WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:03.080 I get the feeling, James. And this is a compliment 2 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:04.879 that if we had just said at the beginning of 3 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:08.480 this podcast, movies, you would have been able to do 4 00:00:08.519 --> 00:00:11.240 that for an hour without anyone else saying. 5 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.240 Us, Yes, that's actually so. 6 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:18.879 Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask 7 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:23.920 what you can do for your country, mister Gorbachev, tear 8 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:25.399 down this wall. 9 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.519 It's the Ricochet Podcast with Charles C. W. Cook and 10 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.560 Stephen Hayward. Today our guest is h R. McMasters to 11 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:36.359 talk about the world, the war, then everything else. Philet' 12 00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:38.079 says was a podcast I. 13 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:44.600 Voted thirteen times to open government. Back up Senator Schumer, 14 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:49.280 my colleague eagerly, greedily wanted to become the face of 15 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:54.240 the shutdown the American people and American people's opinion. Senator 16 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:59.119 Schumer is a He's a wet match in a dark kave, Happy. 17 00:00:58.920 --> 00:00:59.960 Halloween and all that. 18 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.240 It's the Ricochet Podcast, number seven hundred and sixty three. 19 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:06.319 I'm James, Alex and Clammy Minnesota with Stephen Hayward and 20 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:09.680 Sunny California and Charles C. W. Cook in Florida. Who 21 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:11.799 knows what the weather is there? Who cares? Let's skip 22 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:14.400 the throat clearing palaveror with which we usually commenced our 23 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.159 shows and go straight to our guest. H. R. McMaster 24 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:20.200 retired with Tenner General and former Assistants to the US 25 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:23.280 President for National Security Affairs. He's a senior Fellow at 26 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:26.040 the Hoover Institution, where he lectures and hosts the series 27 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.760 Today's Battlegrounds and Good Fellows. Is the author of multiple 28 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:33.120 best sellers, including Dereliction of Duty, Battlegrounds, The Fight to 29 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:36.000 Defend the Free World, and most recently, At War with 30 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:38.760 Ourselves My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House. 31 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:41.840 Welcome sir, Hey, it's great to be with you, guys, 32 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:43.719 James Stephen Charles, thanks for having me. 33 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:45.879 You know, we've got a whole bunch of questions. But 34 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:49.280 I want to go right to Today's Battlegrounds because I 35 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:51.439 wouldn't have thought this would be the case two years ago, 36 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:54.719 but it is Ukraine. A lot of people are saying 37 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.239 that we're looking at a seemingly two different worlds here, 38 00:01:57.319 --> 00:01:59.799 one in which Russia, by throwing more and more and 39 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:03.560 more untrained conscripts into the meat grinders, actually making an 40 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:07.560 inky inky out incremental progress, while at the same time 41 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:10.879 Ukraine has engaged in a massive and brilliantly categorized and 42 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:15.360 strategized destruction of the oil, energy, infrastructure, and transportation sector. 43 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:17.199 What do you what. 44 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:18.680 Do you see going on there? And what do you 45 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:20.680 see happening in six months? 46 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:23.919 Let's say, Well, what you're seeing is Ukraine is is 47 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:26.360 I use using it. I think, you know, long range 48 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:30.560 capabilities in a very smart way. They're going after military facilities. 49 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:33.360 You saw how they've used drones for example, like to 50 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:35.520 sink the Black Sea Fleet and to push it away, 51 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:39.520 uh from from Ukraine. Uh and these deep strike targets 52 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:42.199 on refiners is kind of the right target set because 53 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:46.479 Russia has old infrastructure. It's got very few really big 54 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.199 oil oil refiners that you can see. You can see 55 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:51.680 them from space right and and uh and so they've 56 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:54.919 identified you know, kind of the the the narrow point 57 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.759 in the in the funnel here for for Russia. And 58 00:02:57.759 --> 00:02:59.759 and they want to bring the war home to Russians 59 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:02.599 and way that you know, it doesn't really know place 60 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:06.599 the Russian people at risk, like the Russians are placed 61 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:09.800 in Ukrainians at risk with these massive onslaughts against you know, 62 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:15.599 schools and and apartment buildings, as well as Ukraine's infrastructure, 63 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:17.319 and it's starting to have an effect. You know, there 64 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:21.080 are gas lines, you know, in Moscow. And so this 65 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:24.960 narrative of hey, this is just a special military operation, well, hey, 66 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:29.000 it's a special military operation during which Russia has incurred 67 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:34.240 a million casualties dead and severely wounded, has wrecked the economy, 68 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.000 and so I think this is putting a tremendous amount 69 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.159 of pressure on Putin, who's in a very weak position 70 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:39.719 at the moment. 