking at about 26 billion right

33:19.952 --> 33:22.175
now . Uh , but we've got the floodgates

33:22.175 --> 33:24.341
about to open and , and apply to those

33:24.341 --> 33:25.897
priorities . OK , so , um ,

33:25.897 --> 33:28.008
unfortunately , You're starting a bit

33:28.008 --> 33:30.063
late , um , through no fault of your

33:30.063 --> 33:32.008
own because the money was not sent

33:32.520 --> 33:34.687
timely by the Office of Management and

33:34.687 --> 33:36.687
Budget to the department until last

33:36.687 --> 33:39.000
month . That's over and done with , but

33:39.000 --> 33:41.333
it should be mentioned , Mr . Secretary ,

33:41.333 --> 33:43.900
where are we , um , on the obligation

33:43.900 --> 33:47.339
rates , um , as , as far as ,

33:47.439 --> 33:50.569
uh , a normal appropriation bill . Are

33:50.569 --> 33:52.680
we a little behind , a little ahead ,

33:52.680 --> 33:54.902
or what ? I would say probably a little

33:54.902 --> 33:56.513
bit behind as it pertains to

33:56.513 --> 33:58.680
reconciliation , but part of that is ,

33:58.680 --> 34:00.513
as you know , uh , this is a new

34:00.513 --> 34:02.847
funding vehicle for the department , uh ,

34:02.847 --> 34:04.847
and twofold . One , you got to make

34:04.847 --> 34:06.847
sure you do it right and do it in a

34:06.847 --> 34:06.790
fiscally responsible way in conjunction

34:06.790 --> 34:08.790
with the Congress to ensure that we

34:08.790 --> 34:10.846
meet congressional intent . But also

34:10.846 --> 34:12.679
that we , we've been using it to

34:12.679 --> 34:14.734
energize our ability to exercise new

34:14.734 --> 34:16.846
pathways to get at problems in , in ,

34:16.846 --> 34:19.068
in different and more dynamic ways that

34:19.068 --> 34:21.123
don't get stovepiped or stuck in the

34:21.123 --> 34:23.290
bureaucracy . We've , so yes , there's

34:23.290 --> 34:25.401
been some , some , uh , some delays ,

34:25.401 --> 34:27.568
but ultimately I think it's , it's all

34:27.568 --> 34:29.734
goodness on the other side given the ,

34:29.734 --> 34:29.319
the , the , the new nature of this

34:29.319 --> 34:31.486
funding vehicle , right ? Yes , well ,

34:31.486 --> 34:33.263
and , and things have been done

34:33.263 --> 34:35.430
differently , and we appreciate that .

34:35.430 --> 34:37.652
But Mr . Secretary , will you commit to

34:37.652 --> 34:39.652
us ? That you'll keep the committee

34:39.652 --> 34:41.819
informed frequently of your efforts to

34:41.819 --> 34:44.209
get all this money out the door so our

34:44.209 --> 34:46.370
industrial base can start building as

34:46.370 --> 34:48.389
you have described in this new

34:49.010 --> 34:51.010
flexibility that we provided them .

34:51.489 --> 34:53.898
Absolutely . Um , and , and you

34:53.898 --> 34:56.969
mentioned a few things in , um . In

34:56.969 --> 34:59.540
reconciliation that you think have have

34:59.540 --> 35:03.449
been uh game changers , uh , we've ,

35:03.459 --> 35:07.110
um , I do , I don't think we've talked

35:07.110 --> 35:09.277
enough about some of the game changers

35:09.277 --> 35:11.388
uh , uh , for years we failed to take

35:11.388 --> 35:13.719
action on rebuilding America's drone

35:13.719 --> 35:17.250
industrial base . And critical mineral

35:17.250 --> 35:19.790
supply chains , um , after last

35:19.840 --> 35:22.250
reconciliation bill and the National

35:22.250 --> 35:24.520
Defense Authorization Act , we're in a

35:24.520 --> 35:27.419
very different position on drones and

35:27.419 --> 35:29.697
critical mineral mineral supply chains ,

35:29.850 --> 35:32.729
are we not ? Very much so . Uh ,

35:33.129 --> 35:35.129
mineral supply chains , drones . We

35:35.129 --> 35:37.185
went from Jiata 401 to an autonomous

35:37.185 --> 35:39.240
warfare group . We're looking at the

35:39.240 --> 35:41.351
concept of a subunified command , and

35:41.351 --> 35:43.296
you're , and you're looking at $54

35:43.296 --> 35:45.629
billion in the FY-27 budget dedicated

35:45.629 --> 35:48.620
to drone dominance . UAS counter UAS

35:48.850 --> 35:50.810
ensuring we can scale not just

35:50.810 --> 35:52.588
exquisite drones , but also the

35:52.588 --> 35:54.754
attritable ones that are proliferating

35:54.754 --> 35:56.977
on the battlefield today . We , we need

35:56.977 --> 35:58.866
to be ahead . Are there any other

35:58.866 --> 36:01.032
initiatives from last year's bill that

36:01.032 --> 36:03.143
you want to point out ? And I , I , I

36:03.143 --> 36:05.143
think no , the investment in Golden

36:05.143 --> 36:07.254
Dome for America , the ability to get

36:07.254 --> 36:09.032
running on that , and we are on

36:09.032 --> 36:11.088
schedule for to deliver capabilities

36:11.088 --> 36:13.199
inside this administration . Minerals

36:13.199 --> 36:14.977
and shoring up supply chains on

36:14.977 --> 36:16.921
minerals . The Office of Strategic

36:16.921 --> 36:18.921
Capital , which its ability to loan

36:18.921 --> 36:21.439
gives 10x to new entrants into the into

36:21.439 --> 36:23.439
the department , the opportunity to

36:23.439 --> 36:25.661
fund things that wouldn't normally meet

36:25.661 --> 36:27.828
the threshold for the department , but

36:27.828 --> 36:30.050
give them the running room to invest in

36:30.050 --> 36:32.217
those capabilities , and we've already

36:32.217 --> 36:31.560
seen fruit from that as well . And

36:31.560 --> 36:33.616
briefly , General Kaine , there's no

36:33.616 --> 36:35.838
question that Vladimir Putin's Russia .

36:36.360 --> 36:40.179
Is taking serious action to undermine

36:40.489 --> 36:42.629
our efforts for success in Iran . Is

36:42.629 --> 36:46.459
there any question about that ? Uh ,

36:46.659 --> 36:48.739
Senator , uh , um , I think there's

36:48.739 --> 36:50.961
actions and activities that are mindful

36:50.961 --> 36:52.906
of the hearing room we're in , but

36:52.906 --> 36:55.072
there's , there's , there's definitely

36:55.072 --> 36:57.406
some action there . Thank you very much .

36:57.406 --> 36:59.461
Um , Senator , Senator Reed , you're

36:59.461 --> 37:02.090
recognized . Uh , thank you . Thank you

37:02.090 --> 37:05.149
very much , Mr . Chairman . Uh , Mr .

37:05.159 --> 37:07.550
Secretary , you recently fired the Army

37:07.550 --> 37:09.772
Chief of Staff , General Randy George ,

37:09.772 --> 37:11.272
uh , who's one of the most

37:11.272 --> 37:13.494
distinguished and decorated officers of

37:13.494 --> 37:15.272
his generation . General , uh ,

37:16.620 --> 37:19.030
George's nomination came before us . We

37:19.030 --> 37:21.363
reviewed it thoroughly and we concurred .

37:21.429 --> 37:23.610
Uh , why did you fire General George ?

37:26.199 --> 37:28.439
Well , as I did then and I'll say now ,

37:29.300 --> 37:31.633
we thank General George for his service ,

37:31.633 --> 37:33.578
er , and out of respect to him and

37:33.578 --> 37:35.633
other officers , we never talk about

37:35.633 --> 37:37.744
the nature of , of , er , why certain

37:37.744 --> 37:40.100
officers are asked to step down , er ,

37:40.520 --> 37:42.742
but we all serve at the pleasure of the

37:42.742 --> 37:44.964
president . And ultimately my view in ,

37:44.964 --> 37:47.187
in , er , coming into this department ,

37:47.187 --> 37:49.464
as I stated in my confirmation hearing ,

37:49.464 --> 37:51.298
was to change the culture of the

37:51.298 --> 37:53.131
department . And it's ultimately

37:53.131 --> 37:55.298
challenging to change the department ,

37:55.298 --> 37:57.409
uh , the culture of a department with

37:57.409 --> 37:57.340
the same people who are a part of or in

37:57.340 --> 37:59.451
that department . So I have made many

37:59.451 --> 38:01.618
changes , uh , with general officers .

38:01.618 --> 38:03.618
We will continue to make changes as

38:03.618 --> 38:05.729
necessary with general officers , and

38:05.729 --> 38:07.562
they will be in keeping with the

38:07.562 --> 38:09.729
trajectory of where we would like to ,

38:09.729 --> 38:08.889
uh , take the department , but it

38:08.889 --> 38:11.000
doesn't take away from the service of

38:11.000 --> 38:13.167
those , and I think you , you'll , you

38:13.167 --> 38:15.167
will note that every officer that's

38:15.167 --> 38:17.167
been , um , uh , asked to leave has

38:17.167 --> 38:19.750
been treated with respect . Interesting .

38:19.909 --> 38:23.030
Uh , of the 2 dozen officers that you

38:23.030 --> 38:26.469
have fired for reasons unrelated to

38:26.469 --> 38:28.302
performance , since you have not

38:28.302 --> 38:31.870
indicated any cause , 60% are black or

38:31.870 --> 38:34.790
females . Uh , now , did the president

38:34.790 --> 38:37.050
direct you to single out female and

38:37.270 --> 38:40.879
black officers to be dismissed ? Um ,

38:42.090 --> 38:44.590
Senator , er , of course not . And as

38:44.590 --> 38:46.590
we've emphasized at this department

38:46.590 --> 38:48.830
from the beginning , the only metric is

38:48.830 --> 38:51.469
merit . Uh , this , this members on

38:51.469 --> 38:53.247
this committee and the previous

38:53.247 --> 38:55.358
leadership of this department . We're

38:55.358 --> 38:57.358
focused on hype , you know , social

38:57.358 --> 38:59.469
engineering , race and gender in ways

38:59.469 --> 39:01.525
that we think were unhealthy for the

39:01.525 --> 39:03.747
department . Focusing on those things ,

39:03.747 --> 39:06.025
making decisions based on those things .

39:06.025 --> 39:08.136
In President Trump's War Department ,

39:08.136 --> 39:07.959
we make decisions based on only one

39:07.959 --> 39:10.209
thing , merit , and that's how we've

39:10.209 --> 39:12.320
made decisions going forward . That's

39:12.320 --> 39:14.376
how we've made them , and that's how

39:14.376 --> 39:13.280
we'll make them going forward . Well ,

39:13.320 --> 39:15.542
let me go back to General George . Uh ,

39:15.542 --> 39:18.879
what did he fail in terms of his lack

39:18.879 --> 39:22.810
of merit to continue serving ? As I ,

39:22.959 --> 39:25.070
as I've said , I don't talk about the

39:25.070 --> 39:27.237
nature of dismissal out of respect for

39:27.237 --> 39:29.459
these officers , but ultimately we want

39:29.459 --> 39:31.626
to take the department in a particular

39:31.626 --> 39:33.515
direction , certain services in a

39:33.515 --> 39:35.459
particular direction , and we want

39:35.459 --> 39:37.515
leadership that's running as fast in

39:37.515 --> 39:37.330
that direction as possible and in some

39:37.330 --> 39:39.649
cases we make changes accordingly , uh ,

39:39.729 --> 39:41.618
but do so out of respect to those

39:41.618 --> 39:43.340
officers . Well , I think that

39:43.340 --> 39:45.507
direction from your behavior is , uh ,

39:45.507 --> 39:49.030
an intense interest in Christianity ,

39:49.439 --> 39:52.520
uh , in nationalism . And

39:52.520 --> 39:56.080
in not . Uh ,

39:56.199 --> 39:59.239
recognizing the talents of women and ,

39:59.659 --> 40:02.620
uh , non-white gentlemen , and that's

40:02.620 --> 40:04.787
the wrong direction . I , I don't know

40:04.787 --> 40:07.009
what you're insinuating , Senator , but

40:07.009 --> 40:09.120
I am not ashamed of my faith in Jesus

40:09.120 --> 40:11.342
Christ . Well , I'm , I , you shouldn't

40:11.342 --> 40:11.310
be , and if you want to shame me for it ,

40:11.419 --> 40:13.939
go ahead . I'm not shaming you , but

40:13.939 --> 40:16.399
are you , uh , critical of other faiths ?

40:18.600 --> 40:20.600
I am a believer . I'm quite open in

40:20.600 --> 40:22.767
that , and our department allows for a

40:22.767 --> 40:24.822
multitude of faiths , so I don't , I

40:24.822 --> 40:24.469
don't know what you're suggesting .

40:24.679 --> 40:26.679
I've heard the likes of things that

40:26.679 --> 40:28.846
people like you suggest , uh , uh , to

40:28.846 --> 40:30.957
try to smear my character and I won't

40:30.957 --> 40:34.899
give into it . No . I'm sorry , Mr .

40:35.090 --> 40:37.780
Secretary , but , uh , broadcasting

40:37.780 --> 40:40.780
before the national , uh , religious

40:40.780 --> 40:42.780
broadcasters stressing the need for

40:42.780 --> 40:44.800
more Christianity in the military

40:44.800 --> 40:47.260
forces doesn't seem like a neutral

40:47.260 --> 40:49.459
position in which you tolerate and

40:49.459 --> 40:52.239
accept all religions . Let me move on ,

40:52.580 --> 40:55.939
uh . The strategic aspects of

40:55.939 --> 40:59.320
this operation in Iran . Uh , the

40:59.320 --> 41:02.350
president declared that we're going to

41:02.350 --> 41:04.517
destroy their missiles and raise their

41:04.517 --> 41:06.919
missile industry to the ground . And

41:06.919 --> 41:09.070
after more than 13,000 strikes ,

41:09.229 --> 41:11.520
unclassified assessments conclude that

41:11.520 --> 41:14.479
Iran retains more than 40% of its drone

41:14.479 --> 41:17.360
arsenal and 60% of its ballistic

41:17.360 --> 41:19.527
missile launches compared with pre-war

41:19.527 --> 41:22.439
pre-war levels . That's one of his

41:22.439 --> 41:25.919
objectives . The second

41:25.919 --> 41:29.909
objective was . Regime change . To

41:29.909 --> 41:32.080
the great proud people of Iran , I say

41:32.080 --> 41:34.191
tonight that the hour of your freedom

41:34.191 --> 41:36.358
is at hand , and we will finish , take

41:36.358 --> 41:38.469
over your government . Well , when we

41:38.469 --> 41:40.802
finish , we'll take over the government .

41:40.802 --> 41:43.080
That has not succeeded . And then , uh ,

41:43.080 --> 41:45.302
one of his other things is the onset of

41:45.302 --> 41:47.469
the war , the president said , we will

41:47.469 --> 41:49.413
ensure that Iran does not obtain a

41:49.413 --> 41:51.636
nuclear weapon . Military operations in

41:51.636 --> 41:53.802
Iran have not achieved that goal yet .

41:54.080 --> 41:57.929
And it also seems to , uh . Indicate

41:57.929 --> 42:00.370
that his pronouncements about Operation

42:00.370 --> 42:02.889
Midnight Hammer obliterating the

42:02.889 --> 42:06.000
nuclear policy and structure of the

42:06.000 --> 42:08.770
Iranians was false . So you have not

42:08.770 --> 42:10.992
achieved any of the objectives yet that

42:10.992 --> 42:14.590
the president mentioned . Well , in

42:14.590 --> 42:16.701
this setting , I won't talk about the

42:16.701 --> 42:18.923
nature of metrics which are , which are

42:18.923 --> 42:21.090
classified as you know , Senator , but

42:21.090 --> 42:22.757
I can say that looking at the

42:22.757 --> 42:24.868
objectives we set out to achieve from

42:24.868 --> 42:24.669
the beginning , some of which you laid

42:24.669 --> 42:28.030
out , uh , our military , our military

42:28.030 --> 42:30.197
objectives have been . Uh , stunningly

42:30.197 --> 42:32.030
effective . Um , look , take for

42:32.030 --> 42:34.252
example their defense industrial base .

42:34.252 --> 42:36.363
They're completely incapable at scale

42:36.363 --> 42:38.308
at any level of reconstituting the

42:38.308 --> 42:40.530
capabilities you referred to , which is

42:40.530 --> 42:42.697
a devastating result for any country ,

42:42.697 --> 42:44.919
uh , especially one whose ambitions are

42:44.919 --> 42:47.100
as wide as Iran's . Uh , so we've put

42:47.100 --> 42:49.322
the president in a very strong position

42:49.322 --> 42:51.939
to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear

42:51.939 --> 42:54.050
weapon . That's , that's the takeaway

42:54.050 --> 42:56.050
that's been underneath every single

42:56.050 --> 42:58.106
aspect of this for 47 years . Iran's

42:58.106 --> 42:59.939
trying to blackmail its way to a

42:59.939 --> 43:02.106
nuclear weapon . They were closer than

43:02.106 --> 43:04.272
ever before because of bad deals under

43:04.272 --> 43:03.590
previous administration . President

43:03.590 --> 43:05.812
Trump was willing to do something about

43:05.812 --> 43:07.812
it and not allow their conventional

43:07.812 --> 43:10.034
missile shield . That's the North Korea

43:10.034 --> 43:12.090
strategy . That's to be clear , what

43:12.090 --> 43:13.923
Iran was pursuing . Hiding their

43:13.923 --> 43:16.146
nuclear ambitions , revealing them over

43:16.146 --> 43:18.368
time , and then building a conventional

43:18.368 --> 43:20.729
shield of missiles so powerful that no

43:20.729 --> 43:22.989
country would challenge them for fear

43:22.989 --> 43:25.156
of what would happen if they unleashed

43:25.156 --> 43:27.211
that arsenal . Weakened after the 12

43:27.211 --> 43:29.378
Day War in Midnight Hammer , which did

43:29.378 --> 43:31.656
obliterate their , their , their sites .

43:31.656 --> 43:33.600
President Trump saw an opportunity

43:33.600 --> 43:35.656
because their ambitions continued to

43:35.656 --> 43:37.433
ensure that umbrella of nuclear

43:37.433 --> 43:39.545
blackmailer did not allow them to get

43:39.545 --> 43:41.711
to a nuclear weapon . And the world is

43:41.711 --> 43:43.878
safer because of his bold and historic

43:43.878 --> 43:46.560
choice . Mr . Secretary , I think

43:46.560 --> 43:49.699
that's rhetorical but not factual .

43:49.840 --> 43:53.379
Thank you . Thank you , Senator Reid .

43:54.179 --> 43:57.090
Mr . Secretary , Mr . Hurst , General

43:57.090 --> 44:00.189
Kaine , welcome . Over the last several

44:00.189 --> 44:02.356
months , I've worked closely with some

44:02.356 --> 44:04.989
of the new direct reporting program

44:04.989 --> 44:07.669
managers and I've been encouraged by

44:07.669 --> 44:09.225
how they're approaching the

44:09.225 --> 44:12.229
department's most complex acquisition

44:12.229 --> 44:14.820
systems . General White's pulled

44:14.820 --> 44:16.929
forward the next milestone for the

44:16.929 --> 44:19.439
Sentinel program by at least 6 months .

44:19.939 --> 44:22.139
General Gutlein has completed the

44:22.139 --> 44:24.540
initial blueprint for the Golden Dome

44:24.540 --> 44:26.979
architecture and is beginning to build

44:26.979 --> 44:29.739
it out . For years this committee has

44:29.739 --> 44:32.379
known that we must improve our ability

44:32.379 --> 44:35.379
to defend our homeland against a wider

44:35.379 --> 44:38.100
variety of threats , and we finally

44:38.100 --> 44:40.780
have a partner with the full backing of

44:40.780 --> 44:44.090
the department to lead the charge . Mr .

44:44.189 --> 44:46.469
Secretary , what's the advantage of

44:46.469 --> 44:49.350
this new type of program management

44:49.350 --> 44:52.070
structure ? Well , thank you for the

44:52.070 --> 44:53.903
question , Senator . It's , it's

44:53.903 --> 44:55.800
acquisition authority , technical

44:55.800 --> 44:57.800
authority , contracting authority ,

44:57.800 --> 45:00.040
it's consolidating decision making in

45:00.040 --> 45:02.239
one place under a highly screened ,

45:02.350 --> 45:04.517
highly capable general , General White

45:04.517 --> 45:06.406
and General Gutline who know that

45:06.406 --> 45:08.879
terrain extremely well , uh , and

45:08.879 --> 45:11.101
understand what mistakes have been made

45:11.101 --> 45:12.879
in the past in programs of that

45:12.879 --> 45:14.823
magnitude , and then are given the

45:14.823 --> 45:17.046
authority to cut through the red tape .

45:17.046 --> 45:18.935
They , that's the key . There's ,

45:18.935 --> 45:21.046
there's success or failure lands with

45:21.046 --> 45:23.379
them and they know it . And as a result ,

45:23.379 --> 45:25.379
they're incentivized to ensure that

45:25.379 --> 45:27.601
program and then given every dollar and

45:27.601 --> 45:27.219
authority needed to move it as quickly

45:27.219 --> 45:29.497
as possible . So whether it's Sentinel ,

45:29.497 --> 45:31.719
whether it's F-47 , whether it's Golden

45:31.719 --> 45:33.608
Dome for America , these critical

45:33.608 --> 45:35.775
strategic assets , the direct report ,

45:35.775 --> 45:38.179
uh , it , it construct along with

45:38.179 --> 45:40.399
Deputy Secretary Feinberg . Who is a

45:40.399 --> 45:42.177
national treasure , uh , and is

45:42.177 --> 45:44.399
changing the way we do business at this

45:44.399 --> 45:46.399
department is giving us a chance to

45:46.399 --> 45:48.288
ensure these critical systems are

45:48.288 --> 45:50.288
delivered . Thank you . And General

45:50.288 --> 45:52.232
Cain , can you , uh , give us your

45:52.232 --> 45:54.290
thoughts on why the Golden Dome

45:54.290 --> 45:56.969
received the why they must receive that

45:56.969 --> 46:00.689
requested $17 billion in funding for

46:00.689 --> 46:03.459
the fiscal year 207 . Well , Senator ,

46:03.540 --> 46:05.762
it's , uh , as you know , it's a , it's

46:05.762 --> 46:07.651
an essential part of our Homeland

46:07.651 --> 46:09.707
Security layered defense and as , as

46:09.707 --> 46:12.419
General Gutlein begins to do the work

46:12.419 --> 46:14.475
that you're asking about and frankly

46:14.475 --> 46:16.530
helping to advance , um , you know ,

46:16.530 --> 46:19.070
the , the insurance around that down

46:19.070 --> 46:21.860
payment , charging the defense

46:21.860 --> 46:23.804
industrial base with those capital

46:23.804 --> 46:26.129
allocations will allow them to get

46:26.129 --> 46:28.018
after it much , much quicker . We

46:28.018 --> 46:30.185
appreciate the help . And if there's a

46:30.185 --> 46:32.919
delay in that funding . Well , I , I ,

46:32.959 --> 46:35.015
hopefully there won't be , Senator ,

46:35.015 --> 46:36.959
because we've got a leader on that

46:36.959 --> 46:39.649
account 24/7 365 , but if we do , we'll

46:39.649 --> 46:42.489
always , um , of course , come back and ,

46:42.570 --> 46:44.570
and talk to the Congress , but also

46:44.570 --> 46:47.389
figure out what has to be true to , uh ,

46:47.489 --> 46:49.929
help that constraint get removed in

46:49.929 --> 46:52.060
that production system . And that's

46:52.060 --> 46:54.227
really what we're asking these leaders

46:54.227 --> 46:56.227
to do is to be able to get past the

46:56.227 --> 46:58.504
theory of constraints . OK , thank you ,

46:58.550 --> 47:00.780
Secretary Hagueseth . I agree with your

47:00.780 --> 47:03.659
statement on nuclear deterrence when

47:03.659 --> 47:05.780
you said nothing else matters if we

47:05.780 --> 47:09.590
don't get this right , so we will . We

47:09.590 --> 47:13.149
need a modernized nuclear triad and NC3

47:13.149 --> 47:16.280
architecture that can credibly deter

47:16.629 --> 47:19.629
multiple adversaries instead of an

47:19.629 --> 47:22.310
insufficient nuclear force structure

47:22.310 --> 47:24.389
based on fundamentally flawed

47:24.389 --> 47:28.179
assumptions made 16 years ago . Our

47:28.179 --> 47:30.110
presidents must also have a more

47:30.110 --> 47:33.909
diverse set of options so that they can

47:33.909 --> 47:36.610
effectively manage more complex nuclear

47:36.750 --> 47:40.350
escalation dynamics . So Mr . Secretary ,

47:40.429 --> 47:42.909
how does this budget request achieve

47:42.909 --> 47:46.590
those objectives ? Well , thank you for

47:46.590 --> 47:48.590
your leadership on this issue for a

47:48.590 --> 47:50.368
very long time . Uh , first and

47:50.368 --> 47:52.989
foremost , it , it invests in it . $71

47:52.989 --> 47:55.156
billion in our , our nuclear triad and

47:55.156 --> 47:57.270
NC3 , understanding that if you get

47:57.270 --> 47:59.326
that wrong , you get everything else

47:59.326 --> 48:01.510
wrong . Frankly , it's why the Iran

48:01.510 --> 48:03.621
effort is so important . Imagine what

48:03.621 --> 48:05.788
the situation in the region would look

48:05.788 --> 48:07.909
like if Iran also wielded a nuclear

48:07.909 --> 48:10.131
weapon . And the limits it would put on

48:10.131 --> 48:12.350
our capabilities in those situations .

48:12.639 --> 48:14.806
Our adversaries have to deal with that

48:14.806 --> 48:16.972
dilemma because of the strength of our

48:16.972 --> 48:18.972
nuclear triad . So that $71 billion

48:18.972 --> 48:21.083
investment , the DUPAs that have been

48:21.083 --> 48:22.917
put over top of it to move those

48:22.917 --> 48:25.083
systems left as you acknowledge , uh ,

48:25.083 --> 48:27.195
it , it's , it's just been a priority

48:27.195 --> 48:29.361
since we came in , into the , into the

48:29.361 --> 48:31.028
building and we're funding it

48:31.028 --> 48:34.760
accordingly . And Chairman Kain , uh ,

48:34.919 --> 48:36.919
Secretary Hague Seth , uh , whoever

48:36.919 --> 48:39.086
would like to answer this , should our

48:39.086 --> 48:41.320
nuclear command , control and

48:41.320 --> 48:44.800
communication systems like the SEOC be

48:44.800 --> 48:48.320
given the same level of priority as

48:48.320 --> 48:50.469
Congress considers the department's

48:50.479 --> 48:53.399
budget request as our as our triad .

48:56.129 --> 48:58.129
I , I think so , but I defer to the

48:58.129 --> 49:00.240
chairman . Yes , ma'am , we've got to

49:00.240 --> 49:02.729
be able to see to anything . So yes ,

49:02.800 --> 49:05.729
ma'am . Thank you . Senator Shaheen ,

49:05.770 --> 49:09.020
you are recognized . Thank you Madam

49:09.020 --> 49:11.750
Chair . Um , Secretary Hegseth ,

49:12.260 --> 49:14.780
Congress enacted $400 million to

49:14.780 --> 49:16.947
provide security assistance to Ukraine

49:16.947 --> 49:19.459
in January . Now the committee received

49:19.459 --> 49:21.879
a notification just yesterday

49:22.459 --> 49:24.626
confirming only that the funding would

49:24.626 --> 49:27.129
go toward Ukraine . It contained no

49:27.129 --> 49:29.240
details about the type of equipment ,

49:29.240 --> 49:31.620
no delivery timelines , nothing that is

49:31.620 --> 49:33.176
typically included in these

49:33.176 --> 49:35.620
notifications . And when asked about

49:35.620 --> 49:37.676
the delay in funding . The committee

49:37.676 --> 49:39.409
was told that Bridge Colby was

49:39.409 --> 49:42.209
developing a spend plan , but we've

49:42.209 --> 49:44.969
received nothing . So when can we

49:44.969 --> 49:47.129
expect the full spend plan for this

49:47.129 --> 49:49.810
appropriation ? And Madam Chair , can I ,

49:49.929 --> 49:52.489
if this is not already part of the

49:52.489 --> 49:54.711
record for the committee , can I , um ,

49:54.711 --> 49:56.211
enter it into the record ?

49:59.479 --> 50:01.201
We acknowledge and are and are

50:01.201 --> 50:03.146
executing on the European capacity

50:03.146 --> 50:05.368
building amount of 400 million that you

50:05.368 --> 50:07.257
referred to . Uh , Undersecretary

50:07.257 --> 50:09.879
Colby's done a great job looking at

50:09.879 --> 50:12.179
options and worked very closely with

50:12.399 --> 50:14.510
our European commander , uh , General

50:14.510 --> 50:16.510
Grikowicz . So his requests of what

50:16.510 --> 50:18.621
makes the most sense will inform what

50:18.621 --> 50:21.939
ultimately is invested in . Well , this

50:21.939 --> 50:25.159
notification says that UCO coordinated

50:25.159 --> 50:28.219
on the spin plan in March , but General

50:28.219 --> 50:30.780
Grekovich told this committee on April

50:30.780 --> 50:33.739
16th that he had not yet been asked to

50:33.739 --> 50:35.500
review any spend plan for this

50:35.500 --> 50:39.110
appropriation . So General Kane , have

50:39.110 --> 50:41.332
you received the spin plan for funds in

50:41.332 --> 50:43.388
Ukraine , and have you asked the UCO

50:43.388 --> 50:47.090
commander for his concurrence ? Uh ,

50:47.959 --> 50:50.159
I do not believe so , but I will find

50:50.159 --> 50:52.326
out , Senator , and get back to you by

50:52.326 --> 50:54.449
the end of the day . Thank you . Um ,

50:54.760 --> 50:57.820
and yesterday , Mr . Hurst , you told

50:58.320 --> 51:00.979
the House that you needed to seek legal

51:00.979 --> 51:03.080
review to appropriate the funds as

51:03.080 --> 51:05.679
Congress intended . So can you share

51:05.679 --> 51:07.790
with us what the nature of that legal

51:08.070 --> 51:10.760
review is ? And it seems to me the law

51:10.760 --> 51:12.816
was pretty clear . I saw it . It was

51:12.816 --> 51:14.520
part of the , um , Defense

51:14.520 --> 51:16.631
Appropriations bill that we passed in

51:16.631 --> 51:19.479
January . And as you know , violating

51:19.479 --> 51:21.590
congressional intent on appropriating

51:21.590 --> 51:23.812
funds is a violation of the Impoundment

51:23.812 --> 51:25.923
Control Act . So what's the nature of

51:25.923 --> 51:28.146
the legal review that you have to get ?

51:28.199 --> 51:30.199
Thanks for the question , Senator .

51:30.199 --> 51:32.255
What we're looking at is if we could

51:32.255 --> 51:32.239
use the funds in the same manner as

51:32.239 --> 51:34.639
USAI . And we had our council look at

51:34.639 --> 51:36.695
that , uh , and so they provide us a

51:36.695 --> 51:38.917
legal opinion on how the funds could be

51:38.917 --> 51:40.806
used to support European capacity

51:40.806 --> 51:42.972
building . And can you share with this

51:42.972 --> 51:45.139
committee what that legal opinion is ?

51:45.919 --> 51:48.030
Ma'am , I don't have a copy of that ,

51:48.030 --> 51:50.141
but we can ask the OGC office if they

51:50.141 --> 51:52.475
can supply it to you . Um , Madam Chair ,

51:52.475 --> 51:54.363
can we ask that that , um , legal

51:54.363 --> 51:56.530
opinion is shared with the committee ?

51:56.530 --> 51:59.860
Officially , thank you . Um , also ,

52:00.610 --> 52:02.888
I don't know who can answer this , but .

