| 00:00:21 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
UNITED STATES, THE MARINE CORPS GENERAL. GENERAL CONWAY HAS SERVED AS COMMANDANT SINCE NOVEMBER 13, 2006, AND IS ONE OF ONLY TWO COMMANDANTS TO SERVE...
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| 00:01:19 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
BEEN BEFORE YOU, AND ALSO, WE DID JUST THE BACK LAST NIGHT FROM A TRIP IN THE THEATER. SO IF I LOOK A LITTLE RAGGED, THAT IS IT. I AM NOT GETTING OLD,...
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| 00:06:12 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT MARINES PLAY IN FUTURE WERE FAIR AND TO CHANGE PERSONNEL POLICY UNDER DON'T ASK DON'T TELL IF IT IS LIFTED. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE YOUR...
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| 00:06:37 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
27,000 ADDITIONAL MARINES. WE SAW THE REQUIREMENT COME DOWN IN AFGHANISTAN THROUGH IRAQ. WE'RE GETTING OR CLOSE TO THAT OBJECTIVE OUT THERE. ALTHOUGH...
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| 00:08:07 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU HAVE TOLD THE HILL YOU THINK THE CURRENT POLICY WORSEN THAT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK MARINES -- AND THAT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK MARINES. YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED...
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| 00:09:00 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
CONTRAST IS DIFFICULT. BUT WE RECRUIT A CERTAIN TYPE OF YOUNG AMERICAN, PRETTY MUCH THE GUY OR GAL WILLING TO GO FIGHT AND PERHAPS DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY....
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| 00:10:05 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SERVICES, WE HAVE CONSCIOUSLY FOR DECADES NOW BUILT.
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| 00:10:10 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
SO WE START OUT WHEN THE LAW CHANGES IN TERMS OF HOW TO ADDRESS THAT. WE WILL DEAL WITH IT. I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE IS MONEY OUT THERE TO BUILD ANOTHER...
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| 00:11:22 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MEMBER OF THE JOINT CHIEFS TO OPENLY SAY THAT THE COUNTRY IS GROWING TIRED OF THIS WAR. HOW DO YOU, HAVING SAID THAT AS COMMANDANT, HOW THE MAINTAIN THE...
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| 00:11:57 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
OPINION POLLS. I READ THIS MORNING WERE 70% OR 60% OF AMERICANS OPPOSE IT. BUT I THINK IT IS AN IMPORTANT BACK DOOR IN THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION. I THINK...
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| 00:13:24 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IS YOUR INSTINCT ON THAT? WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I CANNOT SAY IT WILL BE A FEW YEARS. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WHAT I SAID IS THAT I THINK IT WILL BE...
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| 00:13:34 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
YEARS BEFORE CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND ARE SUCH THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO TURN OVER TO AFGHAN FORCES. I THINK THERE IS A MIND-SET THAT NEEDS...
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| 00:13:55 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
U.N. IS OUR EXPERIENCE IS THAT IN IRAQ. WE HAVE
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| 00:13:59 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS IN 2006 SANG ALL WAS LOST. BY THE END OF 2006, WE HAD CONDITIONS CHANGE COMPLETELY IN IRAQ. I DO NOT SEE THE CULTURE IN AFGHANISTAN...
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| 00:14:33 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE HAVE OPINIONS ON THAT? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, FROM THE ORIGINAL TALK,
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| 00:14:45 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
THE V-SHAVED RUNWAY WAS AGREED UPON. IN TERMS OF AIRCRAFT SAFETY, WE STILL BELIEVE THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO THINGS. SO IT IS ENTIRELY AT THIS POINT...
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| 00:15:21 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MARJAH GOING RIGHT NOW? AND CAN YOU SAY THAT A YEAR FROM NOW, THE WILL BE NO WITHDRAWALS OF MARINES FROM HELMAND? >> FIRST OF ALL, MARCIJAH I BELIEVE...
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| 00:15:40 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
INTELLIGENT, AND I REALIZE THAT MARJAH HAS THE CAPTURE OF AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE. SO THEY'RE NOT GIVING UP THAT EASILY. WE DROVE THEM OUT. WE OUT-MANEUVERED...
