1 00:00:02,359 --> 00:00:05,329 Hello , good afternoon everyone . Um I 2 00:00:05,340 --> 00:00:07,960 do have quite a few items at the top . 3 00:00:07,969 --> 00:00:10,191 So if you'll just bear with me and then 4 00:00:10,191 --> 00:00:12,080 I'd be happy to jump in and start 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,302 taking your questions . So earlier this 6 00:00:14,302 --> 00:00:16,299 week , as , as you may have seen , 7 00:00:16,309 --> 00:00:18,420 Secretary Austin gave opening remarks 8 00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:20,253 yesterday at the Ukraine Defense 9 00:00:20,253 --> 00:00:22,365 Industrial Based Conference held here 10 00:00:22,365 --> 00:00:24,520 in Washington DC . The conference 11 00:00:24,530 --> 00:00:26,530 connected Relevant US and Ukrainian 12 00:00:26,530 --> 00:00:28,752 industry and government representatives 13 00:00:28,752 --> 00:00:30,641 to discuss initiatives that could 14 00:00:30,641 --> 00:00:32,697 enhance Ukraine's defense industrial 15 00:00:32,697 --> 00:00:34,919 base and build on and build on momentum 16 00:00:34,919 --> 00:00:36,808 generated by a successful event . 17 00:00:36,808 --> 00:00:38,808 Ukraine hosted in Kiev in September 18 00:00:38,808 --> 00:00:41,599 2023 . All of which signals strong us 19 00:00:41,610 --> 00:00:43,277 support for enhanced industry 20 00:00:43,277 --> 00:00:45,610 partnership . As part of the conference , 21 00:00:45,779 --> 00:00:47,830 Dr Bill Lalan under Secretary for 22 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,896 acquisition and sustainment convened 23 00:00:49,896 --> 00:00:51,840 the eighth meeting of the National 24 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:53,618 Armament Directors uh under the 25 00:00:53,618 --> 00:00:55,840 auspices of the Ukraine defense contact 26 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:57,896 group . Today . The meeting is being 27 00:00:57,896 --> 00:00:59,896 held here at the Pentagon the first 28 00:00:59,896 --> 00:01:02,118 time the forum has convened here in the 29 00:01:02,118 --> 00:01:04,118 United States . This meeting brings 30 00:01:04,118 --> 00:01:06,173 together more than 40 nations , NATO 31 00:01:06,173 --> 00:01:08,173 and the European Union to engage on 32 00:01:08,173 --> 00:01:09,951 industrial base and sustainment 33 00:01:09,951 --> 00:01:12,062 challenges in support of Ukraine both 34 00:01:12,062 --> 00:01:14,229 for their immediate requirements while 35 00:01:14,229 --> 00:01:16,229 also supporting Ukraine's long term 36 00:01:16,229 --> 00:01:18,340 defense and national security needs . 37 00:01:18,340 --> 00:01:20,396 Later in that in the day , Secretary 38 00:01:20,396 --> 00:01:22,396 Austin hosted Ukrainian Minister of 39 00:01:22,396 --> 00:01:24,284 Defense Um Umarov for a bilateral 40 00:01:24,284 --> 00:01:26,451 meeting . Secretary Austin highlighted 41 00:01:26,451 --> 00:01:28,618 the department's ongoing activities to 42 00:01:28,618 --> 00:01:30,562 meet Ukraine's urgent requirements 43 00:01:30,562 --> 00:01:32,729 including the announcement of the 52nd 44 00:01:32,729 --> 00:01:34,951 tranche of security assistance from dod 45 00:01:34,951 --> 00:01:37,709 inventories for Ukraine . The package 46 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:39,498 included additional air defense 47 00:01:39,498 --> 00:01:41,629 capabilities , artillery ammunition , 48 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:43,911 anti tank weapons and other equipment 49 00:01:43,911 --> 00:01:45,800 to help Ukraine counter Russia's 50 00:01:45,809 --> 00:01:48,150 ongoing war of aggression . This 51 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,327 package utilized assistance previously 52 00:01:50,327 --> 00:01:52,370 authorized for Ukraine during prior 53 00:01:52,379 --> 00:01:54,379 fiscal years under the presidential 54 00:01:54,379 --> 00:01:56,900 drawdown authority but it is critical 55 00:01:56,919 --> 00:01:59,050 as you all know that Congress passed 56 00:01:59,059 --> 00:02:00,948 the president's national security 57 00:02:00,948 --> 00:02:03,059 supplemental request to ensure we can 58 00:02:03,059 --> 00:02:05,290 continue to support Ukraine security 59 00:02:05,300 --> 00:02:07,189 assistance for Ukraine is a smart 60 00:02:07,189 --> 00:02:09,189 investment in our national security 61 00:02:09,189 --> 00:02:11,300 because it helps prevent a larger war 62 00:02:11,300 --> 00:02:13,189 in Europe while strengthening our 63 00:02:13,189 --> 00:02:15,244 defense industrial base and creating 64 00:02:15,244 --> 00:02:17,244 skilled jobs back home here for the 65 00:02:17,244 --> 00:02:18,911 American people . And without 66 00:02:18,911 --> 00:02:21,133 additional funding , the department may 67 00:02:21,133 --> 00:02:23,022 soon reach a point where it can't 68 00:02:23,022 --> 00:02:22,750 sustain the current level of security 69 00:02:22,759 --> 00:02:25,559 assistance . Support to Ukraine . Also 70 00:02:25,570 --> 00:02:27,681 yesterday , the US Air Force Navy and 71 00:02:27,681 --> 00:02:29,848 Marine Corps in co ordination with the 72 00:02:29,848 --> 00:02:31,737 department's V 22 . Joint program 73 00:02:31,737 --> 00:02:33,848 office announced an operational stand 74 00:02:33,848 --> 00:02:35,990 down for all osprey variants in the 75 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,410 wake of the November 29th CV 22 mishap 76 00:02:39,479 --> 00:02:42,080 off the coast of Japan . This action is 77 00:02:42,089 --> 00:02:44,311 being taken out of abundance of caution 78 00:02:44,311 --> 00:02:46,119 while the AFS investigation is 79 00:02:46,130 --> 00:02:48,910 conducted as each service conducts 80 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,141 operational safety reviews within their 81 00:02:51,141 --> 00:02:53,197 fleets . Each will re evaluate their 82 00:02:53,197 --> 00:02:55,419 respective grounding bulletins and then 83 00:02:55,419 --> 00:02:57,641 determine timelines for resuming flight 84 00:02:57,641 --> 00:02:59,808 operations in close coordinations with 85 00:02:59,808 --> 00:03:01,863 the joint program office . We'd also 86 00:03:01,863 --> 00:03:03,975 like to thank the government of Japan 87 00:03:03,975 --> 00:03:06,141 for all their assistance in the search 88 00:03:06,141 --> 00:03:08,197 and recovery efforts throughout this 89 00:03:08,197 --> 00:03:10,419 incident . And we will continue to work 90 00:03:10,419 --> 00:03:12,475 with them on sharing information and 91 00:03:12,475 --> 00:03:11,809 safety procedures during the 92 00:03:11,820 --> 00:03:13,710 investigation . Of course , our 93 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:15,776 thoughts remain with the families of 94 00:03:15,776 --> 00:03:17,809 those airmen who are lost air force 95 00:03:17,820 --> 00:03:19,487 Special Operations Command is 96 00:03:19,487 --> 00:03:21,653 investigating the CV 22 mishap and I'd 97 00:03:21,653 --> 00:03:23,709 refer you to them for any additional 98 00:03:23,709 --> 00:03:26,330 questions . Switching gears to Congress . 99 00:03:26,490 --> 00:03:28,212 Earlier this week , the Senate 100 00:03:28,212 --> 00:03:30,350 confirmed over 420 of our highly 101 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,471 qualified general and flag officers . 