WEBVTT 00:03.500 --> 00:05.444 Well , good afternoon , everyone . 00:05.444 --> 00:07.611 Thank you for being here today . It is 00:07.611 --> 00:09.778 my pleasure to introduce the Secretary 00:09.778 --> 00:12.000 of Defense Lloyd Austin , the third and 00:12.000 --> 00:11.960 chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 00:11.970 --> 00:14.699 General CQ Brown Junior , the secretary 00:14.710 --> 00:16.821 and the chairman will deliver opening 00:16.821 --> 00:18.821 remarks and then we'll have time to 00:18.821 --> 00:21.043 take a few questions . Please note that 00:21.043 --> 00:20.879 I will moderate those questions and 00:20.889 --> 00:22.667 call on journalists due to time 00:22.667 --> 00:24.889 constraints would ask that those I call 00:24.889 --> 00:27.111 upon limit their follow up questions to 00:27.111 --> 00:29.167 give your colleagues a chance to ask 00:29.167 --> 00:31.222 their questions . Secretary Austin , 00:31.222 --> 00:33.278 over to you , sir . Thanks Patrick . 00:33.278 --> 00:35.389 Well , good afternoon , everybody and 00:35.389 --> 00:37.500 thanks for joining us , General Brown 00:37.500 --> 00:39.333 and I have just come from a 22nd 00:39.333 --> 00:41.500 meeting of the Ukraine defense contact 00:41.500 --> 00:43.611 group and I'm grateful to the some 50 00:43.611 --> 00:45.667 countries from around the world that 00:45.667 --> 00:47.860 joined us again today , the contact 00:47.869 --> 00:49.869 group heard directly from Ukraine's 00:49.869 --> 00:52.250 defense leaders , including Minister 00:52.740 --> 00:55.369 Umarov . They gave a valuable update on 00:55.380 --> 00:57.979 Ukraine's defensive operations across 00:57.990 --> 01:00.250 the front line including the new 01:00.259 --> 01:04.050 Russian offensive around Kharkiv . We 01:04.059 --> 01:06.170 met today at a challenging moment for 01:06.170 --> 01:09.059 Ukraine Putin's forces have opened 01:09.069 --> 01:11.790 another front to seize sovereign 01:11.800 --> 01:15.000 Ukrainian territory and the Kremlin's 01:15.010 --> 01:17.010 invaders are obliterating Ukrainian 01:17.010 --> 01:20.989 villages , killing innocent civilians 01:21.940 --> 01:24.279 and bombarding civilian infrastructure 01:24.290 --> 01:26.279 including dams and power plants . 01:28.050 --> 01:30.489 Ukraine's defenders are in a hard fight 01:31.919 --> 01:34.650 but Russian troops are paying a high 01:34.660 --> 01:37.260 price for Putin's aggression . 01:39.160 --> 01:41.419 Now , Putin is betting that eventually 01:41.430 --> 01:44.610 Ukraine will fold and he's betting that 01:44.620 --> 01:47.330 this contact group will crumble but 01:47.339 --> 01:50.919 he's wrong . And today we saw gain why 01:52.269 --> 01:54.213 Ukraine is fighting for its life , 01:54.213 --> 01:56.102 which gives it the huge strategic 01:56.102 --> 01:59.459 advantage of a just cause . And 01:59.470 --> 02:01.470 meanwhile , Putin is trying to wage 02:01.470 --> 02:04.800 1/19 century war of imperial aggression 02:05.699 --> 02:09.300 in the world of 2024 . That's a 02:09.309 --> 02:12.880 terrible idea . In a terrible strategy . 02:15.110 --> 02:16.999 Ukraine's forces are fighting the 02:16.999 --> 02:19.300 Kremlin's war of choice with ingenuity 02:19.750 --> 02:23.080 and skill and they are making excellent 02:23.089 --> 02:25.419 use of the capabilities provided by the 02:25.429 --> 02:28.679 members of this contact group . We 02:28.690 --> 02:30.800 spent a lot of time today on life 02:30.809 --> 02:32.865 saving air defense systems which are 02:33.139 --> 02:35.149 helping Ukraine stave off waves of 02:35.160 --> 02:39.119 Russian missiles , Iranian uavs and 02:39.130 --> 02:41.850 North Korean munitions . And we'll 02:41.860 --> 02:44.100 continue to push to ensure that Ukraine 02:44.369 --> 02:47.289 owns its skies and can defend its 02:47.300 --> 02:49.539 citizens and its civilian 02:49.550 --> 02:52.389 infrastructure far from the front lines , 02:53.899 --> 02:55.955 the United States and our allies and 02:55.955 --> 02:58.177 partners worldwide remain laser focused 02:58.177 --> 03:00.580 on Ukraine's near term requirements in 03:00.589 --> 03:03.529 Kharkiv and elsewhere . And we'll keep 03:03.539 --> 03:05.483 pushing to find swift solutions to 03:05.483 --> 03:08.160 Ukraine's most pressing needs and 03:08.169 --> 03:10.336 that's why President Biden announced a 03:10.336 --> 03:12.169 $400 million security assistance 03:12.169 --> 03:14.113 package for Ukraine . Earlier this 03:14.113 --> 03:15.947 month , it will provide critical 03:15.947 --> 03:19.229 munitions for NA Sams and Patriot air 03:19.240 --> 03:21.800 defense systems , more high mars 03:21.809 --> 03:24.979 systems and munitions , more anti armor 03:25.089 --> 03:28.110 systems and other priority requirements . 03:29.270 --> 03:31.839 And this comes on top of the $7 03:31.850 --> 03:34.479 billion.07 billion dollars of security 03:34.490 --> 03:36.712 assistance that we've already committed 03:36.712 --> 03:39.330 to Ukraine . Since the recent passage 03:39.339 --> 03:41.561 of the national security supplemental , 03:43.270 --> 03:45.214 we're delivering the most urgently 03:45.214 --> 03:47.940 needed capabilities including 155 03:47.949 --> 03:51.229 millimeter artillery rounds and much 03:51.240 --> 03:54.649 more is on the way . Now , contact 03:54.660 --> 03:57.000 group members also spent time today on 03:57.009 --> 03:58.953 a long term challenge of Ukraine's 03:58.953 --> 04:01.759 security and I continue to be impressed 04:02.130 --> 04:03.797 by the work of the capability 04:03.797 --> 04:06.899 coalitions . These eight coalitions are 04:06.910 --> 04:08.949 helping to anticipate and meet 04:08.960 --> 04:11.830 Ukraine's battlefield needs and they're 04:11.839 --> 04:13.561 also laying the foundation for 04:13.561 --> 04:16.100 Ukraine's future force which must be 04:16.109 --> 04:19.200 strong and su and sustainable enough to 04:19.209 --> 04:21.589 ward off future Russian aggression . 