WEBVTT 00:02.190 --> 00:04.560 Good evening everyone and thank you for 00:04.560 --> 00:06.727 being here today . It's my pleasure to 00:06.727 --> 00:08.840 introduce Secretary of Defense Lloyd 00:08.840 --> 00:10.940 Austin the third and Chairman of the 00:10.940 --> 00:12.884 Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark 00:12.884 --> 00:15.107 Milley . The secretary and the chairman 00:15.107 --> 00:17.218 will each deliver opening remarks and 00:17.218 --> 00:19.162 then we'll have time to take a few 00:19.162 --> 00:21.051 questions . I will moderate those 00:21.051 --> 00:23.162 questions and call on journalists and 00:23.162 --> 00:25.329 would ask that we limit follow ups due 00:25.329 --> 00:27.440 to our tight schedule . Thank you for 00:27.440 --> 00:30.000 your assistance with that . Thank you 00:30.000 --> 00:32.460 all for joining us today at Ramstein . 00:33.280 --> 00:35.820 We've just concluded the 8th Ukraine 00:35.820 --> 00:38.550 Defense Contact Group Meeting and it 00:38.550 --> 00:40.640 was great to start the new year by 00:40.650 --> 00:44.020 deepening our coordination as we work 00:44.020 --> 00:47.670 together for Ukraine's self defense . 00:48.800 --> 00:51.940 As president biden has said , this is a 00:51.950 --> 00:55.740 decisive decade for the world and 00:55.750 --> 00:57.990 this is a decisive moment for Ukraine's 00:57.990 --> 01:01.580 struggle to defend itself . So this 01:01.580 --> 01:03.524 contact group will not slow down . 01:04.510 --> 01:06.570 We're gonna continue to dig deep and 01:06.570 --> 01:08.792 based upon the progress that we've made 01:08.792 --> 01:11.370 today . I'm confident that Ukraine's 01:11.370 --> 01:15.070 partners from around the globe are 01:15.070 --> 01:19.020 determined to meet this moment . United 01:19.020 --> 01:22.280 States remains committed to leading in 01:22.280 --> 01:24.810 this coordinated effort and this 01:24.810 --> 01:27.470 morning , I was pleased to announce 01:27.480 --> 01:30.410 another major round of U . S . Security 01:30.410 --> 01:34.040 assistance designed to meet Ukraine's 01:34.050 --> 01:37.440 urgent battlefield requirements . And 01:37.440 --> 01:41.140 this $2.5 billion dollar package 01:41.150 --> 01:44.490 is one of our largest yet it helps 01:44.490 --> 01:47.480 Ukraine meet its air defense needs with 01:47.480 --> 01:51.030 additional May SAM's munitions And 01:51.040 --> 01:54.710 eight Avenger Air Defense Systems . And 01:54.710 --> 01:57.380 this package also helps tackle 01:57.380 --> 01:59.450 Ukraine's urgent need for armor and 01:59.450 --> 02:03.330 combat vehicles . It includes 59 02:03.340 --> 02:05.396 additional Bradley infantry fighting 02:05.396 --> 02:09.100 vehicles and 90 stryker armoured 02:09.100 --> 02:13.090 personnel carriers , 53 m reps 02:14.120 --> 02:17.850 350 up armored Humvees 02:19.010 --> 02:21.120 and it will provide thousands and 02:21.130 --> 02:23.270 thousands more rounds of artillery . 02:25.150 --> 02:27.380 Now we were honored to hear this 02:27.380 --> 02:29.324 morning from President Zelensky of 02:29.324 --> 02:33.270 Ukraine . Let me also thank several 02:33.270 --> 02:35.159 other brave Ukrainian leaders for 02:35.159 --> 02:39.030 joining us today . And that includes my 02:39.030 --> 02:41.630 good friend , Minister Alexey Resnick 02:41.630 --> 02:45.300 Aww , the Minister of Defense and 02:45.300 --> 02:48.680 Lieutenant General Marchuk , the Deputy 02:48.680 --> 02:52.660 Chief of Defense . Their presentations 02:52.660 --> 02:56.620 gave us a first hand account what 02:56.620 --> 02:59.120 Ukraine's military and citizens are 02:59.120 --> 03:03.110 facing today's meeting focused 03:03.110 --> 03:05.300 on Ukraine's needs for air , defense 03:05.300 --> 03:08.470 and armor . We also pushed hard on how 03:08.470 --> 03:11.540 to synchronize those donations and turn 03:11.540 --> 03:13.490 them into fully operational 03:13.490 --> 03:17.070 capabilities and that means 03:17.910 --> 03:21.580 every step from donation to training to 03:21.580 --> 03:24.340 maintenance and then to sustain it . 03:26.180 --> 03:27.958 We also focused hard on how our 03:27.958 --> 03:30.680 collective and individual training 03:30.680 --> 03:34.070 efforts would be prosecuted so 03:36.150 --> 03:38.372 as you heard , President biden recently 03:38.372 --> 03:41.040 announced the latest US training 03:41.040 --> 03:44.890 initiative And it builds on 03:44.900 --> 03:47.390 us programs to train Ukrainian troops 03:47.390 --> 03:50.020 dating back to 2014 03:51.420 --> 03:53.476 other countries are stepping up with 03:53.476 --> 03:55.420 their own initiatives and many are 03:55.420 --> 03:57.570 joining the european Union's Military 03:57.570 --> 04:01.250 Assistance mission . Meanwhile , we're 04:01.250 --> 04:03.139 also continuing to strengthen our 04:03.139 --> 04:06.160 defense industrial basis through the 04:06.160 --> 04:07.882 work of the national armaments 04:07.882 --> 04:10.910 directors under the auspices of this 04:10.910 --> 04:14.360 