102 00:03:32,539 --> 00:03:34,817 These holds have dragged on for months , 103 00:03:34,817 --> 00:03:36,817 degraded our military readiness and 104 00:03:36,817 --> 00:03:38,817 forced far too many of our military 105 00:03:38,817 --> 00:03:41,039 families to put their lives on hold and 106 00:03:41,039 --> 00:03:43,095 endure even greater sacrifices . And 107 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:45,267 while this was welcome news , we still 108 00:03:45,267 --> 00:03:47,489 have dozens of officers that still have 109 00:03:47,489 --> 00:03:49,711 had holds placed on them , some of whom 110 00:03:49,711 --> 00:03:51,929 are four stars . We urge the Senate to 111 00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:54,107 confirm the remainder of our qualified 112 00:03:54,107 --> 00:03:56,329 military leaders as soon as possible so 113 00:03:56,329 --> 00:03:58,440 that we can have our team in place to 114 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,329 meet this critical moment for our 115 00:04:00,329 --> 00:04:02,384 national security and shifting gears 116 00:04:02,384 --> 00:04:04,607 again . Uh Next week , Deputy Secretary 117 00:04:04,610 --> 00:04:06,666 of Defense Kathleen Hicks will visit 118 00:04:06,666 --> 00:04:08,943 locations in Silicon Valley California . 119 00:04:08,943 --> 00:04:11,054 She will visit the defense Innovation 120 00:04:11,054 --> 00:04:12,943 Unit where she will meet with diu 121 00:04:12,943 --> 00:04:15,054 personnel who are accelerating the US 122 00:04:15,054 --> 00:04:16,943 military's adoption of commercial 123 00:04:16,943 --> 00:04:18,832 technology to strengthen national 124 00:04:18,832 --> 00:04:21,054 security . And she will also receive an 125 00:04:21,054 --> 00:04:23,277 update on DIU projects through a series 126 00:04:23,277 --> 00:04:25,332 of capabilities demonstrations . She 127 00:04:25,332 --> 00:04:27,332 will also meet with a wide range of 128 00:04:27,332 --> 00:04:29,110 industry leaders to discuss the 129 00:04:29,110 --> 00:04:31,166 department's replicator initiative , 130 00:04:31,166 --> 00:04:32,832 discuss innovation across the 131 00:04:32,832 --> 00:04:34,999 department and see demonstrations of A 132 00:04:34,999 --> 00:04:37,110 I powered autonomous technologies and 133 00:04:37,110 --> 00:04:39,166 just one more item . earlier today , 134 00:04:39,166 --> 00:04:41,054 Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin 135 00:04:41,054 --> 00:04:43,277 called his Royal Highness Prince Khalid 136 00:04:43,277 --> 00:04:45,850 Bin Soleiman . Saudi , Minister S Saudi 137 00:04:45,859 --> 00:04:48,070 Minister of Defense to discuss houthis 138 00:04:48,100 --> 00:04:50,322 threats to freedom of navigation in the 139 00:04:50,322 --> 00:04:52,544 Red Sea . We will have a readout coming 140 00:04:52,544 --> 00:04:54,767 shortly if you don't already have it in 141 00:04:54,767 --> 00:04:56,933 your inbox with that . I'd be happy to 142 00:04:56,933 --> 00:04:59,156 open up to some questions . Do you want 143 00:04:59,156 --> 00:05:01,211 to start us , Sena ? Um First on the 144 00:05:01,211 --> 00:05:03,378 Osprey , the Osprey makes up a sizable 145 00:05:03,378 --> 00:05:05,600 portion of the Marine Corps Fleet . Air 146 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:07,600 fleet . How is Marine Corps and Air 147 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:09,656 Force and Navy going to mitigate the 148 00:05:09,656 --> 00:05:11,799 loss of uh access to this aircraft 149 00:05:11,809 --> 00:05:13,976 while this investigation is going on ? 150 00:05:13,976 --> 00:05:16,198 Well , because it's something that they 151 00:05:16,198 --> 00:05:18,309 are instituting in terms of the stand 152 00:05:18,309 --> 00:05:20,476 down . I'd really uh refer you to them 153 00:05:20,476 --> 00:05:22,531 to speak to um how they are managing 154 00:05:22,531 --> 00:05:24,698 this , um this stand down and how it's 155 00:05:24,698 --> 00:05:26,365 um impacting or not their own 156 00:05:26,365 --> 00:05:28,476 operations . So I'd refer you to them 157 00:05:28,476 --> 00:05:30,365 to speak to . That is a secretary 158 00:05:30,365 --> 00:05:32,365 concerned about a loss of this many 159 00:05:32,365 --> 00:05:34,420 aircraft at once with so many things 160 00:05:34,420 --> 00:05:36,642 going on , the secretary fully supports 161 00:05:36,642 --> 00:05:38,698 the services and they're um out of , 162 00:05:38,698 --> 00:05:40,976 you know , the abundance of caution to , 163 00:05:40,976 --> 00:05:43,031 to stand these , these fleet , these 164 00:05:43,031 --> 00:05:45,198 aircraft down . This is something that 165 00:05:45,198 --> 00:05:47,420 we've done before . Um , whenever there 166 00:05:47,420 --> 00:05:49,642 is a mishap that , um , a service feels 167 00:05:49,642 --> 00:05:52,154 needs , um , either more investigation 168 00:05:52,165 --> 00:05:54,443 or just out of an abundance of caution , 169 00:05:54,443 --> 00:05:56,665 um , there have been stand downs of the 170 00:05:56,665 --> 00:05:58,887 of fleets before of other platforms and 171 00:05:58,887 --> 00:06:01,109 so the secretary of course supports the 172 00:06:01,109 --> 00:06:03,276 service's decision to do that . Um And 173 00:06:03,276 --> 00:06:05,387 again , I'd refer you to the services 174 00:06:05,387 --> 00:06:07,554 regarding their , their details on the 175 00:06:07,554 --> 00:06:09,832 pause of operations . And then uh last , 176 00:06:09,832 --> 00:06:12,054 the , the Pentagon for more than a year 177 00:06:12,054 --> 00:06:11,885 has been trying to stand up a flight 178 00:06:11,894 --> 00:06:14,265 safety office where all of this data is 179 00:06:14,274 --> 00:06:16,163 supposed to go to be able to look 180 00:06:16,163 --> 00:06:18,274 across services , see trends . What's 181 00:06:18,274 --> 00:06:20,385 the status of that office ? And is it 182 00:06:20,385 --> 00:06:22,607 looking to this incident ? I don't have 183 00:06:22,607 --> 00:06:25,279 a status update on the office , but as 184 00:06:25,290 --> 00:06:28,059 I mentioned , um in the beginning , we 185 00:06:28,070 --> 00:06:30,126 do have the joint program office for 186 00:06:30,126 --> 00:06:32,348 this platform that is coordinating with 187 00:06:32,348 --> 00:06:34,670 the services and other customers who 188 00:06:34,679 --> 00:06:36,950 use the Osprey . Um So that is 189 00:06:36,959 --> 00:06:38,792 something that is , you know , a 190 00:06:38,792 --> 00:06:41,054 connecting uh office that is 191 00:06:41,065 --> 00:06:43,605 coordinating across the services and to 192 00:06:43,614 --> 00:06:45,725 our allies and partners . But I don't 193 00:06:45,725 --> 00:06:47,447 have an update for you on that 194 00:06:47,447 --> 00:06:49,614 particular office at this time to be a 195 00:06:49,614 --> 00:06:51,670 deputy secretary of defense level to 196 00:06:51,670 --> 00:06:53,781 really elevate flight safety and when 197 00:06:53,781 --> 00:06:55,892 concerns are raised by maintainers or 198 00:06:55,892 --> 00:06:58,114 units elevate them to a point where you 199 00:06:58,114 --> 00:07:00,225 get a very high level of visibility . 200 00:07:00,225 --> 00:07:02,281 But it's been more than a year since 201 00:07:02,281 --> 00:07:02,234 the office was supposed to be up and 202 00:07:02,244 --> 00:07:04,484 running . So again , I would say that 203 00:07:05,470 --> 00:07:08,040 as you know , the secretary takes 204 00:07:08,049 --> 00:07:11,250 safety and security as one of his top 205 00:07:11,260 --> 00:07:14,989 priorities , um we are the , the 206 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,200 services are out of an abundance of 207 00:07:17,209 --> 00:07:20,589 caution . Um Again , putting a 208 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,559 pause on this platform . I don't have 209 00:07:23,570 --> 00:07:25,626 an update for you on that particular 210 00:07:25,626 --> 00:07:27,514 office , but it's not to say that 211 00:07:27,514 --> 00:07:29,459 safety and security of our service 212 00:07:29,459 --> 00:07:31,514 members is not a concern . Um That's 213 00:07:31,514 --> 00:07:33,790 exactly why you're seeing , um , the 214 00:07:33,799 --> 00:07:35,799 Navy , the Marine Corps and the Air 215 00:07:35,799 --> 00:07:37,910 Force do what they are doing . Um But 216 00:07:37,910 --> 00:07:40,077 I'd refer you to them to speak to , to 217 00:07:40,077 --> 00:07:42,243 more details on that . Yeah , thanks , 218 00:07:42,260 --> 00:07:44,371 Laura . Yeah . Um Can you please give 219 00:07:44,371 --> 00:07:46,593 us an update on the attacks in Iraq and 220 00:07:46,593 --> 00:07:48,927 Syria ? How many , how many have we had ? 