WEBVTT 00:08.912 --> 00:10.227 - [Voiceover] All right, good morning. 00:10.227 --> 00:11.351 - [Audience] Good morning, sir. 00:11.351 --> 00:13.113 - I'll make this short because this man 00:13.113 --> 00:16.946 literally needs no introduction to this crowd. 00:17.751 --> 00:19.994 Secretary, who we have in front of you 00:19.994 --> 00:23.389 are about maybe a little more than 1/3 00:23.389 --> 00:25.412 of the deployers of the headquarter 00:25.412 --> 00:27.331 of 18th Airborne Corps, who will assume the role 00:27.331 --> 00:29.748 from Three Corps as CJTF OIR. 00:32.846 --> 00:36.017 We are mindful of the work that Three Corps has done. 00:36.017 --> 00:39.737 We got big shoes to fill and we're ready to do it. 00:39.737 --> 00:42.362 Most, about 1/2 of these folks in this room 00:42.362 --> 00:44.936 have been together as a team and leading 00:44.936 --> 00:47.519 your global responses force JTF 00:47.680 --> 00:49.430 for more than a year. 00:50.659 --> 00:53.071 They've done some very intense 00:53.071 --> 00:56.331 OPTEMPO training exercises in the last year. 00:56.331 --> 00:58.928 Then about another part of this team 00:58.928 --> 01:02.595 has participated in our recent OIR train-up. 01:03.974 --> 01:07.807 Since April, we've been pretty focused on OIR. 01:07.944 --> 01:10.034 Then there are a few who may have just arrived 01:10.034 --> 01:11.887 in the Army's assignment process here 01:11.887 --> 01:15.887 in the last few weeks, but ladies and gentlemen, 01:15.973 --> 01:18.043 this man is a public servant who has served 01:18.043 --> 01:19.987 the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense 01:19.987 --> 01:22.350 for over three decades in a lot 01:22.350 --> 01:23.904 of different capacities. 01:23.904 --> 01:26.704 I got to meet him some years ago when I 01:26.704 --> 01:29.597 was a one star in the 101st, and he was 01:29.597 --> 01:32.430 personally making sure that MRAPS, 01:33.803 --> 01:37.136 JLENS, balloons, raid towers, the things 01:37.189 --> 01:40.439 that we needed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 01:40.618 --> 01:42.064 were getting delivered. 01:42.064 --> 01:44.860 He was literally personally ensuring that 01:44.860 --> 01:46.450 and coming to theater and going out 01:46.450 --> 01:48.653 and inspecting FAVs and seeing where's your rate tower, 01:48.653 --> 01:50.543 where are your MRAPs, and talking with soldiers 01:50.543 --> 01:52.126 about those things. 01:52.455 --> 01:55.534 That's just the kind of (thud) leader that he is. 01:55.534 --> 01:57.345 Ladies and gentlemen, our Secretary (thud) of Defense, 01:57.345 --> 01:58.576 Dr. Ash Carter. (thud) 01:58.576 --> 01:59.409 - Chief. 01:59.470 --> 02:01.720 (applause) 02:06.109 --> 02:07.827 Good morning, everybody. 02:07.827 --> 02:10.462 Steve, thanks, thanks for that introduction, 02:10.462 --> 02:13.107 for your leadership here of the storied 02:13.107 --> 02:14.774 18th Airborne Corps. 02:15.010 --> 02:17.776 Thanks to all of you, all of you sitting here, 02:17.776 --> 02:20.923 for everything you do every day for us. 02:20.923 --> 02:23.617 I know that for more than a year now, 02:23.617 --> 02:26.068 as Steven mentioned, you've been training hard 02:26.068 --> 02:28.145 to provide us with the global response force. 02:28.145 --> 02:32.062 I don't take that for granted every single day. 02:32.102 --> 02:34.479 Your recent air drop in Poland shows 02:34.479 --> 02:37.479 how you can accomplish that mission. 02:37.819 --> 02:40.238 I just want you to know I'm very proud of you 02:40.238 --> 02:42.436 for that, what you've been doing. 02:42.436 --> 02:44.392 (clears throat) But most of you, (clears throat) 02:44.392 --> 02:47.349 not all of you, but most of you will deploy soon, 02:47.349 --> 02:49.012 and not for the first time. 02:49.012 --> 02:50.482 You're going a long way from home, 02:50.482 --> 02:54.649 a long way from Bragg, confront a dangerous adversary. 02:55.042 --> 02:58.125 As you do, I will do everything I can 02:58.837 --> 03:01.213 to support you in that fight and support 03:01.213 --> 03:03.392 your families back here at home. 03:03.392 --> 03:07.142 I know they serve, too, and please thank them 03:07.153 --> 03:10.058 on my behalf for supporting you as you 03:10.058 --> 03:12.792 keep the country safe. (clears throat) 03:12.792 --> 03:15.625 You're joining an historic mission 03:15.907 --> 03:17.896 'cause never before in modern history 03:17.896 --> 03:20.136 have so many nations come together 03:20.136 --> 03:22.719 to confront an enemy like ISIL. 03:23.442 --> 03:25.538 We're fighting together in different ways, 03:25.538 --> 03:28.538 across all domains, to destroy ISIL, 03:28.948 --> 03:31.643 not only in its parent tumor in Iraq 03:31.643 --> 03:33.832 and Syria, but everywhere it's spread 03:33.832 --> 03:35.249 around the world. 03:35.651 --> 03:38.901 Today, thanks to a clear and deliberate 03:38.987 --> 03:42.301 military campaign plan, the global coalition 03:42.301 --> 03:45.551 we've built, strengthening local forces 03:45.891 --> 03:49.891 and above all, above all, the awesome competence 03:50.125 --> 03:52.865 and sacrifices of American soldiers, sailors, 03:52.865 --> 03:55.298 airmen and Marines, we now have momentum 03:55.298 --> 03:59.131 in this fight and clear results on the ground. 03:59.924 --> 04:02.524 Now, just as this corps deployed to Iraq 04:02.524 --> 04:05.636 almost a decade ago to answer the country's call, 04:05.636 --> 04:08.665 I'm calling on you, and the president 04:08.665 --> 04:12.502 and the country and the world are counting on you 04:12.502 --> 04:15.872 to take the next steps, execute our next plays, 04:15.872 --> 04:17.889 so that we can help our partners collapse 04:17.889 --> 04:20.889 ISIL's control over Raqqa and Mosul. 04:22.564 --> 04:24.661 Last week in Washington, I convened 04:24.661 --> 04:27.209 the leaders of our coalition, defense ministers 04:27.209 --> 04:30.082 from over two dozen countries, to continue 04:30.082 --> 04:32.606 our efforts to rigorously evaluate 04:32.606 --> 04:36.023 and accelerate our campaign against ISIL. 04:36.819 --> 04:39.351 Together, we made the further plans 04:39.351 --> 04:42.480 and the further commitments, plans and commitments 04:42.480 --> 04:45.258 that you'll work with our partners to carry out 04:45.258 --> 04:47.746 with the awesome competence we expect 04:47.746 --> 04:50.246 of America's contingency corps 04:50.277 --> 04:52.856 that will help ensure that we deliver ISIL 04:52.856 --> 04:55.439 the lasting defeat it deserves. 