00:00Can I please first hand from Vietnam, Bikram.
00:05Thank you, Chair.
00:07Secretary, so good to see you in Singapore, one member of ASEAN.
00:13So my question is about cyber defense.
00:16So as you mentioned that cyber space has been increasingly important by the background.
00:22But the current U.S. government is cutting a lot of initiatives on cyber security.
00:28So from a national defense perspective, are you concerned that the U.S. will be vulnerable to cyber attacks by adversaries?
00:37Thank you very much.
00:39And we take from Japan, Ken Jimu.
00:42Thank you very much.
00:44Secretary Pertes, you emphasize the need for more weasel American groups.
00:49In your vision, how central is the artificial intelligence to achieving that goal?
00:54Specifically, what role do you see AI playing in enhancing corporational effectiveness, decision-making, or returns?
01:04Thank you very much.
01:06And we have a question from China.
01:09Ji-chan.
01:10The earl, your microphone is live.
01:13Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
01:15Good morning, Mr. Secretary.
01:17You mentioned that allies and partners are important.
01:22However, in recent years, when the United States set up multilateral alliances or frameworks in this region, set as port and opus, it did not include the other countries.
01:36So if there are differences or disputes between U.S. alliances and Asia, which side you choose?
01:45Do you support Asian centrality?
01:47If so, how can we ensure Asian centrality in this way?
01:53Thank you very much.
01:54And we take from the United Kingdom, sir, talk about it.
01:58Con.
01:59Mr. Secretary, thank you.
02:01China seems to me has an asymmetric strategic advantage for its dominance of critical mineral refinement and supply.
02:08How might this affect the U.S. goals for your defense industrial phase in production of next-generation military equipment?
02:16And how do you intend to neutralize this particular Chinese advantage?
02:20Thank you very much.
02:21Now, let me take one more and then we'll close it and let the Secretary respond.
02:26If we can, please, now from Malaysia, we agree with Rama.
02:33It's interesting you mentioned on the economic interests and common sense.
02:37In this region, I think history and economy is deeply connected.
02:40And this region has been anxious of the President Trump's target.
02:45So how do you all set that?
02:47Thank you very much.
02:48So, again, a rather rich menu for you to get into.
02:53Again, the vulnerabilities of cyberattacks.
02:56How AI and other technologies pay into more legal force posture.
03:05And then there's the balancing alliance that you've got for you.
03:09With the first question, I guess I would just take issue with the premise of the question.
03:14Every single day inside the Pentagon, you're not cutting the cyber.
03:20We're enhancing it.
03:21We're enabling it.
03:22We're recognizing the centrality and the importance of it.
03:24So I would just disagree with that and say that across the spectrum, both how our services train and equip, but also how our co-coms or combat commanders are looking at the fight is central to it.
03:38The role of AI, same thing.
03:41I've been very careful about how we engage with industry partners.
03:45We're trying to open the doors to non-traditionals.
03:47A lot of defense contractors who have not been traditionally part of the conversation would have commercial capabilities off the shelf that have open architecture that can more rapidly feel that have made their own investments and are willing to present capabilities to the defense department that we didn't pay for in the first hand, but we are quite important to how we might operate.
04:12AI is central to that.
04:15I mean, the country, the country, the country, the alliances that embrace the ability for what AI can do inside the common operating creature, commanding control, rapidly synthesizing intelligence.
04:29It's an age agent.
04:31Not just for us, but for any country that can field it properly and with an understanding of how wielding it makes you faster and more lethal in real time.
04:40So AI is something we are focused on on a daily basis that the Pentagon is looking to integrate throughout our formations.
04:48I appreciate the question from China.
04:51I would simply say, and welcome to that dialogue and conversation, by the way.
04:55I would simply point to the countries we've engaged with here, whether they are part of ASEAN, whether they are part of AUKUS, any of those architectures.
05:09We are not going to look only inside the confines of how previous administrations looked at this region.
05:16I think you saw it in my remarks intentionally. We're opening our arms to countries across the spectrum.
05:22Traditional allies, non-traditional allies, some of which can be overt, others of which are more covert, some of which are near and far more direct or logistics-oriented,
05:32but grounded in mutual self-interest, in respect for those organizations, the capabilities that we want to bring to bear, and the realism of what we can do together.
05:45Not promising something in the far future that sounds great on a PowerPoint or a ILS forum, but honest conversations about brass tacks, hard power, military capabilities that would be needed to be brought to bear.
06:02If, if and when, unfortunately, there were a contingency, which, as I hope I made quite clear, is not something we seek.
06:10Critical minerals, I would call that a sort of operational warp speed for us, and for everybody, not just the United States.
06:20Where we source munitions, critical platforms, is important.
06:24And from our deputy secretary of defense throughout our department, it's very important, and we're actually moving out quite rapidly on it.
06:34And the last question on tariffs, I'm happily in the business of tanks, not trade.
06:42But, and I would leave that discussion to the men who knows how to do it best, which is President Trump,
06:47right-sizing relationships, and ensuring that our trade is balanced.
06:53And I think that's good for us, for all countries when we do that.