221 00:07:48,927 --> 00:07:50,816 How many injuries have there been 222 00:07:50,816 --> 00:07:52,927 altogether ? And um , have there been 223 00:07:52,927 --> 00:07:55,149 any more incidents in the Red Sea since 224 00:07:55,149 --> 00:07:57,540 yesterday ? Um So in terms of any other 225 00:07:57,549 --> 00:08:00,269 additional instances or attacks since 226 00:08:00,279 --> 00:08:02,390 yesterday , I'm not tracking anything 227 00:08:02,390 --> 00:08:04,446 that's occurred in the Red Sea or at 228 00:08:04,446 --> 00:08:06,446 any of our bases . Um I believe , I 229 00:08:07,149 --> 00:08:10,160 believe as of today , there have been 230 00:08:10,170 --> 00:08:13,559 approximately 78 attacks on our , on 231 00:08:13,570 --> 00:08:15,681 our bases , but I don't have anything 232 00:08:15,681 --> 00:08:17,626 that's happened within the last 24 233 00:08:17,626 --> 00:08:19,570 hours . The department assess that 234 00:08:19,570 --> 00:08:21,403 there has been a slowdown in the 235 00:08:21,403 --> 00:08:23,570 attacks in the last couple days a week 236 00:08:23,570 --> 00:08:25,792 or so . Well , I mean , and I feel like 237 00:08:25,792 --> 00:08:27,903 I was asked this question a few weeks 238 00:08:27,903 --> 00:08:29,848 ago when there was , you know , an 239 00:08:29,848 --> 00:08:32,126 uptick in attacks and yet we do have a , 240 00:08:32,126 --> 00:08:34,292 like a day or two that will go without 241 00:08:34,292 --> 00:08:34,260 any attacks . So it's really hard to 242 00:08:34,270 --> 00:08:38,059 say I would , um , direct you 243 00:08:38,070 --> 00:08:40,960 to the forces , the , these hostile 244 00:08:40,969 --> 00:08:43,191 militant groups that continue to attack 245 00:08:43,191 --> 00:08:45,247 our , our , our coalition forces and 246 00:08:45,247 --> 00:08:47,400 our troops in Iraq and Syria on why 247 00:08:47,409 --> 00:08:49,242 they are , you know , doing what 248 00:08:49,242 --> 00:08:51,353 they're doing and when they decide to 249 00:08:51,353 --> 00:08:53,465 do it , but in the last 24 hours , we 250 00:08:53,465 --> 00:08:55,742 haven't seen any attacks on our forces . 251 00:08:55,742 --> 00:08:55,599 Um , should that change ? Of course , 252 00:08:55,609 --> 00:08:57,553 we would let you know . But , um , 253 00:08:57,553 --> 00:08:59,553 that's the latest that I have as of 254 00:08:59,553 --> 00:09:01,665 right now when I'm standing up here . 255 00:09:02,900 --> 00:09:05,090 Oh , I'm sorry . Um , as of December , 256 00:09:05,219 --> 00:09:07,869 as of , I would say December 4th . Um , 257 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:10,960 it's still about 66 of our folks , um , 258 00:09:10,969 --> 00:09:13,260 who have received nonserious , non life 259 00:09:13,289 --> 00:09:15,289 threatening injuries , all who have 260 00:09:15,289 --> 00:09:17,400 returned to work . Um , I know you'll 261 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,511 probably ask about TB is , but I just 262 00:09:19,511 --> 00:09:21,733 don't have an update for you on that at 263 00:09:21,733 --> 00:09:25,229 this time . The United 264 00:09:25,239 --> 00:09:28,520 States indicted for , for 265 00:09:28,530 --> 00:09:32,130 Russians for war crimes . Is this 266 00:09:32,140 --> 00:09:35,770 just because they started the war in 267 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:37,947 Ukraine . Yeah , that's something that 268 00:09:37,947 --> 00:09:39,724 I saw the Department of Justice 269 00:09:39,724 --> 00:09:41,836 announced yesterday . I direct you to 270 00:09:41,836 --> 00:09:44,030 them for more information . I don't 271 00:09:44,710 --> 00:09:48,630 think it was put in again . I would 272 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:50,862 direct you to the Department of Justice 273 00:09:50,862 --> 00:09:52,840 who launched or who announced that 274 00:09:53,289 --> 00:09:55,233 yesterday . I just don't have more 275 00:09:55,233 --> 00:09:57,456 information on those , on those names . 276 00:09:57,456 --> 00:09:59,729 One . Sure . Ok . The United States 277 00:09:59,739 --> 00:10:03,000 Space Force Command announce that 278 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,539 possibility , uh , with destroying 279 00:10:06,549 --> 00:10:09,099 North Korea as a military satellite . 280 00:10:09,340 --> 00:10:12,760 And when do you think that time will be 281 00:10:12,770 --> 00:10:14,992 coming ? I'm sorry , I've not seen that 282 00:10:14,992 --> 00:10:17,159 report , but I don't have anything for 283 00:10:17,159 --> 00:10:19,048 you on that . I'm gonna go to the 284 00:10:19,048 --> 00:10:21,900 phones here , Ris Reuters . Hey , 285 00:10:21,909 --> 00:10:24,229 Sabrina , there have been a number of 286 00:10:24,239 --> 00:10:26,799 reports in the past uh couple of hours 287 00:10:26,809 --> 00:10:28,809 about the killing of uh the Reuters 288 00:10:28,809 --> 00:10:30,920 journalist Osam Abdullah and injuring 289 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,031 of other journalists in Lebanon uh in 290 00:10:33,031 --> 00:10:35,142 October . And one of the stories from 291 00:10:35,142 --> 00:10:37,031 Reuters says definitively that an 292 00:10:37,031 --> 00:10:39,950 Israeli tank um was responsible for 293 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,669 firing two shells um that killed uh 294 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,250 Assam . Does the dod have an 295 00:10:45,260 --> 00:10:47,482 independent assessment of what happened 296 00:10:47,482 --> 00:10:50,059 that day ? Um Secondly , do you , have 297 00:10:50,070 --> 00:10:52,126 you talked to the Israelis about the 298 00:10:52,126 --> 00:10:54,292 killing ? And thirdly , do you believe 299 00:10:54,292 --> 00:10:56,514 Israel kills journalists as a matter of 300 00:10:56,514 --> 00:11:00,469 policy ? Uh Thanks to um so in terms 301 00:11:00,479 --> 00:11:02,590 of an independent assessment , I just 302 00:11:02,590 --> 00:11:05,650 don't have that for you . Um uh at this 303 00:11:05,659 --> 00:11:07,830 time , I have seen the reports out 304 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:09,562 there but there's , that's not 305 00:11:09,562 --> 00:11:11,618 something that um we've been able to 306 00:11:11,618 --> 00:11:13,451 assess independently here in the 307 00:11:13,451 --> 00:11:15,799 building . Um , again , I think you've 308 00:11:15,809 --> 00:11:18,440 seen with all of our readouts that the 309 00:11:18,450 --> 00:11:20,783 secretary has had with Minister Gallant , 310 00:11:20,799 --> 00:11:23,239 um , with other senior leader 311 00:11:23,250 --> 00:11:24,861 engagements from across this 312 00:11:24,861 --> 00:11:27,039 administration , we continue to urge 313 00:11:27,049 --> 00:11:30,590 Israel um to conduct its operations in 314 00:11:30,599 --> 00:11:33,880 a targeted manner um , as it is seeking 315 00:11:33,890 --> 00:11:37,669 out a and , and addressing a , 316 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,150 um , a brutal terrorist organization 317 00:11:40,159 --> 00:11:43,049 within Gaza . Um , we continue to urge 318 00:11:43,059 --> 00:11:45,330 Israel to uphold the laws of armed 319 00:11:45,340 --> 00:11:47,809 conflict and humanitarian law and the 320 00:11:47,820 --> 00:11:49,764 protection of innocent civilians , 321 00:11:49,764 --> 00:11:51,876 which includes members of the press . 