The pilot and weapons system officer had both safely ejected and were isolated behind enemy lines. Following confirmation of active rescue beacons and on the direction of the Secretary and by order of the President, a rescue operation was launched with the stated purpose of bringing both Americans home safely. As the Secretary said several hours later on the morning, after positively locating the front seater call sign dude4 4 Alpha and aware of an aggressive ongoing search by the enemy, a U.S. central Command plan was approved by the Secretary and the President. (31:54–32:08)
CLAIM
Asserts that a rescue operation was launched by order of the President and Secretary.
This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.