71 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:45.360 Hr' Steve Hayward out in California, And I distinctly recall 72 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:47.639 the last time we had you on. I think it 73 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.240 was I who raised the question we're all talking about 74 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.080 the Middle East, of course, and Ukraine, and I said, 75 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:56.280 what about Latin America? And so between then and now, 76 00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:00.680 as we know, the gerald Ford Aircraft Terrier strike Force 77 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:04.639 has moved off the coastline. There's a whole controversy about 78 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:07.599 taking out drug boats and so forth. But what's your 79 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:09.639 reading on what's going on there? What's this all about? 80 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:11.680 Is it about Guiana? Is it about we really think 81 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:13.879 the Maduro has to go and we're ready to try 82 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:15.479 and help with some effort. 83 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.199 To do that, or how do you see that shaping up. Well, 84 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:20.319 it is largely about the Maduro regime revery. This is 85 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:22.839 a regime that has just destroyed that country between him 86 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:27.160 and Javez, and they're eight million. They drove eight million Venezuelans, 87 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:30.360 one third of the population outside of the country in 88 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:34.480 the last election, seventy percent of Venezuela's voting to get 89 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.360 rid of that jackass. And you don't. But he plug 90 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:41.079 the power anyway, you know. So, but what's significant, I 91 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:43.519 think from our perspective is this is a hub for 92 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:45.759 you know, what I would call the axis of aggressors 93 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:50.000 in the Western hemisphere. Chavez depends on Cuban and Russian 94 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:56.360 security capabilities and Inteligen's capabilities. He relies on Chinese cash 95 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.839 and for cash flow, and he relies on the Irritians 96 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.879 to large degree. And of course he's aiding and at 97 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.839 betting at Hesbula as part of that, because now with 98 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:10.399 Hesbula you really decapitated and decimated by the Israeli defense 99 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:15.079 forces and Israelian intelligence. The Western Hemisphere is their main 100 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:20.000 money making enterprise for Hezbola. So so really Meduro is 101 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:22.720 the nexus for these what I would call them far 102 00:05:22.839 --> 00:05:26.920 left progressive dictatorships in Latin America as well as far 103 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:30.959 left progressive movements which he funds, and he funds them 104 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.319 really through the illicit economy. We have some pretty significant 105 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:38.879 sanctions on Maduro, but it's the illicit cash flow, largely 106 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:41.959 through narcotics, that is a big source of strength. And 107 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.079 this is what President Trump is going after, is his 108 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:48.879 cash flow by trying to interrupt the trafficking of drugs 109 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:52.879 to North America and to Europe. By the way, that 110 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:55.959 this is, this is the trafficking network that Medua runs 111 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.120 as the head of a major drug cartel. 112 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:02.000 What what does our response look like? I mean, it's 113 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:04.000 possible that something will happen and we'll never hear about 114 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.480 it because there's simply a bunch of burly guys with 115 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:08.079 face paint in the middle of the night who did 116 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.680 the job and that's that. Or do you expect that 117 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:13.399 there's more robust and kinetic action as they say in 118 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:15.720 support of this again, who knows? But what what should 119 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:18.199 we look for and what should we not be surprised 120 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:18.839 not to hear about? 121 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:21.160 Yeah, James, well, you know what I'd like to see 122 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:23.480 and help. I'm what I like to barely not see 123 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:25.480 you just have to make sure that's there is a 124 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:30.000 comprehensive approach to this problem with clearly defined objectives. Are 125 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.560 the objectives just to waken Maduro and to weaken his 126 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:36.319 ability to support you know, Nicaragua and Cuba, you know 127 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:40.560 the you know Petros in Colombia, his his his political movement, uh, 128 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:43.560 you know, to Silva and in Brazil, right, I mean 129 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:46.600 these are he's the patron for all these guys. Or 130 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:51.079 is it to really help the Venezuelan people restore the constitution? 131 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:53.199 So I would not even use the word regime change 132 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:54.720 in our President Trump pays that to be with, but 133 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.759 I mean this is helping Venezuela to restore the constitution. 