52:04.810 --> 52:08.750
It says that Consistent with

52:08.750 --> 52:10.861
the president's priority to shift the

52:10.861 --> 52:12.972
financial burden of Ukraine's support

52:12.972 --> 52:14.861
to European partners , the United

52:14.861 --> 52:17.429
States will seek commensurate financial

52:17.429 --> 52:20.790
contributions via the prioritized

52:20.790 --> 52:22.790
Ukraine Requirements List , or PERL

52:23.590 --> 52:25.590
from the European partners for this

52:25.590 --> 52:29.510
program , so . What's the justification

52:29.510 --> 52:32.310
for using Pearl when there's $400

52:32.310 --> 52:36.189
million in appropriated funds ? Pearl

52:36.189 --> 52:37.800
Pearl is a reflection of the

52:37.800 --> 52:39.800
president's priority and the belief

52:39.800 --> 52:41.967
that any weapons that are supplied are

52:41.967 --> 52:44.133
paid for by European partners and used

52:44.133 --> 52:46.300
as they see fit , whether it's Ukraine

52:46.300 --> 52:48.522
or somewhere else was not the intent of

52:48.522 --> 52:50.745
Congress in providing that $400 million

52:50.745 --> 52:52.967
as I understand the Pearl program , the

52:52.967 --> 52:56.050
Europeans purchase those weapons from

52:56.050 --> 52:58.383
the United States and they pay for them ,

52:58.489 --> 53:01.520
but this appropriation was $400 million

53:01.520 --> 53:04.659
that Congress expected . To be provided

53:04.659 --> 53:07.879
to Ukraine , not paid for by the

53:07.879 --> 53:10.540
Europeans , but provided from the

53:10.540 --> 53:13.939
United States to support Ukraine . So

53:13.939 --> 53:16.179
again , I don't understand what the

53:16.179 --> 53:18.290
justification is for using Pearl when

53:18.290 --> 53:20.780
that's not the intent that Congress

53:20.780 --> 53:23.620
provided . We're , we're following the

53:23.620 --> 53:25.787
intent of European capacity building ,

53:26.209 --> 53:27.987
uh , and , but at the same time

53:27.987 --> 53:30.153
recognizing that wherever Pearl can be

53:30.153 --> 53:31.876
utilized so that the Europeans

53:31.876 --> 53:34.098
contribute to that fight , uh , per the

53:34.098 --> 53:36.265
burden sharing approach this president

53:36.265 --> 53:38.598
takes is important congressional intent ,

53:38.598 --> 53:40.542
and that's what I'm asking you why

53:40.542 --> 53:43.290
you're using Pearl to do something that

53:43.290 --> 53:45.290
Congress intended to go directly to

53:45.290 --> 53:47.629
Ukraine . Mr . Hurst , can you answer

53:47.629 --> 53:50.439
that ? What was the legal opinion on

53:50.439 --> 53:53.350
this ? Have , did you ask the attorneys

53:53.350 --> 53:56.030
if The 400 million could be used for

53:56.030 --> 53:58.649
the pearl program . Let's get back to

53:58.649 --> 54:00.705
you . We'll take it for the record ,

54:00.705 --> 54:02.927
ma'am . Thank you . And what portion of

54:02.927 --> 54:05.038
the funding that's committed from the

54:05.038 --> 54:07.330
Europeans under Pearl is being used to

54:07.330 --> 54:10.520
assist Ukraine ? Rather than restocking

54:10.520 --> 54:12.742
our own shelves , can you answer that ?

54:12.879 --> 54:15.212
Um , that's up to , that's up to Europe .

54:15.212 --> 54:17.969
Ultimately , uh , Europe pays for any

54:17.969 --> 54:20.136
weapons that we provide , and they can

54:20.136 --> 54:22.302
utilize them as they see fit , whether

54:22.302 --> 54:24.469
it's Ukraine or otherwise . Uh , thank

54:24.469 --> 54:26.691
you , Senator Shaheen . There have been

54:26.691 --> 54:28.747
a number of times when our witnesses

54:28.747 --> 54:31.560
have , uh , stated both in the closed

54:31.560 --> 54:33.727
hearing and up here that they will get

54:33.727 --> 54:35.949
back to us , and we , we certainly hope

54:35.949 --> 54:37.560
that will happen , um , very

54:37.560 --> 54:40.120
expeditiously . So thank you very much

54:40.120 --> 54:42.009
and thank you , Senator Shaheen .

54:42.009 --> 54:44.129
Senator Cotton . Thank you gentlemen

54:44.129 --> 54:46.290
for your appearance today . Um , Mr .

54:46.300 --> 54:48.244
Secretary , you provided us with a

54:48.244 --> 54:50.189
chart here entitled The Arsenal of

54:50.189 --> 54:52.356
Freedom , um , which includes a lot of

54:52.356 --> 54:54.189
sites that you visited . My , my

54:54.189 --> 54:56.133
favorite one is down here in South

54:56.133 --> 54:58.360
Arkansas , Camden , where you and I had

54:58.360 --> 55:00.304
a chance to visit just a couple of

55:00.304 --> 55:02.249
months ago , um , highlighting the

55:02.249 --> 55:04.699
great work that the people there are

55:04.699 --> 55:07.169
doing to help rebuild , um , our

55:07.800 --> 55:11.169
arsenal of freedom . Um , thank you

55:11.169 --> 55:13.489
first off for being there and for your

55:13.489 --> 55:15.489
kind words for the workforce of the

55:15.489 --> 55:17.860
people of South Arkansas . Uh , isn't

55:17.860 --> 55:20.810
it fair to say that , that the war in

55:20.810 --> 55:23.679
Iran , just like the Ukraine war . Uh ,

55:25.969 --> 55:28.191
before it and still today hasn't caused

55:28.191 --> 55:30.302
any challenges with our munitions the

55:30.302 --> 55:32.413
way some of our Democratic colleagues

55:32.413 --> 55:34.136
would say , but it's exposed a

55:34.136 --> 55:36.302
decades-old problem of brittleness and

55:36.302 --> 55:38.302
fragility in our defense industrial

55:38.302 --> 55:40.469
base before you and General Kaine took

55:40.469 --> 55:42.580
over and that we're trying to address

55:42.580 --> 55:44.636
right now . Um , in many ways that's

55:44.636 --> 55:46.913
precisely what we're trying to address .

55:46.913 --> 55:48.636
We also have a situation where

55:48.636 --> 55:50.858
President Trump rebuilt our military in

55:50.858 --> 55:52.747
the first term and a lot of those

55:52.747 --> 55:54.358
munitions and a lot of those

55:54.358 --> 55:56.580
capabilities were sent to Ukraine under

55:56.580 --> 55:58.636
the previous administration . To the

55:58.636 --> 55:58.629
point where when we ask our commanders

55:58.629 --> 56:00.573
or when we look at old plans , the

56:00.573 --> 56:02.407
answer often is that was sent to

56:02.407 --> 56:04.518
Ukraine . So the recognition of those

56:04.518 --> 56:07.030
two things has , has the president gave

56:07.030 --> 56:09.679
us a charge from day one to rebuild the

56:09.679 --> 56:11.846
arsenal of freedom , to fast forward ,

56:11.846 --> 56:13.846
not to provide a little bit more of

56:13.846 --> 56:16.020
each thing . But 2x , 3x , 4x the

56:16.020 --> 56:18.131
number of exquisite munitions that we

56:18.131 --> 56:20.353
need . The expenditures that we've seen

56:20.353 --> 56:22.576
under this administration , we can , we

56:22.576 --> 56:24.798
can account for them and we ensure that

56:24.798 --> 56:26.742
other plans and elsewhere are well

56:26.742 --> 56:26.500
taken care of . So on the munitions

56:26.500 --> 56:28.667
front we're in really good shape , but

56:28.667 --> 56:30.611
we need to accelerate , and that's

56:30.611 --> 56:32.778
exactly what we're doing , and I think

56:32.778 --> 56:32.419
that's an important point you make is

56:32.419 --> 56:34.520
that we're not just trying to fill a

56:34.520 --> 56:37.850
hole that was created by epic fury or

56:37.850 --> 56:40.072
by support for Ukraine . We're going to

56:40.072 --> 56:42.239
fill that and then go much beyond that

56:42.239 --> 56:44.406
for our needs in the future . So we're

56:44.406 --> 56:46.406
never caught where we were over the

56:46.406 --> 56:49.290
last several years with these worries

56:49.290 --> 56:51.512
about munitions running short . Is that

56:51.512 --> 56:53.734
right , Mr . Secretary ? That's exactly

56:53.734 --> 56:55.790
right . The president has charged up

56:55.790 --> 56:57.846
with not just replacing anything but

56:57.846 --> 56:57.530
filling it up , as he might say , to

56:57.530 --> 56:59.810
the tippy top , and make sure that the

56:59.810 --> 57:01.729
remainder of this term and future

57:01.729 --> 57:03.896
presidents have all the munitions they

57:03.896 --> 57:06.007
need for any level of contingencies ,

57:06.007 --> 57:08.062
especially considering the dangerous

57:08.062 --> 57:10.173
world we live in . I want to turn now

57:10.173 --> 57:10.129
to Operation Epic Fury . It's been a

57:10.129 --> 57:11.909
smashing military success .

57:12.949 --> 57:14.671
Unfortunately we have suffered

57:14.679 --> 57:17.360
casualties to include soldiers killed

57:17.360 --> 57:19.830
in the line of action . Obviously our

57:19.830 --> 57:22.439
military takes the greatest steps

57:22.439 --> 57:24.409
possible to protect our troops ,

57:24.429 --> 57:26.540
whether they are in action or whether

57:26.540 --> 57:29.159
they are on bases in the region . No

57:29.159 --> 57:31.120
war though is antiseptic . Mr .

57:31.239 --> 57:33.350
Secretary , could you explain some of

57:33.350 --> 57:35.128
the steps we've taken to try to

57:35.128 --> 57:37.406
minimize to the greatest extent we can ,

57:37.406 --> 57:39.628
the number of casualties we've taken in

57:39.628 --> 57:41.906
the Middle East ? First of all , every ,

57:41.906 --> 57:44.017
um , every day we live to ensure that

57:44.017 --> 57:45.961
we follow through on the legacy of

57:45.961 --> 57:45.560
those who gave everything . So that's

57:45.560 --> 57:47.560
front and center for us . But I can

57:47.560 --> 57:49.671
also say , and , and the chairman may

57:49.671 --> 57:51.782
want to weigh in , from the beginning

57:51.782 --> 57:51.659
of looking at the , the , the

57:51.659 --> 57:53.548
possibility of this contingency ,

57:53.548 --> 57:55.659
setting the defense and ensuring that

57:55.659 --> 57:57.826
Admiral Cooper and everyone throughout

57:57.826 --> 58:00.048
CENTCOM had every possible measure they

58:00.048 --> 58:02.048
could to ensure that our troops are

58:02.048 --> 58:03.992
protected and force protection was

58:03.992 --> 58:05.937
maximized , was the top priority .

58:05.937 --> 58:07.770
Moving assets to the region , we

58:07.770 --> 58:09.937
integrated our air defenses with local

58:09.937 --> 58:11.826
Gulf . Cut with Gulf countries to

58:11.826 --> 58:13.437
ensure our shot doctrine was

58:13.437 --> 58:15.492
maximalized , whether it's ballistic

58:15.492 --> 58:17.715
missiles or on drones , uh , flowing in

58:17.715 --> 58:19.966
the most recent uh capabilities to

58:19.966 --> 58:22.188
ensure we can intercept drones , moving

58:22.188 --> 58:24.426
troops off the X . I think what people

58:24.845 --> 58:27.166
mostly don't know is that a massive

58:27.166 --> 58:29.055
effort was undertaken before this

58:29.055 --> 58:31.565
conflict to move as many humans off of

58:31.565 --> 58:34.142
targets . To other places and maintain

58:34.142 --> 58:36.253
operational security about where they

58:36.253 --> 58:38.253
might be to minimize the space with

58:38.253 --> 58:40.364
which Iran could hit . We always knew

58:40.364 --> 58:42.475
something getting through was , was a

58:42.475 --> 58:44.586
poss was a tragic possibility , but I

58:44.586 --> 58:46.586
can assure you from our perspective

58:46.586 --> 58:48.642
that was priority number one , as it

58:48.642 --> 58:50.642
was Admiral Cooper's to ensure that

58:50.642 --> 58:52.864
fortification and missile defenses were

58:52.864 --> 58:55.031
right there when we went on offense if

58:55.031 --> 58:57.253
we had to . General Kaine , do you have

58:57.253 --> 58:59.475
anything to add ? Well , in addition to

58:59.475 --> 59:01.698
just again mourning our fallen from the

59:01.698 --> 59:03.309
103rd , what I'll add to the

59:03.309 --> 59:05.309
Secretary's comments is after every

59:05.309 --> 59:07.198
tragic loss , commanders at every

59:07.198 --> 59:09.219
echelon within our joint force are

59:09.219 --> 59:11.939
going to go back and look at what was

59:11.939 --> 59:14.199
our plan and what lessons we can learn

59:14.199 --> 59:16.532
from this so that we protect and defend .

59:17.030 --> 59:19.252
Uh , our soldiers , sailors , and other

59:19.252 --> 59:21.252
members of the joint force the next

59:21.252 --> 59:23.419
time . Thank you , and I know you do ,

59:23.419 --> 59:25.308
and I just wanted to give you the

59:25.308 --> 59:24.550
opportunity to speak to what you've

59:24.550 --> 59:26.679
done to try to prevent , um ,

59:27.030 --> 59:28.863
casualties , and minimize them .

59:28.863 --> 59:31.141
Obviously again , no war is antiseptic .

59:31.141 --> 59:33.030
One final question , I understand

59:33.030 --> 59:32.429
you've been accused of lying to the

59:32.429 --> 59:34.485
president . Uh , Mr . Hecketh , have

59:34.485 --> 59:36.651
you lied to the president at all about

59:36.651 --> 59:38.873
what's happening in Iran or epic fury ?

59:38.919 --> 59:41.086
only tell the truth to the president .

59:41.086 --> 59:43.141
General Kaine , have you lied to the

59:43.141 --> 59:42.909
president about what's happening in

59:42.909 --> 59:45.300
Iran or Operation Epic Fury ? Never . I

59:45.300 --> 59:47.411
suspected that would be your answer ,

59:47.411 --> 59:49.633
but since you're accused of it and deep

59:49.633 --> 59:49.620
staters are leaking to the media about

59:49.620 --> 59:51.787
it as well , I just wanted to give you

59:51.787 --> 59:53.898
a chance to answer on the record that

59:53.898 --> 59:53.469
of course you've always given the

59:53.469 --> 59:55.691
president a completely accurate picture

59:55.691 --> 59:57.580
of what's happening . Thank you ,

59:57.580 --> 59:56.830
gentlemen . Thank you very much ,

59:56.949 --> 59:59.060
Senator Cotton , Senator Gillibrand ,

59:59.060 --> 01:00:01.171
and then Senator Rounds . Thank you ,

01:00:01.171 --> 01:00:03.282
gentlemen , for appearing before this

01:00:03.282 --> 01:00:05.449
committee and thank you for the closed

01:00:05.449 --> 01:00:07.671
session prior to this . I don't know if

01:00:07.671 --> 01:00:09.560
you fully appreciate how much the

01:00:09.560 --> 01:00:11.893
American people do not support this war .

01:00:11.893 --> 01:00:14.219
It is an unauthorized war . Normally

01:00:14.219 --> 01:00:16.386
when you come to Congress , it's a way

01:00:16.386 --> 01:00:18.497
for the American people to be part of

01:00:18.497 --> 01:00:21.239
that discussion . The American people ,

01:00:21.439 --> 01:00:23.840
particularly in my state of New York ,

01:00:23.870 --> 01:00:26.239
are upset for a lot of reasons . First

01:00:26.239 --> 01:00:28.560
of all , this war is costing so much

01:00:28.560 --> 01:00:31.620
money . Over $25 billion already ,

01:00:31.669 --> 01:00:33.891
estimates a billion dollars a day , and

01:00:33.891 --> 01:00:36.058
they're feeling it every single day at

01:00:36.058 --> 01:00:38.439
the gas pump with higher prices for

01:00:38.439 --> 01:00:41.389
both fuel , for diesel , for gasoline

01:00:41.389 --> 01:00:43.649
for their cars . They're also feeling

01:00:43.649 --> 01:00:45.639
it with higher grocery costs , and

01:00:45.639 --> 01:00:47.583
they're exhausted . They are truly

01:00:47.583 --> 01:00:51.189
exhausted . On top of that , on top of

01:00:51.189 --> 01:00:54.370
that , they have so many grave concerns

01:00:54.590 --> 01:00:56.959
about how this war is being prosecuted .

01:00:58.699 --> 01:01:01.699
They read in the paper that 22 schools

01:01:01.699 --> 01:01:04.419
have been hit . They read in the paper

01:01:04.419 --> 01:01:06.820
about a girls' school , hundreds

01:01:06.820 --> 01:01:10.110
getting killed . We have a debate going

01:01:10.110 --> 01:01:13.929
on in this country about AI . A serious

01:01:13.929 --> 01:01:17.209
debate about AI . And I haven't heard

01:01:17.209 --> 01:01:19.629
yet from you that you will not allow AI

01:01:19.629 --> 01:01:21.949
to make final targeting determinations ,

01:01:22.129 --> 01:01:24.129
even when nuclear weapons are being

01:01:24.129 --> 01:01:26.370
used . That's a huge issue that we need

01:01:26.370 --> 01:01:28.850
to discuss . So I want to start from

01:01:28.850 --> 01:01:31.629
the top , Secretary Hegseth . Why do

01:01:31.629 --> 01:01:33.685
you continue to prosecute a war that

01:01:33.685 --> 01:01:35.685
the American people aren't behind ?

01:01:38.000 --> 01:01:40.056
Uh , first of all , I appreciate the

01:01:40.056 --> 01:01:42.056
opportunity for that closed session

01:01:42.056 --> 01:01:44.056
where we had an unsurprisingly very

01:01:44.056 --> 01:01:46.222
different discussion than we have here

01:01:46.222 --> 01:01:48.333
with the cameras on . Um , we support

01:01:48.333 --> 01:01:50.556
this because my job is to represent New

01:01:50.556 --> 01:01:52.667
Yorkers , and I can tell you , when I

01:01:52.667 --> 01:01:54.889
talk to them all across my state , they

01:01:54.889 --> 01:01:58.139
are furious and they expect me to

01:01:58.139 --> 01:02:00.306
explain to them why they are furious .

01:02:00.600 --> 01:02:02.767
And Senator , when I talk to Americans

01:02:02.767 --> 01:02:04.656
and especially when I talk to the

01:02:04.656 --> 01:02:06.489
troops . They are grateful for a

01:02:06.489 --> 01:02:08.600
president who has the courage to take

01:02:08.600 --> 01:02:10.711
on this threat after 47 years of what

01:02:10.711 --> 01:02:12.711
Iran has done targeting and killing

01:02:12.711 --> 01:02:12.540
Americans and what it would mean to the

01:02:12.540 --> 01:02:15.020
world if Iran's nuclear ambitions were

01:02:15.020 --> 01:02:17.131
actually achieved . So the question I

01:02:17.131 --> 01:02:19.131
would ask to you and to others is ,

01:02:19.131 --> 01:02:21.131
what is the cost of a nuclear armed

01:02:21.131 --> 01:02:23.353
Iran ? What is the cost to the American

01:02:23.353 --> 01:02:25.409
people if the world's most dangerous

01:02:25.409 --> 01:02:27.520
regime has a nuclear weapon ? But the

01:02:27.520 --> 01:02:29.687
truth is they don't want war coming to

01:02:29.687 --> 01:02:31.298
this shore , and when you do

01:02:31.298 --> 01:02:33.464
decapitation . The likelihood is going

01:02:33.464 --> 01:02:35.631
to be exchanged in the United States .

01:02:35.631 --> 01:02:37.742
There's no evidence that we are safer

01:02:37.742 --> 01:02:39.853
because of this war . We did not have

01:02:39.853 --> 01:02:41.798
any evidence that Iran intended to

01:02:41.798 --> 01:02:43.909
imminently attack this country in any

01:02:43.909 --> 01:02:45.909
way , shape or form . So I disagree

01:02:45.909 --> 01:02:48.076
with your assessment that we are under

01:02:48.076 --> 01:02:50.187
threat . Do you not believe them when

01:02:50.187 --> 01:02:52.242
they say death to America ? Listen ,

01:02:52.242 --> 01:02:54.298
our adversaries use rhetoric all the

01:02:54.298 --> 01:02:56.409
time . What I'm concerned about is we

01:02:56.409 --> 01:02:58.520
are not safer , and I would just like

01:02:58.520 --> 01:03:01.199
to know why you have not sought the

01:03:01.199 --> 01:03:03.366
support of the American people , and 3

01:03:03.366 --> 01:03:05.588
out of 5 Americans are against this war

01:03:05.588 --> 01:03:09.449
today . Um , I believe we do have the

01:03:09.449 --> 01:03:11.560
support of the American people and we

01:03:11.560 --> 01:03:13.393
have briefed regularly what this

01:03:13.393 --> 01:03:15.171
mission looks like and why it's

01:03:15.171 --> 01:03:17.338
critically important that we undertake

01:03:17.338 --> 01:03:19.393
it , and I would remind you and this

01:03:19.393 --> 01:03:21.282
group . That we're 2 months in an

01:03:21.282 --> 01:03:23.060
effort , and many congressional

01:03:23.060 --> 01:03:25.227
Democrats , as I pointed out , want to

01:03:25.227 --> 01:03:27.393
declare defeat 2 months in . Iraq took

01:03:27.393 --> 01:03:29.505
how many years ? Afghanistan took how

01:03:29.505 --> 01:03:31.505
many years , and they were nebulous

01:03:31.505 --> 01:03:33.671
missions that people went along with .

01:03:33.671 --> 01:03:35.782
This is different . This is a defined

01:03:35.782 --> 01:03:37.727
mission set that we have had great

01:03:37.727 --> 01:03:39.393
success in pursuing against a

01:03:39.393 --> 01:03:41.338
determined enemy who seeks nuclear

01:03:41.338 --> 01:03:43.393
weapons , and I'm , I'm proud of the

01:03:43.393 --> 01:03:45.338
opportunity to remind the American

01:03:45.338 --> 01:03:47.393
people because they believe in it as

01:03:47.393 --> 01:03:49.616
well , they can't . You don't care when

01:03:49.616 --> 01:03:51.560
the American people . The American

01:03:51.560 --> 01:03:53.227
people are quite smart . They

01:03:53.227 --> 01:03:55.393
understand and see through spin . They

01:03:55.393 --> 01:03:57.505
know that a regime that says death to

01:03:57.505 --> 01:03:59.560
America , that seeks nuclear weapons

01:03:59.560 --> 01:04:01.782
and the ability to , did they lie about

01:04:01.782 --> 01:04:04.005
the range of their missiles ? Because I

01:04:04.005 --> 01:04:07.231
saw a 4000 kilometers to pay for this

01:04:07.231 --> 01:04:09.342
war right now . Do you want a billion

01:04:09.342 --> 01:04:11.509
dollars a day ? Do you want $2 billion

01:04:11.509 --> 01:04:13.787
a day ? You're asking for $200 billion .

01:04:13.787 --> 01:04:15.842
Dollars more to fund this war and to

01:04:15.842 --> 01:04:17.675
make sure we didn't ask for $200

01:04:17.675 --> 01:04:17.604
billion . I don't know where you got

01:04:17.604 --> 01:04:19.660
that number from , Senator . I think

01:04:19.660 --> 01:04:21.715
you got it from the news , which you

01:04:21.715 --> 01:04:21.323
should be careful where you , what you

01:04:21.323 --> 01:04:23.490
read in the news . OK , Mr . Hegseth ,

01:04:23.490 --> 01:04:25.601
here Secretary Hegseth , here's a few

01:04:25.601 --> 01:04:27.545
more . Let's talk about how you're

01:04:27.545 --> 01:04:29.523
prosecuting the war . What is your

01:04:29.523 --> 01:04:32.503
response to targeting that has resulted

01:04:32.553 --> 01:04:34.634
in the destruction of schools ,

01:04:35.043 --> 01:04:37.895
hospitals , civilian . places . Why did

01:04:37.895 --> 01:04:40.615
you cut by 90% the division that's

01:04:40.615 --> 01:04:42.815
supposed to help you not target

01:04:42.815 --> 01:04:45.115
civilians ? And do you know the impact

01:04:45.446 --> 01:04:47.736
of a strategic failure at a war when

01:04:47.736 --> 01:04:50.095
you have so many civilian casualties ?

01:04:50.305 --> 01:04:52.305
You may have tactically completed a

01:04:52.305 --> 01:04:54.527
mission well , but strategically is not

01:04:54.527 --> 01:04:56.749
meeting your goals because of the harms

01:04:56.749 --> 01:04:59.083
to civilians . What is the cost of that ?

01:04:59.083 --> 01:05:01.194
Let's leave time for an answer . Uh ,

01:05:01.194 --> 01:05:03.459
no military , no country works harder

01:05:03.459 --> 01:05:05.780
at every echelon to ensure they protect

01:05:05.780 --> 01:05:07.780
civilian lives in the United States

01:05:07.780 --> 01:05:09.724
military , and that is an ironclad

01:05:09.724 --> 01:05:11.947
commitment that we make no matter how ,

01:05:11.947 --> 01:05:14.002
no matter what systems . And why did

01:05:14.002 --> 01:05:16.224
you cut the department by 90% ? Thank ,

01:05:16.224 --> 01:05:18.058
thank you , Senator Gillibrand .

01:05:18.058 --> 01:05:20.280
There'll be other rounds of questions .

01:05:20.280 --> 01:05:22.169
Um , Senator Rounds , you are now

01:05:22.169 --> 01:05:24.502
recognized . Thank you , Thank you , Mr .

01:05:24.502 --> 01:05:26.669
Chairman . First of all , thank you to

01:05:26.669 --> 01:05:26.219
all of you for your service to our

01:05:26.219 --> 01:05:30.030
country . Um , let me just . I'll allow

01:05:30.030 --> 01:05:32.141
you to finish the answer a little bit

01:05:32.141 --> 01:05:34.469
with regard to the senator from New

01:05:34.469 --> 01:05:37.489
York . Does the United States military

01:05:37.979 --> 01:05:41.489
ever target a civilian center ? Well ,

01:05:41.570 --> 01:05:43.403
thank you , Senator . Unlike our

01:05:43.403 --> 01:05:46.590
adversaries , unlike radical Islamists ,

01:05:47.000 --> 01:05:49.129
unlike those that target civilians or

01:05:49.129 --> 01:05:52.260
use civilians as shields . The United

01:05:52.260 --> 01:05:54.482
States military never targets civilians

01:05:54.482 --> 01:05:58.010
and puts constructs in place to ensure

01:05:58.010 --> 01:06:00.689
that the maximum extent possible we do

01:06:00.689 --> 01:06:04.459
not harm or hit civilians . Is is war a

01:06:04.459 --> 01:06:06.126
difficult place with a lot of

01:06:06.126 --> 01:06:08.237
complexities ? Absolutely right . But

01:06:08.237 --> 01:06:10.403
no country does more and no department

01:06:10.403 --> 01:06:12.570
does more than our department . Do you

01:06:12.570 --> 01:06:14.348
still have all of the resources

01:06:14.348 --> 01:06:16.070
necessary to assure that every

01:06:17.270 --> 01:06:19.229
opportunity to eliminate that as a

01:06:19.229 --> 01:06:21.340
threat ? In terms of that happening ,

01:06:21.399 --> 01:06:23.121
do we still have the resources

01:06:23.121 --> 01:06:25.121
available in the department to make

01:06:25.121 --> 01:06:27.232
sure that we do the best we can never

01:06:27.232 --> 01:06:29.066
to hit a civilian target ? Every

01:06:29.066 --> 01:06:32.120
resource necessary at every echelon is

01:06:32.120 --> 01:06:34.453
available , legal , intel and otherwise ,

01:06:34.560 --> 01:06:36.560
to ensure that we minimize at every

01:06:36.560 --> 01:06:38.671
extent possible civilian casualties ,

01:06:38.671 --> 01:06:40.504
and the suggestion was made that

01:06:40.504 --> 01:06:42.560
somehow . AI might be used without a

01:06:42.560 --> 01:06:44.727
human in the loop , which is a classic

01:06:44.727 --> 01:06:46.949
anthropic talking point , which is half

01:06:46.949 --> 01:06:49.004
of what we talked about previously .

01:06:49.004 --> 01:06:50.782
There is a human in the loop on

01:06:50.782 --> 01:06:52.671
decisions that are made , and the

01:06:52.671 --> 01:06:54.893
suggestion otherwise is to suggest that

01:06:54.893 --> 01:06:57.116
somehow AI is running targeting . Thank

01:06:57.116 --> 01:07:00.929
you . Right now ,

01:07:01.370 --> 01:07:03.481
part of what we're also talking about

01:07:03.481 --> 01:07:05.703
is not just are we engaged right now in

01:07:05.703 --> 01:07:07.926
terms of trying to eliminate the threat

01:07:07.926 --> 01:07:10.037
from Iran in terms of being a nuclear

01:07:10.037 --> 01:07:11.981
armed country , but we've also got

01:07:11.981 --> 01:07:14.203
staring with us as well , the fact that

01:07:14.203 --> 01:07:16.203
we have an ongoing principal threat

01:07:16.203 --> 01:07:18.203
with regard to a pacing threat with

01:07:18.203 --> 01:07:20.929
China . The dual capable B-21 radar

01:07:20.929 --> 01:07:23.330
will be a critical part of both our

01:07:23.330 --> 01:07:26.090
conventional and our nuclear deterrence

01:07:26.090 --> 01:07:28.368
against China and Russia . As you know ,

01:07:28.368 --> 01:07:30.257
the Air Force's program of record

01:07:30.257 --> 01:07:33.110
includes plans to procure 100 B-21s ,

01:07:33.520 --> 01:07:35.687
but many national security experts and

01:07:35.687 --> 01:07:37.964
leaders , including StratCOM commander ,

01:07:37.964 --> 01:07:40.239
Admiral Correll and IOPECO commander ,

01:07:40.560 --> 01:07:43.040
Admiral Paparo , are calling for a

01:07:43.040 --> 01:07:45.399
greater number of B-21s . Admiral

01:07:45.399 --> 01:07:47.719
Poparo testified here last week that he

01:07:47.719 --> 01:07:51.209
would favor buying 200 B-21s . Uh ,

01:07:51.600 --> 01:07:53.711
Secretary Hegseth and Chairman Kean .

01:07:54.639 --> 01:07:56.861
Could you speak to the progress and the

01:07:56.861 --> 01:07:59.083
importance of the B-21 program , and if

01:07:59.083 --> 01:08:01.139
you agree with the growing sentiment

01:08:01.139 --> 01:08:03.250
that the US needs to revisit the B-21

01:08:03.250 --> 01:08:05.199
program of record and assess the

01:08:05.199 --> 01:08:08.239
requirement for at least 200 B-21s to

01:08:08.239 --> 01:08:10.350
match the global threat , would you ,

01:08:10.350 --> 01:08:12.406
would you speak just to exactly what

01:08:12.406 --> 01:08:14.017
that would mean and what the

01:08:14.017 --> 01:08:16.450
probability of that is ? Thanks for the

01:08:16.450 --> 01:08:18.450
question and , and I appreciate the

01:08:18.450 --> 01:08:20.339
fact that you're listening to and

01:08:20.339 --> 01:08:22.228
hearing from combatant commanders

01:08:22.228 --> 01:08:24.561
because that's who we listen to as well ,

01:08:24.561 --> 01:08:24.169
who are looking at the operational

01:08:24.169 --> 01:08:26.169
plans and what would be required to

01:08:26.169 --> 01:08:28.502
ensure we deter and if necessary defeat .

01:08:28.502 --> 01:08:30.649
Assets like the B-21 or the F-47 are

01:08:30.649 --> 01:08:32.649
critical to that . That's why we're

01:08:32.649 --> 01:08:34.871
funding them and increasing the funding

01:08:34.871 --> 01:08:37.038
and where necessary would increase the

01:08:37.038 --> 01:08:39.371
allocation . Uh , and I think you see a ,

01:08:39.371 --> 01:08:41.660
a budget that reflects the , the , the

01:08:41.660 --> 01:08:43.859
reality that we have to invest in more

01:08:43.859 --> 01:08:46.700
capabilities to include the B-21 , uh ,

01:08:46.779 --> 01:08:49.000
which is ahead of schedule , uh , and

01:08:49.000 --> 01:08:51.167
we'll , uh , we will be funding to the

01:08:51.167 --> 01:08:53.389
tune of 6 billion and we believe , uh ,

01:08:53.389 --> 01:08:55.444
we'll require a lot more over 100 in

01:08:55.444 --> 01:08:57.389
the future , but I'll defer to the

01:08:57.389 --> 01:08:59.500
chairman . Hey , sir , uh , thank you

01:08:59.500 --> 01:08:59.390
for the question . Working , working

01:08:59.390 --> 01:09:01.446
through the , the Jay Rock and the ,

01:09:01.446 --> 01:09:03.557
and the vice Chiefs , I'll absolutely

01:09:03.557 --> 01:09:05.950
stack hands around assessing the

01:09:05.950 --> 01:09:07.990
requirement , and we're glad to see

01:09:07.990 --> 01:09:10.390
B-21 on the , on the flight path , no

01:09:10.390 --> 01:09:12.959
pun intended , uh , uh , that it's on

01:09:12.959 --> 01:09:15.181
through , through operational testing .

01:09:15.181 --> 01:09:17.470
Um , on the , on the specific numbers ,

01:09:17.549 --> 01:09:20.209
the one sort of big picture strategic

01:09:20.209 --> 01:09:22.487
thing I want to say is we , we'll make ,

01:09:22.509 --> 01:09:24.342
we want to make sure as we think

01:09:24.342 --> 01:09:26.565
through what is air power of the future

01:09:26.565 --> 01:09:28.731
look like based on the evolving threat

01:09:28.731 --> 01:09:31.009
that we're staying well in front of it .