contact group and all of these efforts 04:14.360 --> 04:17.220 underscore how much we've deepened our 04:17.220 --> 04:20.030 cooperation since the contact group 04:20.030 --> 04:21.830 began last april 04:23.950 --> 04:26.140 our work shows how much nations of 04:26.140 --> 04:28.520 goodwill can achieve when we work 04:28.520 --> 04:31.850 together and it shows our long term 04:31.850 --> 04:33.920 commitment to supporting Ukraine 04:34.510 --> 04:38.300 against Russia's unprovoked 04:38.300 --> 04:42.110 aggression . Now , as we 04:42.110 --> 04:44.810 saw again just days ago in knee , pro 04:46.170 --> 04:48.720 Russia continues its assault on Ukraine 04:48.720 --> 04:50.640 civilian and and critical 04:50.640 --> 04:54.550 infrastructure and Russia continues 04:54.550 --> 04:57.710 to bombard Ukraine's cities with cruise 04:57.710 --> 05:01.650 missiles and drones . But 05:01.650 --> 05:04.240 the Ukrainian people stand defiant and 05:04.240 --> 05:07.350 strong and Ukrainian troops are bravely 05:07.350 --> 05:09.380 defending their country and their 05:09.380 --> 05:12.870 fellow citizens as 05:12.870 --> 05:16.860 Russia's cruelty deepens the resolve of 05:16.860 --> 05:20.480 this contact group grows and that's 05:20.480 --> 05:22.702 clear from the announcements that we've 05:22.702 --> 05:24.813 heard today and I'll start with their 05:24.813 --> 05:26.924 defense . Several countries have come 05:26.924 --> 05:28.980 forward with key donations that will 05:28.980 --> 05:31.550 help protect Ukraine skies and cities 05:31.550 --> 05:34.560 and citizens France Germany and the 05:34.560 --> 05:37.650 UK have all donated air defense systems 05:37.650 --> 05:40.750 to Ukraine and that includes a 05:40.760 --> 05:44.720 patriot battery from Germany and that's 05:44.720 --> 05:47.100 especially important coming alongside 05:47.110 --> 05:49.060 our own contribution of a patriot 05:49.060 --> 05:52.150 system and the Netherlands is also 05:52.150 --> 05:54.480 donating patriot missiles and launchers 05:54.480 --> 05:57.800 and training . Meanwhile , Canada has 05:57.800 --> 06:01.060 procured an assam system and associated 06:01.060 --> 06:04.100 munitions for Ukraine and so these air 06:04.100 --> 06:05.822 defense systems will help save 06:05.822 --> 06:09.150 countless innocent lives . We're also 06:09.150 --> 06:10.872 pushing hard to meet Ukraine's 06:10.872 --> 06:13.010 requirements for tanks and other 06:13.010 --> 06:16.480 armored vehicles . The UK has announced 06:16.480 --> 06:18.536 a significant donation of Challenger 06:18.536 --> 06:21.620 two tanks for Ukraine . This is the 06:21.620 --> 06:23.760 first introduction of Western main 06:23.760 --> 06:27.280 battle tanks into Ukraine . I also 06:27.280 --> 06:29.550 commend our british allies for for 06:29.550 --> 06:33.010 making this decision and Sweden 06:33.010 --> 06:35.880 announced it's donating CB- 90 infantry 06:35.880 --> 06:39.050 fighting vehicles and an additional 06:39.050 --> 06:42.540 donation soon of Archer Howard Sirs . 06:43.790 --> 06:46.012 We've also heard inspiring an important 06:46.012 --> 06:48.234 new donation announcements from several 06:48.234 --> 06:50.234 other countries . And that includes 06:50.234 --> 06:51.957 Denmark , which will donate 19 06:51.957 --> 06:54.068 Howitzers and Latvia is donating more 06:54.068 --> 06:56.012 stingers and helicopters and other 06:56.012 --> 06:58.790 equipment . And Estonia is providing 06:58.790 --> 07:01.210 Ukraine with a significant new package 07:01.220 --> 07:04.240 of much needed 155 millimeter howitzers 07:04.240 --> 07:07.970 and munitions . Now , all of today's 07:07.970 --> 07:11.890 announcements are are direct results of 07:11.890 --> 07:15.030 our work at the contact group and these 07:15.030 --> 07:17.160 important new commitments demonstrate 07:17.160 --> 07:19.271 the ongoing resolve of our allies and 07:19.271 --> 07:22.090 partners to help Ukraine defend itself . 07:22.980 --> 07:25.370 Because this isn't just about Ukraine's 07:25.370 --> 07:28.790 security . It's also about european 07:28.790 --> 07:32.280 security and it's about global security . 07:34.420 --> 07:37.010 It's about the kind of world that we 07:37.010 --> 07:40.220 want to live in and it's about the 07:40.220 --> 07:42.550 world that we want our Children and 07:42.550 --> 07:46.430 grandchildren to inherit . The members 07:46.430 --> 07:48.810 of this contact group are standing up 07:50.350 --> 07:54.240 where rules matter and where 07:54.240 --> 07:57.400 rights matter and where sovereignty is 07:57.400 --> 08:00.430 respected and where people can choose 08:00.430 --> 08:04.050 their own path free from tyranny and 08:04.050 --> 08:07.460 aggression . And I'm confident that 08:07.460 --> 08:10.210 this group will remain united 08:11.330 --> 08:13.497 and we'll continue to build momentum , 08:13.810 --> 08:16.410 will support Ukraine against Russian 08:16.410 --> 08:19.410 aggression for the long haul . And 08:19.410 --> 08:21.466 we'll continue to work toward a free 