1 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,120 - Okay, well good morning everyone. 2 00:00:08,120 --> 00:00:11,170 As you know, we have a busy week here at the Pentagon. 3 00:00:11,170 --> 00:00:13,930 DoD leadership will be testifying in 20 hearings 4 00:00:13,930 --> 00:00:16,670 before Congress in the coming days as we continue 5 00:00:16,670 --> 00:00:21,090 to brief the Hill on the department's FY21 budget request. 6 00:00:21,090 --> 00:00:23,900 As you know, I was in Afghanistan on Saturday 7 00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:27,170 with President Ghani and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg 8 00:00:27,170 --> 00:00:28,840 where we announced a joint declaration 9 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:30,870 on bringing peace to Afghanistan 10 00:00:30,870 --> 00:00:33,150 which reaffirms the United States' partnership 11 00:00:33,150 --> 00:00:35,300 with the government of Afghanistan. 12 00:00:35,300 --> 00:00:38,090 This was an important first step toward a political solution 13 00:00:38,090 --> 00:00:40,650 to end the war in Afghanistan. 14 00:00:40,650 --> 00:00:42,565 As I reiterated to our Afghan partners, 15 00:00:42,565 --> 00:00:45,700 this is a conditions-based agreement, 16 00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:47,880 a conditions-based agreement. 17 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:49,910 We are watching the Taliban's actions closely 18 00:00:49,910 --> 00:00:52,670 to assess whether they are upholding their commitments. 19 00:00:52,670 --> 00:00:54,610 I also had the opportunity to address our troops 20 00:00:54,610 --> 00:00:57,080 and coalition forces while I was in Kabul 21 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,500 and speak with MSOVSO groups while en route 22 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:00,853 back to the United States. 23 00:01:02,070 --> 00:01:04,650 We must not forget that this agreement was enabled 24 00:01:04,650 --> 00:01:07,010 by the tremendous sacrifices our servicemen and women 25 00:01:07,010 --> 00:01:10,700 have made over the past 18-plus years. 26 00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:12,710 They continue to do great work supporting 27 00:01:12,710 --> 00:01:15,170 the Afghan security forces and taking terrorists 28 00:01:15,170 --> 00:01:17,790 off the battlefield whenever they emerge. 29 00:01:17,790 --> 00:01:20,480 My message to the coalition was to stay vigilant 30 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:21,640 because we still have a long 31 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:23,770 and difficult mission ahead of us. 32 00:01:23,770 --> 00:01:26,060 Before I close, I'd also like to provide a brief update 33 00:01:26,060 --> 00:01:29,240 on what DoD is doing to address the coronavirus. 34 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:30,300 For the past six weeks, 35 00:01:30,300 --> 00:01:31,870 we've had a daily working group meeting 36 00:01:31,870 --> 00:01:34,520 at the general officer level including the joint staff, 37 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,010 the services, the combatant commands, and OSD. 38 00:01:38,010 --> 00:01:40,280 As a result, we've issued a variety of memorandums 39 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:41,790 and directives advising the force 40 00:01:41,790 --> 00:01:44,670 on how to deal with coronavirus. 41 00:01:44,670 --> 00:01:46,410 At the end of last week, I did a deep dive 42 00:01:46,410 --> 00:01:48,570 with DoD civilian and military leadership 43 00:01:48,570 --> 00:01:50,421 including all the service secretaries, 44 00:01:50,421 --> 00:01:53,430 the COCOMP commanders, to ensure the entire department 45 00:01:53,430 --> 00:01:56,830 is equipped for all scenarios, short and long term, 46 00:01:56,830 --> 00:01:59,080 domestic and international. 47 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,540 Commanders of individually-affected geographic commands 48 00:02:01,540 --> 00:02:03,970 have all the authority they need and will provide 49 00:02:03,970 --> 00:02:05,650 specific guidance to their troops 50 00:02:05,650 --> 00:02:08,050 as the situation continues to evolve. 51 00:02:08,050 --> 00:02:10,370 Meanwhile, NORTHCOM remains the global integrator 52 00:02:10,370 --> 00:02:13,810 for all DoD efforts and entities. 53 00:02:13,810 --> 00:02:16,010 My number one priority remains to protect 54 00:02:16,010 --> 00:02:17,930 our forces and their families, 55 00:02:17,930 --> 00:02:20,430 second, to safeguard our mission capabilities, 56 00:02:20,430 --> 00:02:23,110 and third, to support the inter-agency 57 00:02:23,110 --> 00:02:25,010 whole-of-government approach. 58 00:02:25,010 --> 00:02:27,240 We will continue to take all necessary precautions 59 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:28,990 to ensure that our people are safe 60 00:02:28,990 --> 00:02:31,750 and able to continue their very important mission. 61 00:02:31,750 --> 00:02:34,360 With that, I'll turn it over the Chairman Milley. 62 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,290 - Thanks Secretary, and good morning to everyone. 63 00:02:37,290 --> 00:02:40,410 First, I wanna say that as a veteran of multiple tours 64 00:02:40,410 --> 00:02:43,250 in Afghanistan and former commander of IJC, 65 00:02:43,250 --> 00:02:45,530 I fully support the agreement 66 00:02:45,530 --> 00:02:47,310 that we signed over the weekend, 67 00:02:47,310 --> 00:02:50,860 and I know I speak for those of us in uniform. 