01:09:31.009 --> 01:09:33.231
And so that's the only thing we'll look

01:09:33.231 --> 01:09:35.453
at in the assessment . I , I'm on board

01:09:35.453 --> 01:09:37.453
with assessing the numbers . Um , I

01:09:37.453 --> 01:09:39.676
want to make sure we're buying ahead of

01:09:39.676 --> 01:09:41.676
the technology development curve so

01:09:41.676 --> 01:09:41.329
that we give all those young

01:09:41.329 --> 01:09:43.729
warfighters out there the capabilities

01:09:43.729 --> 01:09:45.896
that we need well into the future . Is

01:09:45.896 --> 01:09:47.951
there any question at all that we're

01:09:47.951 --> 01:09:51.680
going to need more than 100 B-21s ? I

01:09:51.680 --> 01:09:53.847
want to go back . Here's how I'll look

01:09:53.847 --> 01:09:56.069
at it , Senator . I want to go back and

01:09:56.069 --> 01:09:58.291
look at the old plans right now that we

01:09:58.291 --> 01:10:00.124
have , uh , to make sure that we

01:10:00.124 --> 01:10:02.236
allocate those numbers . So I , I , I

01:10:02.236 --> 01:10:04.458
don't believe so , but I , I do want to

01:10:04.458 --> 01:10:06.569
take the due diligence time if you'll

01:10:06.569 --> 01:10:08.736
allow me to look at that , Senator . I

01:10:08.736 --> 01:10:10.736
appreciate the opportunity to visit

01:10:10.736 --> 01:10:12.902
with you and to , uh , clarify , sir ,

01:10:12.902 --> 01:10:12.520
what that number should look like in

01:10:12.520 --> 01:10:14.853
the near future . Yes , sir . Thank you .

01:10:14.853 --> 01:10:16.964
Thank you very much , Senator Brown .

01:10:16.964 --> 01:10:19.076
Senator Blumenthal . Thank you , Mr .

01:10:19.076 --> 01:10:21.076
Chairman . Uh , thank you for being

01:10:21.076 --> 01:10:23.187
here today . I want to talk about the

01:10:23.187 --> 01:10:26.830
costs of war . The costs of war include

01:10:27.859 --> 01:10:31.500
Caring for our veterans . We've had an

01:10:31.500 --> 01:10:33.879
estimate from Mr . Hurst yesterday that

01:10:34.919 --> 01:10:38.120
The cost to date in dollars for this

01:10:38.120 --> 01:10:41.750
war has been $25 billion . Which I

01:10:41.750 --> 01:10:44.229
believe is well below the actual cost

01:10:44.229 --> 01:10:47.029
based on everything that I've heard ,

01:10:47.430 --> 01:10:50.149
everything available to us in various

01:10:50.149 --> 01:10:52.850
kinds of settings , and I'm gonna ask

01:10:52.850 --> 01:10:56.180
for a more accurate assessment . But we

01:10:56.180 --> 01:10:58.013
also know that about 400 service

01:10:58.013 --> 01:11:00.700
members have been wounded as a result

01:11:00.700 --> 01:11:04.129
of this war . When they

01:11:04.339 --> 01:11:07.750
retire , when they come home . Their

01:11:07.750 --> 01:11:10.390
retirement pay will be docked dollar

01:11:10.390 --> 01:11:13.770
for dollar . For

01:11:13.770 --> 01:11:17.540
every Disability benefit dollar they

01:11:17.540 --> 01:11:19.762
received . Secretary Hegseth , I'd like

01:11:19.762 --> 01:11:23.149
your commitment that you will support

01:11:23.810 --> 01:11:26.490
the Major Richard Starr Act that will

01:11:26.490 --> 01:11:29.640
eliminate this wounded warrior tax .

01:11:29.689 --> 01:11:32.089
I'm sure you're familiar with it . Tens

01:11:32.089 --> 01:11:34.790
of thousands of servicemen and women

01:11:35.250 --> 01:11:38.509
now . are reduced in their retirement

01:11:38.509 --> 01:11:41.910
pay literally for every $1 of

01:11:41.910 --> 01:11:45.520
disability benefits they receive . Well ,

01:11:45.569 --> 01:11:47.791
I appreciate your focus on this issue ,

01:11:47.791 --> 01:11:49.958
and I will tell you of the , you , you

01:11:49.958 --> 01:11:52.125
mentioned roughly 400 that , that have

01:11:52.125 --> 01:11:54.291
been injured , thankfully over 90% are

01:11:54.291 --> 01:11:53.919
returned to duty . Uh , but that

01:11:53.919 --> 01:11:55.808
doesn't mean they wouldn't have a

01:11:55.808 --> 01:11:57.808
residual challenge , uh , and we're

01:11:57.808 --> 01:11:59.808
tracking that at point of injury to

01:11:59.808 --> 01:12:01.919
ensure that that is noted even though

01:12:01.919 --> 01:12:03.975
they're returned to duty . But , but

01:12:03.975 --> 01:12:06.086
what I'd like is your commitment that

01:12:06.086 --> 01:12:08.030
you will support the Major Richard

01:12:08.030 --> 01:12:10.141
Starr . As I have said in the past to

01:12:10.141 --> 01:12:09.850
other organizations , we support the

01:12:09.850 --> 01:12:13.370
Richard Starr Act . Thank you , uh . On

01:12:13.370 --> 01:12:17.160
the issue of cost . Uh , Mr .

01:12:17.279 --> 01:12:20.799
Hurst , uh , does that $25 billion

01:12:20.799 --> 01:12:23.729
estimate include all of the costs in

01:12:23.729 --> 01:12:27.410
terms of damage to Our bases .

01:12:28.160 --> 01:12:31.540
The Need to replace

01:12:31.540 --> 01:12:33.620
planes and munitions .

01:12:35.069 --> 01:12:38.799
And the costs of injuries to our

01:12:38.799 --> 01:12:42.310
servicemen and women . Senator , so ,

01:12:42.529 --> 01:12:44.250
uh , for the Milon facilities

01:12:44.250 --> 01:12:46.417
replacement cost , that's probably the

01:12:46.417 --> 01:12:48.417
hardest thing to estimate right now

01:12:48.417 --> 01:12:48.370
because we don't know what our future

01:12:48.370 --> 01:12:50.426
posture is going to be or the future

01:12:50.426 --> 01:12:52.481
construction of those bases . Well ,

01:12:52.481 --> 01:12:54.592
you owe it to us . You're here to ask

01:12:54.592 --> 01:12:58.529
for appropriations , and , uh , I would

01:12:58.529 --> 01:13:02.370
like a more accurate . Estimate of what

01:13:02.370 --> 01:13:05.330
has been done that will require

01:13:05.330 --> 01:13:08.930
replacement and renovation as well as

01:13:09.069 --> 01:13:11.669
the other costs . And I think 25

01:13:11.669 --> 01:13:15.339
billion is probably . Less than half ,

01:13:15.459 --> 01:13:17.570
maybe less than 25% of the total cost

01:13:17.570 --> 01:13:19.626
of war , which is the reason why the

01:13:19.626 --> 01:13:22.640
supplemental request is much higher .

01:13:22.779 --> 01:13:24.890
So I think you owe it to the American

01:13:24.890 --> 01:13:27.620
people to give us the straight talk

01:13:27.620 --> 01:13:30.209
about what the costs have been . Mr .

01:13:30.220 --> 01:13:33.779
Secretary , um , I know you have

01:13:33.779 --> 01:13:37.589
characterized this war as A

01:13:38.509 --> 01:13:41.830
Astonishing military success , to use

01:13:41.830 --> 01:13:45.189
your words yesterday . But the American

01:13:45.189 --> 01:13:48.919
people aren't buying it . And I

01:13:48.919 --> 01:13:51.399
know you feel the American people are

01:13:51.399 --> 01:13:52.919
seeing through the .

01:13:54.930 --> 01:13:57.160
Abstruse stuff that is thrown at them ,

01:13:57.370 --> 01:14:01.259
but one point is irrefutable , which is

01:14:01.259 --> 01:14:04.140
America . Never succeeds in war unless

01:14:04.140 --> 01:14:06.660
the American people are behind it . And

01:14:06.939 --> 01:14:10.370
if What you're seeing is

01:14:10.370 --> 01:14:14.140
success now is winning . I would hate

01:14:14.140 --> 01:14:17.080
to see what losing looks like because

01:14:17.299 --> 01:14:19.466
none of the shifting and contradictory

01:14:19.620 --> 01:14:21.899
objectives of the war so far have been

01:14:21.899 --> 01:14:24.066
achieved . Likewise , let me ask you ,

01:14:24.500 --> 01:14:26.959
yesterday , the president said that

01:14:27.379 --> 01:14:30.040
Ukraine has been quote militarily

01:14:30.299 --> 01:14:33.339
defeated . I assume you don't agree

01:14:33.339 --> 01:14:34.617
with that assessment .

01:14:37.060 --> 01:14:39.979
Um , the negative nature in which you

01:14:39.979 --> 01:14:41.757
characterize the incredible and

01:14:41.757 --> 01:14:43.923
historic effort in Iran is part of the

01:14:43.923 --> 01:14:45.923
reason , Senator , why the American

01:14:45.923 --> 01:14:48.035
people view it the way they do . It's

01:14:48.035 --> 01:14:50.201
why I looked out at our press corps at

01:14:50.201 --> 01:14:49.379
the Pentagon and called them the

01:14:49.379 --> 01:14:51.490
Pharisees in the press . It's because

01:14:51.490 --> 01:14:53.379
they look for every problem . I'm

01:14:53.379 --> 01:14:55.546
asking you look for every problem that

01:14:55.546 --> 01:14:57.657
exists , and you've missed militarily

01:14:57.657 --> 01:14:59.712
defeated . You missed I would submit

01:14:59.712 --> 01:15:02.729
based on my 9 trips to Ukraine .

01:15:03.899 --> 01:15:06.129
That is a false narrative that the

01:15:06.129 --> 01:15:08.185
president's . We are 2 months into a

01:15:08.185 --> 01:15:10.407
historic military success in Iran , and

01:15:10.407 --> 01:15:12.629
you want to call it a defeat , and it's

01:15:12.629 --> 01:15:14.851
defeatist Democrats like you that cloud

01:15:14.851 --> 01:15:16.851
the mind of the American people and

01:15:16.851 --> 01:15:18.518
would otherwise fully support

01:15:18.518 --> 01:15:20.629
preventing Iran from having a nuclear

01:15:20.629 --> 01:15:22.685
weapon administration . And they are

01:15:22.685 --> 01:15:25.560
bravely fighting our fight . And that

01:15:25.560 --> 01:15:27.560
is the reason that I'm pursuing the

01:15:27.560 --> 01:15:29.449
Russian sanctions bill , which is

01:15:29.449 --> 01:15:31.616
bipartisan along with Senator Graham ,

01:15:31.616 --> 01:15:33.671
and why I hope we will recognize our

01:15:33.671 --> 01:15:35.893
obligation to release that $400 million

01:15:36.029 --> 01:15:38.085
Thank you we've appropriated . Thank

01:15:38.085 --> 01:15:40.029
you , Senator Blumenthal . Senator

01:15:40.029 --> 01:15:42.085
Ernst . Thank you Mr . Chair , and ,

01:15:42.085 --> 01:15:44.251
and thank you gentlemen for being here

01:15:44.251 --> 01:15:46.251
today . I really do appreciate your

01:15:46.251 --> 01:15:48.759
time to be with us . Um , uh , before I ,

01:15:48.910 --> 01:15:51.109
I begin some of my questions , I do

01:15:51.109 --> 01:15:53.220
want to start with something personal

01:15:53.220 --> 01:15:55.053
and both to you , uh , Secretary

01:15:55.053 --> 01:15:57.220
Hegseth , and to , uh , the chairman .

01:15:57.220 --> 01:15:59.509
I wanna thank you both , uh , for the

01:15:59.509 --> 01:16:01.830
time that you take to recognize our

01:16:01.830 --> 01:16:05.430
fallen . And those that have given , uh ,

01:16:05.439 --> 01:16:07.495
of course during this administration

01:16:07.495 --> 01:16:09.600
given their all , uh , you have

01:16:09.600 --> 01:16:11.711
traveled to Dover and have been there

01:16:11.711 --> 01:16:13.878
to greet those families and to welcome

01:16:13.878 --> 01:16:16.044
home the fallen . uh , I've been there

01:16:16.044 --> 01:16:19.000
with you and Iowa has been hit in

01:16:19.000 --> 01:16:21.500
particular very hard . Uh , we lost two

01:16:21.500 --> 01:16:23.722
of our Iowa National Guardsmen from the

01:16:23.722 --> 01:16:26.419
2nd Brigade Combat Team , 34th Infantry

01:16:26.419 --> 01:16:28.689
Division . Secretary Hegseth , you know

01:16:28.689 --> 01:16:31.899
full well the 34th , um , but , uh , we

01:16:31.899 --> 01:16:34.740
also lost six members from the 103rd

01:16:34.939 --> 01:16:37.609
Sustainment Command Expeditionary , uh ,

01:16:37.620 --> 01:16:40.080
based out of Des Moines , Iowa during

01:16:40.080 --> 01:16:42.729
this current conflict , and again . Uh ,

01:16:42.779 --> 01:16:44.946
your presence there meant a lot to the

01:16:44.946 --> 01:16:47.660
families . Um , it also meant a lot to

01:16:47.660 --> 01:16:49.827
me . So , uh , thank you very much for

01:16:49.827 --> 01:16:51.819
taking the time to do that . Um ,

01:16:52.060 --> 01:16:54.227
Secretary Hegseth , you and I have had

01:16:54.227 --> 01:16:57.060
many discussions , um , over , uh , the

01:16:57.060 --> 01:16:59.339
course of many months now regarding

01:16:59.339 --> 01:17:02.160
general officer positions and . You

01:17:02.160 --> 01:17:04.279
know , I , I believe that we were

01:17:04.279 --> 01:17:06.399
operating in good faith as we talked

01:17:06.399 --> 01:17:08.621
through a couple of those in particular

01:17:08.621 --> 01:17:11.479
two Iowans , General Mingus and General

01:17:11.479 --> 01:17:15.000
Randy George . Um , I was disappointed

01:17:15.000 --> 01:17:17.120
to see that their retirements were

01:17:17.120 --> 01:17:20.180
hastened . Um , over what I , I

01:17:20.180 --> 01:17:22.402
believed , uh , had been , had been set

01:17:22.402 --> 01:17:24.979
out by you and the administration , so

01:17:24.979 --> 01:17:27.299
I just want to take the time to list

01:17:27.299 --> 01:17:29.979
out some of General Randy George's

01:17:29.979 --> 01:17:32.560
accomplishments as Army Chief of Staff .

01:17:33.080 --> 01:17:35.024
Uh , he pulled the Army out of its

01:17:35.024 --> 01:17:36.913
worst recruiting crisis since the

01:17:36.913 --> 01:17:39.140
Vietnam era , exceeding fiscal year

01:17:39.140 --> 01:17:42.140
2024 recruiting goals and welcoming

01:17:42.140 --> 01:17:45.540
more than 61,000 new soldiers . Um ,

01:17:45.569 --> 01:17:47.680
recruitment numbers that both you and

01:17:47.680 --> 01:17:49.625
the president talk a lot about and

01:17:49.625 --> 01:17:52.950
rightfully so . He cut 5% of general

01:17:52.950 --> 01:17:55.390
officer positions , 12 positions that

01:17:55.390 --> 01:17:58.330
were deemed as nonessential in the army ,

01:17:58.620 --> 01:18:00.842
and he reduced the army headquarters by

01:18:00.842 --> 01:18:04.209
1000 personnel . He co-authored the

01:18:04.209 --> 01:18:06.376
Army Transformation Initiative , which

01:18:06.376 --> 01:18:09.049
is a comprehensive response aligned

01:18:09.049 --> 01:18:11.850
with your directives , and he testified

01:18:11.850 --> 01:18:13.906
here in front of Congress and took a

01:18:13.906 --> 01:18:16.410
lot of heat defending that army

01:18:16.410 --> 01:18:19.879
transformation . He was suddenly let go

01:18:19.879 --> 01:18:23.439
at the beginning of April 2026 .

01:18:23.919 --> 01:18:26.040
General George's merits , which I

01:18:26.040 --> 01:18:28.640
firmly believe in , he enlisted at the

01:18:28.640 --> 01:18:32.220
age of 17 . He is a West Point graduate .

01:18:32.359 --> 01:18:35.120
He had 4 combat deployments . He served

01:18:35.120 --> 01:18:37.319
in Desert Storm , Iraq , and

01:18:37.319 --> 01:18:40.200
Afghanistan . He had 38 years of

01:18:40.200 --> 01:18:42.479
honorable service . He achieved the

01:18:42.479 --> 01:18:44.160
greatest army recruitment and

01:18:44.160 --> 01:18:47.984
modernization effort . In a generation ,

01:18:48.325 --> 01:18:51.935
so I want to thank him for his service ,

01:18:52.185 --> 01:18:54.129
and I would like to enter into the

01:18:54.129 --> 01:18:57.745
record , Mr . Chair , uh , the speeches

01:18:57.745 --> 01:19:00.645
that I did honoring General Randy A .

01:19:00.854 --> 01:19:03.584
George on his retirement and General

01:19:03.584 --> 01:19:06.515
James J . Mingus on his retirement as

01:19:06.515 --> 01:19:08.404
well without objection they'll be

01:19:08.404 --> 01:19:10.515
admitted . Thank you very much . Um ,

01:19:10.515 --> 01:19:12.459
I'd like to , to talk a little bit

01:19:12.459 --> 01:19:15.450
about the audit , Mr . Secretary . Um ,

01:19:15.529 --> 01:19:17.810
I saw the video that you posted this

01:19:17.810 --> 01:19:20.169
week calling on the department to pass

01:19:20.169 --> 01:19:22.609
a clean audit , and thank you for doing

01:19:22.609 --> 01:19:24.665
that . It's something that we talked

01:19:24.665 --> 01:19:26.942
about during your confirmation hearing .

01:19:26.942 --> 01:19:28.831
Uh , fiscal responsibility at the

01:19:28.831 --> 01:19:30.998
department has been a priority of mine

01:19:30.998 --> 01:19:33.379
for a very long time , and I think it's

01:19:33.379 --> 01:19:35.540
time that we build on that momentum .

01:19:35.640 --> 01:19:38.250
It's extremely important . And that's

01:19:38.250 --> 01:19:41.290
why I'm pushing for my receipts Act in

01:19:41.290 --> 01:19:43.970
this year's NDAA . It's focused on

01:19:43.970 --> 01:19:46.129
improving financial traceability and

01:19:46.129 --> 01:19:48.296
accountability across the department .

01:19:48.689 --> 01:19:51.009
And if you could talk a little bit more

01:19:51.009 --> 01:19:53.450
about the efforts in making sure that

01:19:53.450 --> 01:19:55.569
we are being much more accountable to

01:19:55.569 --> 01:19:57.890
our taxpayers , what is that effort

01:19:57.890 --> 01:20:00.129
going to entail ? When will we see a

01:20:00.129 --> 01:20:02.979
clean audit ? As I said , Senator ,

01:20:03.060 --> 01:20:05.060
thank you for your work on , on the

01:20:05.060 --> 01:20:07.171
audit . Uh , that has been a priority

01:20:07.171 --> 01:20:09.393
of our department from day one . and we

01:20:09.393 --> 01:20:11.060
put in place , uh , goals and

01:20:11.060 --> 01:20:13.299
benchmarks to get to FY 28 , get to 28

01:20:13.299 --> 01:20:15.243
for a clean audit . The joint task

01:20:15.243 --> 01:20:17.410
force audit , which we announced was a

01:20:17.410 --> 01:20:19.632
reflection of even more capabilities we

01:20:19.632 --> 01:20:21.632
want to push forward and centralize

01:20:21.632 --> 01:20:23.910
authority to make sure it happens . Uh ,

01:20:23.910 --> 01:20:26.188
Jay's been involved from the beginning .

01:20:26.188 --> 01:20:28.243
We also have a new IG who , uh , the

01:20:28.243 --> 01:20:30.132
new IG's focus , one of his focus

01:20:30.132 --> 01:20:32.132
points is precisely this , and he ,

01:20:32.132 --> 01:20:34.355
he's prepared , uh , to work with us to

01:20:34.355 --> 01:20:36.299
ensure we reach it . So I think at

01:20:36.299 --> 01:20:35.879
every level and through this budget ,

01:20:35.890 --> 01:20:38.250
it's a focus . OK , thank you . We look

01:20:38.250 --> 01:20:40.472
forward to seeing a clean audit . Thank

01:20:40.472 --> 01:20:42.583
you , Mr . Chairman , Senator Senator

01:20:42.583 --> 01:20:44.639
Hirono . Thank you , Mr . Chairman .

01:20:44.830 --> 01:20:47.149
Before I begin my questions , I'd like

01:20:47.149 --> 01:20:49.709
to take a moment to highlight the true

01:20:49.709 --> 01:20:52.140
costs of this war , both for the

01:20:52.140 --> 01:20:56.020
military and everyday Americans . Uh ,

01:20:56.299 --> 01:20:58.355
and the true cost of the president's

01:20:58.355 --> 01:21:00.466
illegal war with Iran , and since the

01:21:00.466 --> 01:21:03.350
start of the war , 1314 brave US

01:21:03.350 --> 01:21:05.406
service members have been killed and

01:21:05.406 --> 01:21:07.740
more than 400 have been wounded . We've

01:21:07.740 --> 01:21:10.189
burned through over $25 billion in

01:21:10.189 --> 01:21:12.300
taxpayer money with no end in sight .

01:21:12.790 --> 01:21:15.330
And the fiscal year 27 budget request

01:21:15.330 --> 01:21:19.149
is a massive 42% increase from last

01:21:19.149 --> 01:21:22.200
year , hundreds of critical munitions

01:21:22.390 --> 01:21:24.270
have been expended , and the

01:21:24.270 --> 01:21:27.390
deployments have been extended directly

01:21:27.390 --> 01:21:29.509
impacting service members' quality of

01:21:29.509 --> 01:21:31.979
life , military readiness , and our

01:21:31.979 --> 01:21:35.490
ability to deter our adversaries .

01:21:37.000 --> 01:21:40.790
The relationships with our allies ,

01:21:40.910 --> 01:21:43.132
some of our closest allies and partners

01:21:43.132 --> 01:21:45.243
have been fractured , and the closure

01:21:45.350 --> 01:21:47.930
of the Strait of Hormuz , which somehow

01:21:48.390 --> 01:21:50.669
caught the president by surprise , even

01:21:50.669 --> 01:21:52.558
though , uh , he had to have been

01:21:52.558 --> 01:21:54.970
warned , uh , is directly contributing

01:21:54.970 --> 01:21:57.192
to the affordable prices that Americans

01:21:57.192 --> 01:21:59.350
are facing . Energy costs are

01:21:59.350 --> 01:22:02.470
skyrocketing with the price of gas now

01:22:02.470 --> 01:22:05.660
at its highest level . In almost 4

01:22:05.660 --> 01:22:08.259
years , instability has driven interest

01:22:08.259 --> 01:22:10.339
rates to its highest level since

01:22:10.339 --> 01:22:13.100
September of last year . The cost of

01:22:13.100 --> 01:22:15.899
fertilizer is spiking , which will have

01:22:15.899 --> 01:22:18.240
a direct impact on the cost of food .

01:22:18.669 --> 01:22:20.910
This illegal war is driving up costs ,

01:22:21.069 --> 01:22:24.029
undermining readiness and alienating

01:22:24.029 --> 01:22:26.709
our allies with neither a clear

01:22:26.709 --> 01:22:30.089
rationale for starting this war

01:22:30.470 --> 01:22:32.830
nor an exit strategy . And when the

01:22:32.830 --> 01:22:36.310
president was asked how long he'll let

01:22:36.310 --> 01:22:40.029
this war continue , he said , do not

01:22:40.029 --> 01:22:43.799
rush me . I have a question for General

01:22:43.799 --> 01:22:46.899
King relating to women serving in

01:22:46.899 --> 01:22:49.899
combat , and I'd like to hear your best

01:22:49.899 --> 01:22:53.180
military advice . Does the mere fact of

01:22:53.180 --> 01:22:56.970
women being in combat armed units lower

01:22:56.970 --> 01:23:00.180
standards or readiness if they meet the

01:23:00.180 --> 01:23:03.700
physical standards ? Well , ma'am , the

01:23:03.700 --> 01:23:06.620
standards are are set by the civilians .

01:23:06.700 --> 01:23:10.569
We have examples of women leading well

01:23:10.569 --> 01:23:14.060
across the joint force . I'll highlight

01:23:14.060 --> 01:23:16.419
some of our current commanders engaged

01:23:16.419 --> 01:23:18.020
in the fight in epic fury ,

01:23:18.620 --> 01:23:20.787
specifically one of our bomb squadrons

01:23:20.787 --> 01:23:22.939
are led by an extraordinary female

01:23:22.939 --> 01:23:25.540
leader who's doing great work . Uh ,

01:23:25.660 --> 01:23:27.716
but those standards are set by , I'm

01:23:27.716 --> 01:23:29.882
sorry , I didn't mean to step on you .

01:23:29.882 --> 01:23:32.049
I think your answer is that it in fact

01:23:32.049 --> 01:23:33.771
it does not lower standards of

01:23:33.771 --> 01:23:35.771
readiness , uh , readiness . Second

01:23:35.771 --> 01:23:37.938
question , should every service member

01:23:37.938 --> 01:23:39.993
regardless of gender be permitted to

01:23:39.993 --> 01:23:39.939
serve in any role , including the

01:23:39.939 --> 01:23:42.100
combat arms , if they meet the

01:23:42.100 --> 01:23:45.919
standards established ? Yes or no , is

01:23:45.919 --> 01:23:48.399
that to me , ma'am ? Over the last

01:23:48.399 --> 01:23:51.160
decade since combat arms have been open

01:23:51.160 --> 01:23:54.750
to women , have you personally . Seen

01:23:54.750 --> 01:23:57.189
any instance where the standard

01:23:57.189 --> 01:24:00.109
resulted in a degradation in combat

01:24:00.109 --> 01:24:02.430
effectiveness . Apologies , I didn't

01:24:02.430 --> 01:24:04.859
hear your first question . The , the ,

01:24:04.990 --> 01:24:07.157
you know , people policies are all set

01:24:07.157 --> 01:24:08.899
by the civilian leaders in the

01:24:08.899 --> 01:24:10.870
government . Could you repeat the

01:24:10.870 --> 01:24:12.926
question again ? I'm sorry , ma'am .

01:24:12.926 --> 01:24:15.092
Over the last decade since combat arms

01:24:15.092 --> 01:24:17.037
have been open to women , have you

01:24:17.037 --> 01:24:19.203
personally seen any instance where the

01:24:19.203 --> 01:24:21.555
standard resulted in a degradation in

01:24:21.555 --> 01:24:24.154
combat effectiveness ? Um , again ,

01:24:24.234 --> 01:24:26.345
I'll highlight that the standards are

01:24:26.345 --> 01:24:28.345
set by our civilian leaders . Women

01:24:28.345 --> 01:24:32.115
continue to perform , uh , well across

01:24:32.115 --> 01:24:35.515
a range of , of MOSs and jobs and AFSCs

01:24:35.515 --> 01:24:37.682
that are out there . No , I do need to

01:24:37.682 --> 01:24:39.848
get to a question from Secretary Hicks

01:24:39.848 --> 01:24:42.330
Seth . Prior to your nomination hearing ,

01:24:42.450 --> 01:24:44.479
you said women shouldn't serve in

01:24:44.479 --> 01:24:46.930
combat armed units . At your

01:24:46.930 --> 01:24:48.959
confirmation hearing , you reverse

01:24:48.959 --> 01:24:52.450
course and excuse me , and you

01:24:52.450 --> 01:24:54.529
basically said as long as the women

01:24:54.529 --> 01:24:57.049
meet the standards they should be able

01:24:57.049 --> 01:24:59.129
to serve , but , um , recently , you

01:24:59.129 --> 01:25:01.240
ordered a review of the effectiveness

01:25:01.240 --> 01:25:03.430
of women in combat roles , and I am

01:25:03.430 --> 01:25:05.763
concerned you are laying the groundwork .

01:25:06.200 --> 01:25:08.520
To reverse the policy allowing women to

01:25:08.520 --> 01:25:10.620
serve in these units because , uh ,

01:25:11.000 --> 01:25:13.111
right now , current law , if you want

01:25:13.111 --> 01:25:15.222
to change this policy , a current law

01:25:15.222 --> 01:25:17.167
requires you to submit a report to

01:25:17.167 --> 01:25:20.580
Congress justifying such a change . So ,

01:25:21.080 --> 01:25:23.191
did you order the review to support a

01:25:23.191 --> 01:25:25.279
potential decision to overturn the

01:25:25.279 --> 01:25:27.720
policy of uh having women in combat

01:25:27.720 --> 01:25:30.890
roles ? We are laser focused on

01:25:30.890 --> 01:25:33.001
standards . The highest male standard

01:25:33.001 --> 01:25:35.112
for every combat arms position should

01:25:35.112 --> 01:25:37.112
be the standard , and 10 years into

01:25:37.112 --> 01:25:39.223
this , we are reviewing it , which is

01:25:39.223 --> 01:25:41.446
what the American people would expect .

01:25:41.446 --> 01:25:43.612
Also , there's nothing illegal about a

01:25:43.612 --> 01:25:43.569
war that defends the American people

01:25:43.569 --> 01:25:45.791
and prevents Iran from having a nuclear

01:25:45.791 --> 01:25:48.013
bomb . You know , you didn't answer the

01:25:48.013 --> 01:25:50.236
question because The reason that you're

01:25:50.236 --> 01:25:52.458
asking for this review , I think has to

01:25:52.458 --> 01:25:54.625
do with your earlier position that you

01:25:54.625 --> 01:25:56.513
don't think women should serve in

01:25:56.513 --> 01:25:58.847
combat roles . So now we have the study ,

01:25:58.847 --> 01:26:00.830
and I'd like to ask you , will you

01:26:00.830 --> 01:26:03.279
Senator reveal the study to the public ,

01:26:03.359 --> 01:26:06.270
to the American people , will you make

01:26:06.270 --> 01:26:08.759
the study public ? Will you make that

01:26:09.089 --> 01:26:11.609
study ? Yes , we're doing the study for

01:26:11.609 --> 01:26:13.799
that very reason to ensure that real

01:26:13.799 --> 01:26:15.859
science is applied to this , this

01:26:15.859 --> 01:26:17.859
question and not social engineering

01:26:17.859 --> 01:26:19.970
like the previous administration . We

01:26:19.970 --> 01:26:22.081
appreciate your , uh , assurance that

01:26:22.081 --> 01:26:24.081
that will be made public . Yeah , I

01:26:24.081 --> 01:26:26.137
think it's really critical that this

01:26:26.137 --> 01:26:28.415
study be made . Thank you , ma'am . Uh ,

01:26:28.415 --> 01:26:30.359
Senator Scott , thank you . Well ,

01:26:30.359 --> 01:26:32.526
first , thanks , thank each of you for

01:26:32.526 --> 01:26:32.229
being here . Secretary Hitchmith , you

01:26:32.229 --> 01:26:34.451
can talk about you've had the job for a

01:26:34.451 --> 01:26:36.673
little bit . What's your , what are you

01:26:36.673 --> 01:26:38.673
most proud of , and , uh , what are

01:26:38.673 --> 01:26:40.618
your biggest challenges ? Well , I

01:26:40.618 --> 01:26:42.618
appreciate the question and , and .

01:26:42.618 --> 01:26:44.689
What I'm most proud of is the

01:26:44.689 --> 01:26:47.370
incredible men and women who serve in

01:26:47.370 --> 01:26:49.450
our nation in , in uniform and what

01:26:49.450 --> 01:26:51.617
they are capable of when they're given

01:26:51.617 --> 01:26:53.894
a clear mission and unleashed to do it .

01:26:53.910 --> 01:26:56.589
And I think the best reflection of the

01:26:56.589 --> 01:26:58.830
success of President Trump and this War

01:26:58.830 --> 01:27:01.589
Department is the historic recruiting

01:27:01.589 --> 01:27:04.319
success and the historic morale amongst

01:27:04.390 --> 01:27:06.390
our ranks . I would encourage every

01:27:06.390 --> 01:27:08.557
member of this committee , Democrat or

01:27:08.557 --> 01:27:10.669
Republican , go into the formations .

01:27:11.479 --> 01:27:13.646
Go into the Air Force formations , the

01:27:13.646 --> 01:27:15.590
Army formations , the Marine Corps

01:27:15.590 --> 01:27:15.509
formations , and talk to corporals ,

01:27:15.750 --> 01:27:18.083
talk to sergeants , talk to lieutenants ,

01:27:18.083 --> 01:27:20.194
talk to captains , talk to colonels .

01:27:20.439 --> 01:27:22.870
And what you will find are men and

01:27:22.870 --> 01:27:24.870
women more inspired to serve in the

01:27:24.870 --> 01:27:26.759
military than they have been in a

01:27:26.759 --> 01:27:28.814
generation . And you see that in the

01:27:28.814 --> 01:27:30.926
young Americans who are rushing to to

01:27:30.926 --> 01:27:33.259
recruiting stations at historic numbers ,

01:27:33.319 --> 01:27:35.486
30-year highs across the force . We're

01:27:35.486 --> 01:27:37.652
hitting our recruiting numbers halfway

01:27:37.652 --> 01:27:39.486
through the year . Why is that ?

