1 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: And good morning everybody. Steve Schmidt with the Warning, joined 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: by Ken Harbaugh of the Ken Harbaugh Shaw Show, joined 3 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: by Denver Riggelman. Denver, good morning, and we're casting out 4 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: across the Save America Movement channel as well, and all 5 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 1: of us are affiliated with the Save America movement as well. 6 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: Good morning, Ken, How are you? 7 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 2: I'm doing good, Steve. It is upsetting every day watching 8 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 2: the incompetence with which we're prosecuting this new war of choice. 9 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: But otherwise, I guess, how honest do you want us 10 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 2: to be. 11 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: When you talk about the incompetence? How do you assess it? 12 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 3: Right? Right now? 13 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: Is what is the the greatest incompetence that you are 14 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: dialed in on? 15 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 2: Well, there's multiple domains of incompetence, and this administration is 16 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 2: excelling at all of them. I guess the first one 17 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 2: has to be the total lack of a rationale, which 18 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 2: we've discussed before. I think we're almost past that point now. 19 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: Sad to say, the fact that we have to move 20 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 2: on to even more important things, then why the heck 21 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 2: are we even doing this? Is it regime change? Is 22 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 2: it obliterating the nuclear program which we were assured was 23 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 2: obliterated months ago. Is it degrading their missile capability? Well, 24 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 2: we're in the fight now. We're in the fight now, 25 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:41,680 Speaker 2: and the question has to be what is the plan, 26 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: what is the goal at this point, and how are 27 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 2: we going to achieve it? And furthermore, how are we 28 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 2: going to protect our own force disposition and our allies 29 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: in the course of achieving those objectives. And that's what 30 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 2: I care most about is someone who has friends down range, 31 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,919 Speaker 2: as someone who has a special emotional connection to the military, 32 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 2: and any time I see service members killed because of 33 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 2: the incompetence of their civilian leadership in depenaon, it makes 34 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 2: me angry. 35 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,959 Speaker 1: The end of World War Two, the United States has 36 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: complete absolute mastery of the air. The decisive year of 37 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, the United States produces eighty eight thousand aircraft. 38 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: Ukraine produced during wartime cut off from the United States 39 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: seven million drones. Seven million drones. And the future of 40 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: war was clearly being written in Ukraine. And both of 41 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: you have been there. Ken made a movie The Drone 42 00:02:55,440 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: Catchers of Kirsan and drone is a droneers or hunters can. 43 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 2: Every once in a while when they're when they're unlucky. 44 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 2: It's drone catchers. Ninety nine percent of the time, it's 45 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 2: drone hunters. That's that's what we were doing. 46 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: Drone Hunters of Kirsan is the name of the movie. 47 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: And you said, Denver, there are twenty two different types 48 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: of Shahad drones, and this is one of the principal 49 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: reasons why we're supposedly fighting in Iran. It's been regime change, 50 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: it's been their ballistic missile capacity, it's been their drone capacity. 51 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: But we've not been very effective at fighting back against 52 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: the Iranian drones that have caused American casualties. So before 53 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: we watch a clip from the movie that Ken did 54 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: from one of his many trips, and I know you've 55 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: been to Ukraine, tell us a little bit about these drones. 56 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: What what is. 57 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: A drone for the imagination of the person who is 58 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: watching this. 59 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 4: Now, Yeah, drones are just simply small or large unmanned 60 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 4: aerial vehicles or unmanned aerial systems, which means they can 61 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 4: actually act in tandem. So it's really just a remote 62 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 4: controlled vehicle right that flies. They can do vast damage 63 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 4: depending on how it's used. It's really that's it's something 64 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 4: you know that's what a drone is. And you know, 65 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 4: it's interesting about the twenty one to twenty two different 66 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 4: types of shahads. It's anywhere, and Ken and I can 67 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 4: talk about this. It's anywhere from a small explosive where 68 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 4: a shahad just acts as an FPV on a small unit, 69 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 4: you know, a five kilogram bomb up to a two 70 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 4: hundred kilogram bomb on a jet propelled large shah head. 71 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 4: So you're talking about shah heads with wooden propellers which 72 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 4: I saw in basements in Ukraine, all the way up 73 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 4: to jet propelled jet propulsion shaheads, right, And the Iranians 74 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 4: and the Russians have perfected this over a long period 75 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 4: of time, but the Ukrainians have perfected how to fight 76 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:05,719 Speaker 4: against them, which is pretty incredible. I'm going to talk 77 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 4: about Ken and the drone hunters of kersone. Ken had 78 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 4: called me asked me to executive produce it. But the 79 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 4: reason I think Ken trusted me is because Ken and 80 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 4: I spent some time right smelling the same drone air 81 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 4: in Ukraine together in Mikhlaiov, Odessa and Kherson. And the 82 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 4: fact that a former congressman could be there is pretty 83 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 4: interesting and it gives me insight onto why even though 84 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 4: we're chasing bad guys, bad policy and bad mission planning 85 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 4: doesn't make up for us going after bad guys when 86 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,160 Speaker 4: we put US soldiers, airmen, and sailors and marines in 87 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 4: harm's way. So let me tell you how great the 88 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 4: shah Heads are very quickly, and Ken will know this. 89 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 4: Do you know, Steve, that the United States is so 90 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 4: far behind that we actually copied the Shahead on a 91 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 4: drone called the Lucas. So we are so far behind 92 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 4: that we had to reverse engineer the Iranians. That is 93 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 4: where we're at. And that's why I think people, that's 94 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 4: why this show is so important. What Ken is doing 95 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 4: is so important. But Steve, you bringing this to people 96 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 4: so important because people need to realize that the US 97 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 4: was so far behind that we had to copy the 98 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 4: shah Heads in order to catch them in any way. 99 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: Okay, can we watch a clip of this of this 100 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: movie this, because this is this is the future of 101 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: warfare and this is this is an insight into what's 102 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: going to be going on in Iran as boots hit 103 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: the ground, which is the inevitable next stage of this. 104 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 5: The context between who gets who first, do they get 105 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 5: the drone or does the drone get them. 106 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 2: We're that close to the front or the orble everywhere, 107 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 2: but people are still smoking. We just kind of learned 108 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 2: that there is a wave of twelve ship heads buying 109 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 2: in full of the black seat. That's the amazing thing 110 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 2: about this war. It's a blend of trench warfare and terminator. 111 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 3: Wow. What was it like to be there? 