GCAP Allies UK, Canada, Italy & Japan Strengthen Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet Alliance | AC1N

[00:00:00]I'm absolutely delighted uh that my friend and predecessor John Healey has taken on the challenge of chancellor of the excheer and his position on defense investment is on the record as is mine.

[00:00:13]Uh we have a responsibility I think at the Ministry of Defense to demonstrate that every penny of taxpayer money that's invested in defense is necessary and well spent to show that we understand the sacrifices that involves from other government departments in terms of opportunity costs of other things we might fund. but also to taxpayers whether individuals or businesses that are feeling hardressed. Uh we don't take the contribution they make lightly and we don't make this ask of the country lightly either. Uh but as I set out in my opening remarks, it is absolutely critical against the backdrop of both the enormous geopolitical instability we see today and the changing and evolving nature of threats to this country and our allies. that we are able to maximize our deterrence to prevent conflict and also to make sure that should deterrence fails that we are ready and capable of acting as a nation and with allies to defend our citizens, our interests and our values. So I think the commitment of this government is clear. The opportunities for this country are enormous. Um, investment in defense is precisely that. It is not simply investing in our defense. It's investing in jobs. It's investing in opportunities. And it's investing right across the length and breadth of the land. So this ministry has an enormous contribution to make both to the prime minister's vision for re-industrialization but also his vision in terms of improving living standards, jobs and opportunities for people from working-class backgrounds like mine right throughout um these uh islands.

[00:02:11]And it's also an opportunity for us, as we've seen so many times before when it comes to defense innovation, to make sure that we are as a country as well as with allies, pushing right up against the frontier of innovation, showing what's possible, and then diffusing um that technology throughout defense, but also throughout the wider economy and wider society for the betterment of humanity. So um there's clear vision uh there's clear commitment and also I hope an unequivocal message to those who would threaten us as well as an unequivocal message to our allies too that this country that makes commitments to our allies sticks by those commitments. Those commitments are clear and we will stick by them. Thank you Deborah. Can I turn now to Nicoleta from Ry?

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[00:07:22]Thank you very much. Um, next I'm going to turn to Muryama from Kyoto News.

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[00:09:43]Thank you. Yes, indeed. Nothing says commitment like a press conference on day one in a new job.

[00:09:50]I'm taking in Redmond from Global News Canada.

[00:09:56]Get your microphone Redmond Channel, Global News Canada. Uh for Minister McGinty, what leverage does this announcement, this involvement give Canada in current or future trade negotiations with the United States, be they in defense or other areas and in an era of rapid drone and UAE development?

[00:10:21]Is this where Canada should be focusing its efforts?

[00:10:27]>> Well, thank you for the question. Um, this isn't a question of leverage. This is a question of perhaps going back to the the answer that my colleague Minister Corisumi gave a moment ago. The message really is that we're stronger together and this is an initiative that Canada's honored to be able to join because it's going to allow us to deepen our understanding of sixth generation combat air capabilities. It's going to strengthen our collaboration with trusted allies here at these this podium. It doesn't commit Canada to overt procurement or deeper future program participation, but it does allow us to to deepen our relationship with three prominent actors in this space.

[00:11:13]We're not entering this agreement. We're not becoming observers in this in this arrangement as a result of our ongoing negotiations with the United States.

[00:11:21]Those will continue.

[00:11:23]uh they're being led by the prime minister, by Minister Lebron, Minister Shan Pang, our chief negotiator. So, we're looking forward to learning, we're looking forward to sharing, looking forward to being at the cutting edge. As uh our colleague from Italy said, we're developing things, this process will be developing things that remain to be developed. So, it's a great honor to be here and um we're just looking forward to going forward and learning.

[00:11:52]Thank you. And next we'll turn to Mark from the Daily Mail.

[00:11:59]>> Uh thank you, Secretary of State.

[00:12:01]Apologies for dragging you back to domestic matters and welcome to the role from the Defense Correspondents Association.

[00:12:07]Um, when you when you say the prime minister's commitment is clear and will be even more clear in the coming months, are you hinting at a rise in defense spending this year or uh perhaps notification on the timetable to reach that NATO target of 3.5%.

[00:12:24]I think the prime minister has been clear and will will continue to do so that this is a country under his leadership that honors our commitments to our international allies and partners. He recognizes both the challenge of current threats this country faces but also the evolving nature of those threats and the need to invest in defense. Uh I think one of the enormous strengths of this prime minister is as he leads our country through big domestic and international challenges. Uh he is an has an unrivaled ability to tell a story about this country where it is and where he wants to be. And I think the country is crying out for that kind of leadership. They want to see um a government that's on their side. They want to see a government that's able to confront big domestic and global challenges and they want to know that things will get better and they want to be able to hope again and it can be particularly easy in this space uh when there are the daily threats that we face and we are confronting war still in Europe and we are thinking about the ways in which warfare is changing um to see that um through the lens of pessimism and fear But actually um hope is built on strength and that's why um in terms of the the strength of this country is social fabric and the jobs the opportunities the equality you want to see in this country. um you don't you don't have that kind of social justice without national security and the two go hand in hand and that is a fine labor tradition going right back to the days of Atly Bevon and Bevon and I think that is the spirit you'll see reflected from this prime minister and this government as to future fiscal events um it's for the chancellor to make announcements on those matters uh but I certainly feel like we've got a firm friend uh in and his majesty's treasury. I'll turn to Alessandro from ANSA.