68 00:02:50,860 --> 00:02:53,870 A negotiated political settlement is the only 69 00:02:53,870 --> 00:02:56,890 responsible way to end the war in Afghanistan, 70 00:02:56,890 --> 00:02:58,760 and this was an important step. 71 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,710 This agreement would not have been possible without 72 00:03:01,710 --> 00:03:04,500 the thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines 73 00:03:04,500 --> 00:03:07,820 that have served and sacrificed over the last 18 years. 74 00:03:07,820 --> 00:03:10,160 We owe an extraordinary debt of gratitude 75 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:11,910 to America's sons and daughters who made 76 00:03:11,910 --> 00:03:13,830 the ultimate sacrifice and their families 77 00:03:13,830 --> 00:03:16,290 who have given their all to this nation, 78 00:03:16,290 --> 00:03:18,520 and this not only includes the military, 79 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:19,930 but also the dedicated men and women 80 00:03:19,930 --> 00:03:23,040 of the State Department and the intelligence community 81 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,740 as well as our allies and partners from over 40 nations. 82 00:03:26,740 --> 00:03:30,360 This agreement, as the secretary said, is conditions-based, 83 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,020 and the best opportunity to end the war is now. 84 00:03:34,020 --> 00:03:37,008 Protect U.S. national security interests is foremost 85 00:03:37,008 --> 00:03:39,780 in this agreement, and it provides the best hope 86 00:03:39,780 --> 00:03:42,593 for a peaceful future for the people of Afghanistan. 87 00:03:43,490 --> 00:03:45,600 I would also like to highlight the potential impact 88 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,520 of coronavirus and echo what the secretary just said 89 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,610 on our military force and on 90 00:03:51,610 --> 00:03:52,950 our operations and preparations. 91 00:03:52,950 --> 00:03:56,760 The Department of Defense, under the secretary's direction, 92 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:58,520 has standing plans to respond 93 00:03:58,520 --> 00:03:59,900 to infectious disease outbreaks, 94 00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:02,260 and we're executing those plans at our bases 95 00:04:02,260 --> 00:04:05,250 and operating locations around the world in order to, one, 96 00:04:05,250 --> 00:04:07,810 protect the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, 97 00:04:07,810 --> 00:04:10,500 and their families to sustain our ability to continue 98 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:13,480 to defend the United States and execute successfully 99 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:15,870 the national defense strategy and to support 100 00:04:15,870 --> 00:04:18,150 the whole-of-government response to the outbreak. 101 00:04:18,150 --> 00:04:19,500 We're communicating regularly with our 102 00:04:19,500 --> 00:04:21,300 operational commanders to assess how the virus 103 00:04:21,300 --> 00:04:24,200 might impact our exercises and ongoing operations 104 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,610 around the world to include our readiness 105 00:04:26,610 --> 00:04:29,920 including those of our allies and partners as well. 106 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,880 The U.S. armed forces remains ready to defend the homeland 107 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,020 and provide support to the inter-agency partners 108 00:04:35,020 --> 00:04:36,683 that are currently leading this effort, and with that, 109 00:04:36,683 --> 00:04:39,261 I'll be happy to take your questions. 110 00:04:39,261 --> 00:04:41,176 - Leeda, Associated Press. 111 00:04:41,176 --> 00:04:46,176 - Hi, Mr. Secretary, there's already been some violence, 112 00:04:46,810 --> 00:04:49,373 violent attacks particularly up around Khost today. 113 00:04:51,410 --> 00:04:53,980 Is there now an opening for the Taliban 114 00:04:53,980 --> 00:04:57,480 to conduct any violence for the next several days 115 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,420 until whenever agreement is reached, 116 00:04:59,420 --> 00:05:03,200 or is the group able to conduct attacks now 117 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,480 against either Afghan or the U.S., and general, 118 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:11,240 can you just address the U.S. CT efforts from now on. 119 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,530 Will the U.S. continue to conduct CT, 120 00:05:13,530 --> 00:05:15,280 particularly against other groups, 121 00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:20,280 and does this idea of now new attacks against 122 00:05:20,990 --> 00:05:23,700 potentially Afghan forces restrict the U.S. ability 123 00:05:23,700 --> 00:05:25,483 to train with the Afghans? 124 00:05:26,410 --> 00:05:27,670 - So I'll take the first question. 125 00:05:27,670 --> 00:05:31,630 Our expectation is that a reduced level of violence 126 00:05:31,630 --> 00:05:34,330 would occur, and it would decrease over time 127 00:05:34,330 --> 00:05:35,610 as we move forward. 128 00:05:35,610 --> 00:05:37,880 As we see these things happen, first of all, 129 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:42,170 we have to verify that an attack happened, 130 00:05:42,170 --> 00:05:44,300 and then we have to figure out attribution, 131 00:05:44,300 --> 00:05:47,050 and we work our way through this, day after day, 132 00:05:47,050 --> 00:05:49,510 so this is gonna be a step-by-step process, 133 00:05:49,510 --> 00:05:51,190 and we'll evaluate each day, 134 00:05:51,190 --> 00:05:53,400 and I'm confident in General Miller's capabilities 135 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,580 on the ground to do that and to give us good feedback 136 00:05:55,580 --> 00:05:58,913 as with regard to the implementation of the base agreement. 