00:00I just read the provision to you.
00:03I just literally read the provision to you.
00:06Does it prohibit you or anyone else from declaring that no quarter be given?
00:11I just read it to you.
00:12I just read it to you.
00:13I just read it to you.
00:15Yes, sir.
00:16You're a combatant commander.
00:17You're one of our most senior military officers with tens of thousands of service members under your command.
00:21Does the law of war manual state that it is prohibited to utter, to declare that no quarter be given?
00:31It prohibits a large number of things.
00:34No, no, I've asked you.
00:35And I will follow.
00:35I just read the provision to you.
00:38I just literally read the provision to you.
00:41Does it prohibit you or anyone else from declaring that no quarter be given?
00:46I just read it to you.
00:47We will follow everything that's in the law.
00:50Answer the question, Admiral Cooper.
00:52You have tens of thousands of service members under your command.
00:54I literally just read a provision from the law of war manual, our own manual.
00:59Will you not just say what I just read to you?
01:01I will say that we will follow the law of armed conflict to the T.
01:06This is just unbelievable to me.
01:08I find the same thing, sir.
01:10This is just unbelievable to me.
01:11We will follow the law of armed conflict very calmly.
01:14You have tens of thousands of service members under your command.
01:17I literally verbatim just read a provision from our own law of war manual, and you will refuse to say
01:25what that provision says.
01:28Will you agree that it is prohibited under our own manual that you and all the people under your command
01:35are obligated to follow to declare that no quarter be given?
01:39I will agree consistently with my constitutional responsibility to follow the law of armed conflict to the T, and I
01:45expect everyone working for me to do that.
01:47This is not leadership.
01:49This is not leadership.
01:51To not be able to say something as basic.
01:54The people, the men and women who we represent, who are under your command, deserve leadership.
02:01Mr. Chairman, I object.
02:02This is a personal attack.
02:04This is unfair, and I appreciate the admiral very much.
02:07It's a Navy dad.
02:08This is well within the purview.
02:10This is well within the purview of my questioning.
02:12If I may.
02:13It's the gentleman's time.
02:14He's making a comment.
02:14I reclaim my time.
02:15Can I reclaim some additional time?
02:17I'm going to give you some extra time.
02:19Go ahead.
02:20It's our job to make sure the law is being followed.
02:23That is literally the obligation of this Congress.
02:25I read to you a provision of our own law of war manual, and all I want you to say
02:30is what the provision says.
02:32That it is prohibited, it is prohibited, this is the title, this is what the title says, to declare that
02:37no quarter be given.
02:38I will follow the law to the T, and expect everyone to do the same.
02:43This is extremely disappointing.
02:44Our service members deserve far better than this.
02:47I yield back.
02:48The gentleman yields back.
02:49I want to make it clear.
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