04:23.170 --> 04:25.059 Today , we heard updates from the 04:25.059 --> 04:27.170 maritime coalition and the integrated 04:27.170 --> 04:29.809 air and missile defense coalition . I'm 04:29.820 --> 04:32.042 also impressed with Germany's immediate 04:32.042 --> 04:34.209 action on the air defense initiative . 04:34.910 --> 04:37.077 It's helping Ukraine's global partners 04:37.077 --> 04:39.290 dig deeper and to find rapid and 04:39.299 --> 04:41.132 creative ways to deploy more air 04:41.132 --> 04:43.750 defense systems and provide the spare 04:43.760 --> 04:46.160 parts to sustain Ukraine's defenses . 04:47.760 --> 04:50.329 Meanwhile , the UK and Norway are 04:50.339 --> 04:52.670 leading the maritime coalition in 04:52.679 --> 04:54.290 helping Ukraine beef up its 04:54.299 --> 04:56.132 capabilities to fend off Putin's 04:56.132 --> 04:59.730 attacks . Now , those are just 04:59.739 --> 05:02.730 two of the eight capability coalitions 05:03.589 --> 05:05.922 and together they're providing a sturdy , 05:05.922 --> 05:07.978 flexible structure to meet Ukraine's 05:07.978 --> 05:09.978 security requirements over the long 05:09.978 --> 05:12.570 haul . So we'll continue to work with 05:12.579 --> 05:14.899 nations of goodwill from around the 05:14.910 --> 05:16.966 world to support Ukraine's fight for 05:16.966 --> 05:19.250 survival . And we'll continue to make 05:19.260 --> 05:22.390 the case for why Ukraine matters . 05:23.890 --> 05:26.299 The outcome in Ukraine is , is crucial 05:26.309 --> 05:30.130 for European security for 05:30.140 --> 05:33.320 global security and for American 05:33.329 --> 05:36.290 security , none of us would want to 05:36.299 --> 05:38.466 live in a world where dictators redraw 05:38.466 --> 05:41.600 borders by force and launch wars of 05:41.609 --> 05:44.190 aggression to try to revive yesterday's 05:44.200 --> 05:47.299 empires . So let me be clear , 05:48.859 --> 05:52.010 Ukraine's partners are united and we're 05:52.019 --> 05:55.089 determined and we're not going anywhere . 05:56.040 --> 05:58.207 And with that , let me turn it over to 05:58.207 --> 05:59.980 General Brown . Thank you , Mr 05:59.989 --> 06:01.910 Secretary . Uh good afternoon , 06:01.920 --> 06:05.420 everyone in an address to Congress near 06:05.429 --> 06:08.269 the end of World War one , President 06:08.279 --> 06:10.640 Woodrow Wilson laid out his 14 point 06:10.649 --> 06:13.679 program for world peace . He asserted 06:13.690 --> 06:15.970 that political independence and 06:15.980 --> 06:18.170 territorial integrity required in 06:18.179 --> 06:21.510 association of nations united against 06:21.519 --> 06:24.609 authoritarian aggressors . He said , 06:24.619 --> 06:27.029 and I quote , we cannot be separating 06:27.040 --> 06:30.890 an interest or dividing in purpose . We 06:30.899 --> 06:33.269 stand together until the end . 06:34.839 --> 06:36.839 President Wilson never realized his 06:36.839 --> 06:38.672 vision for a strong coalition of 06:38.672 --> 06:41.630 nations based on his 14 points , the 06:41.640 --> 06:43.751 wall had to endure . Second world war 06:44.230 --> 06:46.369 were more brutal and more costly than 06:46.380 --> 06:49.299 the first before . There was collective 06:49.309 --> 06:51.642 will to come together in common purpose . 06:52.649 --> 06:54.482 The principal's President Wilson 06:54.482 --> 06:56.316 champion formed the basis of the 06:56.316 --> 06:58.482 international order we live in today . 07:00.119 --> 07:02.008 That order is being challenged by 07:02.008 --> 07:04.175 Russia's illegal and unprovoked attack 07:04.175 --> 07:06.230 on the sovereign nation of Ukraine . 07:07.269 --> 07:09.679 Ukraine defense contact group has stood 07:09.690 --> 07:12.100 together in the face of this Russian 07:12.109 --> 07:14.500 aggression and we will continue to 07:14.510 --> 07:17.299 stand together to support Ukraine and 07:17.309 --> 07:20.910 defend the international order . Once 07:20.920 --> 07:22.809 again , I want to thank Secretary 07:22.809 --> 07:24.698 Austin for his leadership in this 07:24.698 --> 07:26.920 international coalition of more than 50 07:26.920 --> 07:29.250 nations in support of Ukraine . Thanks 07:29.260 --> 07:32.049 also to Defense Minister Umarov and the 07:32.059 --> 07:34.003 Ukrainian delegation who joined us 07:34.003 --> 07:36.809 today and for their leadership of 07:36.820 --> 07:39.609 Ukraine's armed forces and to all the 07:39.619 --> 07:41.841 nations attending today . Thank you for 07:41.841 --> 07:44.739 your continued support of Ukraine . 07:46.470 --> 07:48.581 Ukrainian forces are being challenged 07:48.581 --> 07:50.748 particularly in the Karev region where 07:50.748 --> 07:52.526 they are boly defending against 07:52.526 --> 07:54.899 increased Russian attacks . In recent 07:54.910 --> 07:57.077 days , Russia launched a new offensive 07:57.077 --> 08:01.000 attacks against Gar aiming to establish 08:01.010 --> 08:02.788 a shallow buffer zone along the 08:02.788 --> 08:06.239 Ukrainian border . Russia anticipates 08:06.250 --> 08:08.470 that this will divert Ukrainian focus 08:08.660 --> 08:10.716 and capabilities from other critical 08:10.716 --> 08:14.200 areas . Ukraine has made concerted 08:14.209 --> 08:15.987 efforts to build and strengthen 08:15.987 --> 08:18.559 defensive lines which are being tested 08:19.200 --> 08:22.019 by Russian attacks . Ukraine's 08:22.029 --> 08:24.440 expanding air defense munitions to 08:24.450 --> 08:27.130 protect their skies as they defend 08:27.140 --> 08:29.739 against continued Russian strikes on 08:29.750 --> 08:31.694 critical civilian infrastructure . 08:33.239 --> 08:35.350 Ukrainian forces are fighting hard to 08:35.350 --> 08:37.406 hold against Russian advances across 08:37.406 --> 08:39.919 the front lines . Ukraine's reserves 08:39.929 --> 08:42.096 and stockpiles are being challenged as 08:42.096 --> 08:44.207 they defend against Russian offensive 08:44.207 --> 08:46.318 actions which underscores the urgency 08:46.318 --> 08:48.599 of this coalition's work to sustain . 