WEBVTT 00:03.440 --> 00:06.840 Hello ? Hello Governor . Hey search 00:06.840 --> 00:09.090 right here doing , how are you ? Good . 00:09.090 --> 00:11.860 How are you ? You get around ? 00:14.340 --> 00:17.250 I do indeed . Okay . 00:18.540 --> 00:21.960 Uh , what are you still in Afghanistan ? 00:22.740 --> 00:24.851 Hey guys , can you all speak a soup ? 00:24.851 --> 00:27.073 Can you speak up a little bit ? Can can 00:27.073 --> 00:31.030 you hear me now ? Yeah , I can 00:31.030 --> 00:32.919 hear you . Um , there's there's a 00:32.919 --> 00:34.974 little , there's a little feedback , 00:34.974 --> 00:37.197 but I can hear you . So , so yeah , I'm 00:37.197 --> 00:40.260 in Afghanistan . Can you say where 00:41.440 --> 00:43.607 I assume you're on a base ? Well , you 00:43.607 --> 00:45.820 know , I've been to , I've been to 00:45.820 --> 00:48.720 Kabul area and I've been to bagram , um , 00:48.730 --> 00:51.970 which is the biggest of the basis here . 00:51.980 --> 00:54.091 And I really can't talk about exactly 00:54.091 --> 00:56.202 where I am . Have you been able to me 00:56.202 --> 00:59.520 and I'll be here tomorrow and uh , go 00:59.520 --> 01:02.130 ahead . I've been able to meet with uh , 01:02.140 --> 01:04.084 I've been able to meet with a fair 01:04.084 --> 01:06.196 number of Connecticut citizens . Some 01:06.196 --> 01:08.029 of them are , you know , regular 01:08.029 --> 01:09.918 service . And obviously we have a 01:09.918 --> 01:12.140 National Guard actually had dinner with 01:12.140 --> 01:14.196 about 20 representatives uh , of the 01:14.196 --> 01:17.110 one oh three , um , uh , which is based 01:17.110 --> 01:19.440 in Bradley . And I've met a number of 01:19.440 --> 01:22.310 folks from that From 103 in a couple of 01:22.310 --> 01:24.940 different places in my travels . I've 01:24.940 --> 01:27.910 also run into Connecticut citizens who 01:27.910 --> 01:31.110 are serving in regular army , Navy or 01:31.110 --> 01:33.700 Air Force . The folks on the run of 01:33.700 --> 01:35.700 three , aren't there ? There's like 01:35.700 --> 01:37.922 security guys there and civil engineers 01:37.922 --> 01:40.200 there , You know which one he met with ? 01:40.200 --> 01:43.960 Yeah , I met with folks who were on the 01:43.970 --> 01:46.850 security detail uh , today ? And 01:46.860 --> 01:50.480 uh , met with those folks , you know , 01:50.480 --> 01:53.270 during the course of this whole trip . 01:53.270 --> 01:55.381 You know , I spent time in Washington 01:55.381 --> 01:58.220 with not only with Secretary Panetta 01:58.220 --> 02:01.770 but also with a number of uh deputy 02:01.770 --> 02:05.500 secretaries . And uh 02:05.510 --> 02:08.170 General McKinley who oversees the 02:08.180 --> 02:11.240 National Guard . Um had some serious 02:11.240 --> 02:13.400 discussions with him about the future 02:13.400 --> 02:16.890 of our Bradley operation of in the 02:16.890 --> 02:18.890 National Guard there and what their 02:18.890 --> 02:21.200 mission uh is and will evolve to be 02:21.210 --> 02:24.100 obviously then uh spent some time over 02:24.100 --> 02:26.590 walter reed . Um got to see what is a 02:26.590 --> 02:29.700 magnificent uh new facility . Um and 02:29.710 --> 02:32.530 and to see some uh wounded warriors who 02:32.530 --> 02:35.260 are getting care . That is really 02:35.270 --> 02:37.540 difficult for anyone to comprehend the 02:37.550 --> 02:39.383 quality of the care that they're 02:39.383 --> 02:41.570 receiving . Uh there at walter reed 02:41.580 --> 02:44.880 also went over to the new uh brain 02:44.880 --> 02:47.030 trauma rehabilitation unit there , 02:47.030 --> 02:49.220 which was also equally impressive . Uh 02:49.220 --> 02:51.442 And then from there went to the airport 02:51.442 --> 02:55.010 and onto uh kuwait . So um you were in 02:55.010 --> 02:58.990 kuwait for about how long uh 02:59.000 --> 03:01.167 we're in kuwait . I I don't know about 03:01.167 --> 03:04.850 2020 hours or so . Um uh I think about 03:04.850 --> 03:08.790 20 hours . 22 hours . I got to uh 03:08.800 --> 03:12.280 camp uh Sheriff john and also uh ali al 03:12.280 --> 03:14.800 Salim Airbase which are the two of the 03:14.800 --> 03:18.490 larger facilities uh john uh 03:18.500 --> 03:21.080 john is uh is the is the big one . Um 03:21.080 --> 03:23.930 and got to see that I got to see a 03:23.940 --> 03:27.180 couple of guys actually a guy who is 03:27.180 --> 03:29.390 working down at the ports . Um So he 03:29.400 --> 03:31.622 specifically came back from the port so 03:31.622 --> 03:33.789 he could meet with his Governor ? Also 03:33.789 --> 03:36.390 met a regular soldier graduate of the U . 