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(triumphant music)

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- [Narrator] "DefenseNews"
is proudly sponsored

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by Navy Federal Credit Union.

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If you're a member of our
nation's Armed Forces,

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the Department of Defense,
or if your family is,

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we'd be proud to serve you too.

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- On this episode of "DefenseNews Weekly,"

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part two of our profile of
a Marine wounded in Iraq,

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who was given opioids by the military,

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and how it changed his life.

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Also, an interview with the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

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Find out what's on his mind

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as a new administration
prepares to take over.

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Finally, NATO's Arctic Marines,

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learn about the alliance's
troops in the far north.

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It's the latest in news and
analysis from the Pentagon

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to the platoon, here on
"DefenseNews Weekly."

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(upbeat music)

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(upbeat music)

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- Welcome back to "DefenseNews Weekly".

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I'm Diana Stancy.

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When Jonathan Basara came back
from Iraq in the late 2000s,

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he was suffering from a host of traumas,

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both physical and mental.

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Sent to a residential program to heal,

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he was also prescribed opioids,

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which over time, added to his struggles.

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We caught up with Basara nearly a decade

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after his wounds and
found him still reckoning

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with both his injuries and his recovery.

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As part of our Veteran's Month coverage,

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we wanted to bring you some of his story.

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Here's part two, and the rest can be found

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on militarytimes.com and our YouTube page.

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Have a look.

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(tense music)

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- Was the suicide VBIED.

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He had nine 155 shells in the trunk.

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And I looked over, and noticed

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that not only did it kill Corporal Letham,

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but it killed about 30 kids
coming outta the school.

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It haunts me, it's like that's
what really bothers me is

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all the innocents that
got killed over there,

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the little kids that got killed.

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(tense music)

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So that first one that
hit me shattered some

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of my teeth and I was bleeding
outta my ears, my nose.

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They told me on opiates,

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you're not allowed to leave the wire.

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So nobody wanted to be on
opiates, nobody wanted it.

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(tense music)

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So they transferred me to
Wounded Warriors headquarters

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in Bethesda, Maryland.

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And I want to say

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January 2009, December 2008 time period,

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I was there for about
two and a half years.

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The whole time I was
there I was on opiates

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and anti-anxiety
medications, different ones,

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all different kind of medications,

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every month on a different medication.

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(soft dramatic music)

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- Everybody was on Fentanyl, Oxycodone,

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Morphine, or not Morphine,
yeah, the Morphine pills,

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Dilaudid, fucking every
painkiller you can think

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of you would be able to
find at that barracks.

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Watch two people overdose
while I was in there.

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So when I got the Wounded
Warriors, my main goal was trying

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to focus on not thinking so
much and not feeling so guilty,

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not having that pain
in my heart, in my head

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of feeling guilty about not going back

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and what happened to the people.

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Could I have done more
in these situations?

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Could I have saved my buddy

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if I maybe just did something else?

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- When you're at Wounded Warriors,

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how many prescriptions
are you on at that point?

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- I was on Gabapentin,
Parcodin, Oxycodone,

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Fentanyl for a little while, Motrin.

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I started having points
to where one wasn't enough

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and I was taking two or three

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to have that breakthrough the pain,

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to break through that
sharpness of the pain,

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and then there was times

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where I wouldn't take 'em for a day.

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I was doing something like
having fun or being out somewhere

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and my medication was back in my room

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and I started noticing
discomfort, stomach aches,

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sweats a little bit.

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And I realized

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after I didn't get my painkillers
the day I was supposed to,

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and it was a weekend,

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so I couldn't get 'em until Monday

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and I was sick the whole weekend.

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I was up throwing up.

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It was the first time I
ever felt like really sick

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from not taking medication.

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I realized that's what it was.

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- And this is while you're
still at Wounded Warriors?

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- This is while I'm still
at Wounded Warriors.

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(soft dramatic music)

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So I went to street
drugs, I went to heroin,

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it was the only thing
that was cheap enough

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to get me through.