01:27:39.819 --> 01:27:41.819
Because the American people look at

01:27:41.819 --> 01:27:43.986
what we're doing at the War Department

01:27:43.986 --> 01:27:46.208
by getting back to basics , and they're

01:27:46.208 --> 01:27:48.097
attracted to that . Same with our

01:27:48.097 --> 01:27:49.875
retention rates , which are now

01:27:49.875 --> 01:27:52.041
merit-based . Our best sergeants , our

01:27:52.041 --> 01:27:53.930
best leaders are staying . That's

01:27:53.930 --> 01:27:55.986
exactly what we want . So we've made

01:27:55.986 --> 01:27:58.263
changes to change the environment . Uh ,

01:27:58.379 --> 01:28:00.490
the renaming of the department to the

01:28:00.490 --> 01:28:02.657
War Department is not just a name , in

01:28:02.657 --> 01:28:04.435
fact , it's restoring it to the

01:28:04.435 --> 01:28:06.601
original name of the department set by

01:28:06.601 --> 01:28:08.712
George Washington . But it's an ethos

01:28:08.712 --> 01:28:10.935
as well , that that warrior ethos lives

01:28:10.935 --> 01:28:13.046
inside the heart of each one of these

01:28:13.046 --> 01:28:12.799
men and women and we're unleashing it .

01:28:13.060 --> 01:28:15.171
Uh , I'm proud of , of the , I mean ,

01:28:15.171 --> 01:28:17.504
you name it , the border , the missions ,

01:28:17.504 --> 01:28:19.227
yes , those are all incredible

01:28:19.227 --> 01:28:18.950
demonstrations of that , but it's the

01:28:18.950 --> 01:28:21.310
people and the urgency of Americans to

01:28:21.310 --> 01:28:23.310
want to be a part of it that is the

01:28:23.310 --> 01:28:25.588
best affirmation , Senator . Thank you .

01:28:25.588 --> 01:28:27.810
So we've talked about the importance of

01:28:27.810 --> 01:28:30.009
not um relying on Chinese drugs uh for

01:28:30.009 --> 01:28:32.176
our military . Can you just talk about

01:28:32.176 --> 01:28:34.176
what um the um what you're doing to

01:28:34.176 --> 01:28:36.176
make sure that we don't continue to

01:28:36.176 --> 01:28:38.231
rely on China for anything including

01:28:38.231 --> 01:28:40.640
our , our drugs ? Oh , drugs . Yeah ,

01:28:41.740 --> 01:28:43.684
um , absolutely . Uh , we can't be

01:28:43.684 --> 01:28:45.796
dependent on China on anything that's

01:28:45.796 --> 01:28:47.962
critical to our supply chain , even if

01:28:47.962 --> 01:28:50.073
it's the national industrial base and

01:28:50.073 --> 01:28:52.240
not just the defense industrial base .

01:28:52.240 --> 01:28:54.462
Uh , and you've been a leader on that ,

01:28:54.462 --> 01:28:53.790
this committee's been a leader on that ,

01:28:53.870 --> 01:28:56.109
onshoring meant bringing manufacturing

01:28:56.109 --> 01:28:58.990
here , bringing critical capabilities

01:28:58.990 --> 01:29:01.569
here , uh , is central to the

01:29:01.569 --> 01:29:03.950
interagency and the NSC but also our

01:29:03.950 --> 01:29:06.399
department . If any critical weapons

01:29:06.399 --> 01:29:08.566
system is reliant upon something China

01:29:08.566 --> 01:29:10.566
could change at a moment's notice ,

01:29:10.566 --> 01:29:12.700
then we have a , uh , a , a true

01:29:13.240 --> 01:29:15.462
challenge to our ability to produce for

01:29:15.462 --> 01:29:17.407
the American people . And so we're

01:29:17.407 --> 01:29:17.399
finding all of those , changing them ,

01:29:17.479 --> 01:29:20.879
onshoring it , reviving the divests the

01:29:20.879 --> 01:29:23.200
defense industrial base allows us to

01:29:23.200 --> 01:29:25.256
ensure we're separated from China on

01:29:25.256 --> 01:29:27.422
anything that's critical . Thank you .

01:29:27.422 --> 01:29:29.478
Can you talk about the importance of

01:29:29.478 --> 01:29:31.533
foreign military sales to our allies

01:29:31.533 --> 01:29:33.700
and our partners and what you're doing

01:29:33.700 --> 01:29:35.756
to make sure that , that , um , that

01:29:35.756 --> 01:29:37.811
whether it's what you're doing right

01:29:37.811 --> 01:29:39.922
now in Iran or any potential conflict

01:29:39.922 --> 01:29:42.089
in , in Asia , you , our partners have

01:29:42.089 --> 01:29:44.256
the best , um , uh , assets to be able

01:29:44.256 --> 01:29:46.479
to be a great partner . Absolutely .

01:29:46.640 --> 01:29:48.919
Foreign military sales has been a huge

01:29:48.919 --> 01:29:50.919
problem for a long time because the

01:29:50.919 --> 01:29:52.919
department didn't prioritize it and

01:29:52.919 --> 01:29:55.141
organize to deliver efficiently on it .

01:29:55.141 --> 01:29:56.919
So we're working with the State

01:29:56.919 --> 01:29:56.470
Department . We've changed the way we

01:29:56.470 --> 01:29:58.637
do business internally . The executive

01:29:58.637 --> 01:30:00.859
order , the America First Arms strategy

01:30:00.919 --> 01:30:03.120
prioritizes what we sell and to whom ,

01:30:03.189 --> 01:30:05.660
a catalog approach , but it took us ,

01:30:05.759 --> 01:30:07.426
you . This committee would be

01:30:07.426 --> 01:30:09.560
astonished to , to , to know how long

01:30:09.560 --> 01:30:11.727
it took us just to get our arms around

01:30:11.727 --> 01:30:13.838
who we're selling to what and by what

01:30:13.838 --> 01:30:15.893
processes , which means there was no

01:30:15.893 --> 01:30:18.060
strategy behind ensuring we're sending

01:30:18.060 --> 01:30:20.116
the proper demand signal to industry

01:30:20.116 --> 01:30:22.171
and delivering those systems on time

01:30:22.171 --> 01:30:24.282
and under budget to those countries ,

01:30:24.282 --> 01:30:24.200
which you can imagine is frustrating to .

01:30:24.299 --> 01:30:26.521
Partners who are relying on those to be

01:30:26.521 --> 01:30:28.632
able to step up and burden share . So

01:30:28.632 --> 01:30:30.743
foreign military sales is critical to

01:30:30.743 --> 01:30:32.910
our own defense industrial base . More

01:30:32.910 --> 01:30:34.855
customers , more customers for our

01:30:34.855 --> 01:30:36.855
companies that employ more American

01:30:36.855 --> 01:30:38.688
workers to ensure our allies are

01:30:38.688 --> 01:30:40.855
properly armed for the fights and they

01:30:40.855 --> 01:30:43.021
can stand alongside us . So FMS is a ,

01:30:43.021 --> 01:30:42.899
is a big one for us , Senator . General

01:30:42.899 --> 01:30:45.121
Kaine , um , I just want to commend you

01:30:45.121 --> 01:30:47.177
and , uh , everybody in the military

01:30:47.177 --> 01:30:49.288
for , um , the what you did in , in ,

01:30:49.288 --> 01:30:51.399
um , Venezuela , and then what you've

01:30:51.399 --> 01:30:54.200
done in Iran . Um , can you , the

01:30:54.200 --> 01:30:56.533
willingness of the American military to ,

01:30:56.533 --> 01:30:58.589
to fight and win , do you think it's

01:30:58.589 --> 01:31:00.811
changed the calculus for , uh , Beijing

01:31:00.811 --> 01:31:03.970
and Moscow ? Well , Senator , I'm , I'm ,

01:31:04.049 --> 01:31:06.216
I know they're watching , um , and I'm

01:31:06.216 --> 01:31:08.689
incredibly proud , uh , of the joint

01:31:08.689 --> 01:31:10.970
force , um , and their ability to

01:31:10.970 --> 01:31:13.439
integrate and synchronize a range of

01:31:13.439 --> 01:31:16.410
activities , and I suspect that my

01:31:16.410 --> 01:31:19.370
counterpart in China is watching very

01:31:19.370 --> 01:31:22.450
closely and envious of , uh , what our

01:31:22.450 --> 01:31:24.394
joint force is capable of doing if

01:31:24.394 --> 01:31:27.129
ordered to do so . Well , thank each of

01:31:27.129 --> 01:31:29.129
you and thank everybody that serves

01:31:29.129 --> 01:31:31.351
under you . Thank you , Senator Scott .

01:31:31.351 --> 01:31:33.629
Senator Kaine , thank you , Mr . Chair .

01:31:33.629 --> 01:31:35.851
Mr . Hurst , I want you to just confirm

01:31:35.851 --> 01:31:38.018
something for me about the president's

01:31:38.018 --> 01:31:40.750
submitted budget . $1.5 trillion is

01:31:40.750 --> 01:31:44.540
about a 40+% increase from FY 26 .

01:31:45.069 --> 01:31:48.229
Am I right that not a penny of that is

01:31:48.229 --> 01:31:51.149
to go to a pay raise for the

01:31:51.379 --> 01:31:53.669
800,000 civilians who work for the

01:31:53.669 --> 01:31:57.180
Department of Defense ? We have a 42

01:31:57.180 --> 01:31:59.979
4.2% of a civilian salary set aside for

01:31:59.979 --> 01:32:02.500
bonuses to make sure we can recognize

01:32:02.500 --> 01:32:04.278
high performers in the civilian

01:32:04.278 --> 01:32:06.500
workforce , but you have guaranteed pay

01:32:06.500 --> 01:32:08.722
raises for the active duty in the guard

01:32:08.722 --> 01:32:10.444
and reserve component , but no

01:32:10.444 --> 01:32:10.299
guaranteed raises for there are

01:32:10.299 --> 01:32:12.355
guaranteed raises for the military ,

01:32:12.355 --> 01:32:14.410
but you know , in the last year this

01:32:14.410 --> 01:32:16.466
department's given out more civilian

01:32:16.466 --> 01:32:16.379
bonuses . Well , I , you know , if

01:32:16.379 --> 01:32:18.546
we're , if we're going to increase the

01:32:18.546 --> 01:32:20.657
defense budget by that much , I would

01:32:20.657 --> 01:32:22.879
hope the committee would take a look at

01:32:22.879 --> 01:32:25.101
this , um , Chairman Kaine . And I like

01:32:25.101 --> 01:32:27.379
the sound of that , Chairman Kane . Um ,

01:32:27.379 --> 01:32:29.323
General Kane , I want to ask you a

01:32:29.323 --> 01:32:31.546
question about Southern Spear . It's an

01:32:31.546 --> 01:32:33.768
operational question . I know from your

01:32:33.768 --> 01:32:35.823
background that you carefully act to

01:32:35.823 --> 01:32:37.990
keep military actions within the rules

01:32:37.990 --> 01:32:41.370
of war . What legal justification

01:32:41.870 --> 01:32:44.950
could there possibly be that would

01:32:44.950 --> 01:32:47.830
allow the US military to strike boats

01:32:47.830 --> 01:32:49.886
in international waters and kill the

01:32:49.886 --> 01:32:52.509
occupants of those boats ? Without a

01:32:52.509 --> 01:32:54.342
showing of evidence that there's

01:32:54.342 --> 01:32:57.169
narcotics on those boats . Well , sir ,

01:32:57.370 --> 01:33:00.089
as , as you know , our , our job is to

01:33:00.129 --> 01:33:02.160
show the range of options , the

01:33:02.160 --> 01:33:04.890
associated risks , and then take those

01:33:04.890 --> 01:33:07.649
execution , uh , orders , transmit them

01:33:07.649 --> 01:33:10.750
down to the COOs on legally appropriate

01:33:11.129 --> 01:33:14.029
and legally backstopped actions . Um ,

01:33:14.319 --> 01:33:17.049
could you give me a legal justification ?

01:33:17.390 --> 01:33:19.446
Well , sir , the execution order , I

01:33:19.446 --> 01:33:21.557
don't have striking boats that do not

01:33:21.557 --> 01:33:23.557
have evidence that they're carrying

01:33:23.557 --> 01:33:25.834
narcotics . I don't have , I apologize ,

01:33:25.834 --> 01:33:28.001
I didn't mean to interrupt you . I , I

01:33:28.001 --> 01:33:30.057
don't have a copy of the , the , the

01:33:30.057 --> 01:33:32.279
order issued to SATHCOM with me today .

01:33:32.279 --> 01:33:34.223
It's classified in its own right ,

01:33:34.223 --> 01:33:36.390
which clearly articulates , uh , based

01:33:36.390 --> 01:33:38.168
on a variety of criteria , what

01:33:38.168 --> 01:33:40.001
constitutes a valid military and

01:33:40.001 --> 01:33:43.100
legally valid target . In that theater ,

01:33:43.209 --> 01:33:45.376
and I know , I just want to say I know

01:33:45.376 --> 01:33:47.819
and trust that our commanders at

01:33:47.819 --> 01:33:50.930
Echelon are rigorously following that

01:33:51.259 --> 01:33:53.299
legal opinion and those legal

01:33:53.299 --> 01:33:55.660
boundaries upon which we've been issued

01:33:55.660 --> 01:33:58.339
those orders and General Kane , I would

01:33:58.339 --> 01:34:00.660
encourage again my colleagues . I am at

01:34:00.660 --> 01:34:02.716
a disadvantage . I've seen the legal

01:34:02.716 --> 01:34:04.716
opinion , but I can't talk about it

01:34:04.716 --> 01:34:06.938
because it's classified . I've seen the

01:34:06.938 --> 01:34:09.049
targeting criteria , but I can't talk

01:34:09.049 --> 01:34:11.271
about them because they're classified .

01:34:11.271 --> 01:34:13.419
I've seen the secret list of DTOs

01:34:13.419 --> 01:34:15.586
against whom we have declared war that

01:34:15.586 --> 01:34:17.641
even they haven't been informed of ,

01:34:17.641 --> 01:34:19.808
but I can't talk about it because it's

01:34:19.808 --> 01:34:22.030
classified . But I would urge all of my

01:34:22.030 --> 01:34:25.250
colleagues to go to the SCIF . And read

01:34:25.250 --> 01:34:27.417
the targeting criteria and get briefed

01:34:27.417 --> 01:34:29.528
about it and then also look at all of

01:34:29.528 --> 01:34:31.694
the files of all the strikes that have

01:34:31.694 --> 01:34:33.806
taken place . I've done that with the

01:34:33.806 --> 01:34:36.450
1st 46 strikes or so , and I think

01:34:36.450 --> 01:34:39.209
there's a profound mismatch between

01:34:39.209 --> 01:34:41.589
what is occurring . And the underlying

01:34:41.589 --> 01:34:43.756
assumptions in the legal opinion , and

01:34:43.756 --> 01:34:45.978
I would just encourage my colleagues to

01:34:45.978 --> 01:34:48.033
dig into this . To Secretary Hegseth

01:34:48.033 --> 01:34:49.978
and General Kaine , the war powers

01:34:49.978 --> 01:34:51.756
resolution specifies that a war

01:34:51.756 --> 01:34:53.589
initiated by a president without

01:34:53.589 --> 01:34:55.311
congressional approval must be

01:34:55.311 --> 01:34:57.629
concluded within 60 days . It can be

01:34:57.629 --> 01:35:00.470
extended by an additional 30 days if ,

01:35:00.589 --> 01:35:02.645
quote , the president determines and

01:35:02.645 --> 01:35:05.310
certifies to Congress in writing . That

01:35:05.310 --> 01:35:07.470
unavoidable military necessity

01:35:07.470 --> 01:35:09.581
respecting the safety of the US armed

01:35:09.581 --> 01:35:12.149
forces requires the continued use of

01:35:12.149 --> 01:35:14.189
such armed forces in the course of

01:35:14.189 --> 01:35:16.830
bringing about a prompt removal of such

01:35:16.830 --> 01:35:18.910
forces . We're right at the 60 day

01:35:18.910 --> 01:35:21.589
deadline . Is the president intending

01:35:21.589 --> 01:35:23.669
to either seek congressional

01:35:23.669 --> 01:35:26.689
authorization for the war in Iran or

01:35:27.029 --> 01:35:28.640
send us the legally required

01:35:28.640 --> 01:35:30.549
certification that he needs an

01:35:30.549 --> 01:35:33.750
additional 30 days to remove US forces

01:35:33.750 --> 01:35:36.970
from the war ? Just briefly on the

01:35:36.970 --> 01:35:39.137
previous question , there , we do know

01:35:39.137 --> 01:35:41.137
that these are designated terrorist

01:35:41.137 --> 01:35:43.248
organizations , so we treat them like

01:35:43.248 --> 01:35:45.414
the al Qaeda of our hemisphere just as

01:35:45.414 --> 01:35:45.009
a note . But , but that was not the

01:35:45.009 --> 01:35:46.953
question I asked . I know , I know

01:35:46.953 --> 01:35:49.120
there's more to that question . I just

01:35:49.120 --> 01:35:51.287
think it's important for the public to

01:35:51.287 --> 01:35:50.850
understand that there's no willy-nilly

01:35:50.850 --> 01:35:53.017
targeting of , of drug boats . We know

01:35:53.017 --> 01:35:55.239
exactly who these people are affiliated

01:35:55.239 --> 01:35:57.461
with . I was asking about what's on the

01:35:57.461 --> 01:35:59.683
boats on the , on , on , on Iran . Uh ,

01:35:59.683 --> 01:35:59.370
ultimately I would , I would defer to

01:35:59.370 --> 01:36:01.592
the White House and White House counsel

01:36:01.592 --> 01:36:03.370
on that . However , we are in a

01:36:03.370 --> 01:36:05.259
ceasefire . Right now , which our

01:36:05.259 --> 01:36:07.314
understanding means the 60 day clock

01:36:07.314 --> 01:36:09.314
pauses or stops in a ceasefire . So

01:36:09.314 --> 01:36:11.259
they're not in . That's , it's our

01:36:11.259 --> 01:36:13.481
understanding , just so you know . OK ,

01:36:13.481 --> 01:36:15.703
well , I , I do not believe the statute

01:36:15.703 --> 01:36:15.174
would support that . I think the 60

01:36:15.174 --> 01:36:17.535
days runs maybe tomorrow and it's going

01:36:17.535 --> 01:36:20.734
to pose a , a really important legal

01:36:20.734 --> 01:36:22.956
question for the administration . There

01:36:22.956 --> 01:36:25.178
we have serious constitutional concerns

01:36:25.178 --> 01:36:27.290
and we don't want to layer those with

01:36:27.290 --> 01:36:29.512
additional statutory concerns . I yield

01:36:29.512 --> 01:36:31.734
back , Mr . Chair . Uh , thank you very

01:36:31.734 --> 01:36:33.845
much , Senator Sullivan . Thank you ,

01:36:33.845 --> 01:36:35.678
Mr . Chairman . Uh , thank you ,

01:36:35.678 --> 01:36:37.790
gentlemen , for your testimony . Uh ,

01:36:37.790 --> 01:36:40.012
Mr . Secretary , I , I mentioned in the

01:36:40.012 --> 01:36:39.950
classified hearing today , but I do

01:36:39.950 --> 01:36:43.669
think the $1.5 trillion top line . is

01:36:43.669 --> 01:36:47.029
historic , meets the needs . And the

01:36:47.029 --> 01:36:48.918
other thing as I mentioned in our

01:36:48.918 --> 01:36:51.029
earlier meeting , um , you know , the

01:36:51.029 --> 01:36:53.140
president's done a really good job of

01:36:53.140 --> 01:36:55.251
getting other allies , NATO and Asian

01:36:55.251 --> 01:36:59.109
allies to step up , meet a 5% GDP

01:36:59.109 --> 01:37:02.109
of defense spending , and , um , in

01:37:02.109 --> 01:37:04.220
many ways , that's what this is doing

01:37:04.220 --> 01:37:06.276
as well . So isn't that important as

01:37:06.276 --> 01:37:08.553
well in terms of our global leadership ,

01:37:08.553 --> 01:37:10.665
what you and the president are , uh ,

01:37:10.665 --> 01:37:12.776
providing as that example as well ? I

01:37:12.776 --> 01:37:14.831
think the more we step up , the more

01:37:14.879 --> 01:37:16.990
the world should look at the American

01:37:16.990 --> 01:37:19.101
leadership and example and step up as

01:37:19.101 --> 01:37:21.212
well , and they're gonna do that . It

01:37:21.212 --> 01:37:23.435
helps . We will . It remains to be seen

01:37:23.435 --> 01:37:25.435
whether some of our allies actually

01:37:25.435 --> 01:37:27.657
step up to their commitments , but that

01:37:27.657 --> 01:37:29.879
is , that is the hope . Let me go to an

01:37:29.879 --> 01:37:31.768
element of that budget that I , I

01:37:31.768 --> 01:37:31.759
mentioned in the classified hearing .

01:37:32.009 --> 01:37:34.065
You know , I always like to put this

01:37:34.065 --> 01:37:36.065
chart up in different hearings . We

01:37:36.065 --> 01:37:38.231
have the , the examples . So we have a

01:37:38.231 --> 01:37:40.398
lot of our adversaries , the Chinese ,

01:37:40.398 --> 01:37:42.759
the Russians . In my uh AOR in the

01:37:42.759 --> 01:37:44.981
Arctic in the North Pacific . These are

01:37:44.981 --> 01:37:46.759
the numbers just recently , AIS

01:37:46.759 --> 01:37:49.120
incursions , EEZ incursions by the

01:37:49.120 --> 01:37:51.520
Russians , by the Chinese . By the way ,

01:37:51.560 --> 01:37:52.959
the green ones are joint

01:37:52.959 --> 01:37:56.160
Russian-Chinese strategic bomber task

01:37:56.160 --> 01:37:58.640
forces , joint Russian-Chinese naval

01:37:58.640 --> 01:38:01.240
task forces . Uh , this is America ,

01:38:01.379 --> 01:38:03.640
right ? This is a , a really important

01:38:03.640 --> 01:38:07.000
part of , uh , our national defense .

01:38:07.080 --> 01:38:09.450
So I was pleased to see . That one of

01:38:09.450 --> 01:38:12.319
the elements in the budget was what's

01:38:12.319 --> 01:38:14.490
uh referred to by the Air Force as the

01:38:14.490 --> 01:38:17.430
JBA fighter town recapitalization ,

01:38:18.419 --> 01:38:20.586
given how strategically important that

01:38:20.586 --> 01:38:24.290
Air Force base is . Um , General , can

01:38:24.290 --> 01:38:26.250
you talk a little bit about that

01:38:26.500 --> 01:38:30.089
recapitalization ? It's , uh , uh , for

01:38:30.600 --> 01:38:33.410
Uh , building out what is a very

01:38:33.410 --> 01:38:35.810
strategic base , but old . A lot of

01:38:35.810 --> 01:38:38.370
these , uh , facilities are from the

01:38:38.370 --> 01:38:41.850
1950s . The goal of , in the Air

01:38:41.850 --> 01:38:43.572
Force's language was to have a

01:38:43.572 --> 01:38:45.794
recapitalization to provide a new state

01:38:45.794 --> 01:38:48.729
of the art fighter facility capable of

01:38:48.729 --> 01:38:50.840
supporting multiple platforms now and

01:38:50.840 --> 01:38:54.049
well into the future . $6.9 billion

01:38:54.049 --> 01:38:57.770
total authorization , 2 . $2 billion

01:38:57.770 --> 01:38:59.881
approach for this year . Can you talk

01:38:59.881 --> 01:39:01.937
about the importance , I was glad to

01:39:01.937 --> 01:39:04.048
host you at J Bear recently . Can you

01:39:04.048 --> 01:39:05.937
talk about the importance of this

01:39:05.937 --> 01:39:08.270
element of the president's budget ? Yes ,

01:39:08.270 --> 01:39:07.990
Senator , thank you , thank you for ,

01:39:08.000 --> 01:39:09.944
uh , for that . And you know , our

01:39:09.944 --> 01:39:12.399
investment up at JBA is essential to

01:39:12.399 --> 01:39:15.200
modernizing the nation's ability to

01:39:15.200 --> 01:39:17.680
project power and capabilities and

01:39:17.680 --> 01:39:20.680
really bolsters our effort in not only

01:39:20.680 --> 01:39:22.902
the Indo-Pacific , but also in the high

01:39:22.902 --> 01:39:25.013
north in the Arctic , which I know is

01:39:25.120 --> 01:39:27.176
something that's passionate to you .

01:39:27.270 --> 01:39:30.169
The Arctic is certainly becoming more

01:39:30.169 --> 01:39:31.947
operational . And strategically

01:39:31.947 --> 01:39:34.740
valuable , and we need to be thinking

01:39:34.740 --> 01:39:36.899
proactively around how we're going to

01:39:36.899 --> 01:39:38.970
set the conditions for us to offer a

01:39:38.970 --> 01:39:41.770
range of options to the Secretary and

01:39:41.770 --> 01:39:43.826
the President about power projection

01:39:44.660 --> 01:39:46.716
across a range of capabilities , and

01:39:46.716 --> 01:39:48.771
fighters is certainly one of them in

01:39:48.771 --> 01:39:50.827
the recap effort that's there . Um ,

01:39:50.899 --> 01:39:53.140
you know , it is , uh , it is our

01:39:53.140 --> 01:39:55.084
ability to protect that flank is a

01:39:55.084 --> 01:39:57.251
national imperative and something that

01:39:57.251 --> 01:39:59.473
we want to keep . Uh , focused on , and

01:39:59.473 --> 01:40:01.696
we appreciate the efforts , uh , across

01:40:01.696 --> 01:40:03.807
this committee , uh , and the rest of

01:40:03.807 --> 01:40:05.807
the Congress to help us with that .

01:40:05.807 --> 01:40:07.918
Thank you . Uh , Mr . Secretary , one

01:40:07.918 --> 01:40:09.918
of the things that I've , I've been

01:40:09.918 --> 01:40:09.700
talking about and I think is really

01:40:09.700 --> 01:40:13.020
important now is American energy and us

01:40:13.020 --> 01:40:14.830
being , uh , energy dominant .

01:40:15.140 --> 01:40:18.180
President put a recent executive order

01:40:18.180 --> 01:40:20.439
out highlight , highlighting the need

01:40:20.779 --> 01:40:23.620
to accelerate , uh , the ability to

01:40:23.620 --> 01:40:27.529
produce LNG , uh , in America . Uh ,

01:40:27.620 --> 01:40:29.731
we have a huge LNG project that we're

01:40:29.731 --> 01:40:32.100
getting close to getting off the ground

01:40:32.100 --> 01:40:33.878
in Alaska would be huge for our

01:40:33.878 --> 01:40:36.339
military in terms of , uh , energy for

01:40:36.339 --> 01:40:39.339
our military , huge for our allies .

01:40:39.660 --> 01:40:41.771
And can I get your commitment to work

01:40:41.771 --> 01:40:43.604
with me and this committee ? You

01:40:43.604 --> 01:40:45.493
mentioned in your testimony , the

01:40:45.493 --> 01:40:48.180
Office of Strategic Capital . This to

01:40:48.180 --> 01:40:51.129
me is one of these , uh , projects , uh ,

01:40:51.140 --> 01:40:52.973
that I think would be absolutely

01:40:52.973 --> 01:40:55.196
critical for our national security . We

01:40:55.196 --> 01:40:57.362
talked about this just in Uh , Admiral

01:40:57.362 --> 01:40:59.850
Paparo's testimony last week , he was

01:40:59.850 --> 01:41:02.072
talking about the Alaska LNG project is

01:41:02.072 --> 01:41:04.529
hugely strategic , kind of a private

01:41:04.529 --> 01:41:06.890
sector , American counter to the

01:41:06.890 --> 01:41:08.946
Chinese Belt and Road Initiative . I

01:41:08.946 --> 01:41:11.001
think it'd be a great opportunity to

01:41:11.001 --> 01:41:12.890
work with the Office of Strategic

01:41:12.890 --> 01:41:15.001
Capital . Can I get your commitment ,

01:41:15.001 --> 01:41:17.001
Mr . Secretary , to do that on this

01:41:17.001 --> 01:41:18.946
project ? Yes , very aware of that

01:41:18.946 --> 01:41:18.689
project , and I think it's , uh , the

01:41:18.689 --> 01:41:20.911
Office of Strategic Capital is a , is a

01:41:20.911 --> 01:41:22.911
great place to look at partnering .

01:41:22.911 --> 01:41:24.745
Great , I appreciate that . Uh ,

01:41:24.745 --> 01:41:27.100
finally , I'm just gonna ask , uh , 47

01:41:27.100 --> 01:41:29.640
years of war that we've had with Iran ,

01:41:30.089 --> 01:41:32.311
um , my colleagues on the other side of

01:41:32.311 --> 01:41:34.422
the aisle that , you know , they talk

01:41:34.422 --> 01:41:36.970
about , uh , The civilian , uh ,

01:41:37.189 --> 01:41:39.300
casualties , these are all horrible ,

01:41:39.750 --> 01:41:41.917
horrible whenever there's any civilian

01:41:41.917 --> 01:41:44.620
casualties , but just general , um , do

01:41:44.620 --> 01:41:46.930
our forces target civilians ever ?

01:41:48.899 --> 01:41:52.419
Uh sir , not never intentionally , and

01:41:52.419 --> 01:41:54.729
I don't know in any particular case of

01:41:54.729 --> 01:41:56.896
unintentional , but we don't do that .

01:41:56.896 --> 01:41:59.062
That's our core to our American values

01:41:59.062 --> 01:42:01.229
or how we approach things . Because 11

01:42:01.229 --> 01:42:03.340
do our adversaries target civilians ?

01:42:03.340 --> 01:42:05.673
Yes sir , like the Quds Force ? Yes sir .

01:42:05.673 --> 01:42:07.673
I think it's really important as we

01:42:07.673 --> 01:42:09.785
keep bringing this topic up . Uh , to

01:42:09.785 --> 01:42:11.673
remember who we are and who you ,

01:42:11.673 --> 01:42:13.451
Senator Sullivan . Uh , Senator

01:42:13.451 --> 01:42:15.618
Sullivan , do you , uh , ask unanimous

01:42:15.618 --> 01:42:17.785
consent to have the two exhibits added

01:42:17.785 --> 01:42:19.618
to the record ? Yes , sir , Mr .

01:42:19.618 --> 01:42:19.259
Chairman , without objection , that

01:42:19.259 --> 01:42:22.959
will be done , Senator King . Thank you ,

01:42:22.970 --> 01:42:24.914
Mr . Chairman . We've had a lot of

01:42:24.914 --> 01:42:26.914
discussion about Iran . I'd like to

01:42:26.914 --> 01:42:29.137
talk about several other aspects of the

01:42:29.137 --> 01:42:31.026
budget . The first is the way the

01:42:31.026 --> 01:42:33.137
budget's been constructed . Uh , ever

01:42:33.137 --> 01:42:35.303
since I've been here until last year ,

01:42:35.303 --> 01:42:37.137
we've had bipartisan budgets and

01:42:37.137 --> 01:42:38.692
bipartisan National Defense

01:42:38.692 --> 01:42:42.339
Authorization Acts and , uh , passed by

01:42:42.339 --> 01:42:44.506
majorities . I voted for all of them ,

01:42:44.779 --> 01:42:47.299
and all of a sudden in this year , 25%

01:42:47.299 --> 01:42:50.339
of the budget . is essentially out of

01:42:50.339 --> 01:42:52.459
the process and will be passed

01:42:52.459 --> 01:42:54.237
presumably through some kind of

01:42:54.237 --> 01:42:56.459
reconciliation , which is by definition

01:42:56.509 --> 01:43:00.040
a partisan exercise . Mr . Secretary ,

01:43:00.479 --> 01:43:03.100
why not what all those items of housing

01:43:03.100 --> 01:43:05.267
or Golden Dome , whatever , why aren't

01:43:05.267 --> 01:43:07.489
they in the in the regular budget ? Why

01:43:07.489 --> 01:43:09.600
do we suddenly have a two part budget

01:43:09.600 --> 01:43:11.950
where this committee and the Congress

01:43:11.950 --> 01:43:15.680
generally has oversight and input . To

01:43:15.680 --> 01:43:18.890
a process where 25% of the budget is

01:43:18.890 --> 01:43:21.890
essentially a slush fund . Well ,

01:43:21.970 --> 01:43:24.192
Senator , I appreciate the question . I

01:43:24.192 --> 01:43:26.303
wouldn't characterize a quarter of it

01:43:26.303 --> 01:43:28.026
as a , as a slush fund , but I

01:43:28.026 --> 01:43:29.859
recognize that we see it as a in

01:43:29.859 --> 01:43:31.803
totality as a $1.5 trillion dollar

01:43:31.803 --> 01:43:33.859
budget . Multiple , the two pieces ,

01:43:33.859 --> 01:43:36.081
multiple vehicles , as you know , there

01:43:36.081 --> 01:43:38.248
are multiple dynamics , uh , that play

01:43:38.248 --> 01:43:40.526
into . Why there are multiple vehicles ,

01:43:40.526 --> 01:43:42.748
but we are fully committed with working

01:43:42.748 --> 01:43:42.169
to the committee to ensure that the

01:43:42.169 --> 01:43:44.113
right vehicles are utilized to get

01:43:44.113 --> 01:43:46.280
precisely this amount , 1.5 trillion .

01:43:46.280 --> 01:43:48.336
Why should we , you didn't answer my

01:43:48.336 --> 01:43:50.447
question . Why are there two pieces ?