322 00:11:51,876 --> 00:11:53,876 Um And so that's something that has 323 00:11:53,876 --> 00:11:55,820 come up uh that we've talked about 324 00:11:55,820 --> 00:11:57,987 publicly . It has come up privately as 325 00:11:57,987 --> 00:12:00,153 well and um I'll just leave it at that 326 00:12:00,153 --> 00:12:03,179 uh constantly military times . Uh 327 00:12:03,190 --> 00:12:05,789 Thanks Sabrina . Um I wanted to going 328 00:12:05,799 --> 00:12:08,760 back to the Osprey in August . You said 329 00:12:08,770 --> 00:12:11,070 that the department has confidence in 330 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,539 the Osprey as a platform . Uh given 331 00:12:13,549 --> 00:12:15,605 everything that's come out this past 332 00:12:15,605 --> 00:12:17,605 week . Is that still true ? Is that 333 00:12:17,605 --> 00:12:19,660 still an accurate statement ? Thanks 334 00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:21,716 Constantine for the question . And I 335 00:12:21,716 --> 00:12:21,590 think as you heard me say to Tara 336 00:12:21,599 --> 00:12:24,140 earlier again , we've seen this done 337 00:12:24,150 --> 00:12:26,440 before with other platforms out of an 338 00:12:26,450 --> 00:12:28,783 abundance of caution . Um The Air Force , 339 00:12:28,783 --> 00:12:30,672 the Marine Corps and the Navy are 340 00:12:30,672 --> 00:12:32,783 standing down um their , their Osprey 341 00:12:32,783 --> 00:12:34,839 fleet . Um I would direct you to the 342 00:12:34,839 --> 00:12:36,672 services to speak to you of when 343 00:12:36,672 --> 00:12:38,783 they're going to be um back up in the 344 00:12:38,783 --> 00:12:41,006 air . But as you can understand , there 345 00:12:41,006 --> 00:12:42,950 will always be an inherent risk in 346 00:12:42,950 --> 00:12:45,700 military aviation and to mitigate that 347 00:12:45,710 --> 00:12:48,059 risk , we will continue to maintain the 348 00:12:48,070 --> 00:12:50,219 high level of operational 349 00:12:50,229 --> 00:12:52,289 standardization uh for all of our 350 00:12:52,299 --> 00:12:55,140 pilots and for all of the crew . Um as 351 00:12:55,150 --> 00:12:57,261 you probably know , the osprey is one 352 00:12:57,261 --> 00:12:59,483 of the premier assault aviation systems 353 00:12:59,483 --> 00:13:01,599 that we have . It is versatile , its 354 00:13:01,609 --> 00:13:04,030 speed um and its uh vertical lift 355 00:13:04,039 --> 00:13:06,640 capabilities are not met by any other 356 00:13:06,650 --> 00:13:09,250 platform existing in fixed or rotary 357 00:13:09,260 --> 00:13:11,038 wing platforms . And so it's an 358 00:13:11,038 --> 00:13:14,489 incredibly useful um platform for all 359 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:16,650 of our services to use again . Out of 360 00:13:16,659 --> 00:13:18,659 an abundance of caution , there has 361 00:13:18,659 --> 00:13:20,715 been a stand down and I would direct 362 00:13:20,715 --> 00:13:22,659 you to the services uh for when um 363 00:13:22,659 --> 00:13:25,239 those will be back up in the air . All 364 00:13:25,250 --> 00:13:27,361 right , I will take one more from the 365 00:13:27,361 --> 00:13:29,417 phone and then I'll come back in the 366 00:13:29,417 --> 00:13:31,500 room . Uh Chris Gordon , uh thanks 367 00:13:31,510 --> 00:13:34,210 Sabrina . Uh Senator Warren expressed 368 00:13:34,219 --> 00:13:36,609 concern uh during a Senate Armed 369 00:13:36,619 --> 00:13:38,675 Services Committee hearing yesterday 370 00:13:38,675 --> 00:13:41,380 about too many service members uh are 371 00:13:41,390 --> 00:13:43,446 receiving lasting injuries or losing 372 00:13:43,446 --> 00:13:45,890 their lives due to accidents . Does the 373 00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:48,479 Pentagon share that view ? Um And what 374 00:13:48,489 --> 00:13:50,545 could be done to make training safer 375 00:13:50,545 --> 00:13:52,378 broadly ? Does the part does the 376 00:13:52,378 --> 00:13:54,322 department need to review training 377 00:13:54,322 --> 00:13:56,600 accidents in whatever form aviation or ? 378 00:13:56,919 --> 00:13:59,086 Well , thanks Chris for the question . 379 00:13:59,086 --> 00:14:01,141 Well , as you can see , I mean , the 380 00:14:01,141 --> 00:14:03,141 Air Force is doing an investigation 381 00:14:03,141 --> 00:14:05,363 right now into the mishap that happened 382 00:14:05,363 --> 00:14:07,252 off the coast of Japan . Safety , 383 00:14:07,252 --> 00:14:09,419 security of our personnel , whether it 384 00:14:09,419 --> 00:14:11,679 be our , in our air force , our army , 385 00:14:11,690 --> 00:14:13,912 our Navy or Marine Corps . Uh , we take 386 00:14:13,912 --> 00:14:16,079 that very seriously . That's something 387 00:14:16,079 --> 00:14:18,380 that the secretary um I know is a 388 00:14:18,390 --> 00:14:20,700 priority for him . And so we are 389 00:14:20,710 --> 00:14:22,710 evaluating any time that there is a 390 00:14:22,710 --> 00:14:24,419 mishap . Um , and there's an 391 00:14:24,429 --> 00:14:26,373 investigation , taking the lessons 392 00:14:26,373 --> 00:14:28,640 learned from that and applying it and 393 00:14:28,650 --> 00:14:31,500 um making sure that uh safety protocols 394 00:14:31,510 --> 00:14:33,621 and procedures are , are followed and 395 00:14:33,621 --> 00:14:35,732 enhanced if need be . All right , I'm 396 00:14:35,732 --> 00:14:37,732 gonna come back in the room . Tom . 397 00:14:37,732 --> 00:14:39,843 Thanks , Sabrina . I have a quick two 398 00:14:39,843 --> 00:14:41,954 questions . One on the Osprey . Uh Do 399 00:14:41,954 --> 00:14:44,066 the services have the ability to do a 400 00:14:44,066 --> 00:14:46,177 stand down independently or does that 401 00:14:46,177 --> 00:14:48,399 have to be service wide and they can do 402 00:14:48,399 --> 00:14:50,566 it independently ? Yeah , thanks . And 403 00:14:50,566 --> 00:14:52,899 the second question unrelated to Osprey , 404 00:14:52,899 --> 00:14:55,010 uh President of Guiana yesterday said 405 00:14:55,010 --> 00:14:56,954 that he's requesting us military , 406 00:14:56,954 --> 00:14:58,880 possible us military support . Uh 407 00:14:58,890 --> 00:15:01,950 Because of uh Venezuela's referendum 408 00:15:02,219 --> 00:15:04,409 and oil fields , this is not getting 409 00:15:04,419 --> 00:15:06,419 ahead of a decision , but this is a 410 00:15:06,419 --> 00:15:08,586 clarification . Would such a request ? 411 00:15:08,586 --> 00:15:10,808 Stay at South com would have to come to 412 00:15:10,808 --> 00:15:12,808 the Pentagon . How does that work ? 413 00:15:12,808 --> 00:15:14,697 Well , of course , any decision , 414 00:15:14,697 --> 00:15:14,390 whether it's requesting military 415 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,059 support , of course , would we 416 00:15:17,070 --> 00:15:19,126 originate at the Cocom ? And then of 417 00:15:19,126 --> 00:15:21,237 course , flow up through OS D ? Thank 418 00:15:21,237 --> 00:15:23,237 you . Great . Thank you Sabrina . I 419 00:15:23,237 --> 00:15:25,570 wanna go back to uh Ari's question . So , 420 00:15:25,570 --> 00:15:27,570 so this is the you said you saw the 421 00:15:27,570 --> 00:15:29,681 report , I guess you're talking about 422 00:15:29,681 --> 00:15:31,626 the human rights watch and amnesty 423 00:15:31,626 --> 00:15:33,737 targeting um Reuters , photographer , 424 00:15:33,737 --> 00:15:35,848 my late friend Issam Abdullah and six 425 00:15:35,848 --> 00:15:38,014 other journalists including Al Jazeera 426 00:15:38,014 --> 00:15:40,070 and a FP . This incident happened in 427 00:15:40,070 --> 00:15:42,181 Lebanon , didn't happen in Gaza where 428 00:15:42,181 --> 00:15:44,237 Hamas exists . Um according to the , 429 00:15:44,237 --> 00:15:46,403 the reports , it was deliberate and it 430 00:15:46,403 --> 00:15:48,979 amounts to a war crime . In addition to 431 00:15:48,989 --> 00:15:51,045 this discussion , does the secretary 432 00:15:51,045 --> 00:15:53,267 support accountability when it comes to 433 00:15:53,267 --> 00:15:55,378 the killing of Issam Abdullah and the 434 00:15:55,378 --> 00:15:57,600 targeting of these journalists ? Well , 435 00:15:57,600 --> 00:15:59,711 first fa I'm so sorry , I had no idea 436 00:15:59,711 --> 00:16:01,767 that you knew this journalist and of 437 00:16:01,767 --> 00:16:03,878 course , our , our thoughts on behalf 438 00:16:03,878 --> 00:16:05,989 of the department are with you and of 439 00:16:05,989 --> 00:16:08,390 course the family um look , we are in 440 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,400 constant communication , your daily 441 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,739 communication um with our , with the 442 00:16:12,750 --> 00:16:14,583 Israeli counter , sorry with the 443 00:16:14,583 --> 00:16:16,639 Secretary's Israeli counterparts and 444 00:16:16,639 --> 00:16:18,417 also here um from senior levels 445 00:16:18,417 --> 00:16:20,583 engaging with the Israeli government . 