137 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:02,580 - So two things Leeda. 138 00:06:02,580 --> 00:06:05,380 One is the Taliban's not a monolithic group. 139 00:06:05,380 --> 00:06:07,050 There's multiple terrorist organizations 140 00:06:07,050 --> 00:06:08,260 operating with them, so we don't know, 141 00:06:08,260 --> 00:06:09,440 I know the attack you're talking about. 142 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,190 Got some initial reports on it. 143 00:06:11,190 --> 00:06:13,544 We don't know exactly who did that yet. 144 00:06:13,544 --> 00:06:14,720 That's the first point. 145 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:19,430 Secondly, I would caution everybody to think 146 00:06:19,430 --> 00:06:21,680 that there's going to be an absolutely cessation 147 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,340 of violence in Afghanistan. 148 00:06:23,340 --> 00:06:25,050 That is probably not gonna happen. 149 00:06:25,050 --> 00:06:27,240 It's probably not gonna go to zero, 150 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,030 so this is a significant step forward, this agreement, 151 00:06:31,030 --> 00:06:33,760 and it's gonna lead to inter-Afghan dialogue, 152 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,950 and it ultimately leads to a peace agreement, 153 00:06:35,950 --> 00:06:39,360 but to think that it's gonna go to zero immediately, 154 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,793 that probably is not going to be the case. 155 00:06:43,290 --> 00:06:47,270 So on the CT piece, the United States will stay committed 156 00:06:47,270 --> 00:06:49,504 to secure our national security interests, 157 00:06:49,504 --> 00:06:51,920 and that has been the commitment of this administration 158 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:53,050 and previous administrations, 159 00:06:53,050 --> 00:06:55,240 so we'll maintain whatever capability's necessary 160 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,610 to defend the United States against terrorists. 161 00:06:57,610 --> 00:06:58,900 - And I'll just, a quick follow-up Leeda. 162 00:06:58,900 --> 00:07:02,270 I spoke to this in Kabul on Saturday. 163 00:07:02,270 --> 00:07:06,030 We still are gonna conduct counter-terrorism operations 164 00:07:06,030 --> 00:07:09,325 against ISIS-K and other groups that are out there. 165 00:07:09,325 --> 00:07:11,100 (woman chatting) 166 00:07:11,100 --> 00:07:12,750 - Can you update us, either of you, 167 00:07:12,750 --> 00:07:15,070 on the draw-down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan? 168 00:07:15,070 --> 00:07:17,150 When will it begin, and can you give us a timeline? 169 00:07:17,150 --> 00:07:18,800 There's been some reports of three to five months, 170 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,570 is that correct, and then the president also said 171 00:07:21,570 --> 00:07:24,860 over the weekend that he'll be meting with the Taliban soon. 172 00:07:24,860 --> 00:07:27,660 Do you have any details of that, how that's gonna happen? 173 00:07:27,660 --> 00:07:29,698 Kenisha, will you be present? 174 00:07:29,698 --> 00:07:31,700 - I have no details on it at this point. 175 00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:33,240 The State Department will be working that 176 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,550 with regard to your second question Courtney. 177 00:07:35,550 --> 00:07:36,390 On the first question, 178 00:07:36,390 --> 00:07:39,010 the agreement says that we will reduce down to 8,600 179 00:07:40,300 --> 00:07:43,070 within 135 days, if I recall correctly, 180 00:07:43,070 --> 00:07:45,980 and that draw-down would begin in the first 10 days, 181 00:07:45,980 --> 00:07:49,940 but my instruction to the commander was let's get moving. 182 00:07:49,940 --> 00:07:53,140 Let's show our full faith and effort to do that. 183 00:07:53,140 --> 00:07:54,640 As you know, I've said on many occasions 184 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:56,670 that I'm comfortable we can still conduct all the missions 185 00:07:56,670 --> 00:07:58,850 we need to conduct at 8,600, so. 186 00:07:58,850 --> 00:08:00,359 - [Courtney] So it has begin then, the draw-down? 187 00:08:00,359 --> 00:08:01,950 - I don't know if it actually, physically begun, 188 00:08:01,950 --> 00:08:04,320 but General Miller had my okay, my approval 189 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,280 to begin at his pace, certainly within 10 days 190 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,940 because the requirement said, the agreement says 191 00:08:09,940 --> 00:08:11,790 that within 10 days, it should begin. 192 00:08:13,180 --> 00:08:14,410 - David Martin. 193 00:08:14,410 --> 00:08:18,120 - Could you be specific about the impact of coronavirus 194 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:23,120 on ongoing military operations and also what you're doing 195 00:08:24,030 --> 00:08:28,420 here in the United States to prevent the spread 196 00:08:28,420 --> 00:08:30,433 of the virus among troops? 197 00:08:31,820 --> 00:08:32,830 - [Mark] You wanna take that? 198 00:08:32,830 --> 00:08:34,333 - Yeah Dave, thanks. 199 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:39,910 Overseas, we have a variety of exercise operations ongoing. 200 00:08:39,910 --> 00:08:43,540 Right now, the overall broad impact to the uniformed 201 00:08:43,540 --> 00:08:45,620 U.S. military is very, very minimal. 202 00:08:45,620 --> 00:08:47,720 It's not to say it's zero, but it's very, very minimal. 