01:43:50.447 --> 01:43:52.447
Why , why not for time immemorial ,

01:43:52.447 --> 01:43:54.669
we've done budgets here . We've never ,

01:43:54.669 --> 01:43:56.891
to my knowledge , we've never used this

01:43:56.891 --> 01:43:58.947
reconciliation process for a defense

01:43:58.947 --> 01:44:00.836
budget before . What's , what's ,

01:44:00.836 --> 01:44:02.947
what's going on ? My understanding of

01:44:02.947 --> 01:44:04.836
the reason for the vehicles is to

01:44:04.836 --> 01:44:07.069
ensure we . Actually get to 1.5

01:44:07.069 --> 01:44:09.236
trillion , which is the most important

01:44:09.236 --> 01:44:11.458
bottom line . The most important bottom

01:44:11.458 --> 01:44:13.569
line is that top line of 1.5 trillion

01:44:13.569 --> 01:44:15.569
to fund what we need , and we think

01:44:15.569 --> 01:44:17.736
this process is the most effective way

01:44:17.736 --> 01:44:19.791
to get there , Senator . Well . What

01:44:19.791 --> 01:44:21.902
you're really saying is we don't want

01:44:21.902 --> 01:44:21.759
to deal with that pesky Congress and

01:44:21.759 --> 01:44:23.926
their appropriation process . Uh , I ,

01:44:23.926 --> 01:44:25.648
I think it's , I think this is

01:44:25.648 --> 01:44:27.592
significant , Mr . Chairman , that

01:44:27.592 --> 01:44:29.648
we're , we're basically abdicating a

01:44:29.648 --> 01:44:31.815
quarter of our responsibility in terms

01:44:31.815 --> 01:44:33.981
of this budget . Let me move on . Uh ,

01:44:34.560 --> 01:44:36.727
one of the factors of this budget that

01:44:36.727 --> 01:44:39.020
hasn't gotten any publicity is , uh ,

01:44:39.120 --> 01:44:41.342
that there's zero funding for Ukraine .

01:44:41.342 --> 01:44:43.620
That's correct , isn't it , Mr . Hurst ?

01:44:43.620 --> 01:44:45.453
That's correct . There's no USAI

01:44:45.453 --> 01:44:47.620
funding in this budget , and there was

01:44:47.620 --> 01:44:49.676
400 $400 billion 400 million dollars

01:44:49.676 --> 01:44:52.220
that was appropriated last year by a

01:44:52.220 --> 01:44:54.720
bipartisan bicameral act of Congress .

01:44:55.540 --> 01:44:57.373
What's become of that money ? My

01:44:57.373 --> 01:44:59.596
understanding is not a dollar of it has

01:44:59.596 --> 01:45:03.330
been dispersed . It was

01:45:03.330 --> 01:45:05.770
released very recently and again we got

01:45:05.770 --> 01:45:07.992
these funds I believe in March , and it

01:45:07.992 --> 01:45:09.992
takes time for funds to flow to the

01:45:09.992 --> 01:45:12.159
department , but it's going to get put

01:45:12.159 --> 01:45:14.270
to work very shortly . We're going to

01:45:14.270 --> 01:45:13.600
work with the UCO commander to make

01:45:13.600 --> 01:45:15.600
sure we use these funds in the most

01:45:15.600 --> 01:45:17.600
appropriate way possible . I didn't

01:45:17.600 --> 01:45:19.656
want Senator Sullivan to be the only

01:45:19.656 --> 01:45:21.711
one with an exhibit . This indicates

01:45:21.711 --> 01:45:23.656
what's happened to our support for

01:45:23.656 --> 01:45:25.711
Ukraine over a period of years . The

01:45:25.711 --> 01:45:28.240
orange bars are US support . The blue

01:45:28.240 --> 01:45:30.759
bars are Europe , as you see . Europe

01:45:30.759 --> 01:45:34.709
is 99% in the year 2026 .

01:45:35.040 --> 01:45:37.207
Same thing with humanitarian and other

01:45:37.207 --> 01:45:40.839
aid to Ukraine . And yet this is , I

01:45:40.839 --> 01:45:42.950
believe , an existential struggle for

01:45:43.399 --> 01:45:45.621
the future of democracy where we had an

01:45:45.621 --> 01:45:47.843
aggressive country invade a neighboring

01:45:47.843 --> 01:45:49.732
country without any justification

01:45:49.732 --> 01:45:51.759
whatsoever . And by the way , that

01:45:51.759 --> 01:45:54.600
invading country is the major winner so

01:45:54.600 --> 01:45:57.979
far of the war in Iran . They've gotten

01:45:57.979 --> 01:46:00.660
the estimates are $40 to $80 billion of

01:46:00.660 --> 01:46:02.740
additional revenues from oil and the

01:46:02.740 --> 01:46:04.907
relief of sanctions as a result of the

01:46:04.907 --> 01:46:07.430
war in Iran . Uh , uh , Secretary Hag

01:46:07.430 --> 01:46:09.597
says , why are we abandoning Ukraine ?

01:46:10.410 --> 01:46:12.521
Senator , if , if you would hold that

01:46:12.521 --> 01:46:14.577
chart back up , I , I think that's a

01:46:14.577 --> 01:46:16.439
beautiful chart . I think that's

01:46:16.439 --> 01:46:19.330
exactly what we want . We want Europe

01:46:19.330 --> 01:46:21.552
stepping up and funding and shouldering

01:46:21.552 --> 01:46:23.608
the burden . They are rich countries

01:46:23.608 --> 01:46:25.774
worth 20 trillion versus an economy of

01:46:25.774 --> 01:46:27.663
2 trillion . Europe can step up .

01:46:27.663 --> 01:46:29.608
Europe can fund it , and they have

01:46:29.608 --> 01:46:31.441
through our Pearl initiative and

01:46:31.441 --> 01:46:33.552
through our European command . That's

01:46:33.552 --> 01:46:33.490
exactly what the American people want

01:46:33.490 --> 01:46:35.720
to see is other countries stepping up

01:46:35.720 --> 01:46:37.776
and funding that . If it's , if it's

01:46:37.776 --> 01:46:39.720
that important to Europe , which I

01:46:39.720 --> 01:46:39.500
understand why it is , and the

01:46:39.500 --> 01:46:41.667
incursion of Russia and the bravery of

01:46:41.667 --> 01:46:43.389
the Ukrainians , then European

01:46:43.389 --> 01:46:45.278
countries should pay for it , and

01:46:45.278 --> 01:46:47.389
that's exactly what that chart says ,

01:46:47.389 --> 01:46:47.140
and that's the administration policy .

01:46:47.220 --> 01:46:49.276
So we don't have any , we don't have

01:46:49.276 --> 01:46:51.609
any interest in what happens in Ukraine .

01:46:51.609 --> 01:46:51.459
Is that what you're saying ? It's only

01:46:51.459 --> 01:46:54.490
the Europeans ? I'm saying the threat

01:46:54.490 --> 01:46:56.770
is far closer to rich and capable

01:46:56.770 --> 01:46:58.881
countries in Europe , and they should

01:46:58.881 --> 01:47:01.103
step up to lead the charge , and that's

01:47:01.103 --> 01:47:00.879
why that chart is a good thing to see .

01:47:00.990 --> 01:47:03.609
They have stepped up , but I think the

01:47:03.609 --> 01:47:05.776
American people should understand that

01:47:05.776 --> 01:47:07.942
we've stepped back , in fact , stepped

01:47:07.942 --> 01:47:10.109
back to the point of abandoning . This

01:47:10.109 --> 01:47:12.331
is a war that never would have happened

01:47:12.331 --> 01:47:12.089
under President Trump , and he supports

01:47:12.089 --> 01:47:14.089
ending it through a deal , and he's

01:47:14.089 --> 01:47:15.867
pursued that . So far it hasn't

01:47:15.867 --> 01:47:18.259
happened . I'm out of time . I want to

01:47:18.259 --> 01:47:20.629
talk about DTOs , who designates , but

01:47:20.629 --> 01:47:22.462
we'll take that up . Thank you ,

01:47:22.462 --> 01:47:26.319
Senator King . Uh , Senator Schmidt ,

01:47:26.450 --> 01:47:28.617
thank you , Mr . Chairman , and , uh ,

01:47:28.617 --> 01:47:30.561
it's apropos that I'm following my

01:47:30.561 --> 01:47:32.728
friend from Maine , Missouri and Maine

01:47:32.728 --> 01:47:34.894
came into the union at the same time ,

01:47:34.894 --> 01:47:34.770
but we couldn't disagree more on this

01:47:34.770 --> 01:47:36.659
particular point . We may have to

01:47:36.659 --> 01:47:38.770
separate here . Um , I actually think

01:47:38.770 --> 01:47:40.992
it's interesting that Ukraine just came

01:47:40.992 --> 01:47:43.103
up because we've heard , uh , from my

01:47:43.103 --> 01:47:45.103
colleagues on the other side , um ,

01:47:45.103 --> 01:47:47.326
discussion about the cost . Of what the

01:47:47.326 --> 01:47:49.910
ongoing American effort , there was

01:47:49.910 --> 01:47:52.077
never a , never a discussion about the

01:47:52.077 --> 01:47:54.200
$200 billion we were sending to a

01:47:54.200 --> 01:47:56.533
foreign country that's not even in NATO .

01:47:56.533 --> 01:47:59.080
Never . In fact , when amendments were

01:47:59.080 --> 01:48:01.359
offered for independent audits of how

01:48:01.359 --> 01:48:03.859
that money was spent . There was

01:48:03.859 --> 01:48:06.180
bipartisan opposition to that kind of

01:48:06.180 --> 01:48:08.750
oversight . So I find it really rich

01:48:08.750 --> 01:48:10.972
now that there's a complaint that we're

01:48:10.972 --> 01:48:14.220
not spending money on Ukraine , and by

01:48:14.220 --> 01:48:17.779
the way , $30 billion for salaries for

01:48:17.779 --> 01:48:20.299
bureaucrats , pensions , and social

01:48:20.299 --> 01:48:22.540
safety net programs and government

01:48:22.540 --> 01:48:24.151
operations to keep the state

01:48:24.151 --> 01:48:26.259
functioning during wartime . That's

01:48:26.259 --> 01:48:28.426
where American tax dollars are going ,

01:48:28.426 --> 01:48:30.703
$30 billion for bureaucrats in Ukraine .

01:48:30.799 --> 01:48:33.359
And we just heard a , a , a speech for

01:48:33.359 --> 01:48:36.879
more money for Ukraine , yet the

01:48:36.879 --> 01:48:39.520
1.5 trillion for this country is being

01:48:39.520 --> 01:48:42.390
balked at . I mean , I've seen Ukraine

01:48:42.390 --> 01:48:44.723
flags all over this capital for 3 years .

01:48:45.930 --> 01:48:48.700
At the same time , the same people call

01:48:48.700 --> 01:48:50.811
the President of the United States of

01:48:50.811 --> 01:48:54.810
this country a Nazi . So I forgive me

01:48:55.109 --> 01:48:57.220
if , if I , if I feel like we've lost

01:48:57.220 --> 01:49:00.350
our bearings a little bit . So I'm all

01:49:00.350 --> 01:49:03.229
for the America first agenda . I'm all

01:49:03.229 --> 01:49:05.470
for us realigning our priorities . I'm

01:49:05.470 --> 01:49:08.069
all for the national defense strategy

01:49:08.069 --> 01:49:10.669
that says our core strategic interests

01:49:10.669 --> 01:49:12.391
are the homeland , the Western

01:49:12.391 --> 01:49:14.502
Hemisphere , and the rising threat in

01:49:14.502 --> 01:49:17.240
China . And that means our European

01:49:17.240 --> 01:49:20.120
allies should step up . If Vladimir

01:49:20.120 --> 01:49:23.180
Putin is truly some existential threat

01:49:23.180 --> 01:49:25.180
and the next Hitler that's going to

01:49:25.180 --> 01:49:27.402
roll through Europe , you would think ,

01:49:27.402 --> 01:49:29.458
by the way , he can't take Kiev , so

01:49:29.458 --> 01:49:29.439
you can't have it both ways . He hasn't

01:49:29.439 --> 01:49:31.550
made it to Kiev , but they would step

01:49:31.550 --> 01:49:34.209
up . And we better start demanding that

01:49:34.209 --> 01:49:35.931
because if we want to meet the

01:49:35.931 --> 01:49:38.479
challenges of the 21st century in China ,

01:49:38.870 --> 01:49:41.490
our priorities , our focus has to be

01:49:41.750 --> 01:49:43.583
somewhere else . It doesn't mean

01:49:43.583 --> 01:49:45.528
abandonment , it just means a true

01:49:45.528 --> 01:49:47.694
partnership . With our European allies

01:49:47.694 --> 01:49:49.861
who for a very , very long time have ,

01:49:49.861 --> 01:49:52.194
have not stepped up . I want to ask you ,

01:49:52.194 --> 01:49:54.194
um , Mr . Secretary , in your first

01:49:54.194 --> 01:49:53.939
year , one of the things I think that's

01:49:53.939 --> 01:49:55.990
really gone towards this morale and

01:49:55.990 --> 01:49:58.129
recruitment boom that we've seen

01:49:58.270 --> 01:50:00.381
through your leadership and President

01:50:00.381 --> 01:50:02.603
Trump was finally taking on the sort of

01:50:02.603 --> 01:50:05.149
cultural Marxism that had taken hold

01:50:05.149 --> 01:50:07.260
from the highest levels of leadership

01:50:07.260 --> 01:50:09.482
from the President of the United States

01:50:09.482 --> 01:50:11.538
to your predecessor , this obsession

01:50:11.538 --> 01:50:13.705
with DEI . Could you just walk through

01:50:13.705 --> 01:50:15.871
maybe . Maybe , uh , the worst example

01:50:15.871 --> 01:50:17.649
that you saw and a way that you

01:50:17.649 --> 01:50:19.871
addressed that and how it was affecting

01:50:19.871 --> 01:50:21.982
morale . Well , thank you , Senator .

01:50:21.982 --> 01:50:24.093
First of all , I want to , uh , fully

01:50:24.093 --> 01:50:25.982
associate myself with the 1st 2.5

01:50:25.982 --> 01:50:27.816
minutes of your comments , and I

01:50:27.816 --> 01:50:27.549
appreciate that perspective very much

01:50:27.549 --> 01:50:29.950
so . I , I would note $30 billion for

01:50:29.950 --> 01:50:32.172
bureaucrats in Ukraine is more than the

01:50:32.172 --> 01:50:34.506
bill that we've talked about today , uh ,

01:50:34.506 --> 01:50:36.430
for an existential and critically

01:50:36.430 --> 01:50:38.430
important war to ensure that Iran

01:50:38.430 --> 01:50:40.541
doesn't get a nuclear weapon . That's

01:50:40.541 --> 01:50:42.430
worth noting . Uh , I , I haven't

01:50:42.430 --> 01:50:44.263
talked about it as much in these

01:50:44.263 --> 01:50:46.152
hearings , um , because this is a

01:50:46.152 --> 01:50:48.097
budget hearing about $1.5 trillion

01:50:48.097 --> 01:50:50.208
that's historic and significant . But

01:50:50.208 --> 01:50:52.152
underwriting the , the change that

01:50:52.152 --> 01:50:51.930
we've seen in our department was a

01:50:51.930 --> 01:50:54.899
laser focus on getting back to basics .

01:50:55.209 --> 01:50:57.431
And the , the , the key word to that is

01:50:57.431 --> 01:50:59.542
merit . Uh , we had a department that

01:50:59.542 --> 01:51:01.653
was , that was obsessed with gender ,

01:51:01.653 --> 01:51:03.890
ideology , and race , diversity ,

01:51:03.970 --> 01:51:06.410
equity and inclusion . In fact , the

01:51:06.410 --> 01:51:08.632
mantra you would hear dripping from the

01:51:08.632 --> 01:51:10.632
lips of generals and with a serious

01:51:10.632 --> 01:51:12.799
look on their face was , our diversity

01:51:12.799 --> 01:51:14.910
is our strength . Which is the single

01:51:14.910 --> 01:51:18.029
dumbest phrase in military history . Of

01:51:18.029 --> 01:51:19.807
course our diversity is not our

01:51:19.807 --> 01:51:21.973
strength , our unity is our strength ,

01:51:21.973 --> 01:51:24.250
our shared purpose , the flag we wear

01:51:24.399 --> 01:51:26.343
and who we and the constitution we

01:51:26.343 --> 01:51:28.399
serve to defend . And when you clear

01:51:28.399 --> 01:51:30.621
that debris away , whether it's Marxist

01:51:30.621 --> 01:51:32.990
ideologies or social engineering or

01:51:32.990 --> 01:51:35.509
political correctness or quotas based

01:51:35.509 --> 01:51:38.189
on gender and diversity , you get the

01:51:38.189 --> 01:51:40.411
best of the best rising up . Regardless

01:51:40.411 --> 01:51:42.245
of gender , regardless of race ,

01:51:42.312 --> 01:51:44.502
motivated by that environment where

01:51:44.502 --> 01:51:46.632
merit reigns , it's accountability ,

01:51:46.993 --> 01:51:49.223
standards , lethality , readiness ,

01:51:49.513 --> 01:51:52.013
training , all the debris wiped away ,

01:51:52.632 --> 01:51:55.333
that is the secret sauce of the revival

01:51:55.333 --> 01:51:57.555
of the War Department and why Americans

01:51:57.555 --> 01:51:59.722
are attracted to serving in it and why

01:51:59.722 --> 01:52:01.895
those inside it , why morale is . Sky

01:52:01.895 --> 01:52:04.136
high and any insinuation that it is not

01:52:04.416 --> 01:52:06.583
are coming from folks who haven't been

01:52:06.583 --> 01:52:08.638
in our units recently . Go visit the

01:52:08.638 --> 01:52:10.805
troops at every level and their morale

01:52:10.805 --> 01:52:10.525
is at record levels . And I want to

01:52:10.525 --> 01:52:12.636
talk about morale with the 15 seconds

01:52:12.636 --> 01:52:14.803
that I have left . I want to thank you

01:52:14.803 --> 01:52:16.858
for , um , coming to Saint Louis for

01:52:16.858 --> 01:52:19.025
your arsenal of Freedom tour where the

01:52:19.025 --> 01:52:19.016
next generation aircraft , the F-47 ,

01:52:19.056 --> 01:52:21.167
is being built by the hardworking men

01:52:21.167 --> 01:52:23.000
and women in Missouri who take a

01:52:23.000 --> 01:52:25.112
tremendous amount of pride , uh , for

01:52:25.112 --> 01:52:26.945
that aircraft that's going to go

01:52:26.945 --> 01:52:29.278
further , see , see further , go faster ,

01:52:29.278 --> 01:52:31.334
have a bigger payload , and . I know

01:52:31.334 --> 01:52:30.720
there's another decision coming with

01:52:30.720 --> 01:52:32.831
the FAXX , but really appreciate your

01:52:32.831 --> 01:52:34.776
leadership and thanks for coming .

01:52:34.776 --> 01:52:36.942
Thank you , Senator . Uh , thank you ,

01:52:36.942 --> 01:52:39.164
Senator Schmidt . Senator King , do you

01:52:39.164 --> 01:52:40.998
wish to ask unanimous consent to

01:52:41.529 --> 01:52:43.585
include your exhibit in the record ?

01:52:44.799 --> 01:52:47.021
Without objection , that will be done .

01:52:47.021 --> 01:52:48.910
Senator Warren . Thank you , Mr .

01:52:48.910 --> 01:52:51.009
Chairman . So Americans are paying a

01:52:51.009 --> 01:52:53.176
high price for Donald Trump's war with

01:52:53.176 --> 01:52:55.490
Iran . We've got 14 service members who

01:52:55.490 --> 01:52:58.250
are dead , over 400 more who are

01:52:58.250 --> 01:53:01.569
wounded . Prices are rising for nearly

01:53:01.569 --> 01:53:05.290
every American family , but someone is

01:53:05.290 --> 01:53:08.370
profiting off Trump's war . Insiders

01:53:08.370 --> 01:53:10.729
who know what's going on and who place

01:53:10.729 --> 01:53:14.509
bets on that inside information . On

01:53:14.509 --> 01:53:17.709
March 20th , just 14 minutes before

01:53:17.709 --> 01:53:21.149
Trump unexpectedly posted about quote

01:53:21.509 --> 01:53:24.189
very good conversations on ending the

01:53:24.189 --> 01:53:27.430
war , traders suddenly bet

01:53:27.430 --> 01:53:30.720
$500 million on the price of oil ,

01:53:31.580 --> 01:53:33.858
which once Trump made his announcement ,

01:53:34.069 --> 01:53:36.799
immediately dropped . Happened again on

01:53:36.799 --> 01:53:40.259
April 7th and then again on April 21st ,

01:53:40.560 --> 01:53:44.330
a surge in oil bets , then a Trump post ,

01:53:44.560 --> 01:53:48.000
and then a huge shift in oil prices in

01:53:48.000 --> 01:53:51.109
just the space of minutes . It looks

01:53:51.109 --> 01:53:53.359
like insiders have been making out like

01:53:53.359 --> 01:53:56.729
bandits using secret information about

01:53:56.729 --> 01:53:59.799
the war . Now one US soldier has been

01:53:59.799 --> 01:54:02.080
charged , but that was for betting on

01:54:02.080 --> 01:54:05.149
capturing Maduro months ago . Not a

01:54:05.149 --> 01:54:07.790
single person has been charged in the

01:54:07.790 --> 01:54:10.910
many , many , many trades over the

01:54:10.910 --> 01:54:13.549
Middle East war . So Secretary Hegseth ,

01:54:14.229 --> 01:54:17.890
do you have any explanation for these

01:54:18.310 --> 01:54:21.990
perfectly timed spikes in trading

01:54:21.990 --> 01:54:24.790
activity other than insider trading ?

01:54:26.819 --> 01:54:28.875
Um , Senator , all I can tell you is

01:54:28.875 --> 01:54:30.763
that everything we've done in our

01:54:30.763 --> 01:54:32.986
department , everything we've done with

01:54:32.986 --> 01:54:35.097
information in working with the White

01:54:35.097 --> 01:54:34.729
House and across the interagency has

01:54:34.729 --> 01:54:37.649
been completely above board . Well , so

01:54:37.649 --> 01:54:39.649
what does it mean ? Do you have any

01:54:39.649 --> 01:54:42.410
other explanation other than insider

01:54:42.410 --> 01:54:45.529
trading ? Do you have a story for why

01:54:45.529 --> 01:54:47.370
just minutes before there's an

01:54:47.379 --> 01:54:49.850
announcement , there's a surge in

01:54:49.850 --> 01:54:53.060
trading activity ? Senator , I'm more

01:54:53.060 --> 01:54:54.893
than focused on doing my job and

01:54:54.893 --> 01:54:56.949
ensuring we execute properly , which

01:54:56.949 --> 01:54:59.004
thankfully under this administration

01:54:59.004 --> 01:55:01.171
our troops have done incredible things

01:55:01.171 --> 01:55:03.282
in all these missions . My job in all

01:55:03.282 --> 01:55:05.449
of those moments is to make sure we're

01:55:05.449 --> 01:55:07.338
prepared , and that's part of the

01:55:07.338 --> 01:55:09.504
reason why we've been so successful in

01:55:09.504 --> 01:55:09.500
these raids , in these efforts is that

01:55:09.500 --> 01:55:11.389
this joint force is you're saying

01:55:11.389 --> 01:55:13.611
you're not paying any attention to this

01:55:13.611 --> 01:55:15.722
insider trading . Is that what you're

01:55:15.722 --> 01:55:15.459
telling me that you've paid no

01:55:15.459 --> 01:55:17.681
attention to this ? You haven't noticed

01:55:17.681 --> 01:55:20.015
it , you haven't done anything about it .

01:55:20.015 --> 01:55:22.237
What I'm saying is we're focused on our

01:55:22.237 --> 01:55:24.348
mission of executing for the American

01:55:24.348 --> 01:55:26.459
people and what happens in markets is

01:55:26.459 --> 01:55:28.681
not in betting markets is not something

01:55:28.681 --> 01:55:30.681
we're involved in . What happens in

01:55:30.681 --> 01:55:32.903
betting markets doesn't matter to you ,

01:55:32.903 --> 01:55:35.015
even if the information may be coming

01:55:35.015 --> 01:55:37.292
from insiders in your office , Senator .

01:55:37.292 --> 01:55:39.515
It's not something we're involved in at

01:55:39.515 --> 01:55:41.737
all . And of course we take operational

01:55:41.737 --> 01:55:41.589
security at every level very seriously .

01:55:41.904 --> 01:55:43.960
In fact , no one's taken operational

01:55:43.960 --> 01:55:47.064
security more seriously than us . If

01:55:47.064 --> 01:55:49.120
you look at what it required to keep

01:55:49.120 --> 01:55:51.185
secret midnight hammer and Operation

01:55:51.185 --> 01:55:53.584
Maduro , the , the , uh , absolute

01:55:53.584 --> 01:55:56.705
resolve with Maduro and the steps we've

01:55:56.705 --> 01:55:58.745
taken , no one's been tighter about

01:55:58.745 --> 01:56:01.305
ensuring that operational security is

01:56:01.305 --> 01:56:03.495
ensured with insider trading out of

01:56:03.495 --> 01:56:07.439
your office . I mean , we have , we

01:56:07.439 --> 01:56:09.661
would ensure at every level that inside

01:56:09.661 --> 01:56:11.717
information is , I take that as a no

01:56:11.717 --> 01:56:14.050
properly safeguarded . All right , well ,

01:56:14.050 --> 01:56:15.828
obviously you're not . I'm also

01:56:15.828 --> 01:56:17.828
concerned about recent reporting on

01:56:17.828 --> 01:56:20.050
your own financial dealings with regard

01:56:20.050 --> 01:56:22.529
to profiting from the war in Iran . The

01:56:22.529 --> 01:56:24.473
Financial Times reported that your

01:56:24.473 --> 01:56:26.640
broker tried to buy hundreds of shares

01:56:26.779 --> 01:56:29.419
in a BlackRock fund invested in defense

01:56:29.419 --> 01:56:31.530
companies just before the war began .

01:56:31.899 --> 01:56:34.232
The law clearly prohibits the Secretary .

01:56:34.232 --> 01:56:36.343
That entire story is false , has been

01:56:36.343 --> 01:56:38.399
from the beginning , and was made up

01:56:38.399 --> 01:56:40.510
out of whole cloth , and anybody that

01:56:40.510 --> 01:56:42.732
looks at it sees how it was worded from

01:56:42.732 --> 01:56:44.788
the beginning to make it look like I

01:56:44.788 --> 01:56:47.010
was involved in something I had nothing

01:56:47.010 --> 01:56:46.950
to do and never have . So . Insinuation

01:56:46.950 --> 01:56:48.899
that I've ever profited other than

01:56:48.899 --> 01:56:51.419
serving this nation , what , what I

01:56:51.419 --> 01:56:53.752
give , what you give , what others give ,

01:56:53.752 --> 01:56:55.919
I'm not looking for money . I don't do

01:56:55.919 --> 01:56:58.252
it for money . I don't do it for profit .

01:56:58.252 --> 01:56:57.500
I don't do it for stocks , and that's

01:56:57.500 --> 01:56:59.611
part of the reason why I'm able to be

01:56:59.611 --> 01:57:01.667
effective in this job because no one

01:57:01.667 --> 01:57:03.889
owns me . No one owns this department .

01:57:03.889 --> 01:57:06.111
No one owns this president , and we can

01:57:06.111 --> 01:57:06.060
execute for the American people , and

01:57:06.060 --> 01:57:09.330
we do . The law clearly prohibits the

01:57:09.330 --> 01:57:11.274
Secretary of Defense . From owning

01:57:11.274 --> 01:57:14.020
stock in the 10 biggest defense

01:57:14.020 --> 01:57:16.379
contractors . Other senators and I sent

01:57:16.379 --> 01:57:18.500
you a letter with detailed questions

01:57:18.500 --> 01:57:21.000
about this , and you have not given us

01:57:21.140 --> 01:57:23.419
a response . So I'd like to hear you

01:57:23.419 --> 01:57:25.930
say , did you , through your broker at

01:57:25.930 --> 01:57:28.259
Morgan Stanley or otherwise seek to

01:57:28.259 --> 01:57:31.500
invest in any defense-related funds

01:57:31.509 --> 01:57:33.879
right before Trump started the Iran war ?

01:57:35.899 --> 01:57:38.930
I'll give it to you as a big fat

01:57:39.109 --> 01:57:41.470
negative . Then let me ask you a second

01:57:41.470 --> 01:57:43.637
question . Is your broker getting your

01:57:43.830 --> 01:57:47.390
personal sign off on any investment in

01:57:47.390 --> 01:57:49.600
individual stocks , bigger , fatter ,

01:57:49.830 --> 01:57:52.052
negative ? He's not . Getting your sign

01:57:52.052 --> 01:57:53.997
off before he makes investments in

01:57:53.997 --> 01:57:56.069
defense stocks . Can I refer you to

01:57:56.069 --> 01:57:58.069
your ? I'm not making investments ,

01:57:58.290 --> 01:58:00.529
Senator . I'm asking , does he know

01:58:00.529 --> 01:58:02.930
that he has to get your sign off before

01:58:02.930 --> 01:58:05.152
he does that ? Of course . I don't know

01:58:05.152 --> 01:58:07.374
what you're looking for , but you ain't

01:58:07.374 --> 01:58:09.430
going to find it . Thank you . Thank

01:58:09.430 --> 01:58:11.541
you , Senator . I would like to enter

01:58:11.541 --> 01:58:13.819
into the record , the ethics agreement .

01:58:13.819 --> 01:58:15.708
That the Secretary of Defense has

01:58:15.708 --> 01:58:18.089
signed that he will sign off personally

01:58:18.669 --> 01:58:21.669
before his broker makes any attempt to

01:58:21.669 --> 01:58:24.189
buy defense stocks . Is there objection ?

01:58:24.509 --> 01:58:26.731
Thank you . Without objection , it will

01:58:26.731 --> 01:58:30.700
be admitted . Senator Banks . Thank you ,

01:58:30.740 --> 01:58:32.796
Mr . Chairman . Secretary Heckseth ,

01:58:33.149 --> 01:58:35.520
you're doing a great job . I've been in

01:58:35.520 --> 01:58:37.870
Washington for 10 years . Several

01:58:37.870 --> 01:58:40.549
Secretaries have Defense , now

01:58:40.549 --> 01:58:42.716
Secretary of War , you're , you're the

01:58:42.716 --> 01:58:44.882
best that we've had since I've been in

01:58:44.882 --> 01:58:44.620
Washington . What you've done to

01:58:44.620 --> 01:58:47.080
restore readiness , uh , restore

01:58:47.080 --> 01:58:49.302
military recruitment , get the Pentagon

01:58:49.302 --> 01:58:51.549
focused on warfighting is second to

01:58:51.549 --> 01:58:53.605
none , and I , I , I appreciate what

01:58:53.605 --> 01:58:55.605
you and President Trump and General

01:58:55.605 --> 01:58:57.716
Kaine are doing very much . In fact ,

01:58:57.716 --> 01:58:59.827
uh , General Kaine , according to the

01:58:59.827 --> 01:59:01.771
Department's 2025 . China Military

01:59:01.771 --> 01:59:04.799
Power report . Quote , China believes

01:59:04.799 --> 01:59:07.279
the next revolution in military affairs

01:59:07.279 --> 01:59:09.390
will occur when militaries transition

01:59:09.390 --> 01:59:12.120
to intelligentized warfare and fully

01:59:12.120 --> 01:59:15.279
integrate artificial intelligence , big

01:59:15.279 --> 01:59:18.040
data , advanced computing , and other

01:59:18.040 --> 01:59:20.720
technologies into the joint force , end

01:59:20.720 --> 01:59:23.600
quote . Can you describe , general , in

01:59:23.600 --> 01:59:27.479
greater detail how the PLA is using AI

01:59:27.479 --> 01:59:29.646
to enhance its military capabilities ?

