WEBVTT - Our Enemy Is Targeting Naval Assets: Mike Lyons Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>The official name of that defensive umbrella is Operation Prosperity Guardian.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a coalition of more than twenty nations that includes

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<v Speaker 1>the United Kingdom, but most of the ships, aircraft, and

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<v Speaker 1>firepower are coming from America. When was the last time

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<v Speaker 1>that the US Navy operated in this place for a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of months?

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<v Speaker 2>I think you'd have to go back to World War

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<v Speaker 2>Two where you have ships who are engaged in combat.

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<v Speaker 2>When I say engagement, combat where they're getting shot at,

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<v Speaker 2>we're getting shot at and we're shooting back.

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<v Speaker 3>You'd have to go back to World War II. Since

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<v Speaker 3>the Navy's been engaged in that sort of thing sustained

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<v Speaker 3>period of time.

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<v Speaker 4>Sounds like combat to me.

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<v Speaker 5>Let's discuss the developments in the Gulf, in the region

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<v Speaker 5>around the world with CNN military analyst Mike Lyons, who

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<v Speaker 5>joins us.

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<v Speaker 4>Mike, thanks great to talk to.

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<v Speaker 6>You, Hey one, guys, great to be back with you.

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<v Speaker 3>So does that sound accurate to you? That's the most

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<v Speaker 3>engagement our Navy's had since World War Two.

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<v Speaker 6>Probably from a naval perspective. If you take out the

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<v Speaker 6>naval air assets that have been participating in combat, you know,

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<v Speaker 6>really in every conflict for the past twenty twenty five years.

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<v Speaker 6>This is you know, combat towards the ships, you know,

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<v Speaker 6>the destroyers, the aircraft careers were always safe, you know,

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<v Speaker 6>naval tactics or protect carry at all costs. Well, now

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<v Speaker 6>they've got to be concerned about that. The fact that

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<v Speaker 6>our enemy is targeting actual naval assets in the water

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<v Speaker 6>is somewhat new. And this new thing is this underwater drone.

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<v Speaker 6>Doing some research on that coming from irun it loiters.

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<v Speaker 6>It's kind of like a loitering torpedo is kind of

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<v Speaker 6>the best way to describe it. And the fact that

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<v Speaker 6>they were able to shoot that out before it got

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<v Speaker 6>close to it. Things are getting dicey. No question for

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<v Speaker 6>the naval operators in the Red Cina.

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<v Speaker 4>Just a quick tangential question, Mike.

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<v Speaker 5>I think a lot about the navy for various reasons,

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<v Speaker 5>both personal and patriotic. I'm troubled by our lack of

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<v Speaker 5>capacity for shipbuilding as China's navy grows.

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<v Speaker 4>By leaves and bounds.

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<v Speaker 5>At the same time, though, with the growings of shistication

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<v Speaker 5>of missiles, both ours and the Chinese in particular, I

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<v Speaker 5>wonder how long a big manned surface fleet is going

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<v Speaker 5>to have the significance it has now.

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<v Speaker 6>Well from a principle of war perspective, it provides mass

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<v Speaker 6>on that domain. So I think that's always going to

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<v Speaker 6>be there. I'm turned about it as well. I do

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<v Speaker 6>think we need to increase our enable capacity, both what

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<v Speaker 6>we have in the water and the sea as well

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<v Speaker 6>as underwater. We're talking about submarines there as well. So

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<v Speaker 6>I do believe that as the Chinese are going to,

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<v Speaker 6>you know, kind of rely on the old school gunboat

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<v Speaker 6>diplomacy and what's happening in the Pacific, we've got to

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<v Speaker 6>match that with similar assets. Now we use our technology

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<v Speaker 6>to gain the advantage. But right now that's being flipped

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<v Speaker 6>on its head. You saw that sixty minutesry for Norah

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<v Speaker 6>O'Donnell talking about you know, we're taking million dollar cruise

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<v Speaker 6>missiles and knocking out ten and fifty thousand dollars drones.

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<v Speaker 6>Let's say with it, because we have to protect our shifts.

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<v Speaker 6>So from an economic perspective, we're not on the right

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<v Speaker 6>side of that. We have to you know, kind of

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<v Speaker 6>figure that as well. We can we get away with

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<v Speaker 6>that because we're prosperous country. We can afford it, but

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<v Speaker 6>we might not be able to afford that in the future,

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<v Speaker 6>especially as these countries change their taxes. I'm concerned about

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<v Speaker 6>swarming technology for example, that's going to impact the battlefield

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<v Speaker 6>on the sea.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I thought it was interesting. I mentioned a couple

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<v Speaker 3>of different times. They're not exactly sure what they're up to,

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<v Speaker 3>Like what's their goal? Picking a fight with the biggest,

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<v Speaker 3>baddest bull in the barn and what you know is

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<v Speaker 3>an attrition like you guys were just talking about her.

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<v Speaker 6>Yeah, I don't know what the Huthi's goal is, just

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<v Speaker 6>just besides from a purely religious perspective, to go meet

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<v Speaker 6>their maker there. It doesn't make sense. And that's why,

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<v Speaker 6>you know, the rational negotiation with these terrorists don't. It

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<v Speaker 6>doesn't go go anywhere because they don't have the same

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<v Speaker 6>you know, kind of value sets we do. So they're

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<v Speaker 6>going to continue to until until where they've been deterred

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<v Speaker 6>or either out of ammunition. They're going to continue to

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<v Speaker 6>do exactly that, and the Ron's going to use them.

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<v Speaker 6>I think it's a laboratory. And again, the submarine rones

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<v Speaker 6>and the surface drones and the things that they're doing,

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<v Speaker 6>these unmanned the things, they're easy to they're easy to

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<v Speaker 6>get there, and they're easy to deploy.

