WEBVTT - Russia Has Lost This War: Jeff McCausland Talks To Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Jeff mccauslind is, the CBS News military consultant, founder

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<v Speaker 1>and CEO of diamond six leadership and strategy, L L C.

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<v Speaker 1>Retired colonel from the United States Army, among other distinctions. Jeff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's always a pleasure. How are you, sir? Doing very well, guys,

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<v Speaker 1>great to be with you. I've got a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>specific questions I know I want to get to, but

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<v Speaker 1>first just what was your reaction when Putin gave his

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<v Speaker 1>big speech talking about the calling up the three hundred

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and threatening nuclear war? Well, you know, Yogi Berra,

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<v Speaker 1>who very famous Yankee and philosopher, once said you come

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<v Speaker 1>to the fork in the road, take it, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's what Mr Putin did. He had two options,

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<v Speaker 1>as things have gotten very, very dismal for him for

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<v Speaker 1>the last several weeks. One was to escalate and the

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<v Speaker 1>second one was to suddenly have the propaganda machine start

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<v Speaker 1>turning out how successful we've been. We we spanked the Ukrainians,

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<v Speaker 1>we killed off all the Nazis and called for a

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<v Speaker 1>ceasefire to kind of freeze this in place and try

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<v Speaker 1>to get the Europeans to bring Lynskey to negotiating table.

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<v Speaker 1>Obviously he picked. He picked the fork for the escalation,

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<v Speaker 1>and he's escalated in three ways. One you've mentioned. That,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, is be calling up a three thousand reservists.

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<v Speaker 1>The second was this rattling of the nuclear saver, though

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<v Speaker 1>I want to point out this also is part of

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<v Speaker 1>the narrative because it's described in terms of Russia is threatened,

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<v Speaker 1>the motherland is threatned. It's not about taking over territory

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<v Speaker 1>of spank and Nazis. He's painting this as you know.

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<v Speaker 1>Russia is now threatened and we'll use these weapons to

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<v Speaker 1>defend our integrity. And then the third escalation, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>was this now sham, the referendums. They're going to occur

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<v Speaker 1>over the next several days and the area is occupied

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<v Speaker 1>by Russia, actually making that Russian territory. Well then, the

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<v Speaker 1>the extension of that thought being, well, if the Ukrainians attacked,

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<v Speaker 1>quote unquote, Russian territory, he's justified in using at least

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<v Speaker 1>technical nukes. UH, possibility to horrifying to contemplate, although I

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<v Speaker 1>suppose we have to exactly right, and that puts that

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<v Speaker 1>degree of at least ambiguity that he could escalate that

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<v Speaker 1>point out to defend those particular territories, because they're now Russian.

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<v Speaker 1>Has always been a point of concerns since this war began,

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<v Speaker 1>because the Ukrainians have talked a lot about liberating all

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<v Speaker 1>their territory and they would tell you that includes Crimea,

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<v Speaker 1>which the Russians took in two thousand and fourteen, and

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<v Speaker 1>the doom of voted to make that incorporate that into

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<v Speaker 1>the Russian Federation. From the Russians perspective, Crimea has been

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<v Speaker 1>Russian territory since two thousand and fourteen. So that question

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<v Speaker 1>of using nuclear weapons to defend territorial integrity has been

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<v Speaker 1>out there. Now he expands that. But I come back

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<v Speaker 1>to the point. This also serves to try to motivate

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<v Speaker 1>the population back and back in Russia by saying this

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<v Speaker 1>is all about defense of the homeland, because he's tried to,

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<v Speaker 1>I think, insulate the population from the lfx of this

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<v Speaker 1>war and probably, since it's being a partial mobilization, I

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<v Speaker 1>still think has a concern they're doing so we'll elicit

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<v Speaker 1>some kind of social disruption in Russia amongst the population.