01:59:30.790 --> 01:59:33.310
Uh , you bet , Senator . Um , you know ,

01:59:33.430 --> 01:59:36.750
they are attempting to integrate AI

01:59:36.750 --> 01:59:38.910
across the range of their warfighting

01:59:38.910 --> 01:59:41.629
functions , which extends to command

01:59:41.629 --> 01:59:44.350
and control , information advantage ,

01:59:44.509 --> 01:59:48.430
intelligence , um , certainly kinetic

01:59:48.430 --> 01:59:51.629
and non-kinetic capabilities , and to a

01:59:51.629 --> 01:59:53.796
certain extent sustainment . I'll note

01:59:53.796 --> 01:59:57.250
that that so are we . And in many cases

01:59:57.250 --> 01:59:59.472
we are out in front of them . I want to

01:59:59.472 --> 02:00:01.600
commend our chief digital and

02:00:01.600 --> 02:00:04.049
artificial intelligence officers inside

02:00:04.049 --> 02:00:06.799
the joint force at the COOs with the

02:00:06.799 --> 02:00:10.080
services who are also leaning very far

02:00:10.080 --> 02:00:13.600
in as we march towards a digitized

02:00:13.600 --> 02:00:17.080
joint force that allows us to cease and

02:00:17.080 --> 02:00:19.191
see and command and control the force

02:00:19.191 --> 02:00:22.270
better . Uh , the China Military Power

02:00:22.270 --> 02:00:25.220
report also goes on to note that the

02:00:25.220 --> 02:00:27.450
Chinese AI sector remains quote ,

02:00:27.870 --> 02:00:31.709
constrained by its limited access to

02:00:31.709 --> 02:00:35.229
high-performance AI chips . General

02:00:35.229 --> 02:00:37.709
Kane , how big of an advantage is it

02:00:37.709 --> 02:00:40.109
for the American warfighter that

02:00:40.109 --> 02:00:43.189
America's arsenal of compute is bigger

02:00:43.189 --> 02:00:47.009
than China's ? Sir , it's , it's , uh ,

02:00:47.100 --> 02:00:49.370
it's critical to us and you know ,

02:00:49.620 --> 02:00:51.731
while I acknowledge there's , there's

02:00:51.731 --> 02:00:53.970
all kinds of chip issues in this , it

02:00:53.970 --> 02:00:56.569
is important to us to uh to continue to

02:00:56.569 --> 02:00:58.625
scale at that , and I'll highlight a

02:00:58.625 --> 02:01:00.625
lot of the work going on up at Fort

02:01:00.625 --> 02:01:02.680
Meade that the committee's helped to

02:01:02.680 --> 02:01:04.847
advance in the cyber capabilities , so

02:01:04.847 --> 02:01:06.958
we appreciate the help with that . If

02:01:06.958 --> 02:01:09.013
that advantage were eroded and China

02:01:09.013 --> 02:01:11.125
were able to develop more advanced AI

02:01:11.125 --> 02:01:13.125
capabilities as a result , what are

02:01:13.125 --> 02:01:15.291
some of the potential consequences for

02:01:15.291 --> 02:01:17.458
American warfighters ? Well , sir , it

02:01:17.458 --> 02:01:19.513
could , it could certainly put us at

02:01:19.513 --> 02:01:21.680
risk , and that's why we're leaning in

02:01:21.680 --> 02:01:23.902
so hard . Um , there's always a balance

02:01:23.902 --> 02:01:27.189
between commerce and , uh , and , and

02:01:27.189 --> 02:01:29.245
protection . I acknowledge those are

02:01:29.245 --> 02:01:31.467
policy matters . I think is what you're

02:01:31.467 --> 02:01:33.990
starting to get towards , um , but on a

02:01:33.990 --> 02:01:37.399
pure military only standpoint , um , we ,

02:01:37.419 --> 02:01:39.641
we would , we would see some defense in

02:01:39.641 --> 02:01:41.586
depth eroded from that . Secretary

02:01:41.586 --> 02:01:43.641
Hegseth , do you agree that enhanced

02:01:43.641 --> 02:01:46.109
Chinese AI capabilities , could , could

02:01:46.109 --> 02:01:48.276
put American service members at risk ?

02:01:49.390 --> 02:01:51.446
Um , Senator , we absolutely have to

02:01:51.446 --> 02:01:54.359
stay ahead . Uh , the advantage that AI

02:01:54.359 --> 02:01:56.137
provides apply to any number of

02:01:56.137 --> 02:01:58.081
capabilities , whether it's , uh ,

02:01:58.081 --> 02:02:00.192
domain awareness , targeting cycles ,

02:02:00.192 --> 02:02:02.526
you name it , uh , AI and leveraging it ,

02:02:02.526 --> 02:02:04.359
and that's why we've made it the

02:02:04.359 --> 02:02:06.581
forefront . I mean , it's AI first with

02:02:06.581 --> 02:02:08.748
everything that . We do integrating it

02:02:08.748 --> 02:02:10.970
at every potential echelon to ensure we

02:02:10.970 --> 02:02:13.192
can respond faster . If , if we're , if

02:02:13.192 --> 02:02:15.415
we're better at that than any adversary

02:02:15.415 --> 02:02:14.745
is , it's going to give us an advantage

02:02:14.745 --> 02:02:17.023
and we have to maintain that . I agree .

02:02:17.023 --> 02:02:18.745
Do you agree that we should do

02:02:18.745 --> 02:02:20.912
everything in our power to ensure that

02:02:20.912 --> 02:02:23.134
American service members go into battle

02:02:23.134 --> 02:02:25.865
with an overwhelming and fear-inducing

02:02:25.865 --> 02:02:28.032
technological advantage , particularly

02:02:28.032 --> 02:02:31.799
with AI ? Always , uh , overwhelming is ,

02:02:31.850 --> 02:02:34.330
is the goal in every scenario . Uh ,

02:02:34.370 --> 02:02:36.592
earlier this year , the Pentagon issued

02:02:36.592 --> 02:02:38.426
updated guidelines that prohibit

02:02:38.426 --> 02:02:40.648
department funds from supporting grants

02:02:40.648 --> 02:02:42.648
and contracts involving fundamental

02:02:42.648 --> 02:02:45.609
research collaboration with blacklisted

02:02:45.609 --> 02:02:48.089
Chinese entities . How important are

02:02:48.089 --> 02:02:50.256
those restrictions to safeguarding our

02:02:50.256 --> 02:02:53.720
technological leadership ? Have to have

02:02:53.720 --> 02:02:55.942
them , uh , especially when you look at

02:02:55.942 --> 02:02:57.998
the power of models and all of those

02:02:57.998 --> 02:02:57.950
things and you , you , you have

02:02:57.950 --> 02:03:00.172
connections to entities that could have

02:03:00.172 --> 02:03:02.283
connections to your adversary and you

02:03:02.283 --> 02:03:04.450
can , uh , you can have degradation of

02:03:04.450 --> 02:03:06.617
your advantage . Again , this is where

02:03:06.617 --> 02:03:08.617
I appreciate your leadership , Mr .

02:03:08.617 --> 02:03:08.509
Secretary , uh , which has been second

02:03:08.509 --> 02:03:10.589
to none , and I know that . You will

02:03:10.589 --> 02:03:12.811
work with Congress to help codify those

02:03:12.811 --> 02:03:14.811
restrictions and encourage taxpayer

02:03:14.811 --> 02:03:16.978
dollars that to , to never advance the

02:03:16.978 --> 02:03:19.089
capabilities of our enemies and , and

02:03:19.089 --> 02:03:21.256
our adversaries . I appreciate both of

02:03:21.256 --> 02:03:23.390
your leadership . Um , we've come a

02:03:23.390 --> 02:03:25.790
long way in a couple of years from , I

02:03:25.790 --> 02:03:27.790
mean , the night and day difference

02:03:27.790 --> 02:03:29.790
between the last administration and

02:03:29.790 --> 02:03:31.846
this administration is apparent to .

02:03:31.846 --> 02:03:33.957
Every Hoosier that I talked to , so I

02:03:33.957 --> 02:03:36.012
appreciate your leadership . I yield

02:03:36.012 --> 02:03:38.068
back . Thank you very much , Senator

02:03:38.068 --> 02:03:40.401
Banks . Senator Peters , thank you , Mr .

02:03:40.401 --> 02:03:42.623
Chairman , ranking member , gentlemen ,

02:03:42.623 --> 02:03:44.512
uh , welcome to the committee . I

02:03:44.512 --> 02:03:46.679
appreciate this discussion . I'll just

02:03:46.679 --> 02:03:46.020
start off , the , the number one

02:03:46.020 --> 02:03:48.187
question I get when I'm back home from

02:03:48.187 --> 02:03:50.464
people , uh , is basically very simply ,

02:03:50.464 --> 02:03:52.687
when , when will this war end ? Uh , we

02:03:52.687 --> 02:03:54.853
know the cost , uh , that the American

02:03:54.853 --> 02:03:57.020
people are paying both the higher fuel

02:03:57.020 --> 02:03:59.131
cost , our farmers are paying because

02:03:59.131 --> 02:04:01.353
of fertilizer costs . We , we know that

02:04:01.353 --> 02:04:03.464
the , uh , the whole world economy is

02:04:03.464 --> 02:04:05.631
paying a , a great deal for this war .

02:04:05.729 --> 02:04:07.729
And basically , when I , as I think

02:04:07.729 --> 02:04:09.896
that through , and this is what I want

02:04:09.896 --> 02:04:09.850
to talk to you about is that we , we

02:04:09.850 --> 02:04:11.961
all know that it's a whole lot easier

02:04:11.961 --> 02:04:14.072
to go to war than it is to get out of

02:04:14.072 --> 02:04:16.370
war . Uh , that's always the tough

02:04:16.370 --> 02:04:18.729
question . Uh , and we've got to figure

02:04:18.729 --> 02:04:20.673
that out , uh , and there are some

02:04:20.673 --> 02:04:22.840
folks who've written quite a bit about

02:04:22.840 --> 02:04:25.330
this . Uh , 11 text on war by Karl von

02:04:25.330 --> 02:04:27.497
Clausewitz . Uh , Mr . Secretary , I'm

02:04:27.497 --> 02:04:29.719
sure you're familiar , uh , with , with

02:04:29.719 --> 02:04:31.830
the book . Uh , I know all of the men

02:04:31.830 --> 02:04:33.830
and women in uniform are . It's the

02:04:33.830 --> 02:04:35.830
most widely read , most influential

02:04:35.830 --> 02:04:38.009
military strategy book in Western

02:04:38.009 --> 02:04:39.953
history , which is , uh , pretty ,

02:04:39.953 --> 02:04:41.842
pretty broad , and it is the core

02:04:41.842 --> 02:04:43.990
curriculum . That is read in all the

02:04:43.990 --> 02:04:46.990
war colleges . I read it when I was at

02:04:46.990 --> 02:04:49.259
the Navy War College , taking courses .

02:04:50.149 --> 02:04:52.038
It's part of what the US military

02:04:52.038 --> 02:04:54.260
thinks about when to go to war and then

02:04:54.260 --> 02:04:56.640
how to get out of the war . And one of

02:04:56.640 --> 02:04:59.200
those core principles , it starts with

02:04:59.200 --> 02:05:02.439
is basically war is the continuation of

02:05:02.439 --> 02:05:04.161
politics by other means , that

02:05:04.161 --> 02:05:06.272
everybody knows that quote who's worn

02:05:06.272 --> 02:05:08.050
the uniform and others too . It

02:05:08.050 --> 02:05:10.000
basically means there's two things

02:05:10.000 --> 02:05:12.056
about that . It's politics to get in

02:05:12.056 --> 02:05:14.278
the war and it's politics to get out of

02:05:14.278 --> 02:05:16.389
the war , and in between , we rely on

02:05:16.389 --> 02:05:18.444
the men and women in the military to

02:05:18.444 --> 02:05:20.667
carry out those policies . So I want to

02:05:20.667 --> 02:05:22.833
be clear , and I think I speak for all

02:05:22.833 --> 02:05:25.000
of my colleagues , is that we know the

02:05:25.000 --> 02:05:27.222
military plays an important part . They

02:05:27.222 --> 02:05:26.990
need to do the job , and nobody ,

02:05:27.180 --> 02:05:29.700
nobody questions the amazing work that

02:05:29.700 --> 02:05:31.810
our men and women in the US military

02:05:31.810 --> 02:05:34.419
have done and continue to do . They've

02:05:34.419 --> 02:05:37.020
performed absolutely brilliantly , and

02:05:37.020 --> 02:05:39.076
we applaud all that they have done .

02:05:39.259 --> 02:05:41.459
However , what we do question is the

02:05:41.459 --> 02:05:43.626
politics part . It's a continuation of

02:05:43.626 --> 02:05:45.459
politics . So it's our political

02:05:45.459 --> 02:05:47.515
leaders that get us into war and our

02:05:47.515 --> 02:05:49.600
political leaders who have to get us

02:05:49.649 --> 02:05:52.100
out of that war , which falls on , on

02:05:52.100 --> 02:05:54.339
you , Mr . Secretary Hef and others in

02:05:54.339 --> 02:05:56.283
the administration , including the

02:05:56.283 --> 02:05:58.450
president and his commander in chief .

02:05:58.450 --> 02:06:00.617
So , Secretary , are you familiar with

02:06:00.617 --> 02:06:02.783
the , uh , the concept in that book of

02:06:02.783 --> 02:06:06.390
Center of Gravity ? Sure , so center of

02:06:06.390 --> 02:06:08.723
gravity is , is basically , as you know ,

02:06:08.723 --> 02:06:10.890
it's , it's the , basically the hub of

02:06:10.890 --> 02:06:12.890
all the power , uh , and movement .

02:06:12.890 --> 02:06:15.001
Everything depends on it . Clausewitz

02:06:15.001 --> 02:06:16.946
will say if you don't take out the

02:06:16.946 --> 02:06:19.168
center of gravity , it's very difficult

02:06:19.168 --> 02:06:21.334
to win the war . You can have tactical

02:06:21.334 --> 02:06:23.334
successes . You can have military .

02:06:23.334 --> 02:06:25.446
Successes , but if you're not focused

02:06:25.446 --> 02:06:27.557
on that , you're not going to be able

02:06:27.557 --> 02:06:29.557
to win . Basically , he talks about

02:06:29.557 --> 02:06:31.557
military strikes are tactical , and

02:06:31.557 --> 02:06:33.612
tactical success doesn't necessarily

02:06:33.612 --> 02:06:35.390
create the political conditions

02:06:35.390 --> 02:06:37.390
necessary to get the parties to the

02:06:37.390 --> 02:06:39.612
table to negotiate and get it done . So

02:06:39.612 --> 02:06:41.557
we've got to focus on that . So my

02:06:41.557 --> 02:06:43.557
question for you , Mr . Secretary ,

02:06:43.557 --> 02:06:45.834
what is the center of gravity for Iran ?

02:06:46.850 --> 02:06:48.906
Well , the senator of gravity as the

02:06:48.906 --> 02:06:51.128
president has seen it and as I see it ,

02:06:51.128 --> 02:06:53.350
and he's talked about for 30 years is ,

02:06:53.350 --> 02:06:55.406
is their pursuit of a nuclear weapon

02:06:55.406 --> 02:06:55.370
and what they could do with that in

02:06:55.370 --> 02:06:58.009
pursuit as an extension of the radical

02:06:58.009 --> 02:07:00.250
ideology they have professed since the

02:07:00.250 --> 02:07:02.528
beginning of their revolution . So the ,

02:07:02.528 --> 02:07:05.009
the , the , the prophetic ideology they

02:07:05.009 --> 02:07:07.169
profess alongside the most dangerous

02:07:07.169 --> 02:07:09.391
weapon in the world would be the center

02:07:09.391 --> 02:07:11.502
of gravity of the rationality of this

02:07:11.502 --> 02:07:13.613
undertaking , which I appreciate it .

02:07:13.613 --> 02:07:15.836
I'll elaborate more . I appreciate it .

02:07:15.836 --> 02:07:17.780
General Kane . You know more about

02:07:17.780 --> 02:07:19.780
Clausewitz and strategy than I will

02:07:19.780 --> 02:07:21.780
ever know , including all the folks

02:07:21.780 --> 02:07:21.379
behind you . What would you consider

02:07:21.379 --> 02:07:23.379
the center of gravity as defined by

02:07:23.379 --> 02:07:26.120
Clauseitz in this type of war ? Well ,

02:07:26.240 --> 02:07:28.462
sir , I , I , I , uh , you're not going

02:07:28.462 --> 02:07:30.684
to love this answer , but I hope you'll

02:07:30.684 --> 02:07:33.310
respect it . War is politics by any

02:07:33.310 --> 02:07:36.000
other means , and the political side of

02:07:36.000 --> 02:07:38.120
that necessitates that our political

02:07:38.120 --> 02:07:40.342
leaders determine what is the center of

02:07:40.342 --> 02:07:42.342
gravity associated with that from a

02:07:42.342 --> 02:07:44.453
military-only perspective . There's a

02:07:44.453 --> 02:07:46.620
variety of things academically that we

02:07:46.620 --> 02:07:48.731
could look at for center of gravities

02:07:48.731 --> 02:07:50.953
from leadership to will to capabilities

02:07:50.953 --> 02:07:52.842
to intent , but I'll defer to our

02:07:52.842 --> 02:07:54.842
political leaders to determine what

02:07:54.842 --> 02:07:57.009
that's fair . I don't like it . You're

02:07:57.009 --> 02:07:59.009
right , but I know , I know , and I

02:07:59.009 --> 02:07:58.490
know you know the answer to that , and

02:07:58.490 --> 02:08:00.657
you're just not telling me . I get why

02:08:00.657 --> 02:08:02.712
you're doing that , my inner I would

02:08:02.712 --> 02:08:04.768
say . You know , other observers say

02:08:04.768 --> 02:08:06.712
that basically it's , it's not the

02:08:06.712 --> 02:08:08.657
leader . Usually if you take out a

02:08:08.657 --> 02:08:10.712
leader that doesn't necessarily make

02:08:10.712 --> 02:08:12.768
the changes that in Iran's case it's

02:08:12.768 --> 02:08:14.712
probably the Islamic Revolutionary

02:08:14.712 --> 02:08:16.879
Guard . That's the center of gravity .

02:08:16.879 --> 02:08:18.768
They're the ones that control the

02:08:18.768 --> 02:08:20.934
country and they're very diverse to do

02:08:20.934 --> 02:08:23.101
that . The Americans center of gravity

02:08:23.101 --> 02:08:25.323
is probably our economy and our ability

02:08:25.323 --> 02:08:27.546
to maintain public opinion support . We

02:08:27.546 --> 02:08:26.870
already know the public isn't there .

02:08:27.069 --> 02:08:29.291
We know the impact to our economy , and

02:08:29.291 --> 02:08:31.402
central to that is the leverage , and

02:08:31.402 --> 02:08:33.569
I'm running out of time here , but the

02:08:33.569 --> 02:08:35.625
central of leverage is the Strait of

02:08:35.625 --> 02:08:37.847
Hormuz . That that is the bottom line .

02:08:37.847 --> 02:08:39.902
We have to open that up . We have to

02:08:39.902 --> 02:08:41.902
take that away from Iran . The fact

02:08:41.902 --> 02:08:44.125
that we haven't done that yet and we're

02:08:44.125 --> 02:08:46.180
60 days in , we're just now bringing

02:08:46.180 --> 02:08:48.458
minesweepers from the Pacific in there .

02:08:48.720 --> 02:08:51.310
We have some unmanned of the

02:08:51.879 --> 02:08:53.990
opportunities , but we've got to have

02:08:53.990 --> 02:08:56.157
the capacity to do that . It was clear

02:08:56.157 --> 02:08:58.212
even if there was a plan to keep the

02:08:58.212 --> 02:09:00.529
straits open . It was not going to be

02:09:00.529 --> 02:09:02.751
implemented because the assets were not

02:09:02.751 --> 02:09:05.140
positioned in a place to actually open

02:09:05.140 --> 02:09:07.251
the straits . If they were , it would

02:09:07.251 --> 02:09:09.307
have been , we would have seen those

02:09:09.307 --> 02:09:11.362
happening right now . We're not . So

02:09:11.362 --> 02:09:13.307
we're missing the point here . The

02:09:13.307 --> 02:09:15.140
center of gravity is going to be

02:09:15.140 --> 02:09:17.362
bringing down the government of Iran in

02:09:17.362 --> 02:09:19.362
a way that they will want to have a

02:09:19.362 --> 02:09:21.307
peace treaty so we can protect our

02:09:21.307 --> 02:09:23.307
country from having nuclear weapons

02:09:23.307 --> 02:09:25.307
pointed our way . But the center of

02:09:25.307 --> 02:09:27.529
gravity is going to be in a lot of ways

02:09:27.529 --> 02:09:27.379
is going to be focused on what happens

02:09:27.379 --> 02:09:29.629
on the straits . And Mr . Secretary ,

02:09:29.870 --> 02:09:31.870
we've got to see action a whole lot

02:09:31.870 --> 02:09:33.759
sooner in the straits . The world

02:09:33.759 --> 02:09:35.981
community needs it . We're not going to

02:09:35.981 --> 02:09:38.203
bring this war to an end until we seize

02:09:38.203 --> 02:09:40.426
control of the straits in a way that is

02:09:40.426 --> 02:09:40.339
why we have a . Blockade that has been

02:09:40.339 --> 02:09:42.540
impenetrable for the Iranians because

02:09:42.540 --> 02:09:44.707
they don't have a conventional navy to

02:09:44.707 --> 02:09:46.929
contest it , which means we control the

02:09:46.929 --> 02:09:48.762
straits . The time , the time of

02:09:48.762 --> 02:09:51.129
Senator Peters has expired . Let me ,

02:09:51.470 --> 02:09:54.740
let me , um , observe that I very much

02:09:54.740 --> 02:09:58.080
appreciate . The senator from Michigan

02:09:59.500 --> 02:10:02.299
suggesting ways in which our effort in

02:10:02.299 --> 02:10:05.810
Iran . Could be more successful . I do

02:10:05.810 --> 02:10:07.699
appreciate that . And let me also

02:10:07.699 --> 02:10:09.699
observe , Senator Kaine , that that

02:10:09.699 --> 02:10:12.620
civilian control , um , goes back well

02:10:12.620 --> 02:10:15.899
beyond , uh , Marshall . It goes back

02:10:15.899 --> 02:10:18.459
to , to George Washington , who was

02:10:18.459 --> 02:10:20.819
wise enough to resign his commission to

02:10:20.819 --> 02:10:24.060
the elected , uh , membership of , of

02:10:24.060 --> 02:10:26.009
the government at that time . Uh ,

02:10:26.100 --> 02:10:28.211
Senator Sheehy , you are recognized .

02:10:30.370 --> 02:10:32.537
I think it's important to note that um

02:10:33.250 --> 02:10:35.417
The objective is not to get out of the

02:10:35.417 --> 02:10:37.639
war , the objective is to win the war ,

02:10:37.639 --> 02:10:39.890
not to get out of it . And I think

02:10:39.890 --> 02:10:42.112
we've allowed the narrative to shift so

02:10:42.112 --> 02:10:44.223
off target here . President Trump did

02:10:44.223 --> 02:10:46.334
not start this war . We did not start

02:10:46.334 --> 02:10:48.609
this war . These radical , barbarian ,

02:10:48.689 --> 02:10:51.009
savage clerics who have started killing

02:10:51.009 --> 02:10:53.979
Americans 47 years ago in a unilateral

02:10:53.979 --> 02:10:56.201
campaign of terror , murder , treason ,

02:10:56.890 --> 02:10:59.180
kidnapping , torture . Have been

02:10:59.180 --> 02:11:01.347
murdering our countrymen all over this

02:11:01.347 --> 02:11:03.479
world , almost every single year ,

02:11:03.740 --> 02:11:05.907
hijacking airplanes , hijacking cruise

02:11:05.907 --> 02:11:08.129
liners , taking our embassies , blowing

02:11:08.129 --> 02:11:10.018
up our embassies , blowing up our

02:11:10.018 --> 02:11:11.907
barracks , blowing up our ships ,

02:11:11.907 --> 02:11:13.962
capturing our soldiers and murdering

02:11:13.962 --> 02:11:16.184
them in brutal ways . They started this

02:11:16.184 --> 02:11:18.379
war And it would be a lot easier to

02:11:18.379 --> 02:11:20.290
beat them if we didn't have

02:11:20.290 --> 02:11:22.401
administrations shoveling hundreds of

02:11:22.401 --> 02:11:24.568
billions of dollars into their pockets

02:11:24.568 --> 02:11:24.120
while they're actively fighting our own

02:11:24.120 --> 02:11:25.953
people . While our own uniformed

02:11:25.953 --> 02:11:28.176
service members have been fighting this

02:11:28.176 --> 02:11:29.898
murderous regime , and we have

02:11:29.898 --> 02:11:31.898
presidents quite literally shipping

02:11:31.898 --> 02:11:33.930
pallets of cash . To pay these

02:11:33.930 --> 02:11:36.209
terrorists off . It's been a disgrace .

02:11:36.290 --> 02:11:38.234
It's been an embarrassment to this

02:11:38.234 --> 02:11:40.740
country for far too long . But back to

02:11:40.740 --> 02:11:42.740
the point , General Kane , I have a

02:11:42.740 --> 02:11:44.907
specific question for you . I think in

02:11:44.907 --> 02:11:46.796
this day and age we all know that

02:11:46.796 --> 02:11:48.907
basically every single operation that

02:11:48.907 --> 02:11:50.962
we partake in , whether it's stealth

02:11:50.962 --> 02:11:53.184
bombers , whether it's a blockade , our

02:11:53.184 --> 02:11:54.962
special operations forces are a

02:11:54.962 --> 02:11:56.796
fundamental shaping and priority

02:11:56.796 --> 02:11:58.740
component to all those . Would you

02:11:58.740 --> 02:12:00.907
agree ? Uh , yes , Senator , I would .

02:12:01.020 --> 02:12:03.540
And I think for the last about 15 years ,

02:12:03.620 --> 02:12:05.842
the special operations community budget

02:12:05.842 --> 02:12:07.953
has been largely flat , even adjusted

02:12:07.953 --> 02:12:11.009
for inflation . And yet continuously we

02:12:11.009 --> 02:12:13.759
call on those warriors to deliver the

02:12:13.759 --> 02:12:16.029
impossible , and they pretty much do .

02:12:16.629 --> 02:12:18.851
We were reminded just a few weeks ago ,

02:12:18.851 --> 02:12:21.073
even after the amazing Maduro raid when

02:12:21.073 --> 02:12:22.907
we had to rescue one of our F-15

02:12:22.907 --> 02:12:25.073
crewmen , yet again our community came

02:12:25.073 --> 02:12:27.296
up and did something that probably most

02:12:27.296 --> 02:12:29.296
people thought was impossible , and

02:12:29.296 --> 02:12:31.518
they did an amazing job . But we cannot

02:12:31.518 --> 02:12:33.685
continue to call on a tiny fraction of

02:12:33.685 --> 02:12:36.120
our military to carry such a heavy load

02:12:36.270 --> 02:12:38.326
and to have such an up tempo without

02:12:38.326 --> 02:12:40.437
the appropriate resources . So , um ,

02:12:40.437 --> 02:12:42.548
I'd like to hear your thoughts on how

02:12:42.548 --> 02:12:44.770
we can not just increase the budget but

02:12:44.770 --> 02:12:46.992
make sure we're shaping their budget in

02:12:46.992 --> 02:12:46.549
a way that ensures that those warriors

02:12:46.549 --> 02:12:48.810
are getting the , the direct support

02:12:48.959 --> 02:12:51.181
for training and sustainment , but also

02:12:51.181 --> 02:12:53.589
the platforms that they need for many

02:12:53.589 --> 02:12:56.350
submarines . To unmanned aircraft , to

02:12:56.350 --> 02:12:58.350
manned aircraft , and the platforms

02:12:58.350 --> 02:13:00.517
that are very unique for their mission

02:13:00.517 --> 02:13:02.739
are furnished and deployed rapidly . So

02:13:02.739 --> 02:13:04.850
I'd like to talk about the percentage

02:13:04.850 --> 02:13:06.850
increase of SOCOM's budget , how we

02:13:06.850 --> 02:13:06.600
affect that , and how fast we can do it .

02:13:06.830 --> 02:13:08.774
Well , sir , I'll just , I'll just

02:13:08.774 --> 02:13:11.189
highlight my gratitude and appreciation

02:13:11.189 --> 02:13:13.549
for the entirety of the SOCOM Joint

02:13:13.549 --> 02:13:16.509
Force at Echelon and the work that they

02:13:16.509 --> 02:13:18.620
do . You know , I'll , I'll leave the

02:13:18.620 --> 02:13:20.453
budget numbers and the increased

02:13:20.453 --> 02:13:22.870
percentages , to my civilian leadership ,

02:13:23.020 --> 02:13:25.819
but Echo to your point , the

02:13:25.819 --> 02:13:28.419
exponential return on whatever

02:13:28.419 --> 02:13:30.252
investment they give . These are

02:13:30.252 --> 02:13:32.379
incredible entrepreneurial leaders at

02:13:32.379 --> 02:13:35.259
every echelon , uh , who do , who do

02:13:35.259 --> 02:13:37.339
great , great things , um , as the

02:13:37.339 --> 02:13:39.779
lights dim as I say that . So hopefully

02:13:39.779 --> 02:13:42.140
they'll see that as a nod towards them ,

02:13:42.180 --> 02:13:44.402
but I'll defer on the budget allocation

02:13:44.402 --> 02:13:46.513
numbers to the , to the comptroller ,

02:13:46.513 --> 02:13:49.979
sir . Uh , first of all , I , I want to

02:13:49.979 --> 02:13:52.257
second completely your opening remarks ,

02:13:52.257 --> 02:13:54.590
uh , and that's certainly our view , uh ,

02:13:54.590 --> 02:13:56.868
as well . On the , on the SOCOM budget ,

02:13:56.868 --> 02:13:59.146
I'm gonna , I'm gonna say I think , uh ,

02:13:59.146 --> 02:14:01.090
we need to increase what's in this

02:14:01.090 --> 02:14:03.201
budget , and I've heard from multiple

02:14:03.201 --> 02:14:05.312
people about that . In fact , that if

02:14:05.312 --> 02:14:07.479
there is a supplemental , I actually ,

02:14:07.479 --> 02:14:09.701
I just wrote a note to Jay about it . I

02:14:09.701 --> 02:14:09.620
think SOCOM , given the up tempo ,

02:14:09.700 --> 02:14:11.660
given the , given their direct uh

02:14:11.660 --> 02:14:13.549
participation in so many of these

02:14:13.549 --> 02:14:15.549
historic , historic aspects , SOCOM

02:14:15.549 --> 02:14:17.716
should be part of that supplemental as

02:14:17.716 --> 02:14:19.716
well . Makes complete sense . Who's

02:14:19.716 --> 02:14:21.716
been shouldering a huge part of the

02:14:21.716 --> 02:14:23.827
burden ? Special Operations Command .

02:14:23.827 --> 02:14:23.790
So whether it's a supplemental or or

02:14:23.790 --> 02:14:25.901
this budget , I , I fully agree and I

02:14:25.901 --> 02:14:29.000
think we need to invest more . Great .

02:14:29.040 --> 02:14:31.040
And I'd ask that particular care be

02:14:31.040 --> 02:14:32.929
given , uh , the era of , of , of

02:14:32.929 --> 02:14:35.151
beards and guns and kicking in doors as

02:14:35.151 --> 02:14:37.484
much fun as that was for all of us . Um ,

02:14:37.484 --> 02:14:39.429
it's coming to a close and we're ,

02:14:39.429 --> 02:14:39.120
we're going to be going back to our

02:14:39.120 --> 02:14:42.080
roots as specialized commandos ,

02:14:42.390 --> 02:14:44.223
whether it's undersea , Arctic ,

02:14:44.223 --> 02:14:46.390
airborne operations , and , uh , as we

02:14:46.390 --> 02:14:48.612
all became kind of one joint soft force

02:14:48.612 --> 02:14:50.834
during GWAT . Uh , quite frankly , that

02:14:50.834 --> 02:14:53.057
was an easier problem to resource for ,

02:14:53.057 --> 02:14:55.223
to budget for , and acquire for . Uh ,

02:14:55.223 --> 02:14:57.390
it's going to be a lot harder now when

02:14:57.390 --> 02:14:59.557
our operators go back to their service

02:14:59.557 --> 02:15:01.557
corners and these platform-specific

02:15:01.557 --> 02:15:01.459
technologies and training . Uh ,

02:15:01.890 --> 02:15:04.001
Submersibles , aircraft take years to

02:15:04.001 --> 02:15:06.112
acquire , years to specify . It's not

02:15:06.112 --> 02:15:08.334
just buying more ARs and body armor and

02:15:08.334 --> 02:15:10.501
ammo and sending them downrange . So I

02:15:10.501 --> 02:15:10.430
think we have to think about the SOCOM

02:15:10.430 --> 02:15:12.430
budget a little differently than we

02:15:12.430 --> 02:15:14.430
have for the last 25 years and make

02:15:14.430 --> 02:15:16.486
sure we're programming in a way that

02:15:16.486 --> 02:15:18.208
it's , it's sustained . And is

02:15:18.208 --> 02:15:20.208
protected . Thank you . Thank you ,

02:15:20.208 --> 02:15:22.152
Senator Schmidt , for , for that .

02:15:22.152 --> 02:15:24.629
Insightful exchange . Senator Kelly ,

02:15:25.129 --> 02:15:27.351
thank you , Mr . Chairman . Gentlemen ,

02:15:27.351 --> 02:15:29.407
thank you for being here . Secretary

02:15:29.407 --> 02:15:31.573
Hegseth , safe to say that our weapons

02:15:31.573 --> 02:15:33.970
like SM-3s , Tomahawks , Patriot

02:15:33.970 --> 02:15:35.970
missiles have capabilities that are

02:15:35.970 --> 02:15:38.248
unmatched . That's why they cost a lot ,

02:15:38.410 --> 02:15:40.569
take a long time to produce . Your

02:15:40.569 --> 02:15:44.560
budget requests $31.8 billion to

02:15:44.560 --> 02:15:47.180
expand production capacity for critical

02:15:47.180 --> 02:15:49.750
missile stockpiles . Is that correct ?