112 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: Did you feel hunted by those drones or did you 113 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,239 Speaker 1: feel like you were. 114 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 3: The hunter with the team at. 115 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 2: I definitely felt exposed, Steve, but I was with literally 116 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,239 Speaker 2: the best fighters in the Ukrainian military, which may well 117 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 2: represent the best military in the history of warfare at 118 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 2: this point. They were incredibly professional and those with maybe 119 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 2: military backgrounds might notice that they're shooting down these FPV drones, 120 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 2: which are tiny, the size of maybe a pigeon, flying 121 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 2: at one hundred kilometers an hour. They have to shoot 122 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 2: them down with rifles instead of shotguns to get them 123 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 2: to knock them down far away enough that it's outside 124 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 2: the kill envelope of the drone, and Denver and I 125 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 2: both tried to do this in the simulator. I think 126 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 2: there's a clip of that in this trailer and My 127 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 2: hit rate was maybe two and ten three in ten 128 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 2: if I was lucky. These guys have to be successful 129 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 2: one hundred percent of the time, and they mostly are. 130 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 2: But every one that gets through results in a casualty, 131 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 2: and the casualty rate amongst these units is close to 132 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 2: one hundred percent. They are probably the bravest soldiers in 133 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 2: the Ukrainian military. It's just extraordinary what they do. And 134 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,199 Speaker 2: in the case of these drone hunters, they're doing it 135 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 2: to put themselves in between the Russian kamikaze drone launchers 136 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 2: and the civilian neighborhoods on the other side of that 137 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,959 Speaker 2: highway of death. They are literally holding themselves out as bait, 138 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 2: drawing the fire of the Russians to protect civilian lives. 139 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: Dever, I have an Old Life magazine addition from nineteen forty. 140 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: It has a special on the US Navy at maneuvers 141 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: in the Pacific against the foe unnamed it's the Japanese, 142 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: of course, and in that it has the photographs of 143 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: the battleship Arizona, Battleship California all underway. There's even a 144 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: photograph in there of the Secretary of the Navy speaking 145 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:56,199 Speaker 1: to the ward room, the officers of the USS Indianapolis, 146 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: which is faded to deliver the first atomic weapon to 147 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: the island of Tinian and then be sunk by a 148 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: Japanese submarine in one of the last actions of the war. 149 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: Hundreds of American sailors aboard the Indianapolis or eaten by 150 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: sharks at sea. It's a horrendous tale at the at 151 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: the end of the war. But you watch all of 152 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: this through the pages of this magazine knowing what's going 153 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: to happen next. For eighty years. Now we're involved in 154 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: something where you don't have a particular clear view of what's. 155 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 3: Going to happen next. And I want to I want 156 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 3: to talk about that. 157 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: But but but where are we right right now in 158 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: this is that the US military. I think if you 159 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: fairly look back over over the last month, what Trump 160 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: has said, uh, it was an invincible force that Iran existed. 161 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: At Trump's whim that the bombing would topple the Iranian regime. 162 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: The purpose of the military strike was to topple the regime, 163 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: which isn't which isn't toppled. Ranian regime has exerted full 164 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: control over the Straits of Hormuz Ken and I talked 165 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: about that before all of this, all of this started. 166 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: But where are we right now on the edge of 167 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:26,079 Speaker 1: American combat troops being used on Iranian territory? 168 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 4: Goodness gracious, that's a that's a hell of a question. 169 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 4: I think at this point when you're talking about Iran, 170 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 4: I think the narcissism, the Ford lane of dementia that 171 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 4: we see with Donald Trump as part of his decision making, 172 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 4: and what we said at the beginning when you're talking 173 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 4: about we might want to go after bad people, when 174 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 4: I talked about bad policy and bad mission planning, the 175 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 4: flip of that when you talk about the US Navy 176 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 4: Steve and I don't know if you brought this all together, 177 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 4: because it's about the seven million drones you talked about. 178 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 4: We have multiple issues with that number. One, there's ninety 179 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 4: two million people in Iran. I just want to stress 180 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 4: that to people. I don't know if people know how 181 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,199 Speaker 4: big Iran is or a lot of people where it's 182 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,439 Speaker 4: on the map. This is a difficult proposition for US 183 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,559 Speaker 4: land troops and we will suffer casualties. There's no way 184 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 4: around it. And it also goes back to the fact 185 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 4: that Trump said this war was won. It's not, obviously 186 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 4: if we have to deploy ground troops. But the thing 187 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 4: you talked about navy ships, Steve, I want to stress 188 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 4: this when you talk about four to seven million drones 189 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,719 Speaker 4: built by the Ukrainians. When I was down in one 190 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 4: of their factories, I asked, well, how many do you 191 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 4: want to swarm? 192 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 2: Now? 193 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 4: Swarming drones means multiple drones working in tandem, are together 194 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 4: using artificial intelligence or data links to execute on a target, 195 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 4: to prosecute a target, Steve, think about a ship and 196 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 4: you're talking about, you know, any type of American vessel 197 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 4: in the straight of Horn Mooz or anywhere else, and 198 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 4: you have poor man's ballistic missile, And at some point 199 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,079 Speaker 4: in the future, what if there's a swarm of eighty 200 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 4: to one hundred of those with two hundred kilogram bombs 201 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 4: that overwhelm and air defense system for a ship. I 202 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 4: just you know, and I think about this a lot. 203 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 4: And we've already seen that happen. Ken had talked about 204 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:21,439 Speaker 4: initially that our first casualties came from a shahead. Are 205 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,959 Speaker 4: you kidding? And we're still talking about US dominance when 206 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 4: Ukraine just took out and Ken, please remind me. I 207 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 4: think it was ten Ukrainians took out what multiple NATO 208 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 4: regiments I believe, and killed them all in eleven hours, 209 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 4: killed them all with ten guys with drones. So, Steve, 210 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 4: I think that's what we're talking about here, is we're 211 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 4: talking about multiple things. We're talking about having to deploy 212 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 4: ground troops because our overwhelming force is having a very 213 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 4: difficult time with the asymmetric warfare being employed by the Iranians. 214 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 4: And the fact is we're not leveraging the Ukrainians for 215 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,839 Speaker 4: any more of their expertise when their drone capability, their 216 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 4: quantity and quality of drone production overwhelms what we can 217 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 4: do in the United States. I think it's all that, Steve, 218 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 4: and that question you asked just really goes to the 219 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 4: heart of it, deploying ground troops because we just can't 220 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 4: handle asymmetric warfare right now. 221 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 1: Is there, Steve, is there any descent on the question 222 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: of why it is that we're that we're fighting that 223 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: it started out? I suppose that there are that there 224 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 1: are four principal reasons that have been offered, and the 225 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: first one was regime change of the Iranian regime, which 226 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: is going to happen by air power. The second reason 227 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: is the nuclear program. You hear this that the Iranian 228 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: regime can't be allowed to have nuclear weapons. Of course, 229 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: a few months ago Trump said that this was was obliterated. 230 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: The third reason you hear talk about is the oil 231 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: and the oil resources. And then the final reason is 232 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: the notion that we've been at Iran, been at war 233 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: with Iran continuously for forty seven years, going back to 234 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine to the beginning of the Islamic Republic's revolution. 