03:36.390 --> 03:38.057 S . Military Academy who is a 03:38.057 --> 03:40.223 Connecticut resident as well . So I've 03:40.223 --> 03:43.750 had opportunities uh both in kuwait 03:43.760 --> 03:45.704 uh to meet a number of Connecticut 03:45.704 --> 03:47.550 citizens and obviously here in 03:47.550 --> 03:50.090 Afghanistan , did Governor , this is 03:50.090 --> 03:52.201 Mark in New Haven , Can you hear me ? 03:53.740 --> 03:55.796 Yes , Yeah , I'm sure I can . Mark , 03:55.796 --> 03:57.907 how are you ? Good . I can't hear the 03:57.907 --> 03:59.684 other question . Or someone was 03:59.684 --> 04:01.796 supposed to be in here intervening on 04:01.796 --> 04:03.962 this . We wanted to start a television 04:03.962 --> 04:03.740 interview here for a moment . If you 04:03.740 --> 04:05.907 don't mind market Roy , we're having a 04:05.907 --> 04:07.796 hard time picking up what you was 04:07.796 --> 04:09.851 saying , but if we can hear you loud 04:09.851 --> 04:12.018 and clear and I'll just say I can hear 04:12.018 --> 04:11.750 Mark and Sue . This is john Penkovsky . 04:11.750 --> 04:15.690 Hello Governor . Hey , how are you ? 04:15.700 --> 04:18.100 Good to see you here . You can't see 04:18.100 --> 04:21.110 you . Good , good . Are you talking to 04:21.110 --> 04:23.443 Mark or who are you talking to Governor ? 04:23.443 --> 04:25.570 Having a little problem here . I'll 04:25.570 --> 04:27.348 talk to . I mean , I'll do this 04:27.348 --> 04:29.459 whatever way you guys want . I talked 04:29.459 --> 04:31.626 to Sue , I I explained where I where I 04:31.626 --> 04:33.626 I have been , I can't actually talk 04:33.626 --> 04:35.959 about where I am uh and where I'm going , 04:35.959 --> 04:37.848 but I explained that I've been to 04:37.848 --> 04:41.660 bagram and uh Kabul area 04:41.840 --> 04:44.760 and uh and uh I'm in Afghanistan right 04:44.760 --> 04:46.982 now . Hey , Governor , it's right , can 04:46.982 --> 04:49.860 you just do for marking ? And john just 04:49.860 --> 04:52.090 jumped on . Can you just do three or 04:52.090 --> 04:54.090 four minutes sort of an overview of 04:54.090 --> 04:56.257 where you've been and what you've seen 04:56.257 --> 04:58.312 and that will bring those guys up to 04:58.312 --> 05:00.312 speed with what you talked with you 05:00.312 --> 04:59.710 about and then maybe we can take 04:59.710 --> 05:01.877 questions one at a time . You guys try 05:01.877 --> 05:03.821 to talk over each other . Nobody's 05:03.821 --> 05:05.960 gonna hear anything . Got it . 05:07.740 --> 05:10.260 And Mark ? Yes , sir . 05:11.640 --> 05:13.862 Okay . What happened now ? Did you read 05:13.862 --> 05:15.973 last question ? Go ahead . Governor . 05:15.973 --> 05:18.130 Yeah , you can hear me all right . I 05:18.140 --> 05:21.330 didn't but but I didn't I didn't hear 05:21.330 --> 05:23.441 the question mark , but if you repeat 05:23.441 --> 05:26.070 it , I'll answer it . Okay . I'm sure 05:26.070 --> 05:28.292 there are a lot of people watching this 05:28.292 --> 05:30.348 who are thinking themselves , you're 05:30.348 --> 05:32.570 the governor of a small state . We have 05:32.570 --> 05:34.737 no troops in Kuwait . We only have 100 05:34.737 --> 05:36.737 in Afghanistan . So why this trip ? 05:38.540 --> 05:41.980 Well , obviously uh as Governor , I 05:41.990 --> 05:43.990 have to take charge of the National 05:43.990 --> 05:47.970 Guard . Um and uh I've worked with 05:47.970 --> 05:50.230 them . Uh and there are a number of 05:50.240 --> 05:52.240 National Guard troops as regular as 05:52.240 --> 05:54.184 well as regular army , Connecticut 05:54.184 --> 05:56.351 citizens , regular Army , Navy and Air 05:56.351 --> 05:58.573 force here . And I haven't , I have had 05:58.573 --> 06:00.684 an opportunity to meet with with uh a 06:00.684 --> 06:03.170 number of them in at all of our stops . 