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I would do like two to four bags a day.

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My parents controlled my money
and gave it out to me a day.

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And that's one of the hardest
things to do is have that talk

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with your parents and actually
tell them that, "Listen,

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I need to do this until
I can find some help."

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And this is 2014.

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This is after four years of being on 'em

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from the VA and two years or three years

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of being on painkillers in the military.

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So I've been on him for the
better part of a decade now,

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going to nothing.

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(tense music)

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- Every single day I wake up,
have my parents gimme my 20

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or $40, whatever it was,

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and I would go call all my dealers

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to find somebody that was awake.

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You feel sicker than you've
ever felt in your life

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and you just push this
plunger down one time

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and magically goes away like instantly.

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And all your thoughts,
you might still have 'em,

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but you don't care anymore,
it doesn't bother you.

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That feeling of knowing that
all that pain's gonna go away,

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you'll pretty much do anything
you have to do to get it.

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I've ruined relationships with
friends that I borrowed money

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off of and couldn't pay back.

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I went and stole stuff off my parents

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and sold it at pawn shops.

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- [Geoff] And at this point the VA's like,

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"You failed that drug test."

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- Yeah, I just stopped going.
- Yeah.

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- I cut ties with the VA.

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They were still paying me
and everything like that,

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but I stopped going to them

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for any kind of medical treatment.

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(tense music)

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- He was actually stealing things

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from God knows who
besides his mother and me.

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So it was the typical
thing that you go one day

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and something's missing in the house.

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You wonder where it went
and you confront him

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and you just get this blank stare.

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This isn't my original
wedding ring, he sold that.

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He sold all sorts of stuff,
they would steal things.

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He ended up scrapping under the boardwalk

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at the Jersey shore for copper wire.

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And that's how he was
arrested by one of my friends

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that I had worked with
that caught him so easily.

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Here's a kid that was
trained as a scout sniper,

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caught by a guy that's
basically going to Wawa,

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get coffee and donuts

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and he walks right up
to him and locks him up.

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(soft dramatic music)

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- The first seven days are the worst,

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'cause you're going through
the hard withdrawals,

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you're not sleeping at
all, you're uncomfortable,

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you don't have any clothing
except for a jumpsuit on you.

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No shoes, no socks.

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It's usually freezing in there

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and you can't eat any of the food

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'cause you're just sick all day long.

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So you're just trying to drink
as much water as you can.

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But you're constantly throwing up

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and you have diarrhea the whole time,

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but you're sitting there
on a toilet that's in front

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of everybody and there's

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about 20 other people in the holding cell

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doing the same thing.

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(soft dramatic music)

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(soft dramatic music)

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- When I got out of jail, I
was clean, I went to probation,

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but I wasn't mentally clean.

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- When you look at him,
he's 6'4", 250 pounds.

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Why can't this person go out there

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and hold a nine to five job

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and just go do things?

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- After me and John got
together for a while,

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I realized that he was more incapable

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of day-to-day daily
activities for our needs.

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- I get a letter in the mail saying

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from the VA saying, "Your
benefits have been terminated

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'cause you have a felony warrant."

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(soft dramatic music)

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- When we come back, a conversation

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with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

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Hear what he has to say about
the future of care for vets.

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(upbeat music)

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Welcome back to "DefenseNews Weekly".

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With the election of a
new administration, a lot

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of top leadership roles
change hands in the government

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and Pentagon, including the top post

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at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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With a few months left in the hot seat,

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Secretary of the VA
Dennis McDonough sat down

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with us to look at what
his office has achieved,

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what's left to do, and how
to continue to improve one

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of the nation's biggest bureaucracies.

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Here's part of his conversation

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with Military Times's Leo Shane,

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- Mr. Secretary, thank you
again for having us here.

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- Yes thank you.
- And getting to chat

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a little bit about what's
happened in the last year

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and the last four years under
the Biden administration.