235 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: Those are four principal reasons that any descent from you 236 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: guys on that am I missing one? 237 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 2: Well, the most important caveat is that the only way 238 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 2: commander in chief a president is able to launch a 239 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 2: war like this is if there is an imminent threat 240 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 2: without approval from Congress. Congress has to Congress has the 241 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 2: article on power to declare war. That wasn't done in 242 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 2: this case. So the rationale has evolved into this imminet 243 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 2: threat from Iran, whis our own military intelligence service, which 244 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 2: our own I see, our own intentil elligence community has 245 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 2: said is false. So that has to be injected into 246 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 2: the conversation as well. There was no eminent threat to 247 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 2: the US there was very likely. I mean, I'm sure 248 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 2: there was an eminent threat to Israel, but we cannot 249 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 2: equate the two uh and in in combination with those 250 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 2: other rationales, the lack of an imminent threat, I think 251 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 2: makes this very likely an illegal war. 252 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: All right, I was I was going to get into 253 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: the to the imminent threat. Did the statement of all 254 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: of those rationales for why we're fighting, why we why 255 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: we must fight? Those are the reasons? Do we agree on? 256 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: Those as the reasons we agree? 257 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 3: We agree there is? 258 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, those are all the those are all the reasons 259 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 1: that are offered, right, So, so the imminent threat that 260 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: you bring up, can Marco Rubio does address this, and 261 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm going to ask you to explain it. 262 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: So Marco Rubio is asked a question about why it 263 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: is that we're fighting, and he explains, He answers the question, 264 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: and he explains that there's an imminence of threat and 265 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,440 Speaker 1: this is important legally regarding the War Powers Act and 266 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: other lawful considerations. But we'll talk about that in a minute. 267 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: But don't why don't you explain what it is that 268 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 1: Marco Rubio said? 269 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,640 Speaker 2: So, Marco Rubio in a rare moment of honesty, which 270 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 2: doesn't happen most with this administration, but it's always a 271 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 2: tell when they are accidentally forthright said that we had 272 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 2: to attack Iran because Iran was certainly going to attack 273 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:49,120 Speaker 2: US troops after the Israelis attacked Iran. It's already sounding convoluted, right, 274 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:53,199 Speaker 2: but this is almost verbatim what Marco Rubio argued in 275 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:58,680 Speaker 2: a press huddle at the Capitol. He said that the 276 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 2: Israelis we're going to initiate which would provoke an Iranian 277 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,919 Speaker 2: counter attack on US forces. Ergo, the US had to 278 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:13,919 Speaker 2: start it. I mean, if there's ever anything more definitionally 279 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 2: descriptive of our subservience to Israel's foreign policy here, Israel 280 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:25,639 Speaker 2: is leading the charge here, and look, they're an ally 281 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 2: in the region, but they cannot dictate US foreign policy 282 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 2: when it comes to waging war. 283 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 4: I will say this, if you may cut in, Oh, 284 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 4: go ahead. 285 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: Stage, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. 286 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,679 Speaker 4: You know you stayd those reasons. I don't want to 287 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 4: surprise the audience too much because sometimes I'm tracking some 288 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 4: other things on why we might have started the war, 289 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:50,040 Speaker 4: and I want to tell people this. Steve, and then 290 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 4: you and Ken, can you know we can go on 291 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 4: to specifically military policy, because it's almost become an a 292 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 4: political discussion. If you think about what we're talking about. 293 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 4: We're talking about going to war for the wrong reason, 294 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 4: even though we completely disagree with Trump, but we're also 295 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,640 Speaker 4: talking about the fact that we're putting troops in harm's 296 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 4: way for multiple reasons that seem to all be convoluted 297 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 4: or they contradict one another. It's pretty incredible. What people 298 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 4: need to understand is when you're looking at and this 299 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:16,760 Speaker 4: is Steve, you're gonna be like, oh my goodness. But 300 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 4: when you're talking about Paula White, Donald Trump's spiritual advisor, 301 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 4: there's a downstream effect. We're saying on the bottom here 302 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,159 Speaker 4: that's come out massively on social media and people can 303 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,199 Speaker 4: look this up, is that the real reason that we 304 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 4: had to attack was because of a prophecy ten years 305 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 4: ago that the forty seventh president would stop the forty 306 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 4: seven year Iranian conflict more or less and that that 307 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,199 Speaker 4: president right would actually work with Israel to do it. 308 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 4: And so we also know that some of this has 309 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,520 Speaker 4: been pushed up to President Trump, that he has ordained 310 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 4: to take Iran, and it's part of his legacy, just 311 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 4: like Venezuela, and just like Cuba should be part of 312 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 4: his legacy. So the other underneath strain of this is 313 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 4: the fact that, as you guys have heard, is that 314 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 4: this brings on armageddon or the rapture. When you're talking 315 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 4: about the military commanders who said that we are actually 316 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,400 Speaker 4: bringing forth armageddon and the rapture, which you don't know about, 317 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 4: Mike E. Einstein and all the actual complaints about the 318 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 4: commanders talking about this. So, Steven Ken, I mean, you 319 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:19,679 Speaker 4: guys know this, but there's this underlying sort of Christian 320 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 4: nationalist reason based on perceived prophecy, but also based on 321 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 4: the rapture in Armageddon, which is revelatory prophecy and revelations. 322 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 4: It also has been bubbling massively up not only on 323 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 4: social media but as stated by military commanders. So I 324 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:36,640 Speaker 4: think that's another part. 325 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 3: Steve. 326 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:41,640 Speaker 4: You're right, the imminent threat is also the revelatory imminent threat, right, 327 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 4: the god based or dame threat where Donald Trump was 328 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:45,640 Speaker 4: supposed to take out run. 329 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: It's always encouraging to think about that. 330 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 4: Well, it's hard not to laugh when you're saying it, 331 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:56,960 Speaker 4: but it's just so dangerous. 332 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: It's just anybody who dismisses what it is that you're saying, 333 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: I urge you to look at the pictures of Pastor 334 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: Paula and others laying hands on Donald Trump in the 335 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:17,199 Speaker 1: Oval office, and the religious nuttery around him. The environment 336 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: where no one can tell Donald Trump he's wrong about anything, 337 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: where everything is going perfectly. That's the environment that all 338 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,880 Speaker 1: of this has taking place in, all the decision making 339 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:29,919 Speaker 1: he's taking place in. 340 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 3: And it's and it's very dangerous. 341 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: And so let's let's get into the next phase of 342 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: this with these conditions, with these reasons, with that underlying rationale. Uh. 343 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:47,160 Speaker 1: Pete Hagsath, of course, is festooned with Christian nationalist tattoos. 344 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:53,160 Speaker 1: And it's any type of religious nationalism is incompatible with democracy. 