1
00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:03,096
Good morning , everyone listening in 

2
00:00:03,096 --> 00:00:05,096
Washington , around the country and 

3
00:00:05,096 --> 00:00:07,318
around the world , I'm Michael handling 

4
00:00:07,318 --> 00:00:09,484
with the foreign policy program at the 

5
00:00:09,484 --> 00:00:09,240
Brookings Institution . Today we are 

6
00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,240
honored the host , the secretary of 

7
00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,380
defense , Mark Esper , who , after 

8
00:00:13,380 --> 00:00:15,269
being introduced by my boss , the 

9
00:00:15,269 --> 00:00:17,380
president , Brookings retired General 

10
00:00:17,380 --> 00:00:19,602
John Allen , will offer some remarks on 

11
00:00:19,602 --> 00:00:21,824
how Kobe , 19 is affecting the American 

12
00:00:21,824 --> 00:00:23,824
armed forces and anything else that 

13
00:00:23,824 --> 00:00:25,880
you'd like to begin the conversation 

14
00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,213
with . Then I'll ask him some questions . 

15
00:00:28,213 --> 00:00:30,380
And then we'll hear from you with your 

16
00:00:30,380 --> 00:00:32,491
questions that if you haven't already 

17
00:00:32,491 --> 00:00:34,491
submitted , you're welcome to do so 

18
00:00:34,491 --> 00:00:36,491
through the events at brookings dot 

19
00:00:36,491 --> 00:00:38,713
either you email address with apologies 

20
00:00:38,713 --> 00:00:40,769
that we may not get to all of them . 

21
00:00:40,769 --> 00:00:43,047
But again , events at Brookings Scotty , 

22
00:00:43,047 --> 00:00:45,213
do you ? And without further ado , let 

23
00:00:45,213 --> 00:00:47,102
me and the baton to John Allen to 

24
00:00:47,102 --> 00:00:49,160
introduce Secretary esperan if you 

25
00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:51,620
might appreciate it . Good morning , 

26
00:00:51,620 --> 00:00:53,787
ladies and gentlemen . My name is John 

27
00:00:53,787 --> 00:00:55,842
Allen , and I'm the president of the 

28
00:00:55,842 --> 00:00:57,898
Brookings Institution , and it is my 

29
00:00:57,898 --> 00:01:00,120
very great privilege to welcome you all 

30
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,287
to today's event featuring our honored 

31
00:01:02,287 --> 00:01:04,509
guest , the US Secretary Defense Doctor 

32
00:01:04,509 --> 00:01:08,210
Marty , secretary effort was for end 

33
00:01:08,220 --> 00:01:12,080
is the 27th secretary of defense on 23 

34
00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,520
July 2019 . And he had served as the 

35
00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,880
acting secretary in June and July of 

36
00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,540
that year , but also served as the 

37
00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:23,070
secretary of the Army from 20 November 

38
00:01:23,210 --> 00:01:26,250
2017 to the summer of 2019 . 

39
00:01:27,340 --> 00:01:29,960
The secretary , Esper is no stranger to 

40
00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:32,870
service . He's the 1986 West Point 

41
00:01:32,870 --> 00:01:35,570
graduate and upon graduation was 

42
00:01:35,570 --> 00:01:37,570
commissioned in the infantry and Mr 

43
00:01:37,570 --> 00:01:39,570
Secretary , that makes at least two 

44
00:01:39,570 --> 00:01:41,348
infantryman on this call . Ah , 

45
00:01:41,348 --> 00:01:43,720
completion of who , uh Upon completion 

46
00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,970
of Ranger and Pathfinder training . He 

47
00:01:45,970 --> 00:01:48,380
served in the 101st Airborne Division 

48
00:01:48,390 --> 00:01:52,170
Marisol and participated in the 1990 91 

49
00:01:52,170 --> 00:01:54,980
Gulf War with the cherished Screaming 

50
00:01:54,980 --> 00:01:57,440
eagles . He later commanded a rifle 

51
00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,190
company in the 33 to 5 Airborne 

52
00:02:00,190 --> 00:02:03,270
Battalion combat team in Vincenza , 

53
00:02:03,270 --> 00:02:05,540
Italy , retired from the U . S . Army 

54
00:02:05,540 --> 00:02:08,340
in 2007 after spending 10 years on 

55
00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:11,090
active duty and 11 years with the Guard 

56
00:02:11,090 --> 00:02:13,880
and Reserve . For much of the decade 

57
00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,658
that followed , Secretary Esper 

58
00:02:15,658 --> 00:02:17,880
continued his service in and around the 

59
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,250
government , notably for Secretary 

60
00:02:20,260 --> 00:02:22,900
Chuck Hagel , former Senate Majority 

61
00:02:22,900 --> 00:02:25,190
Leader Bill Frist and as the deputy 

62
00:02:25,190 --> 00:02:27,246
assistant secretary of Defense . for 

63
00:02:27,246 --> 00:02:29,480
negotiations policy under President 

64
00:02:29,490 --> 00:02:32,060
George W . Bush . He would then go on 

65
00:02:32,060 --> 00:02:33,893
to a distinguished career in our 

66
00:02:33,893 --> 00:02:35,750
defense industry , most recently 

67
00:02:35,750 --> 00:02:37,583
serving as the vice president of 

68
00:02:37,583 --> 00:02:40,940
government relations for Razia . Mr . 

69
00:02:40,940 --> 00:02:43,051
Secretary , on behalf of all of us at 

70
00:02:43,051 --> 00:02:45,162
the Brookings Institution , we are so 

71
00:02:45,162 --> 00:02:47,051
honored to host you today to this 

72
00:02:47,051 --> 00:02:48,718
crucial online conversation , 

73
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,790
especially given the ongoing Cove in 19 

74
00:02:51,790 --> 00:02:53,960
Crisis . Yours is one of the most 

75
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,293
important roles in our government today , 

76
00:02:56,293 --> 00:02:58,349
and we thank you for all that you're 

77
00:02:58,349 --> 00:03:00,349
doing to keep us safe . Let me also 

78
00:03:00,349 --> 00:03:02,071
commend you , sir , for making 

79
00:03:02,071 --> 00:03:03,904
artificial intelligence and tech 

80
00:03:03,904 --> 00:03:06,020
modernization key priorities for our 

81
00:03:06,150 --> 00:03:08,110
Department of Defense . This is an 

82
00:03:08,110 --> 00:03:10,660
issue of utmost significance who 

83
00:03:10,660 --> 00:03:13,870
include Brookings as we struggle to 

84
00:03:13,870 --> 00:03:16,090
ensure that we maintain our precedence 

85
00:03:16,090 --> 00:03:18,550
and preeminence in these areas around 

86
00:03:18,550 --> 00:03:21,020
the world . Now moving to today's 

87
00:03:21,020 --> 00:03:23,140
events . Once I have completed my 

88
00:03:23,140 --> 00:03:25,307
remarks , Secretary s for will provide 

89
00:03:25,307 --> 00:03:27,418
his own . Then we'll be joined in the 

90
00:03:27,418 --> 00:03:29,640
conversation by Brookings senior fellow 

91
00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:31,696
Michael Hanlin , who will also field 

92
00:03:31,696 --> 00:03:33,530
questions from you via the email 

93
00:03:33,530 --> 00:03:37,320
address events at brookings dot edu or 

94
00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,153
by joining the conversation over 

95
00:03:39,153 --> 00:03:42,450
Twitter at hashtag sec def and one 

96
00:03:42,450 --> 00:03:45,150
final personal notes there . Uh , we 

97
00:03:45,150 --> 00:03:47,400
know that you are theoretically neutral 

98
00:03:47,410 --> 00:03:49,760
on this issue , but speaking for the 

99
00:03:49,780 --> 00:03:51,947
Annapolis graduates , probably on this 

100
00:03:51,947 --> 00:03:54,530
line , we are looking forward to your 

101
00:03:54,530 --> 00:03:56,752
making happen at the end of this year . 

102
00:03:56,752 --> 00:03:59,930
America's football game or cadets in 

103
00:03:59,930 --> 00:04:02,097
the brigade of midshipmen . It will be 

104
00:04:02,097 --> 00:04:04,263
an important moment in the recovery of 

105
00:04:04,263 --> 00:04:06,486
this country . And to brings of late in 

106
00:04:06,486 --> 00:04:08,541
the darkness that we've been we have 

107
00:04:08,541 --> 00:04:10,430
been experiencing . I know you're 

108
00:04:10,430 --> 00:04:12,486
theoretically neutral , so I'll just 

109
00:04:12,486 --> 00:04:15,670
say Go Navy and Go Army Over to you , 

110
00:04:15,670 --> 00:04:17,880
sir . Thank you . Great . Well , thank 

111
00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:19,991
you very much , general . And so good 

112
00:04:19,991 --> 00:04:22,213
to see you again . And thank you . Also 

113
00:04:22,213 --> 00:04:24,158
for that kind introduction and for 

114
00:04:24,158 --> 00:04:26,047
hosting the me this morning . And 

115
00:04:26,047 --> 00:04:28,102
Michael Hamlin . Thank you . Good to 

116
00:04:28,102 --> 00:04:30,213
see you again . It's great to be here 

117
00:04:30,213 --> 00:04:32,269
today with you and Brookings to talk 

118
00:04:32,269 --> 00:04:34,380
about the impact of Cove in 19 on the 

119
00:04:34,380 --> 00:04:36,436
department defense and the way ahead 

120
00:04:36,436 --> 00:04:38,491
for the Pentagon and for the force . 

121
00:04:38,491 --> 00:04:40,713
You know , I'm very proud of what d o . 

122
00:04:40,713 --> 00:04:42,880
D . Has accomplished in the few months 

123
00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:44,880
that we've been tackling Cove in 19 

124
00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,047
since , uh , since late January , when 

125
00:04:47,047 --> 00:04:49,269
I first issued my guidance to the force 

126
00:04:49,269 --> 00:04:51,324
with regard protection . And then on 

127
00:04:51,324 --> 00:04:53,324
February 1st , when we activate our 

128
00:04:53,324 --> 00:04:55,436
global pandemic plan , we've remained 

129
00:04:55,436 --> 00:04:57,602
ahead of the curve at every turn . And 

130
00:04:57,602 --> 00:04:59,658
I'm very proud of what we've done at 

131
00:04:59,658 --> 00:05:01,880
this point time as we start to see some 

132
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:03,824
light at the end . The tunnel . We 

133
00:05:03,824 --> 00:05:05,936
currently have 62,000 service members 

134
00:05:05,936 --> 00:05:07,936
deployed across all 50 states , the 

135
00:05:07,936 --> 00:05:07,830
territories and the District of 

136
00:05:07,830 --> 00:05:10,580
Columbia . Of them , 45,000 National 

137
00:05:10,580 --> 00:05:12,636
Guardsmen are active in every single 

138
00:05:12,636 --> 00:05:14,830
state , performing a wide range of 

139
00:05:14,830 --> 00:05:16,886
tasks . We have thousands of medical 

140
00:05:16,886 --> 00:05:19,110
professionals doctors , nurses , 

141
00:05:19,110 --> 00:05:21,670
respiratory therapists , others who are 

142
00:05:21,670 --> 00:05:23,614
out on the front lines on our Army 

143
00:05:23,614 --> 00:05:25,726
Corps of Engineers , with nearly 2000 

144
00:05:25,726 --> 00:05:27,837
folks deployed , have been out in the 

145
00:05:27,837 --> 00:05:30,059
streets of America , expanding capacity 

146
00:05:30,059 --> 00:05:31,948
in some of our largest cities and 

147
00:05:31,948 --> 00:05:34,114
working with governors in every single 

148
00:05:34,114 --> 00:05:33,920
state . So I'm very proud of what the 

149
00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,142
team has done . Aziz , you know , we've 

150
00:05:36,142 --> 00:05:37,976
recently deployed redeployed the 

151
00:05:37,976 --> 00:05:39,642
comfort back to Norfolk after 

152
00:05:39,642 --> 00:05:41,809
performing a multi week mission in New 

153
00:05:41,809 --> 00:05:43,976
York City , and I think the mercy will 

154
00:05:43,976 --> 00:05:45,920
soon depart from California in the 

155
00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,142
coming weeks . We have also at the same 

156
00:05:48,142 --> 00:05:50,142
time reached out to our friends and 

157
00:05:50,142 --> 00:05:52,142
allies . I've spoken to many of our 

158
00:05:52,142 --> 00:05:54,087
partners , many of my colleagues , 

159
00:05:54,087 --> 00:05:56,031
about what we could share , how it 

160
00:05:56,031 --> 00:05:55,760
could help them , the supplies we 

161
00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:57,760
provide them . So we also recognize 

162
00:05:57,890 --> 00:05:59,779
that during this time of crisis , 

163
00:05:59,779 --> 00:06:02,001
internal to the country , we still have 

164
00:06:02,001 --> 00:06:04,001
and rely upon friends and allies to 

165
00:06:04,001 --> 00:06:06,168
that point . We also very cognizant of 

166
00:06:06,168 --> 00:06:08,223
the threats that we face outside our 

167
00:06:08,223 --> 00:06:10,446
borders . We remain as sentinels on the 

168
00:06:10,446 --> 00:06:12,334
guard , the United States . As we 

169
00:06:12,334 --> 00:06:14,446
watched , we've seen Chinese activity 

170
00:06:14,446 --> 00:06:16,668
pick up in the South China Sea . We see 

171
00:06:16,668 --> 00:06:18,834
the Russians continue to probe our air 

172
00:06:18,834 --> 00:06:21,080
space outside of Alaska and in the 

173
00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,440
northern frontier . We see militia 

174
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,000
groups busy in Iraq , uh , terrorists 

175
00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,302
active from Africa , through the Middle 

176
00:06:29,302 --> 00:06:31,990
East into Afghanistan and it all points 

177
00:06:31,990 --> 00:06:34,470
in turn . We are side by side with our 

178
00:06:34,470 --> 00:06:37,660
partners and allies . Just recently , 

179
00:06:37,660 --> 00:06:40,750
we had a defense ministerial with our 

180
00:06:40,750 --> 00:06:43,320
NATO partners and had a good discussion 

181
00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,431
about how NATO can and should respond 

182
00:06:45,570 --> 00:06:47,792
to the Corona virus . Some very pleased 

183
00:06:47,792 --> 00:06:49,880
with what is happening . That said , 

184
00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,000
we're very cognizant of the impacts 

185
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,111
that we see on the force and plotting 

186
00:06:54,111 --> 00:06:56,333
the way ahead the OD has been very busy 

187
00:06:56,460 --> 00:06:58,460
using all of our resource is and or 

188
00:06:58,460 --> 00:07:00,071
researchers toe work hard on 

189
00:07:00,071 --> 00:07:02,293
therapeutics and vaccines . We can talk 

190
00:07:02,293 --> 00:07:04,516
more about that in our discussion . But 

191
00:07:04,516 --> 00:07:06,682
we're also cognizant about the impacts 

192
00:07:06,682 --> 00:07:08,738
that this cove in 19 may have on the 

193
00:07:08,738 --> 00:07:11,200
force to date . I can say that we've 

194
00:07:11,210 --> 00:07:12,932
we've had a very low impact on 

195
00:07:12,932 --> 00:07:14,766
readiness . But over time we are 

196
00:07:14,766 --> 00:07:16,730
anticipating what could be , ah , 

197
00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:19,610
greater impact if we're not , if we 

198
00:07:19,610 --> 00:07:21,443
don't see a change in true trick 

199
00:07:21,443 --> 00:07:23,840
trajectory of the virus or how we adapt 

200
00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:25,840
ourselves . So those are all things 

201
00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:27,840
that were taking into consideration 

202
00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,062
that we're actively planning on , and I 

203
00:07:30,062 --> 00:07:32,396
look forward to discussing these things , 

204
00:07:32,396 --> 00:07:34,451
Aziz , we discuss them in the coming 

205
00:07:34,451 --> 00:07:36,396
hour here . Mike , let me just say 

206
00:07:36,396 --> 00:07:38,451
again , I'm so very proud of our men 

207
00:07:38,451 --> 00:07:40,507
and women uniform . Whether deployed 

208
00:07:40,507 --> 00:07:42,507
here at home in the United States , 

209
00:07:42,507 --> 00:07:44,618
where many of them are away from home 

210
00:07:44,618 --> 00:07:46,784
and at the same time risking their own 

211
00:07:46,784 --> 00:07:48,951
health or especially those of deployed 

212
00:07:48,951 --> 00:07:50,951
abroad , I liked again thank all of 

213
00:07:50,951 --> 00:07:53,007
them for what they're doing . And Mr 

214
00:07:53,007 --> 00:07:55,118
Secretary , thank you and let me pick 

215
00:07:55,118 --> 00:07:54,770
up by echoing that last comment in 

216
00:07:54,770 --> 00:07:56,826
particular Justus John Allen . Thank 

217
00:07:56,826 --> 00:07:59,159
you for joining us and for your service . 