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Your job is to oversee VA

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to make sure the benefits are
going out to take care of the,

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and it's crisis control in
a lot of different ways.

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My job is to press you on this

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and to look at not always the negatives,

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but a lot of those shortfalls
and things like that.

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- Totally.
- Do you feel like that we

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or we as a country talk
enough about the point

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that you raised about veterans
being community leaders?

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You and I have both seen studies

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that say veterans are more likely

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to be volunteers, they're
more likely to be involved

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in civic service afterwards.

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We see all these positives,

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but because of the nature
of the demands of this job,

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you're mostly focusing

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on what are the gaps and
how do I fill those in?

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- Yeah.
- Do we need more attention

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on that positive aspect,

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that aspect of what veterans are bringing

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to America even after service?

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- There is a narrative
that is so inaccurate

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that somehow veterans are broken.

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That is not my lived experience, right?

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Look at these newly elected members

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of Congress in the last couple of terms.

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Look at business leaders
across the country.

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Look at who are the coaches for your kids.

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Who are the the ministers at your,

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who are the electors at your parish?

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You know what I mean?

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Who are the youth
ministers at your parish?

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It's vets.

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These people aren't broken.

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They're fixing a broken
community in many places.

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They're fixing spots
where America is breaking

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and they're refusing to let that happen.

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So that I think collectively,

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we owe the country a clearer story on,

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and this is why every time I've appeared

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before you in the press briefing room,

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I've had VA providers talking

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about programming that's successful.

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Every time I testify before Congress,

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I have a story about a VA person,

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a VA employee, and a veteran.

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Because sometimes I
think we don't lift up,

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or at least I want to
lift up those stories

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where VA is working well

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and where veterans are doing awesome work.

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00:12:35,490 --> 00:12:38,190
What does that mean
about the next secretary

257
00:12:38,190 --> 00:12:39,023
or my time here?

258
00:12:39,023 --> 00:12:40,800
I don't know, I don't know.

259
00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,710
But what I do know is
veterans are kicking ass

260
00:12:43,710 --> 00:12:44,883
all over this country.

261
00:12:45,780 --> 00:12:48,030
We gotta do a better job
keeping up with them,

262
00:12:48,030 --> 00:12:50,130
making sure they have that what they need

263
00:12:50,130 --> 00:12:51,990
and the country is stronger for them.

264
00:12:51,990 --> 00:12:54,290
And those veterans out
there who are wrestling

265
00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:58,443
with crisis,

266
00:12:59,820 --> 00:13:03,390
if they, as too often we hear,

267
00:13:03,390 --> 00:13:05,730
are feeling like they're a burden,

268
00:13:05,730 --> 00:13:07,713
let me just be very clear to them,

269
00:13:10,050 --> 00:13:12,780
you are what this country
needs, you're not a burden.

270
00:13:12,780 --> 00:13:15,270
You are the strength of this country.

271
00:13:15,270 --> 00:13:18,060
- Another major priority, not
just for your administration,

272
00:13:18,060 --> 00:13:20,340
but for the last several
has been suicide prevention

273
00:13:20,340 --> 00:13:23,220
among veterans, which we
haven't seen unfortunately,

274
00:13:23,220 --> 00:13:24,900
the same progress on.

275
00:13:24,900 --> 00:13:27,060
At this point, what needs to happen?

276
00:13:27,060 --> 00:13:30,000
How does that number start to come down?

277
00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,790
- It is stubbornly high.

278
00:13:32,790 --> 00:13:35,110
Maddeningly high

279
00:13:36,390 --> 00:13:40,320
and heartbreakingly high, right?

280
00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,503
Especially when you think about what,

281
00:13:46,590 --> 00:13:48,453
in so many cases,

282
00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:54,800
we see veterans saying as
they're struggling with crisis

283
00:13:56,580 --> 00:14:01,530
and as they're contemplating
death by suicide,

284
00:14:01,530 --> 00:14:03,363
they feel like they're a burden.

