open to them, yes. >> and secondly, can we assume you found the marine corps study, which concluded that mixed gender units are not as capable as male units, to be flawed? mr. carter: it just is not definitive. not determinative. there are other issues other thosethe -- those -- studies are reflective of something nice. -- of something i spoke of, which is teams do matter, and we need to take that into account. at the same time, the andviduals' capabilities the capabilities of the individual to contribute are extremely important. on average -- and i said this very directly -- many women will have different physical capabilities. the data show that clearly. and that is on average. so there will be women who can requirementsical of these special -- even as

there are men who cannot read the special requirements. -- cannot meet the special requirements. so the average is tell you about the need to pay attention to team dynamics and so forth, but they do not determine whether an individual is qualified to participate in a given unit. >> mr. secretary? mr. carter: tom. >> the general that led this marine corps study said in a joeo to joe denver that -- dunford that opening up roles would mean more casualties for marines. is that statement overblown? i understand what general dunford's concerns was sent women in the experimental units suffered more injuries than men. he was concerned he would lose some hardcharging women marines.

mr. carter: both of -- first of all, to the first point, combat effectiveness is the critical criterion in implementation. that the first court out with is something that must be dealt with, and i believe can be dealt with, in implementation. it needs to be taken into account. combat effectiveness is why we are here. with respect to -- i'm sorry, your second point was? >> the concern was some of the women in the experimental battalion -- mr. carter: oh, yeah. >> that you would lose some hardcharging women marines due to injuries. mr. carter: there are a number of studies that indicated that. it doesn't suggest to me that women should not be admitted to the specialties of the unqualified, but it is something that is going to need to be taken into account. so these are real phenomena that gender and need

to be taken into account in implementation. >> the marine corps has concluded that would harm combat effectiveness, and that is something that secretary pineda mentioned. ? combat effectiveness -- mr. carter: combat effectiveness is the critical criterion. i am confident it can be implemented in a way that will enhance combat effectiveness, not detract from combat effectiveness. >> mr. secretary, will the women's desire to enter combat roles or missions the entirely -- be entirely voluntary? or will there be a time where they could -- like many other male counterparts -- be required to go into combat? mr. carter: absolutely. if you are a service member, you have some choices, but you don't have absolute choice. people are assigned to missions,

tasks, and functions according to need as well as their capabilities. and women will be >> are you concerned as you alluded to in your opening remarks that that could actually cause women not to want to enlist in the military, if they thought there was a possibility they would be required to go into a combat role? secretary carter: i assume there are people, men and women who don't join the military because they don't want to live by the military' standards. but if you do decide to join you're subject to our rules and standards, period. >> mr. secretary, back to the absence of general dunford because given that he was the only service chief that asked for an exemption of all of them and given that he's now the senior military advisor, wouldn't it be important for him

to be here to send the message that the u.s. military is ready to salute smartly and carry out your orders. his absence may be sending an unintended message that he's not fully on board. secretary carter: general dunford and i have discussed this many, many times. i met with him and the other chiefs earlier today. he will be a full part of implementation. i came to a different judgment on a part of the conclusions of the studies conducted by the marine corps when he was commandant but agreed with the great bulk of them and they will be reflected in implementation. the issues that were raise by those studies, i believe, can be addressed in implementation and will be, that's my judgment, and he understands that's my judgment and he will be at my side as we do the implementation. that's the idea. >> he's on board with your decision? secretary carter: you'll have to speak to him about that, but he understands what my decision is, and my decision is my decision

an we'll implement it. >> i want to move on to she -- the shooting down of the russian jet. wonder if you can give us an assessment of how that complicates the issue and if turkey overreached on that shooting down of the jet. secretary carter: first of all, we said repeatedly, the president said the turks are entitled to defend their own air space. we have urged both sides not to allow this to lead to further escalation. it has not had any effect on our prosecution of our own air campaign. as you know we have a memorandum of understanding with the russian military which is being adhered to and which provides

procedures that guarantee the operations of our own air campaign, i mean with respect to the relations between turkey and russia, we obviously have our differences of perspective with russia about what is going on in syria. that doesn't translate in our judgment into any desire to see conflict of any kind between russia and syria and turkey for its part is a member of our coalition. and they're working with us and we'd like them, like many other members of the coalition, to do more. in syria and iraq. >> to follow up on that, what would it take, you're pressing them to do more, particularly along a stretch of the border to help eliminate the flow of

foreign fighters. what do you think it will take for turkey to kind of agree to do that and move forward? secretary carter: they have ample evidence of the threat isil poses to their own people and their own country. we also understand the other dangers they face. they need to join in the fight against isil. i think there is more that they could do. it involves their military, it involves their intelligence services. it involve their border and homeland security forces. so we would like to see turkey do more. it's essential. >> i want to tie together the fight against isil with your decision today. the fact that socomm did not press for any exemptions, does that necessarily mean women over

the next year could become part of the specialized counterterrorism commando units that you want to accelerate in the fight against isil, like the specialized targeting expeditionary task force you announced? secretary carter: yes, that is reflected in my decision and was also reflected in the recommendation of the commander of special operations command. and i saw it the same way and therefore my decision is the same as the decision of the -- the recommendations of general votel in this case. as far as the time scale goes, remember that the -- from the time a service member joins to the time they're assigned to a special team to undergo training and so forth, people will be going through the pipeline including women who are admitted pursuant to my decision today.

