1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,050 - [Jeff] General McKenzie, I know your resume is 2 00:00:04,050 --> 00:00:06,200 is (laughs) very long and distinguished. 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,940 It begins with being born in Birmingham, 4 00:00:07,940 --> 00:00:09,970 so I'd love to know your connection 5 00:00:09,970 --> 00:00:11,593 and how long you lived here. 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,810 - Jeff, first of all, delighted to have the opportunity 7 00:00:18,810 --> 00:00:20,100 to chat with you this afternoon. 8 00:00:20,100 --> 00:00:22,110 I owe much of my success in life to being 9 00:00:22,110 --> 00:00:24,420 from Birmingham, Alabama and if you'd like, 10 00:00:24,420 --> 00:00:27,170 I'll sorta talk you through my history 11 00:00:27,170 --> 00:00:29,160 and roots with Birmingham. 12 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,360 I was born in Center Point, Alabama. 13 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:37,120 And actually attended school through about my junior year 14 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,780 at E.B. Erwin School out in Center Point. 15 00:00:40,780 --> 00:00:43,490 And then I transferred to Shades Valley, 16 00:00:43,490 --> 00:00:44,950 to the Resource Learning Center 17 00:00:44,950 --> 00:00:48,430 located at Shades Valley High School over in Homewood. 18 00:00:48,430 --> 00:00:51,070 As you're probably aware, the Resource Learning Center 19 00:00:51,070 --> 00:00:55,570 is the antecedent of the current inter-baccalaureate high, 20 00:00:55,570 --> 00:00:57,630 international baccalaureate high school there. 21 00:00:57,630 --> 00:00:59,180 So it was a great experience for me. 22 00:00:59,180 --> 00:01:01,090 I graduated with the Class of '75 23 00:01:01,090 --> 00:01:05,510 and those two years at RLC were certainly formative for me. 24 00:01:05,510 --> 00:01:08,040 They developed a lot of the attitudes toward learning 25 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:09,950 and thinking that I've been able to use, 26 00:01:09,950 --> 00:01:11,400 really for the rest of my life. 27 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,473 So it was just a great launch pad and an experience for me. 28 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,040 - [Jeff] Well that's really fascinating. 29 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,937 I wasn't sure, but you obviously do have deep roots 30 00:01:20,937 --> 00:01:23,360 and so much of your life experience formed here. 31 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:24,800 That's fascinating. 32 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,780 You are now the 14th Commander 33 00:01:29,780 --> 00:01:32,450 of Central Command, as I know it. 34 00:01:32,450 --> 00:01:35,763 To our viewers who may not really understand that, 35 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,433 explain your job as simply as you can. 36 00:01:43,580 --> 00:01:45,930 - Sure, Jeff, I'd be delighted to do that. 37 00:01:45,930 --> 00:01:48,940 I am one of 11 Combatant Commanders 38 00:01:48,940 --> 00:01:50,570 that the United States has. 39 00:01:50,570 --> 00:01:52,870 I am one of the Geographic Combatant Commanders, 40 00:01:52,870 --> 00:01:55,620 which means I'm responsible for a part of the Earth. 41 00:01:55,620 --> 00:01:57,780 And the part of the Earth that I'm responsible for 42 00:01:57,780 --> 00:02:01,910 is from Egypt in the west to Pakistan in the east, 43 00:02:01,910 --> 00:02:05,400 Kazakhstan in the north to Yemen in the south. 44 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:06,730 Certainly, one of the most turbulent 45 00:02:06,730 --> 00:02:08,780 and demanding regions of the world. 46 00:02:08,780 --> 00:02:12,550 And I am responsible to the Secretary of Defense 47 00:02:12,550 --> 00:02:14,400 and to the President of the United States 48 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,860 for what happens with U.S. Forces in that area. 49 00:02:17,860 --> 00:02:20,070 As part of that, I work very closely, 50 00:02:20,070 --> 00:02:22,100 not only with all the countries in the region, 51 00:02:22,100 --> 00:02:25,030 but also our diplomats, all the other elements 52 00:02:25,030 --> 00:02:28,350 of the United States that are engaged across the world. 