WEBVTT 00:00.182 --> 00:02.680 - And to be back again at Fort Bragg, 00:02.680 --> 00:04.430 been here many times. 00:04.706 --> 00:08.456 So much that Fort Bragg does for our country. 00:08.997 --> 00:11.627 So many missions essential to our security 00:11.627 --> 00:13.979 that are accomplished here at Fort Bragg, 00:13.979 --> 00:16.514 and so I've been thanking the troops here, 00:16.514 --> 00:18.634 but I also want to thank the community 00:18.634 --> 00:22.717 for their support of this essential installation. 00:22.908 --> 00:24.168 I was just speaking to troopers 00:24.168 --> 00:25.859 from the 18th Airborne Corps, 00:25.859 --> 00:29.859 one of the elements headquartered here at Bragg, 00:30.441 --> 00:33.858 which I'm now asking, we are asking to do 00:35.249 --> 00:37.749 two big jobs at the same time. 00:37.866 --> 00:39.866 First, to continue to be 00:42.049 --> 00:44.466 our emergency response force, 00:44.484 --> 00:48.134 our global response force because we're a global country 00:48.134 --> 00:49.855 with global responsibilities. 00:49.855 --> 00:54.022 But also, today their headquarters will take command 00:55.276 --> 00:59.193 of the important campaign to defeat and destroy 00:59.708 --> 01:01.625 ISIL in Iraq and Syria. 01:04.020 --> 01:07.322 I have tremendous confidence in the command team 01:07.322 --> 01:09.545 that will take over the war there. 01:09.545 --> 01:12.043 Led by Lieutenant General Steve Townsend, 01:12.043 --> 01:14.626 I've known him for a long time. 01:14.965 --> 01:19.132 Have complete confidence in his exceptional abilities. 01:19.992 --> 01:22.684 He's got a great staff that's going with him. 01:22.684 --> 01:25.101 They know the area very well. 01:25.140 --> 01:27.641 They're very well-acquainted with and briefed 01:27.641 --> 01:31.641 on the steps we've taken in the campaign so far. 01:31.799 --> 01:34.662 And I'm confident they'll bring us closer 01:34.662 --> 01:36.722 to what I'm confident will occur, 01:36.722 --> 01:39.722 which is the lasting defeat of ISIL. 01:40.934 --> 01:42.482 I'll also meet today with our 01:42.482 --> 01:44.448 joint special operations command, 01:44.448 --> 01:46.895 another critical national element 01:46.895 --> 01:48.784 located here at Fort Bragg. 01:48.784 --> 01:50.121 While I can't tell you much about what 01:50.121 --> 01:53.538 we'll be discussing there, I can just say 01:53.735 --> 01:57.818 that they, like the other elements here at Bragg, 01:58.008 --> 01:59.709 are essential to our security. 01:59.709 --> 02:01.953 We count on them every single day 02:01.953 --> 02:04.786 in ways that not everyone can see, 02:05.061 --> 02:07.288 but everyone can feel in the protection 02:07.288 --> 02:10.288 it affords to them around the world. 02:10.659 --> 02:13.076 I once again, thank everyone, 02:14.784 --> 02:18.018 the folks here have hosted me while I've been here, 02:18.018 --> 02:20.032 but above all, the community for supporting 02:20.032 --> 02:21.761 this tremendous installation. 02:21.761 --> 02:25.173 So with that, let me go, and Peter, you-- 02:25.173 --> 02:27.587 - [Voiceover] I gotta go to Gilbert (mumbles). 02:27.587 --> 02:29.087 Gilbert, go ahead. 02:29.286 --> 02:31.565 - [Voiceover] Mr. Secretary, obviously the president 02:31.565 --> 02:34.250 got the visual information from generals on the ground 02:34.250 --> 02:37.333 that we need to not lessen the number 02:37.726 --> 02:39.112 of troops in Afghanistan. 