08:48.609 --> 08:52.099 Ukraine , the president authorized a $1 08:52.109 --> 08:53.942 billion military aid package for 08:53.942 --> 08:55.998 Ukraine following the passage of the 08:55.998 --> 08:58.169 national security supplemental . The 08:58.179 --> 09:00.179 second aid package was authorized a 09:00.179 --> 09:01.901 little over a week ago to send 09:01.901 --> 09:03.901 additional critical capabilities to 09:03.901 --> 09:06.109 Ukraine . These packages include 09:06.119 --> 09:08.929 earnestly needed weapons such as art 09:08.940 --> 09:10.900 truly ammunition , their defense 09:10.909 --> 09:13.799 interceptors , anti aircraft missiles , 09:14.039 --> 09:17.409 armored vehicles , javelins and other 09:17.419 --> 09:20.559 anti armor systems . We have worked 09:20.570 --> 09:22.792 diligently to deliver these supplies as 09:22.792 --> 09:26.489 quickly as possible . The influx of us 09:26.500 --> 09:28.556 and coalition assistance will enable 09:28.556 --> 09:30.389 Ukraine to continue to withstand 09:30.389 --> 09:34.090 Russian aggression . A military aid to 09:34.099 --> 09:36.155 Ukraine sends a clear message to the 09:36.155 --> 09:40.070 world . This coalition will not tar you 09:40.080 --> 09:42.440 will not waiver . We will not give up . 09:43.280 --> 09:45.391 Our collective resolve is steadfast . 09:46.780 --> 09:48.947 We know that we cannot allow Russia to 09:48.947 --> 09:51.840 rewrite borders , to force tyranny on 09:51.849 --> 09:54.929 an unwilling people and to supplant the 09:54.940 --> 09:58.309 sovereign democratic nation . The 09:58.320 --> 10:00.989 actions of this coalition show other 10:01.000 --> 10:03.409 would be aggressors that we will defend 10:03.419 --> 10:05.475 the international order . Together . 10:06.669 --> 10:08.780 Our support for Ukraine is not merely 10:08.780 --> 10:11.840 an act of solidarity , is a strategic 10:11.849 --> 10:14.330 necessity that that reinforces broader 10:14.340 --> 10:17.700 international security . If unchecked 10:18.309 --> 10:20.309 Russian aggression , could embolden 10:20.309 --> 10:22.200 other authoritarian regimes to 10:22.210 --> 10:24.539 challenge international norms and 10:24.549 --> 10:26.382 violate the sovereignty of their 10:26.382 --> 10:28.409 neighbors . This highlights the 10:28.419 --> 10:30.590 importance of a robust and unified 10:30.599 --> 10:34.179 response . Global events have far 10:34.190 --> 10:36.559 reaching consequences that impact us 10:36.570 --> 10:40.330 all . A collective actions today will 10:40.340 --> 10:42.510 shape the geopolitical landscape of 10:42.520 --> 10:46.049 tomorrow . This is what President 10:46.469 --> 10:49.640 Wilson understood safety and prosperity 10:49.650 --> 10:52.159 for all nations can only be one the 10:52.169 --> 10:54.799 through unified and cooper of effort . 10:55.919 --> 10:58.086 President Wilson understand that peace 10:58.086 --> 11:00.308 and security are more than just works . 11:00.308 --> 11:03.250 They require constant work in action on 11:03.260 --> 11:05.659 the part of nations coming together for 11:05.669 --> 11:09.000 a common purpose . The Ukraine Defense 11:09.010 --> 11:11.343 contact group is committed to that work . 11:11.669 --> 11:13.836 Thank you . And I look forward to your 11:13.836 --> 11:16.002 questions . Thank you both gentlemen . 11:16.002 --> 11:15.739 Our first question will go to 11:15.750 --> 11:18.549 Associated Press Dark Cop . Thank you 11:18.559 --> 11:20.615 for doing this . Um Mr Secretary , I 11:20.615 --> 11:22.837 wanted to ask you about Iran . Does the 11:22.837 --> 11:24.948 Pentagon have any indication that the 11:24.948 --> 11:27.099 helicopter crash in Iran that killed 11:27.109 --> 11:29.165 President Raisi ? Was anything other 11:29.165 --> 11:31.150 than an accident ? And have you 11:31.159 --> 11:33.326 directed any forced posture changes in 11:33.326 --> 11:35.326 case there's unrest following these 11:35.326 --> 11:37.492 deaths ? And then for Chairman Brown , 11:37.690 --> 11:39.912 I wanted to ask you about senior airman 11:39.912 --> 11:42.080 Roger Fortson . What would you like to 11:42.090 --> 11:44.909 say to Fortune's family and more 11:44.919 --> 11:47.141 broadly , what would you like to say to 11:47.141 --> 11:49.363 Black service members who are wondering 11:49.363 --> 11:51.363 if it matters whether they serve no 11:51.363 --> 11:53.586 matter what they do ? There's still law 11:53.586 --> 11:55.808 enforcement that see them as a threat . 11:56.880 --> 12:00.559 Thanks Tara . Um regarding uh the death 12:00.570 --> 12:03.570 of Iran's president in the , in the 12:03.580 --> 12:06.289 very unfortunate helicopter crash , we , 12:06.299 --> 12:08.729 we continue to monitor the situation 12:08.739 --> 12:12.630 but we don't have any uh any insights 12:12.640 --> 12:14.862 into the cause of the , of the accident 12:15.729 --> 12:17.896 at this point . Certainly , I know the 12:17.896 --> 12:19.840 Iranians are investigating or will 12:19.840 --> 12:22.062 investigate and , and so we'll see what 12:22.062 --> 12:24.118 the , what the outcome is once their 12:24.118 --> 12:26.659 investigation is complete . Um in terms 12:26.669 --> 12:29.440 of uh our force posture , I don't have 12:29.450 --> 12:32.080 any announcements to make . Uh and uh 12:32.510 --> 12:34.454 and again , this is something that 12:34.454 --> 12:36.621 we'll continue to watch and I don't uh 12:37.340 --> 12:40.280 necessarily see any broader regional 12:40.289 --> 12:42.567 security impacts at this point in time . 