00:00The graphic, this is taken before the blockade began.
00:04North is up, you can see the blockade line here in the center of the graphic,
00:09denoted by the red dashed line.
00:12This map is a pull from our common operating picture that we use to allow commanders
00:19and key leaders to see what is happening in near real time.
00:24We just grabbed screen grabs to highlight the actions and activities.
00:29What's not shown is how incredibly congested this area is
00:34and the incredible work that our sailors are doing to ensure that they can work in and around
00:40an incredibly busy water space.
00:44Last week, the President of the United States directed a ceasefire
00:47that temporarily paused major combat operations in Iran.
00:51The unprecedented effort by America's joint force during Operation Epic Fury
00:56set the conditions for this ceasefire.
00:59And as the Secretary said, I'd like to emphasize during this pause
01:03that the United States Joint Force remains postured and ready
01:07to resume major combat operations at literally a moment's notice.
01:12This morning, I'd like to give you an update on the ongoing blockade
01:17in the CENTCOM-AOR area of responsibility.
01:20On Monday, 13 April, at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time,
01:25at the direction of the President, America's joint force began implementing a blockade
01:31against Iran under the leadership of Admiral Cooper and the team at CENTCOM.
01:37Let me be clear.
01:38This blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality,
01:45heading into or from Iranian ports.
01:49The U.S. action is a blockade of Iran's ports and coastline,
01:54not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
01:58Enforcement will occur inside Iran's territorial seas
02:03and in international waters.
02:06In addition to this blockade,
02:08the joint force, through operations and activities
02:12in other areas of responsibility,
02:14like the Pacific area of responsibility,
02:18under the command of Admiral Paparo,
02:21will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel
02:25or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.
02:31This includes dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil.
02:35As most of you know, dark fleet vessels are those illicit or illegal ships
02:40evading international regulations, sanctions, or insurance requirements.
02:46More than 10,000 sailors, Marines, and airmen,
02:50over a dozen ships and dozens of aircraft,
02:53are executing this mission.
02:55And let me walk you through this operation a little bit.
02:58Please go to the first slide.
03:01First to the graphic.
03:02This is taken before the blockade began.
03:06North is up.
03:07You can see the blockade line here in the center of the graphic,
03:11denoted by the red dashed line.
03:14This map is a pull from our common operating picture
03:19that we use to allow commanders and key leaders
03:23to see what is happening in near real time.
03:27We just grabbed screen grabs to highlight the actions and activities.
03:31What is not shown is how incredibly congested this area is
03:38and the incredible work that our sailors are doing
03:41to ensure that they can work in and around an incredibly busy water space.
03:48What is also not depicted here is the massive force of fighters,
03:54intelligence aircraft, helicopters, and other embarked forces
03:59to include aerial refueling tankers that are up overhead this blockade area.
04:05You'll note that U.S. forces are in blue.
04:09Iranian ships are in red.
04:13And as we started this blockade, there were seven ships of interest
04:19that were of concern for U.S. Central Command.
04:24Through a variety of intelligence tools and with the assistance
04:28of the Office of Naval Intelligence and other intelligence agencies,
04:33the force began to hunt for potential interdictors
04:37at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
04:40Next slide, please.
04:42It's now 1240 Eastern Daylight Time, two hours and 40 minutes into the blockade
04:49as attempted blockade runners attempt to hop the line.
04:53U.S. forces began to commit.
04:56Out in front of them was a range of intelligence, surveillance,
05:00reconnaissance, and tactical assets.
05:03And immediately, these runners began to see, sense, and feel
05:08America's combat power compressing upon them.
05:13The lead ship, normally a destroyer as depicted here,
05:17along with air power off of the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group,
05:21began to move towards those ships.
05:26At each point, the United States Navy will transmit a warning,
05:32a young sailor, normally on the bridge of one of those destroyers,
05:36a junior officer, picks up that mic and transmits, and I quote,
05:40do not attempt to breach the blockade.
05:44Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure,
05:48transiting to or from Iranian ports.
05:51Turn around or prepare to be boarded.
05:55If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force.
06:00And as this message is being transmitted, as I mentioned earlier,
06:05those ship masters can literally see, sense, and feel the pressure around them.