218
00:07:59,159 --> 00:08:00,992
I know we all owe a huge debt of 

219
00:08:00,992 --> 00:08:03,103
gratitude to the men and women of the 

220
00:08:03,103 --> 00:08:05,326
armed forces as well . As , of course , 

221
00:08:05,326 --> 00:08:07,603
our police forces are first responders , 

222
00:08:07,603 --> 00:08:09,659
all of you who are protecting us and 

223
00:08:09,659 --> 00:08:11,881
keeping us safe . I wanted to pick up a 

224
00:08:11,881 --> 00:08:10,990
fair amount on this question of 

225
00:08:10,990 --> 00:08:13,380
readiness and how you're going to think 

226
00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:15,830
about ensuring that in the period to 

227
00:08:15,830 --> 00:08:18,130
come and maybe break it down into some 

228
00:08:18,130 --> 00:08:21,730
specific categories . People training , 

229
00:08:21,860 --> 00:08:24,370
maintenance and equipment slash 

230
00:08:24,370 --> 00:08:26,481
procurement . I know all those things 

231
00:08:26,481 --> 00:08:28,537
are very much on your mind . So if I 

232
00:08:28,537 --> 00:08:30,370
could begin with people our most 

233
00:08:30,370 --> 00:08:32,370
important asset of all , and you 

234
00:08:32,370 --> 00:08:34,426
mentioned the force has not been hit 

235
00:08:34,426 --> 00:08:36,592
that hard so far . I don't know if you 

236
00:08:36,592 --> 00:08:39,130
want to share any statistics on the 

237
00:08:39,130 --> 00:08:41,241
least in rough terms where we are . I 

238
00:08:41,241 --> 00:08:43,074
think it's about 5 to 6000 total 

239
00:08:43,074 --> 00:08:45,352
diagnosed cases in the entire military . 

240
00:08:45,352 --> 00:08:47,519
But I'm sure you've got better numbers 

241
00:08:47,519 --> 00:08:49,741
than I . And also where do you see that 

242
00:08:49,741 --> 00:08:51,852
going in the weeks and months ahead ? 

243
00:08:52,540 --> 00:08:54,651
Sure . Thank you . Now we can talk to 

244
00:08:54,651 --> 00:08:56,818
each of those categories . So first on 

245
00:08:56,818 --> 00:08:58,707
the people front , you know , one 

246
00:08:58,707 --> 00:09:00,818
infection is too many . But I can say 

247
00:09:00,818 --> 00:09:02,762
at this point in terms of ah , two 

248
00:09:02,762 --> 00:09:04,762
million strong military , we've had 

249
00:09:04,762 --> 00:09:06,818
fewer than 5000 persons infected and 

250
00:09:06,818 --> 00:09:09,040
fewer than 100 have been hospitalized . 

251
00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,000
So I think that that is a testament to 

252
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,230
a couple of things . One , we have a 

253
00:09:14,230 --> 00:09:16,008
young fit , healthy force . But 

254
00:09:16,008 --> 00:09:18,174
secondly , we've been issuing guidance 

255
00:09:18,174 --> 00:09:20,341
to the force since late January . I've 

256
00:09:20,341 --> 00:09:23,530
now issued nine or 10 updates to that 

257
00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,430
instruction to our commanders , senior 

258
00:09:26,430 --> 00:09:28,940
commanders to get out further winner in 

259
00:09:28,940 --> 00:09:31,162
either their service or the respect the 

260
00:09:31,162 --> 00:09:33,162
commands . And as you know , Mike , 

261
00:09:33,162 --> 00:09:35,329
each of those commanders has extensive 

262
00:09:35,329 --> 00:09:37,329
medical staffs , and resource is by 

263
00:09:37,329 --> 00:09:39,329
which they can further amplify were 

264
00:09:39,329 --> 00:09:41,440
refined that guide . And so , at this 

265
00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:40,920
point time , we're in pretty good shape . 

266
00:09:41,260 --> 00:09:44,700
It's tragic , but , uh uh , that we 

267
00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:46,922
lost two service members , but only two 

268
00:09:47,140 --> 00:09:49,260
is fairly good when you look at how 

269
00:09:49,260 --> 00:09:51,427
Iraq and stack up against our civilian 

270
00:09:51,427 --> 00:09:53,649
counterparts again , the forces holding 

271
00:09:53,649 --> 00:09:55,593
pretty strong when it comes to the 

272
00:09:55,593 --> 00:09:57,593
coronavirus . What concerns me more 

273
00:09:57,593 --> 00:09:59,649
would be the long term impacts as we 

274
00:09:59,649 --> 00:10:01,371
had to make adjustments to our 

275
00:10:01,371 --> 00:10:03,649
recruiting and basic military training . 

276
00:10:03,649 --> 00:10:05,593
Each of the services adapted their 

277
00:10:05,593 --> 00:10:08,680
basic training on , given the respect 

278
00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,020
of circumstances , how the new recruits 

279
00:10:11,020 --> 00:10:13,242
flown to the training . In some cases , 

280
00:10:13,242 --> 00:10:15,464
we did a one or two weeks suspension in 

281
00:10:15,464 --> 00:10:17,576
order to build up additional capacity 

282
00:10:17,576 --> 00:10:19,720
testing or whatnot . But for the most 

283
00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,040
part , we've seen over the past 67 

284
00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:24,890
weeks reduced throughput , and that 

285
00:10:24,890 --> 00:10:26,834
will probably something that bears 

286
00:10:26,834 --> 00:10:28,946
itself out in the long run . So we're 

287
00:10:28,946 --> 00:10:31,168
paying very careful attention to that . 

288
00:10:31,168 --> 00:10:33,334
I did not at any time want to shut off 

289
00:10:33,334 --> 00:10:33,100
the pipeline because that has 

290
00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:35,267
ramifications that could affect us for 

291
00:10:35,267 --> 00:10:37,190
for months , if not years . So we 

292
00:10:37,190 --> 00:10:39,357
continue to improve the pipeline . The 

293
00:10:39,357 --> 00:10:41,579
services making have made a lot of good 

294
00:10:41,579 --> 00:10:43,468
adjustments to that . With this . 

295
00:10:43,468 --> 00:10:45,079
Multiple testing of recruits 

296
00:10:45,079 --> 00:10:47,301
quarantining before they begin training 

297
00:10:47,301 --> 00:10:49,190
and other mechanisms are taken to 

298
00:10:49,190 --> 00:10:51,301
ensure that we can maintain that flow 

299
00:10:51,301 --> 00:10:53,357
of people through the system and all 

300
00:10:53,357 --> 00:10:55,246
the services air now continuing , 

301
00:10:55,246 --> 00:10:57,246
recruiting and bringing people into 

302
00:10:57,246 --> 00:10:59,301
quote unquote boot camp . Continuing 

303
00:10:59,301 --> 00:10:58,550
that process , even though you 

304
00:10:58,550 --> 00:11:00,550
suspended it for a short time a few 

305
00:11:00,550 --> 00:11:02,606
weeks ago , is that correct ? Well , 

306
00:11:02,606 --> 00:11:04,828
they continue on recruiting front to do 

307
00:11:04,828 --> 00:11:06,661
it . Virtually . In some cases , 

308
00:11:06,661 --> 00:11:08,828
they're picking it back up in person , 

309
00:11:08,828 --> 00:11:10,883
but that no time to d o D do ah do a 

310
00:11:10,883 --> 00:11:13,090
department wide stand down on basic 

311
00:11:13,090 --> 00:11:14,868
training ? Each of the services 

312
00:11:14,868 --> 00:11:17,160
Actually , the Army and I believe the 

313
00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,360
Navy took a one or two week pause at 

314
00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:22,582
different points to again improve their 

315
00:11:22,582 --> 00:11:24,249
capacity . Make sure they had 

316
00:11:24,249 --> 00:11:26,471
sufficient testing kids , etcetera . We 

317
00:11:26,471 --> 00:11:28,749
never did a department wide stand down . 

318
00:11:28,749 --> 00:11:30,971
The each of the services knew what they 

319
00:11:30,971 --> 00:11:30,910
need to do . They had the guidance from 

320
00:11:30,910 --> 00:11:32,854
us . They have medical resource is 

321
00:11:32,854 --> 00:11:35,077
professionals . And so they adapted . A 

322
00:11:35,077 --> 00:11:37,132
based on her situation is , you know 

323
00:11:37,132 --> 00:11:36,840
they have , You know , they trained in 

324
00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:38,951
different parts of the country . They 

325
00:11:38,951 --> 00:11:41,118
have a different force flow input into 

326
00:11:41,118 --> 00:11:43,118
their system , so they were able to 

327
00:11:43,118 --> 00:11:45,173
adapt it to their unique situation . 

328
00:11:45,250 --> 00:11:47,194
And while we're thinking about the 

329
00:11:47,194 --> 00:11:49,250
places where people are concentrated 

330
00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:51,361
the most , such as boot camp , let me 

331
00:11:51,361 --> 00:11:53,417
ask about Navy ships because we know 

332
00:11:53,417 --> 00:11:55,472
that obviously , the Teddy Roosevelt 

333
00:11:55,472 --> 00:11:55,030
aircraft carriers been in the news . 

334
00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,490
Also , I believe the U . S s Kidd at a 

335
00:11:57,490 --> 00:11:59,712
number of cases . Are there other ships 

336
00:11:59,712 --> 00:12:01,601
that are being affected ? And you 

337
00:12:01,601 --> 00:12:03,768
anticipate being able to stay ahead of 

338
00:12:03,768 --> 00:12:05,990
that problem or two shifts sort of hold 

339
00:12:05,990 --> 00:12:08,212
a special place in your concern , given 

340
00:12:08,212 --> 00:12:10,490
the proximity of sailors aboard . Well , 

341
00:12:10,490 --> 00:12:12,490
the statistics show that the safest 

342
00:12:12,490 --> 00:12:14,768
place to be is on a deployed Navy ship , 

343
00:12:14,768 --> 00:12:16,879
as compared to one that's import . So 

344
00:12:16,879 --> 00:12:18,990
of the 90 plus ships we haven't see , 

345
00:12:18,990 --> 00:12:21,046
um , we only have two that have been 

346
00:12:21,046 --> 00:12:23,212
affected . That Teddy Roosevelt is the 

347
00:12:23,212 --> 00:12:25,323
is the most prominent , and the 2nd 1 

348
00:12:25,323 --> 00:12:27,434
was U . S S Kidd , and we're not sure 

349
00:12:27,434 --> 00:12:29,490
where she picked it up . It may have 

350
00:12:29,490 --> 00:12:31,712
been through a counter drug operation , 

351
00:12:31,712 --> 00:12:33,712
but two ships out of , I think 94 . 

352
00:12:33,712 --> 00:12:35,934
It's a pretty good record . The Navy is 

353
00:12:35,934 --> 00:12:38,101
it taking a lot of good practices they 

354
00:12:38,101 --> 00:12:40,212
have learned from the Teddy Roosevelt 

355
00:12:40,212 --> 00:12:42,268
and again , before ship deploys , it 

356
00:12:42,268 --> 00:12:44,212
goes through multiple tests of its 

357
00:12:44,212 --> 00:12:46,268
sailors . They are quarantined for a 

358
00:12:46,268 --> 00:12:48,379
couple weeks , and of course we don't 

359
00:12:48,379 --> 00:12:50,323
bring a ship back in if it's being 

360
00:12:50,323 --> 00:12:50,040
replaced by one going out . So we've 

361
00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,040
been very careful that we've had we 

362
00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,750
have had ships that airport side that 

363
00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,927
have had sailors infected , but that's 

364
00:12:56,927 --> 00:12:58,927
not unlike what you might see at an 

365
00:12:58,927 --> 00:13:00,982
Army base or an Air Force base where 

366
00:13:00,982 --> 00:13:02,760
you have the sailors out in the 

367
00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,790
community who may , uh , get infected 

368
00:13:05,790 --> 00:13:07,957
by the virus . But again , before they 

369
00:13:07,957 --> 00:13:10,123
go to see we bring them in , we test , 

370
00:13:10,123 --> 00:13:12,346
we quarantine , and we make adjustments 

371
00:13:12,346 --> 00:13:14,512
to make sure our ships get out on time 

372
00:13:14,512 --> 00:13:16,734
before I get to training , which I know 

373
00:13:16,734 --> 00:13:18,790
is a little more complicated topic . 

374
00:13:18,790 --> 00:13:18,140
And as you alluded to in your opening 

375
00:13:18,140 --> 00:13:20,307
remarks , just one word question about 

376
00:13:20,307 --> 00:13:22,490
people . Have you seen any trends yet 

377
00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:24,611
in the proclivity of people to either 

378
00:13:24,611 --> 00:13:26,667
join ah through , you know , through 

379
00:13:26,667 --> 00:13:28,944
recruiting or to stay in for retention ? 

380
00:13:28,944 --> 00:13:31,400
We know that there probably competing 

381
00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:33,344
pressures here . On the one hand , 

382
00:13:33,344 --> 00:13:35,511
people are sort of locked down and not 

383
00:13:35,511 --> 00:13:37,567
really sure about their futures . On 

384
00:13:37,567 --> 00:13:39,844
the other hand , we know that you know , 

385
00:13:39,844 --> 00:13:42,011
silver lining of economic downturns is 

386
00:13:42,011 --> 00:13:41,410
that the Department of Defense 

387
00:13:41,410 --> 00:13:43,632
sometimes has an easier time recruiting 

388
00:13:43,632 --> 00:13:45,854
and retaining people , and you need out 

389
00:13:45,854 --> 00:13:47,966
of that two million person force what 

390
00:13:47,966 --> 00:13:50,550
1.3 million active , 800,000 or so 

391
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,620
Reservist , you need several 100,000 

392
00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:56,250
people a year to bring in , depending 

393
00:13:56,250 --> 00:13:58,306
on what the retention rates are . So 

394
00:13:58,306 --> 00:14:00,306
how did those numbers look so far ? 

395
00:14:00,306 --> 00:14:02,417
What we don't have hard data yet with 

396
00:14:02,417 --> 00:14:04,583
regard to recruiting , As I said for a 

397
00:14:04,583 --> 00:14:06,583
period of weeks there , each of the 

398
00:14:06,583 --> 00:14:08,806
services went to virtual recruiting and 

399
00:14:08,806 --> 00:14:10,806
anecdotally , they told me that the 

400
00:14:10,806 --> 00:14:10,500
pace was maintained . But we'll see . 

401
00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:12,667
It's only it's only been several weeks 

402
00:14:12,667 --> 00:14:14,556
on the backside . We equally have 

403
00:14:14,556 --> 00:14:16,580
anecdotal information that service 

404
00:14:16,580 --> 00:14:18,636
members who were scheduled to what's 

405
00:14:18,636 --> 00:14:20,747
called E . T s leave the service have 

406
00:14:20,747 --> 00:14:22,636
asked to stay aboard because they 

407
00:14:22,636 --> 00:14:24,960
either like what they're doing or a Z 

408
00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,071
you mentioned . The economic downturn 

409
00:14:27,071 --> 00:14:28,960
has has shown folks that there is 

410
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,738
greater job opportunities , job 

411
00:14:30,738 --> 00:14:32,738
security in the military . So we're 

412
00:14:32,738 --> 00:14:34,849
gonna wait and see how that plays out 

413
00:14:34,849 --> 00:14:37,182
the statistics , you know , move around , 

414
00:14:37,182 --> 00:14:36,940
month , month , day by day . One thing 

415
00:14:36,940 --> 00:14:39,107
we've been conscious of , which is why 

416
00:14:39,107 --> 00:14:41,218
we step back a few weeks ago to reset 

417
00:14:41,218 --> 00:14:43,450
basic training . As we know that May 

418
00:14:43,450 --> 00:14:45,561
and June and July are big high school 

419
00:14:45,561 --> 00:14:47,783
graduation months . So we don't We want 

420
00:14:47,783 --> 00:14:49,728
to make sure the force is ready to 

421
00:14:49,728 --> 00:14:51,617
absorb those Ah , young Americans 

422
00:14:51,617 --> 00:14:53,617
coming in , men and women coming in 

423
00:14:53,617 --> 00:14:55,672
after they graduate high school that 

424
00:14:55,672 --> 00:14:57,672
we're prepared to absorb as many of 

425
00:14:57,672 --> 00:14:56,880
them as we can and put him through the 

426
00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,970
system . Thank you . On the issue of 

427
00:14:59,970 --> 00:15:02,090
training , I know that this is very 

428
00:15:02,090 --> 00:15:05,590
complicated because my sense and please 

429
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,767
correct me if I'm wrong and also maybe 

430
00:15:07,767 --> 00:15:09,933
an anecdote or two about an example of 

431
00:15:09,933 --> 00:15:12,100
how trade has been affected . My sense 

432
00:15:12,100 --> 00:15:13,989
is , a lot of small unit training 

433
00:15:13,989 --> 00:15:16,211
continues because you can sort of treat 

434
00:15:16,211 --> 00:15:18,378
an Army squad with a dozen people or , 

435
00:15:18,378 --> 00:15:20,489
you know , maybe even an Air Force on 

436
00:15:20,489 --> 00:15:23,110
that unit of a pilot and a back seater 

437
00:15:23,110 --> 00:15:25,520
and associated mechanics and control 

438
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:27,631
officers . You can treat those groups 

439
00:15:27,631 --> 00:15:29,687
almost like small families , and you 

440
00:15:29,687 --> 00:15:32,170
contest you can quarantine , and my 

441
00:15:32,170 --> 00:15:33,948
sense is a lot of that training 

442
00:15:33,948 --> 00:15:36,114
continues , although I have a specific 

443
00:15:36,114 --> 00:15:37,892
interest whether blank training 

444
00:15:37,892 --> 00:15:40,003
continues as before . But I know that 

445
00:15:40,003 --> 00:15:41,781
as you get to larger and larger 

446
00:15:41,781 --> 00:15:43,837
echelons , of course , you have much 

447
00:15:43,837 --> 00:15:45,892
more concerned about your ability to 

448
00:15:45,892 --> 00:15:48,059
reliably prevent a few individuals who 

449
00:15:48,059 --> 00:15:50,281
may be a contagious and unaware of it . 