04:56.090 --> 04:59.103 Today, as you prepare to depart, I wanna 04:59.103 --> 05:00.630 talk to you a bit about the overall 05:00.630 --> 05:03.382 campaign plan itself and how you'll 05:03.382 --> 05:05.215 be contributing to it. 05:05.598 --> 05:07.552 Our coalition's military campaign plan 05:07.552 --> 05:09.302 has three objectives. 05:10.711 --> 05:11.669 (sniffs) 05:11.669 --> 05:14.930 The first objective is to destroy ISIL's parent tumor 05:14.930 --> 05:16.430 in Iraq and Syria. 05:17.425 --> 05:20.138 As recent attacks remind us, and we've seen some 05:20.138 --> 05:23.585 just in the last 48 hours, ISIL's safe havens 05:23.585 --> 05:26.183 in those countries threaten not only the lives 05:26.183 --> 05:28.865 of the Iraqi and Syrian people, but also 05:28.865 --> 05:31.138 the security of our own citizens 05:31.138 --> 05:33.537 and those of our friends and allies. (sniffs) 05:33.537 --> 05:35.855 That's why the sooner we defeat ISIL 05:35.855 --> 05:39.188 in Iraq and Syria, the sooner we destroy 05:39.221 --> 05:42.715 both the fact and the idea of an Islamic State 05:42.715 --> 05:45.548 based on ISIL's barbaric ideology, 05:45.862 --> 05:48.029 the safer America will be. 05:49.310 --> 05:51.482 But while defeating ISIL in Iraq and Syria 05:51.482 --> 05:54.351 is necessary, it's also important to remember 05:54.351 --> 05:56.184 that's not sufficient. 05:56.470 --> 05:58.793 We know this cancer can metastasize, 05:58.793 --> 06:00.882 and in some cases, it already has. 06:00.882 --> 06:02.311 We see that in multiple countries, 06:02.311 --> 06:05.576 like Afghanistan and Libya, where we continue 06:05.576 --> 06:07.786 to do what we can to support our partners 06:07.786 --> 06:10.515 as they take on the ISIL threat in their countries 06:10.515 --> 06:12.656 and do our part to take on ISIL 06:12.656 --> 06:14.656 wherever it might exist. 06:15.440 --> 06:18.088 We also see it in the intangible geography 06:18.088 --> 06:20.421 and terrain of the internet. 06:21.347 --> 06:23.512 That's why our second objective is to combat 06:23.512 --> 06:26.554 ISIL's metastases everywhere they emerge 06:26.554 --> 06:27.971 around the world. 06:29.504 --> 06:32.654 Our third objective, a very important one, 06:32.654 --> 06:35.864 is to support our law enforcement partners, 06:35.864 --> 06:39.179 our intelligence partners, our Homeland Security partners, 06:39.179 --> 06:42.262 in protecting our people here at home 06:42.378 --> 06:43.795 and our homeland. 06:43.977 --> 06:45.077 (sniffs) 06:45.077 --> 06:47.106 This past January, I visited with your 06:47.106 --> 06:49.523 fellow troopers of the 101st Airborne Division 06:49.523 --> 06:50.940 at Fort Campbell. 06:51.412 --> 06:54.055 Like you, they were getting ready to deploy. 06:54.055 --> 06:56.293 Like you, they weren't the first or the only ones 06:56.293 --> 06:57.931 in this fight. (sniffs) 06:57.931 --> 07:00.741 So I briefed them then on our comprehensive 07:00.741 --> 07:02.963 coalition military campaign plan, 07:02.963 --> 07:07.130 recently updated then, to meet those three objectives. 07:08.046 --> 07:09.642 I was clear with them then about 07:09.642 --> 07:12.263 our campaign's strategic approach, and I wanted 07:12.263 --> 07:15.513 to reiterate all that for you, as well. 07:16.176 --> 07:19.343 Our approach is to identify and enable 07:19.569 --> 07:22.569 capable, motivated local forces who, 07:23.433 --> 07:26.433 with our strong, our mighty support, 07:26.858 --> 07:29.691 can deliver ISIL a lasting defeat. 07:31.412 --> 07:34.405 That's because only local forces can ensure 07:34.405 --> 07:35.905 the defeat sticks. 07:37.537 --> 07:39.918 U.S. and coalition forces can enable them 07:39.918 --> 07:43.161 with our vast military power, and that's where you come in, 07:43.161 --> 07:45.343 (sniffs) but it's local forces who, in the end, 07:45.343 --> 07:47.843 must seize and hold territory, 07:48.463 --> 07:50.938 and the Iraqis and Syrians who must govern 07:50.938 --> 07:53.856 the territory after it's been retaken from ISIL 07:53.856 --> 07:56.096 and restore decent life to the people 07:56.096 --> 07:57.346 who live there. 07:58.409 --> 08:00.429 Over the last year, we've pursued a number 08:00.429 --> 08:02.257 of deliberate decisions and actions 08:02.257 --> 08:05.461 to accelerate this military campaign plan, 08:05.461 --> 08:08.010 this strategic approach, to hasten 08:08.010 --> 08:09.843 ISIL's lasting defeat. 08:11.443 --> 08:13.656 A year ago, we put our operations in Iraq 08:13.656 --> 08:16.892 and Syria under one single command, (sniffs) 08:16.892 --> 08:19.081 charging Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland 08:19.081 --> 08:21.015 as the overall commander. 08:21.015 --> 08:23.432 He's done an exceptional job. 08:23.986 --> 08:26.569 Now, Steve Townsend takes over. 08:26.792 --> 08:30.468 I want you to know I've known Steve for years. 08:30.468 --> 08:33.051 I admire his exceptional talent 08:33.595 --> 08:37.512 and I have total confidence in him to lead you. 08:39.666 --> 08:41.968 Subsequent to creating the command structure 08:41.968 --> 08:44.425 under General MacFarland, last fall we introduced 08:44.425 --> 08:47.001 an initial series of accelerants 08:47.001 --> 08:49.123 to help us gather momentum. 08:49.123 --> 08:51.932 For example, we deployed additional strike aircraft, 08:51.932 --> 08:54.054 supporting an expanded air campaign 08:54.054 --> 08:56.971 against new categories of targets, new types 08:56.971 --> 09:00.397 of targets, illuminated by refined intelligence. 09:00.397 --> 09:02.094 We deployed an initial contingent 09:02.094 --> 09:04.830 of Special Operations Forces to Syria 09:04.830 --> 09:07.525 and expanded equipping of Syrian Arab forces 09:07.525 --> 09:09.824 engaged in the fight against ISIL, 09:09.824 --> 09:11.530 as well as the training and equipping 09:11.530 --> 09:15.697 of the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga. 09:16.122 --> 09:19.184 We introduced an expeditionary targeting force. 09:19.184 --> 09:21.196 We started to expand our military campaign 09:21.196 --> 09:24.779 to every domain, including cyber and space. 09:26.298 --> 09:28.318 While the United States has led the way 09:28.318 --> 09:30.001 with these accelerants, we also asked 09:30.001 --> 09:32.887 our coalition countries to make additional contributions 09:32.887 --> 09:35.525 to the campaign, which they did, contributing 09:35.525 --> 09:38.079 strike aircraft, Special Operations Forces, 09:38.079 --> 09:40.841 trainers, engineers, logisticians, 09:40.841 --> 09:43.591 Lift and other critical enablers. 