Russia China Helping Iran?| Pentagon Warns Of Growing Threat | Senate Hearing Reveals Concerns

[00:00:00]Are Russia and China uh helping Iran?

[00:00:04]And if so, how?

[00:00:08]>> Well, Senator, as the chairman alluded to, there's definitely adversary alignment uh and attempts to do so uh and there are many ways that we uh deter that, some of which are and and the depth and extent of it ought to remain classified and it should, but there are ways in which both of those countries are uh limiting at different levels uh enabling some of the things Iran is doing. Yes.

[00:00:33]>> General Keane, would you like to add?

[00:00:36]>> Sir, I'd rather um not opine on the specifics because that would divulge what we know and I never want the adversary to know what I know. I just want to know it.

[00:00:48]>> And hopefully we'll get a chance to do that in the skiff.

[00:00:51]>> Happy to Happy to Happy to do that in the skiff, sir.

[00:00:54]>> This So, this relates both uh to the funding, but also again to how we achieve our objectives uh with Iran. Uh starting with you, Secretary, can we get to the point and and we're seeing continued, I think, improvement and progress on this, but essentially where we can where and hopefully our allies will They need to step in there with us.

[00:01:16]But where we get to the point where we can uh operate in the Strait of Hormuz, but keep Iran blockaded. We're continuing to get better at that, but that's how we keep They'll never do anything that they say they're going to do. They've proven that over and over.

[00:01:31]We have to keep the pressure on, but if we can do that effectively, we keep the pressure on and achieve our objectives.

[00:01:37]Tell us where we are in getting that accomplished.

[00:01:40]>> Senator, I think that's a really good point. That's effectively what we did to create the pressure that led uh to the circumstances of the MOU, which was a We're running that running a route where ships and we did it covertly uh in cooperation with Gulf countries and others who were willing to take take some of the risk with our protection and then maintain the blockade. So effectively oil's coming in and out, oil prices are coming down, but our blockade is staying and the pressure is mounting on Iran. That's something we have done and continue to do. We moved into an MOU where Iran said we won't shoot at shipping and then they turned the IRGC turned around and decided to start shooting at commercial shipping again.

[00:02:15]At which point the president, I mean as he should, cannot tolerate that and so we respond as he said 10 times. Uh you shoot at ships, we're going to shoot at you overwhelmingly, which we have been doing now uh for I believe it's in 10th consecutive uh evening. So consequences come with the willingness to shoot at commercial shipping. Our blockade has been reimposed and is effectively impenetrable. We We uh we mount we got seized a ship inside the Arabian Gulf as well. Uh so there's a lot of different angles to it, a lot of levers we can pull, and ultimately uh lot of the the strikes that Admiral Cooper and CENTCOM have been undertaking are taking Iran's ability to see and sense away in the Strait of Hormuz, which has uh tactical benefits for us. And that's what this funding is about.

[00:02:58]>> This funding is about making sure that we and our allies can operate in the Strait of Hormuz, which helps bring down energy prices for every single American consumer, and that we force Iran to meet our objectives. Isn't that what this package is all about?

[00:03:13]>> Th- This is a peace through strength package. That's what 1.5 trillion has always been about, a generational investment at a as the chairman alluded to, a step change moment. We need to be able to do it at speed, at scale, with autonomy, with AI, with high with exquisite high cost and low cost to be ahead and get stay ahead so that you're not just able to do what we need to do in the Strait of Hormuz, but deter adversaries like Russia and China from getting involved in future contingencies.

[00:03:41]>> And just General Keane for any follow-up that you would like on that issue.

[00:03:45]>> Sir, I wouldn't have anything to add.

[00:03:47]>> Okay. Again, thank you and thank you to all of our men and women in uniform. We appreciate them so much.

[00:03:54]>> Senator Shaheen.

[00:03:57]Thank you, Madam Chair. Secretary Heckseth, since you last testified before this committee, we finally received the spend plan for the 400 million FY26 appropriation for Ukraine security assistance.

[00:04:10]This funding was passed back in January, and now there are only 3 months left in this fiscal year.

[00:04:17]And while I appreciate that we now see what most of the funding is intended for, I just heard from the CEO of one of the manufacturers of the defense articles that are contained in the spend plan that they not only haven't received funding, but they haven't even seen a contract. So, when are we going to see a contract for those defense articles that are contained in the spend plan for Iraq?