06:03.180 --> 06:05.620 So it's pretty rewarding . You know , 06:05.630 --> 06:07.408 one of the tough things being a 06:07.408 --> 06:09.860 governor is to have to do those coming 06:09.860 --> 06:12.130 home uh ceremonies . But that's 06:12.130 --> 06:14.280 actually nice . The sending off 06:14.280 --> 06:16.810 ceremonies are tough and of course uh 06:16.820 --> 06:19.720 in the case of injuries and death and 06:19.720 --> 06:21.720 death in particular attending those 06:21.720 --> 06:23.942 funerals is a tough thing . I certainly 06:23.942 --> 06:25.998 wanted to understand what our troops 06:25.998 --> 06:28.870 are facing when when they're called up 06:28.880 --> 06:32.070 and when they're sent to kuwait or to 06:32.070 --> 06:35.340 Afghanistan . Um and I think it's part 06:35.340 --> 06:37.500 of a support for them . It's also a 06:37.500 --> 06:41.280 learning process for me . It's an 06:41.280 --> 06:43.560 important opportunity I think . Which 06:43.560 --> 06:46.200 the uh D . O . D . Is making available 06:46.200 --> 06:48.400 to governors . Uh they invited a large 06:48.400 --> 06:50.511 number of governors . Two of us could 06:50.511 --> 06:52.622 go on this particular trip and I have 06:52.622 --> 06:54.733 to tell you , I'm proud to be able to 06:54.733 --> 06:56.956 make the trip governor . This is I know 06:56.956 --> 06:59.122 that you can't tell us where you are . 06:59.122 --> 07:01.344 But can you give me a second ? Let john 07:01.344 --> 07:03.400 go ahead governor . It's john from W 07:03.400 --> 07:05.511 NPR I'm wondering for the troops that 07:05.511 --> 07:07.733 you've actually talked to have a shared 07:07.733 --> 07:09.844 any concerns about their deployment . 07:09.844 --> 07:12.178 What exactly have they been telling you ? 07:12.178 --> 07:11.490 Maybe you can give us some anecdotes 07:11.490 --> 07:15.080 and stories , you know , people are 07:15.080 --> 07:17.302 amazingly upbeat . I have to tell you . 07:17.302 --> 07:19.870 Um I can't give you the name of the , 07:19.880 --> 07:22.390 of the person who was injured but we 07:22.390 --> 07:24.612 had a Connecticut citizen badly injured 07:24.612 --> 07:28.090 just the other day . Um and who's back 07:28.090 --> 07:30.257 at walter reed now . But I was sitting 07:30.257 --> 07:33.960 with his cousin um from uh huh . 07:34.040 --> 07:37.350 Uh he's an amazing uh injured fellow is 07:37.350 --> 07:39.072 an amazing guy . His cousin is 07:39.072 --> 07:42.660 tremendously up upbeat . Um because uh 07:42.670 --> 07:45.220 he was brought to bagram for uh 07:45.230 --> 07:47.620 treatment , which is an unbelievable 07:47.620 --> 07:49.231 hospital that I just had the 07:49.231 --> 07:51.710 opportunity to see a few hours ago . Um 07:51.720 --> 07:54.450 uh he got there uh if you get to that 07:54.450 --> 07:56.500 hospital uh in the last six months 07:56.500 --> 07:59.900 they've had about uh they've had 100% a 07:59.910 --> 08:03.820 save rate . Um he was flown off to uh 08:03.830 --> 08:06.510 Germany and then now to uh walter reed . 08:06.520 --> 08:08.890 Uh and yet his cousin was amazingly 08:08.890 --> 08:10.501 upbeat , understood what his 08:10.501 --> 08:12.920 responsibilities were was caring for 08:12.930 --> 08:14.930 his responsibilities happen to be a 08:14.930 --> 08:16.986 sergeant . And obviously looking out 08:16.986 --> 08:20.600 after his men . Um and these are 08:20.600 --> 08:23.170 amazing patriots that that I have the 08:23.170 --> 08:25.392 opportunity to break bread with or have 08:25.392 --> 08:27.503 a conversation with or or tell a joke 08:27.503 --> 08:31.330 to governor . This is 08:31.330 --> 08:33.386 Mark again , Can you still hear me ? 08:33.940 --> 08:37.750 Okay , Yes , I can . Mark ahead . Okay , 08:38.340 --> 08:40.451 uh what does this bring to the office 08:40.451 --> 08:42.507 of the governor ? How does this help 08:42.507 --> 08:44.840 make you a better governor ? It's still , 08:44.840 --> 08:47.007 it's kind of hard to get a grip . Mark 08:47.007 --> 08:49.190 on why this why the citizens of 08:49.190 --> 08:51.412 Connecticut would think this was a good 08:51.412 --> 08:54.490 investment sending you there . Well , 08:54.500 --> 08:57.140 mark , uh the reality is is that that 08:57.150 --> 09:00.170 Connecticut is a a very large supplier 09:00.180 --> 09:03.440 uh with respect to our defense . 