203 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,140 Very few cases have been diagnosed, et cetera. 204 00:08:50,140 --> 00:08:53,290 That's not surprising because we have a very young 205 00:08:53,290 --> 00:08:55,950 demographic in the U.S. military, a healthy demographic. 206 00:08:55,950 --> 00:08:58,190 Lots of immunizations and so on and so forth, 207 00:08:58,190 --> 00:09:00,180 and we hope to keep it that way. 208 00:09:00,180 --> 00:09:02,180 We have however modified some of the exercises 209 00:09:02,180 --> 00:09:03,680 on the Korean peninsula. 210 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:05,310 There was a CPX that was scheduled, 211 00:09:05,310 --> 00:09:08,260 and I think the Korean, my counterpart in Korea, 212 00:09:08,260 --> 00:09:10,040 the Korean chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, 213 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:12,060 he requested that that be postponed. 214 00:09:12,060 --> 00:09:13,790 We're gonna go ahead and do that. 215 00:09:13,790 --> 00:09:15,510 We're taking a look at some other exercises 216 00:09:15,510 --> 00:09:17,540 to see if they need to be modified or changed. 217 00:09:17,540 --> 00:09:19,970 Right now, Cobra Gold in Thailand is on-track, 218 00:09:19,970 --> 00:09:20,970 and that's ongoing. 219 00:09:20,970 --> 00:09:23,470 We have Gut Defender in Europe that that's kicked in, 220 00:09:23,470 --> 00:09:25,580 so we're looking at the exercises, but right now, 221 00:09:25,580 --> 00:09:28,640 we don't see any significant negative impact on that. 222 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:30,560 Here in the United States, 223 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:33,720 we are making all due preparations to protect 224 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,250 our bases, camps, and stations and also to act 225 00:09:36,250 --> 00:09:38,880 in support of Health and Human Services, 226 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,710 so we've got lots of capabilities, medical capabilities, 227 00:09:41,710 --> 00:09:44,000 housing, and so on and so forth that if required 228 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,794 and directed by the secretary of defense, we'll do our part. 229 00:09:47,794 --> 00:09:48,627 - [Woman] Mr. Ryan-- 230 00:09:48,627 --> 00:09:50,310 - Let me just follow-up for a second. 231 00:09:50,310 --> 00:09:52,150 Some countries, a lot of countries, 232 00:09:52,150 --> 00:09:54,240 are closing their borders. 233 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:56,997 Is that having an impact on supply lines any place? 234 00:09:57,930 --> 00:10:01,550 - For us, no, not in any significant way yet. 235 00:10:01,550 --> 00:10:03,770 We're still able, for example in Korea, 236 00:10:03,770 --> 00:10:05,980 the secretary directed some additional medical personnel 237 00:10:05,980 --> 00:10:08,830 sent over there, additional medical equipment 238 00:10:08,830 --> 00:10:09,940 and personal protective equipment: 239 00:10:09,940 --> 00:10:12,600 masks, gloves, gowns, those sorts of things, 240 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:13,520 so we're doing all that. 241 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,610 In addition, our research labs, our military research labs, 242 00:10:16,610 --> 00:10:20,358 are working feverishly around the horn here 243 00:10:20,358 --> 00:10:23,950 to try to come up with a vaccine, 244 00:10:23,950 --> 00:10:27,790 so we'll see how that develops over the next couple months. 245 00:10:27,790 --> 00:10:29,910 There's a whole, wide variety of things that we're doing, 246 00:10:29,910 --> 00:10:32,550 and we'll make available whatever assets and resources 247 00:10:32,550 --> 00:10:34,943 we have that's necessary and directed to do so. 248 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:37,870 - Two questions. 249 00:10:37,870 --> 00:10:39,420 Could you shed any further light on 250 00:10:39,420 --> 00:10:42,080 what the conditions will be for the 14-month 251 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,300 withdrawal period or proceeding with that, 252 00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:47,670 and what happens if there's a delay to the start 253 00:10:47,670 --> 00:10:50,480 of the initial Afghan-to-Afghan talks 254 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,530 which are supposed to begin on March 10th, 255 00:10:52,530 --> 00:10:55,500 but now, it appears that there's already a disconnect 256 00:10:55,500 --> 00:10:58,857 over the prisoner withdrawal and what has been agreed to 257 00:10:58,857 --> 00:11:02,190 vis-a-vis that would the initial draw-down to 8,600 258 00:11:02,190 --> 00:11:06,450 be paused if the talks don't begin 259 00:11:06,450 --> 00:11:08,320 on or about March 10th, thanks. 260 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,700 - Again, we'll take this one day at a time 261 00:11:10,700 --> 00:11:11,533 and sort through it. 262 00:11:11,533 --> 00:11:14,940 We're in what, day two right now, day two, hour 39, 263 00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:16,750 and we've gotta work our way through that. 264 00:11:16,750 --> 00:11:19,360 Our commitment under the agreement was to enable, 265 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,590 to facilitate that exchange of persons 266 00:11:22,590 --> 00:11:25,713 between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan, 267 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:29,510 and as I've said over and over, it's all conditions-based, 268 00:11:29,510 --> 00:11:30,950 but we are gonna show good faith 269 00:11:30,950 --> 00:11:32,530 and begin withdrawing our troops, 270 00:11:32,530 --> 00:11:34,060 and we can stop that at any moment. 