WEBVTT - The Most Important Battle: Jeff McCausland Talks To Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>The Ukrainians believe Moscow is making its unfounded claims about

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<v Speaker 1>Key of preparing to use a so called dirty bomb

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<v Speaker 1>because Russia's troops are pinned down in this area and

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<v Speaker 1>Carlson's commander believes it's only a matter of time before

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<v Speaker 1>they ouced Vladimy Putin's army from here by the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the year. We believe Hassan will be under Ukrainian

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<v Speaker 1>flags by the end of the year. That's only a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of months. Uh. We'll see how pinned down is

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<v Speaker 1>the Russian army in that area of the country. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's like like the actual trained army where

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<v Speaker 1>they have weapons as opposed to those new conscripts are

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<v Speaker 1>old fat men. They're shipping in with no uniforms or weapons.

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<v Speaker 1>We thought we'd check in with someone who's more in

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<v Speaker 1>the know on this than certainly I am Jeff McCaslin,

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<v Speaker 1>CBS News military consultant, founder and CEO of Diamond six

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<v Speaker 1>Leadership and Strategy ll LC. Uh, Jeff, welcome back to

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<v Speaker 1>the Armstrong and Getty Show. So are we about to

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<v Speaker 1>see a major battle there in the Curissaneri? Good wealth

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<v Speaker 1>to do that if there's evidence that the Russians are

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<v Speaker 1>preparing to defend the city, and so it might be

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<v Speaker 1>a house to house, you know, inner inside a city fight.

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<v Speaker 1>This is an important battle, of course, because her Son

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<v Speaker 1>was the first major city captured by the Russians of

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<v Speaker 1>the onset of the invasion back in February, and the

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<v Speaker 1>problem the Russians of god is her Son sits on

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<v Speaker 1>the west side of the Niper River and Nipa River,

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<v Speaker 1>and as a consequence, as Ukrainians have been trying to

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<v Speaker 1>encircle them, looks like they're being more and more success

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<v Speaker 1>someone doing so, the Russians are confronted with the problem

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<v Speaker 1>of either withdrawing or being surrounded and forced eventually too surrender.

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<v Speaker 1>They are, as you suggests, evacuating an awful lot of

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<v Speaker 1>civilians out of particular city, suggesting again that they think

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<v Speaker 1>their position is non tenable. And there are reports actually

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<v Speaker 1>that senior military commanders have gone to Mr. Putin and said,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, we need to pull back. This is we

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<v Speaker 1>can't hold this and he has told them basically to

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<v Speaker 1>stay and hold it at all costs. If they did

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<v Speaker 1>get surrounded the so I read their Russian soldiers, would

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<v Speaker 1>that be the end of the war. Would it be

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<v Speaker 1>that big a deal or not. No, I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>it would be the end of the war. It would

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<v Speaker 1>be a major disaster for the Russians. It would be

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<v Speaker 1>very difficult for Puttin back in Moscow to cover up

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<v Speaker 1>the disaster like this for the folks back at home,

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<v Speaker 1>But it would not be the end of the war.

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<v Speaker 1>And unfortunately, who could even push Mr. Putin more and

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<v Speaker 1>more into a corner and encourage him to escalate even

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<v Speaker 1>prother Wow. Yeah, that's a good point. So a strategic

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<v Speaker 1>victory by the Ukrainians, major disasters you called it, by

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<v Speaker 1>the Russians might make it more likely the world gets

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<v Speaker 1>drug into a nuclear conflict. It's it's certainly as possible

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<v Speaker 1>that you know, the Russians are doing this this information

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<v Speaker 1>campaign right now in which they are claiming that the

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<v Speaker 1>Ukrainians are preparing to detonate a so called dirty bomb

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<v Speaker 1>on Ukrainian territory. No, there's no evidence that that is

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<v Speaker 1>in fact happening. Most people believe this is preparation by

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<v Speaker 1>the Eruptions, perhaps to do so themselves and then try

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<v Speaker 1>to blame on Ukrainians. Yeah, that's an ugly story. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to ask you this question because it came

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<v Speaker 1>up earlier in the show, and I hear differing opinions.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you got thirty Democrats that send a letter

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<v Speaker 1>to the President saying hey, hey, let's back off on

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<v Speaker 1>the whole Ukraine support. You got a chunk of Republicans

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<v Speaker 1>that feel the same way, and Kevin McCarthy said no

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<v Speaker 1>blank check for Ukraine a week or so ago. So

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if that's a growing sentiment in the House,

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<v Speaker 1>but so far we've got bipartisan support. But to that question,

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<v Speaker 1>how big a deal is this? I was going to

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<v Speaker 1>read from David French in the Dispatch at some point.