02:39.112 --> 02:41.329 We're gonna maintain a certain level there. 02:41.329 --> 02:42.860 What are the generals telling you, 02:42.860 --> 02:46.393 and what are you thinking that we need to do 02:46.393 --> 02:48.349 in order to defeat ISIL? 02:48.349 --> 02:51.562 And at any point, do you see that we will 02:51.562 --> 02:54.149 lead the role of training the Iraqi forces, 02:54.149 --> 02:57.559 and send combat units in to actually get the job done? 02:57.559 --> 02:58.710 - Well, I mean first of all, 02:58.710 --> 03:02.088 we talk about that every day of every week, 03:02.088 --> 03:04.328 and I'm sure I'll be talking to General Townsend 03:04.328 --> 03:06.400 very frequently, just like I speak to General McFarland. 03:06.400 --> 03:08.278 Today, Chairman Dunford and I do, 03:08.278 --> 03:10.616 General Votell, who's our Cent Com Commander. 03:10.616 --> 03:13.786 And of course we talk to the president all the time 03:13.786 --> 03:14.619 about this. 03:14.619 --> 03:16.259 The general answer to your question 03:16.259 --> 03:18.676 is are we prepared to do more 03:19.690 --> 03:21.795 to accelerate the campaign and defeat ISIL? 03:21.795 --> 03:23.305 The answer to that is yes. 03:23.305 --> 03:25.521 And I think you've seen that over the last five months. 03:25.521 --> 03:27.625 Just a couple of weeks ago in Baghdad, 03:27.625 --> 03:31.651 I announced an additional contingent of US forces. 03:31.651 --> 03:33.710 Now with respect to what they're doing there, 03:33.710 --> 03:37.716 I'll just remind you that our overall strategic approach 03:37.716 --> 03:39.216 in Iraq and Syria, 03:39.715 --> 03:41.382 is to enable victory 03:44.305 --> 03:47.305 by capable, motivated, local forces. 03:48.459 --> 03:50.817 And not try to substitute for them, 03:50.817 --> 03:53.738 because they need to make the victories stick 03:53.738 --> 03:55.821 after the victory is won. 03:55.933 --> 03:58.502 And only local forces can do that. 03:58.502 --> 04:01.683 We can help them, and we are helping them. 04:01.683 --> 04:04.840 But our overall strategic approach is that. 04:04.840 --> 04:08.257 That said, that is a very difficult duty. 04:09.096 --> 04:13.141 It's duty that only America and its coalition partners 04:13.141 --> 04:16.808 have the power and the acumen to accomplish. 04:17.999 --> 04:21.603 And it should be clear that it puts our folks 04:21.603 --> 04:22.475 in harm's way. 04:22.475 --> 04:23.657 There's no doubt about it. 04:23.657 --> 04:25.918 There's no more important responsibility 04:25.918 --> 04:28.038 for me as Secretary of Defense, 04:28.038 --> 04:30.951 than to put our people in harm's way. 04:30.951 --> 04:32.701 We do that advisedly. 04:32.890 --> 04:35.928 Their force protection's a very important aspect 04:35.928 --> 04:40.095 of things to us, but nobody should be in any doubt 04:40.373 --> 04:43.563 that forces that are participating in this campaign 04:43.563 --> 04:46.825 are at risk, despite the strategic approach 04:46.825 --> 04:49.992 that I said is to enable local forces. 04:52.272 --> 04:53.105 - [Voiceover] John? 04:53.105 --> 04:54.081 - [Voiceover] Speaking about this, 04:54.081 --> 04:55.720 Mr. Secretary, you just spoke about your concerns 04:55.720 --> 04:57.925 about the stabilization and reconstruction efforts 04:57.925 --> 04:59.909 that would onto any defeat of ISIL, 04:59.909 --> 05:01.680 (speech drowned out by ambient noise). 