09:45.209 --> 09:47.571 Meanwhile, we also set in motion a series 09:47.571 --> 09:49.915 of specific and deliberate steps through 09:49.915 --> 09:53.083 the winter, the spring and now the summer, 09:53.083 --> 09:55.416 the first plays in the game, 09:55.546 --> 09:58.046 as President Obama called 'em. 09:58.448 --> 10:01.143 Since then, local forces, our coalition partners 10:01.143 --> 10:03.037 and American service members have executed 10:03.037 --> 10:07.037 those plays and more, actually, with excellence. 10:07.421 --> 10:10.816 As a result, play by play, town after town, 10:10.816 --> 10:13.546 from every direction and in every domain, 10:13.546 --> 10:16.538 our campaign has accelerated further, 10:16.538 --> 10:18.831 squeezing ISIL and rolling it back 10:18.831 --> 10:20.677 towards Raqqa and Mosul. 10:20.677 --> 10:23.438 By isolating those two cities, we're effectively 10:23.438 --> 10:27.605 setting the stage to collapse ISIL's control over them. 10:28.086 --> 10:30.315 You can see this in Iraq, that I saw during 10:30.315 --> 10:32.547 my visit there just a couple weeks ago. 10:32.547 --> 10:34.872 After clearing Ramadi and establishing 10:34.872 --> 10:38.520 a staging base at Makhmour, Iraqi Security Forces 10:38.520 --> 10:41.437 moved on to liberate Hit and Rutbah 10:41.465 --> 10:42.548 and Fallujah. 10:42.997 --> 10:44.752 Then two weeks ago, they seized 10:44.752 --> 10:48.131 the strategically important airfield in Qayyarah West, 10:48.131 --> 10:50.043 which is a critical logistical springboard 10:50.043 --> 10:54.210 for the effort to collapse ISIL's control over Mosul. 10:54.753 --> 10:57.115 We're also seeing results in Syria. 10:57.115 --> 10:59.936 After seizing Shaddadi, a crucial junction 10:59.936 --> 11:02.266 on the road between Mosul and Raqqa, 11:02.266 --> 11:04.303 our partners on the ground have now surrounded 11:04.303 --> 11:07.314 Manbij City, one of the last junctions 11:07.314 --> 11:09.681 connecting Raqqa to the outside world 11:09.681 --> 11:12.343 and a key transit point for external plotters 11:12.343 --> 11:14.474 threatening our homelands. 11:14.474 --> 11:16.376 There, we're already beginning to gain 11:16.376 --> 11:18.989 and exploit intelligence that's helping us map 11:18.989 --> 11:21.822 their network of foreign fighters. 11:22.115 --> 11:25.561 We've also been pressuring ISIL by systematically 11:25.561 --> 11:29.619 eliminating their key leaders and their financial base. 11:29.619 --> 11:32.445 In addition to taking out some of ISIL's key ministers 11:32.445 --> 11:34.109 and capturing one of the principles 11:34.109 --> 11:36.389 of ISIL's chemical warfare enterprise, (sniffs) 11:36.389 --> 11:39.822 we've killed over 20 of ISIL's external operators, 11:39.822 --> 11:42.586 who were plotting or seeking to inspire attacks 11:42.586 --> 11:44.753 outside of Iraq and Syria. 11:45.479 --> 11:47.399 Wherever our local partners have moved, 11:47.399 --> 11:49.837 whether in Anbar or Ninewa or Manbij, 11:49.837 --> 11:53.170 we've taken out ISIL's field commanders. 11:53.197 --> 11:55.037 Meanwhile, we're continuing attacks 11:55.037 --> 11:57.343 on ISIL's economic infrastructure, (sniffs) 11:57.343 --> 12:01.278 including oil wells, trucks and cache storage sites. 12:01.278 --> 12:03.493 We're taking the fight to ISIL in every domain, 12:03.493 --> 12:06.160 as I said, including cyberspace. 12:06.262 --> 12:08.179 Those are real results. 12:08.373 --> 12:10.126 Thanks to the hard work and sacrifice 12:10.126 --> 12:12.184 of our local partners and our service members 12:12.184 --> 12:14.516 and additional coalition contributions, (sniffs) 12:14.516 --> 12:17.563 we've seized opportunities, reinforced success 12:17.563 --> 12:19.783 and taken the fight to the enemy, 12:19.783 --> 12:22.116 but we're not going to rest. 12:22.421 --> 12:24.457 That's why you're going to build 12:24.457 --> 12:27.331 on those results, continue to take the fight 12:27.331 --> 12:30.152 to the enemy, (sniffs) gather more momentum 12:30.152 --> 12:34.319 and help deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves. 12:34.771 --> 12:37.521 I have every confidence you will. 12:38.609 --> 12:40.641 Last week, with our coalition partners, 12:40.641 --> 12:43.128 we developed and agreed on our next set of plays. 12:43.128 --> 12:44.390 (sniffs) 12:44.390 --> 12:46.319 While I can't release the details in public yet, 12:46.319 --> 12:47.816 you all know them. 12:47.816 --> 12:49.753 As you could imagine, we don't want the enemy 12:49.753 --> 12:51.093 to know too much about what we're doing 12:51.093 --> 12:53.747 and what we're thinking and where we're going and when. 12:53.747 --> 12:55.943 I wanna broadly describe the basic elements 12:55.943 --> 12:58.635 to ya today, since you'll be helping lead 12:58.635 --> 13:01.052 the execution of these plays. 13:01.209 --> 13:03.791 In Syria, our actions will focus on 13:03.791 --> 13:05.974 shutting down the last remaining paths 13:05.974 --> 13:08.713 for ISIL fighters to move into and out of that country, 13:08.713 --> 13:10.690 (sniffs) particularly when it comes to their 13:10.690 --> 13:12.273 external operators. 13:12.710 --> 13:14.657 We'll seek to expand on our recent gains 13:14.657 --> 13:18.120 of our local capable partners in Manbij City 13:18.120 --> 13:21.120 and along the Mara line to help them 13:21.150 --> 13:24.487 broaden their control over that key terrain. 13:24.487 --> 13:26.565 In addition, we will aggressively pursue 13:26.565 --> 13:28.746 opportunities to build pressure on ISIL 13:28.746 --> 13:31.263 in Syria from the south, (sniffs) complementing 13:31.263 --> 13:33.806 our existing and robust efforts 13:33.806 --> 13:36.355 from Northeastern Syria. (sniffs) 13:36.355 --> 13:38.600 This, of course, will have the added benefits 13:38.600 --> 13:41.469 of helping the security of our Jordanian partners 13:41.469 --> 13:43.817 and further splitting the Syria theater 13:43.817 --> 13:47.984 of operations from the Iraqi theater of operations. 