WEBVTT - Mike Lyons Joins A&G

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<v Speaker 1>The terrifying moments of Russian missile strikes captured in video

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<v Speaker 1>circulating online. The target President Zelenski's hometown. But this wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>a military science. It was innocent families at home when

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<v Speaker 1>a missile tore a hole through their apartment block. At

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<v Speaker 1>least six people were killed in the attack, including a

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<v Speaker 1>ten year old girl, and at least seventy five injured.

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<v Speaker 1>The Russian Defense minister making it clear it's increasing attacks

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<v Speaker 1>in response to a dramatic drone strike in Moscow Sunday

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<v Speaker 1>hitting a building housing government offices.

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<v Speaker 2>So the Ukrainians hit some government offices in Moscow, putin

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<v Speaker 2>hits back at Zelensky's hometown with just residential apartment buildings,

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<v Speaker 2>killing people, and says stated out loud, Yeah, this is

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<v Speaker 2>retaliation for doing that. Let's get an update on Ukraine,

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<v Speaker 2>that situation and everything else going on with the military

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<v Speaker 2>analyst Mike Leins, who served the United States military in

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<v Speaker 2>a variety of capacities through the years and it now

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<v Speaker 2>respected military analyst for CNN, among other places. Hello, Mike,

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<v Speaker 2>how are.

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<v Speaker 3>You Kiwani guy? It's great to be back with you

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<v Speaker 3>that back.

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<v Speaker 2>And forth aside saw you on CNN the of the

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<v Speaker 2>day talking about the counter offensive and how it's showing

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<v Speaker 2>some signs of life and maybe they've found a weak

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<v Speaker 2>spot in the Russian line. What's that story all about?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, yeah, I think so. I think there's a little

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<v Speaker 3>kink in the armor here of the Russians of this

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<v Speaker 3>long Maginer line they've created on this front here eight

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<v Speaker 3>hundred kilometers and for Ukraine to break through, they have

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<v Speaker 3>to concentrate their forces, and it appears so far that

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<v Speaker 3>they've they've gotten through like the first level of what

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<v Speaker 3>are two more defensive lines that they have to get through,

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<v Speaker 3>these mine fere minefields as well as trenches. And by

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<v Speaker 3>taking these two towns, Robiinsk is one of them, I

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<v Speaker 3>know that office appreciate. Within that oblast, they now can

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<v Speaker 3>create a shock effect and try to break through and

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<v Speaker 3>you know, get to the sea os off and you know,

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<v Speaker 3>separate this the southern theater for example, separate Russian troops

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<v Speaker 3>that it would be to their west, get them to surrender,

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<v Speaker 3>and now they threaten Crimea. So they appear to be

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<v Speaker 3>breaking through here. We still don't know whether or not

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<v Speaker 3>that they've made any more progress from what I've read.

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<v Speaker 3>Now they've seem to be somewhat stalled, but if they

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<v Speaker 3>can hold off another thirty days when abrams tanks arrive

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<v Speaker 3>and other combat equipment arise, they might have a chance.

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<v Speaker 2>Mike is non experts, we've been somewhat surprised at how

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<v Speaker 2>effective the mining of landscape has been in holding the

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<v Speaker 2>Ukrainian counteroffensive back. What's the state of the art in

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<v Speaker 2>mind clearing equipment technology.

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<v Speaker 3>It's difficult. There's a couple of things. There's something called

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<v Speaker 3>a myclick that allows you to fire like a pressurized

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<v Speaker 3>charge over an area. So let's think about it as

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<v Speaker 3>a missile that blows up that The mines then are

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<v Speaker 3>blown up because they've become pressurized and they stimulate a

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<v Speaker 3>vehicle running over them. But with the Russians have done,

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<v Speaker 3>they stacked mines two and three deep in some areas here,

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<v Speaker 3>so that Michlik that that mind clearing technology is not

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<v Speaker 3>going to work. So the second part to that is

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<v Speaker 3>things that fit in front mind clearing tanks that go

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<v Speaker 3>in front of the infantry and their way out front

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<v Speaker 3>that looked to kind of scoop them up and push

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<v Speaker 3>them forward so they don't clear the tracks, they don't

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<v Speaker 3>make any kind of damage that way, that way is

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<v Speaker 3>a much slower they get the same kind of progress there.

