WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:03.439 Everybody, Welcome to a new episode of IZ on Geopolitics. 2 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:07.240 I'm here with Mick Molroy, Mark poly Moropolis, and Jonathan Hackett. 3 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.800 I fired Jack Murphy. He upstaged me last week and 4 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:13.480 I'm not happy about it at all. Uh, So he's 5 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:19.359 gone and we'll never see him again. He started sharing 6 00:00:19.399 --> 00:00:23.719 the screen and ship. I can't multitask like that for you. 7 00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:28.559 While yeah, yeah, I just let you guys go. So yeah, 8 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.440 a lot going on. Thanks Jack for covering. I mean, 9 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.119 Jack will always be on the show at some points. 10 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:36.399 It was a good show. It's fun to actually listen 11 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:39.880 to it rather than like worry about hosting it. Like 12 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:42.799 it was good to just turn it on and listen. Uh, 13 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:44.520 pretty good podcast, I have to say. 14 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:45.399 So. 15 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.359 A lot happening as usual. I mean, there's so many 16 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:52.600 things happening all the time. It's ridiculous, to be honest. 17 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.240 Some stuff I want to cover today definitely the USS 18 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:59.920 Abraham Lincoln and the controversy happening there. There was reports 19 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:02.560 early this week that up to six guys jumped off. 20 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:04.599 I don't know how true that is. It wasn't confirmed. 21 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:07.400 We know one guy jumped off for sure, right, and 22 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:13.280 they scooped him up, so supposedly the conditions are terrible 23 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:15.599 on there. Obviously it probably are because they've been out 24 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:17.359 two hundred and fifty days. I haven't seen pour than 25 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:20.519 two hundred. They're heading back or their way to get 26 00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:23.200 relieved by a new aircraft carrier that was already planned 27 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:26.040 and coming in. This comes on the back of the 28 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:28.480 Gerald rd Ford that was out there for like some 29 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:32.040 three hundred days and that had a big fire in it, 30 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:34.439 and it's probably like out of commission for like eighteen months. 31 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:36.920 And that's like our new shiny one, which is interesting. 32 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:39.480 A lot of aircraft carrier news. I wish Andy was 33 00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:41.040 here so I could trigger him a little bit, because 34 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:45.719 I know it was hatred for aircraft carriers. But there 35 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:47.719 was also a bit of news talking about how Trump 36 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:50.719 wants to redesign the new catapult system to revert it 37 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:52.280 back to the old one it's like, and that would 38 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:54.560 cost probably tens of billions of dollars and probably take 39 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:57.959 twenty years because we have no ship building capacity capacity. 40 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:02.120 So a lot happened. Obviously, the Middle East a fucking disaster. 41 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:05.840 We all know that. A little bit of like we're 42 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:07.719 like kind of like a holding pattern when it comes 43 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:12.719 to Iran straight O'Har moves is not open, despite what 44 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:19.000 everyone's saying, like all like the Administrative Administration officials are saying. 45 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:24.360 Lebanon seems to be getting really bad too. I mean 46 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:27.960 there's just videos out there of them like basically controlled 47 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:32.159 the demolishing an entire village and stuff like that. So 48 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:35.919 there's so many places to go. Also, you know the 49 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.879 CIA getting busy in the Galapagos. Uh, that story out 50 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:44.479 of Washington Post. Let's start with John Hackett. Where do 51 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:46.479 you want to take it? You pick whatever you like. 52 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:49.759 Yeah, So there's two interesting things behind me here. One 53 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:52.479 is my enlisted rank, which you can see on one shoulder, 54 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:54.199 and then you can see it. There's an image up 55 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.439 there of me standing on an aircraft carrier when I 56 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:58.680 was working at the US Embassy and Jordan, and we 57 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:00.960 were taking the US and bat and the Crown Prince 58 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:04.159 to go visit the flag mess on a Nimitz class 59 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:07.280 aircraft carrier, just like the Abraham Lincoln And I was 60 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:10.319 there as a diplomat. But there was a problem. I 61 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:12.599 was enlisted. And I think what a lot of people 62 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:15.439 don't understand is on a navy ship, things are very 63 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:17.759 different than the rest of the military for the officer 64 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:20.360 enlisted divide. And I think that's what's kind of missing 65 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:22.680 from all these stories about the conditions on the vessel 66 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:26.000 is that it was already terrible for the enlisted. It's 67 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:28.840 worse now, but it's not as bad for the officers. 