134 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:01.480 If that's the case, there should be a concerted effort 135 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:03.519 to dry up his cash flow, which are seeing part 136 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:06.199 of that now, But there could be other actions associated 137 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:08.279 with that as well. There could be cyber actions in 138 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:11.800 certain certainly financial actions and so forth. I think also 139 00:07:11.959 --> 00:07:13.600 what you want to do is you want to divide 140 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.720 and the security forces that he relies on. And I 141 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:20.720 think this is probably what you know what you know 142 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:23.800 what our government agency that is involved in that is 143 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.560 probably doing is probably trying to make an approach to 144 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:28.360 some of these guys. Hey, you know, you're on a 145 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.439 sinking ship. You know, if you want to get off 146 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:31.959 the ship, you can get off the ship and maybe 147 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:35.959 encourage some kind of revolt of the elites within within 148 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:37.000 that security force. 149 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:37.639 You know. 150 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:39.040 The third thing you want to be able to do 151 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:41.879 is reach the population to kind of trace the grievances 152 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.319 of Venezuelan's back to him. You know, he's at the 153 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:46.879 top of these criminalized patronage networks. So a lot of 154 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.800 people see Maduro as a patron but he's the one 155 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:51.120 who's destroying the country. 156 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:51.720 Uh. 157 00:07:51.839 --> 00:07:53.560 And then and then finally, you want to kind of 158 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:57.199 work on this problem from the outside in to insulate 159 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:00.439 him from sources external strength and support, whether you know 160 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:03.879 really you know, as I mentioned before, China, Russia, Cuba, 161 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:07.079 uh and and and Iran. And so I hope there's 162 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:10.000 a comprehensive approach to this. And and I think the 163 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:12.439 goal should be, you know, to weaken the regime, but 164 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.360 also to ensure that what we're doing strengthens the opposition. 165 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:18.399 And of course, you know, we had you know, the 166 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:23.519 leader of the Venezuelan opposition opposition just received the Nobel 167 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:25.959 Prize I think there's an opportunity to take advantage of 168 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:26.800 that as well. 169 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:30.480 But hr Steve again, I want to shift gears to 170 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:32.919 the Trump White House here in Trump Too. I do 171 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.200 want to preface it by saying that I never get 172 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.759 tired of telling people that your Dereliction of Duty book 173 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:40.639 is one of the five best books ever written. 174 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:41.399 About the Vietnam War. 175 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:42.120 Uh. 176 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.279 And you know, our mutual friend Mac Owens and I 177 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:46.679 talk endlessly to see who can want up each other 178 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:48.799 about how great it is. But it's also a great 179 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.759 book about the question of civil military relations, which you know, 180 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:55.399 as you know, Mac is a great expert on You've 181 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:58.559 been very candid but also measured in your observations and 182 00:08:58.679 --> 00:09:00.679 lessons from your time with President than Trump in the 183 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:04.519 first term. And I sort of want to bring up 184 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:06.960 that question of civil military relations because so much of 185 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:11.279 the Trump cabinet in the second term is such unconventional people. 186 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:13.840 There are very few people in the cabin who you 187 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:16.919 recognize from a normal Republican administration. And of course one 188 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:20.039 of the persons who's controversial is the Defense Secretary, but 189 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:22.360 also the people he's put in charge of negotiations, like 190 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:25.480 Steve Whitkoff, and his own son in law. 191 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:29.679 Right, So, there's two forms of this question. 192 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:32.240 One is is there a parallel between the problems of 193 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.879 civil and military relations that you laid out in your 194 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:38.960 great book from almost thirty years ago, or if you 195 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:41.080 want to just answer the question in more general form, 196 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:42.519 those thoughts would be welcome to. 197 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:43.840 Well. 198 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:44.639 Hey, thanks, Steven. 199 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:50.480 I am concerned about about dragging the military into partisan politics. 200 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:50.679 Right. 