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<v Speaker 3>The Ukraine military needs more of that kind of equipment.

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<v Speaker 3>They'll use the mich looks, they'll use those mind clearing

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<v Speaker 3>charges in some level, but what's going to really help

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<v Speaker 3>them is both the mind clearing equipment in front of

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<v Speaker 3>tanks as well as bridging equipment, because the second thing

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<v Speaker 3>you could do is put a bridge over it and

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<v Speaker 3>use that as a way to get through a minefield.

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<v Speaker 3>As well.

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<v Speaker 2>On that other thing you were talking about cutting the

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<v Speaker 2>Russian forces in two I was watching me on TV

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<v Speaker 2>and you had the arrows and the map and everything

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<v Speaker 2>like that, and I was trying to picture, like how

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<v Speaker 2>many Russian forces would they be able to put in

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<v Speaker 2>a position of having the surrender. How many thousands are

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<v Speaker 2>we talking about or is it a thousand?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, probably thirty to twenty to thirty thousands along that. Yeah, No,

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<v Speaker 3>it would be huge, And it's something I'm sure that

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<v Speaker 3>you know the the Ukraine's not talking about because that's

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<v Speaker 3>how many troops are in that area defending because Crimea

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<v Speaker 3>is so important to them, and so they when the

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<v Speaker 3>dam was blown a few weeks ago, that that kind

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<v Speaker 3>of moved that line up further let's say east, right

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<v Speaker 3>up up the Nepro River in a certain way, because

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<v Speaker 3>the quickest way would have been to just afford the

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<v Speaker 3>river there and go right for Crimea there. But now

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<v Speaker 3>they've kind of moved it up and so they're now

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<v Speaker 3>they've trapped potentially more Russians on the other side of

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<v Speaker 3>that of that the salient there. So again, then if

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<v Speaker 3>they can break through and create this boundary, the race

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<v Speaker 3>is on too, the Sea of as Office. That is

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<v Speaker 3>what I was saying yesterday, because if they can do

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<v Speaker 3>that and create that kind of spot, they turned their

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<v Speaker 3>weapons now to the west, and they've got thirty thousand

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<v Speaker 3>Russian troops that they can easily take out or make

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<v Speaker 3>them surrender.

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<v Speaker 2>Mike, what do you hear about when various weapons and

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<v Speaker 2>weapons systems might be brought to bear, from tanks to

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<v Speaker 2>F sixteens.

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<v Speaker 3>So that's the issue. Because the tanks won't get there

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<v Speaker 3>until September, they're still going to have to be some

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<v Speaker 3>training on them. They'll make an impact when they get

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<v Speaker 3>to the battlefield. But they also the Ukraine still have

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<v Speaker 3>got to fight combined arms. They're still fighting very serily.

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<v Speaker 3>You saw the video the other day of a BMP

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<v Speaker 3>or an infantry fighting vehicle going into a trench and

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<v Speaker 3>then exposing its entire bottom half and then coming back out.

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<v Speaker 3>They've got to fight combined arms, they got to bring

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<v Speaker 3>an engineer with them at the same time, they've got

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<v Speaker 3>to be shooting artillery. That's what's confusing me right now

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<v Speaker 3>is I don't see the Russian artillery firing up that

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<v Speaker 3>first defensive mindfields and minefield is only good if it's

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<v Speaker 3>covered up. So again, it's going to be a couple

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<v Speaker 3>of months before the tanks get there. I don't see

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<v Speaker 3>the F sixteen is getting there for nine or ten months.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean that's going to be almost a year. And

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<v Speaker 3>the F sixteens that are going are you twenty years old,

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<v Speaker 3>don't have the same technology. The war could be over

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<v Speaker 3>by then if if you know the Ukrainian's kind of

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<v Speaker 3>play this right, I.

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<v Speaker 2>Know you've been studying this kind of stuff your whole life,

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<v Speaker 2>so you'd be a good guy to ask. Just reading

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<v Speaker 2>military history myself, whether it's battles in the Civil War,

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<v Speaker 2>World War two, or whatever, and then watching and modern times,

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<v Speaker 2>how often do plans ever work out? It seems like

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<v Speaker 2>it's just constant like throwing the plan out the window,

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<v Speaker 2>impro improvis improvising after you know, it's the you know,

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<v Speaker 2>the other side gets to say sort of deal or

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<v Speaker 2>you have a plan, but they get to react to

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<v Speaker 2>certain way. Is it Is it as much improvation improvise

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<v Speaker 2>improvising as it looks.