09:03.450 --> 09:07.340 Uh and that is with respect to goods 09:07.340 --> 09:09.396 and services . And obviously we have 09:09.396 --> 09:12.620 been called upon um since 9-11 to send 09:12.630 --> 09:15.610 our best and brightest to sacrifice on 09:15.610 --> 09:18.310 behalf of their fellow citizens . Um 09:18.310 --> 09:20.532 and for the last 10 months those people 09:20.532 --> 09:22.699 have been working for , for me as , as 09:22.699 --> 09:24.310 the governor of the state of 09:24.310 --> 09:27.270 Connecticut . So I feel uh in some 09:27.270 --> 09:29.850 senses , a sense of responsibility to 09:29.850 --> 09:31.850 understand what they're doing , how 09:31.850 --> 09:33.906 they're doing it , how they're being 09:33.906 --> 09:36.239 treated , uh and what their spirits are . 09:36.239 --> 09:38.461 But I think on a broader basis , Mark , 09:38.461 --> 09:38.290 I think it's important that american 09:38.300 --> 09:40.467 leaders , whether they happen to be in 09:40.467 --> 09:42.860 municipalities or state governments or 09:42.860 --> 09:44.890 congress or senate , have an 09:44.890 --> 09:47.120 understanding of , of the sacrifices we 09:47.120 --> 09:50.070 ask people to make on our behalf . Um , 09:50.070 --> 09:52.126 and you can say you can do it from a 09:52.126 --> 09:54.126 distance , but I happen not to be a 09:54.126 --> 09:56.870 believer of that do the people that you 09:56.870 --> 09:58.981 speak to the members of the guard and 09:58.981 --> 10:01.203 others believe that the mission is done 10:01.203 --> 10:05.110 there now that we're pulling out , well , 10:05.110 --> 10:07.360 you know , we're pulling out of Iraq 10:07.370 --> 10:10.580 and in my time in Kuwait was actually 10:10.580 --> 10:12.469 spent understanding how that that 10:12.469 --> 10:16.070 operation is going . Obviously as the 10:16.070 --> 10:19.480 Secretary testified that will be 10:19.480 --> 10:21.536 continue to be a limited presence in 10:21.536 --> 10:23.702 Iraq , but there's a tremendous amount 10:23.702 --> 10:25.930 of material that has to be removed from 10:25.930 --> 10:28.250 Iraq and I actually saw and had an 10:28.250 --> 10:30.306 opportunity on a first hand basis to 10:30.306 --> 10:32.980 observe how that operation is going and 10:32.980 --> 10:35.313 certainly understand , you know , we've , 10:35.313 --> 10:37.258 we've all been hearing about these 10:37.258 --> 10:39.591 truck convoys in and out of Iraq . Well , 10:39.591 --> 10:41.480 I had the opportunity to actually 10:41.480 --> 10:41.470 understand how one of those is 10:41.470 --> 10:43.780 constructed , what equipment is used in 10:43.780 --> 10:46.460 it . I saw a number of whaling lights 10:46.470 --> 10:48.692 actually had my picture taken next to a 10:48.692 --> 10:50.870 whale in alarm and and light system 10:50.890 --> 10:53.001 products that are made in Connecticut 10:53.001 --> 10:55.057 had the opportunity also to fly in a 10:55.057 --> 10:57.390 Blackhawk that we know was put together . 10:57.390 --> 10:59.446 It's Sikorsky and an engine built in 10:59.446 --> 11:02.240 Bridgeport . Um but but uh you know , 11:02.240 --> 11:05.090 this draw down is a big , big ask of 11:05.090 --> 11:07.257 our of our federal government , of its 11:07.257 --> 11:09.034 services . It seems to be going 11:09.034 --> 11:11.257 remarkably well . And then of course in 11:11.257 --> 11:13.423 in Afghanistan , they're preparing for 11:13.423 --> 11:15.660 changes here as well . Governor , given 11:15.660 --> 11:17.771 this draw down on the enormous number 11:17.771 --> 11:19.771 of troops that are coming home from 11:19.771 --> 11:21.882 Iraq now and will be coming home from 11:21.882 --> 11:23.716 Afghanistan . I know the federal 11:23.716 --> 11:25.771 government is trying to put in place 11:25.771 --> 11:27.827 some incentives to hire uh those who 11:27.827 --> 11:29.549 served in these two wars . I'm 11:29.549 --> 11:31.771 wondering what you might come back with 11:31.771 --> 11:33.938 from this and talking with some people 11:33.938 --> 11:36.160 in your experience that might allow you 11:36.160 --> 11:38.382 to think about more state incentives to 11:38.382 --> 11:40.382 either help people coming back from 11:40.382 --> 11:39.800 Iraq and Afghanistan start their own 11:39.800 --> 11:41.856 business or get hired by Connecticut 11:41.856 --> 11:45.590 employers . Mhm . Well , John , you 11:45.590 --> 11:47.479 know , we actually built into the 11:47.479 --> 11:50.160 bipartisan job bill and I insisted that 11:50.160 --> 11:53.870 