345 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: It's incompatible in a in a republic. It's an affront 346 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 1: to the separation of church and state in the American 347 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: constitutional system, and it's deadly. 348 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 3: Uh. 349 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: There's there's nowhere in the world where there are religious 350 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: governments where death does not ride shotgun. And so that's 351 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:20,920 Speaker 1: a that's a very important thing to talk about. One 352 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: of those places is, of course, uh, the Islamic Republic 353 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: of Iran, which is an apocalyptic deocratic state. So at 354 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 1: the beginning of this ken we talked about the fact 355 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: that the Strait of Hormuz is a very narrow waterway. 356 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: And I asked you, I said, Ken Harbaugh, have you, 357 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: during your navy days been through the Strait of Hormuz? 358 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 3: And you were like, yes, I have been through the 359 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 3: Strait of Hormus. 360 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: And and I asked you to describe the Strait of 361 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: Hormus and you were like, the straight of Hormus is 362 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: very narrow. When you go through it, you can see 363 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:11,479 Speaker 1: both sides of it, that is Oman on one side, 364 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:16,879 Speaker 1: Iran on the other. And we talked about before the 365 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: military action started that no air campaign alone, no bombing 366 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: campaign anesthetical to American strategic doctrine on the matter, but 367 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: no air campaign, no bombing campaign, has ever directly led 368 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 1: to regime change. 369 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 3: And you cannot. 370 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 1: Control a waterway, and you particularly can't control a narrow 371 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: waterway in an era of the drone like we talked about. 372 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: So a month into this, the position of the United 373 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: States is that we have not changed regime and we 374 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: do not have control of the Strait of Hormuz. 375 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:07,680 Speaker 3: There and when you. 376 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,880 Speaker 1: Look at the strait of Hormuz, and let's we'll keep 377 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:15,879 Speaker 1: that map up. The Iranian control of it has shut 378 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: off the flow of the world's oil shipping in and 379 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 1: out of there, and that is spiking energy per barrel 380 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: up to two hundred two hundred dollars. And now there's 381 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: talk about the necessity of using ground troops and talk 382 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 1: about taking control of some of these islands. There's a 383 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: long runway eleven twelve thousand feet at bandor a boss 384 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:50,399 Speaker 1: on the coast there, but ringing those coastal areas those 385 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: beaches are seven thousand foot mountains, and so to take territory. Now, 386 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:01,159 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is talking about units like the second Airborne, 387 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 1: the one hundred and first Airborne, the seventy fifth Ranger Regiment, 388 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: a marine expeditionary unit. 389 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,439 Speaker 3: And you look at. 390 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: The map there, and that requires at some level a 391 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 1: combination of airborne assault or helicopter assault, or amphibious assault 392 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 1: or all three in that area. Denver has said there'll 393 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:35,639 Speaker 1: be casualties. But the purpose of landing those ground troops, 394 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:43,159 Speaker 1: I believe would be to lever through a sort of 395 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:48,120 Speaker 1: active hostage, taking the Iranians into opening the strait of horror. 396 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: Mus I'm not sure, if effectively, that that will succeed. 397 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:58,879 Speaker 1: I worry about we have an American force that is 398 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:04,240 Speaker 1: abandoned on the beachhead of a country of ninety three 399 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 1: million people in a waterway, don't We don't control. But 400 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:13,360 Speaker 1: as we get into this next phase, can talk about 401 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 1: the map, about what's going to happen in the chain 402 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:22,040 Speaker 1: of events that that commences as soon as conventional forces 403 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 1: the hit the beaches, land by helicopter, land by parachute, 404 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 1: that in the vicinity of all those coastal cities there 405 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,399 Speaker 1: at that and that Band or Bass area. 406 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 2: Well, you're right, Steve. It is mostly about leverage and 407 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,399 Speaker 2: this idea the president must have that he needs to 408 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 2: he needs to retake the initiative. The Iranians have it. 409 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 2: And for all this chest thumping and high fiving about 410 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,640 Speaker 2: the US having destroyed the Iranian Navy and the Iranian 411 00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 2: Air Force, we shouldn't be too proud of ourselves. I 412 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 2: only need to remind folks that the Iraqi Navy and 413 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 2: the Iraqi Air Force lasted all of five minutes, and 414 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 2: the war lasted a lot longer. Longest wars in America's 415 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 2: history between Iraq and Afghanistan without them having a navy 416 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 2: or an air force. We are going to fight and 417 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 2: possibly lose this war on Iran's terms, not our terms. 418 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 2: And back to the map, Steve, amphibious assault is going 419 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 2: to be really tough if the Iranians continue to control 420 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 2: the Straight of hor Moves, which they will because they 421 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,360 Speaker 2: have the asymmetric advantage here. It is so much easier 422 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,439 Speaker 2: to deny access to a waterway than to open it up. 423 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 2: And just look at minds as one case study. You 424 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,040 Speaker 2: can throw a c mine off the back of a 425 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 2: fishing vessel, off the back of a tugboat. What are 426 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 2: we going to do blow up every fishing vessel and 427 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 2: tugboat in the Gulf. Of course, not as easy as 428 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,359 Speaker 2: they are to lay, they are one hundred times harder 429 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 2: to get out of the water to neutralize. That's why 430 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:01,720 Speaker 2: the Straight of Horror Moves is closed here. I should 431 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 2: caveat that though, Steve, because it's not entirely closed. There 432 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 2: is some oil getting through the Strait of Horror Moves, 433 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 2: and it's Iranian oil. We have actually lifted sanctions on 434 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 2: some Iranian oil. They are making money off of this war, 435 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,400 Speaker 2: even as the price at the pump for Americans has 436 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 2: shot through the roof, so amphibious assault is going to 437 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 2: be very difficult, if not impossible, with the straits being closed, 438 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 2: especially if we're talking about carg Island, which is much 439 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 2: closer to Kuwait than it is to the open side 440 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 2: of the strait. So we're going to have to get 441 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 2: our guys there with ospreys or God help us throw 442 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,920 Speaker 2: them out the back of planes. 443 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 5: And that. 444 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 2: Is dangerous in and of itself. But when you look 445 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 2: at the logistical long tail and the fact that a 446 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 2: marine expeditionary unit only as about fourteen days of supplies, 447 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 2: I do worry about your worst case scenario, Steve, which 448 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 2: is America and troops in contact cut off. 449 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 3: Denver. 