285
00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:09,800
And think about that, about
how we're missing the boat here

286
00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,300
where people who have given everything

287
00:14:12,300 --> 00:14:13,440
to protect this country.

288
00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:14,790
And when you go around the country,

289
00:14:14,790 --> 00:14:16,680
you know this as well as I do.

290
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,453
And I say this as a non-veteran.

291
00:14:21,630 --> 00:14:23,490
Every time there's something
interesting happening

292
00:14:23,490 --> 00:14:26,520
in a community, city, a
state around the country,

293
00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:30,150
inevitably there is a
veteran involved, inevitably.

294
00:14:30,150 --> 00:14:34,800
So we need to tell veterans
that you are not a burden.

295
00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,670
In fact, you are why we're
the strength that we're

296
00:14:38,670 --> 00:14:40,020
as strong as we are

297
00:14:40,020 --> 00:14:42,240
and we need you now more than ever.

298
00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:44,490
So what needs to happen beyond that?

299
00:14:44,490 --> 00:14:46,110
One, we have to continue

300
00:14:46,110 --> 00:14:49,570
to underscore what we prove every day

301
00:14:50,700 --> 00:14:54,660
here at VA, which suicide
is preventable, okay?

302
00:14:54,660 --> 00:14:56,160
And I want veterans to hear that.

303
00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:01,160
In your moment of maximum
crisis, suicide is preventable.

304
00:15:01,230 --> 00:15:05,700
Second, we have to continue
to dedicate the resources.

305
00:15:05,700 --> 00:15:08,040
So many of our veterans who die

306
00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:10,800
by a suicide have not been diagnosed

307
00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:12,200
with mental health disorder,

308
00:15:13,620 --> 00:15:15,693
are not in relationship with VA.

309
00:15:16,890 --> 00:15:21,000
So we have to make sure
that we are getting them

310
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:22,950
into relationship with us.

311
00:15:22,950 --> 00:15:24,450
For example, we established

312
00:15:24,450 --> 00:15:26,610
the last year's suicide
prevention annual report,

313
00:15:26,610 --> 00:15:31,610
a correlation between veterans
who get their VA benefits,

314
00:15:33,090 --> 00:15:36,123
that $187 billion I
talked about a minute ago,

315
00:15:37,230 --> 00:15:41,310
are correlated to lower suicidality.

316
00:15:41,310 --> 00:15:42,780
So if you're in a relationship with a VBA,

317
00:15:42,780 --> 00:15:46,080
with Veterans Benefits
Administration, you're less likely

318
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,470
to die by suicide, so
resourcing is important.

319
00:15:49,470 --> 00:15:52,143
Third is engaging the entire community.

320
00:15:53,010 --> 00:15:54,780
I think we've made good progress.

321
00:15:54,780 --> 00:15:58,950
And hats off to Jon
Tester and John Bozeman,

322
00:15:58,950 --> 00:16:01,443
Mike Bost, Mark Takano,

323
00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,900
Phil Rowe, whom I called about this just

324
00:16:06,900 --> 00:16:08,820
about six weeks ago,

325
00:16:08,820 --> 00:16:11,100
who put together the Fox Grants,

326
00:16:11,100 --> 00:16:14,793
the Sergeant Gordon Parker Fox.

327
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:21,120
Fox grants to local organizations

328
00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,880
who are supporting veterans
in their communities.

329
00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,700
That's based on the simple knowledge that,

330
00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:29,820
the simple fact that we don't
possess all knowledge here

331
00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:31,350
in the nation's capital.

332
00:16:31,350 --> 00:16:32,820
Our local communities

333
00:16:32,820 --> 00:16:35,580
who know their veterans
are best positioned

334
00:16:35,580 --> 00:16:37,080
to know what our veterans
are struggling with.

335
00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:38,700
So let's invest in them.

