1 00:00:00,900 --> 00:00:05,749 and this is weapons 2 00:00:10,370 --> 00:00:07,309 we've really got to get into right now 3 00:00:13,910 --> 00:00:10,380 what people are saying is that this ship 4 00:00:17,330 --> 00:00:13,920 called the bass straight launched you 5 00:00:18,349 --> 00:00:17,340 know the these uh objects these units 6 00:00:20,929 --> 00:00:18,359 okay 7 00:00:23,330 --> 00:00:20,939 and that's been now propagated and it is 8 00:00:25,370 --> 00:00:23,340 100 false and I want to hear from 9 00:00:27,650 --> 00:00:25,380 somebody who has direct knowledge of 10 00:00:29,750 --> 00:00:27,660 this and that's why this is uh the next 11 00:00:32,569 --> 00:00:29,760 little little bit of audio one of the 12 00:00:34,790 --> 00:00:32,579 duties of this person was to monitor the 13 00:00:36,650 --> 00:00:34,800 bastrate in real time 14 00:00:38,330 --> 00:00:36,660 and let's see what this person has to 15 00:00:40,729 --> 00:00:38,340 say 16 00:00:43,610 --> 00:00:40,739 I want to talk about origin there's been 17 00:00:45,650 --> 00:00:43,620 a lot of talk that these objects if if 18 00:00:48,049 --> 00:00:45,660 not launched from land that they were 19 00:00:49,670 --> 00:00:48,059 launched from a merchant vessel so the 20 00:00:51,529 --> 00:00:49,680 Bass Strait is a lot of people are 21 00:00:53,630 --> 00:00:51,539 trying to pin this on the bass straight 22 00:00:55,790 --> 00:00:53,640 can you tell me a little bit about that 23 00:00:58,970 --> 00:00:55,800 about origin and what you know about the 24 00:01:02,750 --> 00:00:58,980 Bass Strait this was the closest that we 25 00:01:05,929 --> 00:01:02,760 ever came to on our ship figuring a 26 00:01:07,370 --> 00:01:05,939 possible origin outside of coming from 27 00:01:09,649 --> 00:01:07,380 Land somehow 28 00:01:11,630 --> 00:01:09,659 like you said traversing those 30 to 50 29 00:01:14,330 --> 00:01:11,640 miles that we were 30 00:01:17,630 --> 00:01:14,340 um from nearest Islands so 31 00:01:20,030 --> 00:01:17,640 at one point we did see 32 00:01:23,030 --> 00:01:20,040 what looked like multiple air contacts 33 00:01:24,890 --> 00:01:23,040 around a merchant ship that was 34 00:01:27,710 --> 00:01:24,900 operating in our vicinity of our strike 35 00:01:30,109 --> 00:01:27,720 group and uh it was a foreign flag 36 00:01:33,410 --> 00:01:30,119 merchant ship and we reached out to them 37 00:01:35,090 --> 00:01:33,420 they denied they weren't a vessel of 38 00:01:38,210 --> 00:01:35,100 interest that we had been worried about 39 00:01:41,330 --> 00:01:38,220 or anything but I think it was like 40 00:01:43,370 --> 00:01:41,340 five to ten of the aircraft circling 41 00:01:46,609 --> 00:01:43,380 around it and we never saw it actually 42 00:01:49,069 --> 00:01:46,619 land on this vessel 43 00:01:50,870 --> 00:01:49,079 was it your impression that the contacts 44 00:01:53,149 --> 00:01:50,880 did not belong to the merchant vessel 45 00:01:55,130 --> 00:01:53,159 and can you verify that you asked the 46 00:01:57,050 --> 00:01:55,140 merchant vessel and they denied that 47 00:01:58,969 --> 00:01:57,060 they were theirs 48 00:02:01,010 --> 00:01:58,979 yeah I could verify the latter for sure 49 00:02:03,350 --> 00:02:01,020 and that was also why I sort of skirted 50 00:02:04,969 --> 00:02:03,360 around saying many details about that 51 00:02:06,770 --> 00:02:04,979 Merchant vessel because I wasn't I'm not 52 00:02:09,589 --> 00:02:06,780 sure where the investigation went 53 00:02:11,869 --> 00:02:09,599 afterwards I sort of helped compose the 54 