we uh we will pay a $900 a month 11:53.880 --> 11:57.110 for a company that hires a recent 11:57.120 --> 12:00.390 veteran or someone who's been on 12:00.400 --> 12:02.810 long-term unemployment or a person with 12:02.810 --> 12:05.340 disability for others , that credit is 12:05.340 --> 12:07.507 only $500 . So we've already addressed 12:07.507 --> 12:09.562 that issue in a much bigger way than 12:09.562 --> 12:11.673 Connecticut has ever undertaken to do 12:11.673 --> 12:13.784 that . I've also been working with uh 12:13.784 --> 12:16.007 folks on , on hiring , making sure that 12:16.010 --> 12:17.990 wounded warriors are hired and 12:17.990 --> 12:20.046 specifically working from the , with 12:20.046 --> 12:21.823 the folks from a gel and out in 12:21.823 --> 12:23.934 Farmington to encourage the insurance 12:23.934 --> 12:26.101 industry in particular to step forward 12:26.101 --> 12:28.323 the health insurance industry . But the 12:28.323 --> 12:30.490 general property casualty in life side 12:30.490 --> 12:32.546 of the house to hire people who have 12:32.546 --> 12:34.657 this extraordinary talent set , skill 12:34.657 --> 12:37.370 set and leadership set . And so , you 12:37.370 --> 12:39.314 know , I've been committed to that 12:39.314 --> 12:41.490 cause from day one , happy to see it 12:41.500 --> 12:44.510 addressed in uh the bipartisan job 12:44.510 --> 12:47.090 session , but also I will champion this . 12:47.090 --> 12:49.980 I can assure you a federal tax credit 12:49.980 --> 12:52.091 is a good idea and that will actually 12:52.091 --> 12:55.670 help you know , I I 12:55.680 --> 12:59.220 the thing about , I think it is , I 12:59.230 --> 13:01.990 think what I have learned uh in state 13:01.990 --> 13:04.870 government is if you're not out there 13:04.870 --> 13:08.830 actively pitching um or are explaining 13:08.840 --> 13:11.070 what you're offering , then people are 13:11.070 --> 13:13.237 not going to be able to take advantage 13:13.237 --> 13:15.403 of it . And I saw that because we know 13:15.403 --> 13:17.514 that there was a credit , it wasn't a 13:17.514 --> 13:17.450 very big credit , only a couple of $100 13:17.450 --> 13:20.370 a month . And I saw to it that it grew 13:20.380 --> 13:23.010 much larger , but there was $20 million 13:23.010 --> 13:25.170 set aside for that credit . Only a 13:25.170 --> 13:28.110 million dollars of it was her used and 13:28.110 --> 13:30.054 in some senses , one has to wonder 13:30.054 --> 13:31.943 whether you don't advertise those 13:31.943 --> 13:34.054 things in an effort to make sure that 13:34.054 --> 13:36.054 there's the money can be spent some 13:36.054 --> 13:38.221 other way . I don't have any intention 13:38.221 --> 13:38.080 of seeing it spent any other way . And 13:38.080 --> 13:40.370 so I have to go out there and sell this 13:40.370 --> 13:42.610 program . Governor , it's governor , 13:42.610 --> 13:44.721 This is Mark again . Do you have time 13:44.721 --> 13:46.832 for one more question , Mark , can we 13:46.832 --> 13:46.470 let me jump in for a second ? She's 13:46.470 --> 13:48.526 been trying to jump in to go ahead . 13:48.526 --> 13:50.581 Thank you Governor . I was wondering 13:50.581 --> 13:52.803 after talking to some of the soldiers , 13:52.803 --> 13:54.859 Did you come up with any other ideas 13:54.859 --> 13:57.081 for perhaps other programs that perhaps 13:57.081 --> 13:59.303 the state Veterans Department can still 13:59.303 --> 14:01.526 offer um to try to make sure that there 14:01.526 --> 14:03.526 their their needs are met when they 14:03.526 --> 14:05.960 come back to Connecticut . Well , you 14:05.960 --> 14:08.420 know , I I uh again , most of these , 14:08.430 --> 14:11.090 most of the folks who I spoke to have a 14:11.090 --> 14:13.034 job that they'll be returning to , 14:13.034 --> 14:15.034 although three of the people in the 14:15.034 --> 14:17.146 group that I spoke to its Barbara and 14:17.146 --> 14:18.812 had dinner with actually were 14:18.812 --> 14:20.923 unemployed at the time that they were 14:20.923 --> 14:23.034 deployed . So , you know , I think we 14:23.034 --> 14:25.201 need to make sure that we are reaching 14:25.201 --> 14:27.340 out to these folks . Certainly uh the 14:27.340 --> 14:30.680 tag the general , he's responsible for 14:30.680 --> 14:33.340 making sure that um that we're