05:01.680 --> 05:02.934 And you talked about the need 05:02.934 --> 05:05.757 for the international community to be involved in that. 05:05.757 --> 05:08.807 But do you see a role for the US civilian contractors 05:08.807 --> 05:10.363 to take part in those efforts, 05:10.363 --> 05:13.923 much as they've done in the past in Iraq and Afghanistan? 05:13.923 --> 05:17.822 - I do think that much of the reconstruction effort 05:17.822 --> 05:21.072 will be done by under civil authorities 05:21.502 --> 05:23.607 that is not Department of Defense, 05:23.607 --> 05:26.248 but other parts of the US Government, 05:26.248 --> 05:28.193 but very importantly, the international community, 05:28.193 --> 05:30.110 and the United Nations. 05:30.291 --> 05:33.693 Much of their activity is done through contractors. 05:33.693 --> 05:35.591 Some of those are Americans who have 05:35.591 --> 05:37.461 a lot of experience, by the way, 05:37.461 --> 05:40.378 after 15 years of heavy involvement 05:41.627 --> 05:43.377 in Iraq, Afghanistan, 05:45.643 --> 05:46.893 and the region. 05:49.470 --> 05:50.873 That's gonna be a big job. 05:50.873 --> 05:53.208 That's not a prinicpally American job. 05:53.208 --> 05:55.235 We will play a role in it. 05:55.235 --> 05:58.232 But remember that the more than two billion dollars 05:58.232 --> 05:59.815 that we, in pledges 06:01.652 --> 06:03.402 that we got last week 06:03.457 --> 06:07.624 will mostly be executed through civilian agencies, 06:07.970 --> 06:11.480 and frequently they'll use contractors to do that. 06:11.480 --> 06:12.647 So absolutely. 06:14.113 --> 06:15.350 - [Voiceover] Sydney? 06:15.350 --> 06:17.907 - [Voiceover] Sir, one of the things that struck me 06:17.907 --> 06:20.019 about this visit (mumbles) 06:20.019 --> 06:22.007 'cause there's almost a schizoid nature. 06:22.007 --> 06:25.234 I mean this very corps, we had paratroopers 06:25.234 --> 06:27.893 going into Poland for a NATO exercise, 06:27.893 --> 06:31.178 and we have the corps HQ going into the mid-east 06:31.178 --> 06:33.928 for a coin, kind of CT evolution. 06:35.605 --> 06:38.994 You yourself spend a big chunk of your time 06:38.994 --> 06:40.577 waging war on ISIS, 06:40.669 --> 06:44.836 and a big chunk with things like third off-sets, (mumbles). 06:45.155 --> 06:45.988 - Yeah. 06:45.988 --> 06:48.703 - [Voiceover] They're all very great power focus. 06:48.703 --> 06:51.555 Is there any way to cross pollinate these 06:51.555 --> 06:54.297 to leverage these very experienced officers 06:54.297 --> 06:57.020 with all these years of post-9/11 experience 06:57.020 --> 07:00.721 for perhaps the gray or hybrid threats we see 07:00.721 --> 07:01.728 from big powers? 07:01.728 --> 07:04.081 Is there any way to leverage from this technology? 07:04.081 --> 07:05.544 Like you know, even the F45, 07:05.544 --> 07:07.832 which General Carlos (mumbles) 07:07.832 --> 07:10.415 for the so-called low-end play. 07:10.829 --> 07:14.662 - Well first of all, you're right, we're busy. 07:15.223 --> 07:18.556 Because we had the counter-ISIL campaign 07:19.655 --> 07:21.738 to win, which we will do. 07:22.345 --> 07:24.977 But in Europe, which you mentioned, 07:24.977 --> 07:29.144 we are standing with our NATO allies against aggression, 07:29.255 --> 07:31.979 both traditional sort of aggression, 07:31.979 --> 07:34.327 and then what you called hybrid warfare, 07:34.327 --> 07:36.427 which is the little green men phenomenon 07:36.427 --> 07:38.427 that you saw in Ukraine. 