00:02:14,150 --> 00:02:11,879 message that we sent off because I'd 55 00:02:15,770 --> 00:02:14,160 seen it and like I said we didn't see 56 00:02:17,150 --> 00:02:15,780 them land on it and that was what we 57 00:02:18,650 --> 00:02:17,160 really wanted to see like we really 58 00:02:20,690 --> 00:02:18,660 wanted to see either a launch or a 59 00:02:23,150 --> 00:02:20,700 landing we didn't know if possibly this 60 00:02:25,190 --> 00:02:23,160 vessel had a foreign nation's 61 00:02:27,830 --> 00:02:25,200 intelligence Detachment on board or 62 00:02:30,530 --> 00:02:27,840 something like that doing this they did 63 00:02:33,650 --> 00:02:30,540 deny they were the source and they also 64 00:02:35,270 --> 00:02:33,660 never landed or launched them so right 65 00:02:36,830 --> 00:02:35,280 really wanted to see that because we 66 00:02:39,050 --> 00:02:36,840 just wanted an answer because we were we 67 00:02:40,670 --> 00:02:39,060 were tired of it it was not launching 68 00:02:42,589 --> 00:02:40,680 was not receiving the drones as much as 69 00:02:44,509 --> 00:02:42,599 we wanted it to like we we were like 70 00:02:46,670 --> 00:02:44,519 this is the source this has to be it we 71 00:02:48,530 --> 00:02:46,680 finally figured it out and it seemed 72 00:02:50,330 --> 00:02:48,540 like it probably wasn't just based on 73 00:02:51,949 --> 00:02:50,340 the fact that we never saw them land or 74 00:02:54,470 --> 00:02:51,959 take off 75 00:02:56,330 --> 00:02:54,480 why is this important you know and again 76 00:02:58,130 --> 00:02:56,340 this kind of goes back to the you know 77 00:02:59,930 --> 00:02:58,140 the Warfighter and all of us you know 78 00:03:02,449 --> 00:02:59,940 like you've talked about before you know 79 00:03:04,430 --> 00:03:02,459 you've spoken to folks who you know 80 00:03:05,570 --> 00:03:04,440 they're not happy with how this unfolded 81 00:03:07,070 --> 00:03:05,580 you know 82 00:03:09,050 --> 00:03:07,080 um we're out there we're trying to do 83 00:03:10,190 --> 00:03:09,060 our job and yet we're getting peppered 84 00:03:11,809 --> 00:03:10,200 you know almost like we're in the boxing 85 00:03:13,250 --> 00:03:11,819 room getting jab getting jab getting 86 00:03:15,890 --> 00:03:13,260 jabbed and jam we can't we can't punch 87 00:03:18,589 --> 00:03:15,900 back and so finally like you hear and 88 00:03:20,330 --> 00:03:18,599 it's you know I I I can commiserate with 89 00:03:22,309 --> 00:03:20,340 that feeling of almost uh not 90 00:03:25,250 --> 00:03:22,319 helplessness but just frustration that 91 00:03:28,190 --> 00:03:25,260 you that you've got a job to do uh you 92 00:03:30,410 --> 00:03:28,200 know we're all uh trained warfighters to 93 00:03:33,710 --> 00:03:30,420 uh you know defend the country but each 94 00:03:35,149 --> 00:03:33,720 other and our ship right and um and 95 00:03:38,509 --> 00:03:35,159 we're getting harassed by these damn 96 00:03:40,610 --> 00:03:38,519 things and finally we see okay aha 97 00:03:42,289 --> 00:03:40,620 there's the culprit right there you know 98 00:03:44,210 --> 00:03:42,299 and we're gonna you know we're gonna 99 00:03:45,410 --> 00:03:44,220 queer the hell out of them and and tell 100 00:03:46,550 --> 00:03:45,420 them to knock it off or whatever the 101 00:03:48,110 --> 00:03:46,560 case is right 102 00:03:50,270 --> 00:03:48,120 and what do you hear the you know what 103 00:03:52,729 --> 00:03:50,280 do you hear that guy say he goes so we 104 00:03:55,430 --> 00:03:52,739 finally see them there and we wanted it 105 00:03:57,289 --> 00:03:55,440 