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<v Speaker 3>Like it is. And it's about tactical improvation improvisation of

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<v Speaker 3>you know, whether something happens something tactically like you get

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<v Speaker 3>you know, get a chemical attack or something. We call

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<v Speaker 3>it getting slimed, let's say. But you mean think about

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<v Speaker 3>it in the Grant scheme. You know, the D Day

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<v Speaker 3>invasion was a plan that went off very well. That

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<v Speaker 3>if that has failed, you know, the world's a different

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<v Speaker 3>place today. But in the same token, operation market Garden

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<v Speaker 3>doesn't work. Uh, you know, we didn't get the three

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<v Speaker 3>bridges there. That counter offensive did not work and that

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<v Speaker 3>set us back a few months. And then on the

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<v Speaker 3>other side of the coin determined the Battle of the Balls,

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<v Speaker 3>their counter offensive into Belgium and World War two doesn't work.

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<v Speaker 3>But the US and Allied counter offensive back ends up working.

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<v Speaker 3>So I think you got to look at strategy versus tactics. Right, Strategically,

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<v Speaker 3>what Ukraine has to do is cut Russian forces in half?

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<v Speaker 3>And so where do they cut them in half? The

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<v Speaker 3>tactical decision and if they can pick the right spot

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<v Speaker 3>and get through it, they might be able to be

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<v Speaker 3>more successful.

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<v Speaker 2>Jack, Before I make a transition, do you have another

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<v Speaker 2>Ukraine matter? Okay, we're talking to military analyst Mike Lions

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<v Speaker 2>and Mike a quick personal note and then onto my question.

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<v Speaker 2>I was privileged and moved not long ago to attend

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<v Speaker 2>my brother's retirement ceremony from the United States Navy after

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<v Speaker 2>twenty nine and a half years in the submarine service.

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<v Speaker 2>And it was an amazing ceremony, incredibly moving, dignified, and

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<v Speaker 2>in talking to both my brother and a number of

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<v Speaker 2>his recently retired and soon to retire comrades, the the brilliance, expertise, discipline,

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<v Speaker 2>and patriotism among these men was stunning to behold. And

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not sure America understands the incredible asset that we have.

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<v Speaker 2>Having said that our recruiting numbers are terrible, what do

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<v Speaker 2>we as a country need to do to prevent that

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<v Speaker 2>literally existential threat from getting any worse?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I think we have to get more into high schools.

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<v Speaker 3>We have to get you know, the Navy, I know

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<v Speaker 3>in particular, is trying to, you know, reach out more

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<v Speaker 3>of the army. Recruiting numbers are down. You're seeing unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 3>less family members going. My son's in the Navy right now,

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<v Speaker 3>so it's not become the family business it once was.

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<v Speaker 3>That there was a tremendous amount of veterans and their

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<v Speaker 3>their offspring when into the service. A great question. We've

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<v Speaker 3>got to keep the bar high, though, I don't want

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<v Speaker 3>to lower the bar just just to make a number.

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<v Speaker 3>There's lots of things we could do there, but there's

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<v Speaker 3>tremendous opportunity that the military still does provide. And if

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<v Speaker 3>and again it's just a matter of communication, and and

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<v Speaker 3>and and and kind of caring to all the stuff

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<v Speaker 3>about the military being woke. It's not you go to

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<v Speaker 3>you go to that ship, you go to that stub,

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<v Speaker 3>you go to a battleship. You'll see it's a it's

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<v Speaker 3>a team. What you learn, the life skills you learn

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<v Speaker 3>on that at a very early age, we'll carry you

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<v Speaker 3>for the rest of your life.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it would certainly help too if most of

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<v Speaker 2>our media wasn't cynical at best about military service, but

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<v Speaker 2>conversation for Another Day. Military anist Mike Lyons. Look for

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<v Speaker 2>him on CNN, listen to him here and elsewhere. Mike

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<v Speaker 2>is always great to talk to you.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you, Becky, Thanks for me