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<v Speaker 1>Response then we have seen some evidence of that in

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<v Speaker 1>the last far yet out well, backing up a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of weeks, which is what led us to Putin's speech

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<v Speaker 1>the other day, when Ukraine had their stunning blitzkrieg, driving

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<v Speaker 1>the Russians out of a whole bunch of areas that

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<v Speaker 1>nobody seemed to predict, which led it to this. And

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what your opinion is of General David

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<v Speaker 1>Petreas former CI director and commander, but he said the

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<v Speaker 1>other day on CNN that he he stated that the

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<v Speaker 1>outcome of the war is no longer in doubt. Ukraine

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<v Speaker 1>is going to win. It could be a slow slog

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<v Speaker 1>but they are going to this is a major tide turning.

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<v Speaker 1>You know event. Do you do you agree with that?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think? Do you think the tide has turned

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<v Speaker 1>that much? Well, I know day fairly well and I've

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<v Speaker 1>got great respect for days. I think this could been

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<v Speaker 1>looked at as an inflection point. That's normally found in

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<v Speaker 1>retrospect as opposed in in the immediate moment. I think

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<v Speaker 1>at this moment we can say one thing for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>Russia has lost this war. There are no two ways

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<v Speaker 1>about it. They are objective was to take over Ukraine

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<v Speaker 1>put down the GARENSI government. They failed in doing that.

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<v Speaker 1>Then their objective was the seas, at least the past,

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<v Speaker 1>land all the way over to a descent. They failed

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<v Speaker 1>to do that and now they're sort of concentrating on

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<v Speaker 1>trying to secure these provinces, Lohanskan Ganets, but they've now

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<v Speaker 1>failed to do that and this counter offensive makes it

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<v Speaker 1>virtually impossible. And then foreseeable future they're going to do that.

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<v Speaker 1>So now this whole war is back to defending the homeland.

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<v Speaker 1>My goodness, you were invaded and now it's all about

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<v Speaker 1>you're the victim, which is kind of an odd way

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<v Speaker 1>to turn things around. So and the effect on the

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<v Speaker 1>Russians in terms of the loss of life, a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>thousand casualties, massive amounts of military hardware. The reputation of

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<v Speaker 1>the Russian military is in total disrepute. It will take

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<v Speaker 1>years and years just to rebuild the military of Russia

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<v Speaker 1>if they stopped today. And that doesn't even account for

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<v Speaker 1>the effects this. This is going to have on the

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<v Speaker 1>Russian economy longer term, and some of the economists have

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<v Speaker 1>told me it might be fifty years before they recover

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<v Speaker 1>from this. Half a million Russians have fled, most of

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<v Speaker 1>them young people who are very bright. A so called

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<v Speaker 1>brain drain has occurred. So Russia has law. Whether or

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<v Speaker 1>not Ukraine has won. You've got to define what what

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<v Speaker 1>when win looks like. If it's taking back all those territories,

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<v Speaker 1>that could be hard. If it's going back to the

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<v Speaker 1>status COO anti, that's certainly possible. Jeff mccauslin, CBS News,

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<v Speaker 1>military consultant on the line. UH, Jeff. Given the state

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<v Speaker 1>of the disrepair of the Russian military, as you mentioned,

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<v Speaker 1>what's it going to look like trying to incorporate some

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<v Speaker 1>portion of that? Three hundred thousand young men called up?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean these are guys who are having to be

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<v Speaker 1>dragged into the battle in most cases. I think that's

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<v Speaker 1>gonna be true and it's gonna take a long period

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<v Speaker 1>of time. This is not gonna have any really significant

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<v Speaker 1>military impact in the immediate future. It's gonna take a

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<v Speaker 1>significant period time to identify these people, bring them up

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<v Speaker 1>in a fashion that your training base can at least

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<v Speaker 1>give them some modest amount of retraining. They all have

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<v Speaker 1>some military experience, and then either form new units or

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<v Speaker 1>use those of individual replacements to fill out units that

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<v Speaker 1>have suffered some degree of casually. Probably initially start with officers,

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<v Speaker 1>to fill out officers and units that have been lost,

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<v Speaker 1>people with special skills, think of doctors or medical people.

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<v Speaker 1>They might start bringing some of them in fairly quickly.

