Secretary Of Defense Pete Hegseth Tells Reporters 'Nobody's Texting Plans' After Shocking Group Chat Leak

2 days ago

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Transcript

00:00Good evening everybody. It's a great day. Any day you're forward deployed with the

00:07troops as the Secretary of Defense is a good day. And what we got to see here

00:13starting with PT with Navy SEALs in the morning, which has turned into smoke the

00:18SECDEF more than it has PT. The opportunity to see what the Marines are

00:23doing here. Incredible stuff. Training Space Jungle School for the Army

00:26with the Air Force capabilities, Space Force capabilities, Naval Lift. It's all

00:31here and it's all a reflection of America's commitment to the Indo-Pacific

00:35and the Trump administration's focus on ensuring that we are doing everything we

00:41can to deter conflict with the Communist Chinese, who we don't seek conflict with

00:45at all. But we will stand strong in deterrence and will posture troops

00:50forward. That's why we're going out to to Guam to see our friends in Japan and the

00:56Philippines. We're posturing forward, talking and meeting with commanders who

01:00have the capabilities that understand the AOR, talking to friends and allies.

01:04And in that, it doesn't get any better than watching troops in action, which is

01:09a humbling and an honor for me. So it's been a great day here and we look

01:15forward to many more ahead on this trip as we institute and sort of live out,

01:18try to showcase the pivot that President Trump is putting toward the

01:23Indo-Pacific, making sure we're properly focusing and prioritizing where we

01:28should on peer adversaries to stand strong and reflect deterrence.

01:32Re-establishing deterrence is part of what President Trump has commanded me,

01:38compelled me to do, in addition to restoring the warrior ethos and

01:42rebuilding our military. And re-establishing deterrence is a big part

01:47of why we're here. Happy to take a couple of questions.

01:50Mr. Secretary, first of all, thanks so much for having me on the trip.

01:54That helicopter ride was awesome. I'm sure my colleagues feel the same way.

01:59My question is on Taiwan. You mentioned deterrence. Admiral Paparo, in his

02:04speeches, has said that the exercises around Taiwan are not just exercises but

02:09rehearsals for an attack. How concerned are you about China's ability and intent

02:15to try and retake the island by force?

02:18Well, Admiral Paparo has said China's rehearsals could always, could

02:21potentially always be a rehearsal for an attack. The rehearsals, the exercises, the

02:26campaigns we're doing in and around the first island chain are not meant to be

02:30the precursor to an attack. We're here to deter. We're here to show strength with

02:35our allies, and that includes ensuring that in every possible way American

02:41force is projected forward. So we don't want to see a conflict at all. And that's

02:45certainly the president's perspective. But we're gonna be postured forward and

02:49leaning forward as much as necessary to ensure that doesn't happen. And just a

02:54quick follow up on the counter diversity, equity, inclusions of what

02:58your assessment now three months in and trying to undo a lot of those programs.

03:02My assessment is the D. O. D. Will be merit based and colorblind. You will be

03:09judged based on how good you are at your job. Full stop. That's it. And so

03:14getting rid of diversity, equity, inclusion, D. E. I. Getting rid of

03:18different standards, uh, was fundamental to getting back to basics. And that's

03:22what I when I get a chance to talk to commanders here, that's what I emphasize.

03:25We're getting back to basics. Standards, uh, at every level need to be adhered

03:30to. Uh, and that's at a baseline. And when you talk to soldiers, you talk to

03:35Marines. They get it. They get it. They've seen the standards slide under

03:39the previous administration. They watched, you know, in in many different

03:42ways how it eroded or quotas were being met or different aspects had to

03:47be. Boxes had to be checked anymore. The only box that gets checked in this

03:52defense department is lethality and your ability to do your job. Ellie. Mr

03:58Secretary, the messages the White House called authentic did at the very least