12:42.567 --> 12:44.929 Tara , no indication that there was 12:44.979 --> 12:47.109 anything other than an accident that 12:47.119 --> 12:49.429 brought this helicopter down . I can't 12:49.440 --> 12:51.440 speculate on what may have been the 12:51.440 --> 12:53.780 cause of the accident , Tara , but , 12:55.840 --> 12:57.784 you know , again , I think we'll , 12:57.784 --> 13:00.007 we'll learn more once the Iranians have 13:00.007 --> 13:03.049 uh have investigated . Sir . Let me , 13:03.059 --> 13:05.003 uh first of all pass on my sincere 13:05.003 --> 13:07.469 condolences to uh Sherman uh Fortun's 13:07.840 --> 13:10.789 family , friends and fellow airman . Um 13:10.799 --> 13:12.688 I know they're going through some 13:12.688 --> 13:14.855 difficult times right now . And I will 13:14.855 --> 13:17.077 also tell you that uh you know , uh for 13:17.077 --> 13:19.243 every service when we lose it , always 13:19.243 --> 13:18.890 tears on me because I know it impacts a 13:18.900 --> 13:21.919 family . And the one thing I would 13:21.929 --> 13:24.151 highlight , you know , this is under an 13:24.151 --> 13:25.985 investigation . But what I would 13:25.985 --> 13:25.859 highlight is that a number of our 13:25.869 --> 13:28.091 service members and their families live 13:28.091 --> 13:30.147 uh in our various communities around 13:30.147 --> 13:32.349 the country and we would hope and 13:32.359 --> 13:34.470 expect that they would all be able to 13:34.470 --> 13:36.637 be safe in those communities and , and 13:36.637 --> 13:38.915 safe in their homes . At the same time , 13:38.915 --> 13:41.026 I also highlight that uh for each one 13:41.026 --> 13:43.192 of those uh young people that join our 13:43.192 --> 13:45.359 servers and raise their right hand and 13:45.359 --> 13:45.119 take an oath to support and defend the 13:45.130 --> 13:47.297 constitution of the United States . We 13:47.297 --> 13:49.463 wanna provide them uh opportunities to 13:49.463 --> 13:51.519 reach your full potential and that's 13:51.519 --> 13:53.352 our focus for uh no matter their 13:53.352 --> 13:55.463 background that uh decide to join our 13:55.463 --> 13:57.519 force . Thank you , gentlemen . Next 13:57.519 --> 13:59.469 question . Go to CNN uh Secretary 13:59.479 --> 14:01.701 Austin , sir , Israeli Defense Minister 14:01.701 --> 14:03.757 Yoav Galan briefed national security 14:03.757 --> 14:06.059 Adviser , Jake Sullivan on , on Rafa 14:06.099 --> 14:08.140 plans and humanitarian efforts , at 14:08.150 --> 14:10.150 least according to the readout , it 14:10.150 --> 14:12.150 seems it's more detailed . Have you 14:12.150 --> 14:13.983 seen the plans that Sullivan was 14:13.983 --> 14:15.872 briefed on ? And does it meet the 14:15.872 --> 14:18.094 requirements of what you want to see in 14:18.094 --> 14:20.317 terms of what Israel needs to do before 14:20.317 --> 14:22.317 an operation in Rafah ? Uh And then 14:22.317 --> 14:24.483 General Brown , sir , as Ukraine tries 14:24.483 --> 14:26.428 to defend itself against a renewed 14:26.428 --> 14:28.539 Russian offensive in Kharkiv , do you 14:28.539 --> 14:30.650 believe Ukraine should be able to use 14:30.650 --> 14:32.650 American weaponry to target Russian 14:32.650 --> 14:32.070 forces that are just right across the 14:32.080 --> 14:34.302 border there ? Is that a recommendation 14:34.302 --> 14:37.469 you would make ? Um Thanks , I , I've 14:37.479 --> 14:41.260 not seen uh the uh the information 14:41.270 --> 14:44.789 that was briefed to uh uh Mr Sullivan . 14:44.799 --> 14:47.179 But um , you know , as , as you know , 14:47.190 --> 14:49.301 I talk to Minister Gallant every week 14:49.301 --> 14:51.479 and I would expect that uh he would uh 14:51.539 --> 14:55.280 detail uh the information in the , 14:55.289 --> 14:57.622 in the , in that briefing to me as well . 14:57.622 --> 15:00.549 So , and I'll talk to uh Jake Sullivan 15:00.559 --> 15:02.892 as soon as uh as soon as he's available . 15:02.892 --> 15:05.115 But because of that , I won't speculate 15:05.115 --> 15:07.337 as to whether or not uh it meets uh any 15:07.337 --> 15:09.729 kind of requirements . Um But uh but 15:09.739 --> 15:11.739 again , you know , we've been clear 15:11.739 --> 15:14.450 about uh what we , what we think is 15:14.460 --> 15:16.516 very , very important and that is to 15:16.516 --> 15:18.690 make sure that the civilians that are 15:18.700 --> 15:20.756 in that battle space are , are moved 15:20.756 --> 15:22.760 out of the battle space before any 15:22.770 --> 15:24.937 activity occurs in that , in that , in 15:24.937 --> 15:26.881 that city . So , so we'll see what 15:26.881 --> 15:29.103 happens . You know , our , our focus in 15:29.103 --> 15:31.214 support of Ukraine is , is being able 15:31.214 --> 15:33.381 to use capabilities , particularly the 15:33.381 --> 15:33.169 things that will impact the uh the 15:33.179 --> 15:35.549 close battle uh in , in various areas . 15:35.909 --> 15:38.131 Um And we're paying attention to what's 15:38.131 --> 15:40.187 going on in around Kharkiv . I won't 15:40.187 --> 15:42.520 publicly talk about what I might advise . 15:42.520 --> 15:44.742 Um But as we continue to support them , 15:44.742 --> 15:44.650 I I'll continue to work with the 15:44.659 --> 15:46.530 secretary as we make our 15:46.539 --> 15:48.761 recommendations going forward . But the 15:48.761 --> 15:50.483 real key point is is using the 15:50.483 --> 15:52.539 capabilities that we provided in the 15:52.539 --> 15:52.119 close battle in the areas that they , 15:52.130 --> 15:54.019 they are doing on the fronts that 15:54.019 --> 15:56.320 they're already operating on as well as 15:56.330 --> 15:59.010 uh into Crimea . Ok . Let's go to 15:59.020 --> 16:01.760 Washington Post . Hi . Uh Nice to see 16:01.770 --> 16:03.937 you all . Um This question is for both 16:03.937 --> 16:06.048 of you um regarding going back to the 16:06.048 --> 16:08.159 Rafa operation um and following up on 16:08.159 --> 16:10.210 Oren's question . So the ID F is 16:10.219 --> 16:12.830 announcing plans as , as recently as 16:12.840 --> 16:15.549 today to expand the Rafa operation . 16:15.859 --> 16:17.748 And meanwhile , people that we've 16:17.748 --> 16:20.081 spoken with on the ground , say that in , 16:20.081 --> 16:21.915 in uh that they perceive what is 16:21.915 --> 16:24.026 already a full fed operation at least 16:24.026 --> 16:26.248 said the perception on the ground given 16:26.248 --> 16:28.470 the Biden administration statement that 16:28.470 --> 16:30.637 it will not support a full invasion of 16:30.637 --> 16:32.859 Rafah without a coherent evacuation and 16:32.859 --> 16:35.081 humanitarian plan . Are you prepared to 16:35.081 --> 16:36.915 declare that it's a full-fledged 16:36.915 --> 16:39.840 invasion if these uh actions go ahead 16:39.969 --> 16:42.136 and do you think there's a danger that 16:42.136 --> 16:44.136 the ID F could sort of just do this 16:44.136 --> 16:46.080 gradually continue to make sort of 16:46.080 --> 16:48.960 gradual expansions and incremental uh 16:48.969 --> 16:51.580 push into Rafa in a way that falls 16:51.590 --> 16:53.701 short of a giant charge into the city 16:53.701 --> 16:55.701 and potentially try to avoid the US 16:55.701 --> 16:57.979 consequences that have been threatened . 