450 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 4: Oh yeah. So if you go back to that map 451 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 4: right there where you had the UAE, Oman and Cutter 452 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 4: all on the same line, and if you if you 453 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 4: go in on Uae to the northern tip, they're of UAE. 454 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 4: There's a little place called Russell Kema, right. Rassell Keima 455 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 4: has four hundred thousand people. That's actually one of the 456 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 4: emirates if you go a little bit north, if you 457 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 4: go up a little bit. So I was in Russell 458 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 4: Keima just a few months ago, and I and I 459 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:36,360 Speaker 4: was imagining myself there. You go looking north into Bandora 460 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 4: bas there's a couple of things here. It's it's Ken's 461 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 4: flown the straits or her horr moose. You know, I've 462 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 4: I've been in oman Uae and cutter right, I in 463 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 4: the Straits of Horror Moves and they think thing and 464 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 4: Ken will probably laugh at this. It's not small, it's 465 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 4: it's it's pretty right, yeah, I mean it's huge, right, 466 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 4: and it's so funny. Oh, we're just going to close 467 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 4: you know, We're just going to open up the straight 468 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 4: it's so horror moves, or we're going to be able 469 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 4: to actually have complete dominance there. It's massive. Ken's Wright. Again, 470 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 4: when we talk about drones and asymmetric warfare, there are minds, 471 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 4: and again it goes down to poor planning, doesn't rationalize 472 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 4: or doesn't wish away going after a bad enemy, and 473 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 4: poor planning and bad geopolitical decision making actually puts Americans 474 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 4: in harm's way. But when I was standing there at 475 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,400 Speaker 4: wressel Kama, when I'm looking at that whole area there, 476 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 4: when you're looking at the Straits of Horror Moves, people 477 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 4: need to understand that there's countries there that have nothing 478 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 4: to do with this conflict that are in harm's way also, 479 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 4: and you know there's seven emirates in the UAE when 480 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,719 Speaker 4: you look at Oman. I was there for certain other things, Steve, 481 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 4: you know, back in two thousand and two thousand and one. 482 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 4: But you know it's just an and cutter. You know, 483 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:45,719 Speaker 4: I was there for certain other things, as you know, 484 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 4: howud'd air bases there and things like that. But what 485 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 4: I want to tell people that are watching this show 486 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 4: is that this is a massive task and people need 487 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 4: to heed the warnings you know of people like Steve, 488 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 4: people like Ken, people like me, people that have been there, 489 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 4: done that either on the geo political spectrum or the 490 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 4: military spectrum. People done the mission planning in the flying 491 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:05,720 Speaker 4: like Ken and the Navy, Me and the Air Force. 492 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 4: Right and Steve, you've seen every political decision I think 493 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 4: known to mankind. Right when it comes to these type 494 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 4: of geopolitical decisions, is that Iran is a big deal. 495 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 4: It's a big objective, and if we're not careful, we're 496 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 4: going to get caught up, as Ken suggested, in a 497 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 4: war that's going to be almost impossible to actually leave 498 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 4: because we're going to get to a point. Are we 499 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 4: going to control the oil field? 500 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 2: Steve? 501 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 4: As you said, right, what are we going to do there? 502 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 3: Right? 503 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 4: As Ken said, are we going to destroy every fishing boat? 504 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 4: It's so ludicrous that we don't have a specific mission 505 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 4: objective on why we did this. That's why you put 506 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,040 Speaker 4: troops in harms way, That's why you need adults in 507 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 4: the room. And right now you have this sort of infantalized, 508 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 4: sort of authorized use to military force, this AMUF action 509 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 4: that really has no basis right and why we should 510 00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,320 Speaker 4: be there right now because the reasons don't make sense, 511 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 4: and that puts people in harms way, and it makes 512 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 4: Americans less safe. 513 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: How right our people to be worried? I know that 514 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 1: I am ken about the use of ground troops, marine 515 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 1: expeditionary units, airborne units, air assault units of the US 516 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 1: Army Ranger regiments, all of the tip of the spear 517 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: units in an environment where the Pentagon is releasing a 518 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: lot of puerile, juvenile propaganda. And you watch Pete Hagsath 519 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: unable to take accountability, unable to accept responsibility, constantly aggrieved, 520 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 1: beating on the press, evading accountability for all of this 521 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: going off the rails. 522 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 3: How worried are you or. 523 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: Should we be about the emotional immaturity of the war 524 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: planners with American lives at stake and the storied history 525 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 1: of these units, wanting to use the eighty second Airborne 526 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:16,959 Speaker 1: to go brag about the eighty second Airborne's combat jump 527 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:21,120 Speaker 1: out onto Corg Island or somewhere else, you know, just 528 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: in time for the Sean Hannity Show, just in time 529 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:29,920 Speaker 1: for for Fox and Friends, the you know war by 530 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: the former Fox host and Fox contributor, you know, made 531 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: to titillate the appetites of the Fox News audience. 532 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 3: What is that? Is that fair to worry about? 533 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:49,040 Speaker 2: I think that is very fair to worry about. What 534 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 2: worries me most of all is that I'm not sure 535 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:55,720 Speaker 2: there is anyone left in the administration that is telling 536 00:33:56,280 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 2: the President what could go wrong, that is laying out 537 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 2: the worst case scenarios. And that is the most frustrating 538 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 2: thing for me. Because we have probably a dozen contingency 539 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:09,200 Speaker 2: plans for the closing of the strait of horror moves. 540 00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:12,200 Speaker 2: We have been practicing this for literally decades. It's something 541 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 2: that I drilled as an ISR pilot with Fifth Fleet, 542 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 2: knowing that on page one of the Iranian military's playbook 543 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:22,520 Speaker 2: was closed the Strait of Horror. Mus We've got all 544 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 2: kinds of worst case scenarios mapped out and reactions to them, 545 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,440 Speaker 2: and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the first 546 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:33,600 Speaker 2: person who threw that worst case scenario plan on Donald 547 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 2: Trump's desk was summarily dismissed. He does not want to 548 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,200 Speaker 2: hear how badly things can go, as evidence by the 549 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 2: fact that he reportedly told the military, let's do this 550 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:46,000 Speaker 2: one like we did Venezuela. They are totally different. And 551 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 2: if you don't have anyone who is willing to tell 552 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,399 Speaker 2: the president that things could go sideways and you need 553 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:53,479 Speaker 2: to be prepared for this, then you're going to get 554 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:57,200 Speaker 2: in situations like we're in right now. The very fact that, 555 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:02,120 Speaker 2: when asked why we weren't prepared for all of these 556 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:05,799 Speaker 2: drones hitting our allies, hitting embassies, hitting high rises, the 557 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,560 Speaker 2: President said, well, it all happened so fast, or that 558 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:11,720 Speaker 2: Pete Hegseth, when challenged about the closure of the Strait 559 00:35:11,719 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 2: of Hormus, said well, it's not closed except for the 560 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 2: Iranian missiles and mines. As you said, infantilization of the 561 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:23,799 Speaker 2: military planning that went into this. As as scary as 562 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 2: things look right now, when you're talking about the eighty 563 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:29,680 Speaker 2: second Airborne or a marine expeditionary unit, when you're talking 564 00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:33,000 Speaker 2: about thousands of American boots on the ground, this could 565 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 2: get exponentially, exponentially worse if you don't have someone briefing 566 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:42,120 Speaker 2: the president on what could go wrong. 567 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 1: Does an amphibious assault on Carg Island mean that the 568 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 1: Marines will be under fire coming around that closest point 569 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 1: of proximity on their way to Cargo Island the entire way, 570 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:05,160 Speaker 1: what does that look like? 571 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 2: I think that's off the table. I don't know how 572 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 2: you can get those landing ships that far through the 573 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:16,080 Speaker 2: Straits of Hormuz along the coast of Iran. I think 574 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,360 Speaker 2: they're going to have to leave an osprey's from Kuwait 575 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,800 Speaker 2: or nearby Allied territories and try to take the airfield. 