WEBVTT - They're Going To Be A Target: Mike Lyons Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>The US Navy defeated a large scale attack by Iranian

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<v Speaker 1>backed Houties in the Red Sea this weekend, the largest

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<v Speaker 1>single attack to date. US warships shot down at least

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<v Speaker 1>twenty eight drones in just four hours. Days earlier, the

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<v Speaker 1>Houties fired an anti ship ballistic missile at the Envy

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<v Speaker 1>True Confidence, a commercial bulk carrier, killing three sailors.

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<v Speaker 2>How's our deterrence going?

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<v Speaker 3>The largest attack over the weekend since this whole thing

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<v Speaker 3>started a little more from Jennifer Griffin on Fox.

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<v Speaker 1>Senthcom Commander General Eric Krilla, just back from the region

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<v Speaker 1>told Congress Iran is not second guessing backing proxies.

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<v Speaker 2>Iran is undeterred in support to the Huthies.

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<v Speaker 1>They're undeterred and their support to am Hezbala, their support

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<v Speaker 1>to hamast So.

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<v Speaker 3>Iran's completely undeterred supporting the proxies. And then when I

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<v Speaker 3>see the headline over the weekend won thousand US troops

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<v Speaker 3>deploying to build offshore port in god, how do we

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<v Speaker 3>not end up attacked and sucked into this thing?

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<v Speaker 4>To discuss that hot spot and several others, please welcome

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<v Speaker 4>Mike Lyons, the Shocian and military analyst Mike.

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<v Speaker 2>It's always a pleasure. How are you.

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<v Speaker 5>Hey, Good morning guys. Great to be back.

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<v Speaker 3>I feel like I'm not hearing anybody ask this question anywhere.

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<v Speaker 3>Maybe there's an obvious reason. I'm just an idiot, but

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<v Speaker 3>we're sending a thousand troops to build a port and Gaza.

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<v Speaker 3>Why wouldn't we be a target if we're a target

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<v Speaker 3>all over the Middle East?

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<v Speaker 6>No, no question, They're going to be a target. And

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<v Speaker 6>this is I'm finding it a polarizing issue with other

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<v Speaker 6>analysts I'm speaking to, so okay, it's very political, and

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<v Speaker 6>that's really the bottom line is because from a political perspective,

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<v Speaker 6>the military wants to show it has this capability, and

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<v Speaker 6>then the Army has this capability.

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<v Speaker 5>That's where it's coming from. Of all things.

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<v Speaker 6>It's not something that the Navy does. But Ak Dearborn

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<v Speaker 6>Corps has a ship that's stationed off of Virginia and

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<v Speaker 6>it's heading to the Middle East right now, and the

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<v Speaker 6>Navy will support it. And there's a it's called j LOTS.

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<v Speaker 6>It's a joint command that the Army and Navy will

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<v Speaker 6>get together and work with and marines. About a thousand

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<v Speaker 6>marines have been activated in order to provide the security

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<v Speaker 6>force for it, so it will take a few months

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<v Speaker 6>and to get it all set up. And where military

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<v Speaker 6>analysts I think are conflicted is it will create a

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<v Speaker 6>big target. It could be similar to what happened in

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<v Speaker 6>eighty three and Lebanon. It could be the coal it

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<v Speaker 6>could be something where it'll be an easy target because

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<v Speaker 6>it'll be wide open in the Red Sea there. But

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<v Speaker 6>from a political perspective, it's checking a lot of boxes

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<v Speaker 6>right now for the industry.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm interested in. You said it was polariz is polarizing

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<v Speaker 3>within the military. Are you saying it's polarized the military

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<v Speaker 3>versus the politicians or where's the polarization.

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<v Speaker 6>No, I think from analysts just trying to figure out

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<v Speaker 6>whether this is a good idea or not. It's kind

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<v Speaker 6>of a good, good example of civilian control of the military,

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<v Speaker 6>whereas there's probably people in the military that don't think

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<v Speaker 6>it's a good idea on any level. Just from what

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<v Speaker 6>you said, the security and protecting other force is going

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<v Speaker 6>to be challenging, but this is an example of the

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<v Speaker 6>commander in chief says this is what we're going to do.

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<v Speaker 6>The military has the salute and obey the mission. I'm

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<v Speaker 6>finding more and more of my colleagues and people I've

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<v Speaker 6>talked to him, for example the West Point, feel that

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<v Speaker 6>it's really a dangerous mission and it's putting a lot

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<v Speaker 6>at risk. Usually these kinds of humanitarian efforts are not

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<v Speaker 6>necessarily into combat zones, especially in one like this where

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<v Speaker 6>it'll be well inside the range of the Houthis as

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<v Speaker 6>we continue to degrade their capability, that's not done yet.

