WEBVTT 00:01.929 --> 00:05.429 Mhm Hello everyone . 00:07.000 --> 00:10.949 Welcome . So good morning and 00:10.949 --> 00:12.893 welcome to the Department of War . 00:12.893 --> 00:14.838 Before we begin , I want to take a 00:14.838 --> 00:16.505 moment to recognize and honor 00:16.549 --> 00:18.382 Specialist Sarah Beckstrom , the 00:18.382 --> 00:20.493 guardsman who was murdered in DC this 00:20.493 --> 00:22.771 past weekend . She is an American hero , 00:22.771 --> 00:24.827 and we will never forget her service 00:24.827 --> 00:27.160 and sacrifice . While we mourn her loss , 00:27.160 --> 00:29.271 we will continue to pray for the full 00:29.271 --> 00:31.549 recovery of Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf , 00:31.549 --> 00:33.549 the other service member critically 00:33.549 --> 00:35.660 injured in this heinous attack . This 00:35.660 --> 00:37.827 attack on our national guardsmen in DC 00:37.827 --> 00:39.771 follows months of Democrat elected 00:39.771 --> 00:42.105 officials demonizing the National Guard , 00:42.105 --> 00:44.049 portraying them as a threat to our 00:44.049 --> 00:45.882 republic , and attempting to sow 00:45.882 --> 00:48.049 discord in their ranks . To name a few 00:48.049 --> 00:50.090 examples , Governor Gavin Newsom 00:50.090 --> 00:51.923 claimed that President Trump was 00:51.923 --> 00:53.923 fabricating emergencies in order to 00:53.923 --> 00:56.090 justify the deployment of the National 00:56.090 --> 00:58.220 Guard in some major cities . Governor 00:58.220 --> 01:00.442 JB Pritzker claimed that the deployment 01:00.442 --> 01:02.498 of the National Guard amounted to an 01:02.498 --> 01:04.720 attack on the American people . Outside 01:04.720 --> 01:07.029 an ice facility in California , Rep 01:07.029 --> 01:08.989 Maxine Waters taunted the troops 01:08.989 --> 01:11.190 standing guard and demanded to know 01:11.190 --> 01:13.246 whether they intended to shoot her . 01:13.246 --> 01:16.069 And of course , the seditious six urged 01:16.069 --> 01:18.180 members of our military to defy their 01:18.180 --> 01:20.347 chain of command in an unprecedented , 01:20.347 --> 01:22.709 treasonous , and shameful conspiracy to 01:22.709 --> 01:25.110 sow distrust and chaos in our armed 01:25.110 --> 01:27.809 forces . This rhetoric insults our 01:27.809 --> 01:29.976 warfighters who put their lives on the 01:29.976 --> 01:32.198 line every day to keep Americans safe , 01:32.209 --> 01:34.209 and it creates an environment where 01:34.209 --> 01:36.209 criminals feel emboldened to commit 01:36.209 --> 01:38.959 violent acts against them . Right now , 01:39.169 --> 01:42.059 over 2200 National Guardsmen from all 01:42.059 --> 01:44.059 across the country are serving as a 01:44.059 --> 01:46.129 part of Joint Task Force DC with an 01:46.129 --> 01:48.830 additional 500 on the way . Each one of 01:48.830 --> 01:50.886 them will continue working to ensure 01:50.886 --> 01:53.108 the safety of all who live , work , and 01:53.108 --> 01:55.219 visit the district . We will not lose 01:55.219 --> 01:57.330 sight of our mission . This targeting 01:57.330 --> 01:59.386 will only embolden our resolve . Our 01:59.386 --> 02:01.497 warriors are strong , and we will not 02:01.497 --> 02:03.497 back down until our capital and our 02:03.497 --> 02:05.386 cities are secure . Defending our 02:05.386 --> 02:07.269 homeland and rescuing America's 02:07.269 --> 02:09.380 greatest cities from endemic violence 02:09.380 --> 02:11.789 is the highest and best use of our 02:11.789 --> 02:14.289 military . I would also like to take a 02:14.289 --> 02:16.511 moment today to welcome all of you here 02:16.511 --> 02:18.345 to the Pentagon briefing room as 02:18.345 --> 02:20.400 official new members of the Pentagon 02:20.400 --> 02:22.567 press corps . We're glad to have you . 02:22.610 --> 02:24.889 Legacy Media chose to self-deport from 02:24.889 --> 02:27.056 this building , and if you look at the 02:27.056 --> 02:29.222 numbers , it's pretty clear why no one 02:29.222 --> 02:31.445 followed them . National trust in these 02:31.445 --> 02:33.556 mainstream media outlets has cratered 02:33.556 --> 02:36.580 to 28% , the lowest ever recorded . The 02:36.580 --> 02:38.469 American people don't trust these 02:38.469 --> 02:40.413 propagandists because they stopped 02:40.413 --> 02:42.580 telling the truth . So we're not going 02:42.580 --> 02:44.636 to beg these old gatekeepers to come 02:44.636 --> 02:46.524 back , and we're not rebuilding a 02:46.524 --> 02:48.524 broken model just to appease them . 02:48.524 --> 02:50.524 Instead , we're welcoming new media 02:50.524 --> 02:52.747 outlets that actually reach Americans , 02:52.747 --> 02:54.969 ask real questions , and don't pursue a 02:54.969 --> 02:57.490 biased agenda . The public has moved on 02:57.490 --> 02:59.434 from the old model and so will the 02:59.434 --> 03:01.546 Pentagon . This is the beginning of a 03:01.546 --> 03:03.601 new era . We look forward to working 03:03.601 --> 03:05.657 with you to keep the American people 03:05.657 --> 03:07.768 informed and to ensure transparency . 03:07.768 --> 03:09.768 In the interest of transparency , I 03:09.768 --> 03:11.601 want to provide an update on the 03:11.601 --> 03:13.712 department's operations against narco 03:13.712 --> 03:15.879 terrorists in the Western Hemisphere . 