06:10It's a finely tuned machine rehearsed multiple times
06:13and executed now 13 times since the blockade has begun.
06:20Next slide, please.
06:22We're now 24 hours plus into the blockade.
06:25You can see the turning around of multiple ships,
06:2912 of which stayed inside the blockade line,
06:32one of which not depicted off to the eastern side,
06:36turned around before even attempting it.
06:39Any ship that would cross the blockade would result in our sailors
06:44executing pre-planned tactics designed to bring the force to that ship
06:49if need be, board the ship and take her over.
06:52And that includes a series of escalated force options,
06:57which could include warning shots and others.
07:00Next slide.
07:01The final graphic shows taken at 11.20 p.m. the night of 14 April.
07:07You can see that the captains of all these ships
07:11have made the wise decision not to move, transit, or run this blockade.
07:17As I mentioned, so far, 13 ships have made the wise choice of turning around.
07:23And as we continue to hold this blockade
07:26at the order of the Secretary and the President,
07:28any vessel that compares to comply with our instructions
07:31will be dealt with accordingly.
07:33As of this morning, U.S. Central Command has not been required
07:38to board any particular ships.
07:41And I'll remind you that we are also conducting
07:44similar maritime interdiction actions and activities
07:49in the Pacific AOR against those ships that left that area
07:54before we began the blockade.
07:57Before I turn it over to Admiral Cooper,
07:59I want to talk briefly today about the men and women
08:03enforcing the blockade, America's sailors and Marines,
08:07and today particularly our destroyer and surface forces.
08:10When we talk about an American destroyer,
08:13it's important that you and the American people
08:16understand their capabilities.
08:18An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer are the backbone
08:21of the United States Navy surface fleet.
08:23Over 500 feet long, they displace 9,000 tons,
08:28and it is the sports car of the United States Navy.
08:33From the keel to the mast, they stand nearly 10 stories tall,
08:37and their four gas turbine engines can drive the ship
08:41at 30-plus knots.
08:42These ships are armed to the teeth with surface-tear missiles,
08:47land-attack cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles,
08:50anti-submarine rockets, torpedoes, five-inch naval guns,
08:55multiple electronic warfare systems, embarked helicopters,
08:59extending the reach and capability of each and every one of these destroyers.
09:04But far and away, the most important weapon on board these ships
09:09is the American sailor.
09:11Over 300 warfighters are the heart and soul of these warships.
09:16At sea, sometimes for months,
09:18and these ships out in the CENTCOM AOR have been out there for months,
09:23they operate around the clock in a constant state of readiness,
09:27always delivering for our joint force.
09:30It's hot in the engine room.
09:32The engineering team keeps the lights on and the ship powered
09:35and able to respond to the orders from the bridge.
09:39On that bridge, our sailors maintain a constant watch,
09:43maneuvering the ship tactically and safely
09:46through always congested water space.
09:50And there is a lot out there.
09:52It is like driving a sports car through a supermarket parking lot
09:56on a payday weekend with thousands of kids in that parking lot
10:01as you attempt to maneuver through there to get to that ship
10:04that would attempt to run that blockade.
10:09Down in the Combat Information Center, the CIC,
10:12the Tactical Warfare Center of the ship,
10:14that is where the decisions are made.
10:17As threats appear, these young sailors are making real-time decisions
10:21on how to identify these threats and handle them,
10:24and they always deliver.
10:26These ships are run by the youngest sailors
10:30in our surface warfare Navy.
10:33The helmsman, the sailor on the watch at the bridge,
10:37is normally just between 18 to 19 years old,
10:42and they are trusted to drive this warship
10:45through that supermarket parking lot without hitting anything.
10:48The conning officer, an equally young commissioned officer
10:53who's normally just a few years out of college,
10:56is the ones that are giving that young helmsman
10:59the orders on where to take that American warship
11:03to execute the mission that the secretary
11:05and the president has given us.
11:08These are incredibly well-trained sailors.
11:12They are led by incredible leaders,
11:15salty, experienced leaders,
11:17and trusted with deep responsibility.
11:20And I'm so humbled and proud of America's Navy.
11:24These sailors choose to take the road less traveled,
11:27to go into the historic surface Navy,
11:30and they deliver every single day.
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