08:21.466 --> 08:24.360 and security rate . Ukraine in a stable 08:24.360 --> 08:26.780 and decent world . And with that , let 08:26.780 --> 08:29.100 me turn it over to the chairman for his 08:29.100 --> 08:31.790 comments . Good afternoon everyone and 08:31.800 --> 08:33.911 thank you , Secretary Austin for your 08:33.911 --> 08:36.480 leadership in this uh eighth Ukrainian 08:36.490 --> 08:38.790 contact group and supportive uh 08:38.800 --> 08:41.250 Ukrainian freedom . And thanks as well 08:41.250 --> 08:43.472 to all the ministers and the chargers , 08:43.472 --> 08:45.583 the Chiefs of Defense that we're here 08:45.583 --> 08:47.750 who represented 54 different countries 08:47.750 --> 08:50.020 today . A special thank you also to 08:50.030 --> 08:53.880 Ukrainian Minister Defense Research and 08:53.890 --> 08:56.580 Deputy Chief of Defense . General Music . 08:57.110 --> 08:59.166 I had recently had an opportunity to 08:59.166 --> 09:02.530 meet with General Kaluzny uh in Poland 09:02.540 --> 09:04.800 and General Music was here representing 09:04.800 --> 09:07.160 him . Uh They all represent the 09:07.160 --> 09:09.216 exceptional bravery of the Ukrainian 09:09.216 --> 09:11.370 army and most importantly uh the 09:11.370 --> 09:13.870 Ukrainian people uh this week after 09:13.870 --> 09:15.759 meeting General Solution , had an 09:15.759 --> 09:17.759 opportunity uh to visit some of the 09:17.759 --> 09:19.926 training and the mech infantry that we 09:19.926 --> 09:22.037 are doing at Grafton Beer here in the 09:22.037 --> 09:24.092 training area in Germany also had an 09:24.092 --> 09:26.092 opportunity to do some coordination 09:26.092 --> 09:28.314 meetings in Baden And then attended the 09:28.314 --> 09:30.481 NATO Chad's Military Committee meeting 09:30.481 --> 09:32.314 where all the members of all the 09:32.314 --> 09:34.314 charges of NATO , an opportunity to 09:34.314 --> 09:36.314 meet with one of the primary topics 09:36.314 --> 09:38.481 being support to Ukraine . And then of 09:38.481 --> 09:40.481 course uh this week ending it today 09:40.481 --> 09:42.426 this week with uh with the contact 09:42.426 --> 09:44.370 group . Um I think that over my 43 09:44.370 --> 09:46.537 years in uniform , uh this is the most 09:46.537 --> 09:48.592 unified I've ever seen NATO and I've 09:48.592 --> 09:50.703 dipped in and out of NATO over many , 09:50.703 --> 09:52.814 many years . The war has evolved over 09:52.814 --> 09:55.390 the last 11 months . But the mission of 09:55.390 --> 09:57.530 this group . This contact group under 09:57.530 --> 09:59.419 General Austin's leadership under 09:59.419 --> 10:01.308 Secretary Austin's leadership has 10:01.308 --> 10:03.474 remained the same . We are effectively 10:03.474 --> 10:05.650 committed to support Ukraine with 10:05.650 --> 10:07.761 capabilities to defend itself against 10:07.761 --> 10:09.840 the illegal and unprovoked Russian 10:09.840 --> 10:12.890 aggression . In the words of President 10:12.890 --> 10:15.740 Biden , Secretary Austin and many other 10:15.740 --> 10:18.650 national leaders as much as it takes 10:18.660 --> 10:20.830 for as long as it takes in order to 10:20.830 --> 10:23.890 keep Ukraine free , independent and 10:23.890 --> 10:26.450 sovereign . These contact group 10:26.450 --> 10:29.000 meetings play an important role as we 10:29.000 --> 10:31.111 support Ukraine in the defense of its 10:31.111 --> 10:33.320 territory and they are a clear 10:33.330 --> 10:36.020 unambiguous demonstration of the unity 10:36.020 --> 10:38.580 and resolve of the allied nations . 10:39.300 --> 10:41.950 Yesterday as Secretary Austin just 10:41.950 --> 10:44.006 mentioned , President Biden released 10:44.006 --> 10:46.660 our 30th security assistance package 10:46.660 --> 10:49.160 signifying our continued commitment to 10:49.160 --> 10:51.290 Ukraine . This package combined with 10:51.290 --> 10:54.280 our previous one , includes combined 10:54.280 --> 10:56.100 arms maneuver capabilities with 10:56.100 --> 10:58.670 supporting artillery equivalent to at 10:58.670 --> 11:01.430 least two combined arms maneuver 11:01.430 --> 11:04.340 brigades or six mech infantry 11:04.340 --> 11:07.630 battalions , 10 motorized infantry 11:07.630 --> 11:10.700 battalions and four artillery 11:10.700 --> 11:12.867 battalions , along with a lot of other 11:12.867 --> 11:14.920 equipment . This package , this us 11:14.920 --> 11:17.530 package along with the allied donations 11:17.540 --> 11:19.762 that were indicated today , signify our 11:19.762 --> 11:22.730 collective resolve in our commitment to 11:22.730 --> 11:24.730 Ukraine to protect their population 11:25.100 --> 11:27.322 from the indiscriminate Russian attacks 11:27.322 --> 11:29.570 and to provide the armor necessary to 11:29.570 --> 11:32.650 go on the offensive to liberate Russian 11:32.650 --> 11:35.500 occupied Ukraine . Additionally , this 11:35.500 --> 11:38.250 week in Germany we began battalion and 11:38.250 --> 11:40.417 brigade collective training that I had 11:40.417 --> 