03:15.879 --> 03:18.101 To date , there have been a total of 21 03:18.101 --> 03:20.157 kinetic strikes on drug boats in our 03:20.157 --> 03:22.157 hemisphere with 82 narco terrorists 03:22.157 --> 03:24.268 killed . Each strike strike conducted 03:24.268 --> 03:26.212 against these designated terrorist 03:26.212 --> 03:28.268 organizations is taken in defense of 03:28.268 --> 03:30.279 vital US national interests and to 03:30.279 --> 03:32.830 protect the homeland . Our operations 03:32.830 --> 03:35.509 in the SOCOM region are lawful under 03:35.509 --> 03:38.419 both US and international law with all 03:38.419 --> 03:40.669 actions in compliance with the law of 03:40.669 --> 03:42.910 armed conflict . These actions have 03:42.910 --> 03:45.669 also been approved by the best military 03:45.669 --> 03:47.725 and civilian lawyers up and down the 03:47.725 --> 03:50.039 chain of command . A completely fake 03:50.039 --> 03:52.139 story in The Washington Post , now 03:52.139 --> 03:54.259 discredited by the New York Times , 03:54.539 --> 03:56.261 tried to mischaracterize these 03:56.261 --> 03:58.580 successful strikes in bad faith . It 03:58.580 --> 04:00.747 was an attempt to damage the Secretary 04:00.747 --> 04:02.913 and the President , and the people saw 04:02.913 --> 04:05.080 through it . The phony Washington Post 04:05.080 --> 04:07.302 story even attributed statements to the 04:07.302 --> 04:09.949 secretary that were totally fabricated . 04:10.059 --> 04:11.910 He never said them . That is the 04:11.910 --> 04:14.460 epitome of fake news . As the White 04:14.460 --> 04:16.299 House confirmed yesterday , the 04:16.299 --> 04:18.077 decision to re-strike the narco 04:18.077 --> 04:20.132 terrorist vessel was made by Admiral 04:20.132 --> 04:22.459 Bradley , operating under clear and 04:22.459 --> 04:24.681 long-standing authorities to ensure the 04:24.681 --> 04:26.737 boat was destroyed and the threat to 04:26.737 --> 04:28.681 the United States was eliminated . 04:28.681 --> 04:30.903 Secretary Hegseth stands behind Admiral 04:30.903 --> 04:33.579 Bradley 100% . Admiral Bradley made the 04:33.579 --> 04:35.989 right call , and unlike the previous 04:35.989 --> 04:37.600 administration , we have our 04:37.600 --> 04:39.711 warfighters back at this department . 04:40.119 --> 04:41.897 This department will defend our 04:41.897 --> 04:44.119 homeland . This is not a catch phrase . 04:44.119 --> 04:45.897 It is a commitment . And as the 04:45.897 --> 04:47.786 secretary said , when it comes to 04:47.786 --> 04:50.008 killing narco terrorists , we have only 04:50.008 --> 04:52.149 just begun . Lastly , I would like to 04:52.149 --> 04:54.205 announce that the War Department has 04:54.205 --> 04:56.260 created a new division for strategic 04:56.260 --> 04:58.205 marketing that will be led by Abby 04:58.205 --> 05:00.149 Lower , who will hold the title of 05:00.149 --> 05:02.205 deputy assistant to the Secretary of 05:02.205 --> 05:04.093 War for Strategic Marketing . The 05:04.093 --> 05:06.149 division will be a new core function 05:06.149 --> 05:07.871 within public affairs and will 05:07.871 --> 05:09.816 complement our media and strategic 05:09.816 --> 05:11.982 engagement teams . The purpose of this 05:11.982 --> 05:13.982 new division is to create marketing 05:13.982 --> 05:15.705 campaigns that support the War 05:15.705 --> 05:17.593 Department's military recruitment 05:17.593 --> 05:19.649 efforts , providing a halo effect to 05:19.649 --> 05:21.705 the great work the military services 05:21.705 --> 05:23.538 are already doing to recruit our 05:23.538 --> 05:25.649 nation's war fighters , and with that 05:25.649 --> 05:27.760 I'd be happy to take your questions . 05:29.140 --> 05:31.251 Yes , Caitlin , thanks Kim Kingsley . 05:31.450 --> 05:33.690 Can you talk about the autonomy that's 05:33.690 --> 05:36.329 given to the commanders who are 05:36.329 --> 05:38.273 carrying out these operations like 05:38.273 --> 05:41.250 Admiral Bradley to make decisions , um , 05:41.290 --> 05:43.329 like in this case I'm assuming the 05:43.329 --> 05:45.496 first strike took out the boat and any 05:45.496 --> 05:47.551 actions that followed . Can you talk 05:47.551 --> 05:49.496 about the autonomy they're given ? 05:49.496 --> 05:51.551 Absolutely so the secretary has been 05:51.551 --> 05:53.496 very clear in every statement that 05:53.496 --> 05:55.718 we've released about these strikes that 05:55.718 --> 05:57.940 they are presidentially directed , um , 05:57.940 --> 05:57.779 and the chain of command functions as 05:57.779 --> 05:59.668 it should , and we make sure that 05:59.668 --> 06:01.668 commanders on the ground are taking 06:01.668 --> 06:03.835 their positions are taken into account 06:03.835 --> 06:05.835 and they are able to tell us . Make 06:05.835 --> 06:07.890 decisions if they if they see things 06:07.890 --> 06:09.946 that need to be flagged , but at the 06:09.946 --> 06:12.057 end of the day , um the secretary and 06:12.057 --> 06:14.112 the president are the ones directing 06:14.112 --> 06:16.057 these strikes um and any follow on 06:16.057 --> 06:18.223 strikes like those which were directed 06:18.223 --> 06:20.446 by Admiral Bradley , the secretary 100% 06:20.446 --> 06:22.557 agrees with , yes , Matt . Kingsley , 06:22.557 --> 06:25.190 if Nicolas Maduro leaves Venezuela 06:25.519 --> 06:27.630 today , what role will the Department 06:27.630 --> 06:29.352 of war have in a post-M Maduro 06:29.352 --> 06:32.920 Venezuela and describe the process the 06:32.920 --> 06:35.000 administration will use to determine 06:35.000 --> 06:37.111 whether or not current members of the 06:37.111 --> 06:39.000 Venezuelan military or Venezuelan 06:39.000 --> 06:40.556 government have a role in a 06:40.556 --> 06:42.778 post-Madduro Venezuela . Thanks for the 06:42.778 --> 06:45.111 question . Um , so the department has a . 