>> another question. in the same vein, were there any jobs that were amenable to women, did they say, we could use more here, there. the military is at capacity, shrinking the size of the force, and the second question, on the targeting expeditionary forces, could you explain to us when those get started? or they're already started? you mentioned the goal was to capture isis leaders. when they do that, what happens to them? >> ok. two things. well, there are, kevin, specialties and i don't want to go into this too much, but that are designed specifically for women.

these are women who are part of the female engagement teams and so forth in places where it is sensitive for an american male service member to interact with local females. and i was alluding to that in my statement. there are situations like that. i suppose it's also fair to say that as a statistical thing, doesn't apply to individuals, but there are specialties in which women have historically excelled. you have to be careful about that because it's sometimes a matter of where they felt they could advance rather than anything else. but some women are represented differently across specialties that have long been open. and that's why i think that we need to focus on standards as we go into implementation. and we're going to learn a lot, we already have learned in this

service studies and surveys suggests this, about standards and about how to think about standards in the course of considering this matter of gender. the expeditionary targeting force and capture, we'll deal with that on a case-by-case basis, it's going to depend on the circumstances and that is of course just one of the purposes of the expeditionary targeting force but it is one, capture and we will be doing such operations as you know both in syria and also in iraq and just to repeat what i said the other day, when we do it in iraq, it will be with the knowledge and approval of the iraqi government and prime minister abbadi to make that once again quite clear.

>> so possible that an isis fighter could be -- the full range either military -- secretary carter: full range, all the way. and other law enforcement of other nations. so the full range. it really has to be considered on a case-by-case basis. thank you all. thank you very much. appreciate you being here. >> president obama speaks to the nation tonight in the oval office in an address that will focus on u.s. counterterrorism operations and the investigation into the deadly shooting in san bernardino california. this week, the president spoke about the shooting in his weekly address.

representative candice miller had the republican address and talked about the visa waiver program and what can be done to protect against terrorists entering the country. president obama: hi, everybody. this weekend, our hearts are with the people of san bernardino, another american community shattered by unspeakable violence. we salute the first responders, the police, the swat teams who responded so quickly, with such courage and save lives. we pray for the injured as they fight to recover from their wounds. most of all, we stand with 14 families whose hearts were broken. we are learning more about their loved ones, the men and women, their beautiful lives that were lost. they were doing what so many of us do this time of year -- enjoying the holidays, celebrating with each other, rejoicing in the bonds of friendship and community that bind us together as americans. their deaths are an absolute

tragedy, not just for san bernardino, but for our country. we are also learning more about the killers and looking to get a full picture of their motives, why they committed these revolting acts. it is important to let investigators do their jobs. we need to know all the facts. direction, federal law enforcement is helping in any way they can. theseentirely possible two attackers were radicalized to commit this attack. if so, it would underscore a threat we have been focused on for years -- the people succumbing to violent extremist ideologies. we know that isil and other groups are encouraging people around our country to commit terrible acts of violence, often times as lone wolf actors. to preventwork attacks, all of us, government, law enforcement, communities, faith leaders need to work together to prevent people from

falling victim to these hateful ideologies. broadly, this tragedy reminds us of our obligation to do everything in our power together to keep our communities safe. sannow the killers in bernardino used military style assault weapons, weapons of war, to kill as many people as they could. it's another tragic reminder that here in america, it is way too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun. for example, right now, people on the no-fly list can walk into a store and buy a gun. that is insane. if you are too dangerous to board a plane, you are too dangerous, by definition, to buy a gun. calling on congress to close this loophole now. we need -- we may not be able to prevent every tragedy, but we should not be making it so easy for potential terrorist criminals to get their hands on a gun they could use against americans.

today in san bernardino, investigators are searching for answers. across our country, law enforcement professionals are tireless, working round-the-clock as always to protect our communities. as president, my highest priority is the security and safety of the american people. this is work that should unite us all as americans so that we are doing everything in our power to defend our country. that is how we can honor the lives we lost in san bernardino. that is how we can send a message to all those who would try to hurt us. we are americans. we will uphold our values and our free and open society. we are strong, we are resilient, and we will not be terrorized. used to attack our country could be only one point away and that is by the houses acting on legislation to prevent enemies from entering the country in the visa waiver program. the point is to make it easier

for other people to visit the united states. if you are isis of a participating country, you can come here for up to 90 days without a visa. do not have to do an interview at a u.s. embassy. there are 38 participating countries and they are all friends of europe -- all friends of america, like the u.k.. the program helps to create jobs for america. that all being said, it is no secret that isis's recruiting people from many of these same countries. for instance, the suspected mastermind of the attacks in paris was a citizen of belgium. the department of homeland security check all visa applicants against terrorist databases, but other countries often do not give us all the information we need to identify possible threats. the gunman who tried to overrun a paris bound train in august is a prime example. authorities were watching him for some kind -- for some time.

