00:00Internal analysis had said the site was indefensible from aerial attack and should not be used.
00:05Yet you sent our soldiers from the 103rd Sustainment Command there anyway.
00:11Is that true or false?
00:12We took proactive measures from the beginning to ensure force protection and defensive posture were maximized across the theater.
00:19Let's talk about what defenses they had.
00:22Prior to the attack, officers on the ground knew our troops were vulnerable.
00:26In fact, they requested additional force protection.
00:29Did they receive it?
00:30Wherever humanly possible, force protection and counter UAS was always made available.
00:34They did not.
00:35One survivor who's come forward from the unit said, quote, I mean, I would put it in the none category
00:43from a drone defense capability, none.
00:47We were moved closer to Iran to a deeply unsafe area that was a known target.
00:52Your spokesperson, Sean Parnell, in response to that reporting, said it was not true.
00:58Do you agree with that?
01:00He was calling these guys liars?
01:02I'm not calling our troops liars.
01:04They're not.
01:05That's what I asked.
01:05You are disparaging me that I don't care about the passing of our troops.
01:08Nope.
01:08I asked if you thought they're liars, Terry.
01:10That's disparaging and smearing in every way.
01:13Internal analysis had said the site was indefensible from aerial attack and should not be used.
01:18Yet you sent our soldiers from the 103rd sustainment command there anyway.
01:23Is that true or false?
01:25True or false?
01:27Straightforward question.
01:28Are you going to give me a chance to answer or just play gotcha?
01:31Did you send them there or not?
01:33I always, we took proactive measures from the beginning to ensure force protection and defensive
01:39posture were maximized across the theater.
01:41Let's talk about what defenses they had.
01:44Prior to the attack, officers on the ground knew our troops were vulnerable.
01:48In fact, they requested additional force protection.
01:51Did they receive it?
01:54Wherever humanly possible, force protection and counter-UAS was always made available.
01:58They did not.
01:59In fact, when asked to describe the base's defense, one survivor who's come forward from
02:05the unit said, quote, I mean, I would put it in the none category from a drone defense
02:12capability, none.
02:14Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
02:15We all just heard pretty powerful reporting, courtesy of Mr. Ryan, from many of our wounded
02:22troops who were injured in the attack in Kuwait.
02:25Mr. Secretary, you heard direct quotes from some of them.
02:28Uh, via CBS's reporting, they were willing to talk to the press.
02:32Things like they were unprepared providing defense for themselves in the unit.
02:37Things like we were moved closer to Iran to a deeply unsafe area that was a known target.
02:44Your spokesperson, Sean Parnell, in response to that reporting, said it was not true.
02:50Do you agree with that?
02:51He's calling these guys liars?
02:54I'm not calling our troops liars.
02:56And I don't know if what you're representing is correct or not.
02:59I'll take you at your word on that.
03:00But all I know is that we took every effort possible at the commencement of this campaign
03:05to ensure the defense of our troops, to include moving them off of known bases to places that
03:11were not known and we had intel where intel were not known, and then those were fortified
03:15with bunkers and other fortifications with theater air defenses.
03:18Was our concern that something could be true?
03:20I'm going to pause you there.
03:21I'm going to give you a chance.
03:23You're disparaging me that I don't care.
03:25I'm asking you whether you think they're liars or not.
03:27That's what I asked you.
03:27You and you are disparaging me that I don't care about the passing of our troops.
03:30Nope.
03:30I asked if you thought they're liars, Terry.
03:32That's disparaging and smearing in every way.
03:35Nobody cares more about the fate of our troops.
03:37Nobody cares about the health of our troops.
03:39Mr. Secretary.
03:39Nobody wants to bring them all hope more than I can.
03:40Mr. Secretary, I understand, but he controls the time.
03:44He controls the time.
03:45You get to control your answer.
03:48And the gentleman's ready.
03:49If we're allowed to answer.
03:50Mr. Chairman, thank you.
03:51Secretary, my question was clear whether you thought they were liars or not.
03:54You don't seem to want to answer it.
03:55We can move on.
03:56The other part of what your spokesman said, and you just reiterated here, was that,
04:01and I'm quoting your spokesman, every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops.
04:05End quote.
04:06You're mean to tell us, and I'll give you a chance to clarify,
04:09there is not a single additional thing you could have done to protect those troops who are now wounded,
04:13six of whom are dead.
04:15I'm telling you that as a department, we did every conceivable thing at my level and every echelon down
04:22to ensure the maximum force protection for our troops.
04:25We live in a dangerous world and a dangerous place against a determined enemy that can't have a nuclear weapon,
04:30and that requires sacrifice and risk.
04:32And tragically, in this case, it meant six Americans lost their lives and others were wounded.
04:37And we all know that.
04:39And that's part of the cost.
04:41But it does not mean we didn't care.
04:43It doesn't mean we didn't commit.
04:44I didn't ask you that.
04:45It doesn't mean we didn't do everything possible, which we did.
04:47But let's be clear about what was done.
04:49There were T-walls there, essentially.
04:50There was no overhead protection.
04:52The known threat in that environment, and I think we all here understand it, is overhead drone strike.
04:57There was no protection for overhead drone strike.
04:59So I'm struggling to understand how your answer and your spokesman's answer is that every possible measure was taken.
05:05We can move on.
05:06Mr. Chairman and Chairman Cain, I want to ask you something about a different topic.
05:11Folks at home know you're the senior military officer in our armed services.
05:14They may not have as much of an understanding of your role in the chain of command.
05:18You're outside the operational chain of command.
05:19But you are the president's and the secretary's senior military advisor.
05:24So I want to ask a very basic thing, what you would expect our commanders in the field, our troops
05:30to do,
05:31should the enemy lay down their weapons and try to surrender.
05:34What would you expect commanders in the field to do?
05:38Well, sir, I think I'll go back to something I said earlier with deep respect for your question.
05:45But I think you're trying to take me to a partisan place here, and I can't let you do that.
05:51General, as always, I respect your desire to avoid it.
05:55I'm not trying to put you in a partisan place.
05:56No, no, and I know that.
05:57But, you know, our officers and enlisted service members always follow lawful orders.
06:03There's a checklist for them to do that.
06:05And I just – I'll stay in the middle.
06:10Understood, General.
06:11Secretary, let me give you a chance.
06:12And you've been asked about this earlier.
06:13You said in, I think, your press conference, essentially, and I'll quote you here,
06:17no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.
06:21That's the end of the quote.
06:22Is your guidance that you expect our troops in harm's way if there's a foreign enemy surrendering,
06:29laying down their arms they're supposed to provide no quarter and kill them?
06:34You denied it, but you were indeed trying to take the chairman to a partisan place.
06:38That was General Milley.
06:39That was the previous administration, which played politics.
06:42We don't play that way.
06:43It's a simple question.
06:44I'm asking what you meant.
06:45We go in and we ensure the rules of engagements are such that our troops have every authority possible.
06:50I'll give you another chance.
06:51In saying that, are you trying to tell commanders that that's what you expect?
06:55You're in the chain of command.
06:57It's a simple question.
06:58I understand that.
06:59My commanders know exactly what the guidance is with each and every mission,
07:02and they know every tool –
07:03Secretary, in refusing to answer it, I think you speak volumes.
07:06I think that's a dangerous thing.
07:07We all know the expectations.
07:09We know the law of war.
07:10We know what is lawful.
07:11I'd expect our commanders to understand that as well.
07:14I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
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