06:45.111 --> 06:47.278 Contingency plan for everything we are 06:47.278 --> 06:49.444 a planning organization um if anything 06:49.444 --> 06:51.500 were to happen around the world , we 06:51.500 --> 06:53.722 have a response planned and ready so we 06:53.722 --> 06:55.889 stand at the president's beck and call 06:55.889 --> 06:57.889 our commander in chief , um , to do 06:57.889 --> 07:00.056 what is needed , uh , if called upon , 07:00.056 --> 07:02.167 and that will be what this department 07:02.167 --> 07:02.111 continues to focus on and continues to 07:02.111 --> 07:04.000 prepare for , um , in regards for 07:04.000 --> 07:06.071 ongoing operations in the Southcom 07:06.071 --> 07:08.127 region . Again , our focus is taking 07:08.127 --> 07:10.503 out narco-terrorists and rooting out 07:10.503 --> 07:12.392 that threat that is poisoning the 07:12.392 --> 07:14.493 American people . Every single boat 07:14.493 --> 07:17.664 that we strike saved 25,000 American 07:17.664 --> 07:20.063 lives . That is a crucial mission to 07:20.063 --> 07:22.285 protecting the homeland and we're proud 07:22.285 --> 07:24.396 to be a part of it . Quickly , so you 07:24.396 --> 07:26.285 know , following the departure of 07:26.285 --> 07:28.452 Saddam Hussein , there was this desire 07:28.452 --> 07:31.335 to name every bath . A terrorist , does 07:31.335 --> 07:33.536 the administration take the view that 07:33.536 --> 07:35.758 any person who served in the Venezuelan 07:35.758 --> 07:37.814 military or Venezuelan government is 07:37.814 --> 07:40.036 definitionally a narco-terrorist ? That 07:40.036 --> 07:41.869 would be a determination for the 07:41.869 --> 07:44.036 president to make , but I can tell you 07:44.036 --> 07:43.575 that every single person who we have 07:43.575 --> 07:46.135 hit thus far , who is in a drug boat 07:46.135 --> 07:48.357 carrying narcotics to the United States 07:48.357 --> 07:50.579 is a narco-terrorist . Our intelligence 07:50.579 --> 07:52.802 has confirmed that and we stand by it . 07:52.802 --> 07:54.857 Yes , Monica , thanks , Kingsley . I 07:54.857 --> 07:57.024 have two questions if I may . For your 07:57.024 --> 07:59.135 first question regarding , um , Sarah 07:59.135 --> 07:58.989 Beckstrom , the 20-year-old West 07:58.989 --> 08:01.100 Virginia National Guardswoman who was 08:01.100 --> 08:02.933 shot and killed , was her family 08:02.933 --> 08:05.267 offered uh an Arlington burial and , um , 08:05.267 --> 08:07.322 or would there be plans to do so ? I 08:07.322 --> 08:09.156 know that the the White House is 08:09.156 --> 08:11.267 working that out , um , so they might 08:11.267 --> 08:13.489 be better to to describe what the plans 08:13.489 --> 08:15.600 are for that but this department will 08:15.600 --> 08:17.767 of course support in any way we can um 08:17.767 --> 08:19.767 and have been , you know , in close 08:19.767 --> 08:19.609 contact with the family and the 08:19.609 --> 08:21.609 secretary will continue to do so so 08:21.609 --> 08:23.665 we'll keep you all updated on that . 08:23.665 --> 08:25.665 And my second question um regarding 08:25.665 --> 08:27.720 Iran , there are reports that Iran's 08:27.720 --> 08:29.942 been planning on rebuilding its nuclear 08:29.942 --> 08:32.276 facilities . Iranian president has said . 08:32.276 --> 08:34.331 That it plans to rebuild its nuclear 08:34.331 --> 08:36.786 facilities with greater strength . Um , 08:36.916 --> 08:38.805 can you provide us on any sort of 08:38.805 --> 08:41.027 update on where that currently stands ? 08:41.027 --> 08:43.194 I can tell you that Operation Midnight 08:43.194 --> 08:45.083 Hammer was an absolute resounding 08:45.083 --> 08:46.749 success . Um , Iran's nuclear 08:46.749 --> 08:48.972 capabilities were totally obliterated , 08:48.972 --> 08:51.083 um , and experts estimated that , you 08:51.083 --> 08:53.194 know , it would take 2 years for them 08:53.194 --> 08:55.194 to recover . So thanks to President 08:55.194 --> 08:57.416 Trump's bold and swift action . We were 08:57.416 --> 08:59.472 able to dismantle that threat to the 08:59.472 --> 08:59.392 American people , and I think it was 08:59.392 --> 09:02.142 also a historic operation by virtue of 09:02.142 --> 09:04.142 the fact that there was a clear end 09:04.142 --> 09:06.198 state . We have seen this department 09:06.198 --> 09:08.309 get marred down in the Middle East in 09:08.309 --> 09:10.364 endless wars in nation building that 09:10.364 --> 09:12.420 has stopped under this president and 09:12.420 --> 09:14.642 the secretary . We now have a clear end 09:14.642 --> 09:14.581 state , a clear mission set , and 09:14.581 --> 09:16.803 Operation Midnight Hammer was a success 09:16.803 --> 09:18.803 in dismantling that . Yes , Laura , 09:18.803 --> 09:21.137 thanks so much for having me here today . 09:21.137 --> 09:23.359 Uh , now that the president has started 09:23.359 --> 09:25.470 the process of designating the Muslim 09:25.470 --> 09:27.303 Brotherhood as a foreign Islamic 09:27.303 --> 09:29.470 terrorist organization , uh , will the 09:29.470 --> 09:31.525 Department of War still proceed with 09:31.525 --> 09:33.581 selling F-15 fighter jets to Qatar , 09:33.581 --> 09:35.525 and how will they be able to train 09:35.525 --> 09:37.470 Qatari pilots at their air base in 09:37.470 --> 09:39.359 Idaho if Qatar is included in the 09:39.359 --> 09:39.299 designation ? Thank you for the 09:39.299 --> 09:41.320 question . We um . We take very 09:41.320 --> 09:43.929 seriously um our partnerships and we 09:43.929 --> 09:46.130 always do thorough evaluations to make 09:46.130 --> 09:48.559 sure that they protect our intelligence , 09:48.750 --> 09:50.750 um , our operational security , and 09:50.750 --> 09:52.861 that they serve the best interests of 09:52.861 --> 09:54.750 the American people . Um , the US 09:54.750 --> 09:56.361 military has a long standing 09:56.361 --> 09:58.417 partnership with Qatar , um , and we 09:58.417 --> 10:00.194 look forward to continuing that 10:00.194 --> 10:02.361 partnership at our air base in Idaho , 10:02.361 --> 10:04.528 and I would just point out that . Um , 10:04.528 --> 10:06.750 for reference , you know , the Mountain 10:06.750 --> 10:08.972 Home Idaho Air Base is not just Qataris 10:08.972 --> 10:10.861 that train there . There are also 10:10.861 --> 10:12.917 Singapore um military folks that are 10:12.917 --> 10:15.139 there as well . So it is a base that we 10:15.139 --> 10:17.361 do a lot of foreign military training , 10:17.361 --> 10:19.472 uh , and we are , we are thankful for 10:19.472 --> 10:19.036 those partnerships and we'll continue 10:19.036 --> 10:21.147 to evaluate all of those to make sure 10:21.147 --> 10:22.925 again that