271 00:11:34,060 --> 00:11:37,885 We can pause it based on, again, changing circumstances. 272 00:11:37,885 --> 00:11:38,973 - Okay, and what are the conditions 273 00:11:38,973 --> 00:11:41,363 for the 14-month withdrawal period? 274 00:11:42,220 --> 00:11:45,690 - Well there's, you'd have to go back to the base agreement. 275 00:11:45,690 --> 00:11:47,570 I think you have access to that at this point, 276 00:11:47,570 --> 00:11:49,850 and you could read what we committed to do, 277 00:11:49,850 --> 00:11:51,790 but then there's what the Taliban committed to do, 278 00:11:51,790 --> 00:11:53,020 and then there's some other things in there, 279 00:11:53,020 --> 00:11:54,740 so what we wanna do is make sure 280 00:11:55,580 --> 00:11:56,970 that those are completely followed, 281 00:11:56,970 --> 00:11:58,690 but what we'll do is we'll go to 8,600, 282 00:11:58,690 --> 00:12:01,410 and we're gonna stop, and we'll assess the situation, 283 00:12:01,410 --> 00:12:03,570 not just tactically on the ground, 284 00:12:03,570 --> 00:12:05,790 but also are all the parties living up 285 00:12:05,790 --> 00:12:07,370 to their obligations, their commitments? 286 00:12:07,370 --> 00:12:10,150 Are they acting in good faith and showing good effort, 287 00:12:10,150 --> 00:12:12,270 and I don't wanna get too far ahead of us at this point, 288 00:12:12,270 --> 00:12:13,850 but we're just gonna, we'll go to that point, 289 00:12:13,850 --> 00:12:15,130 and we'll assess the situation 290 00:12:15,130 --> 00:12:16,963 with all the particular players. 291 00:12:17,910 --> 00:12:18,750 - [Woman] Barbara. 292 00:12:18,750 --> 00:12:21,740 - General Milley, I wanted to come back to coronavirus, 293 00:12:21,740 --> 00:12:23,610 a couple of things you had both mentioned. 294 00:12:23,610 --> 00:12:26,770 I think you guys started off by saying 295 00:12:26,770 --> 00:12:30,790 that you were doing planning for all scenarios, 296 00:12:30,790 --> 00:12:35,790 so is it correct then you're aligned with civilian 297 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:39,840 health authorities that would include a planning scenario 298 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,610 for the military facing a pandemic. 299 00:12:42,610 --> 00:12:45,430 Is that part of your planning scenario? 300 00:12:45,430 --> 00:12:47,900 Did I understand you that military labs 301 00:12:47,900 --> 00:12:51,420 are also working on vaccine research, 302 00:12:51,420 --> 00:12:54,072 and a lot of enlisted families of course 303 00:12:54,072 --> 00:12:59,072 don't have a lot of spare cash to stockpile supplies 304 00:12:59,410 --> 00:13:02,250 and all of that, and I'm just wondering if there's any 305 00:13:02,250 --> 00:13:05,182 thinking going on as this potentially goes on 306 00:13:05,182 --> 00:13:08,313 whether there's some assistance being thought about? 307 00:13:09,340 --> 00:13:12,310 Spouses may not be able to take leave if they're sick. 308 00:13:12,310 --> 00:13:15,450 Their children still may have to do to child care. 309 00:13:15,450 --> 00:13:19,370 Is there any thinking about what might need to be 310 00:13:19,370 --> 00:13:22,800 ready to go to help enlisted families if they 311 00:13:24,550 --> 00:13:26,170 who don't earn as much as others 312 00:13:26,170 --> 00:13:28,240 may have issues with this, 313 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:32,350 but could you start by telling us if pandemic is in fact 314 00:13:32,350 --> 00:13:34,780 one of your planning scenarios since you gentlemen 315 00:13:34,780 --> 00:13:36,760 said you were looking at everything. 316 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,200 - Well, no surprise, the United States military looks at 317 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:41,630 wide varieties of scenarios. 318 00:13:41,630 --> 00:13:42,980 We look at best case, worst case, 319 00:13:42,980 --> 00:13:44,370 and the middle case sort of thing. 320 00:13:44,370 --> 00:13:46,020 Pandemic is the worst case, 321 00:13:46,020 --> 00:13:49,360 and that has not yet been declared, to my knowledge anyway, 322 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:50,550 by the World Health Organization, 323 00:13:50,550 --> 00:13:53,900 so in terms of executing, no, but yes, of course, 324 00:13:53,900 --> 00:13:56,790 we do all kinds of planning in the Department of Defense, 325 00:13:56,790 --> 00:13:59,900 and we take inventory of all our resources, our stocks, 326 00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:01,420 and what tasks would have to be done, 327 00:14:01,420 --> 00:14:03,200 so the short answer is yes, of course we do that, 328 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,010 and with respect to the vaccine, yes, 329 00:14:06,010 --> 00:14:10,110 the military labs are in fact working very consistently. 330 00:14:10,110 --> 00:14:11,850 Not only in that vaccine, but all kinds of things, 331 00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:13,970 so the military labs have all kinds of capability 332 00:14:13,970 --> 00:14:15,860 to do that and working in direct support 333 00:14:15,860 --> 00:14:18,200 of the Health and Human Services do that. 334 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,210 On your last point Barbara about the taking care 335 00:14:21,210 --> 00:14:22,430 of soldiers and families, 336 00:14:22,430 --> 00:14:24,820 it's one of the top priorities of the Secretary of Defense. 337 00:14:24,820 --> 00:14:27,210 It's one of the top priorities of all of us in uniform. 