in its report to congress, the 9/11 commission said that for terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons. i could not agree more. others special access to our soil if we don't have all the information we need to make sure they are not a threat. that is why i'm working with my wafergue to extend a visa -- the so waiver program and participation to be suspended if it does not give the information we need to stop terrorists from coming here. it disqualifies anyone who is traveled to syria or a rack from participating in our -- syria or iraq from participating in our program. they will have to get a visa and go through all the additional security steps it requires. finally, the bill strengthens our counterterrorism efforts by codifying the new process of

collecting more biographical data before an applicant can travel into the united states visa-free. we live in a free and open society and terrorists are looking for any and every opportunity to use his freedoms against us. think clearly. we have a major weakness in our program and a holy have to close. isis use every means in their power to attack our country. that is why we have to use every means in our power to protect it. to wait. afford we must act now. thank you. >> abigail fillmore was the first first lady to work outside the home, teaching at a private school. she successfully lobbied congress for funds to create the first library.

jacqueline kennedy was responsible for the creation of the white house historical association and nancy reagan as a young actress saw her name mistakenly on the lack list of suspected hominis sympathizers in the 1940's. she appealed to screen actors guild had for help. she later became his wife. presidential historians on the lives of 45 iconic american women. the book makes a great gift for holidays, giving a look into the lives of every first lady in history. the women and how their stories resonate today. the book is based on original interviews from the c-span first lady series and has received including thiss, one from a presidential historian and author who said " c-span is a natural -- is a national treasure and its

pathbreaking series on american first lady's is another reason why. said "c-span has performed another valuable public service with its series on the first lady's. nowhere else can someone find such a useful and insightful look into the lives and influence of these women who played a crucial role in history of our country. country." share the stories of america upon first lady's for the holidays. c-span's book is available as a hardcover or in e-book from your favorite store or online bookseller. be sure to order your copy today. >> all pursing -- all persons having business before the

supreme court, give their attention. c-span's "landmark cases" we will look at the case of baker versus car, the case that ruled federal courts could intercede in the drawing of election districts. chief justice world war and called it the most important case of his tenure on the court. >> these 11 tennessee voters live in five of the largest cities in tennessee. they are the intended and actual victims of a statutory scheme which devalues, reduces their right to vote for about one 20th of the value of the vote given to certain rural residents. early 20 oh century, population shifts had a majority of voters from rural areas move into the city. yet those rural districts with smaller populations held voting

power equal to the larger districts so a group of voters of nashville, memphis, and knoxville challenged the disparity and took their case all the way to the supreme court . the case became a major milestone and has continuing relevance today as the term one person one vote is still being debated. isning us in the discussion douglas smith and theodore olson. life monday night at 9:00 c-span three and c-span radio. your your case -- order casesion book, "landmark ." events secretary ashton carter announced this past week that the u.s. is expanding its

special operations forces in iraq and syria to combat isis. he made the announcement while testifying at a house armed talkeds meeting and about expanding airstrikes on islamic state infrastructure. general joseph dunford appeared alongside secretary carter. this is three and a half hours.

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is current military effort serving as a recruitment vehicle for isis having stood up to american might. a voting may she is wrote recently that the efforts taken by the u.s. so far have only helped the jihadists. the other consequence of such half measures is it adds to the allies have about our commitment and willingness to see the mission through. the ciampton, who led afghanistan campaign after nine/11 wrote about isis earlier this year -- many have lost faith in u.s. leadership. the lack of strategic decision

dissuades allies from policy cooperation. i believe a greater military effort must be run by the military and i have to say, secretary carter, all three of your obama administration predecessors have complained openly about white house aide micromanaging military operations. have heard some of these instances from commanders in the field, instances i don't think would have happened at any other time in our history. to be seriousg about isis, the president needs to assign the military a clear mission and allow the military to carry it out. be aieve there should four-star headquarters in the region fully empowered to take the steps necessary to degrade isis now. defensendersecretary of for intelligence, mike vickers, made good sense to me when he wrote about 10 days ago -- "whatever we would do if i still

made good on its attack -- on his threat to attack washington or new york now, we should make good on before the attack occurs." maybe the president has things contained and well in hand, but i don't think so. you tooooking to general a -- you two gentlemen not to repeat white house talking points but give us your best military judgment on what is required to actually degrade and defeat this enemy and protect our people. mr. smith? >> thank you mr. chairman. thank you for being here to talk about this incredibly important topic. it is important to keep