national security is 10:22.925 --> 10:24.925 protected . That is the secretary's 10:24.925 --> 10:26.980 utmost priority . But given the fact 10:26.980 --> 10:28.869 that the A royal family and Qatar 10:28.869 --> 10:30.980 itself is the biggest financier along 10:30.980 --> 10:33.203 with Turkey , of course , the financier 10:33.203 --> 10:32.942 of the Muslim Brotherhood would that 10:32.942 --> 10:34.720 relationship and partnership be 10:34.720 --> 10:36.942 reevaluated since the designation could 10:36.942 --> 10:38.775 possibly include Qatar ? I'm not 10:38.775 --> 10:41.053 tracking any reevaluation at this time , 10:41.053 --> 10:43.220 but again , the secretary really keeps 10:43.220 --> 10:45.386 national security top of mind and this 10:45.386 --> 10:45.302 administration does as well , so we 10:45.302 --> 10:47.302 will always make sure that American 10:47.302 --> 10:50.599 assets are protected . Yes . Hi David , 10:50.640 --> 10:52.696 it's the Real America's Voice . Uh , 10:52.696 --> 10:54.862 it's great to be here . I want to know 10:54.862 --> 10:56.751 if you can confirm any additional 10:56.751 --> 10:58.918 National Guard deployments under Title 10:58.918 --> 11:01.084 10 in additional cities , and have any 11:01.084 --> 11:03.140 governors reached out for help under 11:03.140 --> 11:05.520 Title 32 as well ? And how do you 11:05.520 --> 11:07.631 determine how National Guard troops , 11:07.679 --> 11:10.270 how many are armed ? Great question . 11:10.349 --> 11:12.182 Um , so I don't have anything to 11:12.182 --> 11:14.293 announce at this time , uh , in terms 11:14.293 --> 11:16.516 of new deployments , but I can tell you 11:16.516 --> 11:18.627 that our mission set is critical . We 11:18.627 --> 11:20.682 are keeping American cities safe all 11:20.682 --> 11:22.849 across this country , and we are going 11:22.849 --> 11:24.793 to remain committed to that , that 11:24.793 --> 11:26.960 these missions aren't going to stop in 11:26.960 --> 11:29.071 Chicago , in Los Angeles , in DC . We 11:29.071 --> 11:31.127 understand the urgent threat that is 11:31.127 --> 11:33.238 facing many of these cities , and the 11:33.238 --> 11:35.293 National Guard is proud to step . In 11:35.293 --> 11:37.460 alongside our law enforcement partners 11:37.460 --> 11:39.627 um to help with that and I can confirm 11:39.627 --> 11:41.682 that everybody in DC is now armed um 11:41.682 --> 11:43.849 and a lot of our DC National Guardsmen 11:43.849 --> 11:45.960 are now also doing joint patrols with 11:45.960 --> 11:48.071 members of the police department here 11:48.071 --> 11:50.182 in DC um so their safety is of course 11:50.182 --> 11:52.182 top of mind and we will continue to 11:52.182 --> 11:54.405 make sure that they're able to do their 11:54.405 --> 11:56.238 jobs in keeping all of our great 11:56.238 --> 11:58.293 Americans safe across our cities yes 11:58.293 --> 12:01.109 Bradley . We're now 90 days into these 12:01.109 --> 12:03.570 uh Venezuelan drug boat strikes . A 12:03.570 --> 12:05.626 growing number of members on Capitol 12:05.626 --> 12:07.737 Hill are getting their mettle up with 12:07.737 --> 12:09.903 regard to war powers . If they do move 12:09.903 --> 12:11.959 forward with some sort of war powers 12:11.959 --> 12:14.070 effort , will the administration seek 12:14.070 --> 12:16.126 to challenge the validity of the war 12:16.126 --> 12:18.348 powers resolution , or will it comply ? 12:18.348 --> 12:20.348 I wouldn't want to get ahead of the 12:20.348 --> 12:22.514 president's decision making process in 12:22.514 --> 12:24.570 regard to Venezuela , but I can tell 12:24.570 --> 12:26.737 you what I what I mentioned earlier is 12:26.737 --> 12:26.219 that the department is a planning 12:26.219 --> 12:28.441 organization . We are always ready . We 12:28.441 --> 12:30.775 have plans for every single contingency , 12:30.775 --> 12:32.997 and we are going to make sure that when 12:32.997 --> 12:34.997 it comes to narco-terrorism , we're 12:34.997 --> 12:37.219 dismantling that throughout the Western 12:37.219 --> 12:36.549 Hemisphere and you've seen that in the 12:36.549 --> 12:38.716 success of our strikes . One follow up 12:38.716 --> 12:41.789 if I may , 53% in a recent CBS YouGov 12:41.789 --> 12:44.109 poll said they support the strikes on 12:44.109 --> 12:47.059 these drug boats , but 70% said . No 12:47.059 --> 12:49.530 military operations within Venezuela . 12:49.780 --> 12:51.947 Nevertheless , members of Congress are 12:51.947 --> 12:54.113 increasingly calling for regime change 12:54.113 --> 12:56.224 there . Uh , what's the Department of 12:56.224 --> 12:56.150 War's message to those members of 12:56.150 --> 12:58.372 Congress ? The Department of War stands 12:58.372 --> 13:00.594 behind the president 100% , and we will 13:00.594 --> 13:02.317 execute on the orders that our 13:02.317 --> 13:04.539 commander in chief gives us , and we're 13:04.539 --> 13:06.650 proud to do so . That will continue . 13:06.650 --> 13:08.817 And again , any decision that is going 13:08.817 --> 13:10.706 to be made about certain military 13:10.706 --> 13:10.539 actions in the Western Hemisphere 13:10.539 --> 13:12.706 region will be the president's alone . 13:13.200 --> 13:15.659 Yes . Uh , Todd Wood from CDM's Armed 13:15.659 --> 13:17.826 Forces Press , uh , there's been a lot 13:17.826 --> 13:19.770 of reporting that yes , it's about 13:19.770 --> 13:21.826 drugs in Venezuela but also possibly 13:21.826 --> 13:23.937 about election fraud electronically . 13:24.299 --> 13:26.299 Do you have any comment on that and 13:26.299 --> 13:28.521 also our assets , uh , we've heard that 13:28.521 --> 13:30.688 special operations aviation assets are 13:30.688 --> 13:32.799 exercising for direct action missions 13:32.799 --> 13:34.910 in that region . Can you confirm that 13:34.910 --> 13:36.910 at all ? On your first question , I 13:36.910 --> 13:36.530 would refer you to the State Department . 