making 14:33.350 --> 14:35.517 that that we're reaching out to all of 14:35.517 --> 14:37.406 our um folks as they come back to 14:37.406 --> 14:39.406 Connecticut . We try to hook him up 14:39.406 --> 14:41.517 with the appropriate services . And , 14:41.517 --> 14:43.628 and obviously there's some time built 14:43.628 --> 14:45.794 in between they're getting back , uh , 14:45.794 --> 14:47.850 and , and their actual final release 14:47.850 --> 14:49.906 for us to address that issue . But , 14:49.906 --> 14:52.072 you know , so far , I think , uh , our 14:52.072 --> 14:54.183 National Guard folks have done a good 14:54.183 --> 14:56.183 job . But obviously I'll be talking 14:56.183 --> 14:58.406 about it with general martin when I get 14:58.406 --> 15:00.517 home . Governor . The smart gave us a 15:00.517 --> 15:02.683 new haven again . Can you squeeze in a 15:02.683 --> 15:04.794 question again from us ? Can you hear 15:04.794 --> 15:07.017 us okay ? Yeah , he , yeah , I can hear 15:07.017 --> 15:09.239 you go . Ask a question mark . And I'll 15:09.239 --> 15:11.128 answer , I know that you had some 15:11.128 --> 15:13.294 access to Secretary of Defense Panetta 15:13.294 --> 15:15.410 during this trip . Did you talk about 15:15.420 --> 15:17.364 the prospects for the Joint Strike 15:17.364 --> 15:19.800 Fighter ? And uh , whether or not that 15:19.800 --> 15:22.022 might be affected by this deadline that 15:22.022 --> 15:24.580 the congress is facing on the , on the 15:24.590 --> 15:28.400 budget ? We talked about a 15:28.400 --> 15:31.940 couple of , uh , systems . 15:31.950 --> 15:34.350 The Joint 15:35.440 --> 15:37.940 Fighter was one of them . Obviously , 15:37.950 --> 15:40.061 uh , Secretary Panetta is going to be 15:40.061 --> 15:43.270 at , uh , electric boat . And obviously 15:43.270 --> 15:45.214 I explained to him , I wouldn't be 15:45.214 --> 15:47.103 there because I was going to be a 15:47.103 --> 15:49.048 little busy . Um , and uh , but we 15:49.048 --> 15:51.103 talked about that . Uh , and we also 15:51.103 --> 15:52.881 talked about the mission of our 15:52.881 --> 15:54.890 National Guard if there were some 15:54.900 --> 15:58.000 changes to be made . Obviously , I also 15:58.000 --> 16:00.350 discussed that with more in more detail 16:00.360 --> 16:02.720 with General McKinley . Um , and , and 16:02.720 --> 16:04.887 specifically want to make sure that we 16:04.887 --> 16:07.109 have an air mission uh in Connecticut . 16:07.109 --> 16:08.831 So we had , we had pretty long 16:08.831 --> 16:12.630 conversation with uh Deputy Stockton as 16:12.630 --> 16:14.960 well . So I covered a lot of ground on 16:14.970 --> 16:17.137 on monday . And you know what I , what 16:17.137 --> 16:19.081 I do is when I have those kinds of 16:19.081 --> 16:21.192 meetings , I'm briefed by my staff as 16:21.192 --> 16:23.310 well as uh general martin on what the 16:23.310 --> 16:25.600 military issues are . Obviously , I'd 16:25.600 --> 16:28.830 like to see the 22 sub program continue . 16:28.830 --> 16:32.010 I made that known . I'd like to see the 16:32.020 --> 16:34.630 joint fighter go forward . I certainly 16:34.630 --> 16:36.741 made that point . That's that's got a 16:36.741 --> 16:38.574 lot of interest for us and Pratt 16:38.574 --> 16:40.519 Whitney engines to power that that 16:40.519 --> 16:42.630 system . And also with respect to the 16:42.630 --> 16:44.686 mission of our Air National Guard to 16:44.686 --> 16:46.741 make sure that they they're going to 16:46.741 --> 16:49.260 have an ongoing uh and serious and 16:49.260 --> 16:51.427 important mission . Uh so all of those 16:51.427 --> 16:53.770 things I specifically did address 16:54.440 --> 16:56.120 governor . It's gone again , 16:56.350 --> 16:58.980 specifically a larger standpoint with 16:59.190 --> 17:01.134 Mark . Hang on one second , john , 17:01.134 --> 17:03.246 we're going to this one last question 17:03.246 --> 17:05.468 for you and then we're gonna end this , 17:05.468 --> 17:04.800 john , go ahead . Ok . Thank you very 17:04.800 --> 17:06.800 much . Right . When , when you talk 17:06.800 --> 17:09.150 about the various uh projects that are 17:09.150 --> 17:11.094 out there , whether it's the Joint 17:11.094 --> 17:13.150 strike fighter or anything else , do 17:13.150 --> 17:15.094 you worry that a changing military 17:15.094 --> 