11:42.639 an opportunity to visit at the combined 11:42.639 --> 11:44.750 arms maneuver training center here in 11:44.750 --> 11:46.472 Grafton Beer in support of the 11:46.472 --> 11:49.570 Ukrainian army . That training in 11:49.570 --> 11:51.292 addition to the equipment will 11:51.292 --> 11:53.181 significantly increase Ukrainians 11:53.181 --> 11:55.403 capability to defend itself and further 11:55.403 --> 11:57.970 Russian attacks and to go on the 11:57.970 --> 12:00.530 tactical and operational offensive to 12:00.530 --> 12:03.580 liberate the occupied areas with the 12:03.580 --> 12:05.802 training that the United States and our 12:05.802 --> 12:07.802 partners are doing . The Ukrainians 12:07.802 --> 12:09.969 will advance their command and control 12:09.969 --> 12:11.691 their tactics , techniques and 12:11.691 --> 12:13.913 procedures , their ability to integrate 12:13.913 --> 12:16.080 fires with maneuver and they will more 12:16.080 --> 12:18.024 effectively synchronize all of the 12:18.024 --> 12:19.913 combined arms in order to execute 12:19.913 --> 12:23.310 maneuver based operations . The support 12:23.310 --> 12:25.532 that we discussed today in this contact 12:25.532 --> 12:27.588 group meeting , the training that we 12:27.588 --> 12:29.588 discussed today and the way ahead . 12:29.588 --> 12:31.810 It's really an extension of what's been 12:31.810 --> 12:34.270 going on since 2014 and today signifies 12:34.270 --> 12:37.760 a very real and tangible difference in 12:37.760 --> 12:40.790 the Ukraine's efforts to defend itself . 12:41.470 --> 12:43.870 International aggression where large 12:43.870 --> 12:46.350 countries use military force to attack 12:46.350 --> 12:48.910 small countries and change recognized 12:48.910 --> 12:51.870 borders cannot be allowed to stand . 12:53.000 --> 12:56.180 Eventually , President Putin 12:56.190 --> 12:59.210 Russia will realize the full extent of 12:59.210 --> 13:01.650 their strategic miscalculation , but 13:01.650 --> 13:04.760 until Putin ends this war , his war of 13:04.760 --> 13:07.690 choice , the nations of this contact 13:07.690 --> 13:09.634 group will continue to support the 13:09.634 --> 13:12.260 defense of Ukraine in order to uphold 13:12.270 --> 13:14.381 the rules based international order . 13:14.381 --> 13:16.548 Thank you and welcome your questions . 13:16.548 --> 13:18.770 Thank you . Mr Secretary Chairman . Our 13:18.770 --> 13:22.500 first question will go to from A R . D . 13:23.280 --> 13:25.950 Hello , Mr Secretary of Defense . My 13:25.950 --> 13:28.640 question is , many of us thought that 13:28.640 --> 13:30.940 today we will have a breakthrough in 13:30.940 --> 13:33.960 the discussion about heavy battle tanks . 13:33.970 --> 13:36.680 You didn't mention that at all . We 13:36.690 --> 13:39.380 didn't talk about the apart to or 13:39.390 --> 13:42.010 Abrams Thanks So did you talk about 13:42.010 --> 13:45.970 that today ? Um I think you 13:45.970 --> 13:47.970 heard you may have heard the german 13:47.970 --> 13:50.160 Minister of Defense say earlier that 13:50.170 --> 13:52.640 they've not made a decision on the 13:52.640 --> 13:56.350 provision of leopard tanks . Uh , we're 13:56.350 --> 14:00.220 really focused on is making sure 14:00.220 --> 14:04.200 that uh , Ukraine has the capability 14:04.210 --> 14:06.870 uh , that it needs to be successful 14:06.880 --> 14:09.670 right now . So we have a window of 14:09.680 --> 14:12.210 opportunity here , uh , you know , 14:12.210 --> 14:14.560 between now and the spring when I , you 14:14.560 --> 14:17.420 know , whenever they commence , uh , 14:17.430 --> 14:19.208 their operation , their counter 14:19.208 --> 14:21.374 offensive , uh , and that's not a long 14:21.374 --> 14:23.486 time and we have to pull together the 14:23.486 --> 14:25.652 right capabilities . And you heard the 14:25.652 --> 14:27.541 Chairman walk through some of the 14:27.541 --> 14:30.280 substantial combat power that we and 14:30.280 --> 14:32.224 and some of our allies have , have 14:32.224 --> 14:34.670 offered , offered to provide . Uh , 14:34.680 --> 14:37.990 there are tanks in that , in that uh , 14:38.000 --> 14:40.167 those offerings Poland , for example , 14:40.167 --> 14:42.222 it continues to offer tanks and will 14:42.222 --> 14:44.333 provide tanks in other countries will 14:44.333 --> 14:47.240 offer some tank capability as well . I 14:47.240 --> 14:49.462 don't have any announcements to make on 14:49.462 --> 14:51.518 em ones . And you heard the uh , the 14:51.518 --> 14:53.796 German Minister of Defense say that uh , 14:53.796 --> 14:56.129 they've not made a decision on leopards . 14:56.129 --> 14:58.790 So thank you . Next question will go to 14:58.790 --> 15:00.270 idris ali , Reuters , 15:02.340 --> 15:04.850 Mr Secretary over the past week . A 15:04.850 --> 15:06.739 number of european countries have 15:06.739 --> 15:09.710 publicly pleaded with Germany to allow 15:09.710 --> 15:11.766 the transfer of their tanks you made 15:11.766 --> 15:14.043 with your german counterpart yesterday . 