338 00:14:27,210 --> 00:14:28,710 It's one of our solemn responsibilities 339 00:14:28,710 --> 00:14:30,210 to take care of our soldiers and families, 340 00:14:30,210 --> 00:14:31,200 and we intend to do that, 341 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,181 and we'll provide whatever assistance is needed to them, 342 00:14:33,181 --> 00:14:35,940 to include time off and working with their employers, 343 00:14:35,940 --> 00:14:37,541 et cetera if they're working with civilian employers 344 00:14:37,541 --> 00:14:42,160 to include supplemental help if they lack supplies, 345 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,140 et cetera in the home if they get infected 346 00:14:44,140 --> 00:14:46,360 and they have to be at home for say two or three weeks, 347 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:47,240 something like that, so yes, 348 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,603 we'll work with our families and troops. 349 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,810 - How many U.S. personnel forces have been tested 350 00:14:54,810 --> 00:14:58,080 for Covid-19, and could you give us a sense 351 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,290 when you said that laboratories were working on a vaccine, 352 00:15:00,290 --> 00:15:03,620 which laboratories, and are they working in conjunction 353 00:15:03,620 --> 00:15:05,270 with private industry as well, 354 00:15:05,270 --> 00:15:06,164 or are they just working on their own 355 00:15:06,164 --> 00:15:08,140 and hoping for the best? 356 00:15:08,140 --> 00:15:10,130 - Well on the testing, we'd have to go offline 357 00:15:10,130 --> 00:15:11,330 and get you separate numbers. 358 00:15:11,330 --> 00:15:13,880 Obviously, we're doing testing in Korea, for an example, 359 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:17,580 given the numbers there, and with regard to labs, 360 00:15:17,580 --> 00:15:20,330 Fort Detrick for example is involved in terms of 361 00:15:20,330 --> 00:15:23,500 working with the inter-agency to help provide, 362 00:15:23,500 --> 00:15:25,560 given their expertise and their capabilities. 363 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:26,988 - And then just a quick follow-on, 364 00:15:26,988 --> 00:15:29,730 you said there'd been no effect on exercises. 365 00:15:29,730 --> 00:15:31,140 Cobra Gold is going on. 366 00:15:31,140 --> 00:15:33,780 Is there any special screening for folks 367 00:15:33,780 --> 00:15:35,800 from other member nations in Cobra Gold, 368 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:37,580 and what about folks at Aviano? 369 00:15:37,580 --> 00:15:39,460 Is there any kind of special precautions being taken 370 00:15:39,460 --> 00:15:41,850 to isolate them from the outbreak in Northern Italy? 371 00:15:41,850 --> 00:15:44,620 - The commanders are taking all necessary precautions 372 00:15:44,620 --> 00:15:46,630 because this is unique to every situation 373 00:15:46,630 --> 00:15:49,500 and every location, so we've sent out, as I said, 374 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:50,790 memorandums and directives. 375 00:15:50,790 --> 00:15:52,590 The commanders have the information they need, 376 00:15:52,590 --> 00:15:54,529 and we're relying on them to make good judgements, 377 00:15:54,529 --> 00:15:57,768 and as we tease out other issues such as was raised 378 00:15:57,768 --> 00:15:59,090 to come up through the services, 379 00:15:59,090 --> 00:16:00,768 we will continue to deal with those. 380 00:16:00,768 --> 00:16:03,000 We have another meeting at the end of this week 381 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:04,130 with all the service secretaries 382 00:16:04,130 --> 00:16:05,833 and combatant commanders on it, chairman. 383 00:16:05,833 --> 00:16:07,439 - There's three specific things. 384 00:16:07,439 --> 00:16:11,040 Access to bases is being restricted in certain locations 385 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,524 such as Northern Italy and in South Korea as an example. 386 00:16:14,524 --> 00:16:17,460 Secondly is travel restrictions, so the soldiers 387 00:16:17,460 --> 00:16:20,118 that are on these bases or airmen that are on these bases 388 00:16:20,118 --> 00:16:22,560 are being restricted in terms of their travel 389 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:26,250 inside the AOR, inside the community in Central Command, 390 00:16:26,250 --> 00:16:30,320 EUCOM, and in INDOPACOM, so the travel restriction piece, 391 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,520 and then the last piece is with respect to 392 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:37,980 the protective gear and test kits 393 00:16:37,980 --> 00:16:38,813 that are being distributed. 394 00:16:38,813 --> 00:16:40,420 We are pushing some of that forward 395 00:16:40,420 --> 00:16:41,500 with the priority distribution 396 00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:43,263 going to the peninsula, Korea. 397 00:16:44,180 --> 00:16:45,350 - [Woman] Jennifer? 398 00:16:45,350 --> 00:16:47,340 - [Jennifer] Secretary Esper, what will the U.S. do 399 00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:49,399 if Turkey invokes article five in Syria, 400 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:53,150 and General Milley, were Russian pilots or warplanes 401 00:16:53,150 --> 00:16:54,860 involved in killing those Turkish troops 402 00:16:54,860 --> 00:16:56,430 on the ground in Syria? 