201 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:53.879 So, you've had you've had visits to military bases or 202 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:55.799 ships that kind of look like a rally. I think 203 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.600 there should be more of an effort to make them 204 00:09:57.679 --> 00:10:00.159 not look like rallies. You know, for example, the at 205 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.960 the president wears. You know, there should be no selling 206 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:06.480 of mag and merchandise, you know, to to troops and 207 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:08.759 that sort of thing. We know that that kind of 208 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.679 thing has happened, and I think that that what you 209 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:16.720 see happening is in I think the legitimate effort, an 210 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.759 important effort to reverse some of the policies of the 211 00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:23.639 Biden administration, the policies associated with pushing what some people 212 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:26.039 call woke agenda. I don't think that's a that's really 213 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:28.720 useful word. But what I'm really talking about is is 214 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:32.200 an approach in the military where they're advocating for equality 215 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.919 of outcome instead of equality of opportunity. Uh, the associated 216 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.600 kind of valorization of victimhood, you know, and and uh 217 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.240 and this idea, this crazy idea that you should judge, 218 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:45.600 you know, the soldier next to you based on their 219 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:49.960 identity category instead of instead of their courage, their toughness, 220 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:53.120 their commitment to the mission and to one another, which 221 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:55.519 is associated with their willingness to sacrifice for one another, 222 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:57.600 and their sense of honor. Right, that's how we that's 223 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:00.759 how we judge our fellow soldiers and servicemen and women. 224 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:04.960 So I think, in the process of applying it corrective, 225 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:09.360 the Secretary of War now victory exits. I think he 226 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:12.399 seems to me to be fighting a rear guard against phantoms. 227 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.519 I mean, this idea. You know that there are woke 228 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:18.679 generals and admirals. Hey, I'm telling you, Stephen, I don't 229 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:20.759 know any woke generals and admirals. I mean there are 230 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.240 probably a few, you know, professors, I know who are 231 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:26.519 you can follow in that category, but not generals and admirals. 232 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:30.000 And so the people who are pushing this agenda, besides 233 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:33.399 the Auto pen and the Biden administration, were you know, 234 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:36.960 we're the political appointees in the Department of Defense and 235 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:39.879 in the White House, they're gone. Hey, you know, Prisident 236 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:43.120 Trump won declare victory. And so I see that there 237 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:46.919 is this misunderstanding that where all this nonsense came from. 238 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:50.240 It didn't come from the military. It came from political appointees. 239 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:52.840 And by the way, that's how the chant of command works. 240 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:55.519 It goes from the President to the Secretary of War 241 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:58.559 to the combatant commanders in the serchiefs. So, hey, I 242 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:01.639 think that there's a to misunderstand. And I worry about 243 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:04.720 I worry about like the left, you know, trying to 244 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:07.960 label the military extremist, which is not. And I worry 245 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.000 about the far right or some people on the far 246 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:12.960 right trying to label the military as as woke. Just 247 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:16.519 keep the military out of this nonsense. You know what 248 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:19.600 what has afflicted our society. We don't want that coming 249 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:21.960 in coming into the military. You know, a lot of 250 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:23.519 what he's doing though, in terms of revert you know, 251 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:28.080 you know, reinstating standards, you know, I mean, it got ridiculous. 252 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.159 I mean there were people who were declaring themselves you know, 253 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:33.200 some Norse religion, you know, so they could so they 254 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.639 could so they could grow a beard, you know. And 255 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:39.080 and and I'll tell you that the women soldiers, I know, 256 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:41.799 they want general gender neutral standards and tough standing. They 257 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.759 wanted the standards to drop, right. So so I think 258 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:47.240 what the bid administration did in many ways was a 259 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:51.559 disservice uh to women service uh uh to service women 260 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:54.759 and and uh and and to minority leaders as well. 261 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:56.720 I mean, you know this, if if you make it 262 00:12:56.840 --> 00:12:59.639 clear that you want a quality of outcome, what happens 263 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:02.960 is when the best qualified person who happens to be 264 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:06.000 a member of minority group gets gets promoted. Oh, people 265 00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:08.080 look might look at him or like, oh, well, yeah, 266 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:09.720 I guess I know why that person scattle. I mean, 267 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:14.080 it's just it's terrible. It's destructive to cohesion, and it 268 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:16.840 had to end. I just don't want the cure to 269 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:19.840 be worse than the disease, you know. And and uh 270 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:21.799 and then the other thing that bothered me, I guess 271 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:25.320 a little bit was this idea that when you're fighting brutal, 272 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:29.000 unscrupulous enemies, that you should be equally as brutal, right, 273 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.960 I mean it's our warrior ethos, you know, is based 274 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:34.720 on you know, there's those principles I mentioned, right, our 275 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:37.080 sense of honor, our commitment to one another, a willingness 276 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.919 to sacrifice, you know. And but we're also committed to 277 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:45.559 overmatching the enemy in every combat engagement, but also to 278 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:50.080 employing you know, firepower with discipline and discrimination to do 279 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:51.480 our best to protect innocence. 