450
00:15:50,281 --> 00:15:52,503
Maybe , uh , from affecting the broader 

451
00:15:52,503 --> 00:15:54,003
force , and therefore , my 

452
00:15:54,003 --> 00:15:56,059
understanding is that on some of the 

453
00:15:56,059 --> 00:15:58,570
Big Unit maneuvers , exercises like , 

454
00:15:58,570 --> 00:16:01,470
for example , in your own armies Army 

455
00:16:01,590 --> 00:16:03,312
National Training Center Joint 

456
00:16:03,312 --> 00:16:05,646
Readiness Training Center in California , 

457
00:16:05,646 --> 00:16:07,534
Louisiana . Up until now , you've 

458
00:16:07,534 --> 00:16:09,646
suspended the brigade scale exercises 

459
00:16:09,646 --> 00:16:11,812
that involve several 1000 soldiers but 

460
00:16:11,812 --> 00:16:13,812
time . But you're looking to resume 

461
00:16:13,812 --> 00:16:15,534
that . I believe you're on the 

462
00:16:15,534 --> 00:16:17,312
Congolese side last week with a 

463
00:16:17,312 --> 00:16:19,201
Security Force Assistance Brigade 

464
00:16:19,540 --> 00:16:22,780
rotation to the JR TC in Louisiana , 

465
00:16:22,780 --> 00:16:24,780
which would be a little smaller but 

466
00:16:24,780 --> 00:16:27,002
still more than 1000 soldiers . Is that 

467
00:16:27,002 --> 00:16:29,280
basically how you're thinking about it , 

468
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:29,050
that you're going to try to take step 

469
00:16:29,050 --> 00:16:30,939
by , step back towards the bigger 

470
00:16:30,939 --> 00:16:33,460
exercises ? Or was it is too soon to be 

471
00:16:33,460 --> 00:16:35,660
sure on confident , But what's your 

472
00:16:35,660 --> 00:16:37,660
basic way of thinking about getting 

473
00:16:37,660 --> 00:16:39,938
training back where you think it needs ? 

474
00:16:40,340 --> 00:16:42,340
You're basically right , Mike , you 

475
00:16:42,340 --> 00:16:44,562
summed it up . I mean , the smaller the 

476
00:16:44,562 --> 00:16:44,440
unit , the more capable you are , 

477
00:16:44,940 --> 00:16:47,051
preserving the integrity of that unit 

478
00:16:47,051 --> 00:16:49,273
and training as you get higher in terms 

479
00:16:49,273 --> 00:16:51,440
of the size and scale , a scope of the 

480
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:53,551
exercise more challenging becomes and 

481
00:16:53,551 --> 00:16:55,773
the more risk cubes or that you may get 

482
00:16:55,773 --> 00:16:55,480
soldiers , sailors , airmen and Marines 

483
00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,110
infected . So the army's working Ah , 

484
00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,120
new constant by which they would do 

485
00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,120
multi echelon training . But in the 

486
00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:03,953
disaggregated wayto ensure force 

487
00:17:03,953 --> 00:17:06,176
protection , Your are right . We had to 

488
00:17:06,176 --> 00:17:08,453
suspend or cancel some combat training , 

489
00:17:08,453 --> 00:17:10,564
second center exercises , red flags , 

490
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,942
etcetera . And that's the one area when 

491
00:17:12,942 --> 00:17:14,720
it comes to training that we're 

492
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:16,831
concerned about that over time it may 

493
00:17:16,831 --> 00:17:18,831
have an accumulative impact at this 

494
00:17:18,831 --> 00:17:21,053
point time we're not . We're seeing low 

495
00:17:21,053 --> 00:17:20,660
impact , but over time it could 

496
00:17:20,660 --> 00:17:22,882
accumulate , particularly as we look at 

497
00:17:22,882 --> 00:17:24,771
how we train with our friends and 

498
00:17:24,771 --> 00:17:26,660
allies . And so that's one of the 

499
00:17:26,660 --> 00:17:29,300
concerns that we that we look at . One 

500
00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:31,522
of things we have done , though , is we 

501
00:17:31,522 --> 00:17:33,810
looked at tearing how we address our 

502
00:17:33,810 --> 00:17:35,754
forces , how we test them , how we 

503
00:17:35,754 --> 00:17:37,810
preserve their readiness . So at the 

504
00:17:37,810 --> 00:17:39,977
top of that , here are what we call of 

505
00:17:39,977 --> 00:17:42,143
course , are Tier one forces . Whether 

506
00:17:42,143 --> 00:17:44,366
it's our strategic forces are premier . 

507
00:17:44,366 --> 00:17:46,366
Counterterrorism forces are premier 

508
00:17:46,366 --> 00:17:48,532
cyber command forces , all those types 

509
00:17:48,532 --> 00:17:50,699
of soldiers , sailors and marines . We 

510
00:17:50,699 --> 00:17:52,810
want to make sure that can continue . 

511
00:17:52,810 --> 00:17:55,032
The mission could continue to train and 

512
00:17:55,032 --> 00:17:56,977
protect the country . We're taking 

513
00:17:56,977 --> 00:17:59,199
extra care with regard to their testing 

514
00:17:59,199 --> 00:17:58,470
they're quarantining . They're 

515
00:17:58,470 --> 00:18:00,690
safeguarding . So we preserved . We 

516
00:18:00,690 --> 00:18:03,330
preserve that capability that we we 

517
00:18:03,330 --> 00:18:05,930
know we absolutely must have . So if I 

518
00:18:05,930 --> 00:18:08,152
can follow up with a couple of specific 

519
00:18:08,152 --> 00:18:10,263
examples and with apologies , if some 

520
00:18:10,263 --> 00:18:12,430
of these , you know , get sensitive or 

521
00:18:12,430 --> 00:18:14,541
classified and you may not be able to 

522
00:18:14,541 --> 00:18:16,374
respond , let's take Korea , for 

523
00:18:16,374 --> 00:18:18,597
example , where we have an Army brigade 

524
00:18:18,597 --> 00:18:20,208
all the time , as well as to 

525
00:18:20,208 --> 00:18:22,263
substantial Air Force wings . And of 

526
00:18:22,263 --> 00:18:24,263
course , we've also had the broader 

527
00:18:24,263 --> 00:18:24,200
question . As President , Trump has 

528
00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:26,033
tried to engage Kim Jeong Eun on 

529
00:18:26,033 --> 00:18:27,644
nuclear negotiations , we've 

530
00:18:27,644 --> 00:18:29,589
essentially seen the two countries 

531
00:18:29,589 --> 00:18:31,533
moved towards a little bit of a de 

532
00:18:31,533 --> 00:18:33,644
facto mutual moratorium . We don't do 

533
00:18:33,644 --> 00:18:35,700
the bigger exercises . They don't do 

534
00:18:35,700 --> 00:18:37,811
the nuclear and I C B M tests . In my 

535
00:18:37,811 --> 00:18:40,033
opinion , that's an extremely good deal 

536
00:18:40,033 --> 00:18:42,200
for the United States . But leave that 

537
00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,311
aside , I know that you secretary has 

538
00:18:44,311 --> 00:18:46,478
have to be concerned about anything of 

539
00:18:46,478 --> 00:18:48,644
a four of unit . In a place like Korea 

540
00:18:48,644 --> 00:18:50,811
they detail you can offer about that . 

541
00:18:50,811 --> 00:18:52,922
Well , I'd say First of all , General 

542
00:18:52,922 --> 00:18:54,756
Abrams has done a great job on a 

543
00:18:54,756 --> 00:18:56,922
peninsula . You know , He he was there 

544
00:18:56,922 --> 00:18:59,089
when the Corona virus first took off . 

545
00:18:59,089 --> 00:19:01,630
I think in in January and , uh , 

546
00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:03,690
certainly into February , he 

547
00:19:03,700 --> 00:19:05,700
implemented with the guy that bride 

548
00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:07,811
guidance we gave him . He took really 

549
00:19:07,811 --> 00:19:09,867
some bold actions to control it . He 

550
00:19:09,867 --> 00:19:11,922
raised his health protection control 

551
00:19:11,922 --> 00:19:13,867
level . He made restrictions , put 

552
00:19:13,867 --> 00:19:15,978
other things in place , and he's been 

553
00:19:15,978 --> 00:19:15,620
able to really preserve the readiness 

554
00:19:15,620 --> 00:19:17,509
of the forced on there . So I can 

555
00:19:17,509 --> 00:19:19,620
confidently say that we're preserving 

556
00:19:19,620 --> 00:19:21,842
the fight tonight Status readiness that 

557
00:19:21,842 --> 00:19:24,009
we need on the peninsula with our with 

558
00:19:24,009 --> 00:19:26,064
our rock allies . And General Abrams 

559
00:19:26,064 --> 00:19:28,342
has been able to sustain that . I mean , 

560
00:19:28,342 --> 00:19:28,210
I hear from him or speak with him 

561
00:19:28,210 --> 00:19:30,670
weekly , the forces in very good shape , 

562
00:19:30,990 --> 00:19:32,879
and you're right . It's all about 

563
00:19:32,879 --> 00:19:34,934
deterring bad behavior , and they've 

564
00:19:34,934 --> 00:19:36,934
been able to do it and preserve the 

565
00:19:36,934 --> 00:19:39,046
readiness as a result , for example , 

566
00:19:39,046 --> 00:19:41,268
and again with apologies of I'm pushing 

567
00:19:41,268 --> 00:19:43,268
too far . But they might be able to 

568
00:19:43,268 --> 00:19:45,323
still do , let's say , company level 

569
00:19:45,323 --> 00:19:47,490
training with a couple of 100 soldiers 

570
00:19:47,490 --> 00:19:47,480
at a time . And with some air 

571
00:19:47,690 --> 00:19:49,770
coordination with Air Force units as 

572
00:19:49,770 --> 00:19:51,937
well as Republic of Korea units , they 

573
00:19:51,937 --> 00:19:54,690
can still do enough to mimic what an 

574
00:19:54,690 --> 00:19:56,912
actual fight would be like that they're 

575
00:19:56,912 --> 00:19:58,857
not losing those kinds of skills . 

576
00:19:58,857 --> 00:20:01,079
That's right , we can . We can preserve 

577
00:20:01,079 --> 00:20:03,134
readiness , our capability . We also 

578
00:20:03,134 --> 00:20:05,246
augment that capability that training 

579
00:20:05,246 --> 00:20:07,468
with off peninsula forces . Resource is 

580
00:20:07,468 --> 00:20:09,690
so whether it's ah ah bomber presence . 

581
00:20:09,690 --> 00:20:11,801
Fighter aircraft , of course , enable 

582
00:20:11,801 --> 00:20:14,023
presence . We bring that as well . That 

583
00:20:14,023 --> 00:20:16,023
doesn't have to be stationed on the 

584
00:20:16,023 --> 00:20:18,134
peninsula to do that while I'm on the 

585
00:20:18,134 --> 00:20:19,968
subject of Asian to come back to 

586
00:20:19,968 --> 00:20:22,134
readiness and covert , of course . But 

587
00:20:22,134 --> 00:20:24,301
some people have taken note of farmers 

588
00:20:24,301 --> 00:20:26,412
no longer being permanently stationed 

589
00:20:26,412 --> 00:20:28,412
on Guam but rotating through others 

590
00:20:28,412 --> 00:20:30,690
have wondered What's the pace of U . S . 

591
00:20:30,690 --> 00:20:32,857
Navy deployment in the South China Sea 

592
00:20:32,857 --> 00:20:32,250
and Response toe ? What you said 

593
00:20:32,250 --> 00:20:34,770
earlier , the increased tempo of some 

594
00:20:34,770 --> 00:20:37,850
of China's efforts to intimidate oh or 

595
00:20:37,850 --> 00:20:39,961
exercise its own claimed authority in 

596
00:20:39,961 --> 00:20:42,072
the South China Sea . Any details you 

597
00:20:42,072 --> 00:20:44,294
could provide about how you're thinking 

598
00:20:44,294 --> 00:20:46,406
about the B 50 twos and other bombers 

599
00:20:46,406 --> 00:20:48,517
on Guam , as well as Navy deployments 

600
00:20:48,517 --> 00:20:50,683
to the South China city . Well , since 

601
00:20:50,683 --> 00:20:52,906
I came into office , I said I was going 

602
00:20:52,906 --> 00:20:51,980
to implement the national defense 

603
00:20:51,980 --> 00:20:54,300
strategy . It was a strategy that I 

604
00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:56,780
fully supported as Army secretary , a 

605
00:20:56,780 --> 00:20:59,230
key tenet of ah of that strategy is 

606
00:20:59,230 --> 00:21:01,397
called dynamic force employment . It's 

607
00:21:01,397 --> 00:21:03,563
the way by which you maintain a degree 

608
00:21:03,563 --> 00:21:05,720
of strategic predictability to ensure 

609
00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:08,420
the rightness of your force . But but 

610
00:21:08,430 --> 00:21:10,580
garner a higher degree of operational 

611
00:21:10,590 --> 00:21:12,970
unpredictability . So we've been taking 

612
00:21:12,970 --> 00:21:15,081
several steps . Some are known . Some 

613
00:21:15,081 --> 00:21:17,192
are unknown , many more unknown . But 

614
00:21:17,192 --> 00:21:19,414
one of the known things that's come out 

615
00:21:19,414 --> 00:21:21,414
in recent weeks is is moving from a 

616
00:21:21,414 --> 00:21:23,970
continual bomber presence on Guam back 

617
00:21:23,970 --> 00:21:25,914
to our deployed forces from United 

618
00:21:25,914 --> 00:21:28,137
States . So what we can do in that case 

619
00:21:28,137 --> 00:21:29,748
now , as we have far greater 

620
00:21:29,748 --> 00:21:31,748
flexibility , were able to maintain 

621
00:21:31,748 --> 00:21:33,970
higher levels of greatness and not just 

622
00:21:33,970 --> 00:21:35,859
rightness in a single ah function 

623
00:21:35,859 --> 00:21:37,859
remission but across a multitude of 

624
00:21:37,859 --> 00:21:39,970
missions that the bombers perform and 

625
00:21:39,970 --> 00:21:41,692
we can provide , Ah , as great 

626
00:21:41,692 --> 00:21:43,748
assurance to our allies and partners 

627
00:21:43,748 --> 00:21:45,914
than we did in the past . So this is a 

628
00:21:45,914 --> 00:21:47,748
win win for us in terms of again 

629
00:21:47,748 --> 00:21:49,748
operational unpredictability to our 

630
00:21:49,748 --> 00:21:49,720
adversaries , but at the same time 

631
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:51,936
increasing readiness and maintaining 

632
00:21:51,936 --> 00:21:53,713
our assurance to our allies and 

633
00:21:53,713 --> 00:21:55,936
partners with regard to the Navy in the 

634
00:21:55,936 --> 00:21:57,880
in the Pacific and Indo pay calm . 

635
00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:00,342
Admiral Davidson has done a great job . 

636
00:22:00,342 --> 00:22:02,509
He's actually picked up his tempo when 

637
00:22:02,509 --> 00:22:04,620
it comes to operations in places like 

638
00:22:04,620 --> 00:22:07,170
the South China Sea with regard , our 

639
00:22:07,170 --> 00:22:09,770
presence , whether it's ah surface sub 

640
00:22:09,770 --> 00:22:11,826
service or an aerial presence , were 

641
00:22:11,826 --> 00:22:13,659
conducting a lot of surveillance 

642
00:22:13,659 --> 00:22:15,881
flights . We have conducted a number of 

643
00:22:15,881 --> 00:22:18,560
ah Taiwan Strait transits . We are 

644
00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,504
continue to watch closely what the 

645
00:22:20,504 --> 00:22:22,838
Chinese are doing and and , as you know , 

646
00:22:22,838 --> 00:22:24,949
it's been reported . The Chinese have 

647
00:22:24,949 --> 00:22:26,616
been , ah , a little bit more 

648
00:22:26,616 --> 00:22:28,727
provocative in that part of the world 

649
00:22:28,727 --> 00:22:30,560
we we saw with a sunk I think of 

650
00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,727
Vietnamese vessel . They're performing 

651
00:22:32,727 --> 00:22:34,893
other things that are just , ah , very 

652
00:22:34,893 --> 00:22:34,600
aggressive and not consistent with the 

653
00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:36,767
international rules that we should all 

654
00:22:36,767 --> 00:22:38,989
be following . So Advil Davidson's done 

655
00:22:38,989 --> 00:22:41,211
a good job in terms of maintaining that 

656
00:22:41,211 --> 00:22:43,378
show of force , that deterrence , that 

657
00:22:43,378 --> 00:22:45,489
capability and readiness that we need 

658
00:22:45,489 --> 00:22:47,600
in the Indo Pacific region . One last 

659
00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,767
point on that that I will come back to 

660
00:22:49,767 --> 00:22:49,660
training and then maintenance an 

661
00:22:49,670 --> 00:22:51,620
acquisition if I could . But some 

662
00:22:51,620 --> 00:22:53,731
people have noted over the years that 

663
00:22:53,731 --> 00:22:55,787
even as the Chinese have gotten push 

664
00:22:55,787 --> 00:22:57,898
here , if you will in the South China 

665
00:22:57,898 --> 00:22:59,676
Sea , they usually handled most 

666
00:22:59,676 --> 00:23:01,840
encounters with a degree of military 

667
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,030
professionalism . Not all encounters , 

668
00:23:04,030 --> 00:23:06,141
as we know tragically even going back 

669
00:23:06,141 --> 00:23:08,252
to 2001 with the E P . Three incident 

670
00:23:08,252 --> 00:23:10,670
and some other recent attempts maybe 34 

671
00:23:10,670 --> 00:23:13,890
years ago to have their shifts sale 

672
00:23:13,900 --> 00:23:16,011
right in front of ours on a couple of 

673
00:23:16,011 --> 00:23:18,178
occasions that were dangerous . But on 

674
00:23:18,178 --> 00:23:20,470
the whole , my understanding is that 

675
00:23:20,470 --> 00:23:23,020
most U . S military officers and others 

676
00:23:23,020 --> 00:23:25,187
watching the situation have considered 

677
00:23:25,187 --> 00:23:27,242
the Chinese to be pushy , but within 

678
00:23:27,242 --> 00:23:29,242
certain , more or less professional 

679
00:23:29,242 --> 00:23:31,464
bounds . Is that accurate ? And you see 

680
00:23:31,464 --> 00:23:33,576
any change in recent weeks and months 

681
00:23:33,576 --> 00:23:35,687
about whether the Chinese show proper 

682
00:23:35,687 --> 00:23:37,464
professionalism and these close 

683
00:23:37,464 --> 00:23:39,409
encounters ? It depends . I mean , 

684
00:23:39,409 --> 00:23:41,353
generally , we would classified as 

685
00:23:41,353 --> 00:23:43,409
professional . When they don't we do 

686
00:23:43,409 --> 00:23:45,464
marsh them were able to call them up 

687
00:23:45,464 --> 00:23:47,353
and speak to him and cite the bad 

688
00:23:47,353 --> 00:23:49,520
behavior . In some cases , it's , ah , 

689
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:51,631
we would consider it unprofessional . 