68 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:30.719 And a lot of times it's the officers who are 69 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:32.240 the ones that get to talk. I mean, the spokesman 70 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.199 for the Navy is an officer, right. The sec def 71 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:37.879 is a retired or former officer, not retired, but former 72 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.520 Reserve Army officer. Right. There's a lot of officers, hung Kou, 73 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:44.759 the Secretary of the Navy officer. Where are the enlisted 74 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:46.919 members being able to talk about what it's like on 75 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:49.560 a vessel? And I mentioned that because that day when 76 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:52.560 I took the ambassador to the flag mess I was 77 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:54.680 stopped by a lieutenant who was about twenty years old, 78 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:57.479 twenty two years old, and he pointed out a wooden 79 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.439 sign on the wall and it said officer country, and 80 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:03.000 he said, what are you doing here? You're a gunnery sergeant. 81 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:03.840 You don't belong here. 82 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:05.520 This is why I'm standing with the Crown Prince of 83 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:08.520 Jordan and the US Ambassador there's no question that I 84 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:10.800 should be there, but there was a problem. It's because 85 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:14.199 I was enlisted. And if that is the culture on 86 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:17.279 any navy ship, you can imagine how at two hundred 87 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:20.480 and fifty days of that it gets to grind on people. 88 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.040 So there's probably a cultural morale degradation going on here, 89 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:27.160 regardless of how many days at sea or what the 90 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.759 exterior conditions are. But you've got high humidity, high heat, 91 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:33.560 high stress, high pressure. There's no male getting to the vessel. 92 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.040 They're not getting Liberty. If you can see what the 93 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:40.279 showers look like, they're terrible anyway. The beds are terrible anyway, right, 94 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:43.360 even if it's day one underway, these guys went out 95 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:45.600 on this vessel thinking they'd be back in six months. 96 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.959 It's month nine now. So when you think about what 97 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:51.879 can I pack in a small sea bag, which is 98 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:53.920 what they're allowed to bring with them, a small green sack, 99 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:56.600 what can I pack in there, they're only thinking about 100 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:57.519 six months of packing. 101 00:04:57.519 --> 00:04:58.879 They're not thinking about nine months. 102 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:02.079 They haven't gone into except in Oman and then in 103 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:05.079 Southeast Asia wants to refuel, not to go on Liberty. 104 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:07.600 So for nine months these guys have not actually been 105 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.199 able to go out on liberty anywhere. You can imagine 106 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:13.000 the kind of things going on for the lower ranking 107 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:16.399 folks down there. There's probably some some would describe it 108 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:18.680 as criminal activity, most likely going on on the vessel, 109 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:21.360 just because of you know, things break down over time 110 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:23.560 when you're at sea, right. I remember a few years 111 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:25.079 ago when I was in Afghanistan, there was a story 112 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:27.279 about a prostitution ring that someone was making a very 113 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:30.319 high cash economy revenue off of this, just because people 114 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:31.399 are out at sea, and like, what else are they 115 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:31.680 going to do? 116 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:32.800 They have nothing to do. 117 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:34.759 They don't have Wi Fi, they don't have computers, they 118 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:37.160 don't have telephones. This is the enlisted I'm talking about. 119 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:40.480 Remember this's not the officers. So these enlisted people, some 120 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:42.279 of them are having their kids, are being born while 121 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:44.519 they're at sea. They haven't even seen an image of them, 122 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.240 let alone talk to their wives. One of the sailors 123 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.160 that jumped off, that was in the water for an hour, 124 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:52.279 his wife is in San Diego and she gave birth 125 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:55.360 on month six while they're at sea. They're at month 126 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:58.160 nine now, he's not seen his child, not spoken to 127 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:01.759 his wife. She shared her tech messages with a local 128 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:04.079 newspaper in California, And that's how I know about this, 129 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:06.839 where he was basically over a few months talking to her, 130 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:08.879 and you could see the downward spiral and his communication 131 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:11.560 with her over that time. There's only five people on 132 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:14.759 that three thousand to five thousand person vessel that are 133 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:18.879 qualified mental health