02:15:50.290 --> 02:15:54.220
31.8 . Uh , I'm looking at 53

02:15:54.220 --> 02:15:56.442
billion for munitions acceleration over

02:15:56.442 --> 02:15:58.664
14 critical munitions of which the ones

02:15:58.664 --> 02:16:00.720
you listed are a part , so I believe

02:16:00.720 --> 02:16:03.109
more than that , yes sir . More than 20

02:16:03.109 --> 02:16:06.310
billion more . So we've been working

02:16:06.310 --> 02:16:08.366
together to grow the industrial base

02:16:08.366 --> 02:16:10.588
because we're all worried about how our

02:16:10.588 --> 02:16:12.754
stockpiles would hold up in a conflict

02:16:12.754 --> 02:16:15.080
against China . Since the start of this

02:16:15.080 --> 02:16:17.759
war , you've made it a point to

02:16:17.759 --> 02:16:20.350
highlight the number of strikes the US

02:16:20.350 --> 02:16:23.160
military is carrying out , citing that

02:16:23.160 --> 02:16:25.759
more than 13,000 targets had been

02:16:25.759 --> 02:16:29.169
struck as of April 8th . On March 2nd ,

02:16:29.240 --> 02:16:31.351
you said , and this is a quote , this

02:16:31.351 --> 02:16:33.351
was a massive , overwhelming attack

02:16:33.351 --> 02:16:35.129
across all domains of warfare ,

02:16:35.129 --> 02:16:37.296
striking more than 1000 targets in the

02:16:37.296 --> 02:16:39.719
1st 24 hours . On March 10th , you said ,

02:16:40.000 --> 02:16:42.160
yet again our most intense day of

02:16:42.160 --> 02:16:45.040
strikes inside of Iran . On April 6th ,

02:16:45.089 --> 02:16:47.256
you said , and this is another quote ,

02:16:47.256 --> 02:16:50.370
the largest volume of strikes since day

02:16:50.370 --> 02:16:52.849
one of this operation . Your department

02:16:52.849 --> 02:16:54.929
has released video after video of

02:16:54.929 --> 02:16:58.279
things blowing up . None of us doubt

02:16:58.279 --> 02:17:00.458
the strength of the US military and

02:17:00.458 --> 02:17:03.298
their ability to do hard things . I

02:17:03.298 --> 02:17:05.409
understand that better than anybody .

02:17:05.409 --> 02:17:07.978
The questions we should be asking and

02:17:07.978 --> 02:17:11.739
answering are , what does this cost us

02:17:11.739 --> 02:17:14.178
and what does it achieve for the

02:17:14.178 --> 02:17:16.730
American people . Many of these strikes

02:17:16.730 --> 02:17:19.929
use our best weapons , and we're using

02:17:19.929 --> 02:17:22.440
a lot of them and a lot of interceptors .

02:17:22.849 --> 02:17:24.969
Open source reporting has estimated

02:17:24.969 --> 02:17:26.690
that the military has used an

02:17:26.690 --> 02:17:28.912
outrageous number of patriots . I'm not

02:17:28.912 --> 02:17:31.023
even going to say the numbers , but a

02:17:31.023 --> 02:17:33.190
lot of patriots , a lot of fo rounds ,

02:17:33.190 --> 02:17:35.357
Jasm ER , tomahawks , very expensive ,

02:17:35.490 --> 02:17:38.389
exquisite . We can't make these

02:17:38.389 --> 02:17:40.809
munitions overnight , and it's clear

02:17:41.219 --> 02:17:43.386
from your budget request that you know

02:17:43.386 --> 02:17:46.490
that . Can you tell us how many

02:17:46.490 --> 02:17:50.030
years specifically is it going to

02:17:50.030 --> 02:17:52.709
take to replace these systems ?

02:17:54.469 --> 02:17:56.636
Senator , thank you for the question .

02:17:56.636 --> 02:17:58.858
I would defer to the comptroller on the

02:17:58.858 --> 02:17:58.709
amount because I think it's a lot

02:17:58.709 --> 02:18:00.876
higher than 53 . If you look at , uh ,

02:18:00.876 --> 02:18:02.876
long range fires , Jasms , Erasms ,

02:18:02.876 --> 02:18:04.730
Tomahawks , we're looking at 238

02:18:04.730 --> 02:18:06.841
billion . We're looking at 40 billion

02:18:06.841 --> 02:18:08.897
for hypersonic . So I actually think

02:18:08.897 --> 02:18:11.230
it's closer to 330 billion in munitions .

02:18:11.230 --> 02:18:13.174
OK , how many years to replenish ?

02:18:13.174 --> 02:18:15.230
That's the question . I think that's

02:18:15.230 --> 02:18:14.589
exactly the right question too ,

02:18:14.709 --> 02:18:17.030
Senator , because the time frame we

02:18:17.030 --> 02:18:19.197
were existing under was unacceptable .

02:18:19.230 --> 02:18:21.174
And what this budget does . I mean

02:18:21.174 --> 02:18:23.397
months and years , years . I mean we're

02:18:23.397 --> 02:18:25.660
building new plants in real time , so

02:18:25.660 --> 02:18:27.882
just to replace what we have expended .

02:18:27.882 --> 02:18:30.104
I said months and then you said years ,

02:18:30.559 --> 02:18:32.726
but it depends on the weapons system ,

02:18:32.726 --> 02:18:34.948
but 2 to 3 , 4x of what we have today .

02:18:34.948 --> 02:18:37.170
So yes , we're dealing with the reality

02:18:37.170 --> 02:18:39.226
under the previous administration of

02:18:39.226 --> 02:18:38.940
what they sent to Ukraine and what they

02:18:38.940 --> 02:18:41.107
allocated elsewhere . I got it . So we

02:18:41.107 --> 02:18:44.709
fired rapidly worth of munitions ,

02:18:45.139 --> 02:18:48.379
and it is clear that we're , these are

02:18:48.379 --> 02:18:52.280
being expended . To try to achieve some

02:18:53.030 --> 02:18:56.250
Objectives . That was the plan , but Mr .

02:18:56.410 --> 02:18:59.179
Secretary , this war has stuck . The

02:18:59.179 --> 02:19:02.370
Strait of Hormuz is closed . The

02:19:02.370 --> 02:19:05.530
Iranian regime is in place . The

02:19:05.530 --> 02:19:08.450
nuclear material still in their hands .

02:19:09.570 --> 02:19:12.480
Americans are being crushed by higher

02:19:12.480 --> 02:19:15.459
costs , and it's not clear to them .

02:19:16.669 --> 02:19:20.129
At all what the goal of this war is .

02:19:21.228 --> 02:19:24.168
So , I've got about a minute .

02:19:24.668 --> 02:19:27.320
And I want to go to another topic .

02:19:28.599 --> 02:19:31.129
I saw your hearing yesterday . And I'm

02:19:31.129 --> 02:19:33.240
going to give you one more chance to

02:19:33.250 --> 02:19:36.900
address a question here . It's my

02:19:36.900 --> 02:19:39.940
understanding that the definition of no

02:19:39.940 --> 02:19:43.080
quarter is that legitimate

02:19:43.080 --> 02:19:46.360
offers of surrender will be refused .

02:19:47.200 --> 02:19:50.700
or that detainees will be executed .

02:19:51.559 --> 02:19:53.448
Is that your understanding of the

02:19:53.448 --> 02:19:57.160
definition ? Uh , the only entity that

02:19:57.809 --> 02:19:59.531
would kill detainees or target

02:19:59.531 --> 02:20:01.753
civilians is the Iranians , and they're

02:20:01.753 --> 02:20:04.087
the ones being crushed . So the Iranian ,

02:20:04.087 --> 02:20:05.920
uh , military and their military

02:20:05.920 --> 02:20:08.142
capabilities . The question is , do you

02:20:08.142 --> 02:20:07.780
disagree completely with your

02:20:07.780 --> 02:20:09.891
articulation . No , do you understand

02:20:09.891 --> 02:20:12.002
the definition that I just read you ,

02:20:12.002 --> 02:20:14.224
because that's the definition from your

02:20:14.224 --> 02:20:16.860
department's law of war manual . Is

02:20:16.860 --> 02:20:19.193
that your understanding ? And I'm gonna ,

02:20:19.193 --> 02:20:21.360
I'm gonna just get to the point here .

02:20:21.360 --> 02:20:23.527
We , we fight to win and we follow the

02:20:23.527 --> 02:20:25.638
law , Senator , OK , so . Your , your

02:20:25.638 --> 02:20:27.860
quote was , we will keep pushing , keep

02:20:27.860 --> 02:20:29.971
advancing , no quarter , no mercy for

02:20:29.971 --> 02:20:32.379
our enemies . And yesterday you did not

02:20:32.379 --> 02:20:34.389
clarify whether you stand by this

02:20:34.389 --> 02:20:36.445
statement . So I'm going to give you

02:20:36.445 --> 02:20:39.790
another opportunity to clarify if that

02:20:39.790 --> 02:20:42.620
is what you meant . Do you stand by

02:20:42.620 --> 02:20:45.150
that statement you made on March 13th ?

02:20:46.700 --> 02:20:48.650
We have untied the hands of our

02:20:48.650 --> 02:20:51.700
warfighters . We fight to win and we

02:20:51.700 --> 02:20:53.700
follow the law . OK , so you're not

02:20:53.700 --> 02:20:55.589
clarifying . So you stand by that

02:20:55.589 --> 02:20:57.756
statement . So you're the Secretary of

02:20:57.756 --> 02:20:59.978
Defense . The things you say matter and

02:20:59.978 --> 02:21:03.660
your response here right now makes it

02:21:03.660 --> 02:21:06.440
clear to the American people exactly

02:21:06.440 --> 02:21:08.490
why you are not right for this . It

02:21:08.490 --> 02:21:10.823
makes it clear to our enemies , Senator .

02:21:11.519 --> 02:21:14.410
Thank you , Mr . Chairman . Um , thank

02:21:14.410 --> 02:21:18.139
you . Um . Senator Sheehy has left

02:21:18.139 --> 02:21:21.000
the room , but it's been whispered to

02:21:21.000 --> 02:21:23.599
me that I just referred to him in the

02:21:23.599 --> 02:21:26.070
last exchange as Senator Schmidt . I

02:21:26.070 --> 02:21:28.014
don't know if he considered that a

02:21:28.014 --> 02:21:30.126
compliment or an insult , but I would

02:21:30.126 --> 02:21:31.959
do correct that for the record .

02:21:32.200 --> 02:21:34.478
Senator Slotkin , I think you are next .

02:21:34.478 --> 02:21:38.259
Thank you . Gentlemen , you're here to

02:21:38.259 --> 02:21:41.870
ask for $1.5 trillion 40%

02:21:41.870 --> 02:21:45.370
more than what we gave you last year ,

02:21:45.500 --> 02:21:48.790
$1 trillion and I agree with the

02:21:48.790 --> 02:21:50.790
chairman of this committee that the

02:21:50.790 --> 02:21:53.012
world has never been more dangerous and

02:21:53.012 --> 02:21:56.530
complicated . Um , and regardless of

02:21:56.990 --> 02:21:59.157
whether we disagree on the reasons for

02:21:59.157 --> 02:22:01.323
getting into this war , I think we can

02:22:01.323 --> 02:22:03.490
all agree that we want our military to

02:22:03.490 --> 02:22:05.950
come out of it safely and successfully

02:22:05.950 --> 02:22:08.283
and as , you know , as soon as feasible .

02:22:09.059 --> 02:22:11.620
Uh , the military has taken , you all ,

02:22:11.700 --> 02:22:13.644
the , the administration has taken

02:22:13.644 --> 02:22:16.019
military action in 10 different places

02:22:16.019 --> 02:22:18.580
in the world in 15 months , more than

02:22:18.580 --> 02:22:21.860
any president in US history . Um , I ,

02:22:21.959 --> 02:22:23.903
I think President Trump has really

02:22:23.903 --> 02:22:26.160
become a foreign policy president , and

02:22:26.459 --> 02:22:28.570
many of those operations , you know ,

02:22:28.570 --> 02:22:30.792
were on the news for a couple of days ,

02:22:30.792 --> 02:22:30.780
but then the American public didn't

02:22:30.780 --> 02:22:32.947
feel them . And I think the difference

02:22:32.947 --> 02:22:35.530
with this war . With Iran is that the

02:22:35.530 --> 02:22:37.697
American public is feeling it in their

02:22:37.697 --> 02:22:39.849
pocketbooks . Uh , gas in Michigan is

02:22:39.849 --> 02:22:43.129
4.99 today . The cost of fertilizer ,

02:22:43.169 --> 02:22:45.225
of airline tickets , things that are

02:22:45.225 --> 02:22:48.290
real to people . Um , Secretary Hague

02:22:48.290 --> 02:22:50.512
said , the president said that you were

02:22:50.512 --> 02:22:53.450
most keen , um , on this war . He , he

02:22:53.450 --> 02:22:55.469
said that you were the most gung ho

02:22:55.469 --> 02:22:59.280
about it , um . And , um , I , I think

02:22:59.280 --> 02:23:01.500
despite , um , us all wanting to come

02:23:01.500 --> 02:23:03.780
out of this successfully , it is hard

02:23:03.780 --> 02:23:05.947
to miss that we are at the stalemate ,

02:23:05.947 --> 02:23:08.200
that , that we don't control the Strait

02:23:08.200 --> 02:23:10.120
of Hormuz because shipping is not

02:23:10.120 --> 02:23:13.160
getting through . Um , and we can block

02:23:13.160 --> 02:23:15.216
what they're trying to get through ,

02:23:15.216 --> 02:23:17.382
but nothing is moving and it's costing

02:23:17.382 --> 02:23:19.549
the American public . Um , and I think

02:23:19.549 --> 02:23:21.771
that's a fundamentally different moment

02:23:21.771 --> 02:23:23.827
than the rest of the military action

02:23:23.827 --> 02:23:26.559
we've taken . Um , even in like Middle

02:23:26.559 --> 02:23:28.780
East 101 class , we used to talk about

02:23:28.780 --> 02:23:30.724
and run war games on the Strait of

02:23:30.724 --> 02:23:32.759
Hormuz . It's a strategic geography

02:23:32.759 --> 02:23:35.509
that the Iranians have . Um , and I

02:23:35.509 --> 02:23:37.889
think it's , it's just concerning to me

02:23:37.889 --> 02:23:40.549
that we , you know , we can try and

02:23:40.549 --> 02:23:42.493
tell the American people that it's

02:23:42.493 --> 02:23:44.660
going great and we're killing it , but

02:23:44.660 --> 02:23:46.827
until the Strait of Hormuz is open , I

02:23:46.827 --> 02:23:48.882
don't think we can credibly say that

02:23:48.882 --> 02:23:51.400
with any seriousness . Um , I , I think

02:23:51.660 --> 02:23:53.771
the question I have for you though is

02:23:53.771 --> 02:23:56.610
future looking , and it's our 2026

02:23:56.610 --> 02:23:59.620
elections . Um , the president has been

02:23:59.620 --> 02:24:01.676
very clear . He said in the State of

02:24:01.676 --> 02:24:03.842
the Union that essentially if his side

02:24:03.842 --> 02:24:05.842
doesn't win , then the election was

02:24:05.842 --> 02:24:07.953
rigged . He said that before the 2020

02:24:07.953 --> 02:24:10.064
election . He's asked for voter rolls

02:24:10.064 --> 02:24:12.287
for 29 different states . He just asked

02:24:12.287 --> 02:24:15.400
for Detroit's votes , um , or ballots ,

02:24:15.900 --> 02:24:19.139
um . And we know that in 2020 he wrote

02:24:19.139 --> 02:24:21.417
an executive order that he didn't sign ,

02:24:21.650 --> 02:24:24.059
um , that said , um , to the US

02:24:24.059 --> 02:24:26.337
military , to the Secretary of Defense ,

02:24:26.740 --> 02:24:28.809
you should go and seize ballots and

02:24:28.809 --> 02:24:31.610
voting machines . A few months ago , he

02:24:31.610 --> 02:24:33.721
said that he regretted that he ever ,

02:24:33.721 --> 02:24:35.849
that he didn't sign that executive

02:24:35.849 --> 02:24:39.209
order . So the US military has never

02:24:39.209 --> 02:24:41.153
been deployed . You miscorrectly ,

02:24:41.650 --> 02:24:43.706
incorrectly said yesterday that they

02:24:43.706 --> 02:24:45.428
were deployed during different

02:24:45.428 --> 02:24:47.428
elections . Governors deployed them

02:24:47.428 --> 02:24:49.317
under their authorities , but the

02:24:49.317 --> 02:24:52.190
federal government has never put The

02:24:52.190 --> 02:24:54.429
uniformed military at our polls during

02:24:54.429 --> 02:24:57.259
World War II , right after 9/11 . Um ,

02:24:57.349 --> 02:24:59.150
we've never had to do that . So

02:24:59.150 --> 02:25:01.490
Secretary Hegseth , if the president

02:25:01.759 --> 02:25:03.926
who regrets not signing that executive

02:25:03.926 --> 02:25:06.849
order to the then SECD in 2020 asks you

02:25:07.269 --> 02:25:10.730
to seize ballots or voting machines

02:25:11.070 --> 02:25:13.540
in states during the 2026 election ,

02:25:13.830 --> 02:25:15.997
will you stand up for the Constitution

02:25:15.997 --> 02:25:18.230
and say no , or will you salute and do

02:25:18.230 --> 02:25:21.820
his bidding ? Um , Senator ,

02:25:22.160 --> 02:25:24.160
I didn't get a chance to answer the

02:25:24.160 --> 02:25:26.271
front part of your question , which ,

02:25:26.271 --> 02:25:25.799
uh , you know , there was a lot of

02:25:25.799 --> 02:25:27.855
deferred maintenance under the Biden

02:25:27.855 --> 02:25:29.688
administration that needed to be

02:25:29.688 --> 02:25:29.669
addressed because the world was in

02:25:29.669 --> 02:25:32.040
chaos when President Trump was elected

02:25:32.040 --> 02:25:34.207
because of , well , again , that's the

02:25:34.207 --> 02:25:36.151
most important thing . It's what's

02:25:36.151 --> 02:25:38.151
happening . It's yet another gotcha

02:25:38.151 --> 02:25:40.318
hypothetical , which is your specialty

02:25:40.318 --> 02:25:43.040
and ultimately order under the Biden

02:25:43.040 --> 02:25:45.610
administration in 2024 . It's not a

02:25:45.610 --> 02:25:47.832
hypothetical . I refuse to accept . You

02:25:47.832 --> 02:25:50.054
give that answer all the time . You and

02:25:50.054 --> 02:25:52.054
I have done this dance before . Get

02:25:52.054 --> 02:25:54.221
over it , OK ? In 2020 , he , he's the

02:25:54.221 --> 02:25:56.388
president , your boss , the guy you're

02:25:56.388 --> 02:25:58.388
performing for right now , told the

02:25:58.388 --> 02:26:00.610
journalists this year that he wished he

02:26:00.610 --> 02:26:02.610
signed that executive order to your

02:26:02.610 --> 02:26:04.832
predecessor , and your predecessor said

02:26:04.832 --> 02:26:06.666
publicly , thank God , we didn't

02:26:06.666 --> 02:26:08.832
actually go forward with it . What are

02:26:08.832 --> 02:26:11.054
you going ? To do . You're the guy here

02:26:11.054 --> 02:26:13.166
in the seat . It's not hypothetical .

02:26:13.166 --> 02:26:15.166
Tell the American people , will you

02:26:15.166 --> 02:26:17.221
deploy the uniformed military to our

02:26:17.221 --> 02:26:18.999
polls to collect voter rolls or

02:26:18.999 --> 02:26:21.221
machines ? Are , are you accusing me of

02:26:21.221 --> 02:26:23.277
performing because you're performing

02:26:23.277 --> 02:26:25.277
for cable news right now ? But Mr .

02:26:25.277 --> 02:26:26.888
Secretary , we have , it's a

02:26:26.888 --> 02:26:28.888
hypothetical . By the way , in 2024

02:26:28.888 --> 02:26:30.888
under the Biden administration , 15

02:26:30.888 --> 02:26:32.554
states did deploy under the .

02:26:32.554 --> 02:26:32.522
Governor's authority when their

02:26:32.522 --> 02:26:34.411
governors asked for Joe Biden say

02:26:34.411 --> 02:26:36.466
that's fundamentally , I don't think

02:26:36.466 --> 02:26:38.466
anything because he needed them for

02:26:38.466 --> 02:26:40.689
cybersecurity and for COVID . Trump did

02:26:40.689 --> 02:26:42.911
it too under Trump , but it was not the

02:26:42.911 --> 02:26:44.689
federal decision . It was those

02:26:44.689 --> 02:26:46.689
governors of the states under their

02:26:46.689 --> 02:26:48.911
authorities , OK ? It's never been done

02:26:48.911 --> 02:26:50.966
in our history . Please stand up for

02:26:50.966 --> 02:26:52.689
the Constitution . Do not send

02:26:52.689 --> 02:26:55.040
uniformed military to our polls . Do ,

02:26:55.120 --> 02:26:57.287
do you have a response to that portion

02:26:57.287 --> 02:26:59.620
of the question , Mr . Secretary ? I've ,

02:26:59.620 --> 02:27:01.820
I've never been ordered to do anything

02:27:01.820 --> 02:27:04.160
illegal , and I won't . That goes

02:27:04.160 --> 02:27:06.104
without saying . Thank you for the

02:27:06.104 --> 02:27:08.327
answer , Senator Duckworth . You're now

02:27:08.327 --> 02:27:10.493
recognized . Thank you Mr . Chairman .

02:27:10.493 --> 02:27:12.716
Um , despite his campaign promise of no

02:27:12.716 --> 02:27:14.716
new wars , President Trump has been

02:27:14.716 --> 02:27:16.771
obsessed with using the military any

02:27:16.771 --> 02:27:18.938
chance he gets , from deploying troops

02:27:18.938 --> 02:27:20.827
to American cities to propping up

02:27:20.827 --> 02:27:22.938
Maduro's chosen number 2 in Venezuela

02:27:22.938 --> 02:27:24.993
to an endless war of boat strikes in

02:27:24.993 --> 02:27:26.882
the Caribbean Sea , and now in an

02:27:26.882 --> 02:27:29.104
illegal war with Iran where hundreds of

02:27:29.104 --> 02:27:31.216
thousands of our troops are in harm's

02:27:31.216 --> 02:27:33.382
way every day with no exit strategy in

02:27:33.382 --> 02:27:35.493
sight . This administration hides bad

02:27:35.493 --> 02:27:37.660
policy behind the exceptional military

02:27:37.660 --> 02:27:39.438
operations and the valor of our

02:27:39.438 --> 02:27:41.493
uniformed personnel . I've long said

02:27:41.493 --> 02:27:43.327
Iran is a maligned actor , but a

02:27:43.327 --> 02:27:45.438
responsible administration would have

02:27:45.438 --> 02:27:47.604
managed this short of conflict instead

02:27:47.604 --> 02:27:49.827
of starting a war of choice . There was

02:27:49.827 --> 02:27:52.049
no imminent threat to the United States

02:27:52.049 --> 02:27:54.104
or our troops . The military was not

02:27:54.104 --> 02:27:56.271
the most effective tool to get Iran to

02:27:56.271 --> 02:27:58.327
capitulate , as we're already seeing

02:27:58.327 --> 02:28:00.438
too clearly now . And using force has

02:28:00.438 --> 02:28:02.604
made Americans in the Middle East less

02:28:02.604 --> 02:28:04.771
safe while spiking costs for Americans

02:28:04.771 --> 02:28:06.827
here at home , all to the tune of 14

02:28:06.827 --> 02:28:09.160
service members dead , hundreds wounded ,

02:28:09.160 --> 02:28:08.330
billions of taxpayer dollars , and

02:28:08.330 --> 02:28:10.730
untold costs to our military readiness .

02:28:11.129 --> 02:28:12.962
This administration claims to be

02:28:12.962 --> 02:28:14.740
focused on the warfighter , but

02:28:14.740 --> 02:28:16.518
President Trump told us when he

02:28:16.518 --> 02:28:18.685
announced a war from his luxury resort

02:28:18.685 --> 02:28:21.018
that he expected service members to die .

02:28:21.018 --> 02:28:23.019
Now sadly it's clear how unserious

02:28:23.019 --> 02:28:24.741
Trump is about his role as the

02:28:24.741 --> 02:28:26.741
commander in chief . His war within

02:28:26.741 --> 02:28:28.660
Iran has already reminded us how

02:28:28.660 --> 02:28:31.129
important it is to prevent a war , how

02:28:31.129 --> 02:28:33.185
serious it is to ask the military to

02:28:33.185 --> 02:28:35.518
wage one under poor strategic direction ,

02:28:35.518 --> 02:28:37.685
how destructive a wide ranging war can

02:28:37.685 --> 02:28:39.629
be for Americans , for our service

02:28:39.629 --> 02:28:41.685
members , and how difficult it is to

02:28:41.685 --> 02:28:43.740
actually end one once you start it .

02:28:43.740 --> 02:28:45.851
The incompetence and casual disregard

02:28:45.851 --> 02:28:47.240
for our service members'

02:28:47.240 --> 02:28:49.351
professionalism and sacrifice is , in

02:28:49.351 --> 02:28:51.879
my opinion , a scandal , General Kane .

02:28:53.589 --> 02:28:55.589
General Kane , can you tell us the

02:28:55.589 --> 02:28:57.589
status of the Iranian Revolutionary

02:28:57.589 --> 02:28:59.645
Guard Corps Navy , identity actively

02:28:59.645 --> 02:29:03.280
closing the strait ? Uh , they're ,

02:29:03.400 --> 02:29:05.622
uh , Senator , apologies , I was , uh ,

02:29:05.639 --> 02:29:07.861
listening to you . I was just trying to

02:29:07.861 --> 02:29:10.139
write it down . Uh , they're , uh , um ,

02:29:10.160 --> 02:29:11.889
uh , mostly destroyed . CETCOM

02:29:11.889 --> 02:29:14.559
continues to watch them . Uh , the

02:29:14.559 --> 02:29:17.320
Iranian navy . No , no , the IRC , yes ,

02:29:17.469 --> 02:29:19.469
ma'am . The , the , the smaller , I

02:29:19.469 --> 02:29:21.802
won't get into any classified materials ,

02:29:21.802 --> 02:29:24.919
but the smaller . Fast and you know ,

02:29:25.129 --> 02:29:27.129
smaller boats , Boston whaler sized

02:29:27.129 --> 02:29:29.296
boats . There's still some out there .

02:29:29.296 --> 02:29:31.462
Yes ma'am . So this administration and

02:29:31.462 --> 02:29:33.351
the Secretary of Defense has been

02:29:33.351 --> 02:29:35.573
boasting about sinking the ships of the

02:29:35.573 --> 02:29:35.410
Iranian navy , but let's call this what

02:29:35.410 --> 02:29:37.730
it is . It's a misdirection . They want

02:29:37.730 --> 02:29:39.952
us to focus on the impressive number of

02:29:39.952 --> 02:29:41.841
large Iranian ships underwater to

02:29:41.841 --> 02:29:44.063
distract from the fact that they had no

02:29:44.063 --> 02:29:46.286
plans for the 2nd navy that Iran owns .

02:29:46.286 --> 02:29:48.452
That has always been a hard problem to

02:29:48.452 --> 02:29:50.508
address by military force . The IRCG

02:29:50.508 --> 02:29:52.674
navy , not the Iranian navy , has been

02:29:52.674 --> 02:29:54.841
Iran's tip of the spear in the Straits

02:29:54.841 --> 02:29:54.410
of Hormuz , seizing vessels and

02:29:54.410 --> 02:29:57.230
threatening to target US assets . Iran

02:29:57.230 --> 02:29:59.650
has long invested in this second

02:29:59.650 --> 02:30:01.809
asymmetrical navy specifically to

02:30:01.809 --> 02:30:03.753
develop capabilities that would be

02:30:03.753 --> 02:30:05.920
difficult for conventional US military

02:30:05.920 --> 02:30:08.142
forces to target . Iran's advantage was

02:30:08.142 --> 02:30:10.365
well known to anyone paying attention .

02:30:10.365 --> 02:30:12.476
I've no doubt that competent planners

02:30:12.476 --> 02:30:14.587
in the Pentagon raised their concerns

02:30:14.587 --> 02:30:14.209
about a quagmire in the Strait to

02:30:14.209 --> 02:30:16.376
leadership . The question is why their

02:30:16.376 --> 02:30:18.376
leadership did not pay attention to

02:30:18.376 --> 02:30:20.265
this sound advice . Hubris is not

02:30:20.265 --> 02:30:22.431
strategy , and in war it costs lives ,

02:30:22.431 --> 02:30:24.320
even if the strait reopens . This

02:30:24.320 --> 02:30:26.542
administration has created a new , less

02:30:26.542 --> 02:30:28.431
safe world by initiating and then

02:30:28.431 --> 02:30:30.598
bungling this crisis and teaching Iran

02:30:30.598 --> 02:30:32.765
that it can charge a million dollars a

02:30:32.765 --> 02:30:34.820
ship to transit the strait . It will

02:30:34.820 --> 02:30:37.042
take a long time for the global economy

02:30:37.042 --> 02:30:39.209
to bounce back to normal trade flows ,

02:30:39.209 --> 02:30:39.169
and Iran has learned again that they

02:30:39.169 --> 02:30:41.391
can charge a million dollars per ship ,

02:30:41.391 --> 02:30:43.502
creating a new funding line for their

02:30:43.502 --> 02:30:45.558
malicious activity against Americans

02:30:45.558 --> 02:30:47.280
for years to come . And in the

02:30:47.280 --> 02:30:49.336
Indo-Pacific , I don't doubt that if

02:30:49.336 --> 02:30:51.558
the worst day comes , our military will

02:30:51.558 --> 02:30:53.336
step up to challenge and defend

02:30:53.336 --> 02:30:53.030
Americans and our interests with

02:30:53.030 --> 02:30:55.252
military force , but will they be asked

02:30:55.252 --> 02:30:57.363
to lay down their lives unnecessarily

02:30:57.363 --> 02:30:59.197
just because the White House was

02:30:59.197 --> 02:30:59.040
unready and incapable of preventing a

02:30:59.040 --> 02:31:01.320
crisis boiling over into a war in the

02:31:01.320 --> 02:31:03.376
Indo-Pacific ? General Kane , do you

02:31:03.376 --> 02:31:05.487
agree that the military would benefit

02:31:05.487 --> 02:31:07.598
from significant intraagency planning

02:31:07.598 --> 02:31:09.820
by the Department of Defense on actions

02:31:09.820 --> 02:31:11.820
short of war that can be taken if a

02:31:11.820 --> 02:31:13.879
crisis occurs ? Ma'am , I , I

02:31:13.879 --> 02:31:15.768
appreciate that question , you're

02:31:15.768 --> 02:31:17.879
highlighting the importance of that ,

02:31:17.879 --> 02:31:19.546
and we , we have really great

02:31:19.546 --> 02:31:22.320
relationships now on the joint staff

02:31:22.320 --> 02:31:24.679
with the interagency . I think our

02:31:24.679 --> 02:31:26.846
relationship in particular , I'll just

02:31:26.846 --> 02:31:29.299
pick CIA , I think it's the best it's ,

02:31:29.320 --> 02:31:31.431
it's ever been . We're really working

02:31:31.431 --> 02:31:33.320
hard to find the best of Title 10

02:31:33.320 --> 02:31:36.040
capabilities plus the best of Title 50

02:31:36.040 --> 02:31:38.160
to ensure that we deliver really

02:31:38.160 --> 02:31:40.679
entrepreneurial options for our

02:31:40.679 --> 02:31:42.901
national policymakers to do what you're

02:31:42.901 --> 02:31:45.012
talking about , Senator . All right ,

02:31:45.012 --> 02:31:47.179
um , but I am . Concern because during

02:31:47.179 --> 02:31:49.290
the recent NDS hearing I laid out the

02:31:49.290 --> 02:31:51.346
very real ways that a crisis in just

02:31:51.346 --> 02:31:53.568
one of the dozens of flashpoints in the

02:31:53.568 --> 02:31:53.285
Indo-Pacific could be devastating for

02:31:53.285 --> 02:31:55.605
our service members , Americans , and

02:31:55.605 --> 02:31:57.716
our American economy . But since then

02:31:57.716 --> 02:31:59.772
this administration has only further

02:31:59.772 --> 02:32:01.994
diminished DOD's ability to prepare for

02:32:01.994 --> 02:32:04.161
these crises . In fact , many of the ,

02:32:04.161 --> 02:32:06.161
as many as 1/3 of the assets in the

02:32:06.161 --> 02:32:08.272
Middle East originally meant to be in

02:32:08.272 --> 02:32:10.383
the Indo-Pacific . This war of choice

02:32:10.383 --> 02:32:12.605
is draining our military resources . We

02:32:12.605 --> 02:32:14.827
need leaders who do everything they can

02:32:14.827 --> 02:32:14.620
to ensure warfighters only fight when

02:32:14.620 --> 02:32:16.842
they have to , not because of one man's

02:32:16.842 --> 02:32:19.064
whims and the lack of bravery among the

02:32:19.064 --> 02:32:21.176
yes men he surrounds himself with . I

02:32:21.176 --> 02:32:23.064
thank you for your service , uh ,

02:32:23.064 --> 02:32:25.176
General , um , and I continue to look

02:32:25.176 --> 02:32:24.900
forward to working with you . Thank you ,

02:32:25.019 --> 02:32:28.219
Senator Duckworth , Senator Rosen . Uh ,

02:32:28.360 --> 02:32:30.582
thank you , Mr . Chairman . Thank you ,

02:32:30.582 --> 02:32:32.749
Ranking Member Reed . Um , thank you ,

02:32:32.749 --> 02:32:35.519
General , for your service . Uh ,

02:32:35.759 --> 02:32:37.537
before I begin my questions for

02:32:37.537 --> 02:32:39.592
Secretary Hegseth , I have one brief

02:32:39.592 --> 02:32:41.703
important question for General Kane .