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<v Speaker 1>In terms of overall military cigificant is gonna take a

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<v Speaker 1>longer period of time and I don't think we'll see

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<v Speaker 1>the effects of that really occurring until next spring. secondarily,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, it has some other effects which are interesting

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<v Speaker 1>and and that is part and partialist announcement. Also was

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<v Speaker 1>what we would call in the U S military stop laws.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you're a Russian soldier right now serving in

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<v Speaker 1>Ukrane and your enlistments supposed to run out sometime between

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<v Speaker 1>now and the end of winter, guess what, you've just

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<v Speaker 1>been extended until the war is over. Congratulations that. That's

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<v Speaker 1>not gonna be a real morale booster. Oh by the way. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>and we've seen evidence already in some of the some

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<v Speaker 1>of the demonstrations that are occurring, that some of the demonstrators,

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<v Speaker 1>when they're arrested, are immediately drafted. They get their hand

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<v Speaker 1>their draft and not thiss just because you're you're out

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<v Speaker 1>there demonstrating again. Not Going to be a real morale

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<v Speaker 1>case if you are actually put in the uniform, and

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<v Speaker 1>we've seen throughout this particular offensive over the last few

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<v Speaker 1>weeks been morale and cohesion in the Russian forces is

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<v Speaker 1>rather disastrous, with Russian units were choosing to fight. In

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<v Speaker 1>some cases we've seen Russian soldiers taking off their uniforms,

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<v Speaker 1>putting on to then closed and running away, writing letters

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<v Speaker 1>to their parents telling them that it's a humanitarian crisis,

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<v Speaker 1>they have no food or water, and those are the

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<v Speaker 1>issues that Russia is gonna have to deal with and

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<v Speaker 1>it tries to bring this three thousand man force into

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<v Speaker 1>the military to have some significant effect. I just had

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<v Speaker 1>a thought. I'M gonna call an audible. Joey, you have

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<v Speaker 1>any more questions about Russia? I'm good. What did you

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<v Speaker 1>think when the president of the United States said the

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<v Speaker 1>other day that, you know, we're willing to whisk risk,

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<v Speaker 1>blood and treasure to defend Taiwan from China? And this

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<v Speaker 1>has been an interesting one. Mr Biden, I think, has

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<v Speaker 1>said this basically about four times now, that the United

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<v Speaker 1>States would defend Taiwan, uh and repeatedly. His staff kind

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<v Speaker 1>of walks is back, because the United States has for

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<v Speaker 1>the last thirty four years had this to China policy, recognizing,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that China is the government but at the

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<v Speaker 1>same time having strategic ambiguity about how will react. And

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<v Speaker 1>I have to think that Mr Biden is not doing

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<v Speaker 1>this and making mistakes four times over. He's just trying

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<v Speaker 1>to over time, I think enhanced that degree of ambiguity

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<v Speaker 1>to the Chinese about how the United States would respond,

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<v Speaker 1>and that ambiguity, I think, would be argued in the Pentagon.

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<v Speaker 1>Enhances the turn effect. And secondarily, I think if the

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<v Speaker 1>Chinese look at what's occurred to the Russians in the Ukraine,

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<v Speaker 1>they might be a bit more somber about the possibility

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<v Speaker 1>of invading Taiwan. The response from the West that a

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<v Speaker 1>smaller country can respond pretty vigorously on the defense. Oh

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, it's an amphibious assault, the most difficult

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<v Speaker 1>military operation going. So I think Mr g might take

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<v Speaker 1>this a bit more somber when he thinks about the

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<v Speaker 1>possibility of a military invasion of Taiwan. Twist and turns

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<v Speaker 1>of history. I know you're a history buff. Just Putin's

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<v Speaker 1>single man decision to invade Ukraine goes horribly wrong, might

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<v Speaker 1>end up stopping China from invading Taiwan, which would have

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<v Speaker 1>started world war three. So World War three is averted.

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<v Speaker 1>Because Putin's a nut job. I mean just you know.

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<v Speaker 1>History is weird that way. I hope you're correct, and

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<v Speaker 1>all those picture things you just said. Yeah, Dr Jeff mccaslin,

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<v Speaker 1>CBS News, military consultant. Always enlightening, Jeff, thanks so much

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<v Speaker 1>for the time. Thanks, guys,