280 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:53.039 And this is I didn't come up with that. 281 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:55.039 I mean, Saint Thomas Aquinas came. 282 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:55.279 Up with that. 283 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.720 So I think I think, I think, you know, there 284 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:00.960 are a few things that bothered me about the conclave 285 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:03.919 and and and and you know the relationship of the military. 286 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:06.600 But but on the other aspects of okay, what does 287 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:09.519 the military owe the president and the surgery of war? 288 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:13.960 They owe those two their best military advice. And what 289 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:16.759 I'm concerned about is, you know, this this kind of 290 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:18.960 idea that that they're that they're not going to get 291 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:22.679 that because somebody in a senior military rank like worked 292 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:25.720 for Mark Milly, who they hate people work for Mark 293 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:28.039 Milly because the guy was the chairman man. It's not 294 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:30.600 because you know, it's it's not because that they were 295 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:33.039 they were against President Trump or something. There's no way, 296 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:36.240 I mean, so I just think I we got to 297 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:39.279 really work hard to keep that bold line in place 298 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:41.679 between our military and partisan politics. 299 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:49.799 Hi there, Charles kok K in Florida. I wonder if 300 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:52.919 I can ask you about drones. I've been watching some 301 00:14:53.080 --> 00:14:56.480 of the footage coming out of Ukraine. I've read a 302 00:14:56.519 --> 00:15:02.559 little bit about developments within the china Es military, and 303 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:07.480 perhaps I'm falling for the latest buzzwords and hype, but 304 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.679 it seems to me that this could be huge. This 305 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:13.120 could be a massive change in the way we fight. 306 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:15.559 Am I right? And if I am right, is America 307 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:16.159 keeping up? 308 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:19.679 Yeah, Charles, you are right, It already is a massive 309 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:21.840 change in the in the way that we fight. America 310 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.000 is keeping up in terms of the technology, you know, 311 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.519 and our ability to develop drones that have the capabilities 312 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:28.840 you want them to have. Of course, they come in 313 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:31.879 all different sizes, with different payloads, and they have different roles, right, 314 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:35.039 They have you know, reconnaissance rolls, deep strike roles, as 315 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:37.440 you've seen with many of these like lower cost to 316 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:41.879 head drones that have that have a great greater, greater range. 317 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:44.960 And then but then also you have these tactical drones. 318 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.600 And I think what has really changed the character of 319 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:53.320 combat is is these first person view drones which are 320 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:56.039 which are wire guided, but the but the wire guide 321 00:15:56.679 --> 00:15:59.600 is like thirty kilometers now instead of you know, six kilometers, 322 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:02.360 which was maybe at the outset of the war. So 323 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:05.159 what this has created, Charles, is kind of a no 324 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:08.360 man's land that is reminiscent I think of World War One. 325 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.559 So whereas this has really shifted in a significant way 326 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.000 the character of warfare and combat, you know, there's also 327 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:18.200 a lot of continuity there. It looks like World War 328 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:21.480 One because remember World War One, the problem initially was 329 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:24.320 machine guns and then massive artillery, you know what the 330 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:28.200 Germans called materiel schlocked, and so to get around material shlock, 331 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:33.320 they changed their tactics. They put in elastic defense, defense 332 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:37.080 in greater depth, smaller outposts forwards. Sound familiar, That's what 333 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:39.480 the Ukrainians are doing. And then the Germans with the 334 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:42.720 Lutendwarf offensive in the spring of nineteen eighteen, which they 335 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:46.639 launched simultaneous with unrestricted submarine warfare to try to knock 336 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:49.840 France and Britain out of the war before the America 337 