53 00:02:28,350 --> 00:02:30,310 They all have a role to play in Cent Com 54 00:02:30,310 --> 00:02:32,320 and we work very closely with them, 55 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,050 really day in and day, out from our headquarters 56 00:02:35,050 --> 00:02:38,710 here in Tampa, but also from forward in the field. 57 00:02:38,710 --> 00:02:41,270 And I, Jeff, I've spent about half my time 58 00:02:41,270 --> 00:02:44,240 actually working across what we call the AOR, 59 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:46,120 the Area of Responsibility. 60 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:47,850 Whether it's either visiting our forces 61 00:02:47,850 --> 00:02:52,090 that are engaged in Afghanistan or Iraq, in Syria. 62 00:02:52,090 --> 00:02:53,830 Also visiting the other countries 63 00:02:53,830 --> 00:02:56,350 with which we have close defense relationship with. 64 00:02:56,350 --> 00:02:58,050 So I spend a lotta time traveling. 65 00:02:59,540 --> 00:03:02,540 - [Jeff] So you do, and I think 66 00:03:02,540 --> 00:03:03,930 you and I are about the same age 67 00:03:03,930 --> 00:03:07,130 and I guess, because you also have a masters in history, 68 00:03:07,130 --> 00:03:11,910 I know, tell us really how warfare has changed. 69 00:03:11,910 --> 00:03:14,390 It's very different from when you and I were little boys, 70 00:03:14,390 --> 00:03:19,390 I guess, playing with toy soldiers and certainly since 9/11. 71 00:03:19,580 --> 00:03:22,760 We'll get to this most recent, successful raid 72 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:27,160 in a moment, but fighting people in these tunnels 73 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,270 with suicide vests and grenades and sadly, 74 00:03:31,270 --> 00:03:33,503 you know, children being used as pawns. 75 00:03:35,511 --> 00:03:37,170 What has happened to the world, 76 00:03:37,170 --> 00:03:39,743 just in your military lifetime? 77 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,680 - So, Jeff, when I entered the Marine Corps 78 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,130 as an officer in 1979, we trained 79 00:03:50,130 --> 00:03:53,983 largely against the Russian threat and its threat to Europe. 80 00:03:55,790 --> 00:03:58,710 Once the wall came down in 1989-'90, 81 00:03:58,710 --> 00:04:02,000 we shifted a little bit, and then adapted to fight 82 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,560 the fight that we've been fighting for the last 18 years 83 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,550 in the U.S. Central Command AOR, 84 00:04:06,550 --> 00:04:08,070 a war against violent extremists, 85 00:04:08,070 --> 00:04:11,600 a war that really knows no genuine boundaries, 86 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:15,770 that is shocking in the fighters' use 87 00:04:15,770 --> 00:04:17,880 of really barbaric force, and you talked 88 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:19,500 a little bit about that just a moment ago. 89 00:04:19,500 --> 00:04:21,880 In the latest raid that we just executed, 90 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,220 we saw some of that complete disregard 91 00:04:24,220 --> 00:04:26,390 for any and all norms of human conduct 92 00:04:26,390 --> 00:04:29,350 or the laws of armed conflict as we would know. 93 00:04:29,350 --> 00:04:31,730 And that's been a very difficult challenge for us, 94 00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:34,680 but we've adapted, we have fought well, 95 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,730 and I'd like to believe that we've kept our values, 96 00:04:37,730 --> 00:04:40,830 even as we had to struggle in a very demanding fight 97 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,200 across all of U.S. Central Command. 