07:39.044 --> 07:41.271 We're standing for principle 07:41.271 --> 07:44.854 and continued security in the Asia pacific, 07:45.216 --> 07:47.272 which is where half of humanity lives, 07:47.272 --> 07:51.231 and half of the economic activity in the world is. 07:51.231 --> 07:55.398 We stand tall every single day on the Korean peninsula. 07:55.760 --> 07:56.680 People forget that. 07:56.680 --> 07:57.680 North Korea. 07:58.592 --> 07:59.425 The DMZ. 08:01.127 --> 08:04.131 With respect to Iran and Iran's malign influence 08:04.131 --> 08:04.964 in the Gulf. 08:04.964 --> 08:06.947 So we have lots of things that we have to do 08:06.947 --> 08:08.236 and pay attention to. 08:08.236 --> 08:10.867 And we have today, and we have tomorrow. 08:10.867 --> 08:15.034 So I need to be making sure that we're successful, 08:15.967 --> 08:19.029 and that I support our folks in what they have to do today, 08:19.029 --> 08:21.219 but we also have to think 10, 20 years ago, 08:21.219 --> 08:24.286 and make sure that we remain the finest fighting force 08:24.286 --> 08:25.471 the world has ever known. 08:25.471 --> 08:27.065 That means having the best technology 08:27.065 --> 08:28.557 and the best people for it tomorrow. 08:28.557 --> 08:30.501 So the answer is we gotta do the whole world, 08:30.501 --> 08:32.215 and we gotta do today and tomorrow. 08:32.215 --> 08:34.204 But the people you saw here in this room, 08:34.204 --> 08:35.797 they're capable of all that. 08:35.797 --> 08:38.164 When I talk about the global response force, 08:38.164 --> 08:40.664 which Steve Townsend has been, 08:43.498 --> 08:45.915 and remains, responsible for, 08:46.353 --> 08:48.832 that really is a global response force. 08:48.832 --> 08:51.165 And he uses the same forces. 08:51.219 --> 08:53.802 We do have forces that are very 08:56.899 --> 09:00.899 flexible in their capabilities, and the training 09:01.115 --> 09:04.138 of the people who are in this room is really quite broad. 09:04.138 --> 09:06.129 They're trained from high-spectrum, 09:06.129 --> 09:08.747 high-end of the combat spectrum, 09:08.747 --> 09:12.247 right down to what's called the lower end, 09:13.299 --> 09:15.900 but which is still dangerous counter-terrorism, 09:15.900 --> 09:18.650 counter-insurgency, and so forth. 09:19.316 --> 09:21.856 And then finally, it's a long answer, 09:21.856 --> 09:23.929 but it was a big question, 09:23.929 --> 09:28.096 they're also very good at enabling other militaries. 09:28.104 --> 09:30.130 And that's gonna be one of their principle functions. 09:30.130 --> 09:32.630 Training, advising, assisting, 09:33.687 --> 09:37.854 and giving the high-end stuff to forces that don't have it, 09:38.427 --> 09:42.594 and need it, like Iraqi forces that are approaching Mosul. 09:44.124 --> 09:46.790 - [Voiceover] Got a question over here, sir? 09:46.790 --> 09:48.667 - [Voiceover] We all know now that the threat of ISIS 09:48.667 --> 09:50.522 is extended outside of the Middle East, 09:50.522 --> 09:52.044 and I think the third point on your 09:52.044 --> 09:53.466 (speech drowned out by ambient noise) was talking about 09:53.466 --> 09:56.769 supporting law enforcement, strengthening homeland security. 09:56.769 --> 09:58.684 Can you expand on that a little bit 09:58.684 --> 10:01.279 in talking about what that looks like? 10:01.279 --> 10:03.196 - Yeah, absolutely can. 10:03.403 --> 10:07.486 Obviously the lead for protecting American people 10:08.276 --> 10:10.733 within the United States is law enforcement. 