professionals. Can you imagine how much how 134 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:20.480 difficult it must be to get an appointed with one 135 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:22.600 of those people, Not only that, they are also on 136 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:24.879 the ship for nine months too. They haven't had to 137 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:27.839 break either, right, So you're talking about every single person 138 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:30.600 affected kind of in a global sense on that vessel, 139 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:32.720 and I just want to put that context there because 140 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:35.360 I think that's kind of missing from the understanding in 141 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:37.959 you know, the general public about I saw some people saying, well, 142 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:39.920 they're at war, isn't that what's you know, what they're 143 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:41.240 supposed to deal with, and blah blah blah. 144 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:42.040 Yes, that's true. 145 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:44.399 But in places like Afghanistan, I was sharing a base 146 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:46.639 X tent with my team leader, who was an officer. 147 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:48.600 He and I slept on the same ground together, We 148 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:50.759 had the same sleeping bags, we ate the same food, 149 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:56.120 we suffered the same absolutely, and that's the maraqulets. Right, 150 00:06:56.160 --> 00:07:01.560 that's the entire right there, right exactly together, and leaders 151 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:04.439 eat last. This is a really big thing. And on 152 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.639 a navy vessel, the flag mess, they're eating steak, they're 153 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:10.839 having juice, they have E seven but the equivalent of 154 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:12.680 a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, which is a chief in 155 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:15.759 the Navy, pouring orange juice for them because the officers 156 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.519 can't pour their own juice. 157 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:17.920 Right. 158 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.240 And I witnessed this myself when I took the ambassador 159 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:24.040 there right, Very different than the question of aren't they 160 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.160 at war? Can't they suck it up? That's not what 161 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.000 it's like on the ship. That's not how it's designed. 162 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.240 It's a series of traditions that are unshakable for the 163 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:32.639 navy at sea. 164 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:34.199 Where did those traditions come from? 165 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:38.560 Really, like the English, right, these are far hundreds and 166 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:41.680 hundreds of years old, exactly. Yes, these are ancient traditions. 167 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:43.680 And even some of the things we do, like crossing 168 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:47.160 over certain lines of latitude and getting hazed while doing so. 169 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:49.319 You don't call it hazing anymore, but you know, going 170 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.519 through some ordeals. Those are all very very ancient traditions 171 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.879 that are still part of that culture. On the vessel, 172 00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:56.920 and so is the criminal justice system on the vessel. 173 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:00.199 There are separate laws for what a commander is able 174 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:03.480 to do to another American citizen on that vessel that 175 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:05.399 they cannot do while they're in the United States or 176 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:07.759 even in a foreign country. There's a separate set of 177 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:10.319 the Uniform Code of Military Justice that allows them to 178 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:13.920 put certain extreme what we would describe as extreme punishments, 179 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.399 for example, restriction to bread and water for a number 180 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:18.839 of days that they're only allowed to eat bread and water. 181 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:21.600 And the amount of evidence to prove that they should 182 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:24.600 require that sentence is very low compared to what any 183 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:26.600 sentencing would be in the United States. So it's a 184 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:29.399 different world, literally on a vessel. And I think that's 185 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:30.279 important to point out. 186 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:34.000 Can I ask you guys something and this is really 187 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:37.440 applicable line, you know, I did my kind of conflict 188 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:39.720 zone time for you know, several years, and there was 189 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:43.200 some certainly some hardships. But I think both of you 190 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:46.559 guys are probably more qualified to respond to the notion 191 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:49.320 of that you see in the media now, especially from 192 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:53.039 the right. Just be honest, where people are saying, you know, 193 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:56.600 you know, suck it up, this is war. This is 194 00:08:56.600 --> 00:08:59.840 what happens. And it goes back to just my thinking, like, 195 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:04.159 just because let's say collectively we had it bad, does 196 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:06.279 that mean that the next generation has to wouldn't it 197 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:08.639 be smarter to have great conditions for the men and 198 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.240 women who have to fight? I mean, that's the thing 199 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:13.679 I don't understand. But you see this and it's playing 200 