16:58.179 --> 17:01.580 Thank you . Um Yeah , 17:01.590 --> 17:05.130 again , uh No , I , I uh 17:05.199 --> 17:07.630 I've seen what uh what was reported 17:07.640 --> 17:09.529 that Minister colon said , I look 17:09.529 --> 17:11.473 forward to talking to him about uh 17:11.473 --> 17:13.473 about what his plans really are and 17:13.473 --> 17:15.849 also getting uh talking with uh uh Jake 17:15.859 --> 17:18.680 Sullivan as well . Um And I really 17:18.689 --> 17:20.800 don't want to speculate as to whether 17:20.800 --> 17:24.520 or not uh this is or is not uh a uh or 17:24.530 --> 17:27.410 will be a uh a larger operation . I 17:27.420 --> 17:29.698 really would like to , to see what the , 17:29.698 --> 17:31.809 you know , what , what they intend to 17:31.809 --> 17:33.753 do . But what we would like to see 17:33.753 --> 17:35.810 again is , is protection of those 17:35.819 --> 17:38.097 civilians that are in the battle space , 17:38.097 --> 17:40.319 move those civilians out , but not only 17:40.319 --> 17:42.319 move them out but make sure that uh 17:42.319 --> 17:44.375 wherever they go , wherever you move 17:44.375 --> 17:46.319 them to , that you , that you have 17:46.319 --> 17:48.319 provisions for them to take care of 17:48.319 --> 17:50.486 them water , uh shelter those types of 17:50.486 --> 17:52.569 things . Um And you know , I've said 17:52.579 --> 17:54.780 before that there , in my view , there 17:54.790 --> 17:56.790 have been far too many casualties , 17:56.790 --> 17:59.068 civilian casualties in this fight . Uh , 17:59.068 --> 18:01.234 we need to see something , uh , done , 18:01.234 --> 18:03.457 uh , a lot differently . And even , you 18:03.457 --> 18:06.380 know , if there are , um , um , if 18:06.390 --> 18:08.446 there is kinetic activity , if there 18:08.446 --> 18:10.557 are , uh , there is an operation that 18:10.557 --> 18:12.723 it is conducted , uh , that's , that's 18:12.723 --> 18:14.946 larger . We certainly would like to see 18:14.946 --> 18:17.223 things done differently , more precise , 18:17.223 --> 18:19.446 uh , in , uh , in , in less destruction 18:19.446 --> 18:22.449 of uh of uh you know , the uh the 18:22.459 --> 18:24.570 civilian structures and , and , and , 18:24.570 --> 18:26.570 and more protection of the civilian 18:26.570 --> 18:29.180 population . But I would echo , you 18:29.189 --> 18:31.189 know , very much what the secretary 18:31.189 --> 18:33.300 said , you know , all my conversation 18:33.300 --> 18:35.356 with my counterpart , it , it's very 18:35.356 --> 18:37.467 much the same , um you know , be able 18:37.467 --> 18:39.522 to communicate with us uh what their 18:39.522 --> 18:41.522 intent is . So we understand uh how 18:41.522 --> 18:40.400 they're approaching it , but at the 18:40.410 --> 18:42.466 same time being able to take care of 18:42.466 --> 18:45.030 the civilians and uh not just , um you 18:45.040 --> 18:47.262 know , move them out but move them into 18:47.262 --> 18:49.373 places where they can , uh you know , 18:49.373 --> 18:51.484 have shelter , have food . And that's 18:51.484 --> 18:53.651 something we , we continue the message 18:53.651 --> 18:55.873 in the uh in the gangs I have with my , 18:55.873 --> 18:57.873 uh my counterpart . Let's go to Fox 18:57.873 --> 19:00.096 Secretary Austin , uh Victoria Nuland , 19:00.096 --> 19:02.207 the former acting Deputy Secretary of 19:02.207 --> 19:04.040 State who just stepped down said 19:04.040 --> 19:06.589 yesterday on the Sunday shows that the 19:06.599 --> 19:09.250 administration needs a new Ukraine 19:09.260 --> 19:11.260 strategy . And she said , quote , I 19:11.260 --> 19:13.038 think if the attacks are coming 19:13.038 --> 19:15.149 directly from over the line in Russia 19:15.149 --> 19:17.427 that those bases ought to be fair game . 19:17.427 --> 19:17.400 I think it's time to give the 19:17.410 --> 19:19.354 Ukrainians more help hitting these 19:19.354 --> 19:21.577 bases inside Russia . Do you agree with 19:21.577 --> 19:24.739 her assessment ? Uh , I agree with what 19:24.750 --> 19:27.028 the chairman just said , uh , Jennifer . 19:27.028 --> 19:29.139 And that is that , uh , you know , in 19:29.139 --> 19:31.630 my view , their focus ought to be on 19:31.640 --> 19:33.640 the , on the close fight and making 19:33.640 --> 19:35.584 sure that , uh , they're , they're 19:35.584 --> 19:37.584 servicing those targets that will , 19:37.584 --> 19:40.160 that will enable success uh in the 19:40.170 --> 19:43.520 close fight . So , um you know , and 19:43.829 --> 19:45.551 you know , we've been that way 19:45.551 --> 19:47.607 throughout and , and you know , that 19:47.607 --> 19:49.829 will be my view uh going forward . So , 19:49.829 --> 19:51.940 and General Brown , is there anything 19:51.940 --> 19:54.319 NATO can do to help Georgia resist 19:54.380 --> 19:56.680 Russian efforts to expand their 19:56.689 --> 19:59.000 influence ? How does this affect what's 19:59.010 --> 20:01.066 happening in Georgia right now ? How 20:01.066 --> 20:03.066 does it affect Georgia's pathway to 20:03.066 --> 20:05.177 NATO ? Well , you know , we , we're , 20:05.177 --> 20:07.288 we're deeply concerned of watching um 20:07.288 --> 20:09.510 uh the influence Russia uh has in uh in 20:09.510 --> 20:11.343 Georgia and we'll , we'll remain 20:11.343 --> 20:13.454 committed to Georgia sovereignty . Um 20:13.454 --> 20:15.677 you know , as , as I met last week with 20:15.677 --> 20:17.454 my uh my NATO counterparts , we 20:17.454 --> 20:19.454 consistently talk about how we work 20:19.454 --> 20:21.677 together the , the sovereignty of the , 20:21.677 --> 20:23.843 the , the uh the nations that are part 20:23.843 --> 20:25.843 of NATO , but also just the overall 20:25.843 --> 20:27.843 security situation in Europe . Will 20:27.843 --> 20:30.010 this affect George's admission to NATO 20:30.010 --> 20:32.177 or pathway to NATO ? Should they not , 20:32.177 --> 20:34.177 I'm not a policy to making decision 20:34.177 --> 20:36.232 points of uh of whether or not . But 20:36.232 --> 20:38.343 you know , from my perspective , as a 20:38.343 --> 20:40.454 uniformed service member , it's about 20:40.454 --> 20:42.510 ensuring the security of the various 20:42.510 --> 20:44.566 nations but also the security of the 20:44.566 --> 20:46.566 citizens of those nations as well . 