10:10.733 --> 10:12.900 State, local, and federal, 10:13.635 --> 10:16.297 and the Department of Homeland Security, 10:16.297 --> 10:18.533 and our intelligence community. 10:18.533 --> 10:22.700 But we do support them as the Department of Defense. 10:23.949 --> 10:26.020 We support them in, for example, 10:26.020 --> 10:28.603 the air defense of the country. 10:28.900 --> 10:31.781 We support them in deploying troops 10:31.781 --> 10:34.864 to major events that could be targets 10:35.634 --> 10:37.551 for terrorist activity. 10:38.137 --> 10:40.470 We support them if and when 10:42.297 --> 10:44.551 something catastrophic happens. 10:44.551 --> 10:47.718 A natural disaster, or hypothetically, 10:48.319 --> 10:50.902 a major attack on the United States. 10:50.902 --> 10:54.895 So there are lots of different ways that we support them. 10:54.895 --> 10:57.103 So we're not in the lead there, as we are 10:57.103 --> 10:58.770 in a theater of war, 11:02.131 --> 11:03.034 in that way. 11:03.034 --> 11:05.617 But it's very much on our mind. 11:06.778 --> 11:08.623 General Lorrie Robinson, who's the commander 11:08.623 --> 11:10.623 of our northern command, 11:10.684 --> 11:12.684 she does this every day. 11:12.906 --> 11:15.765 Pays attention to the defense of North America. 11:15.765 --> 11:16.907 That's her mission. 11:16.907 --> 11:20.495 In the same way that General Votell's Cent Command, 11:20.495 --> 11:23.745 Central Command is for the Middle East. 11:24.359 --> 11:26.461 Lorrie's got North America. 11:26.461 --> 11:28.978 She's got us, she's extremely capable, 11:28.978 --> 11:30.782 and that's what she does every day. 11:30.782 --> 11:31.740 - [Voiceover] Got time for two more, sir. 11:31.740 --> 11:32.573 Dan? 11:32.573 --> 11:33.406 - [Voiceover] Yes, sir. 11:33.406 --> 11:36.669 Are there specific accelerate capabilities 11:36.669 --> 11:39.138 that you'd expect General Townsend 11:39.138 --> 11:43.010 and his troops to bring to the fight when they deploy? 11:43.010 --> 11:46.815 - I think the whole suite, they are cross-trained 11:46.815 --> 11:47.982 in everything. 11:48.463 --> 11:52.296 So Steve will have the air war, the cyber war, 11:52.374 --> 11:54.874 the space war, the ground war, 11:55.625 --> 11:56.458 the 12:00.195 --> 12:02.778 training, logistics, equipment, 12:06.381 --> 12:07.742 force protection. 12:07.742 --> 12:08.992 The whole deal. 12:08.995 --> 12:11.578 And one of the important things 12:12.650 --> 12:15.900 that we did in establishing the command 12:17.978 --> 12:21.545 that General Townsend will fill, is precisely that. 12:21.545 --> 12:24.943 Put everything underneath that commander. 12:24.943 --> 12:27.311 So whatever he needs, he'll get. 12:27.311 --> 12:30.121 Whatever's over there, he's in charge of. 12:30.121 --> 12:33.636 And in today's campaign against an enemy like ISIL, 12:33.636 --> 12:35.333 it runs the whole spectrum. 12:35.333 --> 12:39.250 All the way from you know, air power, to cyber. 12:42.143 --> 12:43.456 - [Voiceover] Zach? 12:43.456 --> 12:44.902 - [Voiceover] Sir, last week 12:44.902 --> 12:46.795 during the counter-ISIL meetings, 12:46.795 --> 12:48.202 there's a lot of discussion about building up 12:48.202 --> 12:50.758 the Iraqi troops, specifically for retaking Mosul. 12:50.758 --> 12:52.460 If I recall correctly, that includes building up 12:52.460 --> 12:55.127 six brigades for that operation. 