98 00:04:45,420 --> 00:04:47,937 - [Jeff] And in this successful raid 99 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,503 with al-Baghdadi and his death, 100 00:04:54,950 --> 00:04:56,650 I guess, again, I mean you obviously 101 00:04:56,650 --> 00:04:58,460 went through great detail in the news conference, 102 00:04:58,460 --> 00:05:00,140 so I don't want you to enumerate all those things, 103 00:05:00,140 --> 00:05:04,290 necessarily, but things that happened along the way, 104 00:05:04,290 --> 00:05:05,710 maybe that you can tell us now 105 00:05:05,710 --> 00:05:07,733 that you couldn't just a few days ago, 106 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,070 and really what went down there 107 00:05:10,070 --> 00:05:13,730 as best you can describe that to viewers who are, 108 00:05:13,730 --> 00:05:16,193 obviously, fascinated by what you do. 109 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,600 - Sure, so we chose to execute this raid 110 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,580 after an extensive period of intelligence gathering 111 00:05:26,580 --> 00:05:29,810 where we has narrowed the location of the individual 112 00:05:29,810 --> 00:05:32,160 down to a very good place. 113 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,220 And I would just tell you, if you want a real nutshell, 114 00:05:35,220 --> 00:05:37,220 actually of the American way of war, 115 00:05:37,220 --> 00:05:40,500 we could have struck that place with stand-off aircraft 116 00:05:40,500 --> 00:05:42,620 at any time, but we were concerned 117 00:05:42,620 --> 00:05:44,610 because there were children on the objective. 118 00:05:44,610 --> 00:05:47,010 And we did not want those children to die 119 00:05:48,163 --> 00:05:49,530 as we went after Baghdadi. 120 00:05:49,530 --> 00:05:52,070 So we put men and women at risk in the air at night, 121 00:05:52,070 --> 00:05:54,790 flying long distances under a significant risk, 122 00:05:54,790 --> 00:05:57,100 significant threat, in order to get down there 123 00:05:57,100 --> 00:05:59,980 and save as many of those innocent people as we could. 124 00:05:59,980 --> 00:06:02,570 And we were able to save some, not all of them. 125 00:06:02,570 --> 00:06:05,010 And the fact that we were not able to save all of them, 126 00:06:05,010 --> 00:06:07,970 I know, weighs very heavy on the men and women 127 00:06:07,970 --> 00:06:09,170 who executed the mission. 128 00:06:09,170 --> 00:06:12,680 However, it's also, I think, a really sterling tribute 129 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,760 to the lengths to which we will go 130 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:19,370 to avoid killing innocent people as we proceed about 131 00:06:19,370 --> 00:06:21,070 these very difficult battlefield tasks 132 00:06:21,070 --> 00:06:24,038 of going after militants like Baghdadi 133 00:06:24,038 --> 00:06:25,738 and everything that he represents. 134 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:28,850 - [Jeff] And I note with some interest today 135 00:06:28,850 --> 00:06:32,780 that Turkey has captured Baghdadi's sister, 136 00:06:32,780 --> 00:06:35,300 I think her name is Rasmiya Awad. 137 00:06:35,300 --> 00:06:39,140 And from what I understand, this man 138 00:06:39,140 --> 00:06:42,350 used his relatives, you know, as operatives. 139 00:06:42,350 --> 00:06:44,330 So that there's some supposition 140 00:06:44,330 --> 00:06:47,130 this woman might be a treasure trove of intelligence. 141 00:06:47,130 --> 00:06:48,983 Do you feel that that's possible? 142 00:06:52,890 --> 00:06:54,970 - Jeff, what we normally find in the aftermath 143 00:06:54,970 --> 00:06:57,120 of something like this, first of all, 144 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,800 we gather information from the objective. 145 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:02,870 And I can't go into any details about that, 146 00:07:02,870 --> 00:07:05,420 but we gather things that are very helpful to us 147 00:07:05,420 --> 00:07:07,320 to follow up on other leads 148 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,720 that leads to other sources, 149 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,020 other objectives, other cachets of material. 150 00:07:13,020 --> 00:07:16,580 So it typically has a very positive cascading affect 151 00:07:16,580 --> 00:07:20,200 and I would say yes the fact that she has been captured 152 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:24,080 is probably going to lead us to even more opportunities 153 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,863 to continue the final ultimate defeat of ISIS. 154 00:07:28,940 --> 00:07:30,910 - [Jeff] I know your time is valuable and short. 