15:14.043 --> 15:16.099 And like you said today , they still 15:16.099 --> 15:17.850 have not made a decision you 15:17.860 --> 15:20.160 disappointed in the german position . 15:20.170 --> 15:23.100 And how can Germany still be seen as a 15:23.100 --> 15:25.630 reliable ally given what is widely 15:25.630 --> 15:27.741 perceived as them dragging their feet 15:27.741 --> 15:29.686 on something so simple and for the 15:29.686 --> 15:32.430 chairman , um is there any prohibition 15:32.440 --> 15:34.551 on the use of american weapons by the 15:34.551 --> 15:37.110 Ukrainians in Crimea currently ? And 15:37.110 --> 15:39.332 you've talked about how this war , like 15:39.332 --> 15:41.166 many others has to end through a 15:41.166 --> 15:43.510 negotiated settlement is now the time 15:43.520 --> 15:45.742 for the Russians and Ukrainians to come 15:45.742 --> 15:49.650 to the table to talk about that . Um 15:49.660 --> 15:53.330 Thanks idris first , let me say that uh 15:54.670 --> 15:56.690 This isn't really about one single 15:56.690 --> 16:00.050 platform . Uh and so our 16:00.060 --> 16:02.004 goal and I think we've been fairly 16:02.004 --> 16:04.116 successful at doing this and bringing 16:04.116 --> 16:06.830 together capability is to is to provide 16:06.840 --> 16:09.062 the capability that Ukraine needs to be 16:09.062 --> 16:11.620 successful in the near term . And so 16:11.620 --> 16:13.660 you've heard us talk about uh two 16:13.660 --> 16:16.640 battalions of Bradley infantry fighting 16:16.640 --> 16:20.340 vehicles , very capable platform , um 16:21.000 --> 16:23.700 three battalions or brigades worth of 16:23.710 --> 16:26.150 strikers . Uh you add that up , that's 16:26.150 --> 16:28.150 that's two brigades of combat power 16:28.150 --> 16:30.150 that the US is providing along with 16:30.150 --> 16:32.372 enablers and other things . So you look 16:32.372 --> 16:35.040 at Sweden providing a battalion of CV 16:35.040 --> 16:37.207 ninety's , that's an armored personnel 16:37.207 --> 16:39.373 carrier . Uh The Germans are providing 16:39.373 --> 16:42.550 martyrs . The uh the polls are 16:42.550 --> 16:45.690 providing uh battalion's worth of 16:45.700 --> 16:48.230 mechanized capability . Uh You heard 16:48.230 --> 16:50.600 the Chairman highlight four battalions 16:50.600 --> 16:53.500 of uh of artillery , mechanized 16:53.500 --> 16:55.556 artillery that's being provided . So 16:55.556 --> 16:57.990 this is a this is a very , very capable 16:57.990 --> 17:01.500 package and they , you know , if if if 17:01.510 --> 17:04.180 employed properly , uh it will be , it 17:04.180 --> 17:06.513 will enable them to be successful . Now , 17:06.513 --> 17:08.680 we're going to ensure that we're doing 17:08.680 --> 17:12.060 everything uh necessary uh to ensure 17:12.060 --> 17:14.282 that they have the ability to employ it 17:14.282 --> 17:16.227 properly . You heard us talk about 17:16.227 --> 17:18.449 training additional training that we're 17:18.449 --> 17:20.504 gonna do . This is something that we 17:20.504 --> 17:22.616 haven't been able to do in the past , 17:22.616 --> 17:24.893 so , you know , as we speak , you know , 17:24.893 --> 17:27.116 troops are being linked up with Bradley 17:27.116 --> 17:29.116 infantry fighting vehicles , uh and 17:29.116 --> 17:31.270 they'll train for weeks , not only on 17:31.270 --> 17:33.437 just how to operate the vehicles , but 17:33.437 --> 17:37.070 also on how to properly 17:37.080 --> 17:39.340 set conditions for maneuver and then 17:39.340 --> 17:41.451 maneuver and then , you know , how to 17:41.451 --> 17:43.430 exploit uh opportunities , how to 17:43.430 --> 17:46.810 breach obstacles . Uh so I think this 17:46.810 --> 17:49.910 will be a really , really capable uh 17:49.920 --> 17:51.976 package that we put together , and I 17:51.976 --> 17:54.660 really do believe that it will enable 17:54.660 --> 17:56.771 the Ukrainians to be successful going 17:56.771 --> 17:59.110 forward . So this is not dependent upon 17:59.120 --> 18:02.290 a single platform . This is uh this is 18:02.300 --> 18:05.000 uh combined arms effort that we brought 18:05.000 --> 18:07.670 together that I truly believe is gonna 18:07.680 --> 18:09.791 provide them the best opportunity for 18:09.791 --> 18:13.600 success . And there's the on your first 18:13.600 --> 18:16.090 question uh typically , we're not going 18:16.090 --> 18:18.190 to discuss , I don't discuss either 18:18.190 --> 18:20.140 prohibitions or permissions , 18:20.150 --> 18:22.830 authorities on the use of weapons 18:22.830 --> 18:24.997 etcetera , that that that goes towards 18:24.997 --> 18:26.719 rules of engagement . We don't 18:26.719 --> 18:28.886 typically discuss those in in a public 18:28.886 --> 18:30.774 forum on the second question . Uh 18:30.774 --> 18:33.240 President biden presents Alinsky and 18:33.240 --> 18:35.650 most of the leaders of europe have said 18:35.660 --> 18:38.000 that this war is likely to end in the 18:38.000 --> 18:40.260 negotiation and and