13:36.619 --> 13:38.786 I think they would probably be able to 13:38.786 --> 13:41.008 give you a better answer on that . Um , 13:41.008 --> 13:43.175 but in terms of your second question , 13:43.175 --> 13:45.286 I can tell you that we are conducting 13:45.286 --> 13:47.508 training missions and exercises . We've 13:47.508 --> 13:47.460 got the Ford aircraft carrier now that 13:47.460 --> 13:49.460 is down there , uh , in the SOCOM 13:49.460 --> 13:51.071 region , and as I said , the 13:51.071 --> 13:53.293 departments of planning organizations , 13:53.293 --> 13:55.516 so a big part of that planning is doing 13:55.516 --> 13:55.440 trainings and make sure that we're 13:55.440 --> 13:57.780 ready at a moment's notice to protect 13:57.780 --> 13:59.613 our interests and to protect the 13:59.613 --> 14:01.780 American people from narco-terrorism . 14:02.109 --> 14:04.289 Yes , RC . Has there been a 14:04.289 --> 14:06.345 determination at this point from the 14:06.345 --> 14:08.233 Army secretary on a Distinguished 14:08.233 --> 14:10.289 Service Medal for Specialist Sarah 14:10.289 --> 14:12.950 Bextram ? I would refer you to the army 14:12.950 --> 14:15.228 for that , um , and if I hear anything , 14:15.228 --> 14:17.394 I will keep you posted . That would be 14:17.394 --> 14:19.394 wonderful news . Yes , James . Hi , 14:19.394 --> 14:21.617 James O'Keefe . Nicholas Turza , branch 14:21.617 --> 14:23.839 chief here at the Pentagon , was caught 14:23.839 --> 14:23.669 on a video in the spring stating , 14:23.750 --> 14:25.861 quote , Trump is illegitimate . We're 14:25.861 --> 14:27.528 going to resist him , quote , 14:27.528 --> 14:29.694 everything he does . We know there are 14:29.694 --> 14:31.917 other people like this that work here . 14:31.917 --> 14:31.510 My question is what steps is the 14:31.510 --> 14:33.566 Department of War taking to identify 14:33.566 --> 14:35.621 and address personnel who are in the 14:35.621 --> 14:37.677 self-described resistance movement . 14:37.677 --> 14:39.899 Thank you for the question . That's why 14:39.899 --> 14:42.010 the work you all do is so important . 14:42.010 --> 14:44.121 This is a big building and we want to 14:44.121 --> 14:43.770 make sure that we have the absolute 14:43.770 --> 14:46.039 best people working at it to protect 14:46.340 --> 14:48.451 Americans every single day . We don't 14:48.451 --> 14:50.673 take lightly what every single civilian 14:50.673 --> 14:52.896 and military person in this building do 14:52.896 --> 14:55.007 every single day . Uh , they do a lot 14:55.007 --> 14:54.739 of hard work and we want to make sure 14:54.739 --> 14:56.683 that they're up to the task , that 14:56.683 --> 14:59.109 they're on board and willing to serve 14:59.109 --> 15:01.276 our commander in chief who was elected 15:01.276 --> 15:03.387 by the whole of the American people , 15:03.387 --> 15:05.553 um , to serve as our president , and , 15:05.553 --> 15:07.553 and we support him 100% here at the 15:07.553 --> 15:09.887 Department of War . That is our mission . 15:09.887 --> 15:11.942 That is our chain of . And , um , so 15:11.942 --> 15:14.165 personnel is policy . The secretary has 15:14.165 --> 15:16.387 said that many times and I know you all 15:16.387 --> 15:18.665 in this room are aware of that as well . 15:18.665 --> 15:20.776 That was really the , the crux of his 15:20.776 --> 15:22.942 speech at Quantico not long ago to the 15:22.942 --> 15:24.887 generals . Our people are our most 15:24.887 --> 15:24.690 important assets , so we will continue 15:24.690 --> 15:26.523 to make sure that our people are 15:26.523 --> 15:28.579 consistently putting America first . 15:28.579 --> 15:30.523 That's something we care very much 15:30.523 --> 15:32.690 about . Yes , Alex , thanks Kingsley . 15:32.690 --> 15:35.409 Are there plans to host or hold more of 15:35.409 --> 15:37.576 these , uh , regular press briefings ? 15:37.576 --> 15:39.798 And if so , how frequently ? Absolutely 15:39.798 --> 15:41.798 we'd love to . It'd be great to get 15:41.798 --> 15:44.020 everybody in here . Um , I know we have 15:44.020 --> 15:46.131 the Christmas holiday coming up , but 15:46.131 --> 15:45.890 we'd love to make it a weekly or 15:45.890 --> 15:47.946 biweekly , uh , tradition , so we're 15:47.946 --> 15:50.168 excited to have you all in the Pentagon 15:50.168 --> 15:52.223 for those . We was we receiving more 15:52.223 --> 15:54.168 readouts of the Secretary of War's 15:54.168 --> 15:55.890 meetings , you know , with the 15:55.890 --> 15:57.946 president yesterday , um , much like 15:57.946 --> 15:57.280 the State Department and the White 15:57.280 --> 15:59.309 House that provide by readouts and 15:59.309 --> 16:01.476 scheduling and things like that . Will 16:01.476 --> 16:03.698 we be receiving more of those . Um , in 16:03.698 --> 16:05.865 the interest , as I said in my opening 16:05.865 --> 16:07.920 in the interest of transparency , we 16:07.920 --> 16:07.770 want to make sure that you all are 16:07.770 --> 16:09.937 informed . That's a commitment we take 16:09.937 --> 16:11.992 seriously . Obviously we're slightly 16:11.992 --> 16:14.159 different than other agencies and that 16:14.159 --> 16:15.826 we have national security and 16:15.826 --> 16:18.048 operational concerns , but we will tell 16:18.048 --> 16:17.840 you as much as we can because we want 16:17.840 --> 16:19.840 the American public to know all the 16:19.840 --> 16:22.007 incredible things that our warfighters 16:22.007 --> 16:24.173 are doing every single day and all the 16:24.173 --> 16:26.396 amazing initiatives the secretary is is 16:26.396 --> 16:28.673 pursuing here at the Department of War . 