690
00:23:51,631 --> 00:23:53,742
But maybe not intentional may just be 

691
00:23:53,742 --> 00:23:55,909
bad seamanship or bad politics . We do 

692
00:23:55,909 --> 00:23:57,798
see cases of that as well , where 

693
00:23:57,798 --> 00:23:59,742
they're trying to perform maneuver 

694
00:23:59,742 --> 00:24:01,964
that's outside the skill of the pilot , 

695
00:24:01,964 --> 00:24:04,187
if you will . So it's a mix of things , 

696
00:24:04,187 --> 00:24:06,409
but we stay in close contact with him . 

697
00:24:06,409 --> 00:24:08,576
I of course , talk to my counterpart , 

698
00:24:08,576 --> 00:24:08,270
the defense minister . It's important 

699
00:24:08,270 --> 00:24:10,381
we maintain lines communication , and 

700
00:24:10,381 --> 00:24:12,492
we cite their bad behavior and , uh , 

701
00:24:12,492 --> 00:24:14,920
their bad behavior not just being , you 

702
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:16,976
know , how they again maneuver their 

703
00:24:16,976 --> 00:24:18,920
ship with airplane , but also when 

704
00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:21,087
they're taking aggressive actions that 

705
00:24:21,087 --> 00:24:20,700
are outside the norms of the 

706
00:24:20,700 --> 00:24:23,330
international rules , whether , uh , 

707
00:24:23,340 --> 00:24:25,340
they're claiming territory or space 

708
00:24:25,340 --> 00:24:27,570
that simply is not theirs . And we want 

709
00:24:27,570 --> 00:24:30,530
to make sure we maintain , ah , again 

710
00:24:30,530 --> 00:24:32,310
the laws of the sea and the 

711
00:24:32,310 --> 00:24:34,532
international rules that have sustained 

712
00:24:34,532 --> 00:24:36,699
us all very well for decades now . And 

713
00:24:36,699 --> 00:24:38,866
we see the Chinese continue to try and 

714
00:24:38,866 --> 00:24:41,210
bend those to change those and to shape 

715
00:24:41,210 --> 00:24:43,980
them in their own favour . So why not 

716
00:24:43,980 --> 00:24:46,130
returning back to training and ask ? 

717
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,313
You do also explain maybe from a 

718
00:24:48,313 --> 00:24:50,424
different angle how you were thinking 

719
00:24:50,424 --> 00:24:52,202
about the path towards resuming 

720
00:24:52,202 --> 00:24:54,313
training . You've already spelled out 

721
00:24:54,313 --> 00:24:56,536
some of the things you intend to do and 

722
00:24:56,536 --> 00:24:58,647
how you're perhaps going Teoh . Start 

723
00:24:58,647 --> 00:25:00,647
with units that are in parts of the 

724
00:25:00,647 --> 00:25:02,813
country that are less affected or that 

725
00:25:02,813 --> 00:25:04,980
had nothing hospital capacity , and if 

726
00:25:04,980 --> 00:25:04,840
there's a problem , they can respond . 

727
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,540
As Secretary McCarthy explained last 

728
00:25:07,540 --> 00:25:09,890
week , You know that we did with him . 

729
00:25:10,190 --> 00:25:12,357
But I wondered , are you going to sort 

730
00:25:12,357 --> 00:25:14,468
of also rely on more testing becoming 

731
00:25:14,468 --> 00:25:16,634
available ? And therefore , as you get 

732
00:25:16,634 --> 00:25:18,690
into the summer when you're going to 

733
00:25:18,690 --> 00:25:20,912
resume a red flag or a brigade rotation 

734
00:25:20,912 --> 00:25:22,746
in California at the ends at the 

735
00:25:22,746 --> 00:25:24,746
National Training Center , that you 

736
00:25:24,746 --> 00:25:26,746
have even more ability to virtually 

737
00:25:26,746 --> 00:25:28,857
test almost everyone going in ? Where 

738
00:25:28,857 --> 00:25:30,690
you gonna rely on the quarantine 

739
00:25:30,690 --> 00:25:32,523
concept where you make sure that 

740
00:25:32,523 --> 00:25:34,412
anybody going to a big you know , 

741
00:25:34,412 --> 00:25:36,680
maneuver is tested and sequestered away 

742
00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,902
for a couple weeks and therefore you're 

743
00:25:38,902 --> 00:25:41,124
pretty confident that you don't need to 

744
00:25:41,124 --> 00:25:43,291
worry too much about the potential for 

745
00:25:43,291 --> 00:25:45,347
an outbreak ? What are the different 

746
00:25:45,347 --> 00:25:47,458
pieces of the puzzle is you look at , 

747
00:25:47,458 --> 00:25:49,513
we're going . For the most part , we 

748
00:25:49,513 --> 00:25:49,080
haven't stopped training . We training 

749
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,290
is critical . Teoh Readiness as his 

750
00:25:51,290 --> 00:25:53,234
maintenance , as are the personnel 

751
00:25:53,234 --> 00:25:55,580
fills , as is our supply system . So 

752
00:25:55,830 --> 00:25:57,441
we've had to make some smart 

753
00:25:57,441 --> 00:25:59,441
adjustments to get their , uh , two 

754
00:25:59,441 --> 00:26:01,608
degree weaken train and do some degree 

755
00:26:01,608 --> 00:26:03,830
of social distancing . We're doing that 

756
00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:05,970
depending on the situation that the 

757
00:26:05,970 --> 00:26:08,430
challenger and I think you've spoke , 

758
00:26:08,430 --> 00:26:10,319
putting some of the things you've 

759
00:26:10,319 --> 00:26:12,263
written and said . Each service is 

760
00:26:12,263 --> 00:26:15,390
different each each , each each 

761
00:26:15,390 --> 00:26:17,168
training areas different , each 

762
00:26:17,168 --> 00:26:19,279
training scenarios different . So you 

763
00:26:19,279 --> 00:26:21,168
gotta be able to adapt those core 

764
00:26:21,168 --> 00:26:23,279
principles , those core guidelines to 

765
00:26:23,279 --> 00:26:25,446
the situation in hand . We've spoken , 

766
00:26:25,446 --> 00:26:27,668
for example , folks like Dr Fauci , and 

767
00:26:27,668 --> 00:26:29,668
are adapting his principles and his 

768
00:26:29,668 --> 00:26:31,834
guidelines to the force and giving the 

769
00:26:31,834 --> 00:26:34,057
commanders the freedom to to do that so 

770
00:26:34,057 --> 00:26:33,630
they can maximize training in the 

771
00:26:33,630 --> 00:26:35,908
safest possible way for their soldiers , 

772
00:26:35,908 --> 00:26:37,797
sailors , airmen , Marine , now , 

773
00:26:37,797 --> 00:26:39,797
Marines . That said , As we develop 

774
00:26:39,797 --> 00:26:41,630
greater testing capacity , we're 

775
00:26:41,630 --> 00:26:43,852
looking at How do we do that ? Uh , how 

776
00:26:43,852 --> 00:26:46,650
do we train the force and test the 

777
00:26:46,650 --> 00:26:48,960
force based on the tears ? And I spoke 

778
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,127
about earlier . It's the tier one with 

779
00:26:51,127 --> 00:26:53,182
those top end forces . Then the next 

780
00:26:53,182 --> 00:26:55,349
year were deployed forces and so forth 

781
00:26:55,349 --> 00:26:57,571
to you get to the bottom that last year 

782
00:26:57,571 --> 00:26:59,571
will be , you know , the ah bulk of 

783
00:26:59,571 --> 00:27:01,404
your forces who , unless they're 

784
00:27:01,404 --> 00:27:03,404
displaying symptoms , we won't test 

785
00:27:03,404 --> 00:27:05,571
them . Now . One , the challenges that 

786
00:27:05,571 --> 00:27:07,793
we know is asymptomatic transmission of 

787
00:27:07,793 --> 00:27:09,960
the disease , and it's something we've 

788
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,071
known for quite a while . But what we 

789
00:27:12,071 --> 00:27:11,990
didn't really appreciate it for the TR 

790
00:27:12,470 --> 00:27:14,610
was the fact that it is that we are 

791
00:27:14,610 --> 00:27:16,777
experience very experiencing very high 

792
00:27:16,777 --> 00:27:18,832
rates in the military with regard to 

793
00:27:18,832 --> 00:27:21,054
asymptomatic transmission . So we gotta 

794
00:27:21,054 --> 00:27:23,221
be careful about that . Ensure that if 

795
00:27:23,221 --> 00:27:25,443
something happens , we have the medical 

796
00:27:25,443 --> 00:27:27,499
capacity to identify those persons , 

797
00:27:27,499 --> 00:27:29,554
quarantined them and get them care a 

798
00:27:29,554 --> 00:27:31,443
soon as possible . If and as that 

799
00:27:31,443 --> 00:27:33,499
happens , and so that's the approach 

800
00:27:33,499 --> 00:27:35,610
will taken . You know , the long term 

801
00:27:35,610 --> 00:27:37,777
view , which is part of the discussion 

802
00:27:37,777 --> 00:27:39,888
here today is , is what do we do over 

803
00:27:39,888 --> 00:27:42,110
the next 6 12 18 months ? My view , the 

804
00:27:42,110 --> 00:27:44,332
view of the chairman of Joint Chiefs of 

805
00:27:44,332 --> 00:27:46,277
Staff of our commanders , civilian 

806
00:27:46,277 --> 00:27:48,388
leaders is there will be a new normal 

807
00:27:48,388 --> 00:27:50,443
that we will have to adapt to for an 

808
00:27:50,443 --> 00:27:52,388
extended period of time , at least 

809
00:27:52,388 --> 00:27:54,332
until we have a vaccine that we're 

810
00:27:54,332 --> 00:27:56,221
confident in . And that means the 

811
00:27:56,221 --> 00:27:56,220
sooner we can adapt our practices , 

812
00:27:56,230 --> 00:27:58,452
assumes a sooner we can learn from this 

813
00:27:58,452 --> 00:28:01,180
virus and , uh , and make changes , the 

814
00:28:01,180 --> 00:28:03,069
better we we will be and the more 

815
00:28:03,069 --> 00:28:05,180
likely work to maintain a high degree 

816
00:28:05,180 --> 00:28:07,291
of ah , readiness for the force . And 

817
00:28:07,291 --> 00:28:09,513
we're looking at all those things right 

818
00:28:09,513 --> 00:28:11,513
now before I come back to equipment 

819
00:28:11,513 --> 00:28:13,736
including maintenance and acquisition . 

820
00:28:13,736 --> 00:28:15,791
I wanted to follow up on a point you 

821
00:28:15,791 --> 00:28:15,650
made earlier that the Army itself is 

822
00:28:15,650 --> 00:28:17,817
helping for the military . I'm sorry . 

823
00:28:17,817 --> 00:28:20,039
More generally is helping with research 

824
00:28:20,039 --> 00:28:22,150
on vaccines and other treatments . Is 

825
00:28:22,150 --> 00:28:24,150
there anything more you could share 

826
00:28:24,150 --> 00:28:26,370
about the details of that ? You know , 

827
00:28:26,370 --> 00:28:28,148
I was you , Sam . Rid up it for 

828
00:28:28,148 --> 00:28:30,148
Dietrich many , many weeks ago . At 

829
00:28:30,148 --> 00:28:32,314
this point time , they were already on 

830
00:28:32,314 --> 00:28:34,481
the front end with their public sector 

831
00:28:34,481 --> 00:28:36,703
and private sector counterparts working 

832
00:28:36,703 --> 00:28:36,660
on vaccines and therapeutics . They 

833
00:28:36,660 --> 00:28:38,827
have been on that since then . We have 

834
00:28:38,827 --> 00:28:40,993
DARPA engaged , we have other . Walter 

835
00:28:40,993 --> 00:28:43,160
Reed is engaged Walter Reed Hospital . 

836
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,382
So Ah , we're doing a lot on that . And 

837
00:28:45,382 --> 00:28:47,549
we are participating in Operation Warp 

838
00:28:47,549 --> 00:28:49,860
speed , if you will , were accelerating 

839
00:28:49,870 --> 00:28:51,814
our efforts . I've had a number of 

840
00:28:51,814 --> 00:28:53,981
meetings over the past two weeks to to 

841
00:28:53,981 --> 00:28:56,360
figure out how we accelerate vaccine 

842
00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:58,780
and therapeutic development , testing 

843
00:28:58,780 --> 00:29:00,970
and then production , because the 

844
00:29:00,970 --> 00:29:03,310
sooner we can get there , the sooner we 

845
00:29:03,310 --> 00:29:06,670
can get back to a normal that we all 

846
00:29:06,670 --> 00:29:08,837
recognize . And the military is done a 

847
00:29:08,837 --> 00:29:10,760
great job in that regard again , 

848
00:29:10,770 --> 00:29:12,714
working very close with both their 

849
00:29:12,714 --> 00:29:14,770
other public sector counterparts and 

850
00:29:14,770 --> 00:29:16,920
the private sector . A couple more 

851
00:29:16,930 --> 00:29:20,220
questions on readiness and getting back 

852
00:29:20,220 --> 00:29:22,220
to normal . And I want to ask about 

853
00:29:22,220 --> 00:29:24,442
equipment You're there . I think at the 

854
00:29:24,442 --> 00:29:26,442
Department of Defense today doesn't 

855
00:29:26,442 --> 00:29:28,664
look like your living room . And I know 

856
00:29:28,664 --> 00:29:30,887
there are some people in the building , 

857
00:29:30,887 --> 00:29:33,109
some people at C . I A . Some people at 

858
00:29:33,109 --> 00:29:34,942
D I A . A lot of people and four 

859
00:29:34,942 --> 00:29:37,109
deployed locations . But do you have a 

860
00:29:37,109 --> 00:29:39,280
concept in mind for the people who are 

861
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:42,010
handling paperwork but often classified ? 

862
00:29:42,350 --> 00:29:44,461
A certain amount of that can't really 

863
00:29:44,461 --> 00:29:46,628
be done by tele work . Uh , is there a 

864
00:29:46,628 --> 00:29:50,250
concept for how that process plays out 

865
00:29:50,260 --> 00:29:51,982
and gradually morphs back into 

866
00:29:51,982 --> 00:29:54,140
something that's , Ah , new normal ? 

867
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,216
But that preserves enough of what we 

868
00:29:56,216 --> 00:29:58,104
used to do that you can really be 

869
00:29:58,104 --> 00:30:00,327
effective handling classified documents 

870
00:30:00,327 --> 00:30:02,216
and that sort of advance planet ? 

871
00:30:02,216 --> 00:30:04,382
Absolutely . I mean , we've been we've 

872
00:30:04,382 --> 00:30:06,493
been pleasantly surprised by how much 

873
00:30:06,493 --> 00:30:08,438
we've been able to do with when it 

874
00:30:08,438 --> 00:30:10,660
comes to tell a work , and in fact , in 

875
00:30:10,660 --> 00:30:12,716
some cases we've seen an increase in 

876
00:30:12,716 --> 00:30:14,938
productivity in certain areas . When it 

877
00:30:14,938 --> 00:30:17,104
comes to tell a work that said for the 

878
00:30:17,104 --> 00:30:16,680
past few weeks , our chief management 

879
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:18,736
officer has been developing plans to 

880
00:30:18,736 --> 00:30:21,069
reopen the Pentagon and other buildings , 

881
00:30:21,069 --> 00:30:23,291
at least in the Washington D . C area . 

882
00:30:23,291 --> 00:30:25,291
It will be based on the president's 

883
00:30:25,291 --> 00:30:27,458
plan that was and the guidelines given 

884
00:30:27,458 --> 00:30:27,350
to him by our public sector experts . 

885
00:30:27,820 --> 00:30:30,100
Eso weaken over a period of time in 

886
00:30:30,100 --> 00:30:32,700
phases . Open up the Pentagon and other 

887
00:30:32,700 --> 00:30:34,756
office buildings like that so we can 

888
00:30:34,756 --> 00:30:36,890
again get back to a normal but at the 

889
00:30:36,890 --> 00:30:38,890
same time protect our people . That 

890
00:30:38,890 --> 00:30:40,834
remains job number one . I've been 

891
00:30:40,834 --> 00:30:43,001
saying now for nearly three months . I 

892
00:30:43,001 --> 00:30:45,223
have three parties . Number one protect 

893
00:30:45,223 --> 00:30:47,446
Our service members are D O D civilians 

894
00:30:47,446 --> 00:30:49,540
and their families number to ensure 

895
00:30:49,540 --> 00:30:51,429
that we can maintain our national 

896
00:30:51,429 --> 00:30:53,373
security capabilities . And number 

897
00:30:53,373 --> 00:30:55,596
three provide full support to the whole 

898
00:30:55,596 --> 00:30:57,762
nation . Hold a government effort that 

899
00:30:57,762 --> 00:30:57,520
has been underway now since at least 

900
00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,720
for us since January . As you recall , 

901
00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,430
we opened up our bases in late January 

902
00:31:02,430 --> 00:31:05,220
2 Americans returning home from from 

903
00:31:05,220 --> 00:31:07,331
China who were brought back by the by 

904
00:31:07,331 --> 00:31:09,387
the state apartment other . So we've 

905
00:31:09,387 --> 00:31:11,498
been at this now for several months , 

906
00:31:11,498 --> 00:31:13,740
and we know what's important . Thank 

907
00:31:13,740 --> 00:31:15,518
you . I wanted to ask you about 

908
00:31:15,518 --> 00:31:17,684
maintenance you mentioned earlier that 

909
00:31:17,684 --> 00:31:19,851
most kinds of training . Most kinds of 

910
00:31:19,851 --> 00:31:22,540
maintenance have not been severely 

911
00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:24,671
impinged upon , although obviously at 

912
00:31:24,671 --> 00:31:26,560
higher echelons , you've got some 

913
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:28,671
concerns that we've been discussing . 