576 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 2: People forget that Carg Island also has twenty thousand people 577 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:33,560 Speaker 2: on it. It's not some desolate oil production terminal. It 578 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,359 Speaker 2: has twenty thousand people on it, and it is going 579 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 2: to be reinforced. And the real nightmare scenario is the 580 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,759 Speaker 2: kind of urban environment that we found ourselves in in 581 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:47,239 Speaker 2: a rock, and the minute we find ourselves in that 582 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,719 Speaker 2: kind of situation, it's a rock, I would say two 583 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,840 Speaker 2: point zero, but it's really a rock on steroids because 584 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 2: Iran is bigger, it's it's more hardened, and they have 585 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,680 Speaker 2: four hundred and sixty kilogram of enriched uranium. The canard 586 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 2: that got us into a rock weapons of mass destruction 587 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:07,600 Speaker 2: is actually real with Iran, and we have only made 588 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:08,080 Speaker 2: it worse. 589 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:15,120 Speaker 4: You know, I can't really can sort of can? He 590 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 4: had to perfect, right, it's perfect. And here's the other 591 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 4: thing too, When he talks about the twenty thousand people 592 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:22,360 Speaker 4: and Ken, that was perfect segue for what I was 593 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,279 Speaker 4: about to say, because that's what was this setup is 594 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 4: are we prepared for drone warfare now in that region? 595 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:31,120 Speaker 4: Are we mission planning appropriately based on the Iranian threat? 596 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:33,359 Speaker 4: When you're talking about that at this point, If there's 597 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,680 Speaker 4: twenty thousand people there, and I think Ken's go. You know, 598 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,919 Speaker 4: we were in carsone, right, there's twenty thousand people there 599 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 4: and people have drones or there's drones there with specific 600 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 4: types of units. Are the Marines ready for drone warfare? 601 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:48,799 Speaker 4: Literal drone warfare, especially with any type of entry. Any 602 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 4: egress or ingress into the island itself is going to 603 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 4: be fraught, right with threats. I mean, if I'm an 604 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 4: intelligence mission planner, after what I've seen so far, I'm like, hey, guys, 605 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:01,719 Speaker 4: we're gonna look at We're gonna have to look first 606 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:03,640 Speaker 4: before we go there. How about I look at where 607 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:06,239 Speaker 4: maybe drone launch points are and what the ranges are 608 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:09,359 Speaker 4: for all the different types of heads and fpvs. As 609 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,520 Speaker 4: we're doing our mission plan. It's not just initial points, 610 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 4: it's not just ips, right, it's not just landing zones 611 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 4: or time over targets. Let's look at what the actual 612 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:20,560 Speaker 4: uav UAS threat's gonna be. The unmanned aerial vehicle on 613 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,560 Speaker 4: unmanned aerial systems, the combined system threat is going to 614 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,480 Speaker 4: be on our troops as our lands. So Ken's exactly right. 615 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 4: Everything that he said beaming to the punch, he knows 616 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,920 Speaker 4: this so well, wonderful. But also are they mission planning 617 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:36,720 Speaker 4: for the asymmetric threat? And I have this bizarre almost 618 00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 4: expectation that they might not be taking that threat seriously yet, 619 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:41,960 Speaker 4: even on everything that we've seen. 620 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:47,800 Speaker 3: And so the mission will involve. 621 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:54,799 Speaker 1: Taking the airport at bound or Boss and taking the 622 00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 1: peaks around bound or Boss, you know that are up 623 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:01,640 Speaker 1: to seven thousand feet that we'll have to control all 624 00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:06,319 Speaker 1: of that territory in order to resupply the mission for 625 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:11,239 Speaker 1: American forces on Cork Island and other places. And we'll 626 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 1: be doing so in a country with ninety three million troops. 627 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:19,080 Speaker 1: And I just I think back to Donald Drumsfell too, 628 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:25,840 Speaker 1: through his arrogance, wanted to invade Iraq with a number 629 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 1: in his head that was insufficient to the task. And 630 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:34,040 Speaker 1: in this case, we're going to have some number of 631 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:38,920 Speaker 1: American troops. That's a fraction of the American troops that 632 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:43,360 Speaker 1: took down the Saddam regime in one hundred hours before 633 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 1: setting off an insurgency that turned the hundred hours into 634 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:52,839 Speaker 1: America's longest war. But that's unfathomable to think about that. 635 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:57,880 Speaker 1: We're going to put thirty thousand or twenty thousand or 636 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand American worses on the ground. 637 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,440 Speaker 3: Without a plan for what comes next. 638 00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:10,560 Speaker 1: And it's very easy to see how that number expands 639 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 1: exponentially and geometrically in a country of ninety three million 640 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:22,799 Speaker 1: million people. It's a horrifying prospect. Do you think I'm 641 00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:26,520 Speaker 1: overreacting to. 642 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:28,759 Speaker 2: To that or I don't. And this administration lives in 643 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:33,080 Speaker 2: a complete fantasy world when it comes to military planning. 644 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:39,080 Speaker 2: Military planners are taught to let the reality dictate the requirements, 645 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 2: the reality of the combat environment, the reality of the 646 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:47,520 Speaker 2: geopolitical situation that needs to determine the requirements for achieving 647 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,960 Speaker 2: the desired outcomes. This administration does it backwards. They decide 648 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:55,400 Speaker 2: what their requirements are, what they have, and they adjust 649 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:59,400 Speaker 2: the reality to what they have. So if they've only got, 650 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 2: you know, a few thousand troops, if they only want 651 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:06,920 Speaker 2: to risk an EMU, well then they adjust the reality 652 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:09,920 Speaker 2: to comport with that. And it is exactly what Donald 653 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,279 Speaker 2: Rumsfeld did when the military briefers told him, you are 654 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,880 Speaker 2: going to need three hundred thousand people to achieve your 655 00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:20,520 Speaker 2: stated end goals in Iraq, he said, well, we can 656 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:23,719 Speaker 2: only politically afford one hundred thousand, so let's adjust the 657 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:26,160 Speaker 2: reality to the fact that I can only get one 658 00:41:26,239 --> 00:41:29,480 Speaker 2: hundred thousand people in a rock. And we saw what happened. 659 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:34,279 Speaker 2: We are doing that much worse this time. Like on steroids, 660 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:38,480 Speaker 2: we are inventing new realities. We being the Trump administration, 661 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:45,160 Speaker 2: the Trump regime to comport with the fantasy of being 662 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:49,360 Speaker 2: able to pressure the Iranian regime with airpower alone, ignoring 663 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 2: the threat to the Strait of horror moves, ignoring the 664 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,040 Speaker 2: fact that they have four hundred and sixty kilos of 665 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:59,719 Speaker 2: enriched uranium, again and again and again, and no one's 666 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:02,359 Speaker 2: going to bail Trump out on this. NATO's not going 667 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,839 Speaker 2: to bail them out. Uh, the the golf Allies are 668 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:08,640 Speaker 2: not going to bail them out. I've done a lot 669 00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:11,120 Speaker 2: of these interviews, Steve, and I keep getting asked, what's next. 670 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:15,520 Speaker 2: I don't know. Pandora's box has been opened and and 671 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:16,359 Speaker 2: we're in it now. 672 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, no, no doubt, no doubt about that. Ken. 673 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:26,080 Speaker 1: When you were in Kirsan and you were making that movie, 674 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:29,960 Speaker 1: I know that you were caught at the front because 675 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:36,360 Speaker 1: of the historic attack the Ukrainians had made using drones, 676 00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 1: penetrating deep into Russian territory. And I forget the details 677 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:47,120 Speaker 1: of it other than the eighteen wheelers that that that 678 00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:50,920 Speaker 1: that the drones deployed from the roof the top of 679 00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:57,200 Speaker 1: the trucks popped open, the drones flew out, and maybe 680 00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:00,000 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about the details of that mission. 