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:53.480 came in. They used infiltration tactics, small groups to try 338 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.320 to get around the front lines and then attack. You know, 339 00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:59.919 artillery and command posts and logistics facilities. That sounds like 340 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:04.680 what's going on around Picross right now in Ukraine. But 341 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:08.319 I think the fundamental conditions have not shifted in terms 342 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:12.240 of having decisive capabilities, because the Russians have not been 343 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:15.960 able to sustain those offensives and they're taking massive losses 344 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:18.400 as they do it now. But to your question, hey, 345 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:23.160 how does this change warfare? It changes warfare because these capabilities, 346 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:27.920 along with some others like intelligence collection capabilities, especially those 347 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:33.200 in lower Earth orbit You're like, like imagery and RSRF 348 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:39.160 collection or radio frequency collection capabilities, have shifted the battlefield 349 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:43.200 into the realm of more transparency, and so all forces 350 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:45.759 have to act almost like as if they're in visual 351 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:48.640 range of the enemy. So what this means for future 352 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:51.640 war is we need countermeasures to that, and in the 353 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:54.599 opening phase of the next war, I think we're going 354 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.599 to have to apply a range of capabilities designed to 355 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:01.200 blind the enemy, to blind the enemy shooting down drones. 356 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:03.799 And you're seeing some of these countermeasures now coming out 357 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.200 with drone against drone right drone v drone warfare where 358 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:10.079 you know where swarms of drones are are kind of 359 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:15.559 protecting you. But also directed energy capabilities and as well 360 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:18.720 as the range of electromagnetic warfare capabilities which have already 361 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:23.240 been employed against against drones. So those are all coming online, 362 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:26.640 and so what you're going to see is this interaction 363 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:31.599 like you always see in war between dueling capabilities, you know, 364 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:35.160 machine gun, tank, tank, anti tank, missile, submarine, so onar, 365 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:38.839 bomb er, radar. But the next war is obviously going 366 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:41.319 to be fought also in cyberspace as this one has been, 367 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:44.400 but in low Earth orbit for sure. The next war's 368 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:47.440 going into space because to blind your enemy, you're gonna 369 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:50.680 have to you're gonna have to dazzle or destroy their 370 00:18:50.759 --> 00:18:55.319 space based collection capabilities. So we're developing a range of capas, 371 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:57.039 but we haven't done to get your question, how are 372 00:18:57.079 --> 00:18:59.880 we doing? We haven't been able to do it at scale. 373 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:03.680 I mean what the scale of what Ukrainians and Russians 374 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:07.880 are doing is astounding, and also the speed of innovation. 375 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:10.480 I mean, what will happen is there'll be a countermeasure 376 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:13.960 developed Ukraine is a Russian countermeasure. Ukrainians will detect it 377 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.039 and then within certainly a couple of weeks, but often 378 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:21.920 within days, they have an adaptation to their drones that 379 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:26.200 that that mitigates the effect of that countermeasure. So I 380 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:28.319 think also what we're learning is not only you know, 381 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:32.319 the effect of drones, but also the importance of open 382 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:35.119 architectures for weapons systems, so they can be they can 383 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:37.680 be uh, they can be modified on the fly. 384 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:41.559 It's all fascinating. Aybody who study in warfare and you 385 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:44.240 believe and you hope that maybe one hundred starlings could 386 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:46.599 be self propelled and nudge your Chinese satellite out of orbit, 387 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:49.200 and that's our secular weapon, you hope, and you think 388 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:51.519 that maybe we can develop an aujus system that will 389 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:52.799 just clean them all out of the skies. 390 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:53.599 But then you. 391 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.039 Realize when you see some of these demonstrations in China 392 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:58.680 that they have of just you know, sort of esthetic 393 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:00.559 drones or they go into the sky and form great 394 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:03.720 mini pictures. The ability to coordinate masses of these and 395 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:06.759 the ability then to perhaps swarm and overwhelm defenses, and 396 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:08.839 you start thinking to yourself, well, it's not that an 397 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:12.119 insurmountable problem, but it is a problem. Now, what you've 398 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.119 said is that the ideas are recognized, the threat is recognized, 399 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.319 and what needs to be done and nimble we need 400 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:21.680 to be to counteract that. That's that's all baked in already. 401 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:26.680