20:46.566 --> 20:48.621 Let's go to Al Jazeera . Thank you , 20:48.621 --> 20:50.843 General . Thank you , Mr Secretary . Um 20:50.843 --> 20:52.677 the International Criminal Court 20:52.677 --> 20:54.454 Prosecutor today announced he's 20:54.454 --> 20:57.770 requesting um arrest warranties against 20:57.780 --> 21:00.160 Prime Minister Netanyahu and uh of 21:00.170 --> 21:02.609 Israel and your counterpart Mr Gallant 21:02.619 --> 21:05.040 over accusation of war crimes and 21:05.050 --> 21:07.599 crimes against humanity in Gaza . My 21:07.609 --> 21:09.849 first question , will your uh 21:09.859 --> 21:13.130 administration support this case ? And 21:13.140 --> 21:16.849 will you cooper with the court on this 21:16.859 --> 21:19.640 case ? And the second question is the 21:19.650 --> 21:22.130 US being the main supporters of 21:22.140 --> 21:24.780 supporter of Israel and in light of 21:24.790 --> 21:28.030 this case , will you reconsider the 21:28.040 --> 21:30.500 provision of weapons to Israel , some 21:30.510 --> 21:32.288 of which have been used to kill 21:32.288 --> 21:34.400 Palestinian civilians according to 21:34.410 --> 21:36.077 President Biden ? Thank you . 21:38.500 --> 21:41.329 So , so I've seen the press reports of 21:41.339 --> 21:44.849 uh you know , the IC C uh seeking 21:44.859 --> 21:47.119 arrest warrants . Uh but I don't have 21:47.130 --> 21:49.170 anything to provide on that on that 21:49.180 --> 21:51.770 issue on that issue . Again , our focus 21:51.780 --> 21:54.310 continues to be uh on providing uh 21:54.319 --> 21:57.280 Israel what it needs to defend itself . 21:57.290 --> 21:59.560 Uh We , we that's been our focus on the 21:59.569 --> 22:01.791 very beginning . And as President Biden 22:01.791 --> 22:04.020 has said a number of times , uh our 22:04.030 --> 22:07.819 support to Israel remains ironclad . Um 22:09.270 --> 22:11.437 I think it's important to reflect back 22:11.437 --> 22:13.492 to how this got started . You know , 22:13.492 --> 22:16.390 this brutal attack on October 7th , um 22:16.400 --> 22:19.939 you know , a number of uh 22:20.729 --> 22:23.270 uh Israeli and American civilians uh 22:23.280 --> 22:26.420 were , were killed in that uh in that 22:26.430 --> 22:28.859 assault uh in that terrorist attack . 22:29.589 --> 22:32.310 Uh there were over 230 hostages taken , 22:32.660 --> 22:35.089 ha half of those hostages remain in 22:35.099 --> 22:38.189 custody . And so , um , you know , 22:38.199 --> 22:40.839 again , our focus remains on providing 22:40.849 --> 22:43.680 support to uh to Israel in its efforts 22:43.689 --> 22:46.729 to defend itself . Uh And we very much 22:46.739 --> 22:49.569 would like to see uh the hostages uh 22:49.579 --> 22:52.560 returned uh safely . Um 22:55.250 --> 22:58.099 And in terms of the decision to provide 22:58.109 --> 23:01.890 weapons to uh to Israel , again , I 23:01.900 --> 23:03.670 won't uh engage in any type of 23:03.680 --> 23:05.900 speculation going forward . But uh but 23:05.910 --> 23:08.780 again , my hope would be that uh you 23:08.790 --> 23:10.623 know , we do what's necessary to 23:10.623 --> 23:12.734 protect civilians in a battle space . 23:12.734 --> 23:14.734 And , you know , you'll hear me say 23:14.734 --> 23:16.901 that over and over again . I , I don't 23:16.901 --> 23:18.623 think the two things are , are 23:18.623 --> 23:18.550 incompatible . Uh You know , I think 23:18.560 --> 23:20.560 you can conduct military operations 23:20.560 --> 23:24.530 effectively and also uh um account 23:24.540 --> 23:26.920 for civilians in the battle space . You 23:26.930 --> 23:29.152 know , we , we have learned a lot , the 23:29.152 --> 23:31.263 United States has learned , learned a 23:31.263 --> 23:33.430 lot in terms of , you know , this type 23:33.430 --> 23:35.374 of operation over the past several 23:35.374 --> 23:39.180 years . And , and uh again , I there's , 23:39.189 --> 23:41.467 there are ways to do this when you can , 23:41.467 --> 23:43.522 where you can account for both , you 23:43.522 --> 23:45.300 can protect the people and also 23:45.300 --> 23:47.411 accomplish your objectives . Let's go 23:47.411 --> 23:49.540 to Reuters General Brown . Could you 23:49.550 --> 23:51.606 explain , you've been quoted talking 23:51.606 --> 23:53.717 about the inevitability of advisors , 23:53.717 --> 23:56.260 us advisors in Ukraine working with 23:56.270 --> 23:58.326 Ukrainian forces . Can you explain a 23:58.326 --> 24:00.548 little bit about what , what , why that 24:00.548 --> 24:02.714 is necessary and what it would take to 24:02.714 --> 24:04.937 make that happen ? And uh and Secretary 24:04.937 --> 24:07.103 Austin on the IC C President Biden has 24:07.103 --> 24:08.770 called it the arrest warrants 24:08.770 --> 24:10.881 outrageous . This department had said 24:10.881 --> 24:12.881 it would work with the IC C provide 24:12.881 --> 24:14.992 evidence about Ukraine . Is that work 24:14.992 --> 24:16.992 continuing ? How does this decision 24:16.992 --> 24:19.199 affect those Pentagon efforts ? Thank 24:19.209 --> 24:21.609 you . So , let me , uh , put , uh , you 24:21.619 --> 24:23.675 know , this , that discussion in the 24:23.675 --> 24:25.459 context . If you go back before 24:25.469 --> 24:29.119 February of uh 2022 we had uh 24:30.000 --> 24:32.167 our us military members in there while 