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:17.639 NonStop on Fox News about their their trotting out veterans saying, hey, 201 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:19.840 this sucked here, this suck there. Just these guys are 202 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:24.080 a bunch of wine and pussies, And that seems to 203 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.120 me to be missing the point that wouldn't we want 204 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.279 to have our men and women in the armed forces 205 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:32.200 have his best conditions possible to fight? Well, I mean, 206 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:33.840 what do you you know? I mean when you see 207 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:37.960 your your you know, veteran brethren kind of some of 208 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:39.960 them coming out and saying that kind of stuff, Hey 209 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:42.279 we had it bad, everyone else should like what is 210 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:43.000 your response to that? 211 00:09:44.519 --> 00:09:47.919 Well? Unfortunately, I think a lot of this is politics, right, 212 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.759 So if it was, you know, they'd be outraged if 213 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:54.240 it was a political opposition to them, And they're sucking 214 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:57.399 up buttercup if it's their guys. So I mean, I'm 215 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.440 not saying that's everybody. I'm sure that there's plenty of 216 00:10:00.600 --> 00:10:04.039 vets that are saying, hey, you know, I MRI's for 217 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:07.720 fucking six months. You know, try that, dude, And I 218 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:12.039 slept in a ditch. But I think the truth is 219 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:14.120 somewhere in the middle. So I agree with you, Mark. 220 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:16.200 I mean, obviously you should try to you should try 221 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.480 to make it the best scenario, best conditions for all 222 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:24.960 the troops, Army, Air Force, maybe Marine Corps, Space Force, mostment, 223 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:28.200 because that's what you do as leaders, right. It's the 224 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:30.080 mission and the men and women that carry out the 225 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:31.879 mission that should be the ethos. And I think it 226 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:34.480 is of the military very large. I mean, I think 227 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:37.360 Jonathan's right. There is a different differ, different culture of 228 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:40.679 the Navy in say, the Marine Corps and the Army. 229 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:44.840 And you know, I was both listed in you know, 230 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:46.960 an officer, but I remember it was a lance corporal. 231 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:52.519 Some captain was late for duty asked to get in 232 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:55.360 front of me. I was like, yeah, of course, you 233 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:58.000 know whatever, and some major had seen them but didn't 234 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:01.399 see the end exchange and literally yanked amount of line 235 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.320 and I don't know what happened to him, but he 236 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:06.399 went outside with him, right, So that's the ethos of 237 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:10.559 the Marine Corps, like you don't leaders eat last is anyway. 238 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:12.399 That was the Marine Corps version of rendition. 239 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:14.120 Yeah, to see you. 240 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:16.440 But and there's probably a lot of the Marines that 241 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:19.399 have a similar story. But that's that's kind of like like, 242 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.399 you know, you're you're nothing as a Marine officer if 243 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:24.399 it wasn't for your marines period. 244 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:27.519 The logist, I mean, so then you do a deep 245 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:28.960 dive and I think I've read in the Wall Street 246 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:33.960 Journal like, so how has this happened? And happens logistics issues? Right, 247 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.480 But I was gonna say, so let's let's just go 248 00:11:36.519 --> 00:11:38.600 to the nitty gritty, you know, they're they're running out 249 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:42.399 of supplies because you know, you know, the Bahrain is 250 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.159 all fucked up and the ny you know, you know, 251 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:47.639 perhaps is it is not operating as effectively, and so 252 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.399 there are legitimate logistics. It's not like the Navy wants 253 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:51.919 to have this happen, of course. 254 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.960 Yeah, to go back to the the issue and I'll 255 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:58.240 make everything about the Marine Corps, but to go back 256 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:02.000 to the first of all, this crew has done exceptional 257 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:04.559 the see be can I try to bring it up 258 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:08.320 on the ABC. They don't ask questions, but they're fine 259 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:10.480 with the answer. But it's like they have done ten 260 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:13.159 thousand sorties. They have been It's not just that they 261 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:16.759 have like the longest sea deployment. It's in combat and 262 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.919 they're like the main target. Let's just set the stage, like, 263 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.080 how great would it be from the Uranian perspective if 264 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:27.720 they actually hit even if they didn't necessarily take it 265 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:31.360 out of commission, but hit an aircraft carrier, right, So 266 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.120 the main target ten thousand sorties, they're part of the 267 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:39.639 