336
00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:41,700
So intentionality, resourcing,

337
00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:44,760
strengthening the entire ecosystem

338
00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,310
and then making sure
that veterans understand

339
00:16:47,310 --> 00:16:49,620
suicide is preventable.

340
00:16:49,620 --> 00:16:51,620
And we prove this every day at the VA.

341
00:16:51,620 --> 00:16:53,120
We just have to keep doing it.

342
00:16:54,180 --> 00:16:56,850
- When we come back, our
personal finance expert returns

343
00:16:56,850 --> 00:16:59,610
with tips on how you can
prepare now for your retirement.

344
00:16:59,610 --> 00:17:00,443
Stay tuned.

345
00:17:01,351 --> 00:17:03,934
(upbeat music)

346
00:17:08,100 --> 00:17:10,560
Welcome back to "DefenseNews Weekly".

347
00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,050
Are you saving enough for
retirement there airmen?

348
00:17:13,050 --> 00:17:14,550
On this week's edition of Money Minute,

349
00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:16,830
Jeanette Mack from Navy
Federal Credit Union is back

350
00:17:16,830 --> 00:17:17,730
with tips on preparing

351
00:17:17,730 --> 00:17:19,680
for your retirement years after service.

352
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:20,513
Have a look.

353
00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:22,890
- When it comes to retirement,

354
00:17:22,890 --> 00:17:25,290
whether you're approaching the
end of your military career

355
00:17:25,290 --> 00:17:27,240
or just considering your future,

356
00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,460
starting early makes all the difference

357
00:17:29,460 --> 00:17:31,110
because time is money.

358
00:17:31,110 --> 00:17:33,180
Most people put off
planning for retirement

359
00:17:33,180 --> 00:17:35,670
because they don't know
when or where to start.

360
00:17:35,670 --> 00:17:37,020
Retirement takes planning

361
00:17:37,020 --> 00:17:40,770
and in this case, knowledge
truly is power, so take note.

362
00:17:40,770 --> 00:17:42,930
As a retiring service member, a good rule

363
00:17:42,930 --> 00:17:44,250
of thumb is to start planning

364
00:17:44,250 --> 00:17:46,860
for retirement at least
two years in advance

365
00:17:46,860 --> 00:17:47,880
Before you separate,

366
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,810
be sure to attend assistance
program or tap workshops

367
00:17:51,810 --> 00:17:53,940
and schedule counseling sessions.

368
00:17:53,940 --> 00:17:55,800
At this stage, it's highly recommended

369
00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:57,990
to work with a trusted financial advisor

370
00:17:57,990 --> 00:18:00,660
before making any major
financial decisions.

371
00:18:00,660 --> 00:18:02,820
When it comes to housing,
remember, you're entitled

372
00:18:02,820 --> 00:18:04,500
to a government paid move.

373
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:06,450
If you plan to work post-military,

374
00:18:06,450 --> 00:18:09,000
start your job search
early, attend job fairs,

375
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,000
work your connections, and
search veteran job boards.

376
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:13,740
Once you're employed, take advantage

377
00:18:13,740 --> 00:18:15,930
of employer-funded retirement plans

378
00:18:15,930 --> 00:18:18,180
and keep saving up for your golden years.

379
00:18:18,180 --> 00:18:20,430
The best way to accomplish
your retirement mission is

380
00:18:20,430 --> 00:18:22,530
to prepare, plan, and execute.

381
00:18:22,530 --> 00:18:23,970
That way you'll set yourself up

382
00:18:23,970 --> 00:18:27,183
for continued success in the
next chapter of your life.

383
00:18:28,530 --> 00:18:30,870
- Thanks Jeanette,
we'll see you next week.

384
00:18:30,870 --> 00:18:33,510
To get more coverage of
military and defense topics,

385
00:18:33,510 --> 00:18:36,270
point the lens on your spy
plane at militarytimes.com

386
00:18:36,270 --> 00:18:38,940
and defensenews.com for more headlines.