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<v Speaker 1>He wrote a big piece yesterday saying this is the

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<v Speaker 1>biggest story in the world and it's crucial that we

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<v Speaker 1>continue to back Ukraine until they've defeated the Russians. Do

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<v Speaker 1>you think this is the biggest story in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it crucial? I think it absolutely is, without a doubt.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, let's just look at this way. If he

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<v Speaker 1>is successful and using military force to take territory that

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<v Speaker 1>clearly belongs to a neighboring country, and what's to keep

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<v Speaker 1>him from moving on to the balt of view public

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<v Speaker 1>to lab Let's any Estonia parts of Poland because he

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<v Speaker 1>thinks they can get away with it. What's to stop

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<v Speaker 1>the Chinese? I'm saying, obviously, the international community is not

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<v Speaker 1>gonna respond to these things. The norms that we established

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of the Second World War. The territory

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<v Speaker 1>is not seized by armed aggression or no longer valid,

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<v Speaker 1>and therefore we can move on on Taiwan. So I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's absolutely crucial that we are successful. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>it really bothers me is when McCarthy said that, and

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<v Speaker 1>Progressive Democrats said that. One thing we know for sure

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<v Speaker 1>it brought a smile to Vladimir Prutins right. Oh, absolutely, yeah, absolutely,

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<v Speaker 1>without a doubt. And I don't want to drag into

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<v Speaker 1>politics discussion because you're a military expert, but it's disappointing

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<v Speaker 1>that there aren't more Republicans and Democrats who have been,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, voting for all this funding. At least throw

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<v Speaker 1>it into your speech on the campaign trail now and

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<v Speaker 1>then why it's important for the United States to back

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<v Speaker 1>this effort so that you don't have the support start

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<v Speaker 1>to drip away a vote by vote. I guess that

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<v Speaker 1>being said, you know, the Pell opinion polls that I

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<v Speaker 1>look at suggests the American people are pretty strongly behind

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<v Speaker 1>this continues. The majority of both the House and the

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<v Speaker 1>Senate strongly support this. Ms McCarthy, Mr mcconoal, I'm sorry, Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>the Senate Minority leader has been very outspoken about BIPARTIST

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<v Speaker 1>and support for Ukraine. We did see about ten Republican

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<v Speaker 1>Senators vote against the most recent package for Ukraine, and

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<v Speaker 1>about fifty Republicans in the House and back in May

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<v Speaker 1>um and that might expand somewhat, and there might be

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<v Speaker 1>some insistence that greater oversight is put in place to

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<v Speaker 1>ensure that the funds that we're providing are in fact,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, getting to where we think they're going, which

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<v Speaker 1>not necessarily a bad idea, But I still think by

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<v Speaker 1>and large there is a strong support for supporting Ukrainians.

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<v Speaker 1>And uh, the question of when it should be over though,

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<v Speaker 1>the Ukrainians get to make that decision for themselves, but

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<v Speaker 1>we can stop funding whatever we want. Also, do we

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<v Speaker 1>if they get back everything going back to February? Is

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<v Speaker 1>that good enough for us? Or do we continue to

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<v Speaker 1>fund them until they try to push the Russians out

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<v Speaker 1>of Crimea, which might be a pretty tough task. That'll

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<v Speaker 1>be a pretty tough task, no doubt about it. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think for not only the Biden administration, but frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>the Europeans are returned the statusco anti, that being the

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<v Speaker 1>borders that roughly were in placed back on the February

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<v Speaker 1>with a real spanking and the Russians in the process

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<v Speaker 1>might well be acceptable. And the other thing were watching

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<v Speaker 1>only is support here in the United States, but support

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<v Speaker 1>here in Europe where I am right now, which does

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<v Speaker 1>also seem to be a bit brittle and based on

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<v Speaker 1>the amountain kind of military assistance men of European countries

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<v Speaker 1>are providing. They're they're providing just enough military equipment to

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<v Speaker 1>you know, keep the Russians at bay and hopefully move

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<v Speaker 1>them back to their status coo anti without providing them

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<v Speaker 1>so much military hardware that the Ukrainians would would launch

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<v Speaker 1>the kind of major offensive you're talking about to take

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<v Speaker 1>back Ama or even start trying to strike cities on

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<v Speaker 1>Russian territory. Doctor Jeff McCaslin, retired colonel from the U. S. Army,

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<v Speaker 1>Senior Fellow at the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at

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<v Speaker 1>the Naval Academy, appreciate your expertise and opinions today it's

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<v Speaker 1>always a pleasure. Armstrong and