naval blockade there, certainly were a huge part of epic fury. 268 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:43.399 So hats off to them for the effort they put in, 269 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:47.080 and not just them, right, all the other sailors and 270 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.320 marines that are board these ships that are doing this 271 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:52.639 great workout there. So let's start with that secondary. I 272 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:54.399 think there is a part of this, the fact that 273 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:57.799 they are in combat. Right, they're having a hard time 274 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:01.879 getting logistically resupplied because I think we still do most 275 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:06.039 of our resupply the old fashioned conventional way, side by 276 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:09.759 side ship shuttling stuff back and forth, right, So not 277 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:14.039 what the Ukrainians are doing with multi drones. Different stages, 278 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:20.279 park Hide not humans, right, that are delivering stuff to 279 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.639 frontline troops in this case that happen to be on 280 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:25.480 an aircraft carrier. So there's an element of this, and 281 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:28.360 we need to get much smarter on how we do 282 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:33.039 combat resupplies. We don't put people at risk, and it's 283 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:36.440 continuous because every time you do, and I have I've 284 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.879 seen it, so I actually don't know the operation to 285 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:42.440 resupply an underway ship. I've seen it from a ship, 286 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:45.919 but it looks super complicated to me. And if you're 287 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:49.759 if you're under constant threat, it'd be even more complicated. 288 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.639 So there is an element. I think that's fair that 289 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:55.799 the officers on the ship could be doing everything they 290 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:58.519 possibly can to make sure that their troops are getting, 291 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:01.200 their sailors and marines are getting it's still having a 292 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:03.559 hard time, so let's be fair about that. It's easy 293 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.399 to sit in you know, Montana talking about what's going 294 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:07.399 on in the Gulf of Amon. 295 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:10.639 There's something good to say about about congressional oversight too. 296 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:13.879 And this is the bipartisan issue because there was a 297 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:17.279 whole bunch of Republican members of Congress saying this at right, 298 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.480 is it deserves at some point is this is the 299 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:22.279 congressional oversight finally working. 300 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:25.919 Yes, and they in this need. So the other thing 301 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:29.679 I would say, Mark to your first question, is it 302 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:32.159 doesn't do the Pentagon any good to come out and 303 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:36.480 declare that everything's fine. It just tells everybody, Okay, you 304 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:38.679 don't really care, because there's no way you can actually 305 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:40.960 have done an assessment already. 306 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:44.960 Right. Isn't that exactly what the Secretary of Defense did. 307 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:47.159 That's not helpful at all. It just tells all the 308 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:49.120 troops like, okay, so he doesn't really care. I mean, 309 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:51.080 some of the issues are probably going to be exaggerated, 310 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:53.480 some might even be fabricating, not saying they are, but maybe, 311 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:55.559 and some are going to be real and some of 312 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:58.240 it are going to be real because it's a combat situation, 313 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:01.039 and some maybe there is a logistical issue we need 314 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:03.960 to change. But to do a real assessment shows that 315 00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:07.840 you care about the actual folks that are carry out 316 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:11.320 the mission and if there's and it doesn't mean that 317 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:15.679 necessarily anybody's done anything wrong. But the one thing that 318 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:18.639 makes the US military the best, biased, but the best, 319 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:22.759 is a continuous self assessment to get better. And AAR, 320 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:26.600 for example, is yeah, yeah, and AAR is all about 321 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:28.879 the negatives. Man. You don't go in there and say 322 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:32.480 we're great next, right, you literally just focus on the negatives. 323 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:36.600 Even if the mission was successful, right, the best units, 324 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:39.000 if you're in their arre, you're like, wow, you guys 325 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.720 aren't each other. It's like, that's the point for sure. 326 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:43.879 So I think we need I think we need to 327 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:45.600 do a full set. And I agree to Mark at 328 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:47.799 least to the point of the question is it needs 329 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:50.759 to be bipartisan. And that's what the oversight committees do. 330 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:53.159 And we've all seen them out on the front lines, 331 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:55.559 you know, to give them some credit. And I know 332 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:58.639 mark As and I imagine Jonathan has too. But I 333 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:01.679 know mark As, we've seen like people on the House 334 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:06.480 of Armed Services Committee in forward operating bases during times 335 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:10.159 of active conflict. I'm not saying that should be the ideal, 336 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:13.000 but they can go out to ships that are underway 337 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.240 currently a mission they can't. I mean, there's a CNN 338 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:16.639 report that was on there, right. 