12:55.602 --> 12:58.669 Where are we in the process of building up those troops? 12:58.669 --> 12:59.890 Can you give us any kind of update 12:59.890 --> 13:02.180 as to how the coalition's building? 13:02.180 --> 13:03.347 - Yeah, I can. 13:03.429 --> 13:05.094 Let me give you the outlines, 13:05.094 --> 13:08.394 and then I send you over to General McFarland, 13:08.394 --> 13:11.244 and ultimately General Townsend for the details. 13:11.244 --> 13:13.248 But it is exactly as you say. 13:13.248 --> 13:15.665 There are Iraqi army brigades 13:18.115 --> 13:22.115 trained and equipped, and most have gone through 13:22.435 --> 13:24.801 their training already, but not all of them. 13:24.801 --> 13:26.891 By the United States and our coalition partners, 13:26.891 --> 13:28.747 mostly in southern Iraq, 13:28.747 --> 13:32.092 they're in the process of relocating to northern Iraq. 13:32.092 --> 13:35.342 That's where the Makhmur and Kiar west, 13:35.520 --> 13:38.737 and those locations that you hear about, come in. 13:38.737 --> 13:40.345 They're the staging areas 13:40.345 --> 13:43.262 in the southern approaches to Mosul 13:43.957 --> 13:47.735 that they will use for the southern-most envelopment. 13:47.735 --> 13:49.113 You didn't mention, but might have, 13:49.113 --> 13:51.697 and I'm sure you know that in addition, 13:51.697 --> 13:55.364 there are Peshmerga brigades from the north. 13:58.447 --> 14:01.447 Organized, trained by the coalition, 14:02.450 --> 14:05.589 in agreement between Prime Minister Abadi, 14:05.589 --> 14:09.052 and President Barzani that will make the northern-most part 14:09.052 --> 14:11.742 of this pincer movement on Mosul. 14:11.742 --> 14:14.741 So the training and equipping of all of those forces, 14:14.741 --> 14:17.491 all of that is going on-schedule. 14:17.503 --> 14:21.170 The positioning of them will go on-schedule. 14:23.705 --> 14:27.288 That will lead to the envelopment of Mosul, 14:28.669 --> 14:31.837 and ultimately to the collapse of ISIL's control over Mosul, 14:31.837 --> 14:35.367 but you've got exactly, those are the parts. 14:35.367 --> 14:38.466 And of course that's been underway for quite some time. 14:38.466 --> 14:39.912 - [Voiceover] Sir, we've gotta keep you on-schedule. 14:39.912 --> 14:40.745 - Oh, sorry. 14:40.745 --> 14:41.578 I want to answer one other thing. 14:41.578 --> 14:43.745 Also of course the Iraqi's 14:45.354 --> 14:47.391 special forces, which are fitted. 14:47.391 --> 14:51.558 They also, we train, equip, enable, assist, advise them, 14:53.649 --> 14:56.982 and then also with the Iraqi government, 14:57.667 --> 15:00.808 local police forces, which are important. 15:00.808 --> 15:03.763 Because I was emphasizing the need for the Iraqis 15:03.763 --> 15:07.513 to be able to hold territory, keep the peace, 15:08.164 --> 15:11.177 and keep ISIL out once we've beaten them 15:11.177 --> 15:12.844 and thrown them out. 15:12.929 --> 15:14.846 That, only they can do. 15:15.008 --> 15:17.522 And so training local police forces 15:17.522 --> 15:20.055 is a critical part of the overall mission. 15:20.055 --> 15:20.888 Thank you. 15:20.888 --> 15:24.009 Thank you very much everybody, for being here. 15:24.009 --> 15:25.221 You're an old friend of Peter's. 15:25.221 --> 15:26.391 Is that what I understand? 15:26.391 --> 15:27.224 - [Voiceover] That's true. 15:27.224 --> 15:28.057 Don't hold that against me. 15:28.057 --> 15:29.166 (laughing) 15:29.166 --> 15:30.118 - I know the feeling--