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| 00:17:25 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MORE YEARS? >> IT IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE TALIBAN, AND CONDITIONS THERE ARE NOT SUCH AS THEY ARE IN OTHER REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY. IF
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| 00:17:33 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF ATTACKS IN NUMBERS OF CASUALTIES, IF YOU LOOK AT THE FOCUS OF THE COMMANDERS THERE, THE FIGHT IS IN THE SOUTH. >> IN MARJAH,...
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| 00:17:52 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN A COUPLE HUNDRED PERCENT IN LIKE THAT. IT
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| 00:17:56 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
IS NOT SIGNIFICANT, BUT BASED UPON THE WAY THEY FIGHT, TRYING TO INDUCE US TO CREATE CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, FIRING FROM COMPOUNDS WERE THEY HAVE WOMEN...
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| 00:18:29 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TROOPS CONSIDER PULLING OUT IN LARGE NUMBERS. WHAT EXACT CONDITIONS WOULD YOU BE LOOKING FOR BEFORE YOU ADVISE THE PRESIDENT...
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| 00:18:53 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
DO IS AFFECT THE SECURITY. WE CAN 89 THESE OTHER THINGS. WE SHAPE THE ENVIRONMENT THAT ALLOWS THESE OTHER LINES OF OPERATION TO TAKE PLACE. INITIALLY,...
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| 00:20:11 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF FIVE ARE ILLITERATE. DESERTION IS A REAL PROBLEM. IS THERE ANY INDICATION TO YOU THAT THESE AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES ARE GOING TO IMPROVE SUCH THAT...
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| 00:20:36 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
WE CONTINUE TO BUILD UP THE FORCE, IT WILL BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. THESE PEOPLE ARE FIGHTERS AT HEART. THEY'RE EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS THE IRAQIS,...
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| 00:21:45 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
PERFORMING IN AFGHANISTAN IN TERMS OF READINESS RATES? IT HAD AN ISSUE IN IRAQ. AND WHAT IF A SYSTEM IS NOT PERFORMING? >> READINESS RATES ARE ABOUT...
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| 00:22:01 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
TOSS THEM IMMEDIATELY INTO COMBAT. WE THOUGHT WE HAD LEARNED ALL WE NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT HARSH ENVIRONMENTS IN IRAQ, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, THE ENVIRONMENT...
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| 00:23:18 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
WE OFFERED AN AMAZING CAPABILITY. WE OFFER TO HAVE THE AIRCRAFT SELL FOR DEPLOY ALL THE WAY TO PAKISTAN TO THE EASTERN COAST. THE ISSUE HAS TO DO WITH...
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| 00:23:48 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ITS CRUCIAL RELIABILITY TEST. DO YOU SENSE SUPPORT FOR THE PROGRAM STARTING TO WANE WITHIN THE NAVY AND WITHIN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE?...
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| 00:24:06 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
I THINK EVERYBODY IS ANXIOUS TO SEE HOW IT PERFORMS. THESE NEW, MORE RELIABLE VEHICLES WE THINK ARE GOING TO PERFORM MUCH BETTER. WE'RE LOOKING AT AFFORDABILITY,...
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| 00:24:43 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOT. >>
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| 00:24:47 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE, THE SECRETARY IS DONE TWO THINGS. ONE, HE TOSSED THE REVIEW OF THE
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| 00:24:56 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
CORE WITH EXPEDITIONARY COMMISSIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, HE QUESTIONED THE AMPHIBIOUS, HOW MUCH FACILITIES WE NEED, AND THAT COULD BE A NAVY SHIPBUILDING...
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| 00:25:24 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
THEORY OF FOR DEPLOYMENT, FORWARD FACING, ENGAGING AWAY FROM THE AND I DID STATES HAS TO HAVE A STRONG APPRECIATION FOR A NAVY MARINE CORPS COAST GUARD...
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| 00:26:45 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
HOW BIG A CHALLENGE IS THAT WHAT MARINES GETTING THE JOB DONE? THE OTHER ONE IS A PERCEPTION ISSUE. THE PRESIDENT'S JULY 2011 DATE, THE BEGINNING OF...
