00:00We have seen horrific reports of a U.S. missile hitting a girls school in Iran.
00:13I recognize you are at CENTCOM, and this is not your AOR, but can you speak to the process
00:20that you at least have at UCOM for developing targets?
00:24What type of protections you have, based on what I have heard from reporting, the data
00:32that was looked at was a decade old, that any person who can get satellite access to Google
00:43Maps today can see that this was a school.
00:51New York Times had no problem getting that data and information for a report today.
00:57What do you intend to do at UCOM to make sure your targeting is consistent with American
01:03values?
01:05Senator, thanks.
01:08Over the course of my career, as a fighter pilot, I've always done everything I can to
01:13avoid civilian harm and civilian casualties, and I would tell you I'm absolutely committed
01:18to that, I know the department is committed to that, and that when tragedies like this
01:22happen, it causes us all to reflect and try to improve our processes.
01:27I've been involved in the targeting process, both of the tactical and the operational levels
01:31throughout my career, and I would tell you we do have a number of safeguards in the system.
01:35Every single time that at the tactical level I was going to release a weapon on a target,
01:39I was personally making an assessment as to whether there was any chance of civilian harm,
01:46and if there was, was that proportional to the military necessity of striking the target.
01:50At the operational level, both from my time in U.S. Central Command previously and then
01:55now at U.S. European Command, I can assure you that we have robust standards that we go
02:00through and look to see and update the imagery and update our understanding of the target,
02:05and refresh the intelligence on a recurring basis to determine the chances of civilian harm,
02:11and to address any collateral concerns that might be there.
02:13So you just know I'm absolutely committed to trying to mitigate that risk.
02:17I appreciate your testimony.
02:19I'm highly concerned, however, that Secretary Hegseth does not agree with you.
02:23Secretary Hegseth has criticized rules of engagement designed to adhere to the laws of armed
02:30conflict and support civilian harm mitigation.
02:34Secretary Hegseth has also cut the civilian protection center of excellence by about 90 percent.
02:42Their mission was to help you and to help protect against civilian casualties.
02:48So how do these changes by Secretary Hegseth affect your mission, your judgment, and the responsibility
02:54that you take so seriously?
02:58Senator, they have not affected my ability to prevent civilian harm in any way.
03:04It's embedded in the targeting process.
03:06It's embedded in the culture of U.S. European Command, and I would say in the culture of the
03:10U.S. military to try to avoid that civilian harm.
03:13So we're continuing to do the things that we have always done to comply with the law of armed conflict
03:17and ensure that we mitigate that risk.
03:19Can you guess how we could have gotten this wrong in Iran?
03:23I'm sorry, ma'am.
03:24Can you guess how we could have gotten this wrong in Iran and targeted a children's school?
03:28Ma'am, I would hesitate to speculate.
03:30With any incident like this, I would just say there's usually a chain of errors and mistakes
03:35that happen similar to an aviation accident or some other transportation accident.
03:39And I would say we just need to let the investigation play out and find all those factors.
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03:52Contro for video.
03:53Enjoy your time.
03:54Amidica.
03:54Well, we'll see you next time.
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