446 00:16:20,583 --> 00:16:22,650 Um You've seen all types um from the 447 00:16:22,659 --> 00:16:24,492 vice president's office , uh her 448 00:16:24,492 --> 00:16:26,603 national security adviser was just in 449 00:16:26,603 --> 00:16:28,770 the region as well engaging with their 450 00:16:28,770 --> 00:16:31,549 his Israeli counterparts um to discuss 451 00:16:31,559 --> 00:16:33,590 what is happening within Gaza and 452 00:16:33,599 --> 00:16:35,929 around Israel . We do not want to see 453 00:16:35,940 --> 00:16:38,051 this conflict spread out into a wider 454 00:16:38,051 --> 00:16:40,260 regional conflict . Um As you know , 455 00:16:40,270 --> 00:16:42,659 we've sent and search assets into the 456 00:16:42,669 --> 00:16:45,210 region to bolster our deterrence and 457 00:16:45,219 --> 00:16:47,330 send a message that we do not want to 458 00:16:47,330 --> 00:16:49,441 see this conflict widen . Um And that 459 00:16:49,441 --> 00:16:51,909 also means uh any conflict or clashes 460 00:16:51,919 --> 00:16:55,070 along the northern border . Um , I've 461 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,247 said it before and I'll say it again , 462 00:16:57,247 --> 00:16:59,413 the targeting of innocent civilians is 463 00:16:59,413 --> 00:17:01,636 something that we take very seriously . 464 00:17:01,636 --> 00:17:03,989 Um , and so we are in all of our 465 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,722 conversations with the Israeli 466 00:17:05,722 --> 00:17:09,069 government urging that they always 467 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:11,959 take into account innocent civilians as 468 00:17:11,969 --> 00:17:14,025 they are conducting their operations 469 00:17:14,025 --> 00:17:16,136 against a terrorist organization that 470 00:17:16,136 --> 00:17:18,844 is Hamas . Thank you on a separate 471 00:17:18,854 --> 00:17:21,145 issue . Uh , Israeli forces announced 472 00:17:21,155 --> 00:17:24,114 yesterday that they have received so 473 00:17:24,125 --> 00:17:27,494 far , uh almost 10,000 tons of uh 474 00:17:27,505 --> 00:17:31,155 equipment and ammunition and almost 200 475 00:17:31,435 --> 00:17:34,025 air shipment . Uh Are you able to say 476 00:17:34,035 --> 00:17:36,864 whether all of that came from the US or 477 00:17:36,875 --> 00:17:40,464 what , how the proportion of us aid ? 478 00:17:40,750 --> 00:17:44,069 Um , as part of what , what is , what 479 00:17:44,079 --> 00:17:46,569 was announced , I can't say for certain 480 00:17:46,579 --> 00:17:50,449 what part is uh us support . Um We've 481 00:17:50,459 --> 00:17:52,459 been very clear that we're going to 482 00:17:52,459 --> 00:17:54,250 continue to support Israel with 483 00:17:54,260 --> 00:17:56,939 security assistance , um , through F MS 484 00:17:56,949 --> 00:18:00,515 and FMF . Um And as long 485 00:18:00,525 --> 00:18:02,747 as you know , they need that support to 486 00:18:02,747 --> 00:18:05,025 conduct their operations against Hamas . 487 00:18:05,025 --> 00:18:07,025 Um But in terms of the announcement 488 00:18:07,025 --> 00:18:09,081 that the Israeli government made , I 489 00:18:09,081 --> 00:18:11,081 can't tell you what specifically in 490 00:18:11,081 --> 00:18:13,247 that package that was delivered was us 491 00:18:13,247 --> 00:18:15,303 military assistance . All I can tell 492 00:18:15,303 --> 00:18:17,136 you is that we are continuing to 493 00:18:17,136 --> 00:18:19,358 support Israel . Um I , you know , I'll 494 00:18:19,358 --> 00:18:21,525 just leave it at that for the future . 495 00:18:21,525 --> 00:18:23,636 This is not a question . Would you be 496 00:18:23,636 --> 00:18:25,680 able to compile the amount of 497 00:18:25,689 --> 00:18:28,069 assistance that's been provided whether 498 00:18:28,079 --> 00:18:30,989 in a dollar term or , I don't know , 499 00:18:31,010 --> 00:18:33,066 weight or whatever . Yeah , I mean , 500 00:18:33,066 --> 00:18:35,066 that's something that I know you've 501 00:18:35,066 --> 00:18:34,900 asked about , that's something that 502 00:18:34,910 --> 00:18:36,790 we're working through , uh , the 503 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:38,522 difference . And what makes it 504 00:18:38,522 --> 00:18:40,719 difficult is that the way we provide 505 00:18:40,729 --> 00:18:42,673 security assistance , let's say to 506 00:18:42,673 --> 00:18:44,840 Ukraine is through , coming off of our 507 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:46,951 stock shelves and , um , it's through 508 00:18:46,951 --> 00:18:48,951 the presidential drawdown authority 509 00:18:48,951 --> 00:18:50,951 which is different from the funding 510 00:18:50,951 --> 00:18:53,118 mechanism such as uh F MS and FMF . We 511 00:18:53,118 --> 00:18:55,173 are working on it . Um It's not that 512 00:18:55,173 --> 00:18:57,340 I've forgotten . I certainly haven't . 513 00:18:57,340 --> 00:18:59,285 Um , as you know , we've said that 514 00:18:59,285 --> 00:19:01,949 we're providing broad strokes uh Israel 515 00:19:01,959 --> 00:19:04,869 with uh ammunition , precision guided 516 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:06,880 munitions and then air defense , of 517 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,660 course , as well , Nancy . Um I just 518 00:19:09,670 --> 00:19:11,837 wanna start by reiterating F's Point . 519 00:19:11,837 --> 00:19:14,059 The war is two months today and I think 520 00:19:14,059 --> 00:19:16,059 this is um , information we've been 521 00:19:16,059 --> 00:19:18,114 asking for for a few weeks and given 522 00:19:18,114 --> 00:19:17,790 that at least part of it is paid for by 523 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,022 tax dollars . I just wanna re reiterate 524 00:19:20,022 --> 00:19:22,022 how , um much we'd like to see that 525 00:19:22,022 --> 00:19:24,189 information as soon as possible . Um I 526 00:19:24,189 --> 00:19:25,911 had a question about the Biden 527 00:19:25,911 --> 00:19:28,022 administration's announcement earlier 528 00:19:28,022 --> 00:19:29,967 this week , kind of issuing a dire 529 00:19:29,967 --> 00:19:31,967 warning that if um Congress did not 530 00:19:31,967 --> 00:19:34,133 pass funding for Ukraine by the end of 531 00:19:34,133 --> 00:19:34,099 the year , it could affect um 532 00:19:34,140 --> 00:19:36,300 resourcing for that war . Some 533 00:19:36,310 --> 00:19:38,260 Republicans are saying that the 534 00:19:38,270 --> 00:19:40,430 situation is not as urgent as the 535 00:19:40,439 --> 00:19:42,661 administration has presented it because 536 00:19:42,661 --> 00:19:44,883 there's at least a billion in funds and 537 00:19:44,883 --> 00:19:47,579 given the pace of um funding or um 538 00:19:47,959 --> 00:19:50,126 weapons that have been provided so far 539 00:19:50,126 --> 00:19:52,237 that that money can stretch out for a 540 00:19:52,237 --> 00:19:54,348 bit of time . I wanted to know if you 541 00:19:54,348 --> 00:19:56,515 could give me a Pentagon assessment in 542 00:19:56,515 --> 00:19:58,570 terms of um when funds could run out 543 00:19:58,570 --> 00:20:00,849 and , and how urgently this funding 544 00:20:00,859 --> 00:20:03,949 needs to be provided um For Ukraine do . 545 00:20:03,959 --> 00:20:05,959 Is there a point where the Pentagon 546 00:20:05,959 --> 00:20:08,126 feels without that funding in the next 547 00:20:08,126 --> 00:20:10,403 weeks ? Um It threatens the war itself ? 