00:00Well, currently, we are still spending a billion dollars a day on this war with Iran.
00:04A billion dollars a day could be lowering their housing costs,
00:07lowering their food costs, lowering their health care costs,
00:10lowering the cost of everyday expenses that continue to go up because of the war in Iran.
00:14Why and how long we are going to be spending a billion dollars a day,
00:18and I have not seen that plan or the why from President Trump or Secretary Hegseth.
00:23Senator, we have a broad range of plans and contingencies
00:27consistent with my obligation to provide that advice.
00:31Both the Secretary and the President, we've done so.
00:34Decisions will be made by our civilian leadership, and my job will be to execute them.
00:38We had Secretary Hegseth here a week or so ago,
00:41and we did not get satisfactory answers about Iran.
00:47So what is your mission in Iran right now?
00:52Senator, with Epic Fury now formally ended per the President's notification,
00:58we shifted our mission to a blockade mission in the following day,
01:02and we're implementing that mission in accordance with the international armed conflict.
01:06That's our main mission today, as well as to be ready for a broad range of contingencies.
01:10And do you feel that President Trump's declaration that we have obliterated all of Iran's capabilities
01:19and their nuclear program, is that accurate?
01:23Senator, I speak from a military perspective.
01:26We have significantly degraded their drone, missile, and naval capabilities.
01:31We've fractured their command and control.
01:33We've eliminated the large preponderance of their space program.
01:37They, by every measure, are degraded significantly across all measures of national power.
01:43So what's your exit strategy to end the conflict with Iran?
01:47Senator, that's a policy decision.
01:49And don't you have to offer the President various exit strategies so he knows how to get from A to
01:54B?
01:55Senator, consistent with my statutory obligations,
01:58I've provided a broad range of options along with risks and mitigations through the Secretary.
02:04So given your current mission, how many more days, weeks, months, years are we going to be at war with
02:09Iran?
02:11Well, as we sit here today, we are in a ceasefire, and the way ahead will be determined by our
02:16policymakers.
02:17Well, currently, we are still spending a billion dollars a day on this war with Iran.
02:21And I can tell you from my New York constituents, they're furious about it,
02:26because a billion dollars a day could be lowering their housing costs, lowering their food costs,
02:31lowering their health care costs, lowering the cost of everyday expenses that continue to go up because of the war
02:36in Iran.
02:37With the price of gas as high as it is, the price of diesel as high as it is,
02:41it means everything that they have to buy for their families is more expensive.
02:44So we expect from our military leaders a plan about why and how long we are going to be spending
02:52a billion dollars a day,
02:54and I have not seen that plan or the why from President Trump or Secretary Hegseth.
02:59So I'm hoping, as the military person in charge of operations,
03:03that you have a plan to end this war and to stop spending a billion dollars a day.
03:10Senator, we have a broad range of plans and contingencies consistent with my obligation to provide that advice.
03:18Both the Secretary and the President, we've done so.
03:20Decisions will be made by our civilian leadership, and my job will be to execute them.
03:24The second concern I have, Admiral Cooper, is how we've prosecuted this war to date.
03:30We have data and information publicly available in publications like the New York Times
03:35that 22 schools have been hit, hospitals, dozens of hospitals have been hit.
03:41We have regulations.
03:43We have the law of war.
03:45We have human rights obligations.
03:47We have our own targeting requirements to avoid civilian harm and death.
03:53Have you been implementing all the laws that are required under current law to minimize civilian death?
04:01Senator, we have executed every operation consistent with the law of armed conflict.
04:06The subject of civilian casualties is a particular passion of mine.
04:09We pay attention to it.
04:10We follow all the procedures and have gone above and beyond to, in my case,
04:15personally warn the Iranian people of several instances during conflict where they were being potentially used as human targets.
04:21If they've been warned, how did we then bomb 22 schools?
04:24There's no indication that we have that that has been corroborated.
04:28How many schools have we bombed?
04:29There is one active civilian casualty investigation from the 13,629 munitions.
04:35So how do you explain the publicly available information that 22 schools have been hit and multiple hospitals?
04:41There's no way that we can corroborate that.
04:43No indication of that whatsoever, Senator.
04:45There's no way you can corroborate or no indication of it?
04:48Which one?
04:49No indication.
04:51Well, the indication is what's publicly available.
04:53There is indication.
04:54Have you investigated those claims?
04:56We have not.
04:57Why have you not?
04:59If this is a passion of yours, if you believe that the civilian casualties are not consistent with the law
05:05of war and not consistent with human rights obligations,
05:07that our military regularly follows with great pride and great diligence,
05:12why have you not investigated those allegations when they're publicly being made on the cover of the New York Times?
05:18I'll be happy to take a look at each instance.
05:21I would like a report.
05:21Our team will be able to do that.
05:22I would like a report.
05:23I would like a report from you, from your team, about whether there have been attacks that have resulted in
05:32the destruction of schools and hospitals.
05:34And if so, why?
05:36And how then, last, have you managed the 90% cut to the personnel who are supposed to avoid civilian
05:43targets?
05:44Happy to provide any report.
05:46And I would invite you and every staff member here to come to Tampa to look at the process to
05:51see exactly how it works.
05:53Thank you, Ravel.
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