from a military 18:40.260 --> 18:42.204 standpoint , this is a very , very 18:42.204 --> 18:44.093 difficult fight . Uh , this fight 18:44.093 --> 18:46.316 stretches , uh , all the way from right 18:46.316 --> 18:48.538 now is the front line goes from all the 18:48.538 --> 18:50.593 way from Kharkiv Donna Courtesan and 18:50.593 --> 18:52.816 the significant fighting ongoing . Uh , 18:52.816 --> 18:54.871 and it's more or less a static front 18:54.871 --> 18:56.760 line right this minute , with the 18:56.760 --> 18:58.982 exception of Bachman and solid are with 18:58.982 --> 19:01.204 a significant offensive action going on 19:01.204 --> 19:03.316 really from both sides . The distance 19:03.316 --> 19:05.316 that for the United States , that's 19:05.316 --> 19:07.427 about from uh , I guess Washington dc 19:07.427 --> 19:09.538 to Atlanta . So that is a significant 19:09.538 --> 19:11.316 amount of territory and in that 19:11.316 --> 19:13.482 territory are still remaining a lot of 19:13.482 --> 19:15.427 Russian forces in Russian occupied 19:15.427 --> 19:17.149 Ukraine . So , from a military 19:17.149 --> 19:20.110 standpoint , I still maintain that for 19:20.110 --> 19:22.110 this year , it would be very , very 19:22.110 --> 19:24.430 difficult to militarily eject the 19:24.430 --> 19:26.580 Russian forces from all every inch of 19:26.580 --> 19:28.800 Ukrainian occupied or Russian occupied 19:28.810 --> 19:30.820 Ukraine . Uh , that doesn't mean it 19:30.820 --> 19:32.876 can't happen , doesn't mean it won't 19:32.876 --> 19:34.764 happen , but would be very , very 19:34.764 --> 19:36.931 difficult . I think what can happen is 19:36.931 --> 19:39.098 a , is a continued defense stabilizing 19:39.098 --> 19:41.320 the front . I think it's possible to to 19:41.320 --> 19:43.264 clearly do that . And I think it's 19:43.264 --> 19:45.431 depending on the delivery and training 19:45.431 --> 19:47.542 of all of this equipment . I do think 19:47.542 --> 19:49.709 it's very , very possible to , for the 19:49.709 --> 19:51.876 Ukrainians to run a significant , uh , 19:51.876 --> 19:54.098 tactical or , or even operational level 19:54.098 --> 19:56.320 offensive operation to liberate as much 19:56.320 --> 19:58.431 Ukrainian territory as possible . And 19:58.431 --> 20:00.764 then we'll then we'll see where it goes . 20:00.764 --> 20:02.820 But I do think at the end of the day 20:02.820 --> 20:04.931 this war , like many wars in the past 20:04.931 --> 20:04.640 will end at some sort of negotiating 20:04.640 --> 20:06.807 table . And that will be determined in 20:06.807 --> 20:08.973 terms of timing by the leaders of both 20:08.973 --> 20:11.250 countries . Both both Russia and 20:11.250 --> 20:13.250 Ukraine . President Putin could end 20:13.250 --> 20:15.250 this war today . It's he started it 20:15.250 --> 20:17.472 it's his war of choice and he could end 20:17.472 --> 20:19.583 it today because it's turning into an 20:19.583 --> 20:21.472 absolute catastrophe for Russia , 20:21.472 --> 20:23.694 massive amounts of casualties , lots of 20:23.694 --> 20:25.639 other damage to the to the Russian 20:25.639 --> 20:27.861 military etcetera . Uh so he should and 20:27.861 --> 20:29.806 could end this war right now right 20:29.806 --> 20:31.917 today . Thank you . Our next question 20:31.917 --> 20:35.230 will go to Anselm stan zdf thank you 20:35.230 --> 20:37.410 very much . Mr Secretary is Germany 20:37.420 --> 20:39.970 doing enough in order to show real 20:39.970 --> 20:43.480 leadership in europe . Thank you . 20:44.120 --> 20:47.520 Yes . But we can all do more in uh you 20:47.520 --> 20:49.687 know the United States and every other 20:49.687 --> 20:51.742 member of the U . D . C . Can can do 20:51.742 --> 20:53.409 more . You know , Germany has 20:53.409 --> 20:55.298 contributed a lot to this to this 20:55.298 --> 20:57.353 campaign . Uh you know from the very 20:57.353 --> 20:59.600 beginning we we saw them uh cycle in 20:59.610 --> 21:02.820 air defense capability . The get parts 21:02.830 --> 21:06.300 the patriots most recently RST 21:06.310 --> 21:08.560 uh they've stepped up and offered to 21:08.560 --> 21:10.782 provide the martyrs . They will provide 21:10.782 --> 21:12.671 the those martyrs and conduct the 21:12.671 --> 21:15.770 training on those platforms . Uh and 21:15.780 --> 21:19.120 um we are 21:19.120 --> 21:22.270 training Ukrainian soldiers on 21:22.280 --> 21:25.620 maneuver and and other things uh and 21:25.630 --> 21:29.030 and specialty things uh here in Germany 21:29.030 --> 21:31.340 as well . So Germany's open continues 21:31.340 --> 21:33.510 to open its doors and and make the 21:33.510 --> 21:36.340 training areas and facilities available 21:36.340 --> 21:38.507 for us to continue to do the work that 21:38.507 --> 21:40.560 we need to do . And Germany is also 21:40.560 --> 21:43.930 training troops and training battalion 21:43.930 --> 21:45.930 and brigade headquarters . So , you 21:45.930 --> 21:48.152 know , they have a big oar in the water 21:48.152 --> 21:50.486 like the rest of the contact group does . 