339 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:18.120 So you guys could be impressed with me. 340 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:19.039 Uh. 341 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:20.919 In a very rare occasion is that I actually did 342 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:23.039 a trap landing on the on the in the GW 343 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:26.159 you know, it was the cod so it was they're 344 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:28.320 just their carry on board delivery. And I think I 345 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:30.159 was brief in the air wing on some surface to 346 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:33.080 air missile threat and we missed the arresting hook the 347 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:36.120 first time. I really crapped my pants. We came around 348 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:37.840 and landed again. I said, you guys did that for me. 349 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:43.519 They're like, now we fucking missed. It's one of those 350 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:44.799 times I spent overnight. 351 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:45.200 It was. 352 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:48.159 It was I spent a night there and brief they 353 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:48.879 are winging the captain. 354 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.600 I remember officers are enlisted though, well this was the 355 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:53.679 f A teams A Marine. No, no, no, I'm saying, 356 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:55.919 where you treated as an officer and an enlisted guy, 357 00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:56.679 you got to stay. 358 00:16:56.759 --> 00:16:58.399 I mean, look when you're if you're a civilian. 359 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:01.919 Yeah, I'm just I'm being a prick. 360 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:04.599 No, I mean it was ridiculous the treatment we got. 361 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:06.680 But yeah, and then it was they were like, hey man, 362 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:08.440 you're from the CI. You're pretty cool. I'm like, you're 363 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.960 fucking FA teen pilot, You're cools. Went back and forth, 364 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:14.319 and he's got the bigger cool factor was not me, 365 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:19.119 but it's a but. But I think your guys input 366 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:22.160 on this is huge too, because this now has gotten 367 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:24.880 totally political, and and and I did the same thing 368 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:27.920 on MS now just trying to have a nuanced conversation 369 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:31.400 because the it's outrage and you're like, Okay, this is 370 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:32.759 a little more complicated here. 371 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:37.319 Sure, but when you have the sect def saying things 372 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:39.720 like that, and then like literally like there was like 373 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:44.640 a spin program, there are people going on on TV 374 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:47.680 talking about spinning it, and then you have the president 375 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:51.920 saying not long enough, it's very difficult for it not 376 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:54.039 to be political unless you have if you have work 377 00:17:54.039 --> 00:17:56.279 in fucking brains themselves, you know what I mean, Like 378 00:17:56.720 --> 00:17:59.759 because if a Democratic guy said that, if Obama said that, 379 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:02.559 they'd be articles of impeachment, and. 380 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.680 If he's John under democratic administration, the Hill GP would 381 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:07.599 be outraged. And this is just the way it is here, 382 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:09.680 but I hope it things are I mean ultimate. 383 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:12.759 Yeah, But the fact is, like most presidents when and 384 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:17.200 their cabinet members would not be going out and spinning 385 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.960 this as everything's fine in terms of like this specific part, 386 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:25.680 and a president Republican or Democrat would not go out 387 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.440 and be like, you know whatnot it's not long enough, 388 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:30.960 and like what's the excuse for that kind of comment? Right? 389 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:32.920 What he's old and dotty, like that's not a great 390 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.079 excuse because he's the president. 391 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:37.599 Jonathan, I was in the Characterism Center years ago. We 392 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:39.240 used to we have detail Ease, as you know, and 393 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:42.680 we had an NCIS Special Agent Detail and CTC. And 394 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:44.799 he had just come from six months on board a 395 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:48.440 carrier and he was the resident special agent for five 396 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:51.200 thousand sailors. He said, it was I mean it was 397 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:54.279 this is like an urban city. There was crime, like 398 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:58.920 there was prostitution, drugs, crime, fights, assaults, rapes. He said 399 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.079 it was nuts because I said, I said, were you 400 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:03.440 bored out there? He said, are you kidding me? He said, 401 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.440