13:49.499 --> 13:52.323 In Iraq, we will continue enabling 13:52.323 --> 13:55.465 the dedicated Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga, 13:55.465 --> 13:57.591 led by Prime Minister Abadi and supported 13:57.591 --> 14:00.546 by Kurdish Regional President Barzani, (sniffs) 14:00.546 --> 14:03.266 working by, with and through the Iraqi government, 14:03.266 --> 14:04.766 as we always have. 14:04.998 --> 14:07.262 Our actions in Western Iraq will focus on 14:07.262 --> 14:09.377 enabling the Iraqi Security Forces, under 14:09.377 --> 14:11.248 the direction of Prime Minister Abadi, 14:11.248 --> 14:13.481 to pursue mopping up our operations along 14:13.481 --> 14:15.784 the Euphrates River Valley (sniffs) in order 14:15.784 --> 14:18.330 to clear the remaining pockets of ISIL presence, 14:18.330 --> 14:20.126 push the ISIL threat further away 14:20.126 --> 14:22.506 from Baghdad (sniffs) and help the government 14:22.506 --> 14:24.643 of Iraq reassert not only full sovereignty 14:24.643 --> 14:27.450 over its borders, but also control over some 14:27.450 --> 14:30.494 of its main lines of communications. (sniffs) 14:30.494 --> 14:32.405 In the north, we will continue to help 14:32.405 --> 14:35.131 the Iraqi Security Forces clear the remaining pockets 14:35.131 --> 14:38.650 of ISIL control along the Tigris River Valley. 14:38.650 --> 14:40.157 Simultaneously, we will help the 14:40.157 --> 14:41.917 Iraqi Security Forces, including the 14:41.917 --> 14:44.658 Kurdish Peshmerga, to refit and generate 14:44.658 --> 14:47.822 the forces and logistical footprint necessary 14:47.822 --> 14:50.432 to isolate and pressure Raqqa, I mean, 14:50.432 --> 14:52.848 excuse me, Mosul. (sniffs) 14:52.848 --> 14:55.557 Meanwhile, as this isolation and pressure 14:55.557 --> 14:58.611 on Raqqa and Mosul builds from the outside in, 14:58.611 --> 15:00.388 our partners will continue to reach 15:00.388 --> 15:03.298 deep inside those cities to enable pressure 15:03.298 --> 15:05.631 on ISIL from the inside out. 15:06.088 --> 15:09.330 All these plays, once executed, will culminate 15:09.330 --> 15:11.994 in the collapse of ISIL's control 15:11.994 --> 15:14.911 over the cities of Mosul and Raqqa. 15:16.875 --> 15:20.276 The United States and the 18th Airborne Corps 15:20.276 --> 15:22.674 will be critical to all of this, 15:22.674 --> 15:26.359 essential to all of this, as Lieutenant General Townsend 15:26.359 --> 15:28.103 and all of you take the hand-off 15:28.103 --> 15:30.356 from Lieutenant General MacFarland (sniffs) 15:30.356 --> 15:32.804 and its headquarters element from Three Corps. 15:32.804 --> 15:35.637 We'll expect from you all the same high degree 15:35.637 --> 15:38.289 of initiative and creativity that Sean 15:38.289 --> 15:40.289 and his team have shown. 15:40.929 --> 15:44.444 But, and I say this once again, having known 15:44.444 --> 15:46.985 and admired Steve for many years now, 15:46.985 --> 15:49.291 he's more than up to this task. 15:49.291 --> 15:51.173 I know that Command Sergeant Major Jones 15:51.173 --> 15:53.173 and all of you are, too. 15:55.013 --> 15:57.293 Of course, while we lead a global coalition, 15:57.293 --> 16:00.209 your role in this strategy is to enable, 16:00.209 --> 16:03.301 but not to substitute for, local forces 16:03.301 --> 16:04.801 in Iraq and Syria. 16:05.679 --> 16:08.091 The good news is they've been doing well, 16:08.091 --> 16:09.591 building momentum. 16:09.918 --> 16:11.970 So you're gonna help them do even better 16:11.970 --> 16:15.559 by leveraging all of our awesome capabilities, 16:15.559 --> 16:17.887 from airstrikes, Special Forces, intelligence, 16:17.887 --> 16:20.144 equipment, mobility, logistics, training, 16:20.144 --> 16:23.463 advice, assistance from those on the ground, 16:23.463 --> 16:27.630 including you, which is our most important asset, you. 16:28.613 --> 16:30.611 Because you'll help make sure that when things 16:30.611 --> 16:33.620 don't go to plan, that we rapidly adapt, 16:33.620 --> 16:35.703 we innovate, we overcome. 16:36.968 --> 16:39.138 You'll also be working with a global coalition 16:39.138 --> 16:42.299 that's contributing more and more to the fight. 16:42.299 --> 16:45.150 Since February, coalition nations, (sniffs) 16:45.150 --> 16:46.975 including the United States, of course, 16:46.975 --> 16:49.029 thanks to President Obama's consistent 16:49.029 --> 16:52.646 and timely support, have provided even more support 16:52.646 --> 16:54.866 to accelerate the campaign as our local partners 16:54.866 --> 16:56.449 have made advances. 16:56.967 --> 16:59.621 In fact, 2/3 of coalition members have pledged 16:59.621 --> 17:02.074 or already made additional military contributions 17:02.074 --> 17:04.628 since then, while many others have contributed 17:04.628 --> 17:08.795 vital economic, political and humanitarian support. 17:09.580 --> 17:12.497 We're all gonna be doing even more. 17:13.074 --> 17:15.221 For the United States' part, President Obama 17:15.221 --> 17:17.868 decided to deploy an additional 560 troops 17:17.868 --> 17:20.539 just a couple weeks ago to support the ISF 17:20.539 --> 17:23.051 in their offensive to retake Mosul. 17:23.051 --> 17:24.654 When I was in Iraq earlier this month, 17:24.654 --> 17:26.452 I offered to Prime Minister Abadi to share 17:26.452 --> 17:28.910 some of our hard-earned expertise encountering 17:28.910 --> 17:30.922 improvised explosive devices with the 17:30.922 --> 17:32.729 Iraqi Security Forces. 17:32.729 --> 17:34.713 These are just some examples. 17:34.713 --> 17:36.660 Other nations are following our lead 17:36.660 --> 17:39.378 in making additional commitments, as well. 17:39.378 --> 17:41.251 France is sending back the aircraft carrier 17:41.251 --> 17:44.855 Charles de Gaulle to carry out airstrikes against ISIL. 17:44.855 --> 17:46.968 (sniffs) Australia will be expanding their training 17:46.968 --> 17:49.075 of Iraqi police and border guards, 17:49.075 --> 17:51.813 which are gonna be vital to security 17:51.813 --> 17:54.146 in Iraq after ISIL's defeat. 17:55.487 --> 17:57.186 The United Kingdom recently announced 17:57.186 --> 17:59.374 it would deploy more trainers and engineers 17:59.374 --> 18:00.791 to Iraq, as well. 18:00.880 --> 18:02.838 (sniffs) 18:02.838 --> 18:05.104 Now, of course, even when we win this fight, 18:05.104 --> 18:08.021 and let there be no doubt, we will, 18:08.136 --> 18:11.106 there'll still be much more to be done. 18:11.106 --> 18:12.917 There'll be towns to rebuild, 18:12.917 --> 18:16.090 services to re-establish and communities to restore. 18:16.090 --> 18:18.979 Such progress is critical to ensuring that ISIL, 18:18.979 --> 18:22.145 once defeated, stays defeated, so that 18:22.145 --> 18:25.645 our partners' gains are made irreversible. 18:25.714 --> 18:27.799 So, it's vitally important that when 18:27.799 --> 18:30.796 that time comes, (sniffs) just as our partners 18:30.796 --> 18:32.861 must make the political and economic changes 18:32.861 --> 18:35.493 necessary to ensure ISIL's lasting defeat, 18:35.493 --> 18:37.483 the international community must ensure 18:37.483 --> 18:39.652 that the Iraqi and Syrian people have what 18:39.652 --> 18:42.902 they need to hold, stabilize and govern 18:43.219 --> 18:44.760 their own territory. 