21:50.486 --> 21:52.652 Uh , and uh , and they're working hand 21:52.652 --> 21:55.140 in hand with , with , with the rest of 21:55.140 --> 21:57.410 our colleagues here . So I think IDris 21:57.410 --> 22:00.180 asked me earlier 22:00.190 --> 22:03.960 if if if Germany 22:03.970 --> 22:06.970 was was a leader , was that the right 22:06.970 --> 22:08.581 question ? Their interests ? 22:09.050 --> 22:13.000 Oh , yeah , Okay , yeah . They 22:13.010 --> 22:15.066 are reliable ally . And they've been 22:15.066 --> 22:17.490 that way for , for a very , very long 22:17.490 --> 22:19.712 time and I truly believe that they will 22:19.712 --> 22:21.768 continue to be a reliable ally going 22:21.768 --> 22:25.520 forward . Uh , not to mention They 22:25.520 --> 22:28.070 have uh , Germany is host to 22:28.080 --> 22:32.060 39,000 of my troops and their families , 22:32.070 --> 22:35.000 uh , and also 10,000 civilians here . 22:35.010 --> 22:37.010 Uh , and , and so we've had a great 22:37.010 --> 22:39.510 relationship throughout over the years 22:39.520 --> 22:42.380 and I will continue to have that great 22:42.380 --> 22:44.870 relationship and Germany will continue 22:44.870 --> 22:47.037 to exercise leadership going forward . 22:47.037 --> 22:49.810 So , thank you . Our next question will 22:49.810 --> 22:52.280 go to dan the moth Washington post . 22:53.220 --> 22:55.331 Good evening , gentlemen . Thanks for 22:55.331 --> 22:57.664 your time today . Uh , Secretary Austin , 22:57.664 --> 22:59.664 a number of lawmakers and observers 22:59.664 --> 23:01.887 have said that at this point , it makes 23:01.887 --> 23:04.053 sense to send a small number of Abrams 23:04.053 --> 23:06.276 tanks , if only to encourage Germany to 23:06.276 --> 23:08.520 unlock the leopard tanks that they have 23:08.520 --> 23:10.980 not sent . Is that feasible , and if 23:10.980 --> 23:13.036 not why not ? And for the chairman , 23:13.036 --> 23:15.202 please , given the amount of armor the 23:15.202 --> 23:17.424 United States and allies are sending at 23:17.424 --> 23:19.647 this point , how confident are you that 23:19.647 --> 23:21.480 they can put together a coherent 23:21.480 --> 23:23.840 offensive in the coming months ? Uh , 23:23.850 --> 23:26.450 to what extent uh to the extent you can 23:26.450 --> 23:28.450 what that what what might that look 23:28.450 --> 23:30.672 like and separately you just referenced 23:30.672 --> 23:32.540 referenced the large number of 23:32.540 --> 23:34.810 casualties . Uh , can you give us any 23:34.810 --> 23:37.032 update on on what you're seeing at this 23:37.032 --> 23:39.088 point for casualties on both sides ? 23:39.088 --> 23:42.550 Thanks . Um , I think you heard the 23:42.550 --> 23:45.440 german uh Minister of Defense say 23:45.440 --> 23:47.960 earlier today , that there's no linkage 23:47.960 --> 23:51.750 between um providing M 23:51.750 --> 23:55.300 ones and providing leopards . 23:55.310 --> 23:57.421 And I think he was pretty clear about 23:57.421 --> 24:00.020 that . So this notion of unlocking , 24:00.030 --> 24:02.510 you know , i in in in my mind is not 24:02.510 --> 24:04.121 it's not an issue . And more 24:04.121 --> 24:06.340 importantly in his mind as well . And 24:06.340 --> 24:09.330 in terms of providing capability , what 24:09.330 --> 24:11.910 we uh in the in the department always 24:11.910 --> 24:15.730 look at is , you know , providing 24:15.740 --> 24:18.250 credible combat capability . We we 24:18.250 --> 24:21.650 don't do things uh to or employ 24:21.660 --> 24:24.660 capabilities . That as a notion , you 24:24.660 --> 24:27.280 know , as as you know , for for 24:27.290 --> 24:29.860 anything other than providing credible 24:29.860 --> 24:32.270 combat capability . And that's where 24:32.270 --> 24:34.548 our focus will be in the in the future , 24:34.548 --> 24:36.714 whatever we do whatever we employ . So 24:37.670 --> 24:41.570 so dan on the in order to execute 24:41.570 --> 24:43.800 a successful offensive operation at the 24:43.800 --> 24:45.911 tactical operational level , which is 24:45.911 --> 24:48.133 really what we're talking about here uh 24:48.133 --> 24:50.300 for the Ukrainians , you've got to not 24:50.300 --> 24:52.467 only man the unit which the Ukrainians 24:52.467 --> 24:54.689 have the personnel , uh , but they have 24:54.689 --> 24:54.580 to be trained and so they gotta be 24:54.590 --> 24:56.757 married up with the equipment and then 24:56.757 --> 24:58.980 they got to be trained . Um , and if 24:58.980 --> 25:01.091 you look at the weather and terrain , 25:01.091 --> 25:03.202 et cetera , um , you can see that you 25:03.202 --> 25:05.369 have a relatively short window of time 25:05.369 --> 25:07.591 to accomplish both those key tests . So 25:07.591 --> 25:09.647 that's very , very challenging to do 25:09.647 --> 25:11.702 that for all these different nations 25:11.702 --> 25:13.813 that we're here today to assemble all 25:13.813 --> 25:13.040 of the equipment , get it all 