[00:14:37]>> Alandro, Italian news agency. Um, few days ago uh Admiral Kab Draon from NATO headquarter said that uh Ukraine in his opinion is uh is turning the tide uh in you know in the war against Russia. So do you think I asked Minister Rosettto but also whoever want to answer uh do you agree with this with this idea that that Ukraine can actually win the war against Russia?

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[00:18:30]I wholeheartedly endorse those comments and um the the war in Ukraine has been a total humiliation for Vladimir Putin.

[00:18:40]uh he thought he would steamroll her through Ukraine and win the war quickly and um instead he's bogged down and has paid a terrible price in Russian lives and I think it was a war that was of his making not of Ukraine's and it is a war that he could end today if he chose to.

[00:19:03]In the meantime, the commitment of this country to supporting our friends in Ukraine is unshakable.

[00:19:11]And against the backdrop of lots of domestic political change in this country from various conservative prime ministers through to transition to now two Labor prime ministers. The thing I'm most proud of is throughout that entire period since this war began, this country has stood absolutely united and fully shoulder-to-shoulder with our Ukrainian friends and allies because we recognize that their fight on the front line is the fight for freedom and democracy. Uh, and that is absolutely unshakable as is the support not just of successive British prime ministers but of the British people too. I'll now take Ashley from CBC unless my colleague McGinty the US said yesterday that it's going to be hitting Canada with more tariffs 50% on many goods. What's your reaction to that and what message does this announcement this partnership say today in a time when you're trying to diversify? Uh and defense secretary stereing do you want Canada to join become a full partner of this program and eventually buy these fighter jets?

[00:20:22]>> Look um this is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions not unfamiliar to us. It began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Kusma free trade agreement.

[00:20:38]Um that included tariffs on the Canadian auto sector um in violation of Kusma and Canada as I said it's right responded. Um, since then we have in response to those measures also made sure that Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Uh, we haven't made sure that they have come together themselves to take the necessary actions to support our economy, defend our workers, our farmers, our businesses and our families.

[00:21:09]Um, listen, I think it's fair to say everyone in the room recognizes that the US has been transforming all of its trade relationships, including those covered under Krma for the past 18 months. So, it's not new.

[00:21:23]Canada's made a series of detailed and comprehensive proposals to resolve the dispute, to modernize Krusma, and we stand ready to intensify those discussions.

[00:21:34]We do believe in the benefit of free and fair trade. Um that's why our government has signed 20 new economic and defense agreements in the past year.

[00:21:44]Um this trade dispute continues to cost families money, particularly American families.

[00:21:53]They are um paying a price and Canada stands ready to engage intensively to make sure that these issues can be resolved. So we're going back to the table. Um and the question of this uh observation, this observer status in this particular agreement and its linkage to the Canada US relationship, I want to be really clear about this.

[00:22:18]I would I would venture to say that if we were not involved in any kind of trade dispute with the United States, we would still be signing this accord. We would still be joining as observers.

[00:22:27]This is about recognizing that we have got to come together.

[00:22:32]I think 15 of the 32 heads of state who spoke at NATO in Anchora just two weeks ago publicly allocated uh that they felt it was time for our member states to come together the alliance states to come together in a way that we haven't previously done that no one nation is going to be able to deal with these challenges alone and that this strengthen number strengthen cooperation and that's exactly what uh this reflects and we're just simply honored to be able to join early on now as a dirt.

[00:23:03]>> Yeah, I I I absolutely agree with that.

[00:23:05]I think this is a reflection of shared values, shared interests and also a shared commitment to deepen our defense and industrial cooperation with a close ally. Um there there's no commitment to to purchase and no obligation um on our Canadian friends, but we're delighted uh that they're taking up this observer status. it means they can um gain a greater understanding of the program, its capabilities, long-term vision uh and we'll take it from from there. Um but the fact we've got um Canada with us here today uh and and interest in the program I think speaks to the strength of the program itself and also um our commitment both to our bilateral relationship but also our multilateral partnership too. Uh last but by certainly no means least, Chris Mason from the BBC.

[00:23:55]Thank you. Oops. Thank you, Chris, BBC News, and congratulations to you, uh, Defense Secretary. What's your message to your former cabinet colleague, Darren Jones? Would you suggest he gives social media a break for a while, or has he delivered a blunt truth about the Prime Minister's tax cut being unfunded? Thank you.

[00:24:16]Uh I I've been immersed in the Ministry of Defense today, so you'll forgive me if I haven't seen in detail um comments made by Darren Jones. Uh what I can say having come here straight from a cabinet um this afternoon is that what you will see and hear from this prime minister and chancellor both in the current coming days, months, and years uh is a commitment to be both bold and also credible. where we're making commitments to the country, it's because they're affordable and we will set out how uh those things will be funded. Uh and um Darren Jones uh was a good colleague, served this country uh well and um certainly um look forward to working with him uh regardless of where he happens to sit in the House of Commons Chamber. Thank you very much. Thank you everyone.

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