914
00:31:28,671 --> 00:31:30,560
But what about the maintenance of 

915
00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:29,640
equipment ? One of the great 

916
00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:31,862
accomplishments that you've all I think 

917
00:31:31,862 --> 00:31:34,890
managed in the last three years and you 

918
00:31:34,890 --> 00:31:36,723
know , is partly a reflection of 

919
00:31:36,723 --> 00:31:38,557
increased resource is was to get 

920
00:31:38,557 --> 00:31:40,660
equipment mission capable rates and 

921
00:31:40,660 --> 00:31:42,771
maintain ability rates back to higher 

922
00:31:42,771 --> 00:31:44,771
levels . Closer toe . But Secretary 

923
00:31:44,771 --> 00:31:47,170
Mattis wanted around 80% for aircraft , 

924
00:31:47,180 --> 00:31:49,402
for example . I think you've achieved a 

925
00:31:49,402 --> 00:31:51,569
lot of that . Are you able to maintain 

926
00:31:51,569 --> 00:31:53,458
that now ? Or are you seeing some 

927
00:31:53,458 --> 00:31:55,680
reduction in workflow , whether it's at 

928
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:57,970
the actual depos or even just the spare 

929
00:31:57,970 --> 00:32:00,620
parts providers who perhaps are a 

930
00:32:00,620 --> 00:32:03,310
contractor or subcontractor level being 

931
00:32:03,310 --> 00:32:06,160
affected by the virus more than the big 

932
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,100
facilities or the main de of the 

933
00:32:08,190 --> 00:32:10,750
operating ? Yes . So again , we've seen 

934
00:32:10,750 --> 00:32:12,917
a low impact to date on with regard to 

935
00:32:12,917 --> 00:32:14,861
our readiness . But one of the big 

936
00:32:14,861 --> 00:32:16,861
areas that I'm watching closely and 

937
00:32:16,861 --> 00:32:18,639
we're adapting our plans for is 

938
00:32:19,030 --> 00:32:21,530
maintenance and specifically the impact 

939
00:32:21,530 --> 00:32:23,363
that Cove in 19 is having on the 

940
00:32:23,363 --> 00:32:25,530
defense industrial base , not just for 

941
00:32:25,530 --> 00:32:28,500
maintenance , but for production . So 

942
00:32:28,510 --> 00:32:30,621
we have a different type of workforce 

943
00:32:30,621 --> 00:32:32,954
after than the then the service members . 

944
00:32:32,954 --> 00:32:35,177
We have in some ways more susceptible , 

945
00:32:35,177 --> 00:32:37,870
more vulnerable to Cove in 19 and , ah , 

946
00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:39,936
because we're out in the community . 

947
00:32:39,936 --> 00:32:41,880
Some have shut down and we're on a 

948
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,102
reduced workload so that obviously over 

949
00:32:44,102 --> 00:32:46,436
time will have an impact on maintenance , 

950
00:32:46,436 --> 00:32:48,658
whether it's local maintenance or depot 

951
00:32:48,658 --> 00:32:50,769
level maintenance , or if you're on a 

952
00:32:50,769 --> 00:32:52,713
production line , it could have an 

953
00:32:52,713 --> 00:32:54,658
impact there . So Ellen Lord , our 

954
00:32:54,658 --> 00:32:56,602
undersecretary for acquisition and 

955
00:32:56,602 --> 00:32:58,658
security , she's doing a great job . 

956
00:32:58,658 --> 00:32:58,480
She's been very aggressive when it 

957
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:00,680
comes to Ah , working and talking with 

958
00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:02,902
the defense industrial base . I will be 

959
00:33:02,902 --> 00:33:04,847
sending a letter to them this week 

960
00:33:04,847 --> 00:33:06,902
expressing , Ah , my thanks for what 

961
00:33:06,902 --> 00:33:09,013
they're doing and offering and asking 

962
00:33:09,013 --> 00:33:11,124
them how we can do better in terms of 

963
00:33:11,124 --> 00:33:13,069
keeping the dip as we call at full 

964
00:33:13,069 --> 00:33:15,013
capacity . It is one of one of our 

965
00:33:15,013 --> 00:33:17,236
concerns . We want to work closely with 

966
00:33:17,236 --> 00:33:19,402
them , and Ellen's doing a good job in 

967
00:33:19,402 --> 00:33:21,402
terms of cash flow , making sure we 

968
00:33:21,402 --> 00:33:23,569
keep people on the line working . I've 

969
00:33:23,569 --> 00:33:25,847
talked Teoh . I've talked to governors . 

970
00:33:25,847 --> 00:33:27,847
I've talked to people in the supply 

971
00:33:27,847 --> 00:33:29,569
chain about how we can provide 

972
00:33:29,569 --> 00:33:31,624
protective equipment or at least get 

973
00:33:31,624 --> 00:33:31,460
them access to it . So all those things 

974
00:33:31,460 --> 00:33:33,349
are on the table . That will be a 

975
00:33:33,349 --> 00:33:35,349
n'importe factor as we move through 

976
00:33:35,349 --> 00:33:37,349
this in the coming months . Is your 

977
00:33:37,349 --> 00:33:39,516
greater concern with production at the 

978
00:33:39,516 --> 00:33:41,627
subcontractor level as opposed to the 

979
00:33:41,627 --> 00:33:43,293
prime ? Because sometimes the 

980
00:33:43,293 --> 00:33:45,404
subcontractors are small there in the 

981
00:33:45,404 --> 00:33:47,627
community . And if you say a little bit 

982
00:33:47,627 --> 00:33:47,150
more about that , and also whether 

983
00:33:47,150 --> 00:33:49,317
there are financial mechanisms to help 

984
00:33:49,317 --> 00:33:51,539
some of these subcontractors that maybe 

985
00:33:51,539 --> 00:33:53,594
some of them should be more aware of 

986
00:33:53,594 --> 00:33:55,650
than they've learned so far . Yeah , 

987
00:33:55,650 --> 00:33:57,872
absolutely . You know , I worked in the 

988
00:33:57,872 --> 00:33:59,928
industry for a few years , so I know 

989
00:33:59,928 --> 00:34:01,983
that the further you go out into the 

990
00:34:01,983 --> 00:34:04,039
supply chain , the more vulnerable , 

991
00:34:04,039 --> 00:34:06,372
the more susceptible your producers are . 

992
00:34:06,372 --> 00:34:08,890
Your folks are Teoh . Whether it's a 

993
00:34:08,890 --> 00:34:10,946
financial fluctuation in this case , 

994
00:34:10,946 --> 00:34:12,946
it's a pandemic , and so we have to 

995
00:34:12,946 --> 00:34:15,057
take care of them first and then work 

996
00:34:15,057 --> 00:34:17,223
our way back . The bigger companies of 

997
00:34:17,223 --> 00:34:19,390
primes , they have the financial means 

998
00:34:19,390 --> 00:34:19,190
to sustain themselves and do stuff like 

999
00:34:19,190 --> 00:34:21,412
that . It doesn't mean we shouldn't pay 

1000
00:34:21,412 --> 00:34:23,634
attention them , but a priority must be 

1001
00:34:23,634 --> 00:34:25,579
placed on the furthest end of that 

1002
00:34:25,579 --> 00:34:27,634
supply chain first and then work our 

1003
00:34:27,634 --> 00:34:27,610
way back in from there because that's 

1004
00:34:27,610 --> 00:34:29,777
where you see a lot of vulnerabilities 

1005
00:34:29,777 --> 00:34:32,860
where again , cos simply don't have the 

1006
00:34:32,870 --> 00:34:35,840
depth of financial , uh , financial 

1007
00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:38,062
means or personal where the case may be 

1008
00:34:38,062 --> 00:34:39,896
to maintain those those items as 

1009
00:34:39,896 --> 00:34:41,729
components that are critical toe 

1010
00:34:41,729 --> 00:34:43,784
assembling and bringing together the 

1011
00:34:43,784 --> 00:34:45,896
entire product . So far , you haven't 

1012
00:34:45,896 --> 00:34:47,784
really had an adverse reaction on 

1013
00:34:47,784 --> 00:34:50,007
throughput of final finished products , 

1014
00:34:50,007 --> 00:34:51,880
whether it's vehicles , aircraft 

1015
00:34:52,110 --> 00:34:54,221
ordinance . But you're concerned that 

1016
00:34:54,221 --> 00:34:55,777
there could be some looming 

1017
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,180
vulnerabilities because certain kinds 

1018
00:34:58,180 --> 00:35:00,180
of component arts perhaps don't get 

1019
00:35:00,180 --> 00:35:02,400
produced . That's essentially the the 

1020
00:35:02,410 --> 00:35:04,950
crux of the problem . Well , it's it's 

1021
00:35:04,950 --> 00:35:06,783
things like that . We've seen it 

1022
00:35:06,783 --> 00:35:09,006
acutely here in the past few weeks with 

1023
00:35:09,006 --> 00:35:11,228
regard to our supply chain that extends 

1024
00:35:11,228 --> 00:35:13,228
into Mexico . Of course , in Mexico 

1025
00:35:13,228 --> 00:35:13,210
they shut down a lot of their factories . 

1026
00:35:13,570 --> 00:35:15,737
That's been a concern of theirs . Ah , 

1027
00:35:15,737 --> 00:35:17,848
again , L Amore has been working with 

1028
00:35:17,848 --> 00:35:20,014
her counterparts . She's spoken to the 

1029
00:35:20,014 --> 00:35:22,014
U . S . Ambassador of Mexico . I've 

1030
00:35:22,014 --> 00:35:23,959
spoken to Secretary Pompeo . We're 

1031
00:35:23,959 --> 00:35:25,959
doing everything we can to get that 

1032
00:35:25,959 --> 00:35:25,660
line back up , and I'm sure we will 

1033
00:35:25,660 --> 00:35:28,380
hear very soon . And that's just a an 

1034
00:35:28,380 --> 00:35:30,810
example where the the production line 

1035
00:35:30,810 --> 00:35:33,088
extends beyond our borders into Mexico . 

1036
00:35:33,350 --> 00:35:35,572
But nonetheless , we still need to keep 

1037
00:35:35,572 --> 00:35:37,628
that supply chain moving forward and 

1038
00:35:37,628 --> 00:35:39,794
putting stuff through the system so we 

1039
00:35:39,794 --> 00:35:41,906
can maintain our either our readiness 

1040
00:35:41,906 --> 00:35:43,850
because of maintenance of parts or 

1041
00:35:43,850 --> 00:35:45,794
because it's a replacement of news 

1042
00:35:45,794 --> 00:35:47,961
entirely . New system It needs to come 

1043
00:35:47,961 --> 00:35:50,072
online . I'm starting to get a number 

1044
00:35:50,072 --> 00:35:52,183
of questions from viewers , and a few 

1045
00:35:52,183 --> 00:35:54,294
of them sort of could be put together 

1046
00:35:54,294 --> 00:35:56,406
into one broad question about finance 

1047
00:35:56,406 --> 00:35:58,517
for the defense industrial base . And 

1048
00:35:58,517 --> 00:36:00,628
so are there any considerations about 

1049
00:36:00,628 --> 00:36:02,628
specific needs that you may have to 

1050
00:36:02,670 --> 00:36:05,250
focus on Maury either ? Spreading the 

1051
00:36:05,250 --> 00:36:07,306
word that certain kinds of loans are 

1052
00:36:07,306 --> 00:36:09,361
available , where people may not yet 

1053
00:36:09,361 --> 00:36:11,700
know , or getting some help in any kind 

1054
00:36:11,700 --> 00:36:13,780
of a future financial relief package 

1055
00:36:13,780 --> 00:36:15,947
that has not yet been targeted clearly 

1056
00:36:15,947 --> 00:36:18,100
enough on the defense industrial base 

1057
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,416
or asking for some more money in the 

1058
00:36:20,416 --> 00:36:22,193
supplemental , which is maybe a 

1059
00:36:22,193 --> 00:36:24,304
somewhat different question but based 

1060
00:36:24,304 --> 00:36:26,082
on different kinds of demands , 

1061
00:36:26,082 --> 00:36:28,670
including the 45,000 guardsmen , 

1062
00:36:28,670 --> 00:36:30,810
reservists and after duty forces that 

1063
00:36:30,810 --> 00:36:32,643
you mentioned around the country 

1064
00:36:32,643 --> 00:36:34,588
helping with the domestic response 

1065
00:36:34,588 --> 00:36:36,699
today . So in terms of a supplemental 

1066
00:36:36,699 --> 00:36:38,866
in terms of another cares act in terms 

1067
00:36:38,866 --> 00:36:40,977
of existing funds that people may not 

1068
00:36:40,977 --> 00:36:43,088
know about , is there any big message 

1069
00:36:43,088 --> 00:36:45,310
that you would want to send out to that 

1070
00:36:45,310 --> 00:36:45,070
look ? First thing I'd say is Congress 

1071
00:36:45,070 --> 00:36:47,070
has been very generous and at first 

1072
00:36:47,070 --> 00:36:49,181
transfer money , giving us what , $11 

1073
00:36:49,181 --> 00:36:51,181
billion or so under the Cares Act . 

1074
00:36:51,181 --> 00:36:53,348
Teoh do a number of things with regard 

1075
00:36:53,348 --> 00:36:53,280
to the Defense industrial base 

1076
00:36:53,290 --> 00:36:55,290
Leveraging Defense Production Act , 

1077
00:36:55,290 --> 00:36:57,123
which we've done by the way Teoh 

1078
00:36:57,123 --> 00:36:59,234
purchase medical supplies , equipment 

1079
00:36:59,234 --> 00:37:01,401
and what not ? And we need to continue 

1080
00:37:01,401 --> 00:37:03,568
to leverage that money over the coming 

1081
00:37:03,568 --> 00:37:05,623
days and weeks again , we're working 

1082
00:37:05,623 --> 00:37:08,090
that , but we anticipate the likely 

1083
00:37:08,090 --> 00:37:10,201
need for additional monies coming out 

1084
00:37:10,201 --> 00:37:12,423
if there is 1/4 supplemental because we 

1085
00:37:12,423 --> 00:37:14,646
see again greater demand with regard to 

1086
00:37:14,646 --> 00:37:16,868
medical supplies . We also know we need 

1087
00:37:16,868 --> 00:37:18,646
to restock our our shells , our 

1088
00:37:18,646 --> 00:37:20,590
inventory when it comes to medical 

1089
00:37:20,590 --> 00:37:22,646
supplies and equipment . But we also 

1090
00:37:22,646 --> 00:37:24,812
want to continue prime ing the defense 

1091
00:37:24,812 --> 00:37:26,812
industrial base . We want people at 

1092
00:37:26,812 --> 00:37:28,868
work . We want our base at work . We 

1093
00:37:28,868 --> 00:37:28,650
want to continue with payments . We 

1094
00:37:28,650 --> 00:37:30,872
want to help with cash flow , and we're 

1095
00:37:30,872 --> 00:37:32,983
looking at a variety of ways by which 

1096
00:37:32,983 --> 00:37:35,206
we can do that . It's again , it's very 

1097
00:37:35,206 --> 00:37:37,428
important . This is Ah , you know D o D 

1098
00:37:37,428 --> 00:37:39,317
is not an island were really rely 

1099
00:37:39,317 --> 00:37:41,483
heavily on the private sector . And so 

1100
00:37:41,483 --> 00:37:43,539
many of our private sector workforce 

1101
00:37:43,539 --> 00:37:45,428
has been affected by Cove in 19 . 

1102
00:37:45,428 --> 00:37:45,200
Either personally , they've been 

1103
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:47,450
infected . Or maybe they're in a state 

1104
00:37:47,450 --> 00:37:49,450
where there's a shutdown order . Or 

1105
00:37:49,450 --> 00:37:51,450
maybe they're working in such close 

1106
00:37:51,450 --> 00:37:53,506
quarters that the management doesn't 

1107
00:37:53,506 --> 00:37:55,728
feel comfortable asking to come to work 

1108
00:37:55,728 --> 00:37:57,783
because of the conditions . So we're 

1109
00:37:57,783 --> 00:37:59,728
trying to work through all those . 

1110
00:37:59,728 --> 00:38:01,950
There's , ah , we're looking at him one 

1111
00:38:01,950 --> 00:38:04,117
at a time . Ellen Lord's been all over 

1112
00:38:04,117 --> 00:38:06,172
this now for many , many weeks , and 

1113
00:38:06,172 --> 00:38:08,283
there's more we can do . And we'll do 

1114
00:38:08,283 --> 00:38:10,450
as we , uh as we try and plan ahead if 

1115
00:38:10,460 --> 00:38:12,571
I want to . Now move to international 

1116
00:38:12,571 --> 00:38:14,627
questions where there may be a Covad 

1117
00:38:14,627 --> 00:38:16,849
dimension , as with Iran or the U . S . 