25:13.040 --> 25:15.096 synchronized , get get the Ukrainian 25:15.096 --> 25:17.207 troops trained , etcetera . Uh , that 25:17.207 --> 25:19.650 will be a very , very heavy lift . So 25:19.660 --> 25:22.330 uh confident . Yes , I think it can be 25:22.330 --> 25:24.900 done . Uh , but I think that it'll be a 25:24.900 --> 25:27.011 challenge . There's no question about 25:27.011 --> 25:29.011 it . So we'll see , I don't want to 25:29.011 --> 25:31.178 predict one way or the other . But the 25:31.178 --> 25:33.289 Ukrainian forces so far have executed 25:33.289 --> 25:35.344 at least two . And perhaps even more 25:35.344 --> 25:37.456 than that . Very successful offensive 25:37.456 --> 25:39.511 operations . One up around Kharkiv , 25:39.511 --> 25:41.511 crossing the ask your river and and 25:41.511 --> 25:44.100 over into uh into uh , the Russian 25:44.100 --> 25:46.340 lines to the east of the of cardio . 25:46.590 --> 25:48.757 And then they've run a very successful 25:48.757 --> 25:50.868 operation down in Carson . Uh , so it 25:50.868 --> 25:52.479 remains to be seen , but the 25:52.479 --> 25:54.701 equipment's getting married up with the 25:54.701 --> 25:54.590 people , the people gotta get trained 25:54.590 --> 25:56.534 on the equipment and all of that's 25:56.534 --> 25:58.423 gonna have to get shipped in into 25:58.423 --> 26:00.534 Ukraine , etcetera , all put together 26:00.534 --> 26:02.757 inside of a coherent plan . Obviously , 26:02.757 --> 26:04.979 general jealousy and , and I and others 26:04.979 --> 26:07.040 have uh , discussed what his visions 26:07.040 --> 26:09.530 are , not in executing level detail yet , 26:09.540 --> 26:11.762 but he's working on that . And uh , and 26:11.762 --> 26:13.762 we'll see which way it goes uh , in 26:13.762 --> 26:16.280 terms of casualties , you know , the 26:16.290 --> 26:18.510 numbers of casualties in war always 26:18.520 --> 26:21.630 suspect . Uh , and uh , but I would 26:21.630 --> 26:23.686 tell you that the Russian casualties 26:23.686 --> 26:26.019 last time I reported out on it publicly , 26:26.019 --> 26:28.019 I said it was well over 100,000 , I 26:28.019 --> 26:30.186 would say it's significantly well over 26:30.186 --> 26:32.130 100,000 now . So the Russians have 26:32.130 --> 26:33.908 suffered a tremendous amount of 26:33.908 --> 26:36.241 casualties in their , in their military . 26:36.241 --> 26:38.408 Uh , and and that includes the regular 26:38.408 --> 26:40.519 military and also they're mercenaries 26:40.519 --> 26:42.686 in the Wagner group and And other type 26:42.686 --> 26:44.574 forces that are fighting with the 26:44.574 --> 26:46.741 Russians . They have really suffered a 26:46.741 --> 26:48.963 lot . Now you saw that the Russians did 26:48.963 --> 26:50.963 a call up of called out , I think , 26:50.963 --> 26:53.170 called up the mobilization 300,000 , I 26:53.170 --> 26:55.059 think they were able to get maybe 26:55.059 --> 26:57.170 250,000 , something that range . Uh , 26:57.170 --> 26:59.226 so they're replacing their losses in 26:59.226 --> 27:01.114 terms of manpower , but they have 27:01.114 --> 27:03.170 suffered a huge amount . Ukraine has 27:03.170 --> 27:05.392 also suffered tremendously . You know , 27:05.392 --> 27:04.860 that , uh , there's there's a 27:04.860 --> 27:06.582 significant amount of innocent 27:06.582 --> 27:08.638 civilians that have been killed as a 27:08.638 --> 27:10.693 result of the Russian actions . Uh , 27:10.693 --> 27:12.582 the Russians are hitting civilian 27:12.582 --> 27:14.360 infrastructure . Uh , there's a 27:14.360 --> 27:16.582 significant amount of economic damage , 27:16.582 --> 27:16.130 significant amount of damage to the 27:16.130 --> 27:18.352 energy infrastructure . And the Russian 27:18.352 --> 27:20.519 or the Ukrainian military has suffered 27:20.519 --> 27:22.463 a significant amount of casualties 27:22.463 --> 27:24.574 themselves . So this is a very , very 27:24.574 --> 27:26.519 bloody war and there's significant 27:26.519 --> 27:28.686 casualties on both sides . Uh and this 27:28.686 --> 27:31.250 is why I say that uh I think that uh 27:31.260 --> 27:33.371 sooner or later this is gonna have to 27:33.371 --> 27:35.427 get to the negotiating table at some 27:35.427 --> 27:37.482 point uh in order to bring this to a 27:37.482 --> 27:39.427 conclusion . And that will have to 27:39.427 --> 27:41.593 happen when the end state , which is a 27:41.593 --> 27:43.816 free sovereign independent Ukraine with 27:43.816 --> 27:45.871 his territory intact , is met . When 27:45.871 --> 27:48.093 that day comes then people sit down and 27:48.093 --> 27:47.950 negotiate an end to this . But there's 27:47.950 --> 27:50.172 been a huge amount of suffering on both 27:50.172 --> 27:52.339 sides . Ladies and gentlemen , that is 27:52.339 --> 27:54.506 all the time we have available today . 27:54.506 --> 27:56.617 Mr . Secretary General Milley , thank 27:56.617 --> 27:56.290 you both , gentlemen . This concludes 27:56.290 --> 27:57.600 our press briefing . Thank you .