18:44.760 --> 18:47.807 For that reason, the international coalition's stabilization 18:47.807 --> 18:50.556 and governance efforts cannot be allowed 18:50.556 --> 18:53.556 to lag behind our military progress, 18:54.078 --> 18:55.828 behind your progress. 18:55.863 --> 18:58.500 (sniffs) I want you to know that 18:58.500 --> 19:00.863 Secretary Kerry and I made that point clear 19:00.863 --> 19:02.598 to all our counterparts when we met 19:02.598 --> 19:04.052 with them last week. 19:04.052 --> 19:06.128 It's the State Department, USAID and their 19:06.128 --> 19:08.697 coalition counterparts that will be working 19:08.697 --> 19:10.873 with the Iraqis and the Syrians to provide 19:10.873 --> 19:14.024 the humanitarian aid, support immediate stabilization 19:14.024 --> 19:18.191 and promote longer-term recovery. (sniffs) 19:18.591 --> 19:20.899 Not unlike how our military campaign has relied 19:20.899 --> 19:23.382 on contributions from across our coalition, 19:23.382 --> 19:27.527 this, too, must continue to be an international effort. 19:27.527 --> 19:30.079 Every member of the global coalition to defeat ISIL 19:30.079 --> 19:32.093 should be contributing (sniffs) to help 19:32.093 --> 19:34.434 the Iraqi and Syrian people stabilize, 19:34.434 --> 19:37.290 rebuild and recover from the scourge 19:37.290 --> 19:40.207 and the brutalization that is ISIL. 19:42.579 --> 19:45.221 Now, as I said earlier, destroying ISIL's parent tumor 19:45.221 --> 19:49.221 in Iraq and Syria is necessary and will be done, 19:49.875 --> 19:51.618 but it's not sufficient. 19:51.618 --> 19:53.839 That's why, as you enable our partners 19:53.839 --> 19:56.039 to expel ISIL from more and more territory 19:56.039 --> 19:58.198 in those countries, (sniffs) we're gonna continue 19:58.198 --> 20:01.187 working more and more with our coalition partners 20:01.187 --> 20:03.509 to both combat ISIL wherever else it might attempt 20:03.509 --> 20:06.074 to terrorize or take hold in the world 20:06.074 --> 20:08.241 and to ensure that our military campaign 20:08.241 --> 20:10.737 does everything possible to best support 20:10.737 --> 20:13.487 our national government's efforts 20:13.833 --> 20:17.166 to protect our homelands and our people. 20:18.150 --> 20:20.817 Destroying the fact and the idea 20:21.431 --> 20:25.598 of an Islamic state, based on ISIL's barbaric ideology, 20:25.682 --> 20:27.099 will not be easy. 20:28.171 --> 20:30.365 The more ground ISIL loses in Iraq and Syria, 20:30.365 --> 20:32.490 the more they'll do whatever it takes 20:32.490 --> 20:35.073 to cling to their perverse veil 20:36.727 --> 20:38.727 of legitimacy and power. 20:40.543 --> 20:44.231 We and our partners cannot and will not let them. 20:44.231 --> 20:46.641 We must deny them the satisfaction of being able 20:46.641 --> 20:49.224 to advance their twisted goals. 20:50.011 --> 20:52.051 We must keep systemically eliminating 20:52.051 --> 20:54.897 every key leader we find and we must deny them 20:54.897 --> 20:56.734 safe haven wherever they may seek it, 20:56.734 --> 20:59.404 from physical terrain to cyberspace (sniffs) 20:59.404 --> 21:01.037 because that's what's necessary 21:01.037 --> 21:03.120 to keep our country safe. 21:04.948 --> 21:07.307 As you, our service members, and our coalition 21:07.307 --> 21:09.945 and local partners pursue our next plays, 21:09.945 --> 21:12.402 your commanders and I will continue to look 21:12.402 --> 21:15.735 at what more we can do, in every domain, 21:15.797 --> 21:18.443 from every direction, day in and day out, 21:18.443 --> 21:21.741 (sniffs) to create and seize opportunities 21:21.741 --> 21:23.994 to further accelerate our campaign 21:23.994 --> 21:27.712 and to hasten the lasting defeat that ISIL deserves. 21:27.712 --> 21:30.473 As President Obama said, we constantly examine 21:30.473 --> 21:33.913 our strategy to determine when additional steps 21:33.913 --> 21:36.620 are needed to get the job done. (sniffs) 21:36.620 --> 21:38.870 I wanna assure you that you will get 21:38.870 --> 21:40.953 what you need to succeed. 21:42.585 --> 21:44.047 To be sure, there'll be tough work 21:44.047 --> 21:45.505 and difficult days ahead, but we have 21:45.505 --> 21:48.887 the right campaign plan, the most capable commanders, 21:48.887 --> 21:51.482 motivated partners who are growing in strength 21:51.482 --> 21:55.005 (sniffs) and most importantly, we have you, 21:55.005 --> 21:57.883 you, as part of the finest fighting force 21:57.883 --> 22:01.050 the world has ever known, are fighting 22:01.273 --> 22:05.190 a truly barbaric enemy in an historic campaign. 22:05.614 --> 22:08.439 Generation after generation, the American military, 22:08.439 --> 22:10.990 indeed, the 18th Airborne Corps, has met 22:10.990 --> 22:13.407 the challenges asked of them. 22:13.554 --> 22:15.728 All of you are doing the same. 22:15.728 --> 22:17.621 This is a fight that must be won, 22:17.621 --> 22:20.788 can be won, will be won, thanks to you 22:21.001 --> 22:24.918 and the many American service members like you. 22:25.029 --> 22:27.074 So thank you again for what you do, 22:27.074 --> 22:29.388 and just as importantly, for how you do it 22:29.388 --> 22:31.305 and what you stand for. 22:31.801 --> 22:34.498 You're incredibly competent, of course, (sniffs) 22:34.498 --> 22:37.831 but you also conduct yourselves in a way 22:38.306 --> 22:39.949 that makes us proud. 22:39.949 --> 22:41.304 You don't intimidate, you don't coerce, 22:41.304 --> 22:44.009 you don't exclude, you work with allies 22:44.009 --> 22:47.221 and partners to ensure a better world (sniffs) 22:47.221 --> 22:48.528 for our children. 22:48.528 --> 22:51.094 That's one more reason why we're gonna win 22:51.094 --> 22:55.261 and why ISIL and its barbaric ideology are gonna lose. 22:56.273 --> 22:58.356 Your example, your service and your 22:58.356 --> 23:01.291 daily sacrifices, and those of your families, 23:01.291 --> 23:03.041 are never lost on me. 23:03.931 --> 23:06.047 You will forever have my, and our nation's, 23:06.047 --> 23:07.630 profound gratitude. 23:08.320 --> 23:09.954 Good luck to all of you. 23:09.954 --> 23:11.839 I'll see you over there. 23:11.839 --> 23:14.113 With that, I'm happy to take your questions. 23:14.113 --> 23:16.363 (applause) 23:23.309 --> 23:25.476 Questions or observations. 