548 00:20:10,403 --> 00:20:12,403 Sure . So I think the assertion was 549 00:20:12,403 --> 00:20:15,359 that , that Ukraine doesn't need this 550 00:20:15,369 --> 00:20:17,591 funding and that they could manage with 551 00:20:17,591 --> 00:20:19,647 what we have left . Is that what you 552 00:20:19,647 --> 00:20:21,980 were saying ? The US has enough funding , 553 00:20:21,980 --> 00:20:24,147 there's still enough remaining funding 554 00:20:24,147 --> 00:20:24,130 that it could last for , it could be 555 00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:26,251 stretched out for a few more months . 556 00:20:26,251 --> 00:20:28,418 That is not as urgent as the president 557 00:20:28,418 --> 00:20:30,418 um presented yesterday . He said it 558 00:20:30,418 --> 00:20:32,696 needed to be , but before the holidays , 559 00:20:32,696 --> 00:20:34,751 I would sorry , I didn't mean to , I 560 00:20:34,751 --> 00:20:36,696 would , I would strongly push back 561 00:20:36,696 --> 00:20:39,329 against that assertion . Um The biggest 562 00:20:39,339 --> 00:20:41,506 problem that we are running up against 563 00:20:41,506 --> 00:20:44,280 is we don't have enough money to 564 00:20:44,290 --> 00:20:46,401 backfill our own stocks , which means 565 00:20:46,401 --> 00:20:48,623 we don't have enough to keep , continue 566 00:20:48,623 --> 00:20:50,679 to supply Ukraine with what it needs 567 00:20:50,679 --> 00:20:52,535 because it is our weapons , our 568 00:20:52,545 --> 00:20:54,767 capabilities , our systems being pulled 569 00:20:54,767 --> 00:20:56,934 off our shelves and being shipped over 570 00:20:56,934 --> 00:20:58,712 to Ukraine . And so if we can't 571 00:20:58,712 --> 00:21:00,878 backfill , that's going to also impact 572 00:21:00,878 --> 00:21:03,045 our own readiness , which means that's 573 00:21:03,045 --> 00:21:05,156 going to impact what we can provide . 574 00:21:05,156 --> 00:21:07,156 Ukraine . And so I , I would really 575 00:21:07,156 --> 00:21:09,378 push back on that assertion . And , you 576 00:21:09,378 --> 00:21:11,323 know , till , till very recently , 577 00:21:11,323 --> 00:21:13,434 we've enjoyed bipartisan support from 578 00:21:13,434 --> 00:21:16,520 Congress and that security assistance 579 00:21:16,530 --> 00:21:20,040 has been critical in providing Ukraine 580 00:21:20,050 --> 00:21:22,217 what it needs on the battlefield . And 581 00:21:22,217 --> 00:21:24,272 I , I mean , I would just remind you 582 00:21:24,272 --> 00:21:26,272 that um everyone thought that Putin 583 00:21:26,272 --> 00:21:28,680 would take Kiev in three days and the 584 00:21:28,689 --> 00:21:31,050 Ukrainians have done an incredible job 585 00:21:31,060 --> 00:21:33,209 of not only defending Kiev , but then 586 00:21:33,219 --> 00:21:35,441 there were other battles that they will 587 00:21:35,441 --> 00:21:37,775 continue to push . Uh the Russians back , 588 00:21:37,775 --> 00:21:40,050 continue to push them into the east and 589 00:21:40,060 --> 00:21:42,474 into the South . Um They are making 590 00:21:42,484 --> 00:21:46,364 very good use of our capabilities and 591 00:21:46,375 --> 00:21:48,564 not just ours , allies and partners as 592 00:21:48,574 --> 00:21:50,574 well providing them with the weapon 593 00:21:50,574 --> 00:21:52,925 systems that they need . And so , um 594 00:21:52,935 --> 00:21:55,157 you've heard the president say , you've 595 00:21:55,157 --> 00:21:57,268 heard the secretary say it , we're in 596 00:21:57,268 --> 00:21:59,268 it with Ukraine for the long haul . 597 00:21:59,268 --> 00:22:01,491 It's not just about making sure Ukraine 598 00:22:01,491 --> 00:22:03,602 has what it needs to defend itself on 599 00:22:03,602 --> 00:22:03,479 the battlefield . It's about making 600 00:22:03,489 --> 00:22:05,656 sure that Russia also gets the message 601 00:22:05,656 --> 00:22:07,890 that it cannot expand into other 602 00:22:07,900 --> 00:22:09,844 countries and into other sovereign 603 00:22:09,844 --> 00:22:11,956 countries because that's exactly what 604 00:22:11,956 --> 00:22:14,369 Vladimir Putin wants . And um you know , 605 00:22:14,380 --> 00:22:18,109 you've seen some support from both 606 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:20,063 sides of the aisle in Congress . I 607 00:22:20,063 --> 00:22:22,063 think there's a small majority that 608 00:22:22,063 --> 00:22:24,550 oppose sending more funding for Ukraine . 609 00:22:24,770 --> 00:22:26,949 Um We're working through that . Uh We 610 00:22:26,959 --> 00:22:29,015 believe that the urgent supplemental 611 00:22:29,015 --> 00:22:31,126 request that we submitted to Congress 612 00:22:31,126 --> 00:22:33,348 is the right thing for Congress to pass 613 00:22:33,348 --> 00:22:35,515 and uh we're hopeful that it gets done 614 00:22:35,515 --> 00:22:38,244 and one last topic , um , can we get um , 615 00:22:38,255 --> 00:22:40,255 some sense of the number of sorties 616 00:22:40,255 --> 00:22:42,494 that the IKE and Ford uh strike groups 617 00:22:42,505 --> 00:22:45,185 have conducted ? Just um , I think we 618 00:22:45,194 --> 00:22:47,416 haven't had any real visibility in sort 619 00:22:47,416 --> 00:22:49,527 of how busy they've been as they have 620 00:22:49,527 --> 00:22:51,750 been in the Mediterranean . I'd love if 621 00:22:51,750 --> 00:22:53,861 possible . Some down on that . Yeah , 622 00:22:53,861 --> 00:22:56,027 we can take that . Yeah , no problem . 623 00:22:56,027 --> 00:22:57,861 Yes , over here . Thank you . Uh 624 00:22:57,861 --> 00:23:00,083 Comparing to the last couple of weeks , 625 00:23:00,270 --> 00:23:02,050 there are very few attacks on 626 00:23:02,060 --> 00:23:04,171 International Force and your force in 627 00:23:04,171 --> 00:23:06,338 Iraq . So do you believe it is because 628 00:23:06,338 --> 00:23:08,171 of your response to the previous 629 00:23:08,171 --> 00:23:10,699 attacks ? And if I may add this , do 630 00:23:10,709 --> 00:23:12,765 you believe the Iraqi government can 631 00:23:12,765 --> 00:23:14,987 protect your forces that are in Iraq at 632 00:23:14,989 --> 00:23:16,989 the invitation of the government of 633 00:23:16,989 --> 00:23:19,156 Iraq ? Well , just as you said , we're 634 00:23:19,156 --> 00:23:21,378 at , we're in Iraq at the invitation of 635 00:23:21,378 --> 00:23:23,545 the Iraqi . Uh They've been one of our 636 00:23:23,545 --> 00:23:25,711 partners in the region and within Iraq 637 00:23:25,711 --> 00:23:27,600 in protecting our forces . And of 638 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,711 course , the mission , the reason why 639 00:23:29,711 --> 00:23:31,822 we're why we are in Iraq is to ensure 640 00:23:31,822 --> 00:23:34,084 the enduring defeat of ISIS so that the 641 00:23:34,094 --> 00:23:36,150 Iraqi military has been a partner in 642 00:23:36,150 --> 00:23:38,935 that effort . Um Look in terms of the 643 00:23:38,944 --> 00:23:41,680 attacks on our forces . I think it's 644 00:23:41,689 --> 00:23:44,160 important to remember that uh it's good 645 00:23:44,170 --> 00:23:46,226 that we have not seen attacks on our 646 00:23:46,226 --> 00:23:48,392 forces in the last 24 hours . We would 647 00:23:48,392 --> 00:23:50,670 like to see that continue . Um I can't 648 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:52,958 speak to whether that will be the case . 