[00:04:44]I'm sorry, for Ukraine.

[00:04:46]>> Uh I I Senator, I'll have to get back to you on the specifics of the timeline of that.

[00:04:50]I'll talk to our policy shop as well as the UCOM commander to determine where that's at.

[00:04:54]>> Well, you've told this committee that you've barely spent half of the 150 billion in reconciliation funding.

[00:05:01]And if you still have 75 billion available, why are you asking the American people to absorb the cost of a war they don't support instead of asking for transfer authority for unspent reconciliation funding, especially if you can't even get 400 million dollars in Ukraine funding out the door?

[00:05:20]>> Um as I mentioned earlier, Senator, that money from the one big beautiful bill is otherwise allocated to the rebuilding of our military with priorities of the president like Golden Dome for America and hypersonics and other munitions investments that we made up front as we tried to adjust the Biden budget budget into an America first budget. And so, reallocating that away from those priorities is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[00:05:40]Those were allocated to rebuild >> is if you can't if you can't if you can't spend that on a timeline that makes sense.

[00:05:49]Why do you need to come back and ask for more money? Wouldn't it be better to spend money that you already have? And one of the things I noted was, or at least I think that the supplemental doesn't include funding to repair damage to our bases or to our military infrastructure in the region. And I have not heard that we've gotten the full extent of any of those damage estimates. So, should we expect another request to address that um military construction costs?

[00:06:19]And at what point do you stop asking Americans to foot the bill for a war they don't support on top of an inflated budget um request and billions in reconciliation funds that you still haven't spent.

[00:06:32]>> Well, Senator, I obviously don't agree with your characterization of that. Uh but ultimately >> that, but you didn't ask but I want you to answer my question. I know you don't agree with my characterization. I don't agree with yours, either.

[00:06:43]>> Well, I One of the reason I do I care I take issue with that characterization is something that Senator Durbin said. When he talked about Ukraine and he talked about winning. And I appreciate as much as anybody winning a war. But I sit in front of a committee that wants to talk about winning a war that's been going on for 4 years and talks about strategic defeat of a conflict that's been going on for 4 month months to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. I want I I I would hope for some perspective in this town of the historic nature of what President Trump is undertaking. Do you want radical Islamists to have a nuclear bomb and stare down the world?

[00:07:14]>> I have limited time.

[00:07:15]>> I I I don't understand.

[00:07:16]>> you can't answer my question, then I will move on to my next question.

[00:07:22]Secretary Rollins, the timber industry has also been hard hit, as you know, by trade wars, by drought, by wildfires, by other natural disasters that are increasingly common. Um in New Hampshire, which is the second most heavily forested state in the nation, the one of the things that we really need, as you know, because we've had this conversation, is a research program and Forest Service staffing on the ground in a variety of ways, but particularly at Bartlett Experimental Forest. Um these small investments in research and staffing and sound management help make the forest economies healthier and more competitive. I very much appreciate your having staff visit Bartlett last week with my staff and with staff from the governor's office, but can you commit to restoring staffing at Bartlett and to keeping the facilities there open now that you've seen the critical nature of that research?

[00:08:25]>> Why don't I follow up with you? I have not gotten a report from their visit, so I would like to do that first, but obviously you and I have been in a continuing conversation about that. The good news, there's no doubt our timber industry is in distress and has been for a long time. The fact that we import 90% or something from other countries of our lumber needs is crazy. We're changing that, but the good news, we had more board feet sold last year than any time in 30 years. This year we're going to exceed that target again. So, we're making the right moves on this, but there's no doubt that research is important to that, as we've discussed, and I'll follow up with our team and then we'll we'll reconnect.

[00:09:02]>> Thank you. I appreciate that. As you pointed out, research is critical to ensuring that the timber economy continues to be successful. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:09:10]>> Senator Kennedy.

[00:09:17]>> Thank Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you all for being here today.

[00:09:21]Uh General in in the war between Russia and Ukraine, who do we want to win?

[00:09:32]>> Uh sir, I want I want Ukraine to win.

[00:09:35]>> Is Russia America's friend?

[00:09:39]>> I'm sorry. Sorry, I couldn't quite hear your question.

[00:09:41]>> America's friend?

[00:09:44]>> Uh I think that depends on your definition of friend. I think it's a complicated relationship.

[00:09:52]But no, I don't think they're our friends.

[00:09:56]>> Thank you.