387
00:18:38,940 --> 00:18:41,910
And to be the most up-to-date
info officer in the skiff,

388
00:18:41,910 --> 00:18:44,370
sign up for our Early Bird
Brief, compiled each morning

389
00:18:44,370 --> 00:18:46,800
to bring you the most recent headlines.

390
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,240
Lastly, if social media is

391
00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,100
where you collect open
source intelligence,

392
00:18:50,100 --> 00:18:53,400
follow us on YouTube,
Facebook, Instagram, and X,

393
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:54,990
formerly known as Twitter.

394
00:18:54,990 --> 00:18:57,090
And just like most junior
troops we're on TikTok,

395
00:18:57,090 --> 00:18:59,040
so go find us there as well.

396
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,010
When we come back, a look
at Native's Arctic Marines.

397
00:19:02,010 --> 00:19:05,222
Check out how the alliance
operates in the far north.

398
00:19:05,222 --> 00:19:07,805
(upbeat music)

399
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,540
Welcome back to "DefenseNews
Weekly", I'm Diana Stancy.

400
00:19:15,540 --> 00:19:17,490
NATO is comprised of a bristling array

401
00:19:17,490 --> 00:19:20,160
of military capabilities
with interests in a number

402
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:21,600
of climate zones.

403
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,270
With conditions rapidly
changing in the Arctic regions,

404
00:19:24,270 --> 00:19:26,460
it's looking to keep
pace and assert itself,

405
00:19:26,460 --> 00:19:28,710
which is where the Arctic Marines come in.

406
00:19:28,710 --> 00:19:31,530
Here's a look at some of the
alliance's cold weather forces

407
00:19:31,530 --> 00:19:34,343
and how they work to be ready
to fight in the high North.

408
00:19:35,378 --> 00:19:40,378
(soft music)
(marines chattering)

409
00:19:40,836 --> 00:19:44,010
(guns clicking)

410
00:19:44,010 --> 00:19:45,300
- We have a large number of Marines

411
00:19:45,300 --> 00:19:48,180
who have never been in the
snow in their life before.

412
00:19:48,180 --> 00:19:51,150
So as Marines, we have
a hallmark of being able

413
00:19:51,150 --> 00:19:53,430
to fight in any climb and place.

414
00:19:53,430 --> 00:19:56,550
And in order to do that,
it just takes practice

415
00:19:56,550 --> 00:19:59,673
and just grow in that proficiency
through the repetition.

416
00:20:00,635 --> 00:20:03,040
(skis gliding)

417
00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,873
(marine grunting)

418
00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,030
- The falling's all part of it.

419
00:20:09,030 --> 00:20:10,770
Just learning the right ways to fall

420
00:20:10,770 --> 00:20:12,330
and then the best ways to get back up

421
00:20:12,330 --> 00:20:14,790
after you fall is very important.

422
00:20:14,790 --> 00:20:16,110
Hard part about being in the Marine Corps

423
00:20:16,110 --> 00:20:17,310
and skiing is you have to ski

424
00:20:17,310 --> 00:20:19,260
with the main pack and your weapon.

425
00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:22,350
So teaching the guys now
the basics without all that

426
00:20:22,350 --> 00:20:24,453
helps just the building block approach.

427
00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:26,880
They're picking up very fast

428
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,283
and I'm really happy with what I'm seeing.

429
00:20:30,944 --> 00:20:33,861
(radio chattering)

430
00:20:38,700 --> 00:20:41,830
- So what's the distinguished
Swedish Marine is that

431
00:20:41,830 --> 00:20:44,910
since we operate so dispersed,
we can operate by ourselves

432
00:20:44,910 --> 00:20:47,759
for a long period of time in
pretty harsh environments.

433
00:20:47,759 --> 00:20:50,426
(boat rumbling)

434
00:20:51,570 --> 00:20:53,820
- It's way harder to
navigate than I thought.