403 00:16:56,430 --> 00:16:57,796 - I'm not gonna speculate on article five 404 00:16:57,796 --> 00:16:58,890 at this point in time. 405 00:16:58,890 --> 00:17:03,170 Turkey obviously in engaged in combat operations over there, 406 00:17:03,170 --> 00:17:05,070 and we'll take it one step at a time. 407 00:17:05,070 --> 00:17:06,210 I had a brief conversation 408 00:17:06,210 --> 00:17:07,610 with Secretary-General Stoltenberg 409 00:17:07,610 --> 00:17:09,600 with regard to this matter, and like I said, 410 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,360 as an alliance, we take this one step at a time 411 00:17:12,360 --> 00:17:15,330 so that we are prepared for what may happen. 412 00:17:15,330 --> 00:17:18,930 - We don't have clear, unambiguous intelligence 413 00:17:18,930 --> 00:17:21,267 on exactly who was flying what planes, point one. 414 00:17:21,267 --> 00:17:24,520 Point two is I personally called my counterparts 415 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,305 in Turkey and in Russia and urged de-escalation 416 00:17:28,305 --> 00:17:29,990 as rapidly as possible. 417 00:17:29,990 --> 00:17:31,650 - Should they open the border between Turkey 418 00:17:31,650 --> 00:17:33,578 and close it to Greece? 419 00:17:33,578 --> 00:17:36,120 - That's a political question if you will. 420 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:38,553 - [Jennifer] So what are you calling on Turkey to do? 421 00:17:41,430 --> 00:17:42,310 - With respect to whom? 422 00:17:42,310 --> 00:17:44,800 - With regards to the border with Syria 423 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,330 and the displaced people, 424 00:17:47,330 --> 00:17:50,663 the 900,000 who want to cross into safety. 425 00:17:50,663 --> 00:17:53,510 Do you think that they should open their border to that, 426 00:17:53,510 --> 00:17:55,430 and do you think they should close their border 427 00:17:55,430 --> 00:17:57,088 and stop pushing immigrants-- 428 00:17:57,088 --> 00:17:58,680 - Turkey's gotta make that decision. 429 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,795 My conversation with the defense minister last week 430 00:18:00,795 --> 00:18:04,510 was to share with him our support for Turkey 431 00:18:04,510 --> 00:18:08,790 as a NATO ally and member and to point out 432 00:18:08,790 --> 00:18:12,650 the simple fact that Russians aren't always good partners, 433 00:18:12,650 --> 00:18:17,000 and so that was the extent of my conversation with him. 434 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:18,270 Obviously at the political level, 435 00:18:18,270 --> 00:18:19,370 they need to decide what they're gonna do 436 00:18:19,370 --> 00:18:20,290 with regard to their borders. 437 00:18:20,290 --> 00:18:22,990 That involved the E.U. and their neighbor countries, 438 00:18:22,990 --> 00:18:25,570 and they gotta work their way through that with them. 439 00:18:25,570 --> 00:18:28,030 - [Woman] One more question, uh Teri. 440 00:18:28,030 --> 00:18:28,863 - [Teri] Thank you. 441 00:18:28,863 --> 00:18:30,430 - I should add that the United States is looking 442 00:18:30,430 --> 00:18:32,130 at providing increased humanitarian aid 443 00:18:32,130 --> 00:18:34,100 for the persons in Syria. 444 00:18:34,100 --> 00:18:35,680 That's one thing I had a conversation 445 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:36,880 with the secretary of state about that. 446 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,133 - That air support? - No. 447 00:18:40,930 --> 00:18:41,763 - Thank you. 448 00:18:41,763 --> 00:18:46,070 Also on coronavirus, there may be a cluster it seems 449 00:18:46,070 --> 00:18:47,480 in the Pacific Northwest. 450 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:52,320 Are soldiers at say Joint Base Lewis-McChord or Kitsap, 451 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,320 are you doing any additional precautions there 452 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:59,320 to test and maybe test to see if there's any exposure there, 453 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,610 and then secondly, for base supplies like the commissaries, 454 00:19:03,610 --> 00:19:06,090 what sort of preparations are being made to make sure 455 00:19:06,090 --> 00:19:08,500 that those remain stocked? 456 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:10,320 - Well, I'll take the first stab at it and just say look, 457 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,040 we're relying again on the local commanders 458 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:13,940 to make decisions that are unique to their situations 459 00:19:13,940 --> 00:19:17,170 'cause each one os different with regard to 460 00:19:17,170 --> 00:19:20,020 the impact on the community, their resources, 461 00:19:20,020 --> 00:19:22,670 their stocks, and all that, and what I'm prepared to do 462 00:19:22,670 --> 00:19:26,220 is resource them as need be, so we've put out the call. 463 00:19:26,220 --> 00:19:28,560 What authorities do you need, what resources? 464 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,430 How can I surge, whether it's DLA or other parts 465 00:19:32,430 --> 00:19:34,810 of the medical community within OSD is to provide 466 00:19:34,810 --> 00:19:35,788 the commanders the support they need 467 00:19:35,788 --> 00:19:38,480 in order to do those three things. 468 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,040 Number one, protect our service members and their families. 469 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,870 Number two, ensure that our mission is safeguarded, 470 00:19:43,870 --> 00:19:45,170 that we can conduct our missions, 471 00:19:45,170 --> 00:19:46,870 and number three, support the inter-agency 472 00:19:46,870 --> 00:19:48,673 for the whole-of-government approach. 