24:32.167 --> 24:33.833 working and training with the 24:33.833 --> 24:35.778 Ukrainians and that's not the case 24:35.778 --> 24:37.944 right now . And , uh , you know , when 24:37.944 --> 24:40.167 I said that we would put , uh , be able 24:40.167 --> 24:39.810 to do that eventually , you know , once 24:39.819 --> 24:42.300 this conflict is over and , um , we're , 24:42.310 --> 24:44.550 we're in a better place then , uh , I 24:44.560 --> 24:46.671 would suspect , uh , we would be able 24:46.671 --> 24:48.893 to , uh , bring trainers back in . Uh , 24:48.893 --> 24:51.004 but right now , there are no plans uh 24:51.004 --> 24:54.650 to bring us trainers into Ukraine . So , 24:54.660 --> 24:57.430 on the , on the question of the IC C , 24:57.439 --> 25:00.219 um , again , as I said earlier , I , I 25:00.229 --> 25:04.020 don't have anything to add on the , on 25:04.030 --> 25:06.086 the reports that , that , uh , we've 25:06.086 --> 25:09.510 seen here recently , um , regarding the 25:09.520 --> 25:11.742 question of whether or not , uh , we'll 25:11.742 --> 25:14.410 continue to provide support to the IC C 25:15.040 --> 25:16.818 with respect to crimes that are 25:16.818 --> 25:18.750 committed in Ukraine . Yes , we 25:18.760 --> 25:21.000 continue that work time for just a 25:21.010 --> 25:23.150 couple more . Let's go to N Pr Well , 25:23.160 --> 25:25.271 Mr Secretary , I want to go back to r 25:25.271 --> 25:27.216 uh you said you haven't received a 25:27.216 --> 25:28.993 detailed military plan from the 25:28.993 --> 25:31.049 Israelis about the way ahead there . 25:31.049 --> 25:33.216 What about the humanitarian plan ? You 25:33.216 --> 25:35.216 say you want them to care for these 25:35.216 --> 25:36.993 hundreds of thousands of people 25:36.993 --> 25:39.160 displaced , provide food , shelter and 25:39.160 --> 25:41.327 medical care . Have they given you any 25:41.327 --> 25:43.549 indication about how they plan on doing 25:43.549 --> 25:45.771 that ? Um Early on , we received a uh a 25:45.771 --> 25:47.993 conceptual brief on how they were going 25:47.993 --> 25:51.390 to going to put uh measures in place to 25:51.579 --> 25:53.900 take care of the population that , that 25:53.910 --> 25:56.729 moved out of that battle space . Uh And 25:56.739 --> 25:58.961 the things that are required to support 25:58.961 --> 26:01.017 that plan we've just not seen , I've 26:01.017 --> 26:03.128 not seen uh those , those elements go 26:03.128 --> 26:05.449 into play . And so my view is that 26:05.459 --> 26:07.737 there's , there's more work to be done . 26:07.737 --> 26:10.319 And uh and my view is also that this 26:10.329 --> 26:13.170 takes , this takes time . And so , um 26:13.989 --> 26:16.211 again , those those things that I think 26:16.211 --> 26:18.430 uh need to be in place to take care of 26:18.439 --> 26:20.550 people whenever they migrate from one 26:20.550 --> 26:22.661 place to another . Uh Again , we , we 26:22.661 --> 26:24.550 I've not seen evidence that those 26:24.550 --> 26:26.606 things are in place yet . So can you 26:26.606 --> 26:28.606 give us a sense of the concept that 26:28.606 --> 26:30.828 they gave you any , any details on that 26:30.828 --> 26:32.883 to us ? Uh I'll , I'll leave that to 26:32.883 --> 26:32.500 the Israelis to brief their , their 26:32.510 --> 26:36.469 concept . But uh um yeah , it's , 26:36.479 --> 26:38.701 it's one thing to have a concept . It's 26:38.701 --> 26:40.812 another thing to actually put it into 26:40.812 --> 26:43.709 play . So let's go to NBC . Uh Mr 26:43.719 --> 26:46.020 Secretary , you said that uh it is 26:46.030 --> 26:48.252 possible to conduct operations and also 26:48.252 --> 26:50.252 account for civilians in the battle 26:50.252 --> 26:52.474 space . And I wonder on Rafa given your 26:52.474 --> 26:54.419 extensive military experience what 26:54.419 --> 26:56.586 you're seeing happen in RA right now , 26:56.586 --> 26:56.579 do you think that Israel is doing that 26:56.589 --> 26:58.367 conducting their operations and 26:58.367 --> 27:00.533 accounting for civilians in the battle 27:00.533 --> 27:02.533 space ? And then Mr Chairman on the 27:02.533 --> 27:05.119 idea of um Ukraine at conducting 27:05.130 --> 27:07.352 strikes inside Russia , I wonder if you 27:07.352 --> 27:09.519 can say , are , are you confident that 27:09.519 --> 27:11.741 none of the long range attacks that the 27:11.741 --> 27:13.920 US has provided have been used to 27:13.930 --> 27:15.819 strike inside Russian territory ? 27:17.510 --> 27:21.140 Um So regarding 27:22.280 --> 27:22.979 um 27:25.979 --> 27:28.660 what uh what Israel is doing inside 27:28.670 --> 27:30.969 Rafa , you know , what we've seen thus 27:30.979 --> 27:34.099 far is uh uh a limited action that's 27:34.109 --> 27:36.160 been focused on uh the Rafah border 27:36.170 --> 27:39.260 crossing . And I again , uh it's 27:39.270 --> 27:41.326 reported that uh Minister Galan said 27:41.326 --> 27:43.270 that he looks to expand operations 27:43.270 --> 27:46.800 going forward . Um Now , um II I 27:46.810 --> 27:48.699 look forward to uh to having that 27:48.699 --> 27:51.280 discussion with them to understand uh 27:51.729 --> 27:53.785 you know , what , what his intent is 27:53.785 --> 27:56.118 and , and uh and how he's gonna do that . 