155 00:07:30,910 --> 00:07:34,480 I wanna ask you a couple things that I normally ask people, 156 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,770 I don't get an opportunity to talk to people this high up 157 00:07:37,770 --> 00:07:40,450 in the chain of command, but are there things 158 00:07:40,450 --> 00:07:43,960 you can tell me that worry you, and as an adjunct to that, 159 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:45,940 beyond what keeps you up at night, 160 00:07:45,940 --> 00:07:50,350 what inspires you even in this twilight struggle, I guess, 161 00:07:50,350 --> 00:07:54,240 as President George W. Bush called it at 9/11, 162 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,773 what inspires you even in the midst of all this? 163 00:08:00,430 --> 00:08:02,390 - Well let me answer your first question. 164 00:08:02,390 --> 00:08:05,300 You know, I can't improve on General Mattis's 165 00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:07,460 answer to this question when he was asked, 166 00:08:07,460 --> 00:08:10,077 and his answer was, "I sleep well at night. 167 00:08:10,077 --> 00:08:11,777 "I keep other people awake." 168 00:08:11,777 --> 00:08:13,640 I try to do that, too. 169 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,100 I get my sleep, I sleep well. 170 00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:18,740 But I would tell you what I really draw strength from 171 00:08:18,740 --> 00:08:22,670 is the quality of the people 172 00:08:22,670 --> 00:08:25,280 that are in the Armed Forces of the United States. 173 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:27,670 The men and women that are out there on the ground, 174 00:08:27,670 --> 00:08:29,960 doing the work every day, flying at night, 175 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,010 in all kinds of conditions, on the ground, 176 00:08:32,010 --> 00:08:33,640 moving across severe terrain, 177 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,540 driving ships across the sea, under the water, 178 00:08:36,540 --> 00:08:39,880 or being an infantry man as I was and as my son was. 179 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,720 Those are things that really, to me, 180 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:44,030 they're why I'm in this business, 181 00:08:44,030 --> 00:08:45,590 that's why I can get up every day, 182 00:08:45,590 --> 00:08:46,580 and that's why I'm confident 183 00:08:46,580 --> 00:08:49,520 that we're gonna meet any challenge that we face. 184 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:50,353 - [Jeff] That's terrific. 185 00:08:50,353 --> 00:08:52,410 And again, to just draw a little bit back, 186 00:08:52,410 --> 00:08:54,600 anything that comes to mind as we've been talking here 187 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,860 about growing up in Center Point and in Birmingham, 188 00:08:57,860 --> 00:09:00,500 any particular episode or influence 189 00:09:00,500 --> 00:09:02,063 that you'd like to share? 190 00:09:06,740 --> 00:09:07,730 - I'll tell you this, I think 191 00:09:07,730 --> 00:09:09,830 one of the great experiences of my childhood 192 00:09:09,830 --> 00:09:13,660 was when Auburn beat Alabama in 1972, 193 00:09:13,660 --> 00:09:17,280 17 to 16 in the two-block punts game. 194 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:18,570 You know a lotta people claim to be 195 00:09:18,570 --> 00:09:20,200 at that game that were not. 196 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,430 I was not at that game, but I listened to it on the radio 197 00:09:23,430 --> 00:09:26,323 and as I look back over my childhood, 198 00:09:27,270 --> 00:09:28,810 that was a remarkable episode. 199 00:09:28,810 --> 00:09:30,850 My family are Auburn people. 200 00:09:30,850 --> 00:09:32,360 As you know, I did not go to Auburn. 201 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,730 I went out of the state and went to school 202 00:09:34,730 --> 00:09:37,260 at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. 203 00:09:37,260 --> 00:09:40,070 But, you know, those long, all those Auburn-Alabama games 204 00:09:40,070 --> 00:09:42,790 all across my childhood have been, 205 00:09:42,790 --> 00:09:44,470 they were very significant to me. 206 00:09:44,470 --> 00:09:48,520 Even as today, I tend to follow UAB football pretty closely 207 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:50,640 'cause I think they put a great product on the field. 