473 00:19:49,705 --> 00:19:52,360 - Yeah, and the commander at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, 474 00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:55,410 they have shut down some large, widely-attended gatherings 475 00:19:55,410 --> 00:19:57,820 for example, places where you get large numbers 476 00:19:57,820 --> 00:19:59,480 of people all co-located, but other than that, 477 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,640 they haven't had any outbreaks so far, 478 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,000 and he's taken appropriate mitigation measures, 479 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,440 but I think we're in reasonably decent shape 480 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,880 even though there's a concentration of it 481 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:10,773 up there at JBLM. 482 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:12,710 - [Woman] Thanks guys, we have to get-- 483 00:20:12,710 --> 00:20:15,330 - Can I get, when you said, just real quickly, 484 00:20:15,330 --> 00:20:17,140 a clarification, when you said that there were 485 00:20:17,140 --> 00:20:19,700 changes with coronavirus, is that why there was 486 00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:23,953 a port stop missed and skipped by USS Eisenhower in Italy, 487 00:20:23,953 --> 00:20:26,370 and then if I can get a clarification from you 488 00:20:26,370 --> 00:20:28,480 on Leeda's question if I may, 489 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:30,190 you had said that there were gonna be reductions 490 00:20:30,190 --> 00:20:31,640 of violence that would continue to reduce, 491 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:33,360 but a Taliban spokesman today just said 492 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:35,350 the reduction in violence has ended now. 493 00:20:35,350 --> 00:20:37,880 Our operations will continue as normal, 494 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,350 and the mujahideen will not attack foreign forces, 495 00:20:40,350 --> 00:20:43,490 but will continue attacks on Kabul administration forces. 496 00:20:43,490 --> 00:20:47,180 Is this at all what you, the U.S., agreed to militarily? 497 00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:48,013 Can you just expand-- 498 00:20:48,013 --> 00:20:49,230 - Again, our expectation is that 499 00:20:49,230 --> 00:20:51,240 the reduction in violence would continue. 500 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,490 It would taper off till we got inter-Afghan negotiations 501 00:20:54,490 --> 00:20:57,420 where we'd ultimately consummate in a cease fire, 502 00:20:57,420 --> 00:20:59,163 if you will, so again, day two. 503 00:21:00,350 --> 00:21:01,300 We'll deal with the issue. 504 00:21:01,300 --> 00:21:03,500 We'll make sure we understand attribution, 505 00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:04,500 the extent of the attack, 506 00:21:04,500 --> 00:21:06,360 and it's gonna be a constant engagement. 507 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,880 This is gonna be a long, windy, bumpy road. 508 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,890 There will be ups and downs, and we'll stop and start. 509 00:21:12,890 --> 00:21:14,120 That's gonna be the nature of this 510 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:16,670 over the next days, weeks, and months, 511 00:21:16,670 --> 00:21:18,570 and so I'm not gonna get too excited 512 00:21:18,570 --> 00:21:19,800 about what happens at the moment. 513 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,220 We just gotta deal with each situation as it arises 514 00:21:22,220 --> 00:21:24,320 and make sure we stay focused on the mission. 515 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,020 The mission here, again, number one is to make sure 516 00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:29,500 Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven 517 00:21:29,500 --> 00:21:31,470 for terrorists to attack this country. 518 00:21:31,470 --> 00:21:34,550 We've been very successful for the past 18 years 519 00:21:34,550 --> 00:21:38,170 for doing that, and number two, support our Afghan partners 520 00:21:38,170 --> 00:21:40,220 in the process, and then number three, 521 00:21:40,220 --> 00:21:42,340 again as we can, bring our troops home, 522 00:21:42,340 --> 00:21:43,930 withdraw our presence in the country, 523 00:21:43,930 --> 00:21:45,150 but that's our commitment. 524 00:21:45,150 --> 00:21:46,240 That's what we intend to do, 525 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:47,530 and we're gonna stay focused on that 526 00:21:47,530 --> 00:21:48,970 because at the end of the day, 527 00:21:48,970 --> 00:21:51,320 the best path, if not the only path forward, 528 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:52,430 is through a political agreement 529 00:21:52,430 --> 00:21:54,020 between the warring parties. 530 00:21:54,020 --> 00:21:56,043 - So what this spokesman said is not what we, is not-- 531 00:21:56,043 --> 00:21:56,876 - I don't know. 532 00:21:56,876 --> 00:21:58,510 You're quoting me something I haven't seen 533 00:21:58,510 --> 00:21:59,343 or heard or read. 534 00:21:59,343 --> 00:22:00,390 I don't know who the person is. 535 00:22:00,390 --> 00:22:03,160 I don't know exactly what they're saying, so. 536 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:04,555 - [Woman] The main Taliban spokesman. 537 00:22:04,555 --> 00:22:06,305 - [Man] Take a guess. 538 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:08,320 - [Woman] Port stop, is that-- 539 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:09,715 - That's one of the examples, yes. 540 00:22:09,715 --> 00:22:11,145 - [Woman] Thank you. 541 00:22:11,145 --> 00:22:16,145 (papers shuffling) (camera shutters clicking)