23:25.930 --> 23:27.435 Doesn't have to be a question, can be something 23:27.435 --> 23:29.739 ya think I oughta know that I don't know. 23:29.739 --> 23:30.872 - [Voiceover] Don't be shy. 23:30.872 --> 23:31.961 - Don't be shy. 23:31.961 --> 23:33.530 - Captain Matt Schultz, 18th Airborne Corps, 23:33.530 --> 23:35.246 Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. 23:35.246 --> 23:38.261 You mentioned on Monday and again today, 23:38.261 --> 23:40.100 as it relates to OIR, the acceleration 23:40.100 --> 23:43.519 of the military campaign in Mosul and Raqqa. 23:43.519 --> 23:45.593 I'd like to ask you specific to Mosul 23:45.593 --> 23:47.622 and its military campaign, what is the 23:47.622 --> 23:50.250 current assessment of and confidence in 23:50.250 --> 23:53.310 Iraqi Security Forces' capabilities for not just 23:53.310 --> 23:56.756 retaking Mosul, but securing it in the long term? 23:56.756 --> 23:58.987 - That's a very good question and a critical question. 23:58.987 --> 24:01.617 Let me talk first about the forces 24:01.617 --> 24:04.285 that will envelop and collapse ISIL's control 24:04.285 --> 24:06.723 over Mosul, then the critical question 24:06.723 --> 24:09.235 of what happens then in Mosul 'cause 24:09.235 --> 24:11.074 we're asking that and everybody there 24:11.074 --> 24:12.324 is asking that. 24:13.294 --> 24:14.791 To get back to the first part, I think 24:14.791 --> 24:17.503 we know now, and, of course, you guys will know 24:17.503 --> 24:19.799 very well and you will help the Iraqis 24:19.799 --> 24:22.716 to carry out the movement of forces 24:23.971 --> 24:27.221 from Makhmour, Q West and around Mosul, 24:28.144 --> 24:30.811 and then the Pesh from the north 24:31.227 --> 24:34.310 to complete the envelopment of Mosul. 24:37.557 --> 24:40.640 That is gonna be a cooperative effort 24:40.836 --> 24:44.003 that we are going to galvanize between 24:45.843 --> 24:48.788 the Iraqi government and the Peshmerga forces. 24:48.788 --> 24:50.621 One of the things that 24:51.259 --> 24:53.572 General Townsend and I will be talking about 24:53.572 --> 24:56.611 is I have discussed on a number of occasions, 24:56.611 --> 24:58.093 and have an understanding with both 24:58.093 --> 25:01.118 Prime Minister Abadi and President Barzani, 25:01.118 --> 25:04.701 about how the envelopment of Mosul will go. 25:06.046 --> 25:08.799 We're now discussing with them what happens 25:08.799 --> 25:10.466 in Mosul afterwards. 25:10.567 --> 25:12.260 Everybody knows what the wrong, what I think 25:12.260 --> 25:14.017 the wrong answers are. 25:14.017 --> 25:16.934 The wrong answers are any militias. 25:18.348 --> 25:20.431 The wrong answer would be 25:21.730 --> 25:24.147 some sort of non-local force. 25:24.410 --> 25:26.444 We are trying to put together now and work 25:26.444 --> 25:29.027 with the Iraqis to put together 25:30.601 --> 25:32.868 a provincial government and structure. 25:32.868 --> 25:34.738 You gotta remember, Mosul's a big city, 25:34.738 --> 25:36.589 you know all this, but I'm just repeating it, 25:36.589 --> 25:40.366 a big city and a multi-sectarian city all by itself, 25:40.366 --> 25:42.842 even as Iraq is a multi-sectarian country. 25:42.842 --> 25:44.997 We know how tricky that is. 25:44.997 --> 25:47.161 It's gonna be tricky in Mosul. 25:47.161 --> 25:49.911 Even as we prepare the battlefield, which we'll do, 25:49.911 --> 25:51.679 and I know all the parts there, and I can't 25:51.679 --> 25:54.846 say them here, but you guys know them, 25:55.031 --> 25:57.281 on the military part, we're 25:58.472 --> 26:01.305 pressing the Iraqis and the Kurds 26:01.742 --> 26:04.090 and the other parties there and the locals 26:04.090 --> 26:06.711 on how is the place gonna be governed. 26:06.711 --> 26:09.032 We're pressing the international community 26:09.032 --> 26:12.699 on who's gonna provide support for the IDPs, 26:13.573 --> 26:16.480 refugees, who's gonna do the rebuilding. 26:16.480 --> 26:19.230 All those plans are in the works. 26:19.337 --> 26:21.232 What I was alluding to, and I think where 26:21.232 --> 26:24.315 your question gets to, is the concern 26:24.447 --> 26:27.292 I have is that the lag between what I know 26:27.292 --> 26:30.021 to be our military plays and what I know 26:30.021 --> 26:33.517 to be necessary political and economics plays 26:33.517 --> 26:35.873 thereafter, I worry about that lag. 26:35.873 --> 26:37.649 We're working that, and that's gonna be something 26:37.649 --> 26:40.341 that I and General Townsend and others involved 26:40.341 --> 26:43.674 are gonna have to try to work it our way 26:43.767 --> 26:45.271 because that's gonna be the trick. 26:45.271 --> 26:47.538 Otherwise, we'll defeat ISIL, but they'll come back 26:47.538 --> 26:49.555 in some other grotesque form. 26:49.555 --> 26:50.887 That's what history says. 26:50.887 --> 26:53.999 So to keep 'em (clap) defeated, ya gotta 26:53.999 --> 26:56.499 have a plan for the aftermath. 27:00.783 --> 27:02.700 - Sir, Major Moore, G5. 27:02.847 --> 27:04.582 What other challenges do you see that 27:04.582 --> 27:06.152 the coalition is gonna face over the next 27:06.152 --> 27:09.819 12 months in maintaining this momentum, sir? 27:12.251 --> 27:14.834 - I think on the military side, 27:15.941 --> 27:18.236 let me take Iraq first, and then I'll go to Syria. 27:18.236 --> 27:19.986 On the military side, 27:22.621 --> 27:26.621 the progress made with the Iraqi Security Forces 27:27.010 --> 27:30.260 over the last eight, 10 months gives me 27:30.328 --> 27:33.078 some confidence that the momentum 27:33.238 --> 27:35.004 can be continued there. 27:35.004 --> 27:36.962 That is, if you look at the through put 27:36.962 --> 27:39.939 of our training facilities there, you look 27:39.939 --> 27:43.439 at our equipping programs, you look at our 27:43.946 --> 27:47.029 advise, assist and accompany, and all 27:47.890 --> 27:50.723 of the integration of our enablers 27:50.781 --> 27:52.781 with their combat power. 27:53.080 --> 27:55.211 A simple example would be bridging 27:55.211 --> 27:57.024 that you've seen over the last few weeks, 27:57.024 --> 27:59.054 which is gonna be important. 27:59.054 --> 28:01.054 All of that is a machine 28:02.488 --> 28:05.821 that is gathering strength, which is why 28:05.928 --> 28:08.044 I've confidence that all the territory 28:08.044 --> 28:10.877 of Iraq can be re-taken from ISIL. 28:12.300 --> 28:15.050 I think the trick is gonna be the 28:15.427 --> 28:18.185 stabilization, reconstruction thereafter. 28:18.185 --> 28:20.838 Iraq, as I said, is a multi-sectarian country. 28:20.838 --> 28:22.588 That's always tricky. 