208 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,420 They're a great team and the story of them 209 00:09:53,420 --> 00:09:55,734 over the last few years has been remarkable. 210 00:09:55,734 --> 00:09:59,664 So I think that's a real good current, 211 00:09:59,664 --> 00:10:01,920 it's a good news story about football in Birmingham. 212 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:02,753 - [Jeff] I love it. 213 00:10:02,753 --> 00:10:04,330 Well then I can't let you off the hook here, 214 00:10:04,330 --> 00:10:07,470 your Commander and Chief is on his way to Tuscaloosa, 215 00:10:07,470 --> 00:10:10,650 we understand, this weekend to watch the Alabama game. 216 00:10:10,650 --> 00:10:14,768 I don't know, can you say that you're pulling for Alabama 217 00:10:14,768 --> 00:10:18,067 and do you have any military strategy 218 00:10:18,067 --> 00:10:20,123 for Nick Saban against LSU? 219 00:10:21,034 --> 00:10:25,191 - (laughing) Well Jeff I think 220 00:10:25,191 --> 00:10:28,230 it's gonna be a tough game, they're playing at Tuscaloosa. 221 00:10:28,230 --> 00:10:30,880 Alabama's a well-coached team, so is LSU. 222 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,660 I watched them play Auburn just a couple weeks ago. 223 00:10:33,660 --> 00:10:35,870 but I think this is one probably Alabama 224 00:10:36,870 --> 00:10:40,080 is gonna come out the winner and I'm not sure it's gonna be 225 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:41,980 by less than about seven to 10 points. 226 00:10:42,910 --> 00:10:46,250 - [Jeff] Wow, and no special plays. 227 00:10:46,250 --> 00:10:48,710 I remember President Nixon drew up one for the Red Skins, 228 00:10:48,710 --> 00:10:51,780 I think, in the early 70's. 229 00:10:51,780 --> 00:10:54,497 You don't wanna draw up any special plays for Nick Saban? 230 00:10:54,497 --> 00:10:58,503 - (laughing) You know, 231 00:10:58,503 --> 00:11:01,050 I don't think those guys need any help from me 232 00:11:01,050 --> 00:11:02,588 to do what there doing. 233 00:11:02,588 --> 00:11:04,440 - [Jeff] (laughing) Thank you Sir. 234 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:05,750 Anything else you'd like to add, 235 00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:08,600 any hello's to folks here in Birmingham I can pass along? 236 00:11:12,020 --> 00:11:16,850 - No, it's a great city. 237 00:11:16,850 --> 00:11:19,130 I think it's a city that has remarkably 238 00:11:19,130 --> 00:11:23,390 transformed itself over the last 40 years or so. 239 00:11:23,390 --> 00:11:24,720 And you know, and I think a lotta that 240 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,410 actually has to do with the University of Alabama 241 00:11:27,410 --> 00:11:30,170 at Birmingham, and the things they brought to the city 242 00:11:30,170 --> 00:11:32,560 and so I'm actually very proud of that 243 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:36,780 and, as you know, my sister's associated with UAB, 244 00:11:36,780 --> 00:11:39,810 so I tend to follow UAB a little bit because of that, 245 00:11:39,810 --> 00:11:42,970 but I get back about three or four times a year, 246 00:11:42,970 --> 00:11:44,710 I always enjoy coming back. 247 00:11:44,710 --> 00:11:47,120 It's very much like, well like coming home, 248 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:48,500 as you would hope it would be. 249 00:11:48,500 --> 00:11:50,750 I have great memories of Birmingham 250 00:11:50,750 --> 00:11:52,180 and the things I learned there 251 00:11:52,180 --> 00:11:54,780 have really powered me throughout my career. 252 00:11:54,780 --> 00:11:57,650 - [Jeff] Well, you have an open invitation 253 00:11:57,650 --> 00:12:00,210 when you come back to come visit us. 254 00:12:00,210 --> 00:12:03,500 Congratulations on a super successful mission 255 00:12:03,500 --> 00:12:05,540 that was not without great risk, 256 00:12:05,540 --> 00:12:07,840 but obviously got the American people a great reward 257 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:09,090 and we thank you so much. 258 00:12:12,890 --> 00:12:13,830 - Jeff, thanks so much. 259 00:12:13,830 --> 00:12:15,273 I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to you. 260 00:12:15,273 --> 00:12:18,570 Take care and we'll be talking again I'm sure. 261 00:12:18,570 --> 00:12:21,950 - [Jeff] Same here, sir, and many thanks for your service. 262 00:12:21,950 --> 00:12:22,783 - Thank you.