1118
00:38:16,849 --> 00:38:18,460
Military presence in Iraq or 

1119
00:38:18,460 --> 00:38:20,682
Afghanistan . But before I do , because 

1120
00:38:20,682 --> 00:38:22,793
we've been talking about the domestic 

1121
00:38:22,793 --> 00:38:24,793
home front a bit , I know it's very 

1122
00:38:24,793 --> 00:38:26,730
much on your mind . Is there any 

1123
00:38:26,740 --> 00:38:29,550
additional concern you have any looming 

1124
00:38:29,550 --> 00:38:31,661
need for the Department of Defense to 

1125
00:38:31,661 --> 00:38:33,550
do even Maurin the future in some 

1126
00:38:33,550 --> 00:38:35,606
domains . The reason , I ask is that 

1127
00:38:35,606 --> 00:38:37,550
you mentioned the hospital ships , 

1128
00:38:37,550 --> 00:38:39,772
perhaps won't be needed , since some of 

1129
00:38:39,772 --> 00:38:41,883
the acute caseload didn't turn out to 

1130
00:38:41,883 --> 00:38:43,717
be quite , is great and may have 

1131
00:38:43,717 --> 00:38:45,883
already peaked in places like New York 

1132
00:38:45,883 --> 00:38:48,050
City . By one concern that some people 

1133
00:38:48,050 --> 00:38:49,994
have had is the strength of the US 

1134
00:38:49,994 --> 00:38:51,939
police forces around the country , 

1135
00:38:51,939 --> 00:38:54,470
where you've already seen 15% attrition 

1136
00:38:54,470 --> 00:38:56,880
in New York , 20% in Detroit . I 

1137
00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:58,991
shouldn't say attrition . I mean sick 

1138
00:38:58,991 --> 00:39:01,213
leave people who either have Kobe it or 

1139
00:39:01,213 --> 00:39:02,991
are self quarantining . And the 

1140
00:39:02,991 --> 00:39:05,270
question being raised as to whether the 

1141
00:39:05,270 --> 00:39:08,140
National Guard in particular , uh , in 

1142
00:39:08,140 --> 00:39:10,140
compliance with Posse Comitatus may 

1143
00:39:10,140 --> 00:39:12,430
need to go help the police forces in a 

1144
00:39:12,430 --> 00:39:14,840
more direct way . That it has so far is 

1145
00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:16,840
that kind of conversation happening 

1146
00:39:16,850 --> 00:39:18,850
doesn't need to happen . How do you 

1147
00:39:18,850 --> 00:39:20,794
view the domestic requirements for 

1148
00:39:20,870 --> 00:39:22,870
military assistance in the future ? 

1149
00:39:23,220 --> 00:39:25,387
Well , you know , you hit on something 

1150
00:39:25,387 --> 00:39:27,442
that's very important again , I said 

1151
00:39:27,442 --> 00:39:29,664
earlier , we had 62,000 service members 

1152
00:39:29,664 --> 00:39:31,776
out on the streets of America . Right 

1153
00:39:31,776 --> 00:39:34,109
now , 45,000 of them are National Guard . 

1154
00:39:34,109 --> 00:39:36,276
We're just doing tremendous work . And 

1155
00:39:36,276 --> 00:39:38,387
at the peak of ah , of our presence , 

1156
00:39:38,387 --> 00:39:40,053
we had well over 4000 medical 

1157
00:39:40,053 --> 00:39:43,080
professionals out there way . We were 

1158
00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,080
very responsive to the needs of the 

1159
00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:46,747
state local authorities , and 

1160
00:39:46,747 --> 00:39:48,913
eventually we got to the model whereby 

1161
00:39:48,913 --> 00:39:51,080
the point you mentioned we saw doctors 

1162
00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:53,191
and nurses either getting infected or 

1163
00:39:53,191 --> 00:39:55,080
simply worn out because they were 

1164
00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:57,080
running 24 hour days for weeks at a 

1165
00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:59,247
time . We were able to put our doctors 

1166
00:39:59,247 --> 00:40:01,302
and nurses into hospitals and really 

1167
00:40:01,302 --> 00:40:03,413
either boost them or substitute for a 

1168
00:40:03,413 --> 00:40:05,413
period of time . Second rest up . I 

1169
00:40:05,413 --> 00:40:07,580
have not heard that we've reached that 

1170
00:40:07,580 --> 00:40:09,858
point yet with the police forces again , 

1171
00:40:09,858 --> 00:40:12,080
the National Guard would be well suited 

1172
00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:11,520
to do that certainly better than the 

1173
00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:13,990
active component for the reasons you 

1174
00:40:13,990 --> 00:40:16,212
mentioned . We have not seen that yet , 

1175
00:40:16,212 --> 00:40:18,323
but that would be a mission available 

1176
00:40:18,323 --> 00:40:20,546
to them , depending on how the governor 

1177
00:40:20,546 --> 00:40:22,434
of each respective state wants to 

1178
00:40:22,434 --> 00:40:24,379
leverage them . I wanted to pose a 

1179
00:40:24,379 --> 00:40:26,490
broad question about how Kobe , 19 is 

1180
00:40:26,490 --> 00:40:28,712
affecting potential American threats or 

1181
00:40:28,712 --> 00:40:31,210
adversaries , and we know the Pentagon 

1182
00:40:31,220 --> 00:40:33,164
for now , 1/2 dozen years has been 

1183
00:40:33,164 --> 00:40:35,109
using this so called four plus one 

1184
00:40:35,109 --> 00:40:37,240
framework . But you and Secretary 

1185
00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:39,351
Mattis and others sort of modified it 

1186
00:40:39,351 --> 00:40:41,684
to what some people call two plus three , 

1187
00:40:41,684 --> 00:40:43,851
with a focus on Russia and China first 

1188
00:40:43,851 --> 00:40:46,430
and then Korea , Iran and terrorism in 

1189
00:40:46,430 --> 00:40:48,220
a tear right after that And the 

1190
00:40:48,220 --> 00:40:50,276
national defense strategy emphasises 

1191
00:40:50,276 --> 00:40:52,498
those kinds of concerns . We've already 

1192
00:40:52,498 --> 00:40:54,720
touched a little bit on China today . I 

1193
00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:56,831
wanted to ask , in broad terms , have 

1194
00:40:56,831 --> 00:40:58,942
you had any comment about what you're 

1195
00:40:58,942 --> 00:41:00,609
seeing from those other major 

1196
00:41:00,609 --> 00:41:02,609
preoccupations of the Department of 

1197
00:41:02,609 --> 00:41:05,240
Defense Russia , North Korea , Iran and 

1198
00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:07,351
transnational terrorism ? I think you 

1199
00:41:07,351 --> 00:41:09,407
said that terrorism seems unabated , 

1200
00:41:09,407 --> 00:41:11,518
hasn't been affected in the intensity 

1201
00:41:11,518 --> 00:41:13,629
of various kinds of attacks . But you 

1202
00:41:13,629 --> 00:41:15,810
have any high level view or comment 

1203
00:41:15,810 --> 00:41:18,190
about the behavior of Russia , North 

1204
00:41:18,190 --> 00:41:21,470
Korea and Iran so far ? Sure . Well , I 

1205
00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:23,313
think I said upfront . The world 

1206
00:41:23,313 --> 00:41:25,424
remains a dangerous place . And ah so 

1207
00:41:25,424 --> 00:41:27,258
so many Americans rightly so are 

1208
00:41:27,258 --> 00:41:29,313
focused inside these days , even the 

1209
00:41:29,313 --> 00:41:31,480
media . But we're still seeing all the 

1210
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,702
same bad behavior out there that we saw 

1211
00:41:33,702 --> 00:41:35,810
before . Ah , whether it was again , 

1212
00:41:35,820 --> 00:41:37,876
the Russians trying to probe our air 

1213
00:41:37,876 --> 00:41:40,780
defenses up in Alaska , the Chinese in 

1214
00:41:40,780 --> 00:41:42,947
the South China Sea . We're seeing all 

1215
00:41:42,947 --> 00:41:45,002
that We in some case , it's a little 

1216
00:41:45,002 --> 00:41:47,113
bit more pusher than others and other 

1217
00:41:47,113 --> 00:41:49,169
places . We see them , Ah , standing 

1218
00:41:49,169 --> 00:41:51,280
down , if you will , because they are 

1219
00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,391
affected by Cove in 19 as well . It's 

1220
00:41:53,391 --> 00:41:55,502
not being reported as much . They are 

1221
00:41:55,502 --> 00:41:55,080
not reporting it as much , but we know 

1222
00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:57,191
that they're concerned about it . And 

1223
00:41:57,191 --> 00:41:59,160
so we're very cautious . We're and 

1224
00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:01,382
we're also very conscience conscious of 

1225
00:42:01,382 --> 00:42:03,160
what's happening out there . My 

1226
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,104
watchword to the force has been to 

1227
00:42:05,104 --> 00:42:07,216
remain vigilant . These are uncertain 

1228
00:42:07,216 --> 00:42:09,271
times . You don't know how states or 

1229
00:42:09,271 --> 00:42:11,216
militaries will act . So we got to 

1230
00:42:11,216 --> 00:42:13,382
remain vigilant out there on the front 

1231
00:42:13,382 --> 00:42:15,604
lines , and we've commanders completely 

1232
00:42:15,604 --> 00:42:17,771
get that I meet with them or talk with 

1233
00:42:17,771 --> 00:42:19,993
them weekly about this . And we've done 

1234
00:42:19,993 --> 00:42:22,104
everything we can in terms of pushing 

1235
00:42:22,104 --> 00:42:22,060
testing supplies , hospitals , doctors 

1236
00:42:22,390 --> 00:42:24,557
out to the deployed force to make sure 

1237
00:42:24,557 --> 00:42:26,723
they could remain as ready as possible 

1238
00:42:26,723 --> 00:42:29,140
to deal with these threats . I want to 

1239
00:42:29,140 --> 00:42:31,029
come back to the Middle East in a 

1240
00:42:31,029 --> 00:42:33,084
minute where you have of course , so 

1241
00:42:33,084 --> 00:42:35,084
many forces deployed . But one more 

1242
00:42:35,084 --> 00:42:37,140
question on Russia . If I could just 

1243
00:42:37,140 --> 00:42:37,140
now again . And in your opening 

1244
00:42:37,140 --> 00:42:39,196
comments , you mentioned the probing 

1245
00:42:39,196 --> 00:42:41,362
flights in the northern space and sort 

1246
00:42:41,362 --> 00:42:43,560
of on the eastern flank of Russia . 

1247
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:46,167
What about Europe in the Middle East ? 

1248
00:42:46,167 --> 00:42:48,389
Which , of course , has been the number 

1249
00:42:48,389 --> 00:42:50,389
one source of concern and regard to 

1250
00:42:50,389 --> 00:42:52,389
Russian behavior , especially since 

1251
00:42:52,389 --> 00:42:54,650
2014 . And some people , some of the 

1252
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:57,200
audience today has asked about Defender 

1253
00:42:57,200 --> 00:43:00,000
2020 and any kinds of exercises that 

1254
00:43:00,220 --> 00:43:02,331
we've planned that may now have to be 

1255
00:43:02,331 --> 00:43:04,220
curtailed or postponed , and your 

1256
00:43:04,220 --> 00:43:06,276
overall sense of our preparedness in 

1257
00:43:06,276 --> 00:43:08,550
Europe specifically in regards to 

1258
00:43:08,550 --> 00:43:11,000
Russia and its potential provocation . 

1259
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:13,056
So it's a two part question . Do you 

1260
00:43:13,056 --> 00:43:15,111
see more provocations ? And you have 

1261
00:43:15,111 --> 00:43:17,278
worries about our preparedness in that 

1262
00:43:17,278 --> 00:43:19,500
particular theater ? You know , there's 

1263
00:43:19,500 --> 00:43:21,667
I wouldn't say There's been a material 

1264
00:43:21,667 --> 00:43:23,722
increase in provocations , you see . 

1265
00:43:23,722 --> 00:43:25,611
Certainly the Chinese have been a 

1266
00:43:25,611 --> 00:43:27,833
little bit more aggressive out there in 

1267
00:43:27,833 --> 00:43:30,000
the in the Pacific . The Russians rain 

1268
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,111
busy . Ah , in Libya , of course , in 

1269
00:43:32,111 --> 00:43:34,111
Syria , places like that . But I'll 

1270
00:43:34,111 --> 00:43:36,167
tell you , with regard to NATO , the 

1271
00:43:36,167 --> 00:43:38,290
alliance is held strong . We've I've 

1272
00:43:38,290 --> 00:43:41,510
talked to many of my counterparts from 

1273
00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:43,742
Europe about their state of readiness . 

1274
00:43:43,742 --> 00:43:45,853
How we can help them , etcetera . But 

1275
00:43:45,853 --> 00:43:48,076
over the last few years , I think we've 

1276
00:43:48,076 --> 00:43:49,970
seen NATO readiness increase . 

1277
00:43:50,510 --> 00:43:52,843
President Trump has been very insistent , 

1278
00:43:52,843 --> 00:43:55,010
as have I've been that they contribute 

1279
00:43:55,010 --> 00:43:57,010
more to defense , get above that 2% 

1280
00:43:57,010 --> 00:43:59,350
threshold . And they have , uh , sack 

1281
00:43:59,350 --> 00:44:01,270
your a supreme Allied commander . 

1282
00:44:01,270 --> 00:44:03,790
Europe has made ah , NATO readiness 

1283
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:06,022
initiative a priority , which I have as 

1284
00:44:06,022 --> 00:44:07,856
well . That's 30 battalions , 30 

1285
00:44:07,856 --> 00:44:10,078
squadrons , 30 naval ships ready within 

1286
00:44:10,078 --> 00:44:11,967
30 days . We've seen an uptick in 

1287
00:44:11,967 --> 00:44:14,022
readiness there . So I think overall 

1288
00:44:14,022 --> 00:44:16,189
the trend for NATO rightness have been 

1289
00:44:16,189 --> 00:44:18,244
positive in terms of both capacity , 

1290
00:44:18,244 --> 00:44:20,411
capability and the ability to deployed 

1291
00:44:20,411 --> 00:44:22,870
in a timely manner . And so , uh , so 

1292
00:44:22,870 --> 00:44:24,981
all all that is trending well at this 

1293
00:44:24,981 --> 00:44:27,770
point in time . And , um , that's 

1294
00:44:27,770 --> 00:44:29,992
generally where we see things right now 

1295
00:44:31,090 --> 00:44:33,170
on Iran , we know that Iraq has been 

1296
00:44:33,170 --> 00:44:36,240
extremely hard hit by Kobe 19 

1297
00:44:36,250 --> 00:44:38,530
internally . It's also obviously been 

1298
00:44:38,530 --> 00:44:40,980
pressured by the U . S led sanctions 

1299
00:44:41,020 --> 00:44:44,540
regimen . And yet , of course , Iran 

1300
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:47,330
tends to conduct activities that are 

1301
00:44:47,340 --> 00:44:49,062
often covert , not always that 

1302
00:44:49,062 --> 00:44:51,229
expensive . And I want to ask you in a 

1303
00:44:51,229 --> 00:44:53,507
minute about Iran and Iraq . But first , 

1304
00:44:53,507 --> 00:44:56,250
if I could focus directly on Iran . We 

1305
00:44:56,250 --> 00:44:58,650
know that there have been some concerns 

1306
00:44:58,650 --> 00:45:01,370
about Iranian gunboats . Provocations 

1307
00:45:01,370 --> 00:45:03,426
in the Persian Gulf . Peace would be 

1308
00:45:03,426 --> 00:45:05,537
the U . S . Navy . Are you seeing any 

1309
00:45:05,537 --> 00:45:07,759
change in activity there ? You have any 

1310
00:45:07,759 --> 00:45:09,759
concern that Iran , perhaps because 

1311
00:45:09,759 --> 00:45:11,926
it's getting backed into a corner , so 

1312
00:45:11,926 --> 00:45:13,926
to speak , with its economy in such 

1313
00:45:13,926 --> 00:45:16,037
dire straits , its health care system 

1314
00:45:16,037 --> 00:45:18,203
in such dire straits is doing the only 

1315
00:45:18,203 --> 00:45:18,180
thing that Iran knows how to do ? Which 

1316
00:45:18,180 --> 00:45:21,200
is the lash out ? Well , Iran has been 

1317
00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:23,422
hit very hard by the krona virus . Um , 

1318
00:45:23,422 --> 00:45:25,367
and it's it's had an impact on the 

1319
00:45:25,367 --> 00:45:28,540
economy on society . And , as we've 

1320
00:45:28,540 --> 00:45:30,540
been saying , Look , if if they pay 

1321
00:45:30,540 --> 00:45:32,762
more attention to their people , divert 

1322
00:45:32,762 --> 00:45:34,873
their funds to helping the population 

1323
00:45:34,873 --> 00:45:36,929
instead of funding malign activities 

1324
00:45:36,929 --> 00:45:38,929
from Africa all the way through the 

1325
00:45:38,929 --> 00:45:41,040
Middle East , whether it's or funding 

1326
00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:43,096
Shia militia groups , uh , providing 

1327
00:45:43,096 --> 00:45:45,262
rockets and missiles and ammunition to 

1328
00:45:45,262 --> 00:45:47,373
the Houthi rebels if they focus their 

1329
00:45:47,373 --> 00:45:49,596
attention resource is under people . It 

1330
00:45:49,596 --> 00:45:51,651
could be a much better place for the 

1331
00:45:51,651 --> 00:45:51,390
Iranians , the running people 

1332
00:45:51,390 --> 00:45:53,557
themselves . But instead they continue 

1333
00:45:53,557 --> 00:45:55,668
this blind behavior that they've been 

1334
00:45:55,668 --> 00:45:57,834
up to now for what , 41 years and that 

1335
00:45:57,834 --> 00:46:00,080
continues despite the impact of 

1336
00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,210
sanctions , despite the impact of the 

1337
00:46:02,210 --> 00:46:04,630
Corona virus . In spite of all those 

1338
00:46:04,630 --> 00:46:06,741
things and by the way we , the United 

1339
00:46:06,741 --> 00:46:08,686
States , have offered to help them 

1340
00:46:08,686 --> 00:46:10,797
provide medical supplies and what not 

1341
00:46:10,797 --> 00:46:10,570
and they've they've turned that down . 