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<v Speaker 6>But also this is kind of a classic small boat

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<v Speaker 6>Iranian attack target that they could likely go after as

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<v Speaker 6>well as you're aiding and abtding the enemy on some

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<v Speaker 6>level in Hamas. So there's lots of reasons you could

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<v Speaker 6>argue that we shouldn't be doing this, but the military

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<v Speaker 6>has to salute and get the mission done right now.

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<v Speaker 4>And it's easy for Americans to forget that Hezbola is

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<v Speaker 4>at war with Israel. In effect, now it's a fairly

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<v Speaker 4>restrained trading of artillery across the border, but I've got

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<v Speaker 4>to imagine if they wanted to make a big splash,

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<v Speaker 4>that would be a target for.

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<v Speaker 2>Them as well.

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<v Speaker 6>Now absolutely, and it's going to be likely in a

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<v Speaker 6>place right by Gaza City there that Israel has closed

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<v Speaker 6>this port, they don't have a port. Israel has not

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<v Speaker 6>allowed Hamas to bring goods and services through this port

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<v Speaker 6>for many years. It's been blockaded. And so that's what

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<v Speaker 6>the United States is doing. It's almost sticking its finger

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<v Speaker 6>in the eye of Israel as well, opening up this

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<v Speaker 6>port and saying, you know, try to try to stop

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<v Speaker 6>us doing this. Israel has no choice but to now

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<v Speaker 6>provide oversight and security for it. But it's going to

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<v Speaker 6>be very challenging in that to try to get it's

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<v Speaker 6>going to be like a causeway port. So let me

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<v Speaker 6>get the visual. Put a ship out offshore about let's

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<v Speaker 6>say half a mile that'll have a lot of capability

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<v Speaker 6>for it to take in and receive certain ships that'll

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<v Speaker 6>come in from Cyprus and humanitarian efforts. And then a

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<v Speaker 6>long causeway road similar to what we saw like D

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<v Speaker 6>Day for example, when they built those causeways, long roads

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<v Speaker 6>where trucks will bring supplies back and forth. And that's

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<v Speaker 6>going to be the target. You know, you blow up

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<v Speaker 6>that middle of that causeway, you blow up a truck

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<v Speaker 6>in there, and think a few trucks, and you create

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<v Speaker 6>a very easy target for a terrorist organization.

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<v Speaker 4>Wow, So it's going to be a manufactured road out

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<v Speaker 4>into the harbor of the Bay of the Sea there.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, that's the plan for right now.

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<v Speaker 6>And that's from our perspective, the safest thing as well,

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<v Speaker 6>because it keeps the ship and most of the supplies offshore,

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<v Speaker 6>providing more oversight to anything that could come from an attack.

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<v Speaker 6>And the risk is going to be that kind of

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<v Speaker 6>noman's land between where the ship is, whether it really

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<v Speaker 6>originatorship's dock, and then the supplies traveling on that road

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<v Speaker 6>into Gaza. Now, they do have a port that's there,

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<v Speaker 6>and this will help eventually help improve that capability once

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<v Speaker 6>this is over. And that's to say it even goes down, right,

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<v Speaker 6>I mean, it's going to take probably sixty days in

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<v Speaker 6>order for this to say it's up and running and

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<v Speaker 6>completely functional.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow.

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<v Speaker 3>So I just don't understand what if there if a

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<v Speaker 3>variety of different entities are sent drones at our barracks

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<v Speaker 3>all around the Middle East hoping to kill a bunch

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<v Speaker 3>of US servicemen, Obviously they're gonna be sending drones of

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<v Speaker 3>this thing, right yeah.

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<v Speaker 6>I mean the air defense umbrella is they'll likely have

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<v Speaker 6>battleship they'll destroy, they'll keep they'll keep naval presence there.

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<v Speaker 5>As well.

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<v Speaker 6>That'll be looking over the horizon air defence platforms. But

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<v Speaker 6>this is a good example again of a swarming drone

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<v Speaker 6>target where you get a thousand drones or do something

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<v Speaker 6>with who these are going to do, and go after

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<v Speaker 6>it and just one or two of them gets through.

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<v Speaker 6>It creates, you know, pierces that veil of the security

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<v Speaker 6>and then people start to question, you know, what's going on.

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<v Speaker 5>You know.

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<v Speaker 6>Again, so from a theoretical perspective, it does show the

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<v Speaker 6>United States it's got this capability.

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<v Speaker 5>But whether we can really pull it off in the

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<v Speaker 5>long run, it.