435
00:20:56,550 --> 00:20:57,650
- It's pretty cramped.

436
00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,760
The first impressions,
we have too much stuff.

437
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,010
- Well, you have to be resilient

438
00:21:05,010 --> 00:21:09,450
and you have to have a strong
will, a will to push yourself

439
00:21:09,450 --> 00:21:11,513
to the extreme and a bit further.

440
00:21:11,513 --> 00:21:13,050
(guns firing)

441
00:21:13,050 --> 00:21:15,990
- You must be innovative
to solve different tasks

442
00:21:15,990 --> 00:21:18,933
and when problems occur, 'cause they will.

443
00:21:20,535 --> 00:21:22,890
(fire crackling)

444
00:21:22,890 --> 00:21:23,723
- [Interviewer] In the Marine Corps,

445
00:21:23,723 --> 00:21:25,433
have you ever done anything this hard?

446
00:21:26,430 --> 00:21:28,050
- No, not really.

447
00:21:28,050 --> 00:21:29,880
I personally think this
is my hardest training op

448
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:31,470
I've ever done.

449
00:21:31,470 --> 00:21:32,730
- The difference between us a month ago

450
00:21:32,730 --> 00:21:34,230
and now is night and day.

451
00:21:34,230 --> 00:21:35,790
People know how to take
care of themselves better.

452
00:21:35,790 --> 00:21:38,700
They understand their
daily day-to-day routines.

453
00:21:38,700 --> 00:21:40,770
They understand the basics
of what they need to get

454
00:21:40,770 --> 00:21:42,210
through day to day, which means

455
00:21:42,210 --> 00:21:45,150
that the battalion can focus
more on being enemy-oriented

456
00:21:45,150 --> 00:21:47,576
rather than focusing on
sustaining ourselves internally.

457
00:21:47,576 --> 00:21:52,576
(marine chattering)
(tense music)

458
00:21:57,690 --> 00:21:59,490
- Shoulda been out here an hour ago.

459
00:22:00,828 --> 00:22:03,661
(skis clattering)

460
00:22:07,860 --> 00:22:10,410
- The thing about fins is we all more

461
00:22:10,410 --> 00:22:12,090
or less grew up on skis.

462
00:22:12,090 --> 00:22:15,360
But yeah, I'm a bit scared

463
00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:17,190
to climb the biggest hills here

464
00:22:17,190 --> 00:22:19,800
'cause it's quite different from Finland.

465
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,393
Finland is very flat, so.

466
00:22:22,435 --> 00:22:23,940
(indistinct)

467
00:22:23,940 --> 00:22:26,580
- Our brigade is founded
by a Swedish king.

468
00:22:26,580 --> 00:22:28,410
A Swedish company can come to Finland,

469
00:22:28,410 --> 00:22:31,350
report into the battalion
commander and three hours

470
00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:35,400
from that, they can do a
combined mission already.

471
00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:39,360
- Say for instance, in a
future conflict, being able

472
00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:41,250
to fight with the different countries,

473
00:22:41,250 --> 00:22:44,580
just the one that is on station
in that area at that time,

474
00:22:44,580 --> 00:22:49,580
is making us 100 times more
dangerous for a possible enemy.

475
00:22:50,790 --> 00:22:53,310
It's always nice to hear
different countries'

476
00:22:53,310 --> 00:22:55,800
voices on the radio
and knowing that you do

477
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,450
basically the same thing already.

478
00:22:58,350 --> 00:23:01,050
So don't need any pre-train,
just get right into it.

479
00:23:01,050 --> 00:23:02,250
- Like you?
- This one.

480
00:23:05,290 --> 00:23:07,590
- Well, that's all we have
time for in this episode.

481
00:23:07,590 --> 00:23:10,406
Thanks for joining us and
we'll see you next week.

482
00:23:10,406 --> 00:23:12,989
(upbeat music)

483
00:23:30,007 --> 00:23:32,590
(upbeat music)