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| 00:27:14 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
MULTIPLE PELLET COMMANDERS, THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS THE SAME. IT DOES NOT BOTHER US MUCH. WE UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE AFGHAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY, AND...
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| 00:28:15 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
HAD INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS THAT SAY THEY ONLY HAVE TO HOLD OUT FOR SO LONG. LET ME GIVE YOU A DIFFERENT THOUGHT. IF YOU ACCEPT WHAT I SAID WAS TRUE...
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| 00:29:11 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ADMIRAL HARWOOD IN AFGHANISTAN. IT WAS INTERESTING
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| 00:29:17 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
TO TALK WITH HIM ABOUT THE FORENSICS OF WHAT HE IS DISCOVERING AS HE GOES ABOUT HIS INTERROGATION AND QUESTIONING PRISONERS. OUR ESTIMATE IS GETTING...
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| 00:30:18 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
HOW DO THE PEOPLE IN AFGHANISTAN AT SAY THAT YOU CAN LEARN -- CAN YOU LEARN LESSONS FROM IRAQ AND USE IT FOR YOUR MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN? WOULD YOU...
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| 00:30:59 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
THE DOCUMENTS AND HAVE NOT ASKED ANYBODY TO DO THAT. EXCEPT FOR COMPROMISING SOME OF OUR SOURCES, I DON'T THINK IT IS BEING FELT TACTICALLY ON THE BATTLEFIELD....
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| 00:33:21 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
CASE IN 2003 AND THE CASE NOW IN 2010. I AM SO PROUD OF OUR AMERICAN PUBLIC THAT REGARDLESS HOW THEY SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN IRAQ OR WHAT IS HAPPENING IN...
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| 00:33:52 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WHY ARE WE STILL THERE AND WHY DON'T WE FOCUS WHERE THE LEADERSHIP OF THE TALIBAN AND AL-QAIDA ARE? >> FIRST OF ALL, DOES NOT A BLACK-AND-WHITE SITUATION....
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| 00:34:10 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
AND NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE DAY TO DAY CONTACT AND NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO OUR SPECIAL FORCES THAT FOCUS ON SUCH THINGS. THEY ARE AVOIDING THAT TYPE OF OF...
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| 00:34:38 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AGREE WITH THAT? DOES THE MARINE CORPS RUN THE RISK OF CLINGING TO THE PLATFORM TO MUCH MUCH IN THE SAME WAY THE AIR FORCE CLAIMED TO THE F-22? >> IT...
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| 00:34:59 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
CAPABILITY. WHEN THE SECRETARY MADE THE DETERMINATION TO TRIM AWAY DETERMINATIONF-22, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF U.S. AIRCRAFT THAT COULD PERFORM THAT FUNCTION....
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| 00:36:05 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE REAL THREAT WILL BE SMALL ENGAGEMENTS IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST AND AROUND THE WORLD. WHAT ABOUT THE STATE AND READINESS OF THE FORCE...
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| 00:36:32 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
COMMANDANT SAID THE SAME THING. 2020-2025, THEY SAID THE MOST LIKELY CONFLICT IS WHAT THEY CALLED HYBRID WARFARE. AS REGIONAL CONFLICT SO WE HAVE TO HAVE...
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| 00:37:58 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WILL THEY BE PREPARED? >> WHEN WE ARE HOME, WE CAN DO A LOT OF THAT KIND OF TRAINING. THEY CAN ALSO GET TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES INTO THE PREPARATION...
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| 00:38:11 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
BACK TO AFGHANISTAN WITH FORCES IN THAT ROTATION. WE THINK THAT 14 MONTHS WILL BE VALUABLE. >> SINCE JULY, THE MARINES DESTROYED MANY OPERATING BASIS....
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| 00:38:35 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BEHIND THAT AND DOES THAT IMPLY THAT A TACTICAL JOB IS NOT BEING DONE IN THE RIGHT WAY? >> FIRST OF ALL, THE MARINES ARE NOT OUT OF SANGUNIE YET BUT...
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| 00:38:51 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
BE REPLACED WE HAVE A DIFFERENT APPROACH. WE BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO CHALLENGE THE ENEMY WHERE HE THINKS HE HAS STRENGTH WE ARE LESS PRONE, I THINK,...