649 00:23:52,958 --> 00:23:55,180 I can't predict the future . Um But I , 650 00:23:55,180 --> 00:23:58,890 I would remind you that when we have 651 00:23:58,900 --> 00:24:01,560 decided to respond , it has been 652 00:24:01,569 --> 00:24:04,060 deliberate , it has been effective . It 653 00:24:04,069 --> 00:24:08,069 has our strikes have been able to um 654 00:24:08,079 --> 00:24:11,239 destroy weapons facilities , uh command 655 00:24:11,250 --> 00:24:13,069 and control node , um storage 656 00:24:13,079 --> 00:24:15,189 facilities that these I RGC backed 657 00:24:15,199 --> 00:24:17,366 groups use . So I think it's important 658 00:24:17,366 --> 00:24:19,290 that while we did see a spate of 659 00:24:19,300 --> 00:24:21,467 attacks against our forces , they were 660 00:24:21,467 --> 00:24:23,356 largely not successful with minor 661 00:24:23,356 --> 00:24:25,578 damage to infrastructure . Um And so of 662 00:24:25,578 --> 00:24:27,800 course , we'll always respond back at a 663 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:29,856 time and place of our choosing , but 664 00:24:29,856 --> 00:24:31,800 I'll just leave it at that . Yes , 665 00:24:31,890 --> 00:24:34,057 thank you . Uh I have two questions on 666 00:24:34,057 --> 00:24:36,359 Osprey . Is this the first time for us 667 00:24:36,369 --> 00:24:39,329 military to stop flying all Osprey bars 668 00:24:39,339 --> 00:24:41,660 at the same time ? My second question , 669 00:24:41,670 --> 00:24:43,726 can you give us a sense of the rough 670 00:24:43,726 --> 00:24:45,800 time , time frame of how long the uh 671 00:24:45,810 --> 00:24:48,910 stand down will last ? Is it like to be 672 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:50,920 a matter of weeks and months rather 673 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:52,753 than days ? I'd refer you to the 674 00:24:52,753 --> 00:24:54,976 services to speak to how long this down 675 00:24:54,976 --> 00:24:57,599 down this stand down will last . Um In 676 00:24:57,609 --> 00:24:59,609 terms of if this has been the first 677 00:24:59,609 --> 00:25:01,831 stand down , this , this is not , we've 678 00:25:01,831 --> 00:25:01,800 done this with other platforms , we've 679 00:25:01,810 --> 00:25:04,032 done it with the Osprey before . Um But 680 00:25:04,032 --> 00:25:06,088 I'd let the services speak to that . 681 00:25:06,088 --> 00:25:08,199 Thank you . Yeah , and then I'll come 682 00:25:08,199 --> 00:25:11,219 in the back . Sure . Uh , why did it 683 00:25:11,229 --> 00:25:14,290 take a week to , you know , uh , be the 684 00:25:14,300 --> 00:25:17,160 decision of , uh , stand down ? Well , 685 00:25:17,170 --> 00:25:19,459 again , we can started conducting the 686 00:25:19,469 --> 00:25:21,580 investigation as soon as the November 687 00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:23,180 29th mishap happened as the 688 00:25:23,189 --> 00:25:26,640 investigation um , was being conducted . 689 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,189 The Air Force felt the need to issue 690 00:25:30,199 --> 00:25:31,921 that stand down . But for more 691 00:25:31,921 --> 00:25:34,143 information , I would direct you to the 692 00:25:34,143 --> 00:25:36,910 Air Force to speak to that . Um uh What , 693 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,130 what is the uh potential material 694 00:25:39,140 --> 00:25:41,029 failure that was indicated in the 695 00:25:41,029 --> 00:25:43,140 preliminary investigation ? Could you 696 00:25:43,140 --> 00:25:45,869 give us a kind of more specific or 697 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:47,936 modification ? I unfortunately don't 698 00:25:47,936 --> 00:25:50,102 have more information . I would direct 699 00:25:50,102 --> 00:25:52,213 you to the Air Force to speak to that 700 00:25:52,213 --> 00:25:51,380 again . This is an ongoing 701 00:25:51,390 --> 00:25:53,612 investigation . So I certainly wouldn't 702 00:25:53,612 --> 00:25:55,890 want to get ahead of that at this time . 703 00:25:55,890 --> 00:25:57,709 Thank you , Sabrina . Um as you 704 00:25:57,719 --> 00:25:59,886 mentioned of the opening when you came 705 00:25:59,886 --> 00:26:01,608 um that there's a call between 706 00:26:01,608 --> 00:26:03,349 Secretary Austin and his Saudi 707 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:05,581 counterpart and they were talking about 708 00:26:05,581 --> 00:26:08,420 the Houthis . So today , uh the NSC 709 00:26:08,430 --> 00:26:10,890 coordinator John Kirby , he said we are 710 00:26:10,900 --> 00:26:13,339 not in an armed conflict with the 711 00:26:13,349 --> 00:26:16,670 Houthis . So does the dod share uh 712 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,369 with uh Mr Kirby this view , you are 713 00:26:20,380 --> 00:26:22,640 not in a war with the Houthis and um 714 00:26:22,939 --> 00:26:26,650 how so you can prevent this conflict 715 00:26:26,660 --> 00:26:29,260 from widening and escalating ? Yeah , 716 00:26:29,270 --> 00:26:31,492 absolutely . We share that view . We're 717 00:26:31,492 --> 00:26:33,492 not in a an armed conflict with the 718 00:26:33,492 --> 00:26:36,920 Houthis , we have seen um drones and 719 00:26:36,930 --> 00:26:38,986 missiles shot from Houthi controlled 720 00:26:38,986 --> 00:26:41,660 areas within Yemen . Um Not necessarily 721 00:26:41,670 --> 00:26:44,359 targeting our ships . Uh But of course , 722 00:26:44,369 --> 00:26:46,202 targeting most likely commercial 723 00:26:46,209 --> 00:26:48,431 vessels that are transiting through the 724 00:26:48,431 --> 00:26:52,290 Red Sea . Um And so part of part of 725 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:55,150 why we are in the region is to bolster 726 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:57,382 our deterrence , but to also ensure the 727 00:26:57,382 --> 00:26:59,910 free passage way of commercial ships um 728 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:02,087 that are transiting through one of the 729 00:27:02,087 --> 00:27:04,949 most vital uh waterways in the world . 730 00:27:05,199 --> 00:27:07,510 Um And so , yeah , no , I completely 731 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,010 agree with what Mr Kirby said earlier 732 00:27:10,020 --> 00:27:12,187 today . We don't seek conflict . Uh We 733 00:27:12,187 --> 00:27:14,076 don't want to this widen out to a 734 00:27:14,076 --> 00:27:16,670 regional war um or into the larger 735 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:18,902 region . And that's why you've seen the 736 00:27:18,902 --> 00:27:21,069 secretary make the decisions he did to 737 00:27:21,069 --> 00:27:23,291 send two carrier strike groups , one in 738 00:27:23,291 --> 00:27:25,579 the Eastern Med and then one of course , 739 00:27:25,589 --> 00:27:27,700 in the Centcom area of responsibility 740 00:27:27,700 --> 00:27:29,699 to deter , to send the message of 741 00:27:29,709 --> 00:27:31,765 deterrence to send a message to Iran 742 00:27:31,765 --> 00:27:33,653 and its proxies who would want to 743 00:27:33,653 --> 00:27:37,180 inflict whether it's damage or harm to 744 00:27:37,189 --> 00:27:39,760 us , forces in Iraq and Syria or 745 00:27:39,770 --> 00:27:42,579 disrupt commercial um uh 746 00:27:42,589 --> 00:27:45,270 commerce in the Red Sea and in the 747 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:47,540 region . Um So that's , that was a very 748 00:27:47,550 --> 00:27:50,199 deliberate decision by the secretary . 