16:28.673 --> 16:30.840 Yes . Excuse me , uh , Jordan Conrad's 16:30.840 --> 16:32.951 from the Gateway pundit . I wanted to 16:32.951 --> 16:34.784 ask you , in May , the secretary 16:34.784 --> 16:36.951 announced a new investigation into the 16:36.951 --> 16:39.173 Afghanistan withdrawal under Biden . In 16:39.173 --> 16:41.340 light of the recent events with one of 16:41.340 --> 16:43.830 these refugees killing a service member , 16:44.090 --> 16:45.701 is there any updates on that 16:45.701 --> 16:47.534 investigation ? I don't have any 16:47.534 --> 16:49.590 updates for you at this time , but I 16:49.590 --> 16:51.812 can tell you that the review that we're 16:51.812 --> 16:53.479 doing into the the horrendous 16:53.479 --> 16:53.450 Afghanistan withdrawal under the 16:53.450 --> 16:55.450 previous administration , the Biden 16:55.450 --> 16:57.394 administration , is expected to be 16:57.394 --> 16:59.617 complete by summer of 2026 , and we are 16:59.617 --> 17:02.500 committed to ensuring that this review , 17:02.590 --> 17:05.839 unlike others , is much more um 17:05.839 --> 17:07.950 unredacted , that the American people 17:07.950 --> 17:09.895 are able to consume the report for 17:09.895 --> 17:11.798 themselves and . See what truly 17:11.798 --> 17:13.918 happened on that fateful day and that 17:13.918 --> 17:16.029 fateful withdrawal , and we owe it to 17:16.029 --> 17:18.307 our service members to accomplish that . 17:18.307 --> 17:20.362 The review is being led by our chief 17:20.362 --> 17:22.474 Pentagon spokesman and senior adviser 17:22.474 --> 17:24.529 to the secretary , Sean Parnell , an 17:24.529 --> 17:26.640 Afghan veteran himself , and he takes 17:26.640 --> 17:28.696 very seriously the responsibility to 17:28.696 --> 17:30.974 getting answers to the American people . 17:30.974 --> 17:33.196 So we are committed to that 100% and in 17:33.196 --> 17:35.307 summer 2026 , the public will be able 17:35.307 --> 17:37.418 to have that report . Yes . Thank you 17:37.418 --> 17:39.640 Ks a question for you in regards to the 17:39.640 --> 17:41.751 Afghan withdrawal when we brought all 17:41.751 --> 17:43.862 these migrants onto military bases or 17:43.862 --> 17:46.029 these refugees on the military bases , 17:46.029 --> 17:45.729 we saw a surge in assaults immediately 17:45.729 --> 17:47.618 after sexual assault and physical 17:47.618 --> 17:49.840 assaults and then all of a sudden under 17:49.840 --> 17:51.729 the previous administration we no 17:51.729 --> 17:53.729 longer learned of anything that was 17:53.729 --> 17:53.290 happening anymore on these military 17:53.290 --> 17:55.569 bases . Does this Pentagon plan on 17:55.569 --> 17:58.130 giving us some type of criminal data on 17:58.130 --> 18:00.297 that to see what actually happens when 18:00.297 --> 18:02.408 they were brought onto these military 18:02.408 --> 18:04.630 bases and do we have any status updates 18:04.630 --> 18:06.741 on like . FBI investigations and such 18:06.741 --> 18:08.797 so for FBI investigations , anything 18:08.797 --> 18:10.408 that would be a criminal law 18:10.408 --> 18:12.519 enforcement matter would obviously um 18:12.519 --> 18:14.186 be something to direct to the 18:14.186 --> 18:16.130 Department of Justice as we cannot 18:16.130 --> 18:18.352 speak to that um from our perch here at 18:18.352 --> 18:17.619 the Department of war but what I can 18:17.619 --> 18:20.939 tell you um is that we are aware of a 18:20.939 --> 18:23.106 lot of that activity that went on it's 18:23.106 --> 18:26.489 despicable one is too many , right ? Um , 18:26.579 --> 18:28.412 and we understand that the Biden 18:28.412 --> 18:30.468 administration unfortunately put our 18:30.468 --> 18:32.412 troops in our country last in many 18:32.412 --> 18:34.523 cases . The secretary is committed to 18:34.523 --> 18:36.746 correcting that and I think that's what 18:36.746 --> 18:39.079 you're going to see going forward . Yes . 18:39.270 --> 18:41.780 Yes , um , thank you . I , uh , I 18:41.780 --> 18:44.002 wanted to ask you about Somalia , which 18:44.002 --> 18:46.113 isn't talked about very much , but we 18:46.113 --> 18:48.336 have done 101 , uh , strikes in Somalia 18:48.336 --> 18:50.680 in 2025 , and , um , there was another , 18:50.780 --> 18:52.836 there was a raid carried out in some 18:52.836 --> 18:54.836 caves and I'm quoting , um , former 18:54.836 --> 18:56.836 congressman Matt Gates who I didn't 18:56.836 --> 18:59.113 realize would be here today , but he's , 18:59.113 --> 19:01.280 he asked why we're sending hundreds of 19:01.280 --> 19:03.169 US troops into fortified caves in 19:03.169 --> 19:05.224 Somalia to kill like 5 guys and um I 19:05.224 --> 19:07.280 think it's a good question as to why 19:07.280 --> 19:09.391 the US military is still in Somalia . 19:09.391 --> 19:11.613 Thank you for the question . So I can , 19:11.613 --> 19:11.239 I can assure you , right , this is an 19:11.239 --> 19:13.770 America first department of war and uh 19:13.770 --> 19:15.770 president , so we aren't conducting 19:15.770 --> 19:17.770 forever wars in Somalia . We're not 19:17.770 --> 19:19.770 seeking regime change , um , or you 19:19.770 --> 19:21.937 know , we're not nation building , but 19:21.937 --> 19:23.826 I will say that this department's 19:23.826 --> 19:25.826 narrowly scoped intelligence driven 19:25.826 --> 19:27.937 counterterrorism operations in places 19:27.937 --> 19:30.530 like Somalia alongside our partners 19:30.530 --> 19:32.530 allow us to protect the American 19:32.530 --> 19:34.697 homeland from terrorist threats and to 19:34.697 --> 19:36.752 protect our interests , so . We will 19:36.752 --> 19:38.974 continue to make sure that the American 19:38.974 --> 19:40.863 people are kept safe . That's our 19:40.863 --> 19:42.974 utmost priority . Um , but you know , 19:42.974 --> 19:45.030 we're not isolationists , we're also 19:45.030 --> 19:46.919 not neocons . We're realists . We 19:46.919 --> 19:48.752 understand that threats face the 19:48.752 --> 19:50.863 American people every single day . We 19:50.863 --> 19:53.086 take that incredibly seriously , but at 19:53.086 --> 19:52.854 the same time we're always going to 19:52.854 --> 19:54.910 make sure that we're putting America 19:54.910 --> 19:56.910 first . And if I could follow up on 19:56.910 --> 19:58.965 Laura's question