1342
00:46:10,570 --> 00:46:13,750
So you know , my my hope would be that 

1343
00:46:13,750 --> 00:46:16,028
they would focus on the Iranian people , 

1344
00:46:16,028 --> 00:46:18,083
try and help them through this . Try 

1345
00:46:18,083 --> 00:46:20,083
and provide the Iranian people that 

1346
00:46:20,083 --> 00:46:22,028
testing the medical supplies , the 

1347
00:46:22,028 --> 00:46:23,861
proper policies they need to get 

1348
00:46:23,861 --> 00:46:25,806
through this because those are the 

1349
00:46:25,806 --> 00:46:28,028
folks who are suffering right now . And 

1350
00:46:28,028 --> 00:46:30,250
let me now ask about Iran's role inside 

1351
00:46:30,250 --> 00:46:32,361
Iraq . And of course , there's been a 

1352
00:46:32,361 --> 00:46:34,361
lot of news in Iraq in the last few 

1353
00:46:34,361 --> 00:46:36,472
months , and it almost seems like the 

1354
00:46:36,472 --> 00:46:38,639
world moves so fast these days that we 

1355
00:46:38,639 --> 00:46:40,806
just forget the seismic developments . 

1356
00:46:40,806 --> 00:46:42,861
And they were all sorts of different 

1357
00:46:42,861 --> 00:46:45,040
types of developments everything from 

1358
00:46:45,260 --> 00:46:47,120
Iraqi protests against their own 

1359
00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:49,320
political leaders , partly due toa 

1360
00:46:49,500 --> 00:46:51,333
economic molests , partly due to 

1361
00:46:51,333 --> 00:46:53,480
concern that the Iraqis Iraqi 

1362
00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:55,424
leadership was too close to Iran . 

1363
00:46:55,424 --> 00:46:57,536
People didn't like that . We saw some 

1364
00:46:57,536 --> 00:46:59,702
sniper activity . Perhaps some of that 

1365
00:46:59,702 --> 00:47:01,813
was Iranian sponsored . Then we saw , 

1366
00:47:01,813 --> 00:47:04,036
of course , United States , retaliating 

1367
00:47:04,036 --> 00:47:05,980
against a militia groups that were 

1368
00:47:05,980 --> 00:47:08,320
instrumental in shelling our bases . 

1369
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:10,616
That led , of course , to a back and 

1370
00:47:10,616 --> 00:47:12,616
forth . And we have the sole Ahmadi 

1371
00:47:12,616 --> 00:47:14,449
killing one of the more dramatic 

1372
00:47:14,449 --> 00:47:16,671
developments in Middle Eastern security 

1373
00:47:16,671 --> 00:47:18,893
politics in recent years . But it seems 

1374
00:47:18,893 --> 00:47:21,116
like the conversation about that lasted 

1375
00:47:21,116 --> 00:47:20,670
for about a week before we moved on to 

1376
00:47:20,670 --> 00:47:22,892
other things . There's been a lot going 

1377
00:47:22,892 --> 00:47:25,059
on , and I wondered how you would take 

1378
00:47:25,059 --> 00:47:27,260
stock of the situation today . The 

1379
00:47:27,260 --> 00:47:29,810
Iraqis , they're still trying to put 

1380
00:47:29,810 --> 00:47:31,810
together a new government . They're 

1381
00:47:31,810 --> 00:47:34,032
still trying to figure out if they want 

1382
00:47:34,032 --> 00:47:36,143
us to stay , which is a decision they 

1383
00:47:36,143 --> 00:47:38,310
can't really make until they stabilize 

1384
00:47:38,310 --> 00:47:40,199
that new government . We're still 

1385
00:47:40,199 --> 00:47:40,010
figuring out if we can protect our 

1386
00:47:40,010 --> 00:47:42,010
forces better . If the Iraqis don't 

1387
00:47:42,010 --> 00:47:44,240
help us enough protecting our own key 

1388
00:47:44,240 --> 00:47:46,351
facilities . What's the state of play 

1389
00:47:46,351 --> 00:47:49,150
right now as we get into May 2020 U . S 

1390
00:47:49,150 --> 00:47:52,560
forces in Iraq ? Well , you've covered 

1391
00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:54,727
a lot of train there . Let me just say 

1392
00:47:54,727 --> 00:47:56,616
this up front . The United States 

1393
00:47:56,616 --> 00:47:58,671
policy remains unchanged . We really 

1394
00:47:58,671 --> 00:48:01,340
want Iraq to be a secure , 

1395
00:48:01,970 --> 00:48:05,610
prosperous and sovereign country , and 

1396
00:48:05,620 --> 00:48:07,830
and we're willing to support them in 

1397
00:48:07,830 --> 00:48:09,719
any way we can to do that . We're 

1398
00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:11,719
committed to the enduring defeat of 

1399
00:48:11,719 --> 00:48:13,774
Isis , which means providing train , 

1400
00:48:13,774 --> 00:48:15,830
advise and assist and those types of 

1401
00:48:15,830 --> 00:48:17,997
things . But the fact is , the Iranian 

1402
00:48:17,997 --> 00:48:20,108
government has its tentacles into the 

1403
00:48:20,108 --> 00:48:22,219
Iraqi government . At a time when you 

1404
00:48:22,219 --> 00:48:22,070
and it's been that way for a number of 

1405
00:48:22,070 --> 00:48:24,181
years , it seems like it is escalated 

1406
00:48:24,181 --> 00:48:26,070
at this point in time . The Iraqi 

1407
00:48:26,070 --> 00:48:28,181
government is struggling because they 

1408
00:48:28,181 --> 00:48:30,870
cannot form themselves . You have a new 

1409
00:48:30,870 --> 00:48:32,981
designated prime minister , is trying 

1410
00:48:32,981 --> 00:48:35,037
to pull a government together . He's 

1411
00:48:35,037 --> 00:48:37,520
being influenced by Iranian by Iran or 

1412
00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:39,650
Iranian proxies through the Shia 

1413
00:48:39,650 --> 00:48:41,872
militia groups . And at the same time , 

1414
00:48:41,872 --> 00:48:43,983
you know , do the collapse of Ah , of 

1415
00:48:43,983 --> 00:48:45,983
the oil , the price of oil . You've 

1416
00:48:45,983 --> 00:48:48,150
seen a collapse in their revenues , so 

1417
00:48:48,150 --> 00:48:50,372
it's a tough time for the Iraqis . Uh , 

1418
00:48:50,372 --> 00:48:52,317
again , what we want to see is the 

1419
00:48:52,317 --> 00:48:54,483
Iraqi people and enjoy the sovereignty 

1420
00:48:54,483 --> 00:48:56,428
that they that they want that they 

1421
00:48:56,428 --> 00:48:58,594
desire as you've seen the Iraqi people 

1422
00:48:58,594 --> 00:49:00,650
out in the streets . It's been about 

1423
00:49:00,650 --> 00:49:00,600
two things . Corruption and the 

1424
00:49:00,600 --> 00:49:02,656
influence of Iran in their country , 

1425
00:49:02,820 --> 00:49:04,931
and we want to do what we can to help 

1426
00:49:04,931 --> 00:49:06,820
them get through that and get and 

1427
00:49:06,820 --> 00:49:08,764
become a sovereign , independent , 

1428
00:49:08,764 --> 00:49:10,653
prosperous nation . We still have 

1429
00:49:10,653 --> 00:49:12,876
roughly 5000 U . S forces in Iraq , but 

1430
00:49:12,876 --> 00:49:14,764
they're consolidated in a smaller 

1431
00:49:14,764 --> 00:49:16,598
number of bases . Is that a fair 

1432
00:49:16,598 --> 00:49:18,653
summary of how things had evolved in 

1433
00:49:18,653 --> 00:49:18,620
the last few months ? Well , we have an 

1434
00:49:18,620 --> 00:49:20,731
obligation in sure we can protect our 

1435
00:49:20,731 --> 00:49:22,787
people . And , as we've seen again , 

1436
00:49:22,787 --> 00:49:24,898
Iranian malign activity in the area , 

1437
00:49:24,898 --> 00:49:27,120
particular in particularly in Iraq , we 

1438
00:49:27,120 --> 00:49:29,240
know that Iran continues toe in one 

1439
00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:31,730
degree or another , Teoh fund or 

1440
00:49:31,730 --> 00:49:35,300
resource or direct or ah uh , 

1441
00:49:35,310 --> 00:49:37,660
somehow shape the behaviour and actions 

1442
00:49:37,670 --> 00:49:40,010
of Shia militia groups in that country , 

1443
00:49:40,050 --> 00:49:42,660
and that is a threat to us . It's a 

1444
00:49:42,660 --> 00:49:44,493
threat that , actually the Iraqi 

1445
00:49:44,493 --> 00:49:46,438
government is responsible for . It 

1446
00:49:46,438 --> 00:49:48,660
needs to take take response it needs to 

1447
00:49:48,660 --> 00:49:50,604
take control of , and I talk to my 

1448
00:49:50,604 --> 00:49:52,827
counterpart about it as as the chairman 

1449
00:49:52,827 --> 00:49:54,993
of Joint Chiefs of Staff . But again , 

1450
00:49:54,993 --> 00:49:57,104
when you have a government struggling 

1451
00:49:57,104 --> 00:49:59,104
to form itself and to get control , 

1452
00:49:59,104 --> 00:50:01,271
it's hard for them to do that . And so 

1453
00:50:01,271 --> 00:50:01,250
we have consolidated in hard in our 

1454
00:50:01,250 --> 00:50:04,270
positions , and , um , again we support 

1455
00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:06,504
Iraq's sovereignty . We got to see 

1456
00:50:06,504 --> 00:50:08,560
where that government would come out 

1457
00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:10,727
and what the future of our presence in 

1458
00:50:10,727 --> 00:50:13,060
Iraq will look like in the months ahead . 

1459
00:50:13,060 --> 00:50:12,780
So in a minute or two , I want to 

1460
00:50:12,790 --> 00:50:15,260
finish up on the broader question of 

1461
00:50:15,260 --> 00:50:17,371
the national defense strategy and the 

1462
00:50:17,371 --> 00:50:19,649
implementation of that . And of course , 

1463
00:50:19,649 --> 00:50:21,760
that is partly related to Kobe 19 but 

1464
00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:23,816
also largely separate from Kobe 19 . 

1465
00:50:23,900 --> 00:50:26,122
But before I do , I I want to ask about 

1466
00:50:26,122 --> 00:50:28,289
Afghanistan , and I realized this is a 

1467
00:50:28,289 --> 00:50:30,480
complicated question because I'm 

1468
00:50:30,560 --> 00:50:32,560
inevitably going to be asking you a 

1469
00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:34,727
question that touches on diplomacy and 

1470
00:50:34,727 --> 00:50:36,893
the peace process in Afghanistan . But 

1471
00:50:36,893 --> 00:50:39,060
there is , I think , at the moment , a 

1472
00:50:39,060 --> 00:50:40,949
little bit of confusion , perhaps 

1473
00:50:40,949 --> 00:50:43,116
intentional and perhaps even desirable 

1474
00:50:43,180 --> 00:50:45,291
about exactly what U s policy towards 

1475
00:50:45,291 --> 00:50:48,070
Afghanistan would be if the peace 

1476
00:50:48,070 --> 00:50:50,220
process with the Taliban and the 

1477
00:50:50,220 --> 00:50:52,450
government led team of , you know , 

1478
00:50:52,460 --> 00:50:55,040
bullet political actors , NGOs , civil 

1479
00:50:55,040 --> 00:50:57,360
society that these process continues to 

1480
00:50:57,360 --> 00:50:59,370
stay bogged down . If the Afghan 

1481
00:50:59,370 --> 00:51:01,481
government can't even decide on , you 

1482
00:51:01,481 --> 00:51:03,648
know how they're gonna structure power 

1483
00:51:03,648 --> 00:51:06,070
sharing between the top two individuals . 

1484
00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:08,742
And if there is an uptick in violence , 

1485
00:51:08,742 --> 00:51:10,964
especially by the Taliban , against the 

1486
00:51:10,964 --> 00:51:13,270
Afghan police and army , and there is 

1487
00:51:13,740 --> 00:51:17,280
really no headway on seeing even the 

1488
00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:19,680
beginning of , ah promising negotiation . 

1489
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:22,550
Are we really gonna leave next year 

1490
00:51:22,560 --> 00:51:25,340
according to the current plan ? Or is 

1491
00:51:25,340 --> 00:51:28,240
there enough play in the deal that's 

1492
00:51:28,240 --> 00:51:30,240
been discussed , negotiated and the 

1493
00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:32,240
understanding of that deal that the 

1494
00:51:32,240 --> 00:51:34,407
United States still reserves the right 

1495
00:51:34,407 --> 00:51:36,462
to say , Listen , the Taliban is not 

1496
00:51:36,462 --> 00:51:38,573
negotiating in good faith , and we're 

1497
00:51:38,573 --> 00:51:40,740
going to rethink our commitments . 

1498
00:51:40,750 --> 00:51:42,806
Certainly we're going to rethink the 

1499
00:51:42,806 --> 00:51:44,917
idea of getting out altogether . Come 

1500
00:51:44,917 --> 00:51:47,020
2021 . Any comment on that broader 

1501
00:51:47,020 --> 00:51:49,187
situation , which , of course , now is 

1502
00:51:49,187 --> 00:51:51,409
complicated by covert as well . I don't 

1503
00:51:51,409 --> 00:51:53,576
know if it's complicated in a way that 

1504
00:51:53,576 --> 00:51:56,090
makes the fighting over time likely to 

1505
00:51:56,090 --> 00:51:58,630
diminish because people get sick . But 

1506
00:51:58,630 --> 00:52:00,908
so far at least , we've seen no report . 

1507
00:52:00,908 --> 00:52:02,797
I don't think of any reduction in 

1508
00:52:02,797 --> 00:52:05,074
violence so over to you , Mr Secretary . 

1509
00:52:05,210 --> 00:52:07,321
Yes , let's go back to the basics and 

1510
00:52:07,321 --> 00:52:10,370
the basics of this , that our goal 

1511
00:52:10,370 --> 00:52:13,040
remains that we do know do not want 

1512
00:52:13,050 --> 00:52:15,990
Afghanistan ever become a safe haven 

1513
00:52:15,990 --> 00:52:17,879
for terrorists who can attack the 

1514
00:52:17,879 --> 00:52:19,879
United States . That's number one . 

1515
00:52:19,879 --> 00:52:22,046
Number two is . We also know that this 

1516
00:52:22,046 --> 00:52:24,840
conflict between the Taliban and the 

1517
00:52:24,850 --> 00:52:26,961
Afghan government . It's not gonna be 

1518
00:52:26,961 --> 00:52:29,128
won on the battlefield . There's not a 

1519
00:52:29,128 --> 00:52:31,239
military solution . We have to have a 

1520
00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:33,461
political solution to this . And that's 

1521
00:52:33,461 --> 00:52:35,517
the process that we set up the peace 

1522
00:52:35,517 --> 00:52:37,628
agreement that we arranged between us 

1523
00:52:37,628 --> 00:52:39,683
and the Taliban that eventually will 

1524
00:52:39,683 --> 00:52:41,961
lead to an intern . Afghan negotiation . 

1525
00:52:41,961 --> 00:52:44,072
That is the best path forward for all 

1526
00:52:44,072 --> 00:52:46,128
parties , particularly Afghan people 

1527
00:52:46,128 --> 00:52:48,294
who have suffered eso horribly now for 

1528
00:52:48,294 --> 00:52:50,350
for 1920 years . So that is the path 

1529
00:52:50,350 --> 00:52:53,200
we're on . It's clear to say that that 

1530
00:52:53,200 --> 00:52:55,144
path has been long and winding and 

1531
00:52:55,144 --> 00:52:57,256
bumpy , and it's behind schedule , if 

1532
00:52:57,256 --> 00:52:59,660
you will . We continue to talk to both 

1533
00:52:59,660 --> 00:53:02,430
sides about what they need to do . Teoh 

1534
00:53:02,730 --> 00:53:05,860
to fully implement the agreement . The , 

1535
00:53:05,870 --> 00:53:08,037
uh , there has not been a reduction of 

1536
00:53:08,037 --> 00:53:09,926
violence , if you will , from the 

1537
00:53:09,926 --> 00:53:12,148
Taliban side . On the other hand , they 

1538
00:53:12,148 --> 00:53:14,120
have not attacked us or attack the 

1539
00:53:14,130 --> 00:53:16,590
major metro much politan areas on the 

1540
00:53:16,590 --> 00:53:18,590
other side . The Afghan government 

1541
00:53:18,590 --> 00:53:20,940
needs to organize itself and reach 

1542
00:53:20,940 --> 00:53:23,051
agreement . We understand . Right now 

1543
00:53:23,051 --> 00:53:24,996
there is , ah , possible new power 

1544
00:53:24,996 --> 00:53:27,051
sharing agreement coming out between 

1545
00:53:27,051 --> 00:53:28,773
Abdullah and Ghani . If that's 

1546
00:53:28,773 --> 00:53:30,662
successful , then we could Forman 

1547
00:53:30,662 --> 00:53:32,662
interact an Afghan negotiating team 

1548
00:53:32,662 --> 00:53:34,718
with the consent . Sit down with the 

1549
00:53:34,718 --> 00:53:36,662
With the Taliban . We've seen some 

1550
00:53:36,662 --> 00:53:38,996
exchanges of prisoners , but not enough . 