17:16.928 might might really mean some big 17:16.928 --> 17:18.872 changes in the Connecticut defense 17:18.872 --> 17:20.761 industry . You talk about the two 17:20.761 --> 17:22.706 submission , but perhaps we're not 17:22.706 --> 17:24.817 going into a world that needs as many 17:24.817 --> 17:24.610 submarines . The Blackhawk helicopter 17:24.610 --> 17:26.666 maybe won't be used as much as we're 17:26.666 --> 17:28.832 not fighting wars like Afghanistan and 17:28.832 --> 17:31.054 Iraq . And how are you planning for the 17:31.054 --> 17:33.277 eventuality of the world of defense and 17:33.277 --> 17:37.080 american military changes ? Well , john 17:37.090 --> 17:39.240 if you review the testimony of 17:39.250 --> 17:41.361 Secretary Panetta the other day and I 17:41.361 --> 17:43.306 had an opportunity to do that , he 17:43.306 --> 17:46.810 indicated that at $1.3 billion.01 leg 17:46.820 --> 17:49.770 of the nuclear force would would take a 17:49.770 --> 17:52.050 serious hit . That wasn't submarines . 17:52.060 --> 17:55.970 Um That was land based . So , 17:55.980 --> 17:58.670 you know , I think the submarine uh 17:58.680 --> 18:01.050 part of that equation remains pretty 18:01.050 --> 18:03.180 strong And I and I presume although I 18:03.180 --> 18:05.069 don't know that that's one of the 18:05.069 --> 18:07.069 reasons he's going to electric boat 18:07.069 --> 18:08.958 gratin . But he did . But but the 18:08.958 --> 18:11.013 secretary made it very clear at 1.21 18:11.013 --> 18:13.013 point $3 billion cut to the defense 18:13.013 --> 18:15.750 industry to the D . O . D . That has 18:15.750 --> 18:17.972 serious consequences . And I can assure 18:17.972 --> 18:20.083 you at 1.3 it's going to have serious 18:20.083 --> 18:22.194 consequences for Connecticut . That's 18:22.194 --> 18:24.361 why I'm invested in arguing our case . 18:24.361 --> 18:26.472 Uh and by the way , I mean , you know 18:26.472 --> 18:28.694 that this group of 12 has a mission and 18:28.694 --> 18:30.806 they should accomplish that mission . 18:30.806 --> 18:30.670 And that that mission is to come up 18:30.670 --> 18:32.559 with a combination of savings and 18:32.559 --> 18:36.410 spending uh and revenue that will allow 18:36.410 --> 18:38.354 us to make reasonable cuts in this 18:38.354 --> 18:40.650 budget . But but won't devastate the d . 18:40.650 --> 18:43.790 o . d . Um And and so we have this 18:43.790 --> 18:45.846 whole issue about what's the savings 18:45.846 --> 18:47.957 from the , from the drawdown ? How do 18:47.957 --> 18:50.068 we bank the savings from the drawdown 18:50.068 --> 18:51.901 and the two the two parts of the 18:51.901 --> 18:54.123 theater that are being drawn down . But 18:54.123 --> 18:56.234 then how do we go to the next level ? 18:56.234 --> 18:58.960 But clearly at $1.3 billion something 18:58.960 --> 19:01.490 would give . He's also one leg of the 19:01.500 --> 19:04.350 three legged stool of nuclear armaments 19:04.360 --> 19:06.582 he's indicated would have to would have 19:06.582 --> 19:08.638 to give mightily . He's talked about 19:08.638 --> 19:12.600 the smallest uh uh service uh active 19:12.600 --> 19:16.460 service uh since uh 1916 to 19:16.460 --> 19:19.440 be exact . So , you know , I'm I'm 19:19.440 --> 19:21.500 hopeful um that the people in 19:21.500 --> 19:23.611 Washington will start to do their job 19:23.611 --> 19:25.778 quite frankly . And and uh I'm hopeful 19:25.778 --> 19:27.944 for a lot of reasons for the future of 19:27.944 --> 19:30.000 our country , uh , for the future of 19:30.000 --> 19:32.167 our military and the men and women who 19:32.167 --> 19:34.167 serve in that deserve to be treated 19:34.167 --> 19:36.333 with honor and have the best armaments 19:36.333 --> 19:38.444 as well as the best defense systems . 19:38.444 --> 19:40.333 Um and I also worry about it as a 19:40.333 --> 19:42.278 governor of a state that's heavily 19:42.278 --> 19:44.111 involved in the uh in technology 19:44.111 --> 19:46.530 evolving technology . Uh , and and is 19:46.530 --> 19:48.530 employing a lot of people in making 19:48.530 --> 19:50.697 some of the best products available in 19:50.697 --> 19:52.919 the world for the defense industry . Of 19:52.919 --> 19:55.141 course I'm interested in all of those . 