02:32:41.703 --> 02:32:43.815
Um , General , as you've acknowledged

02:32:43.815 --> 02:32:45.981
at your confirmation hearing , service

02:32:45.981 --> 02:32:48.092
members who served at locations which

02:32:48.092 --> 02:32:50.037
another US government agency deems

02:32:50.037 --> 02:32:52.259
contaminated , like the Nevada Test and

02:32:52.259 --> 02:32:54.370
Training range , should have the same

02:32:54.370 --> 02:32:56.426
presumption of radiation exposure as

02:32:56.426 --> 02:32:59.259
DOE employees who served alongside them .

02:32:59.950 --> 02:33:01.799
But we also must ensure that DOD

02:33:01.799 --> 02:33:03.632
provides the VA with the records

02:33:03.632 --> 02:33:05.743
proving that these individuals served

02:33:05.743 --> 02:33:08.339
there . So this is a problem that DOD

02:33:08.339 --> 02:33:10.719
has the power to solve . I know we've

02:33:10.719 --> 02:33:12.941
discussed this . So General Kane , will

02:33:12.941 --> 02:33:15.120
you commit to ensuring parity for DOD

02:33:15.120 --> 02:33:17.287
personnel who served in locations that

02:33:17.287 --> 02:33:19.342
the US government has already deemed

02:33:19.342 --> 02:33:21.398
contaminated . Identifying those who

02:33:21.398 --> 02:33:23.564
served in such locations and providing

02:33:23.564 --> 02:33:25.787
documentation of that service to the VA

02:33:25.787 --> 02:33:27.953
so that they can receive the veterans'

02:33:27.953 --> 02:33:31.445
benefits that they have earned . You

02:33:31.445 --> 02:33:33.723
bet , ma'am , and , and I'm , you know ,

02:33:33.723 --> 02:33:35.889
since our last time together on this ,

02:33:35.889 --> 02:33:37.667
we've continued to chip away at

02:33:37.667 --> 02:33:39.667
removing or figuring out how to get

02:33:39.667 --> 02:33:42.320
past that one . Particular blocking in

02:33:42.320 --> 02:33:44.839
that record so that that data flows

02:33:44.839 --> 02:33:47.019
normally and I'm I'm committed to

02:33:47.480 --> 02:33:49.647
trying to solve that for those leaders

02:33:49.647 --> 02:33:51.869
and teammates who are out there at that

02:33:51.869 --> 02:33:53.980
site . Thank you . We'll look forward

02:33:53.980 --> 02:33:56.258
to continuing to work with you on that .

02:33:56.258 --> 02:33:58.369
So Secretary Hegseth , I wanna talk a

02:33:58.369 --> 02:34:00.480
little bit about AI because of course

02:34:00.480 --> 02:34:00.389
our service members deserve every

02:34:00.389 --> 02:34:02.556
advantage we can give them . So I just

02:34:02.556 --> 02:34:04.667
want you to help me understand this .

02:34:04.667 --> 02:34:06.778
In February , on the eve of Operation

02:34:06.778 --> 02:34:09.070
Epic Fury , you publicly designated

02:34:09.070 --> 02:34:11.650
anthropic as a supply chain risk .

02:34:12.150 --> 02:34:14.317
However , this week it's been reported

02:34:14.317 --> 02:34:16.317
that the White House is now helping

02:34:16.317 --> 02:34:18.372
agencies get around this decision to

02:34:18.372 --> 02:34:21.320
access anthropic's technology . So the

02:34:21.320 --> 02:34:23.320
administration cannot credibly make

02:34:23.320 --> 02:34:26.700
both claims simultaneously . So before

02:34:26.700 --> 02:34:28.811
I ask you about the inconsistency , I

02:34:28.811 --> 02:34:31.019
just want you to reconfirm what it is

02:34:31.019 --> 02:34:33.629
you plan to use this technology for .

02:34:33.690 --> 02:34:35.746
It's been publicly reported that the

02:34:35.746 --> 02:34:37.912
decision to label anthropic a national

02:34:37.912 --> 02:34:39.968
security risk was influenced by your

02:34:39.968 --> 02:34:41.857
personal and very public contract

02:34:41.857 --> 02:34:44.079
dispute with anthropic when the company

02:34:44.079 --> 02:34:46.190
said that its technology could not be

02:34:46.190 --> 02:34:48.200
used for fully autonomous weapons

02:34:48.500 --> 02:34:50.820
targeting or mass surveillance of

02:34:50.820 --> 02:34:53.299
Americans . So following up on your

02:34:53.299 --> 02:34:55.355
response to Senator Rounds earlier .

02:34:56.070 --> 02:34:58.389
Can you confirm whether or not there

02:34:58.389 --> 02:35:00.740
will always be a human in the loop when

02:35:00.740 --> 02:35:03.620
AI is used for lethal targeting

02:35:03.629 --> 02:35:06.750
decisions ? Well , first of all , on

02:35:06.750 --> 02:35:08.972
anthropic , they would not agree to our

02:35:08.972 --> 02:35:11.083
terms of service . That would be like

02:35:11.083 --> 02:35:13.250
Boeing giving us airplanes and telling

02:35:13.250 --> 02:35:15.417
us who we can shoot at . This is not ,

02:35:15.417 --> 02:35:15.209
they were not just about anthropic

02:35:15.209 --> 02:35:17.209
though . I just want to be , I just

02:35:17.209 --> 02:35:19.320
want to be clear . And also Anthropic

02:35:19.320 --> 02:35:21.376
is run by an ideological lunatic who

02:35:21.376 --> 02:35:23.709
shouldn't have a that's not my question .

02:35:23.709 --> 02:35:25.709
Question is AI decision making over

02:35:25.709 --> 02:35:27.820
what we do writ large . We follow the

02:35:27.820 --> 02:35:30.042
law . Senator AI , will you confirm you

02:35:30.042 --> 02:35:29.870
said this to Senator Rounds earlier ,

02:35:29.950 --> 02:35:31.894
so I'm just asking for you to , we

02:35:31.894 --> 02:35:34.006
follow the law , but we don't have to

02:35:34.006 --> 02:35:36.117
sign a different terms of agreement .

02:35:36.117 --> 02:35:38.339
That's not anthropic not the question .

02:35:38.339 --> 02:35:40.450
This is not about anthropic . This is

02:35:40.450 --> 02:35:42.672
just an example . I want you to confirm

02:35:42.672 --> 02:35:44.783
that whether or not there will always

02:35:44.783 --> 02:35:46.950
be a human in the loop when AI is used

02:35:46.950 --> 02:35:49.117
in the kill chain for lethal targeting

02:35:49.117 --> 02:35:51.061
decisions , will there always be a

02:35:51.061 --> 02:35:53.061
human in a loop or will AI make the

02:35:53.061 --> 02:35:56.059
decision ? You said this to we follow

02:35:56.059 --> 02:35:58.059
the law and humans make decisions .

02:36:00.940 --> 02:36:02.996
So you will confirm what you said to

02:36:02.996 --> 02:36:05.218
Senator Rounds that a human will always

02:36:05.218 --> 02:36:07.384
be in the loop when AI is used , which

02:36:07.384 --> 02:36:09.440
is why I'm just , that's part of our

02:36:09.440 --> 02:36:13.019
terms of service anyway . You know ,

02:36:13.169 --> 02:36:16.059
it's how we operate . All I want to say

02:36:16.059 --> 02:36:19.009
is this . There is a DOD directive

02:36:19.190 --> 02:36:23.549
3,0003,000.09

02:36:23.549 --> 02:36:25.493
which mandates that autonomous and

02:36:25.493 --> 02:36:27.790
semi-autonomous weapons systems be

02:36:27.790 --> 02:36:29.623
designed to allow commanders and

02:36:29.623 --> 02:36:31.512
operators to exercise appropriate

02:36:31.512 --> 02:36:33.950
levels of human judgment over use of

02:36:33.950 --> 02:36:37.190
force that is in the DOD . That's why

02:36:37.190 --> 02:36:39.301
we follow the law , Senator . So , so

02:36:39.301 --> 02:36:41.468
the answer is yes , Mr . The answer is

02:36:41.468 --> 02:36:43.879
we follow the law absolutely . I think

02:36:43.879 --> 02:36:45.990
this is more important than following

02:36:45.990 --> 02:36:48.101
the law . I think that people want to

02:36:48.101 --> 02:36:50.323
know that AI isn't going to make lethal

02:36:50.323 --> 02:36:52.435
decisions , and it's critically AI is

02:36:52.435 --> 02:36:54.500
not making lethal decisions . That's

02:36:54.500 --> 02:36:56.444
what we want to hear . We're gonna

02:36:56.444 --> 02:36:59.230
follow on that one . I have , uh , just

02:36:59.730 --> 02:37:03.309
a few seconds left , but . You keep

02:37:03.309 --> 02:37:06.519
doubling down on this phrase . Mr .

02:37:06.530 --> 02:37:08.830
Secretary , you compare journalists ,

02:37:08.889 --> 02:37:11.056
you compare us , you compare so many .

02:37:12.299 --> 02:37:14.980
To Pharisees , Pharisees , it's a

02:37:14.980 --> 02:37:17.540
problematic and historically weaponized

02:37:17.540 --> 02:37:19.596
term that cast Jewish communities as

02:37:19.596 --> 02:37:21.707
hypocritical or morally corrupt . You

02:37:21.707 --> 02:37:25.150
doubled down again and said it . Words

02:37:25.150 --> 02:37:27.740
matter . Words matter what you choose

02:37:27.740 --> 02:37:30.519
to say , how we choose to say it . How

02:37:30.519 --> 02:37:32.639
do you justify using this language as

02:37:32.639 --> 02:37:34.750
Secretary of Defense ? Words matter .

02:37:34.750 --> 02:37:38.040
It's a historically hurtful term . Why

02:37:38.040 --> 02:37:40.150
do you continue to use it and what

02:37:40.150 --> 02:37:42.039
actions are you taking to prevent

02:37:42.039 --> 02:37:43.983
rhetoric like this from permeating

02:37:43.983 --> 02:37:46.206
throughout the department that is going

02:37:46.206 --> 02:37:47.817
to target specific groups or

02:37:47.817 --> 02:37:49.872
individuals of people based on their

02:37:50.280 --> 02:37:54.240
religion ? Senator , I feel like it's

02:37:54.240 --> 02:37:56.849
a pretty accurate term for folks who

02:37:56.849 --> 02:37:58.905
don't see the plank in their own eye

02:37:58.905 --> 02:38:00.905
and always want to see what's wrong

02:38:00.905 --> 02:38:02.905
with an operation as opposed to the

02:38:02.905 --> 02:38:02.839
historic success of preventing Iran

02:38:02.839 --> 02:38:04.895
from getting a nuclear weapon . So I

02:38:04.895 --> 02:38:07.049
stand by it . You stand by calling

02:38:07.049 --> 02:38:11.049
people Pharisees . Sir , I cannot . I

02:38:11.049 --> 02:38:14.339
cannot stand for that . That is wrong .

02:38:14.530 --> 02:38:16.889
It is not respectful to people , and I

02:38:16.889 --> 02:38:20.360
expect anyone who is in leadership in

02:38:20.360 --> 02:38:23.990
our country to be respectful

02:38:24.610 --> 02:38:27.669
and use respectful terms and not be an

02:38:27.679 --> 02:38:31.620
anti-Semite . Um , thank you ,

02:38:31.780 --> 02:38:35.469
Senator Rosen . Um , the chair ,

02:38:35.660 --> 02:38:38.160
uh , and the ranking member have no

02:38:38.540 --> 02:38:41.509
second round questions . I'm told by

02:38:41.509 --> 02:38:43.731
Senator Kelly that he would like to ask

02:38:43.731 --> 02:38:47.309
a , a , second question . Yeah , Mr .

02:38:47.469 --> 02:38:51.269
Secretary , so $1.5 trillion 1.5 is a

02:38:51.269 --> 02:38:54.769
very round number . Um , you know , if

02:38:54.769 --> 02:38:56.713
you're putting together a budget ,

02:38:56.713 --> 02:38:58.658
you'd come up with , these are the

02:38:58.658 --> 02:39:01.089
problems we're trying to solve . This

02:39:01.089 --> 02:39:04.129
is the capability we need . These are

02:39:04.129 --> 02:39:07.419
the systems we have to buy . And at the

02:39:07.419 --> 02:39:09.475
end of the day , it would spit out a

02:39:09.475 --> 02:39:11.308
number and it's probably not 1.5

02:39:11.308 --> 02:39:13.308
trillion . So to me , it feels like

02:39:13.308 --> 02:39:15.530
that number was just kind of pulled out

02:39:15.530 --> 02:39:19.299
of thin air . I took a look

02:39:19.299 --> 02:39:23.299
recently and it seems that the defense

02:39:23.299 --> 02:39:26.509
budget of the rest of the world . I'm

02:39:26.509 --> 02:39:30.120
talking China , Russia , India , every

02:39:30.120 --> 02:39:32.398
Asian country , every European country ,

02:39:32.398 --> 02:39:35.030
South America , everybody else is in

02:39:35.030 --> 02:39:37.309
the neighborhood . It looked like 1.7

02:39:37.309 --> 02:39:41.209
to 1.8 . So your request

02:39:41.230 --> 02:39:44.480
is approaching . All defense spending

02:39:44.480 --> 02:39:46.647
from everybody else with the exception

02:39:46.647 --> 02:39:49.219
of us . That is a huge amount of money .

02:39:49.639 --> 02:39:51.861
You know , when I got here , you know ,

02:39:51.861 --> 02:39:55.459
just 5 years ago , it was almost half

02:39:56.240 --> 02:39:59.400
of that . Through budget reconciliation ,

02:39:59.440 --> 02:40:02.740
you've received a bunch of money to buy

02:40:02.919 --> 02:40:05.599
things of some of the weapons systems ,

02:40:05.679 --> 02:40:07.790
you know , to resupply what we need .

02:40:08.309 --> 02:40:10.400
I'm just trying to understand , you

02:40:10.400 --> 02:40:12.400
know , like where is all this money

02:40:12.400 --> 02:40:14.622
going to go , and if you've figured out

02:40:14.839 --> 02:40:16.839
ahead of time , what do you want to

02:40:16.839 --> 02:40:19.610
spend this on ? And by the way , There

02:40:19.610 --> 02:40:21.849
are systems the president wants , you

02:40:21.849 --> 02:40:25.169
know , he saw , um , last summer how

02:40:25.169 --> 02:40:27.799
effective Iron Dome and David's Sling

02:40:27.799 --> 02:40:31.419
were . And because of that , The

02:40:31.419 --> 02:40:33.586
president decided we're going to build

02:40:33.940 --> 02:40:36.051
our own version . We're going to call

02:40:36.051 --> 02:40:38.107
it Golden Dome because the president

02:40:38.107 --> 02:40:40.990
likes the color gold . We've seen that ,

02:40:41.370 --> 02:40:43.592
see it in the Oval Office . We're going

02:40:43.592 --> 02:40:45.703
to call it Golden Dome , and it might

02:40:45.703 --> 02:40:47.870
cost somewhere between $500 billion.01

02:40:47.870 --> 02:40:49.870
trillion dollars . I've heard those

02:40:49.870 --> 02:40:51.703
estimates . By the way , on that

02:40:51.703 --> 02:40:53.703
problem , I know a little bit about

02:40:53.703 --> 02:40:55.648
intercepting stuff in space . It's

02:40:55.648 --> 02:40:57.959
really hard , and the physics on this

02:40:57.959 --> 02:41:00.259
favors the offense . There's some

02:41:00.259 --> 02:41:03.330
things in that program that I think is

02:41:03.330 --> 02:41:05.497
really important that we do and try to

02:41:05.497 --> 02:41:07.330
figure it , figure it out . But

02:41:07.330 --> 02:41:09.650
space-based interceptors . To hit

02:41:09.650 --> 02:41:12.169
multiple targets . And by the way ,

02:41:12.290 --> 02:41:14.568
it's important how you size the system .

02:41:15.049 --> 02:41:17.400
So , I'm trying to understand , Mr .

02:41:17.410 --> 02:41:19.632
Secretary , what kind of detail did you

02:41:19.632 --> 02:41:22.769
guys , did you work out like a detailed

02:41:22.769 --> 02:41:24.769
plan and at the end of the day , it

02:41:24.769 --> 02:41:26.991
came out , oh , it just happens to come

02:41:26.991 --> 02:41:30.870
out to be $1.5 trillion . Senator , the

02:41:30.870 --> 02:41:33.799
exact amount is actually $1.535

02:41:33.799 --> 02:41:35.743
trillion and it was a product of a

02:41:35.743 --> 02:41:37.929
highly rigorous process throughout our

02:41:37.929 --> 02:41:40.070
department . From COCOM commanders to

02:41:40.070 --> 02:41:42.070
the services with our comptroller ,

02:41:42.070 --> 02:41:44.126
with our deputy secretary , with the

02:41:44.126 --> 02:41:46.014
chairman and myself to ensure the

02:41:46.014 --> 02:41:48.070
budget reflects the realities of the

02:41:48.070 --> 02:41:47.830
world we live in and the capabilities

02:41:47.830 --> 02:41:49.719
we're gonna need . And that's why

02:41:49.719 --> 02:41:51.886
there's $65 billion for shipbuilding ,

02:41:51.886 --> 02:41:54.108
$120 billion for the defense industrial

02:41:54.108 --> 02:41:57.700
base , $331 billion for munitions , $44

02:41:57.700 --> 02:41:59.980
billion for quality of life , $71

02:41:59.980 --> 02:42:02.091
billion on our nuclear dib , you name

02:42:02.091 --> 02:42:04.147
it , we're investing in it . And the

02:42:04.147 --> 02:42:05.758
biggest reason for it is the

02:42:05.758 --> 02:42:07.369
underinvestment of the Biden

02:42:07.369 --> 02:42:09.591
administration . I mean what they spent

02:42:09.591 --> 02:42:11.758
on defense , the continued resolutions

02:42:11.758 --> 02:42:13.813
and others undercut the buildup that

02:42:13.813 --> 02:42:13.610
President Trump had created . So yes ,

02:42:13.940 --> 02:42:15.773
we're doing a lot of uh deferred

02:42:15.773 --> 02:42:17.884
maintenance here around the world and

02:42:17.884 --> 02:42:19.884
in our department , and this budget

02:42:19.884 --> 02:42:22.107
reflects it , and it's a commitment , a

02:42:22.107 --> 02:42:24.329
generational commitment to the security

02:42:24.329 --> 02:42:23.900
of the American people . And if the

02:42:23.900 --> 02:42:26.067
rest of the world won't spend on their

02:42:26.067 --> 02:42:28.011
defense , that's their fault . The

02:42:28.011 --> 02:42:30.178
American Department of War will invest

02:42:30.178 --> 02:42:32.456
properly to defend the American people ,

02:42:32.456 --> 02:42:34.622
and that's what this budget stands for

02:42:34.622 --> 02:42:36.789
supportive . Of defense spending in my

02:42:36.789 --> 02:42:38.900
entire time here . And after 25 years

02:42:38.900 --> 02:42:41.011
in the Navy , I want to make sure our

02:42:41.011 --> 02:42:43.519
folks have what they need . I think you

02:42:43.519 --> 02:42:46.589
should go back and take a look and see

02:42:46.799 --> 02:42:49.021
if there are places where we are making

02:42:49.021 --> 02:42:51.355
investments that we actually don't need .

02:42:51.355 --> 02:42:53.410
There are some systems out there . I

02:42:53.410 --> 02:42:55.521
mean , we're constantly looking and ,

02:42:55.521 --> 02:42:57.577
and trying to balance . Do we want ,

02:42:57.577 --> 02:42:59.466
you know , F-47 , which I've been

02:42:59.466 --> 02:43:01.679
supportive of , um , B-21 also

02:43:01.679 --> 02:43:03.849
supportive . And then we want to make

02:43:03.849 --> 02:43:06.299
all these other investments in really

02:43:06.299 --> 02:43:09.700
inexpensive , low-cost e uh

02:43:09.700 --> 02:43:12.780
munitions because we suddenly realized

02:43:12.780 --> 02:43:14.900
that the expensive stuff , even with

02:43:14.900 --> 02:43:17.259
through B-21 , we can't really maybe

02:43:17.259 --> 02:43:19.315
not get close enough . But the whole

02:43:19.315 --> 02:43:21.490
idea behind B-21 and F-47 is we can

02:43:21.490 --> 02:43:24.080
penetrate further into the A2AD bubble .

02:43:24.740 --> 02:43:27.889
So there's some conflict there . So I'm

02:43:27.889 --> 02:43:30.269
just encouraging you to go back and see ,

02:43:30.969 --> 02:43:33.025
you know , if there are some systems

02:43:33.025 --> 02:43:35.200
where we can bring that number , the

02:43:35.200 --> 02:43:38.089
overall number down , because as I look

02:43:38.089 --> 02:43:40.450
at what the department is trying to

02:43:40.450 --> 02:43:42.730
field , you know , some of this stuff

02:43:42.730 --> 02:43:44.889
in my judgment , and , you know , I

02:43:44.889 --> 02:43:47.167
know others might have another opinion ,

02:43:47.209 --> 02:43:49.629
some of this stuff we either don't need

02:43:49.809 --> 02:43:52.031
or it's not going to work . Thank you ,

02:43:52.031 --> 02:43:54.253
Mr . Chairman . Serge Kelly , your time

02:43:54.253 --> 02:43:56.253
has expired . Let me just say , You

02:43:56.253 --> 02:43:58.365
have a great deal of expertise in the

02:43:58.365 --> 02:44:00.309
area of space and , and we do look

02:44:00.309 --> 02:44:02.669
forward to , uh , your contribution as

02:44:02.669 --> 02:44:05.320
we mark up , uh , further legislation .

02:44:05.639 --> 02:44:07.750
Senator Blumenthal , I understand you

02:44:07.750 --> 02:44:10.459
have a follow-up question . Uh , yes .

02:44:11.400 --> 02:44:13.511
Uh , first of all , I want to thank ,

02:44:13.511 --> 02:44:16.549
uh . You , Mr . Secretary , for your

02:44:16.549 --> 02:44:19.139
support for the Major Richard Starr Act ,

02:44:19.190 --> 02:44:21.870
which uh I think is tremendously

02:44:21.870 --> 02:44:24.400
significant . Uh , I'm committed to

02:44:24.400 --> 02:44:26.511
getting it done as soon as possible .

02:44:27.349 --> 02:44:30.339
At least before Veterans Day , and I

02:44:30.440 --> 02:44:32.051
look forward to your help in

02:44:32.051 --> 02:44:34.280
accomplishing that goal , but I want to

02:44:34.280 --> 02:44:36.391
thank you for your support . I'm sure

02:44:36.391 --> 02:44:39.809
the veterans of America . are grateful

02:44:39.809 --> 02:44:43.179
for the prospective victory there . Um .

02:44:44.900 --> 02:44:47.067
I've talked to many of the combatant .

02:44:47.790 --> 02:44:51.200
Commanders About lessons learned from

02:44:51.200 --> 02:44:54.629
Ukraine . And uh .

02:44:55.820 --> 02:44:58.589
I think that there is unanimity on the

02:44:58.589 --> 02:45:01.549
point that there is a lot to be learned .

02:45:02.860 --> 02:45:05.179
Not only about what the Russians are

02:45:05.179 --> 02:45:07.123
doing , but what other adversaries

02:45:07.123 --> 02:45:09.200
could do as well . General Kaine ,

02:45:09.700 --> 02:45:12.459
Chairman Kaine , um , Would you agree

02:45:12.459 --> 02:45:14.515
that there are lessons to be learned

02:45:14.515 --> 02:45:17.910
from Ukraine ? Uh , you bet , you bet ,

02:45:18.030 --> 02:45:20.141
Senator , and there's lessons learned

02:45:20.141 --> 02:45:22.363
from everywhere , and that's really the

02:45:22.363 --> 02:45:24.586
culture of our joint force right now is

02:45:24.586 --> 02:45:26.641
to make sure that across the globe ,

02:45:26.641 --> 02:45:28.974
anytime we're in contact with the enemy ,

02:45:28.974 --> 02:45:31.086
we're going back and determining what

02:45:31.086 --> 02:45:33.363
we can learn from there . But , um , I ,

02:45:33.363 --> 02:45:35.474
you know , a big one , if , if you'll

02:45:35.474 --> 02:45:37.697
allow me , a big one is , is , uh , You

02:45:37.697 --> 02:45:39.780
know , mass and , and simultaneity ,

02:45:39.860 --> 02:45:41.804
which is something the secretary's

02:45:41.804 --> 02:45:44.027
taken a strong role in making sure that

02:45:44.027 --> 02:45:46.138
we're doing that through , uh , drone

02:45:46.138 --> 02:45:48.360
evaluations and things like that moving

02:45:48.360 --> 02:45:52.330
forward . Following up on a question

02:45:52.330 --> 02:45:55.379
that I asked earlier , my last question ,

02:45:55.759 --> 02:45:58.000
er , the president said yesterday that

02:45:58.000 --> 02:46:01.179
his view is after his conversation with

02:46:01.599 --> 02:46:04.480
Vladimir Putin , that Ukraine has been

02:46:04.480 --> 02:46:08.129
quote militarily defeated . In

02:46:08.129 --> 02:46:10.910
your Professional judgment . Has

02:46:10.910 --> 02:46:13.610
Ukraine been militarily defeated , Sir ,

02:46:13.669 --> 02:46:15.929
I haven't seen the president's quote ,

02:46:16.070 --> 02:46:18.110
but you know , I'll go back to

02:46:18.110 --> 02:46:20.660
something I started with and That's the

02:46:20.660 --> 02:46:24.389
important importance of me maintaining

02:46:24.389 --> 02:46:27.440
trust with a variety of people , and

02:46:27.459 --> 02:46:30.259
you know , a president will make a wide

02:46:30.259 --> 02:46:32.230
range of , of comments and

02:46:32.230 --> 02:46:34.174
considerations as the commander in

02:46:34.174 --> 02:46:36.286
chief . You don't have to go too much

02:46:36.286 --> 02:46:38.397
farther . I understand the point that

02:46:38.397 --> 02:46:38.339
you're making . Thank you . I

02:46:38.339 --> 02:46:41.429
appreciate it , Senator . In my view ,

02:46:42.040 --> 02:46:44.290
Ukraine has not only not been

02:46:44.290 --> 02:46:46.290
militarily defeated , but the point

02:46:46.290 --> 02:46:48.401
that I was trying to make in the last

02:46:48.401 --> 02:46:51.809
exchange with the secretary , there's a

02:46:51.809 --> 02:46:54.610
false narrative . Based on my last

02:46:54.610 --> 02:46:57.559
visit to Ukraine . Which was my 9th ,

02:46:57.759 --> 02:47:00.620
my conversation not only with President

02:47:00.839 --> 02:47:04.459
Zelensky , but with our own military

02:47:04.639 --> 02:47:07.040
on the ground as well as our

02:47:07.040 --> 02:47:09.059
intelligence community . In fact ,

02:47:11.000 --> 02:47:13.167
Ukraine arguably is winning . There is

02:47:13.167 --> 02:47:15.500
this false narrative . Russia's winning .

02:47:15.500 --> 02:47:17.667
Putin wants that false narrative to be

02:47:17.667 --> 02:47:19.500
our official narrative . I'm not

02:47:19.500 --> 02:47:21.611
putting words in your mouth , and you

02:47:21.611 --> 02:47:23.667
don't have to respond . I understand

02:47:23.667 --> 02:47:25.778
your reasons for not responding , but

02:47:25.778 --> 02:47:27.944
the American people should know . That

02:47:27.944 --> 02:47:30.056
the President of the United States is

02:47:30.056 --> 02:47:32.179
undermining our security because

02:47:32.179 --> 02:47:35.059
Ukraine is holding the line against

02:47:35.059 --> 02:47:38.969
Vladimir Putin , who will keep Going

02:47:39.549 --> 02:47:41.716
against Moldova , which I also visited

02:47:41.716 --> 02:47:44.629
on my last trip , against our NATO

02:47:44.629 --> 02:47:46.296
allies , and we still have an

02:47:46.296 --> 02:47:49.709
obligation under Article 5 to come to

02:47:49.709 --> 02:47:53.169
their defense just as they did .

02:47:54.549 --> 02:47:56.780
After 9/11 , as King Charles so

02:47:57.700 --> 02:48:01.700
eloquently reminded us , and my view is ,

02:48:01.830 --> 02:48:04.469
and this observation is hardly novel ,

02:48:04.860 --> 02:48:07.082
that China is watching what we're doing

02:48:07.082 --> 02:48:10.830
in Ukraine . Would you agree ? Sir ,

02:48:10.870 --> 02:48:12.709
I'd agree that China's watching

02:48:12.709 --> 02:48:15.589
everywhere , um , and carefully

02:48:15.589 --> 02:48:17.811
thinking about what their force posture

02:48:17.811 --> 02:48:20.070
and approach will be , and , uh , I

02:48:20.070 --> 02:48:23.059
think they're learning a variety of

02:48:23.059 --> 02:48:25.349
things to include the tenacity and grit

02:48:25.349 --> 02:48:27.509
of the joint force around the things

02:48:27.509 --> 02:48:29.676
that we've been ordered to do over the

02:48:29.676 --> 02:48:32.509
last year . But if they see weakness in

02:48:32.509 --> 02:48:35.429
our response to Russia and Ukraine ,

02:48:35.870 --> 02:48:39.599
that will affect . The deterrence of

02:48:39.599 --> 02:48:43.360
their possibly Moving against

02:48:43.549 --> 02:48:47.320
one of our allies or partners in the

02:48:47.320 --> 02:48:49.653
Far East . Let me , uh , finally ask Mr .

02:48:49.653 --> 02:48:53.440
Hurst , um , your estimate of $25

02:48:53.440 --> 02:48:56.259
billion would you share with us ? What

02:48:56.259 --> 02:49:00.169
that estimate is based on . Yeah ,

02:49:00.269 --> 02:49:02.491
we , we can work to get you a product ,

02:49:02.491 --> 02:49:05.099
the details if you'd like . And finally ,

02:49:05.169 --> 02:49:07.391
Mr . Secretary , is there going to be a

02:49:07.391 --> 02:49:11.349
report on The bombing of the school in

02:49:11.349 --> 02:49:14.110
the first day or so of the war . I know

02:49:14.110 --> 02:49:16.332
you were asked about it yesterday . I'm

02:49:16.332 --> 02:49:19.240
wondering whether you have a Uh , more

02:49:19.240 --> 02:49:21.296
detailed response that you can share

02:49:21.296 --> 02:49:23.480
with us . As I've said , that's under

02:49:23.480 --> 02:49:25.313
investigation at 156 . A general

02:49:25.313 --> 02:49:27.202
officer from outside the chain of

02:49:27.202 --> 02:49:29.313
command has been reviewing it , and ,

02:49:29.313 --> 02:49:31.424
uh , it's still within the parameters

02:49:31.424 --> 02:49:33.591
of the investigation . Will there be a

02:49:33.591 --> 02:49:35.647
preliminary report ? In the next few

02:49:35.647 --> 02:49:37.924
weeks , or do you have a time estimate ?

02:49:38.990 --> 02:49:41.157
I don't have a time estimate for you ,

02:49:41.157 --> 02:49:43.490
but it , it , uh , it , it will be , it ,

02:49:43.490 --> 02:49:45.712
it's right now within the parameters of

02:49:45.712 --> 02:49:47.879
the length of time that normally these

02:49:47.879 --> 02:49:50.046
investigations take . I'm , I'm asking

02:49:50.046 --> 02:49:51.934
because in your final response to

02:49:51.934 --> 02:49:54.219
Senator Gillibrand , you said that

02:49:54.740 --> 02:49:57.160
great care is taken to avoid civilian

02:49:57.799 --> 02:50:00.519
casualties and it would be profoundly

02:50:00.519 --> 02:50:02.575
significant if that report were made

02:50:02.575 --> 02:50:05.080
available in a timely way to show , in

02:50:05.080 --> 02:50:07.250
fact , the commitment to . Avoiding

02:50:07.250 --> 02:50:09.083
civilian casualties and learning

02:50:09.083 --> 02:50:11.830
lessons from the mistake made there .

02:50:12.410 --> 02:50:14.521
Thank you , Senator Blumenthal . Um ,

02:50:14.521 --> 02:50:16.577
this concludes today's hearing . I'd

02:50:16.577 --> 02:50:18.688
like to thank our witnesses for their

02:50:18.688 --> 02:50:20.632
testimony . For the information of

02:50:20.632 --> 02:50:22.577
members . Questions for the record

02:50:22.577 --> 02:50:24.743
would be due to the committee within 2

02:50:24.743 --> 02:50:26.910
business days of the conclusion of the

02:50:26.910 --> 02:50:26.809
hearing . We are adjourned .