actually , um , but 19:58.965 --> 20:01.132 from a different angle , she mentioned 20:01.132 --> 20:00.775 that are we reassessing our 20:00.775 --> 20:02.719 relationship with Qatar because of 20:02.719 --> 20:04.997 funding of the Muslim Brotherhood . Um , 20:04.997 --> 20:06.719 it's been widely documented in 20:06.719 --> 20:08.664 mainstream Israeli papers that the 20:08.664 --> 20:10.886 Israeli government funded Hamas , which 20:10.886 --> 20:10.479 we also designated as a terrorist 20:10.479 --> 20:12.257 organization . Are we therefore 20:12.257 --> 20:14.146 reassessing our relationship with 20:14.146 --> 20:16.312 Israel because of this ? That would be 20:16.312 --> 20:15.760 a better question for the State 20:15.760 --> 20:17.871 Department , um , as they're the ones 20:17.871 --> 20:19.760 who have those foreign diplomatic 20:19.760 --> 20:22.239 channels . Yes , Ryan . Thank you and 20:22.239 --> 20:24.572 thank you for doing this press briefing . 20:24.572 --> 20:26.795 Uh , I wanted to get back to the , uh , 20:26.795 --> 20:28.850 SOCOM strikes real quick , um , just 20:28.850 --> 20:30.850 broadly speaking , not specifically 20:30.850 --> 20:33.089 about the September 2nd strike , but 20:33.089 --> 20:35.449 broadly speaking , are we doing any 20:35.449 --> 20:38.449 kinds of , uh , post-strike assessments , 20:38.459 --> 20:41.130 uh , to determine that the intelligence 20:41.130 --> 20:42.920 that informed those strikes was 20:43.329 --> 20:46.410 accurate ? Uh , are we recovering any 20:46.410 --> 20:48.243 drugs on board those vessels you 20:48.243 --> 20:51.589 mentioned ? Each vessel struck as 20:51.589 --> 20:55.469 equivalent of 25,000 overdose deaths . 20:55.839 --> 20:58.006 So are we mostly picking up fentanyl , 20:58.520 --> 21:00.839 cocaine , or what have you ? What , 21:00.959 --> 21:03.181 what's going on with these boats ? like 21:03.181 --> 21:05.237 what's on these boats ? Yeah , thank 21:05.237 --> 21:07.292 you for the question . Um , so I can 21:07.292 --> 21:09.237 tell you in terms of your question 21:09.237 --> 21:10.792 about intelligence that our 21:10.792 --> 21:12.848 intelligence absolutely confirms who 21:12.848 --> 21:12.680 these people are , um , and I can't get 21:12.680 --> 21:14.902 into right from this podium how we know 21:14.902 --> 21:17.124 that . I don't . Want to communicate to 21:17.124 --> 21:19.069 the enemy , uh , the ways in which 21:19.069 --> 21:21.236 we're carrying out these strikes , but 21:21.236 --> 21:23.458 I can tell you that without a shadow of 21:23.458 --> 21:25.347 a doubt , every single one of our 21:25.347 --> 21:27.347 military and civilian lawyers knows 21:27.347 --> 21:27.229 that these individuals are narco 21:27.229 --> 21:29.118 terrorists . We know what they're 21:29.118 --> 21:31.285 carrying , where they're coming from , 21:31.285 --> 21:33.451 and where they're going , and they are 21:33.451 --> 21:35.451 trying to bring drugs to our shores 21:35.451 --> 21:37.507 that kill . Hurt American citizens . 21:37.560 --> 21:39.893 The president takes that very seriously , 21:39.893 --> 21:42.004 and when he designated these groups , 21:42.004 --> 21:44.060 designated terrorist organizations , 21:44.060 --> 21:46.282 that opened up a lot for us here at the 21:46.282 --> 21:48.338 Department of War . We can engage in 21:48.338 --> 21:50.393 ways that we never could before . So 21:50.393 --> 21:52.504 that's all I can say at the moment on 21:52.504 --> 21:54.727 that topic , but I can 100% affirm that 21:54.727 --> 21:56.949 we know without a shadow of a doubt who 21:56.949 --> 21:59.282 these narco terrorists are . Yes , Wade . 21:59.282 --> 22:01.449 So you were speaking earlier about the 22:01.449 --> 22:03.504 Washington Post report uh concerning 22:03.504 --> 22:06.510 the Secretary of War and uh Admiral uh 22:06.510 --> 22:09.560 Bradley and um my question 22:09.560 --> 22:12.520 is does does the Department of War plan 22:12.520 --> 22:15.010 on pursuing any sort of legal action ? 22:15.270 --> 22:17.326 Against the Washington Post and what 22:17.326 --> 22:19.548 consequences will there be for lying to 22:19.548 --> 22:21.770 the American people , because of course 22:21.770 --> 22:23.770 the implication there was that Pete 22:23.770 --> 22:25.790 Hegseth and Admiral Bradley are war 22:25.790 --> 22:28.520 criminals and that was the implication 22:28.520 --> 22:30.464 and that's what a lot of people on 22:30.464 --> 22:32.798 social media were saying after the fact . 22:32.798 --> 22:34.964 So could you speak to that ? Yeah , it 22:34.964 --> 22:36.687 is frankly disgusting that the 22:36.687 --> 22:38.909 Washington Post would publish something 22:38.909 --> 22:38.900 that is so insanely false , and we've 22:38.900 --> 22:40.900 seen this from the mainstream media 22:40.900 --> 22:43.233 before . Right , anonymous sources , um , 22:43.233 --> 22:45.233 that are being quoted that probably 22:45.233 --> 22:47.289 have no idea what's going on and the 22:47.289 --> 22:49.511 Washington Post actually went so far as 22:49.511 --> 22:51.511 to falsely attribute a quote to the 22:51.511 --> 22:53.844 Secretary of Defense of war , excuse me , 22:53.844 --> 22:56.552 that he never said that is preposterous 22:56.552 --> 22:58.552 that they would write that and pass 22:58.552 --> 23:00.219 that off as true journalism . 23:00.219 --> 23:02.441 Thankfully , the New York Times stepped 23:02.441 --> 23:04.663 in and corrected the record and let the 23:04.663 --> 23:06.663 American people know that what They 23:06.663 --> 23:08.663 were publishing was absolutely fake 23:08.663 --> 23:10.885 news . So the Washington Post , I think 23:10.885 --> 23:12.996 reader readership , uh , should think 23:12.996 --> 23:15.274 twice before reading that outlet again . 