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<v Speaker 3>I saw your tweets about Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine lost

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<v Speaker 3>a major city over the weekend to Russia. But you

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<v Speaker 3>seem to say Russia is not quite on the verge

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<v Speaker 3>of winning. What's going on there?

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<v Speaker 6>No, I don't think so. I think that. You know,

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<v Speaker 6>for the last four months, they've expended about forty thousand

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<v Speaker 6>soldiers that have been lost on their side and all

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<v Speaker 6>kinds of battle damage assessment from thirty square kilometers. You know,

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<v Speaker 6>there's not this immediacy with regard to Russia breaking through

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<v Speaker 6>on an offensive operation. Ukraine's got to go into a

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<v Speaker 6>defensive mode now and and stop any kind of counteroffensive.

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<v Speaker 6>And what Russia's doing is taking back some of those

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<v Speaker 6>areas that they lost during that counter offensive in the

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<v Speaker 6>past nine months. But Russia is learning, they recognize that

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<v Speaker 6>they've they ask forces in certain areas they'll be successful.

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<v Speaker 6>That this area Aft Difcas in the middle of this

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<v Speaker 6>very long front, and you know, you look at it

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<v Speaker 6>from a strategic perspective, it looks like a divide and conquer,

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<v Speaker 6>but they just still don't have the resources to do that.

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<v Speaker 3>Now.

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<v Speaker 6>Eventually they might if they Ukraine government doesn't get resupplied

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<v Speaker 6>the military, I think't resupplied in the next let's sake,

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<v Speaker 6>thirty sixty ninety days. They're running out of ammunition, no

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<v Speaker 6>question about that. Artillery. We saw Denmark decide to give

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<v Speaker 6>all of its artillery inventory to Ukraine. That's a that's

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<v Speaker 6>a nice gesture. But they need the fifty or sixty

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<v Speaker 6>billion dollars of aid that's that would come from the

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<v Speaker 6>from the West in order to have this fight to

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<v Speaker 6>be sustained for the next couple of years. And what

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<v Speaker 6>we'll do is take stock things out of our stocks,

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<v Speaker 6>send them to Ukraine, and rebuild them here in the

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<v Speaker 6>United States. So it's kind of a win win from

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<v Speaker 6>a political perspective. But I guess right now neither side

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<v Speaker 6>wants to give the other side any kind of political victory,

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<v Speaker 6>which is it's going to hurt the Ukraine military.

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<v Speaker 4>It's interesting to watch the arguments.

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<v Speaker 5>Listen to the arguments here domestically, particular on the right

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<v Speaker 5>side of the aisle between those who are staunchly in

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<v Speaker 5>favor of helping Ukraine and those who seem to think

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<v Speaker 5>it's a bad idea for a variety of reasons. But

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<v Speaker 5>there doesn't seem to be a lot of disagreement in Europe.

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<v Speaker 5>The EU is remarkably united in thinking Putin's a hell

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<v Speaker 5>of a threat.

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<v Speaker 6>Right, yeah, and look what he's done to Nivaldi now.

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<v Speaker 6>And he does this because it's getting closer to the election.

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<v Speaker 6>He picks and chooses when he wants to assassinate people.

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<v Speaker 6>And you know, these kind of bloody leaders, they exist

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<v Speaker 6>because they take their they take their opponents out before

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<v Speaker 6>they you know, they get close to becoming more powerful.

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<v Speaker 6>But yeah, over the weekend you saw the foreign minister

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<v Speaker 6>of Latvia and Lithuania make comments about the threat as

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<v Speaker 6>they are close to Putin, They're close to what's going

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<v Speaker 6>on in Russia there. We've got to get you know,

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<v Speaker 6>the Germans and the French and know others involved and

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<v Speaker 6>start spending more money. Only seven countries in NATO are

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<v Speaker 6>meeting that two and a half percent goal that they're

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<v Speaker 6>supposed to be for GDP.

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<v Speaker 5>That's just not enough, my clients, CNN Military analyst Mike,

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<v Speaker 5>it's always great to talk before we let you go

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<v Speaker 5>on this President's Day. Are there any is there a

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<v Speaker 5>president or are there a couple that you admire, particularly

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<v Speaker 5>that you think about a lot read about a lot

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<v Speaker 5>to maybe use his role models.

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<v Speaker 6>There's so many. I've studied them. JFK was inaugurated in

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<v Speaker 6>the year of my birth. I guess, but I guess

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<v Speaker 6>my favorite president has got to be Abraham Lincoln. If

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<v Speaker 6>you go to the Lincoln Memorial and you look above

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<v Speaker 6>the statue that the great statue that exists in that

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<v Speaker 6>the monument to him, and there's a quote above it

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<v Speaker 6>and it says something goes like this. I don't have

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<v Speaker 6>it exact, but it's like, for who we saved the nation,

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<v Speaker 6>the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined in this temple forever.

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<v Speaker 6>And I was with that and said, you know, forever

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<v Speaker 6>was a long time. You know, I'm sure the Romans

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<v Speaker 6>put up a lot of statues and said the memory

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<v Speaker 6>of this guy is going to be here forever. So

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<v Speaker 6>the soldier I get to the Lincoln Memorial, I look

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<v Speaker 6>up and there, I said, you know, I would look

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<v Speaker 6>around here. It's going to be defending this place someplace

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<v Speaker 6>because the United States said his memory is going to

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<v Speaker 6>be here forever.

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<v Speaker 4>That's a good one.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, Amen to that, Mike, Thanks very very much, good

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<v Speaker 5>to talk to you.

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<v Speaker 6>Thanks guys, thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 4>Armstrong and Getty