27:56.118 --> 27:59.020 But again , uh what we want to see is 27:59.030 --> 28:01.252 uh is civilians accounted for and moved 28:01.252 --> 28:03.363 out of that bow space before anything 28:03.363 --> 28:05.586 happens . We've been clear about that , 28:05.586 --> 28:08.349 uh about that throughout , um , a as 28:08.359 --> 28:11.939 you well know , um , I think before 28:11.949 --> 28:14.449 things , this fight kicked off in , in 28:14.459 --> 28:18.459 Gaza , there were some 275,000 or so 28:18.469 --> 28:20.691 people that lived in and around Rafah , 28:20.959 --> 28:23.420 that number grew to , um , 28:24.469 --> 28:27.770 1.25 million or , or so . And that's , 28:27.780 --> 28:30.229 that's a big jump . And , uh , and 28:30.239 --> 28:32.072 that's a lot of people in a very 28:32.072 --> 28:34.350 compressed battle space that's uh in a , 28:34.350 --> 28:36.572 in a very difficult urban area . And as 28:36.572 --> 28:38.739 you know , urban combat is very , very 28:38.739 --> 28:40.795 intense , very difficult uh to begin 28:40.795 --> 28:43.260 with . So , uh unless you account for 28:43.270 --> 28:45.214 those civilians , uh and do things 28:45.214 --> 28:47.520 differently , then I think , uh you 28:47.530 --> 28:49.660 know , you stand to have a lot more 28:49.670 --> 28:51.670 casualties going forward and that's 28:51.670 --> 28:53.837 something that we'd like to see change 28:53.837 --> 28:56.003 scripts . I'm uh I am confident the uh 28:56.003 --> 28:58.170 the tackling that we provide have been 28:58.170 --> 29:00.281 uh have not been using uh in Russia , 29:00.281 --> 29:02.503 they've been using targets in Ukraine . 29:02.780 --> 29:05.359 Secretary Austin , the Russians , 29:05.369 --> 29:07.859 they're flying , they're flying bombers 29:08.150 --> 29:10.890 in Russian territory with glide bombs 29:10.900 --> 29:13.239 that are having a devastating impact on 29:13.250 --> 29:15.719 the battlefield inside of Ukraine . 29:15.729 --> 29:18.199 Should the Ukrainians be able to use 29:18.209 --> 29:21.709 American air defenses to hit those 29:21.719 --> 29:24.219 Russian bombers in Russian territory ? 29:25.599 --> 29:27.660 Well , you know , I again , you can 29:28.119 --> 29:30.790 diagram a number of different cases for , 29:31.180 --> 29:34.689 um , you know , whatever I would say 29:34.699 --> 29:37.510 that uh we , we have been clear about 29:37.520 --> 29:39.760 providing Ukrainian ability to defend 29:39.770 --> 29:42.459 it , defend its sovereign territory . 29:42.650 --> 29:44.761 And again , the dynamics of a , of an 29:44.761 --> 29:46.928 aerial engagement , you know , I , I'd 29:46.928 --> 29:49.150 leave it up to the experts but , but uh 29:49.150 --> 29:52.660 but certainly , um you know , our 29:52.670 --> 29:54.589 expectation is that they , they 29:54.599 --> 29:56.599 continue to use the weapons that we 29:56.599 --> 29:59.369 provided uh uh on targets inside of 29:59.380 --> 30:01.491 Ukraine . Now , the , the , the , the 30:01.491 --> 30:03.769 aerial dynamics a little bit different . 30:03.769 --> 30:07.270 And uh and so , uh but again , um 30:08.390 --> 30:11.599 don't want to speculate on any one or 30:11.609 --> 30:13.553 any type of engagement here at the 30:13.553 --> 30:16.430 podium . So limit or not . So final 30:16.439 --> 30:19.869 question , we'll go here , Mr Secretary . 30:19.880 --> 30:22.102 Are you concerned that Iran is going to 30:22.102 --> 30:24.324 try and blame Israel or even the United 30:24.324 --> 30:26.380 States for the crash that killed the 30:26.380 --> 30:28.324 president than yesterday . And for 30:28.324 --> 30:30.047 General Brown , Israel is also 30:30.047 --> 30:32.213 conducting operations in Northern Gaza 30:32.213 --> 30:34.269 even though they've said that they , 30:34.269 --> 30:36.213 they previously said that they had 30:36.213 --> 30:38.380 defeated Hamas there . So particularly 30:38.380 --> 30:40.602 given your personal experience fighting 30:40.602 --> 30:39.994 terrorists in the Middle East . Do you 30:40.005 --> 30:42.005 believe that Israel can achieve its 30:42.005 --> 30:44.900 goal of fully eliminating Hamas ? The , 30:45.000 --> 30:47.167 the , the United States had no part to 30:47.167 --> 30:50.670 play uh in , in that crash ? And so , 30:50.680 --> 30:52.959 and that's , that's a fact plain in 30:52.969 --> 30:55.920 something . And are you afraid they're 30:55.930 --> 30:58.520 going to blame Israel ? I , I won't 30:58.530 --> 31:00.530 speculate as to what they'll , what 31:00.530 --> 31:02.697 they'll blame again . They , they have 31:02.697 --> 31:04.919 to conduct an investigation to see what 31:04.919 --> 31:06.863 the cause of the crash was . Um It 31:06.863 --> 31:08.530 could be a number of things , 31:08.530 --> 31:10.586 mechanical failure , pilot error you 31:10.586 --> 31:12.709 name it . So to , to your , uh your 31:12.719 --> 31:15.052 question about Northern Gaza , you know , 31:15.052 --> 31:17.163 uh and , and based on experience , uh 31:17.163 --> 31:19.386 not only did you have to actually go in 31:19.386 --> 31:21.552 and , and uh and clear out uh whatever 31:21.552 --> 31:23.663 avers you're up against , you have to 31:23.663 --> 31:23.239 go in and hold the territory and then 31:23.250 --> 31:26.060 you got to stabilize it . Uh The uh the 31:26.069 --> 31:28.650 Israelis did not actually uh once they 31:28.660 --> 31:30.882 cleared it in cold . And so that allows 31:31.109 --> 31:33.500 um your adversary then to repopulate in 31:33.510 --> 31:36.589 areas if you're not there . Um And so 31:36.599 --> 31:38.766 that does make it more challenging for 31:38.766 --> 31:40.821 them . Um As far as being able to uh 31:40.821 --> 31:42.932 meet their objective of being able to 31:42.932 --> 31:44.932 uh militarily uh destroy and defeat 31:44.932 --> 31:47.920 Hamas , be able to do that . Well , I 31:47.930 --> 31:49.874 mean , Hamas is , it's not just an 31:49.874 --> 31:52.160 organization , it's a ideology . And so 31:52.170 --> 31:54.430 you got to think about uh um you know , 31:54.439 --> 31:56.383 the overall piece of being able to 31:56.383 --> 31:58.661 provide security , not only for Israel , 31:58.661 --> 32:00.606 but just there in the region um is 32:00.606 --> 32:02.772 going to take a concerted effort , not 32:02.772 --> 32:04.883 just from a military piece , but it's 32:04.883 --> 32:07.050 also how we uh you know , uh work with 32:07.050 --> 32:09.217 humanitarian assistance , which is why 32:09.217 --> 32:11.272 we focus so much . Secretary talking 32:11.272 --> 32:10.939 about humanitarian assistance and , and 32:10.949 --> 32:13.171 protecting the civilians that are there 32:13.171 --> 32:15.116 in Gaza , Secretary Austin General 32:15.116 --> 32:17.449 Brown . Thank you very much , gentlemen , 32:17.449 --> 32:16.930 ladies and gentlemen , this concludes 32:16.939 --> 32:18.000 our press briefing . Thank you .