so bad for it to be the the source of 106 00:04:00,050 --> 00:03:57,299 our of our frustrations over these past 107 00:04:02,210 --> 00:04:00,060 few nights and not once did they see 108 00:04:04,130 --> 00:04:02,220 anything either land or take off from 109 00:04:05,750 --> 00:04:04,140 you know from from this Merchant vessel 110 00:04:08,869 --> 00:04:05,760 so 111 00:04:09,949 --> 00:04:08,879 um it just speaks to the you know I can 112 00:04:17,330 --> 00:04:09,959 I 113 00:04:19,789 --> 00:04:17,340 Express you wanted an answer you know 114 00:04:22,009 --> 00:04:19,799 you wanted an answer and uh and it's 115 00:04:24,170 --> 00:04:22,019 almost like you know you you you're 116 00:04:25,670 --> 00:04:24,180 you're harassed by these things for so 117 00:04:27,110 --> 00:04:25,680 many nights in a row and finally you 118 00:04:29,150 --> 00:04:27,120 think you've got that answer and then 119 00:04:31,010 --> 00:04:29,160 the carpets pulled from from underneath 120 00:04:32,870 --> 00:04:31,020 you you know and it's not so the big 121 00:04:34,969 --> 00:04:32,880 thing for me is that people can just 122 00:04:37,249 --> 00:04:34,979 make up any they want and they can 123 00:04:39,409 --> 00:04:37,259 publish it and it starts to be trickled 124 00:04:41,870 --> 00:04:39,419 down as truth through tabloids all the 125 00:04:44,270 --> 00:04:41,880 way to Wikipedia and it's it's 126 00:04:46,189 --> 00:04:44,280 and and it's direct and knowing 127 00:04:48,290 --> 00:04:46,199 that is one thing you and I will know 128 00:04:50,990 --> 00:04:48,300 certain things but getting somebody 129 00:04:52,550 --> 00:04:51,000 who's there whose job it was to to watch 130 00:04:54,890 --> 00:04:52,560 the bass straight and make sure it was 131 00:04:58,430 --> 00:04:54,900 not the source of these now we finally 132 00:05:02,150 --> 00:04:58,440 have that person on record verified that 133 00:05:04,430 --> 00:05:02,160 was his duty and he sadly can't report 134 00:05:06,230 --> 00:05:04,440 to us that this was some sort of 135 00:05:07,969 --> 00:05:06,240 adversarial drone being launched off 136 00:05:09,890 --> 00:05:07,979 this ship which of course it wasn't with 137 00:05:12,530 --> 00:05:09,900 over a hundred and a hundred mile radius 138 00:05:15,050 --> 00:05:12,540 this right that never made sense this 139 00:05:17,270 --> 00:05:15,060 excuse the case close never made sense 140 00:05:19,610 --> 00:05:17,280 but to get it through you have to hear 141 00:05:21,170 --> 00:05:19,620 from people directly there we also know 142 00:05:23,390 --> 00:05:21,180 that there was further investigation 143 00:05:25,550 --> 00:05:23,400 that the best rate was in Port when this 144 00:05:26,990 --> 00:05:25,560 was still going on that it was not 145 00:05:29,150 --> 00:05:27,000 responsible for launching what was 146 00:05:31,129 --> 00:05:29,160 buzzing around these ships so you and I 147 00:05:33,710 --> 00:05:31,139 have already reported on that numerous 148 00:05:35,870 --> 00:05:33,720 times and now let's just give it one 149 00:05:38,689 --> 00:05:35,880 more go which is that we have direct 150 00:05:40,909 --> 00:05:38,699 information and knowledge of who and how 151 00:05:42,650 --> 00:05:40,919 the bass rate was investigated after the 152 00:05:45,770 --> 00:05:42,660 day of events and they were determined 153 00:05:48,529 --> 00:05:45,780 not to be the place of origin Landing or 154 00:05:51,170 --> 00:05:48,539 launch of these hundred plus units in 155 00:05:52,890 --> 00:05:51,180 the 100 mile radius so guess what case