1551
00:53:38,996 --> 00:53:40,940
But we need to get this process on 

1552
00:53:40,940 --> 00:53:42,940
track . That is the way forward the 

1553
00:53:42,940 --> 00:53:42,700
United States will continue . Teoh 

1554
00:53:43,250 --> 00:53:45,361
support our Afghan partners . In that 

1555
00:53:45,361 --> 00:53:47,472
process we have in their defense . We 

1556
00:53:47,472 --> 00:53:49,583
have conducted counterstrikes against 

1557
00:53:49,583 --> 00:53:51,694
the Taliban , and we will continue to 

1558
00:53:51,694 --> 00:53:53,917
do that as well . But at the end of day 

1559
00:53:53,917 --> 00:53:52,740
again , we want to make sure 

1560
00:53:52,740 --> 00:53:54,962
Afghanistan has not become a safe haven 

1561
00:53:54,962 --> 00:53:56,907
for terrorists . We're comfortably 

1562
00:53:56,907 --> 00:53:58,851
comfortable . We can get down to a 

1563
00:53:58,851 --> 00:54:00,962
lower number number and still do that 

1564
00:54:00,962 --> 00:54:03,018
and still adhere to the terms of the 

1565
00:54:03,018 --> 00:54:05,073
agreement . And then from there will 

1566
00:54:05,073 --> 00:54:04,650
make decisions that are conditions 

1567
00:54:04,650 --> 00:54:08,540
based . Very good , thank you . Just a 

1568
00:54:08,540 --> 00:54:10,790
couple more questions . And they relate 

1569
00:54:10,790 --> 00:54:13,150
again to the national defense strategy , 

1570
00:54:13,150 --> 00:54:15,600
great power competition and the path 

1571
00:54:15,600 --> 00:54:17,830
forward more generally . So I guess I 

1572
00:54:17,830 --> 00:54:19,830
could just put this in broad . That 

1573
00:54:19,830 --> 00:54:21,886
picture turns anything of particular 

1574
00:54:21,886 --> 00:54:24,108
note that you would want to say whether 

1575
00:54:24,108 --> 00:54:26,330
it's technologies that air showing more 

1576
00:54:26,330 --> 00:54:28,274
promise , as John Allen alluded to 

1577
00:54:28,274 --> 00:54:30,330
earlier that you've been pushing and 

1578
00:54:30,330 --> 00:54:32,552
championing in your job , whether it is 

1579
00:54:32,552 --> 00:54:34,552
any kind of other innovation in the 

1580
00:54:34,552 --> 00:54:36,719
force that you're seeing that you want 

1581
00:54:36,719 --> 00:54:38,608
us to be aware of and remember is 

1582
00:54:38,608 --> 00:54:40,830
ongoing . Anything else beyond the sort 

1583
00:54:40,830 --> 00:54:43,052
of immediate crisis management and Kobe 

1584
00:54:43,052 --> 00:54:45,163
19 dimensions of the national defense 

1585
00:54:45,163 --> 00:54:47,219
strategy , it's probably too soon to 

1586
00:54:47,219 --> 00:54:49,219
know there's gonna be any effect on 

1587
00:54:49,219 --> 00:54:52,070
your budget , very up line from all of 

1588
00:54:52,070 --> 00:54:54,470
the developments in the world in 2020 

1589
00:54:54,640 --> 00:54:56,807
not to mention a presidential election 

1590
00:54:56,807 --> 00:54:58,807
in November , but certainly the way 

1591
00:54:58,807 --> 00:55:00,918
Kobe it is affecting our GDP . Growth 

1592
00:55:00,918 --> 00:55:03,029
rates , our debt , everything else is 

1593
00:55:03,029 --> 00:55:05,140
gonna presumably be debated at length 

1594
00:55:05,140 --> 00:55:07,251
in the months and years ahead . But I 

1595
00:55:07,251 --> 00:55:09,418
assume you don't have any change yet , 

1596
00:55:09,418 --> 00:55:11,584
and you're expected top line . Did you 

1597
00:55:11,584 --> 00:55:13,807
confirm that and then say anything else 

1598
00:55:13,807 --> 00:55:15,973
you would like to about implementation 

1599
00:55:15,973 --> 00:55:18,140
of the national strategy ? Well , when 

1600
00:55:18,140 --> 00:55:17,910
I came in , officers said , my top 

1601
00:55:17,910 --> 00:55:19,966
party would be implementation of the 

1602
00:55:19,966 --> 00:55:22,077
national defense strategy , and we've 

1603
00:55:22,077 --> 00:55:24,243
been working pretty hard on that now , 

1604
00:55:24,243 --> 00:55:26,299
in the 11 months , months or so that 

1605
00:55:26,299 --> 00:55:26,000
I've been secretary defense and I'll 

1606
00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:28,230
talk about those some of those things 

1607
00:55:28,230 --> 00:55:30,397
much . Much of it goes unreported , if 

1608
00:55:30,397 --> 00:55:32,452
you will , on the top line I've said 

1609
00:55:32,452 --> 00:55:34,508
that we need if we're gonna continue 

1610
00:55:34,508 --> 00:55:36,619
toe to increase readiness , make this 

1611
00:55:36,619 --> 00:55:38,841
shift to implement the NDS , etcetera . 

1612
00:55:38,841 --> 00:55:40,897
We need a 3 to 5% annual real growth 

1613
00:55:40,897 --> 00:55:42,952
year over year . I am concerned , of 

1614
00:55:42,952 --> 00:55:45,530
course , at the , uh , the massive 

1615
00:55:45,530 --> 00:55:47,760
infusion of dollars into the into the 

1616
00:55:47,760 --> 00:55:49,538
economy by the Congress and the 

1617
00:55:49,538 --> 00:55:51,660
executive branch nearly $3 trillion . 

1618
00:55:52,040 --> 00:55:55,170
Ah may throw us off that course , if 

1619
00:55:55,170 --> 00:55:57,170
you will , because we all recognize 

1620
00:55:57,170 --> 00:55:59,281
that the United States says it has an 

1621
00:55:59,281 --> 00:56:01,503
enormous death and we have to deal with 

1622
00:56:01,503 --> 00:56:03,559
that too . And so there is a concern 

1623
00:56:03,559 --> 00:56:05,559
there that that may lead to smaller 

1624
00:56:05,559 --> 00:56:07,726
defense budgets in the future , at the 

1625
00:56:07,726 --> 00:56:09,614
critical time at which we need to 

1626
00:56:09,614 --> 00:56:11,726
continue making this adjustment where 

1627
00:56:11,726 --> 00:56:13,726
we look at China than Russia as our 

1628
00:56:13,726 --> 00:56:15,892
long term strategic competitors . That 

1629
00:56:15,892 --> 00:56:17,892
means shedding the legacy force and 

1630
00:56:17,892 --> 00:56:19,892
moving to a more modern force , and 

1631
00:56:19,892 --> 00:56:21,781
that more modern force looks like 

1632
00:56:21,781 --> 00:56:24,280
completely revitalized strategic forces . 

1633
00:56:24,530 --> 00:56:26,586
And as you know , we're we're , ah , 

1634
00:56:27,290 --> 00:56:29,123
rebuilding all three legs of the 

1635
00:56:29,123 --> 00:56:31,170
nuclear triad , whether it's the ah 

1636
00:56:31,180 --> 00:56:33,400
ground based strategic deterrent , the 

1637
00:56:33,410 --> 00:56:36,030
new ah SSB ends or long range strategic 

1638
00:56:36,030 --> 00:56:38,110
bombers . But we're also investing a 

1639
00:56:38,110 --> 00:56:41,030
lot of money into a I into hyper sonics 

1640
00:56:41,290 --> 00:56:43,540
into our space capabilities into cyber 

1641
00:56:44,180 --> 00:56:46,950
into directed energy , all types of 

1642
00:56:46,950 --> 00:56:49,240
things that will continue at the same 

1643
00:56:49,240 --> 00:56:51,407
time . Michael , Last summer we kicked 

1644
00:56:51,407 --> 00:56:53,518
off and we just had an update on that 

1645
00:56:53,518 --> 00:56:55,573
last month . A new joint warfighting 

1646
00:56:55,573 --> 00:56:57,710
concept that will that is , the 

1647
00:56:57,710 --> 00:56:59,900
successor to air land battle that will 

1648
00:56:59,900 --> 00:57:01,956
make sure that we're fighting in all 

1649
00:57:01,956 --> 00:57:04,122
domains as a coherent , cohesive joint 

1650
00:57:04,122 --> 00:57:06,830
force . We have new plans to reach out 

1651
00:57:06,830 --> 00:57:08,830
to our allies and partners and make 

1652
00:57:08,830 --> 00:57:10,941
sure they're well integrated into all 

1653
00:57:10,941 --> 00:57:12,830
of our efforts . Um , there are a 

1654
00:57:12,830 --> 00:57:14,719
number of things we're doing on a 

1655
00:57:14,719 --> 00:57:16,997
variety of fronts to get to that point . 

1656
00:57:16,997 --> 00:57:18,941
And again we have I have , ah , 10 

1657
00:57:18,941 --> 00:57:20,941
point plan by which we're executing 

1658
00:57:20,941 --> 00:57:22,997
that t ensure that we're prepared to 

1659
00:57:22,997 --> 00:57:25,163
deal with the strategic threats we see 

1660
00:57:25,163 --> 00:57:27,330
in the future . Ah , and again , those 

1661
00:57:27,330 --> 00:57:29,219
long term adversaries being China 

1662
00:57:29,219 --> 00:57:31,441
competitors , being China than Russia . 

1663
00:57:32,330 --> 00:57:34,386
Are you concerned that even with the 

1664
00:57:34,386 --> 00:57:37,280
existing pre Coben 19 benchmarks , 

1665
00:57:37,580 --> 00:57:39,802
we're going to see a plateau ing of the 

1666
00:57:39,802 --> 00:57:42,010
defense budget if that turns out to be 

1667
00:57:42,010 --> 00:57:44,010
the case ? But saying we go through 

1668
00:57:44,010 --> 00:57:47,480
Kobe 19 all the fiscal disruption to go 

1669
00:57:47,480 --> 00:57:49,480
through the presidential election . 

1670
00:57:49,480 --> 00:57:51,536
Whoever wins winds up still sticking 

1671
00:57:51,536 --> 00:57:53,647
with more or less a flat budget going 

1672
00:57:53,647 --> 00:57:55,758
forward because of some of the fiscal 

1673
00:57:55,758 --> 00:57:57,869
concerns . Are there still smart ways 

1674
00:57:57,869 --> 00:58:00,036
we can implement that national defense 

1675
00:58:00,036 --> 00:58:02,091
strategy even though it's gonna be a 

1676
00:58:02,091 --> 00:58:01,970
lot harder for you or your successor ? 

1677
00:58:02,020 --> 00:58:04,131
Are there still natural ways that one 

1678
00:58:04,131 --> 00:58:06,131
could imagine making economies that 

1679
00:58:06,131 --> 00:58:08,242
could live within more or less a flat 

1680
00:58:08,242 --> 00:58:10,131
top line ? Or is that essentially 

1681
00:58:10,131 --> 00:58:12,409
incompatible with the national defense ? 

1682
00:58:12,409 --> 00:58:14,520
Strategy is , you see it well , there 

1683
00:58:14,520 --> 00:58:16,409
are things we can do that are not 

1684
00:58:16,409 --> 00:58:18,631
budget dependent , if you will , unlike 

1685
00:58:18,631 --> 00:58:20,890
modernizing the four . So , first of 

1686
00:58:20,890 --> 00:58:22,890
all , I think we've got to continue 

1687
00:58:22,890 --> 00:58:25,112
doing what what I started last summer . 

1688
00:58:25,112 --> 00:58:27,223
Defense Wide reviews and I came in in 

1689
00:58:27,223 --> 00:58:29,279
late July early August , and we were 

1690
00:58:29,279 --> 00:58:31,279
able to find over a period of three 

1691
00:58:31,279 --> 00:58:33,446
months , about $6 billion . I was able 

1692
00:58:33,446 --> 00:58:35,334
to immediately put that back into 

1693
00:58:35,334 --> 00:58:37,557
things likely Faherty . Some of our new 

1694
00:58:37,557 --> 00:58:39,668
technologies and other things we need 

1695
00:58:39,668 --> 00:58:41,834
to modernize the force , but there are 

1696
00:58:41,834 --> 00:58:43,723
things we can do again that don't 

1697
00:58:43,723 --> 00:58:45,890
require a lot of money that could help 

1698
00:58:45,890 --> 00:58:48,112
us get to that . So I mentioned the new 

1699
00:58:48,112 --> 00:58:50,223
joint warfighting concept . We're now 

1700
00:58:50,223 --> 00:58:52,112
in the process of transition to a 

1701
00:58:52,112 --> 00:58:54,057
concept called of readiness called 

1702
00:58:54,057 --> 00:58:56,279
Where We Have Immediate Reaction forces 

1703
00:58:56,279 --> 00:58:58,334
and contingency reaction forces . We 

1704
00:58:58,334 --> 00:59:00,390
have a new directed readiness tables 

1705
00:59:00,390 --> 00:59:02,612
were implementing the policy of dynamic 

1706
00:59:02,612 --> 00:59:04,779
force employment . I want to move much 

1707
00:59:04,779 --> 00:59:07,120
more toward operational deployments as 

1708
00:59:07,120 --> 00:59:09,231
to as compared to permit Lee deployed 

1709
00:59:09,231 --> 00:59:11,398
Ford forces . So there are a number of 

1710
00:59:11,398 --> 00:59:13,009
things we can do to keep our 

1711
00:59:13,009 --> 00:59:15,176
adversaries off balance to improve our 

1712
00:59:15,176 --> 00:59:17,398
own readiness . At the same time , that 

1713
00:59:17,398 --> 00:59:19,287
don't necessarily involve massive 

1714
00:59:19,287 --> 00:59:21,398
infusions of dollars . That said , we 

1715
00:59:21,398 --> 00:59:23,676
do need that sustained top line growth . 

1716
00:59:23,676 --> 00:59:25,898
And if we don't , we're just gonna have 

1717
00:59:25,898 --> 00:59:27,787
to accelerate the shedding of the 

1718
00:59:27,787 --> 00:59:29,953
Legacy Force and turning those dollars 

1719
00:59:29,953 --> 00:59:32,400
back into building the force we need in 

1720
00:59:32,400 --> 00:59:34,456
the future . And every service needs 

1721
00:59:34,456 --> 00:59:36,733
that look . We need a we need a larger , 

1722
00:59:36,940 --> 00:59:40,070
more capable ah , maybe that it can 

1723
00:59:40,070 --> 00:59:41,920
operate the can implement the 

1724
00:59:41,920 --> 00:59:44,720
segregated leaf Audi across the seven 

1725
00:59:44,720 --> 00:59:47,220
seas . We need to modernize , of course , 

1726
00:59:47,220 --> 00:59:49,276
our Air Force and start thinking and 

1727
00:59:49,276 --> 00:59:51,220
continue working on six generation 

1728
00:59:51,220 --> 00:59:53,276
capabilities . The army needs toe of 

1729
00:59:53,276 --> 00:59:55,850
course , transition out of the Reagan 

1730
00:59:55,850 --> 00:59:58,030
era Big Five and get into the next era 

1731
00:59:58,030 --> 01:00:00,530
of Big Five that will be necessary for 

1732
01:00:00,530 --> 01:00:02,363
high intensity , conflict , high 

1733
01:00:02,363 --> 01:00:04,530
intensity conflict . And , of course , 

1734
01:00:04,530 --> 01:00:06,474
the Marines were doing some really 

1735
01:00:06,474 --> 01:00:05,940
innovative things with regard to how 

1736
01:00:05,940 --> 01:00:08,107
they are adjusting their force . And I 

1737
01:00:08,107 --> 01:00:10,329
think they have a pretty good blueprint 

1738
01:00:10,329 --> 01:00:12,440
to do that . So all those things need 

1739
01:00:12,440 --> 01:00:11,810
to continue . That just means we're 

1740
01:00:11,810 --> 01:00:15,110
gonna shed the legacy for more quickly . 

1741
01:00:15,350 --> 01:00:17,350
There may be things we need to stop 

1742
01:00:17,350 --> 01:00:19,640
doing in order to free up dollars and 

1743
01:00:19,640 --> 01:00:22,600
ah , but the same time weaken their 

1744
01:00:22,610 --> 01:00:25,670
policy things , uh , adjustments we can 

1745
01:00:25,670 --> 01:00:27,860
make in our training . Relying more on 

1746
01:00:27,860 --> 01:00:30,082
our allies and partners to make sure we 

1747
01:00:30,082 --> 01:00:32,304
can get to that future in state we want 

1748
01:00:32,304 --> 01:00:35,150
on time . Mr . Secretary , we're lucky 

1749
01:00:35,160 --> 01:00:37,327
as a country to have you in that job . 

1750
01:00:37,327 --> 01:00:39,327
We're grateful at Brookings for the 

1751
01:00:39,327 --> 01:00:41,382
time you spent with us today , Thank 

1752
01:00:41,382 --> 01:00:41,280
you very much . And very best wishes 

1753
01:00:41,280 --> 01:00:43,391
going forward . Thank you very much , 

1754
01:00:43,391 --> 01:00:45,224
Michael . Thanks for your paying 

1755
01:00:45,224 --> 01:00:47,280
attention . These important topics . 

1756
01:00:47,280 --> 01:00:49,447
And thanks for what Brookings does our 

1757
01:00:49,447 --> 01:00:49,170
pleasure . Best wishes to you . Best 

1758
01:00:49,170 --> 01:00:49,860
wishes to all