749 00:27:51,030 --> 00:27:53,197 Yeah . Yeah . Thank you . So , just to 750 00:27:53,197 --> 00:27:54,974 circle back on Ukraine , um the 751 00:27:54,974 --> 00:27:56,586 Ukrainians admitted that the 752 00:27:56,586 --> 00:27:58,849 counteroffensive has failed . Um Do you 753 00:27:58,859 --> 00:28:01,081 agree with that assessment ? And do you 754 00:28:01,081 --> 00:28:03,137 believe the war is a stalemate ? And 755 00:28:03,137 --> 00:28:04,859 then , um how do you think the 756 00:28:04,859 --> 00:28:06,970 Ukrainians can break out of that ? Do 757 00:28:06,970 --> 00:28:06,869 you , does like more money and weapons 758 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:08,936 help or do you think they need a new 759 00:28:08,936 --> 00:28:10,991 strategy ? I think your summary is a 760 00:28:10,991 --> 00:28:13,640 bit . Um , short , I don't think that 761 00:28:13,650 --> 00:28:16,219 they would say it's failed . Uh We have 762 00:28:16,229 --> 00:28:19,020 seen them make progress in the counter 763 00:28:19,079 --> 00:28:22,030 offensive . It might not be the gains 764 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:23,929 that they want to be making every 765 00:28:23,929 --> 00:28:25,818 single day . But there , there is 766 00:28:25,818 --> 00:28:27,929 incremental progress . I think that's 767 00:28:27,929 --> 00:28:29,984 important to remember . Um I let the 768 00:28:29,984 --> 00:28:31,818 Ukrainians speak to uh their own 769 00:28:31,818 --> 00:28:33,707 operations and , and how they can 770 00:28:33,707 --> 00:28:36,270 change um what they need to do for the 771 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,502 next phase of the war which is entering 772 00:28:38,502 --> 00:28:41,790 into winter . Um We have provided them 773 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,260 the training , the equipment , the 774 00:28:44,270 --> 00:28:46,619 support that they need to be successful 775 00:28:46,630 --> 00:28:48,686 and we feel very confident that they 776 00:28:48,686 --> 00:28:50,910 will be successful . And part of that 777 00:28:50,939 --> 00:28:53,640 is also invigorating their defense 778 00:28:53,650 --> 00:28:55,817 industrial base , which is why you saw 779 00:28:55,817 --> 00:28:58,039 the secretary speak at commerce just uh 780 00:28:58,039 --> 00:29:00,150 yesterday about the need for industry 781 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:02,271 to partner with Ukraine . So they can 782 00:29:02,271 --> 00:29:04,382 have a robust defense industrial base 783 00:29:04,382 --> 00:29:06,549 as they can as this war continues . Um 784 00:29:06,549 --> 00:29:08,660 But I would let the Ukrainians really 785 00:29:08,660 --> 00:29:10,882 speak to their own operations and , and 786 00:29:10,882 --> 00:29:12,549 characterize what they see as 787 00:29:12,549 --> 00:29:14,771 successful in the battlefield . The war 788 00:29:14,771 --> 00:29:16,938 is a stalemate right now . I would let 789 00:29:16,938 --> 00:29:16,790 the Ukrainians speak to their own 790 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,856 operations again , we feel confident 791 00:29:19,439 --> 00:29:21,772 that they have what it need , what they , 792 00:29:21,772 --> 00:29:23,495 they have what they need to be 793 00:29:23,495 --> 00:29:25,717 successful on the battlefield . Great . 794 00:29:25,717 --> 00:29:27,717 I saw a question over here and then 795 00:29:27,717 --> 00:29:29,883 I'll wrap it up . I have two questions 796 00:29:29,883 --> 00:29:29,569 in the Middle East . Uh The first is 797 00:29:29,579 --> 00:29:31,635 the US sanctioned 13 individuals and 798 00:29:31,635 --> 00:29:33,746 entities that are funding the Houthis 799 00:29:33,746 --> 00:29:35,746 in Yemen . Do you believe that will 800 00:29:35,746 --> 00:29:37,801 slow down the amount of attacks that 801 00:29:37,801 --> 00:29:39,801 we're seeing in the Red Sea in that 802 00:29:39,801 --> 00:29:42,023 region over the coming weeks or is that 803 00:29:42,023 --> 00:29:44,135 something that will be more long term 804 00:29:44,135 --> 00:29:44,079 in slowing them down ? And then 805 00:29:44,089 --> 00:29:45,978 secondly , what is the Pentagon's 806 00:29:45,978 --> 00:29:48,579 assessment of Israel's campaign to 807 00:29:48,589 --> 00:29:51,209 eliminate Hamas in Gaza ? Um So in 808 00:29:51,219 --> 00:29:53,441 terms of the , I think you're referring 809 00:29:53,441 --> 00:29:55,497 to sanctions that were issued by the 810 00:29:55,497 --> 00:29:57,719 Department of our of Treasury , I would 811 00:29:57,719 --> 00:29:59,886 direct you to them um to speak more to 812 00:29:59,886 --> 00:29:59,760 the sanctions that were placed on those 813 00:29:59,770 --> 00:30:02,930 13 individuals . Look , when you're 814 00:30:02,939 --> 00:30:05,329 hitting a financial network that has 815 00:30:05,339 --> 00:30:08,020 obvious effects . Um I can't predict 816 00:30:08,030 --> 00:30:09,919 that that slows down or stops any 817 00:30:09,919 --> 00:30:13,089 attacks , we can only continue to send 818 00:30:13,099 --> 00:30:15,449 the message that um we do not want to 819 00:30:15,459 --> 00:30:19,160 see this war um or a war 820 00:30:19,170 --> 00:30:22,260 widen into a regional conflict and we 821 00:30:22,270 --> 00:30:25,010 will continue to respond . Should our 822 00:30:25,619 --> 00:30:27,859 commanders of our ships feel the need 823 00:30:27,869 --> 00:30:30,091 to in self defense ? And um I'm sorry , 824 00:30:30,091 --> 00:30:32,036 your second question , the current 825 00:30:32,036 --> 00:30:33,980 assessment of Israel's campaign to 826 00:30:33,980 --> 00:30:36,147 eliminate Hamas in Gaza ? Oh , sorry . 827 00:30:36,147 --> 00:30:38,599 Um Look , I've let Israel speak to that . 828 00:30:38,699 --> 00:30:41,599 Uh We continue to engage with the 829 00:30:41,609 --> 00:30:45,430 Israelis on um , they are targeting of 830 00:30:45,439 --> 00:30:48,270 a terrorist organization in Gaza . Um 831 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,069 We are talking to them , the secretary 832 00:30:51,089 --> 00:30:53,089 is talking to Minister Galant on an 833 00:30:53,089 --> 00:30:55,033 almost daily basis , still getting 834 00:30:55,033 --> 00:30:57,400 updates . Um , but also voicing um , 835 00:30:57,410 --> 00:31:00,060 support and concern uh where he needs 836 00:31:00,069 --> 00:31:02,291 to . Did I see one more question . No , 837 00:31:02,291 --> 00:31:04,347 yes , one in the back and then we'll 838 00:31:04,347 --> 00:31:06,180 wrap it up . Thank you , MS from 839 00:31:06,180 --> 00:31:09,189 televisa . So , Director Ray from the 840 00:31:09,199 --> 00:31:12,719 FBI said a few days ago in a 841 00:31:12,729 --> 00:31:15,319 hearing , uh , on the judiciary 842 00:31:15,329 --> 00:31:18,930 committee in the Senate that the , the 843 00:31:18,939 --> 00:31:21,699 United States , uh , especially the FBI 844 00:31:21,709 --> 00:31:25,150 is seeing alerts terrorist alerts , 845 00:31:25,770 --> 00:31:29,619 uh , that are unprecedented and he even 846 00:31:29,630 --> 00:31:31,880 compared them or accepted the 847 00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:34,280 comparison to what the United States 848 00:31:34,290 --> 00:31:38,280 was seeing before 911 . Um , do you 849 00:31:38,290 --> 00:31:40,900 coincide with that ? Are you , are you 850 00:31:40,910 --> 00:31:43,550 also worried or are you concerned about 851 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,569 an unprecedented level of terrorist 852 00:31:45,579 --> 00:31:47,635 threats ? Not only inside the United 853 00:31:47,635 --> 00:31:49,989 States , but also do United States 854 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:53,530 interests abroad ? I , I would let , uh , 855 00:31:54,750 --> 00:31:56,917 the Department of Justice really speak 856 00:31:56,917 --> 00:31:59,083 to that and the Department of Homeland 857 00:31:59,083 --> 00:32:00,806 Security speak to the level of 858 00:32:00,806 --> 00:32:02,806 terrorist threats within the United 859 00:32:02,806 --> 00:32:04,750 States . That's not something this 860 00:32:04,750 --> 00:32:06,917 building can really speak to . Um , of 861 00:32:06,917 --> 00:32:06,650 course , we always monitor , uh , 862 00:32:06,660 --> 00:32:08,771 threats around the world , threats to 863 00:32:08,771 --> 00:32:10,827 our , uh , partners and allies and , 864 00:32:10,827 --> 00:32:13,130 and threats to our interests abroad . 865 00:32:13,339 --> 00:32:15,506 Um , that's something that we're going 866 00:32:15,506 --> 00:32:17,561 to continue to do , but I don't have 867 00:32:17,561 --> 00:32:19,561 anything to announce or read out in 868 00:32:19,561 --> 00:32:21,561 terms of , um , anything that we've 869 00:32:21,561 --> 00:32:21,410 observed that would change our behavior . 870 00:32:21,849 --> 00:32:22,849 All right . Thank you very much .