681 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 1: But I want you to talk about it in the 682 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: context to the threat warnings the FBI has made about 683 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:13,239 Speaker 1: the Iranian ability to operate drones on American territory, in 684 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:17,279 Speaker 1: the United States, in the American homeland and target an 685 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:22,160 Speaker 1: American base in American city and American public gathering. 686 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:23,200 Speaker 3: And to. 687 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:27,279 Speaker 1: Ask you to assess if you think or if you 688 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:30,040 Speaker 1: feel that that's a credible threat. 689 00:43:31,239 --> 00:43:33,280 Speaker 2: Well, I'll do the first half and then I'll punt 690 00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:38,680 Speaker 2: to Denver who runs a tech company and is focusing 691 00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:43,560 Speaker 2: on drones. When we were in Ukraine during Operation Spiderweb, 692 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:46,520 Speaker 2: which was the name of the Ukrainian mission that prepositioned 693 00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:50,479 Speaker 2: probably around a million dollars worth of drones, not much, 694 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:54,080 Speaker 2: but over the course of many months they planned this 695 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:59,680 Speaker 2: mission out. They staged these container trucks near Russian strategic 696 00:43:59,719 --> 00:44:03,239 Speaker 2: Base is the panels opened up, the drones launched, and 697 00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:09,240 Speaker 2: they did just incalculable damage to Putin's strategic fleet. Close 698 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 2: to a third of his strategic ISR platforms and bombers 699 00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:17,000 Speaker 2: were destroyed. By the way, the US was not advised 700 00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:21,319 Speaker 2: about this mission at any point. There was zero confidence 701 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:25,080 Speaker 2: that I see that our president could keep it a secret. 702 00:44:25,239 --> 00:44:29,320 Speaker 2: So the Ukrainians planned this by themselves, They deployed by themselves. 703 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:33,960 Speaker 2: They launched these attacks by themselves and did incredible damage 704 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:38,759 Speaker 2: to Putin's strategic fleet. We were there as it was unfolding, 705 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:41,160 Speaker 2: obviously had nothing to do with it. But in the 706 00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:46,280 Speaker 2: aftermath Putin launched what was at that point his largest 707 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:50,439 Speaker 2: air assault of the war, both against Ukrainian cities and 708 00:44:50,920 --> 00:44:53,880 Speaker 2: Denver and I found ourselves in Odessa on the receiving 709 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:56,520 Speaker 2: end of one of those waves of attacks, and on 710 00:44:56,600 --> 00:45:00,840 Speaker 2: the front. I was the night before as Operation Spider 711 00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:03,080 Speaker 2: Web was going down. I was in a trench with 712 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:07,440 Speaker 2: Ukrainian commons Kasi drone pilots and we were pinned down 713 00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:10,959 Speaker 2: for twenty hours because I imagine the order went out, throw 714 00:45:11,320 --> 00:45:16,319 Speaker 2: everything you have at the Ukrainians. Vladimir's is angry. In 715 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:19,440 Speaker 2: terms of the threat to the US homeland. We have 716 00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:22,799 Speaker 2: no answer for anything like this. And it doesn't have 717 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:26,440 Speaker 2: to be drones popping out of a container on a flatbed. 718 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:30,000 Speaker 2: It can be on a container ship, it can be anything. 719 00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:34,560 Speaker 2: A drone, the kind of drone that takes out a 720 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:37,800 Speaker 2: two hundred million dollar bomber can fit in the palm 721 00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:40,560 Speaker 2: of your hand. Denver. You want to run with it. 722 00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:43,840 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I mean, and you know it's so incredible Steve, 723 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,640 Speaker 4: what Ken is talking about as me. And you know, 724 00:45:46,719 --> 00:45:50,280 Speaker 4: Ken and I were actually in Carson during operations Spider Web, 725 00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:52,200 Speaker 4: and I remember being on the radio and Ken, this 726 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:54,480 Speaker 4: is a personal thing, Steve, I think you appreciate it. 727 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,520 Speaker 4: I remember I think I was coming out of carosone 728 00:45:56,960 --> 00:46:01,080 Speaker 4: on the carosone Miklive Highway, were radio contract trying to 729 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,080 Speaker 4: make sure Ken was okay. So Ken, as you know, 730 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:04,960 Speaker 4: you know, we were a little worried, you know, on 731 00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:08,919 Speaker 4: that twenty hour roll. And I was driving a left 732 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:13,200 Speaker 4: handed stick Honda that was given to And by the way, 733 00:46:13,239 --> 00:46:16,080 Speaker 4: if nobody's driven a left handed stick right hand drive ever, 734 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:18,680 Speaker 4: even if you're a stick shift driving full like I am, 735 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:21,080 Speaker 4: it's a little bit weird coming out of Caro Son 736 00:46:21,160 --> 00:46:23,360 Speaker 4: as fast as you can right in a Honda that 737 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:25,360 Speaker 4: keeps breaking down and we have to push start. So 738 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:29,080 Speaker 4: really good for drone stuff, But when you're talking about drones, 739 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:33,200 Speaker 4: we're building surveillance drones. And right now, what I've asked 740 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:35,479 Speaker 4: my guys to do. If you're talking about drone warfare, Steve, 741 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:37,560 Speaker 4: and you're talking about how how awful it can be, 742 00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:40,120 Speaker 4: I've asked my guys if I can build a drone 743 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:43,759 Speaker 4: in twelve minutes using three D printers, because I think 744 00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:47,240 Speaker 4: we can build a drone on stage very very quickly, 745 00:46:47,920 --> 00:46:50,120 Speaker 4: and I wondered if that was possible. Also, when you're 746 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:51,960 Speaker 4: looking at motors, when you're looking at the ability to 747 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:54,840 Speaker 4: weaponize a drone, it's quite easy. There's a reason I 748 00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:59,000 Speaker 4: think North Korea doesn't allow drone sales, right, So I 749 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:01,319 Speaker 4: think I think that's where we're at. But when you're 750 00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:04,040 Speaker 4: talking about drone warfare, buddy, when you're talking about threats 751 00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:08,040 Speaker 4: to the homeland, I mean we're getting to a point. 752 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:11,120 Speaker 4: If people aren't aware by this point or this time 753 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 4: that drone warfare is the future, there is no doubt, 754 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:18,479 Speaker 4: there's no way around it. And when you're talking about 755 00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:21,840 Speaker 4: AI and you're linking that with drones and their ability 756 00:47:21,840 --> 00:47:24,520 Speaker 4: to communicate over radio links, and the fact is, Steve, 757 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:26,880 Speaker 4: do you know you can buy a radar for a drone, 758 00:47:26,920 --> 00:47:29,600 Speaker 4: a low weight radar. You can build it for about 759 00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:30,680 Speaker 4: two hundred dollars. 760 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:31,319 Speaker 3: Right. 761 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:33,759 Speaker 4: That radar can actually see way out right, you can 762 00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:36,560 Speaker 4: actually see other drones coming in. So now you have 763 00:47:36,719 --> 00:47:40,760 Speaker 4: radar and weaponize drones that are out there rolling around 764 00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:43,319 Speaker 4: that talk to each other, can identify targets and take 765 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:45,360 Speaker 4: humans out of the loop for a lot of these things. 766 00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:49,799 Speaker 4: And it's not that hard now, it's just it's not 767 00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:54,000 Speaker 4: just easy. But when you're building deployable surveillance drones like 768 00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:58,560 Speaker 4: we're doing using AI back you know, using AI backhaul, right, 769 00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:01,200 Speaker 4: and you're able to identify targets out to six hundred 770 00:48:01,239 --> 00:48:05,080 Speaker 4: meters even license plates, people need to realize that drone warfare, 771 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:08,240 Speaker 4: drone surveillance, this isn't going away. This is the future, 772 00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:10,279 Speaker 4: and we better get our arms around it. 773 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:19,080 Speaker 1: When you look at what's going on in Iran, can't 774 00:48:19,719 --> 00:48:24,640 Speaker 1: I can't process it in any way right now outside 775 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:29,800 Speaker 1: of a binary in the sense that I can't see 776 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:35,719 Speaker 1: how Donald hasn't cornered himself into a position where he 777 00:48:35,800 --> 00:48:44,040 Speaker 1: can only go forward meaning escalate, or backwards meaning withdrawal 778 00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:45,280 Speaker 1: in and retreat. 779 00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:48,240 Speaker 3: He has no other option. 780 00:48:48,719 --> 00:48:54,600 Speaker 1: Is that he's fighting alone without allies. That there are 781 00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:59,120 Speaker 1: multiple rationales that were offered for the war, there is 782 00:48:59,200 --> 00:49:03,040 Speaker 1: no broad public support for it, there is no tolerance 783 00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:07,360 Speaker 1: for sacrifices for difficulty. 784 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:08,000 Speaker 3: That is required. 