28:24.770 --> 28:26.853 Prime Minister Abadi has, 28:28.182 --> 28:30.849 and he's quite clear about this, 28:31.858 --> 28:34.016 and we are extremely supportive of it, 28:34.016 --> 28:38.016 the idea of Iraq as a single, but decentralized, 28:39.455 --> 28:41.038 is his word, state. 28:42.708 --> 28:43.694 That's important. 28:43.694 --> 28:46.741 We don't want civil war of a different kind 28:46.741 --> 28:49.574 because all that does is give rise 28:50.277 --> 28:53.610 to the kinda thing that ISIL represents. 28:54.104 --> 28:57.077 I think on the military side, what you see there, 28:57.077 --> 29:00.494 and again, we're working with and through 29:00.872 --> 29:03.622 the Iraqi Security Forces because 29:06.994 --> 29:08.869 with them, we can defeat ISIL, but we 29:08.869 --> 29:10.585 can't keep ISIL defeated. 29:10.585 --> 29:12.181 It has to be that aftermath. 29:12.181 --> 29:14.546 Syria's trickier because there's a civil war 29:14.546 --> 29:17.360 going there, on there, particularly in the west. 29:17.360 --> 29:20.610 That, ultimately, needs to be resolved. 29:21.948 --> 29:23.938 That's not something that we're approaching 29:23.938 --> 29:26.166 militarily right now, but it is something 29:26.166 --> 29:28.666 that needs to be accomplished. 29:28.837 --> 29:31.779 What that really means is a political transition 29:31.779 --> 29:35.279 from the Assad regime to a government that 29:37.408 --> 29:39.951 has elements of the current Syrian government, 29:39.951 --> 29:43.069 plus the moderate opposition, creating a government 29:43.069 --> 29:46.090 that's decent and Syrian that can run the place 29:46.090 --> 29:48.080 and get people back the life they deserve. 29:48.080 --> 29:49.254 That's gonna be necessary. 29:49.254 --> 29:51.597 That's what's going on in Western Syria in the long run. 29:51.597 --> 29:53.740 That's the big picture in Iraq 29:53.740 --> 29:55.892 and Syria, but I have a lot more confidence 29:55.892 --> 29:57.172 in the military side. 29:57.172 --> 30:01.339 I think we need to work on the political and economic. 30:04.484 --> 30:06.129 - Good morning, Mr. Secretary. 30:06.129 --> 30:07.388 I'm Major Dan Keetsa from the 30:07.388 --> 30:08.595 Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 30:08.595 --> 30:10.262 18th Airborne Corps. 30:10.289 --> 30:12.956 My question is, if ISIS in Raqqa 30:14.005 --> 30:16.236 and Mosul sees this encirclement coming, 30:16.236 --> 30:20.049 sees their imminent defeat and work to, perhaps, 30:20.049 --> 30:22.108 abandon those territorial gains 30:22.108 --> 30:25.382 and reconstitute itself, perhaps a new tumor 30:25.382 --> 30:26.882 in another nation, 30:29.051 --> 30:30.626 assuming that there's a legal basis 30:30.626 --> 30:32.798 for military action in that other nation, 30:32.798 --> 30:35.535 whether it be self-defense, host nation consent, 30:35.535 --> 30:37.980 would you expect that we would expand 30:37.980 --> 30:41.362 our military mission to that third country 30:41.362 --> 30:43.264 during our time frame there, sir? 30:43.264 --> 30:46.014 - Let me be clear, I expect that. 30:46.059 --> 30:47.976 Now, on the other hand, 30:51.675 --> 30:54.425 you are gonna be destroying them, 30:54.813 --> 30:57.212 so they're not gonna be able to go 30:57.212 --> 30:58.352 anywhere else, (laughs) I think, 30:58.352 --> 31:00.700 by the time you're down with them, 31:00.700 --> 31:02.367 or not many of them. 31:02.493 --> 31:05.189 But nevertheless, the ideology and some 31:05.189 --> 31:07.097 of the people will spread. 31:07.097 --> 31:10.347 Just to be clear, we're doing that now. 31:11.256 --> 31:13.315 That's absolutely necessary. 31:13.315 --> 31:16.372 You see that most recently in Afghanistan. 31:16.372 --> 31:18.862 Some of those are guys that have relocated to there. 31:18.862 --> 31:20.352 Some of those are guys that are just 31:20.352 --> 31:22.852 rebranding themselves as ISIL. 31:23.323 --> 31:26.546 You see that in Africa, in a number of locations, 31:26.546 --> 31:30.296 where we're working, again, with local forces 31:30.410 --> 31:32.119 and coalition partners. 31:32.119 --> 31:33.870 That's gonna be necessary. 31:33.870 --> 31:36.267 I think when we talk about that second part 31:36.267 --> 31:39.210 of the campaign, which is the metastases, 31:39.210 --> 31:41.806 there's no place that's been overrun 31:41.806 --> 31:45.305 as thoroughly and as brutally as Iraq and Syria. 31:45.305 --> 31:47.267 That's where the whole thing started 31:47.267 --> 31:49.176 and that's where the idea is and that's why 31:49.176 --> 31:52.065 we need to crush the idea where it started. 31:52.065 --> 31:54.732 But it ain't gonna be over then. 31:54.895 --> 31:57.812 No question about it, you're right. 32:02.233 --> 32:03.537 - Good morning, sir. 32:03.537 --> 32:06.373 Lieutenant Colonel Sean Heineken from the G3 IO shop. 32:06.373 --> 32:08.801 You alluded earlier to ISIL's domination 32:08.801 --> 32:10.292 of the information environment. 32:10.292 --> 32:12.475 How do you see the Department of Defense's efforts 32:12.475 --> 32:15.334 fitting into both the national and the coalition efforts 32:15.334 --> 32:17.518 in the information environment and how do you 32:17.518 --> 32:21.018 assess us as we are now and going forward? 32:21.426 --> 32:22.725 - I'll give you the assessment first, 32:22.725 --> 32:25.939 which is it wasn't so good, getting better, 32:25.939 --> 32:28.848 needs to get better, still, in the information space. 32:28.848 --> 32:31.515 It wasn't something we got into, 32:33.655 --> 32:36.402 going back now a year or two, as quickly 32:36.402 --> 32:37.902 as we should have. 32:39.755 --> 32:41.891 There's a lot going on there, 32:41.891 --> 32:45.766 which you are, or certainly will be, familiar with 32:45.766 --> 32:48.342 that I don't wanna talk about a whole lot, 32:48.342 --> 32:52.259 but I'll give ya the broad outlines of it here. 32:52.296 --> 32:53.379 First of all, 32:54.934 --> 32:58.934 in warfare, we always try to disrupt and destroy 32:58.947 --> 33:01.436 the enemy's command and control. 33:01.436 --> 33:04.853 Their use of the internet and other means 33:05.141 --> 33:07.169 to command and control their forces, 33:07.169 --> 33:10.056 dominate the population, collect income, 33:10.056 --> 33:12.556 all of that we need to destroy 33:12.697 --> 33:14.805 as a battlefield necessity. 33:14.805 --> 33:17.362 In today's world, that's partly on the internet, 33:17.362 --> 33:21.529 too, and that's where cyberspace and so forth come in. 33:21.529 --> 33:25.196 That in the old RF radio, just pure RF days, 33:25.242 --> 33:27.157 it was a different game, but it's the same game 33:27.157 --> 33:28.639 transported to a different medium. 