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<v Speaker 6>Remains to be seen, and it will be a tremendous

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<v Speaker 6>risk if there is a catastrophic incident like we had

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<v Speaker 6>in eighty three and Lebanon, or the coal being attacked,

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<v Speaker 6>or we just drop our guard because all they got

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<v Speaker 6>to do is get one or two through and then

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<v Speaker 6>that's it.

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<v Speaker 4>UH. Military analyst Mike Clions on the line. Mike, I

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<v Speaker 4>have a bad habit of asking questions that really ought

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<v Speaker 4>to be answered with a book, and I'd love to

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<v Speaker 4>read it if you ever write it. But I was

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<v Speaker 4>reading at CNN dot com the other day that Russia

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<v Speaker 4>is producing three times more artillery shells than the US

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<v Speaker 4>and Europe combined.

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<v Speaker 2>For Ukraine, their.

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<v Speaker 4>Military industrial complex, if you will, is much more capable

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<v Speaker 4>or efficient at this point. And with all due respect

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<v Speaker 4>to Eisenhower's warning and that there's always profiteering in war

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<v Speaker 4>and military production, blah blah blah, we Americans like to

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<v Speaker 4>think that we won World War two because we're just great.

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<v Speaker 4>I mean, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about

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<v Speaker 4>you know, popular perception, when indeed it was the Russian

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<v Speaker 4>sacrificing millions of troops are brave fighters, and the fact

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<v Speaker 4>that we were the arsenal democracy, we had this mind

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<v Speaker 4>boggling production capacity for the tools of war. Anyway, finally,

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<v Speaker 4>a very long question comes to its end. Are you

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<v Speaker 4>worried at our lack of ship building, artillery building, and

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<v Speaker 4>the rest of the capacity to make the armaments of war.

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<v Speaker 5>In the short term.

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<v Speaker 6>Yes, In the long run, we've proven historically that when

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<v Speaker 6>we want to crank up the war machine, watch out,

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<v Speaker 6>because when that happens, it's really no match for anybody else.

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<v Speaker 5>But for right now, as others.

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<v Speaker 6>Are doing that, as the Chinese are building a six

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<v Speaker 6>hundred chip navy, and as Russia creates more artillery ambudition.

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<v Speaker 6>You know, we actually increased our supply line about another

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<v Speaker 6>fifteen to twenty thousand artillery rounds a month. We're now

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<v Speaker 6>producing about forty five thousand rounds a month. Ukraine needs

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<v Speaker 6>one hundred thousand a month. They probably have about eight

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<v Speaker 6>or nine month left and so they're not being replenished

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<v Speaker 6>at a faster rate. In addition to we've taken some

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<v Speaker 6>out of our Pompkins stocks already in order to support

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<v Speaker 6>this the mission there, so we've not put ourselves in

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<v Speaker 6>any kind of war footing.

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<v Speaker 5>Europe is trying.

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<v Speaker 6>We see some European countries, especially when it comes to

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<v Speaker 6>artillery air, trying to do that as well. But it

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<v Speaker 6>takes time. It's dangerous. Creating artillery shells is dangerous. You're

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<v Speaker 6>creating bombs, you're creating explosives. So in the short term,

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<v Speaker 6>the whole planet's always been all along that our standing

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<v Speaker 6>force has got to be able to and absorb the

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<v Speaker 6>initial blow. But everybody's confident that we'll for crank the

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<v Speaker 6>war machine up once that will be fine. Whether we

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<v Speaker 6>can do it again or not remains to assume. I

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<v Speaker 6>haven't done it in what eighty years? Haven't done it

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<v Speaker 6>eighty five years.

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<v Speaker 2>Any other thoughts on Ukraine before we let you go?

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<v Speaker 6>No, I think that the longer we wait to get

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<v Speaker 6>them this a to get them this sixty billion dollars

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<v Speaker 6>of what was American jobs, of what will help crank

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<v Speaker 6>up the war machine in our country, it's slipping away.

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<v Speaker 6>And without trying to sound chicken too much like chicken little,

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<v Speaker 6>the fact that Ukraine has held on for as long

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<v Speaker 6>as they can has been nothing short of miraculous. But

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<v Speaker 6>when Russia decides to grind you down from a historical perspective,

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<v Speaker 6>they will grind you down. And that's that's what they're

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<v Speaker 6>doing right now. They're putting them they're putting their front

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<v Speaker 6>on the gas and that's what they're going for and

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<v Speaker 6>we just need to wake up and see it.

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<v Speaker 4>CNN Military analyst Mike Liines, Mike, thanks so much for

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<v Speaker 4>the insight.

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<v Speaker 2>Good to talk to you.

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<v Speaker 5>Thanks guys, things for me, Armstrong and Getty