19:55.141 --> 19:57.197 But but if you get a chance , take a 19:57.197 --> 19:59.141 look at the uh Secretary Panetta's 19:59.141 --> 20:01.030 statement . Hey Mark , I had last 20:01.030 --> 20:03.660 question thanks to left , Mark , are 20:03.660 --> 20:06.660 you still there ? Oh nope . So go ahead . 20:06.940 --> 20:09.051 Jump in governor . I was just curious 20:09.051 --> 20:11.560 what your impressions were of Kabul and 20:11.560 --> 20:14.140 as it seems , are you pretty safe right 20:14.140 --> 20:16.418 now or are you under a lot of security ? 20:18.840 --> 20:21.240 Well , there's a lot of security . Uh , 20:21.250 --> 20:23.417 when I was in Kabul , there's a lot of 20:23.417 --> 20:25.780 security . Um , and uh , you know , I 20:25.780 --> 20:29.730 was flown in , um actually came in um 20:29.740 --> 20:33.280 at nighttime . Um , and uh , to the 20:33.280 --> 20:35.830 Kabul area , uh , and flying in is , 20:35.840 --> 20:38.062 it's really quite remarkable . It's a , 20:38.062 --> 20:40.960 it's a far reaching , much larger uh , 20:40.970 --> 20:43.050 community than I think most people 20:43.060 --> 20:46.310 would imagine . Um , and uh , it's 20:46.310 --> 20:49.350 also , it's spreading , it is enlarging , 20:49.360 --> 20:51.638 there's investment going on . You know , 20:51.638 --> 20:53.960 I hope for the afghan people um , that 20:53.970 --> 20:56.180 they'll be able to beat back the folks 20:56.180 --> 20:58.660 that want to dictate everyone's answer 20:59.170 --> 21:01.337 and I hope that they'll somehow find a 21:01.337 --> 21:03.980 way to be free or as free as they can 21:03.980 --> 21:07.830 be . Um , I hope that clearly people of , 21:07.840 --> 21:09.951 of right intention and good intention 21:09.951 --> 21:12.062 and I happen to be here on a historic 21:12.062 --> 21:15.910 day when a jirga is taking place um , 21:15.920 --> 21:18.510 that went off so far without incident . 21:18.520 --> 21:20.464 That's remarkable because the last 21:20.464 --> 21:23.810 number of those have had incident in 21:23.810 --> 21:25.810 the past . So , you know , listen , 21:25.810 --> 21:27.977 there's reasons to be hopeful . On the 21:27.977 --> 21:29.921 other hand , you can't look at the 21:29.921 --> 21:32.690 history of the region , You can't uh , 21:32.700 --> 21:35.300 you can't examine the , the religious , 21:35.310 --> 21:38.250 uh , the ethnic , the regional and the 21:38.250 --> 21:40.880 tribal differences and say , gee , this 21:40.880 --> 21:43.120 is , this is going to fix itself . So 21:43.130 --> 21:45.830 you have to be worried and you have to 21:45.840 --> 21:49.320 be hopeful . Okay , everybody all set , 21:49.320 --> 21:51.431 Mark again . Can you hear me ? Mark ? 21:51.431 --> 21:53.487 Last one then ? We gotta get going , 21:53.487 --> 21:55.764 yep . One last one . Mark ahead . Yeah . 21:55.764 --> 21:57.764 Uh , I know it's a very long trip . 21:57.764 --> 21:59.876 When are you coming home ? And do you 21:59.876 --> 22:03.760 have any jet legs ? I have a lot of jet 22:03.760 --> 22:07.320 lag . Um , I think on on these kinds of 22:07.330 --> 22:09.663 missions , you catch sleep when you can . 22:09.663 --> 22:12.920 And so I uh on the flight from kuwait 22:12.930 --> 22:16.190 uh , to Afghanistan , I caught some 22:16.190 --> 22:18.460 sleep . Then I tried to sleep the night 22:18.470 --> 22:20.692 before . It was a little tough head and 22:20.692 --> 22:23.030 adjusted properly . Um , so right now , 22:23.030 --> 22:26.450 I feel pretty good . Uh got got to 22:26.450 --> 22:28.450 where I am , had the opportunity to 22:28.450 --> 22:30.730 take a hot shower um , and try to look 22:30.730 --> 22:34.260 good for you . Uh , Mark having said 22:34.260 --> 22:36.260 that , I'll be returning relatively 22:36.260 --> 22:38.800 quickly . Although I've been asked not 22:38.800 --> 22:41.022 to talk about the details of our travel 22:41.022 --> 22:43.189 and where I'll be over the next couple 22:43.189 --> 22:45.022 of days . But you'll see me uh , 22:45.022 --> 22:47.078 sometime on friday . All right . You 22:47.078 --> 22:49.330 guys . Thanks very much . Governor . 22:49.570 --> 22:51.681 Thank you . Governor . Travel state . 22:51.681 --> 22:53.903 Thank you very much . Thank you . Thank 22:53.903 --> 22:55.959 All right , governor . We'll talk to 22:55.959 --> 22:57.959 you later . Thanks . Bye bye . Very 22:57.959 --> 22:58.270 good . Thank you .