33:28.639 --> 33:32.659 On top of that, there's a whole global messaging thing. 33:32.659 --> 33:35.492 We're getting at that in two ways. 33:35.977 --> 33:37.727 One is a kinetic one, 33:39.902 --> 33:42.652 which is we're gonna destroy them 33:43.183 --> 33:45.667 in Iraq and Syria, and so that anybody can see 33:45.667 --> 33:48.584 there ain't no Islamic State there. 33:49.545 --> 33:52.145 That's thing one, that's important. 33:52.145 --> 33:54.830 In the idea area, in the idea space, 33:54.830 --> 33:57.163 we do a good and better job, 33:57.692 --> 34:00.537 along with coalition partners, of debunking 34:00.537 --> 34:04.704 their propaganda and of explaining what we're doing. 34:05.605 --> 34:07.898 It's really important to explain what you do. 34:07.898 --> 34:11.006 I was talking to your commanders about that 34:11.006 --> 34:12.173 earlier today. 34:14.485 --> 34:17.914 We're doing a better and better job of that, 34:17.914 --> 34:20.997 simply explaining to the Iraqi people 34:21.601 --> 34:22.953 and the Syrian people, than people 34:22.953 --> 34:24.703 all around the world. 34:24.897 --> 34:26.897 Civilization's gonna win 34:27.938 --> 34:28.881 and it's winning. 34:28.881 --> 34:31.207 People need to see that and feel 34:31.207 --> 34:33.656 the power of what you're doing. 34:33.656 --> 34:36.510 So it's both destroying their ability to message 34:36.510 --> 34:39.843 and command and control, and it clearly, 34:40.128 --> 34:42.940 truthfully, always, but clearly explaining 34:42.940 --> 34:44.357 what we're doing. 34:46.200 --> 34:48.011 We're getting better at both of those. 34:48.011 --> 34:50.384 I'd like to improve the way both of those go, 34:50.384 --> 34:52.023 but we're getting better. 34:52.023 --> 34:54.741 It's a new domain and it's a new phenomenon. 34:54.741 --> 34:55.789 It's the first sort of 34:55.789 --> 34:59.039 internet-fueled terrorist organization, 35:00.592 --> 35:02.827 so it's new, and we're getting better and better 35:02.827 --> 35:03.994 at beating it. 35:04.024 --> 35:06.070 I'm sure we will, but we just need to work 35:06.070 --> 35:07.653 on the trade craft. 35:08.195 --> 35:09.367 - [Voiceover] We have time for one more, sir. 35:09.367 --> 35:10.200 - Okay. 35:15.438 --> 35:17.730 - Sir, Colonel Steve Davis, the 18th Airborne Corps, 35:17.730 --> 35:19.526 G4, chief of sustainment. 35:19.526 --> 35:22.331 Sir, as we go forward in our current, 35:22.331 --> 35:24.444 very complex and sometimes uncertain 35:24.444 --> 35:26.714 operational environment, what are you see 35:26.714 --> 35:29.131 as the greatest concerns as we go forward 35:29.131 --> 35:31.131 in the current campaign? 35:33.671 --> 35:36.838 - I think I'd go back to the aftermath 35:37.268 --> 35:39.185 of the military defeat. 35:41.179 --> 35:44.488 That's the part that I think is the hardest 35:44.488 --> 35:46.598 to sustain and accomplish. 35:46.598 --> 35:48.842 That's why we go through the very arduous, 35:48.842 --> 35:51.947 and yes, it will be sometimes frustrating, job 35:51.947 --> 35:55.400 of working with and through other partners 35:55.400 --> 35:58.067 and with other partners because, 35:58.258 --> 36:02.128 in the end, we can enable, but we can't substitute 36:02.128 --> 36:04.628 for the people who live there. 36:05.938 --> 36:08.041 They need to sustain their own security, 36:08.041 --> 36:08.958 in the end. 36:10.123 --> 36:12.812 So we're trying to approach the war 36:12.812 --> 36:15.998 in such a way that the sustainment of the victory 36:15.998 --> 36:19.362 is built in because we're building the forces 36:19.362 --> 36:22.445 that accomplish it and enabling them, 36:22.770 --> 36:26.459 but they'll also be the ones that make it stick. 36:26.459 --> 36:29.792 But I can see the outlines and the steps 36:31.033 --> 36:33.250 we've taken in that military side. 36:33.250 --> 36:35.284 I think we're gonna need to work, 36:35.284 --> 36:37.230 we were taking about this earlier today, 36:37.230 --> 36:39.634 this is with our colleagues from other parts 36:39.634 --> 36:41.641 of the government, it's with other international 36:41.641 --> 36:43.174 colleagues and most of all, with the people 36:43.174 --> 36:45.410 on the ground to make sure that they 36:45.410 --> 36:49.577 can keep this thing beaten after it's been beaten. 36:52.929 --> 36:54.667 Okay, listen, thank you. 36:54.667 --> 36:56.933 Whether you're going or staying, you're each 36:56.933 --> 36:58.746 doing something incredibly important. 36:58.746 --> 37:00.447 I was talking to General Townsend this morning 37:00.447 --> 37:03.208 about how this is a little bit awkward. 37:03.208 --> 37:05.081 I realize this 'cause we're asking people 37:05.081 --> 37:07.020 who already are doing a full time 37:07.020 --> 37:08.623 and very important thing for us to go off 37:08.623 --> 37:11.371 and do another full time, important thing for us. 37:11.371 --> 37:14.204 I don't (laughs). 37:16.378 --> 37:19.378 I recognize it's extra duty for each 37:19.594 --> 37:21.593 and every one of you, whether you're part 37:21.593 --> 37:24.328 of the forward deployed or part of the crowd 37:24.328 --> 37:26.380 that's gonna be holding down the fort here 37:26.380 --> 37:28.403 and making sure that we're safe 37:28.403 --> 37:29.830 from other contingencies. 37:29.830 --> 37:31.013 It's a complicated world, and I've been 37:31.013 --> 37:33.980 talking about counter ISIL, but we're a big country, 37:33.980 --> 37:37.203 we're an important country, and we got a lot to do. 37:37.203 --> 37:40.350 So everywhere in the world, from the Korean Peninsula 37:40.350 --> 37:43.683 to the Persian Gulf to the Asia Pacific, 37:43.761 --> 37:47.178 we're active in important ways every day. 37:48.516 --> 37:51.183 Those of you who are part of the 37:51.360 --> 37:54.330 18th Airborne Corps and the GRF and so forth 37:54.330 --> 37:56.247 know that ya never know 37:57.840 --> 38:00.201 where we'll be called upon next, 38:00.201 --> 38:03.019 so thank you for doing double duty. 38:03.019 --> 38:04.186 Appreciate it. 38:04.299 --> 38:06.130 Now are we gonna get at little time 38:06.130 --> 38:07.886 for me to look everybody in the eye? 38:07.886 --> 38:08.803 I think now 38:09.703 --> 38:11.764 I'd like to get a chance to look each of you 38:11.764 --> 38:14.246 in the eye, say thank you, shake your hand 38:14.246 --> 38:15.531 and we'll get a picture. 38:15.531 --> 38:16.589 Can we do that? 38:16.589 --> 38:17.514 - [Voiceover] Yes. 38:17.514 --> 38:19.097 - Good, all right.