04:03include sensitive details about targets and timing. Did you declassify that

04:08information before you put it in the chat? And are you using signal to

04:11discuss operations as sensitive as the strikes against the Houthis on a

04:15government or a personal phone? First, all I would say is, uh, the strikes

04:21against the Houthis that night were devastatingly effective, and I'm

04:25incredibly proud of the courage and skill of the troops, and they are

04:29ongoing and continue to be devastatingly effective. The last

04:33place I would want to be right now is a Houthi in Yemen who wants to disrupt

04:38freedom of navigation. So the skill and courage of our troops is on full

04:42display. It's a complete opposite approach from the fecklessness of the

04:47Biden administration. President Trump said peace through strength will be

04:51just brought back. Freedom of navigation will return, and that's

04:56exactly what we're doing. As I also stated yesterday, nobody's texting war

05:02plans, and that's all I have to say about those same troops that those same

05:06troops that you are proud of. Do you regret putting information like the

05:11ones you did in the signal chat that could endanger those same American

05:15service members? Nobody's texting more plants. I know exactly what I'm doing,

05:20exactly what we're directing on. I'm really proud of what we accomplished

05:23successful missions that night and going forward. So you had a

05:27conversation with seniors in the beacon. So how do you you had a

05:34conversation with senior officials of in the beacon today and yesterday? And

05:39how do you evaluate the importance of in the beacon? In the peak? I'm strictly

05:43important. And Admiral Papparo is a fighting admiral. It's a really smart

05:48guy who's exactly where we need him at the tip of the spear. Indo pay calm is

05:53where we need to be, where we need to be focusing what you what you will see in

05:57the interim national defense strategy from the D. O. D. Will focus. Make sure

06:01we're defending the homeland, including the homeland Oconus here in Hawaii on

06:06that were postured to focus on the Indo Pacific. So it's critically important.

06:10One more. Yes. Thank you, sir. Earlier today at the P. O. W. M. A. A. Accounting

06:14agency, you were taking it toward the building and you were shown a wall of

06:17metal of honor recipients whose remains have been recovered over the years. I'm

06:20sure it's very humbling experience. By sheer chance. One of those recipients

06:24that was pointed out to you was a Lieutenant Alexander Bonnyman Junior, a

06:27Marine who passed away some time ago, fought in World War two. I believe you

06:32said, Wait a minute. I know who that is. And it turns out that by just pure

06:36happenstance, you obviously went to Princeton and he also went to Princeton

06:41and you remember studying him back when you were a student there. You tell me

06:44this, what that was like and what a cool story. It's a cool story. So we were at

06:47the defense prisoner of war missing in action agency where they still commit to

06:53the legacy of those that have lost on the battlefield, bringing them home,

06:56identifying the remains and making sure the families have that closure. We

07:01leave nobody behind. I was looking at the wall and this one particular unit,

07:04there was a lieutenant who is a recipient of the Medal of Honor. And I

07:07looked up and it said, Lieutenant Bonnyman. And I just thought, where have

07:09I heard that name before? And then I realized at Princeton there were stars

07:14outside some of the windows of the older buildings and one of those is a

07:17window of a dorm I was in maybe fresh sophomore or junior year. And on that

07:21star was Lieutenant Bonnyman. Uh, I didn't know who he was. I remember

07:26researching though his name and that star because I thought of his names

07:30outside my window. Uh, I was probably an R. O. T. C. Cadet at that point. I

07:34want to know who he is. Uh, and so they told me a little bit of the story

07:37there and it rang a bell with me. I know I wrote something about him too when I

07:40was, I'll have to find that and maybe release it. But it was pretty cool to

07:44see the connection between someone who I'd heard of as a Medal of Honor

07:47recipient and then the commitment of our country to then go find him in a

07:53foreign land and bring him back. Uh, so that, that, that the whole cycle is

07:57sort of complete in the honor. He gets the honor that he deserves. So pretty

08:01cool. And it was emblematic of this day today, like watching the troops in real

08:06time and then watching the legacy of their service as well played out all

08:10here in Hawaii. So it's been great. All right. Thanks. Everybody. Thank you.

Secretary Of Defense Pete Hegseth Tells Reporters 'Nobody's Texting Plans' After Shocking Group Chat Leak

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