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| 00:39:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE HAVE FIXED POSITIONS, TOO. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLACE OF A BASE OF OPERATIONS. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GO
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| 00:40:01 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
BACK TO REST AND RESUPPLY. MOST OF THOSE PLACES WILL HAVE A SECURE A HELICOPTER PAD. WE DON'T WANT HELICOPTERS FLYING IN SUPPLIES THAT ARE NOT SECURE....
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| 00:40:48 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WONDERING IF THE MARINE CORPS IS LOOKING AT THEIR OWN WEAPONS OR SMALL ARMS SYSTEMS? >> WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT SMALL ARMS FOR A LONG TIME.
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| 00:41:04 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
WE ARE NEVER GOING TO BE A CARBINE MARINE CORPORATE WE WILL NEVER GO COMPLETELY TO THE M-4. WE ARE A RIFLE MARINE CORPS AND WE BELIEVE IN LONG-RANGE SHOOTING...
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| 00:42:25 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 00:42:26 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
AFTER THE FOUR STRUCTURE REVIEW IS DONE, DO YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT THAT THE MARINE CORPS WILL BE LESS CAPABLE? >>
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| 00:42:34 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT IS NOT THE INTENT OF THE GUIDANCE GIVEN TO A FOUR- STRUCTURE REVIEW. I
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| 00:42:44 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
DON'T I DON'T HAVE THAT CONCERN AT ALL. AFTER AFGHANISTAN, IN TIME, 200,000 MARINES IN MAY PEACETIME MARINE CORPS IS PROBABLY TOO MANY. PEOPLE ARE EXPENSIVE....
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| 00:43:43 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NO, I DON'T SEE THAT WE ARE GOING TO ELIMINATE IN A VERTICAL SLICE ANY OF OUR CAPABILITIES.
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| 00:43:54 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
THERE WILL BE LESS BAHRAIN'S ELIGIBLE TO DEPLOY WHEN WE HAVE A SMALLER MARINE CORPS IN PEACETIME. THAT IS THE ONLY PLACE I WOULD SAY THAT WE WOULD BE...
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| 00:44:26 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALL, WE TOOK SOME LOSSES EARLY ON THROUGH ACTIVE SNIPERS IN MARJA AND
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| 00:44:34 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
OTHER PLACES. THE BEST COUNTER SNIPER SYSTEM ON THE BATTLEFIELD IS ANOTHER SNIPER. OUR SNIPERS ARE VERY GOOD AND WE HAVE TAKEN DOWN THAT THREAT SIGNIFICANTLY...
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| 00:45:38 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU SAID SOME MARINES ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT THIS. YOU SAID THE MORAL PERCEPTION THAT MARINES HAVE OF PEOPLE SERVING IN THE MARINE CORPS WHO ARE OPENLY...
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| 00:46:04 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
SOME ESTIMATES IS THAT SAID THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS WRONG AND THEY SIMPLY DO NOT WANT TO ROOM WITH A PERSON OF THAT PERSUASION BECAUSE IT WOULD GO AGAINST...
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| 00:46:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
COMMANDER, YOU TRY TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THE MARINES. WE WILL BE AS CONCERNED ABOUT A HOMOSEXUAL MARINES AS WE WELL
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| 00:46:45 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
ABOUT ANY MARINES WHO FEEL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THAT PARADIGM. LOCAL COMMANDERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ASSIST US IN MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE IS PROVIDED FOR...
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| 00:47:26 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE BIRTHPLACE OF HEROIN PARENOPIUM. WHAT IS THE STATE OF THAT NOW? >> IT IS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED AND WILL BE FURTHER REDUCED IN THE FUTURE. WHEN WE...
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| 00:47:47 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
HELMOND, WE HAD A REPORT ON THE DRUG TRAFFICKING BETWEEN $70 MILLION PER YEAR UP TO $400 MILLION PER YEAR IN TERMS OF RESOURCES. THAT ALLOWS THEM TO...
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| 00:49:57 |
Conway, James T. - Commandant
TO GO, FOLKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M SORRY? [CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE] [CAPTIONS COPYRIGHT NATIONAL CABLE SATELLITE CORP....
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NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.