23:15.274 --> 23:17.108 It is disgraceful that they call 23:17.108 --> 23:19.163 themselves journalists , um , and we 23:19.163 --> 23:21.108 told them as such , right ? We get 23:21.108 --> 23:20.855 press queries like we do from all of 23:20.855 --> 23:22.744 you . We told them this story was 23:22.744 --> 23:24.799 completely fake news on Thanksgiving 23:24.799 --> 23:26.855 evening with a 3 hour deadline , and 23:26.855 --> 23:28.966 they still published it anyway . It's 23:28.966 --> 23:30.799 disgraceful , but thankfully the 23:30.799 --> 23:32.966 American people see through it . Yes , 23:32.966 --> 23:35.750 Jack . Kingsley , does the , uh , does 23:35.750 --> 23:37.917 the Secretary's office or the Pentagon 23:37.917 --> 23:39.750 in general the Department have a 23:39.750 --> 23:41.861 message for Senator Wicker , who as a 23:41.861 --> 23:44.380 Republican has now backed this inquiry 23:44.380 --> 23:46.589 into Secretary Hesseth again accusing 23:46.589 --> 23:48.989 him of war crimes . It seemed strange 23:48.989 --> 23:51.229 to see a Republican going after one of 23:51.229 --> 23:53.451 President Trump's own cabinet members . 23:53.451 --> 23:55.618 So I can confirm that the Secretary of 23:55.618 --> 23:57.618 War spoke with Senator Wicker , and 23:57.618 --> 23:59.729 they had a good conversation where he 23:59.729 --> 24:01.951 was able To explain to him a lot of the 24:01.951 --> 24:04.007 the rationale behind these strikes , 24:04.007 --> 24:06.173 and we work closely with all of our uh 24:06.173 --> 24:07.896 partners on the hill , whether 24:07.896 --> 24:10.007 Republican or Democrat , to keep them 24:10.007 --> 24:12.118 up to date on what this department is 24:12.118 --> 24:11.989 doing in regards to the strike . So we 24:11.989 --> 24:13.933 will continue to do that and we'll 24:13.933 --> 24:16.156 we'll continue to brief members of Hask 24:16.156 --> 24:18.045 and Sask , and we look forward to 24:18.045 --> 24:20.211 continuing those relationships . Quick 24:20.211 --> 24:22.378 follow up , you mentioned working with 24:22.378 --> 24:24.545 partners on the Hill . Another senator 24:24.545 --> 24:23.829 on the hill , the Democrat side is 24:23.829 --> 24:26.310 Senator Mark Kelly . Now we heard some 24:26.359 --> 24:27.920 Reporting about a possible 24:27.920 --> 24:30.219 investigation into him regarding his 24:30.219 --> 24:32.390 status as a retired retired member of 24:32.390 --> 24:34.279 the United States Navy , still on 24:34.279 --> 24:36.279 pension , and therefore still still 24:36.279 --> 24:38.390 under the jurisdiction of the Uniform 24:38.390 --> 24:40.668 Code of Military Justice . And as such , 24:40.668 --> 24:42.612 his membership , you mentioned the 24:42.612 --> 24:44.834 seditious 6 , would that be grounds for 24:44.834 --> 24:46.890 possibly bringing him back to active 24:46.890 --> 24:49.112 service for an investigation for NJP or 24:49.112 --> 24:51.223 even a full court martial ? So you're 24:51.223 --> 24:50.989 correct , the Department of War 24:50.989 --> 24:52.767 received serious allegations of 24:52.767 --> 24:54.989 misconduct . Against Senator Mark Kelly 24:54.989 --> 24:57.211 and in accordance with the Uniform Code 24:57.211 --> 24:58.878 of Military Justice and other 24:58.878 --> 25:00.600 applicable recommendations and 25:00.600 --> 25:02.433 regulations , um , we're doing a 25:02.433 --> 25:04.211 thorough review of all of these 25:04.211 --> 25:06.267 allegations and the Secretary of War 25:06.267 --> 25:08.322 has tasked the Secretary of the Navy 25:08.322 --> 25:10.211 John Phelin with doing a thorough 25:10.211 --> 25:12.045 review looking into all of these 25:12.045 --> 25:14.267 allegations and providing him an update 25:14.267 --> 25:16.489 on December 10th . So we will have more 25:16.489 --> 25:18.656 information to come on that , um , but 25:18.656 --> 25:20.767 I would just add that this despicable 25:20.767 --> 25:22.989 video that . Mark Kelly participated in 25:22.989 --> 25:24.600 with the seditious Six was a 25:24.600 --> 25:26.378 politically motivated influence 25:26.378 --> 25:28.869 operation that was an attempt to 25:28.869 --> 25:30.989 undermine the chain of command to sow 25:30.989 --> 25:33.650 distrust and division in our armed 25:33.650 --> 25:36.829 forces . That is absolutely ridiculous 25:36.829 --> 25:39.300 and it puts our warfighters at risk . 25:39.670 --> 25:41.949 And again , he doubled down on the 25:41.949 --> 25:44.116 Sunday shows . I don't know if you all 25:44.116 --> 25:46.171 saw him on the Sunday shows , but he 25:46.171 --> 25:48.171 basically insinuated that . Service 25:48.171 --> 25:51.030 members who do not defy President 25:51.030 --> 25:53.109 Trump's orders could face potential 25:53.109 --> 25:55.199 prosecution in the future when 25:55.199 --> 25:57.310 Democrats are back in power . He even 25:57.310 --> 25:59.421 called our troops and likened them to 25:59.421 --> 26:01.790 those of the Russian military . This is 26:01.790 --> 26:04.229 totally disgraceful from an elected 26:04.229 --> 26:06.396 official , and the department takes it 26:06.396 --> 26:08.396 very seriously , and that is why we 26:08.396 --> 26:10.618 have launched this review . And just to 26:10.618 --> 26:12.729 be clear , so Secretary Falin were to 26:12.729 --> 26:14.951 recommend court martial , that would be 26:14.951 --> 26:16.896 on board . What was the question ? 26:16.896 --> 26:19.007 Sorry . If Secretary Phalin were were 26:19.007 --> 26:18.689 to recommend court martial , that could 26:18.689 --> 26:20.911 be an option on the table . All options 26:20.911 --> 26:23.245 are on the table at this moment in time , 26:23.245 --> 26:25.467 um , and we look forward to getting the 26:25.467 --> 26:27.522 Secretary of the Navy's review , and 26:27.522 --> 26:29.467 the Secretary of War has been very 26:29.467 --> 26:31.689 clear in his statements as well that he 26:31.689 --> 26:33.800 takes this extremely seriously and it 26:33.800 --> 26:36.022 is unacceptable . That's all the time I 26:36.022 --> 26:35.609 have today . Thank you all so much . I 26:35.609 --> 26:37.553 really appreciate you coming out . 26:38.530 --> 26:38.739 Exactly .