00:00Why would I answer, I mean, this is kind of a stupid question I would never answer.
00:03Like, why would I answer a question about whether...
00:05...purchases being a top priority for you, and the budget coming under pressure as Congress
00:09looks to do midterm elections and the balance of power may change.
00:13Is it possible that you may choose to cut the amount of munitions purchases if you don't
00:18get the $1.5 billion, or is that sacred?
00:21I don't think so.
00:21It's pretty sacred, and we've cut a lot of these deals, as you've seen, five to seven
00:25year deals with companies who are now already investing, have made down payments of their
00:30own money on new plants and manufacturing.
00:31So this is not a nip around the margins of a few more weapons.
00:35This is a generational investment of 2x, 3x, 4x more munitions of the ones we know we're
00:40going to need and use.
00:41Those investments will be made.
00:43And of course, the media has made a lot of false claims about a lot of things.
00:46We feel really good about where we are and about our ability to make sure we've got the
00:50munitions in the future.
00:53Do you have any message to the families of those that are on the carriers right now?
01:11I know you've seen a lot of the reporting of sailors on the east of Lincoln.
01:16Are you worried about other ships?
01:19To the sailors and families of the Lincoln, I say, Godspeed.
01:22On a historic mission, congratulations.
01:24You're on your way home.
01:25You've done epic things to secure the American people.
01:28And I've had a chance to talk to, in fact, one of the guys on the assembly line, son,
01:32is coming home.
01:33He's on the Lincoln right now.
01:34And he affirmed what I've heard time and time again, which is they're really proud of
01:38what they've done.
01:39It's been a tough deployment.
01:40They haven't had as much port visits as anyone would like.
01:43It's been longer than most, but they've done incredible things in the harshest of environments
01:49against an enemy, a determined enemy, that will change the course of history for American
01:53security.
01:54So I look forward to greeting them.
01:55I appreciate the good faith focus that's existed, but the media has done a lot of bad
02:02faith focus also, trying to spin things or misrepresent things.
02:06The Lincoln's done incredible work, and we're very proud of them.
02:08The United States has two types of attack of weapons, unitary and cluster.
02:13The press reported that nearly all the attack of weapons were used.
02:17Did the United States use both military and military?
02:20Why would I answer?
02:21I mean, this is kind of a stupid question I would never answer.
02:23Like, why would I answer a question about whether we do or do not have certain types of
02:27munitions?
02:27I would tell you we have 110%.
02:29I would never answer that question.
02:32And the press is foolish to want to press.
02:34An American press is foolish to want to press an American War Department about where we
02:38may or may not be on classified and exquisite systems.
02:42I'll just tell you this.
02:43We had plenty when we needed it, and we have plenty now, and we'll have plenty when we'll
02:47need them in the future.
02:48Absolutely.
02:49Thank you very much.
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