785 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:15,680 Speaker 1: So his ego is pulling him forward towards an escalation 786 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:18,120 Speaker 1: because no one can tell him the truth and no 787 00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:24,920 Speaker 1: one can tell him no and and reality, the core 788 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:29,719 Speaker 1: facts on the ground, should be pulling him backwards, uh, 789 00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:35,080 Speaker 1: towards a retreat from this position to declare victory and 790 00:49:35,239 --> 00:49:38,160 Speaker 1: to and to step back. But it doesn't look like 791 00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:41,640 Speaker 1: he's doing that. It looks like he's moving forward to 792 00:49:41,680 --> 00:49:45,040 Speaker 1: an escalation. When when I when I look at this 793 00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:49,560 Speaker 1: and I assess this through that frame that he has 794 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:56,919 Speaker 1: cornered himself and that directionally he's got forward and he's 795 00:49:56,920 --> 00:50:01,280 Speaker 1: got backward, he's got escalation where he's got withdrawal or retreat? 796 00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:02,400 Speaker 3: Am I missing something? 797 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:07,080 Speaker 2: I think the wild card you're missing, Steve, And I 798 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:11,399 Speaker 2: hate to even bring it up, but this president views 799 00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:16,720 Speaker 2: himself in historic terms, thinks he is and everyone around 800 00:50:16,760 --> 00:50:19,600 Speaker 2: him is telling him he is the greatest president in 801 00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:23,080 Speaker 2: American history. The things he talks about doing are the 802 00:50:23,160 --> 00:50:28,239 Speaker 2: kinds of things that he thinks make a president's reputation 803 00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:31,480 Speaker 2: for the next one hundred two hundred thousand years. I 804 00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:37,000 Speaker 2: think he thinks in those epical terms, and I don't 805 00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:40,000 Speaker 2: think we can rule out the potential use of nuclear 806 00:50:40,040 --> 00:50:44,240 Speaker 2: weapons when you have a president that is that megale 807 00:50:44,320 --> 00:50:48,680 Speaker 2: maniacal and who has that few options and for whom 808 00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:57,160 Speaker 2: retreat is becoming increasingly untenable. I wouldn't be surprised if, 809 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:01,080 Speaker 2: in his dark moments he's thinking about how the use 810 00:51:01,080 --> 00:51:04,200 Speaker 2: of a nuclear weapon would etch his name in the 811 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:09,480 Speaker 2: history books, which leads to the the ultimate question for 812 00:51:09,560 --> 00:51:12,720 Speaker 2: me as a as a veteran and someone who writes 813 00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:16,960 Speaker 2: a lot about the US military and constitutional crises. Will 814 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:21,040 Speaker 2: the military hold will our culture of fidelity to the 815 00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:27,280 Speaker 2: constitution survive this moment? And will the will the military 816 00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:30,480 Speaker 2: leadership be able to say no in a moment of 817 00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:35,960 Speaker 2: maximum danger when asked to do something that catastrophic And frankly, 818 00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:37,319 Speaker 2: I don't know the answer. 819 00:51:39,120 --> 00:51:40,759 Speaker 3: Denver, and. 820 00:51:42,320 --> 00:51:44,520 Speaker 4: I never thought as a mission planner myself that one 821 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:46,719 Speaker 4: of my courses of action would be while we could 822 00:51:46,719 --> 00:51:50,080 Speaker 4: go nuclear? Right, Steve again, like, you know, it's one 823 00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:53,000 Speaker 4: of those things you're like, this is this is bizarre, 824 00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:56,920 Speaker 4: it's crazy, But I also look that, you know again, 825 00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:58,719 Speaker 4: I know this might be a slant angle here, but 826 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:02,400 Speaker 4: it's almost like he's really taking this rehemisphering from the 827 00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:05,880 Speaker 4: Project twenty twenty five playbook to a new level, and 828 00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:09,120 Speaker 4: it's just incredible to me when you're talking about the 829 00:52:09,200 --> 00:52:12,200 Speaker 4: US controlling certain parts of the world and splitting that 830 00:52:12,320 --> 00:52:14,279 Speaker 4: up between Russia and China, which is part of the 831 00:52:14,280 --> 00:52:18,080 Speaker 4: rehemisphering sort of strategic direction the Project twenty twenty twenty 832 00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:20,840 Speaker 4: twenty five laid out, but also sort of what he 833 00:52:20,920 --> 00:52:23,200 Speaker 4: used and what is people use, like Hegseth for us 834 00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:26,160 Speaker 4: going into Venezuela. When you combine that with a guy 835 00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:29,919 Speaker 4: who's not made one rational decision yet when it comes 836 00:52:29,960 --> 00:52:33,640 Speaker 4: to this Iranian war, I don't think Ken's out of bounds. 837 00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:35,720 Speaker 4: I mean that's the thing that people need to realize. 838 00:52:35,719 --> 00:52:38,759 Speaker 4: When you have somebody who doesn't seem to have a 839 00:52:38,800 --> 00:52:42,880 Speaker 4: real decision tree based on reality and foreign policy, it 840 00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:45,120 Speaker 4: gets pretty nuts. And then there's this other thing that 841 00:52:45,520 --> 00:52:47,360 Speaker 4: Ken and I and Steve you too probably have to 842 00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:52,239 Speaker 4: deal with or former American troops manant we don't want 843 00:52:52,239 --> 00:52:57,040 Speaker 4: another American service member hurt in any way, we don't 844 00:52:57,080 --> 00:52:58,920 Speaker 4: learn any more casualties. And then you get caught in 845 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:02,800 Speaker 4: this weird thing, Steve, where you're like, Okay, it's bad people, 846 00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:05,360 Speaker 4: but we're there maybe for the wrong reasons. With awful 847 00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:08,720 Speaker 4: policy and mission planning. They lied about why they're there. 848 00:53:09,239 --> 00:53:10,480 Speaker 4: But now we're like, do we got to get out 849 00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:12,239 Speaker 4: there as quickly as possible? Do we need to get 850 00:53:12,239 --> 00:53:15,319 Speaker 4: this conflict over as quickly as possible? Yes, So now 851 00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:17,279 Speaker 4: you're caught between this rock and a hard place. If 852 00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:20,040 Speaker 4: you can think in a nuanced way, is that now 853 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,040 Speaker 4: we have to support our American troops in any way 854 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:23,320 Speaker 4: that we can because we need to get out of 855 00:53:23,360 --> 00:53:25,520 Speaker 4: there fast. We need to get this over with. Now, 856 00:53:25,880 --> 00:53:28,359 Speaker 4: we got to get out right one way or the other. 857 00:53:28,440 --> 00:53:31,279 Speaker 4: Now is that complete victory or is it us just saying, Hey, 858 00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:34,640 Speaker 4: we just declare complete victory and get out. And my 859 00:53:34,680 --> 00:53:37,040 Speaker 4: biggest fear, and I think Ken downstream, is this is 860 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:40,120 Speaker 4: what he's voicing. Is that based on this sort of 861 00:53:40,120 --> 00:53:43,080 Speaker 4: irrational decision tree that you have that comes from his legacy, 862 00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:47,600 Speaker 4: from prophecy, from whatever it's coming from, Iran is now 863 00:53:47,680 --> 00:53:51,759 Speaker 4: part of his legacy thinking and his this narcissixts a 864 00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:54,440 Speaker 4: way of looking at the world. And I don't know 865 00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:58,239 Speaker 4: how we get through this. You know, I think I'm 866 00:53:58,239 --> 00:54:00,600 Speaker 4: above more on Steve and Ken right when it comes 867 00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:04,400 Speaker 4: to I Q so, but it's very difficult to see 868 00:54:04,880 --> 00:54:07,800 Speaker 4: what the extraction point is unless he thinks it's actually 869 00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:12,640 Speaker 4: annihilation of certain portions of the Iranian land mass or 870 00:54:12,760 --> 00:54:15,680 Speaker 4: parts of their capabilities, whether it's an energy or oil 871 00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:19,080 Speaker 4: where he thinks the next nuclear place is because he 872 00:54:19,080 --> 00:54:21,279 Speaker 4: said it was obliterated, but we're still going after it. 873 00:54:21,400 --> 00:54:23,920 Speaker 4: So that's what scares me as a military mission planner, 874 00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:26,239 Speaker 4: and this take politics out of it, is that what 875 00:54:26,280 --> 00:54:28,000 Speaker 4: does that look like for American troops on the ground, 876 00:54:28,040 --> 00:54:29,520 Speaker 4: What does it look like for airman and sailors? What 877 00:54:29,520 --> 00:54:31,960 Speaker 4: does it look like for marines? Because I love those people, 878 00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:35,600 Speaker 4: and that's the that's the conundrum I always find myself 879 00:54:35,600 --> 00:54:37,240 Speaker 4: in when we have this discussion. 880 00:54:39,440 --> 00:54:44,560 Speaker 1: Really frightening stuff. The war will continue to escalate this week. 881 00:54:44,719 --> 00:54:48,640 Speaker 1: Donald Trumps no way out. He knew already out of 882 00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:53,320 Speaker 1: plan and we had a real crisis on our hands. 883 00:54:54,440 --> 00:54:57,719 Speaker 1: Bank both Ken Harbaugh and Denver Regelmann for the hour 884 00:54:57,840 --> 00:55:01,719 Speaker 1: for the conversation this morning will be We will be 885 00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:04,799 Speaker 1: back next week. I'm Steve Schmidt with the warning Can 886 00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:09,799 Speaker 1: Harbaugh of the Count Harbaugh Show, and find Denver Riggelmann 887 00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:15,080 Speaker 1: on substack as well. The former member of Congress the 888 00:55:15,200 --> 00:55:21,759 Speaker 1: January sixth Committee, Denver, great pleasure to have you on 889 00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:23,240 Speaker 1: this Sunday morning as well. 890 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:24,240 Speaker 3: Thank you both. 891 00:55:24,360 --> 00:55:27,799 Speaker 1: Thank you everybody for taking some time to join with 892 00:55:27,880 --> 00:55:32,640 Speaker 1: us to talk about this war, pay attention to it. Tragically, 893 00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:35,480 Speaker 1: it is not going well and it is going to 894 00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:40,640 Speaker 1: get worse and more dangerous as Donald Trump moves forward 895 00:55:40,800 --> 00:55:48,320 Speaker 1: with introducing ground troops regular forces into combat in Iran. 896 00:55:48,840 --> 00:55:51,839 Speaker 1: And we'll talk more next week. I'm Steve Schmidt. Have 897 00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:52,480 Speaker 1: a good day. 898 00:55:53,800 --> 00:57:16,920 Speaker 2: Thanks