WEBVTT - Time to Exit.  Mike Lyons Talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what's going on. I don't quite understand it.

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<v Speaker 1>Um with the whole ISIS thing and troops in the

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<v Speaker 1>Middle East and should we or shouldn't we and negotiations

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<v Speaker 1>in Afghanistan. Of course, top commander says US will rely

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<v Speaker 1>on allies to stop ISIS from researching in Syria. Is

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<v Speaker 1>a story in the Washington Examiner today. We had some

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<v Speaker 1>reports in the last week that if we if we

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<v Speaker 1>pull out, ISIS will be back and strong within six months.

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<v Speaker 1>We had um Liz Slide from the Washington Post on

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<v Speaker 1>to say that ISIS was down to one square mile.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm having trouble reading this story my clients. Longtime CBS

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<v Speaker 1>News military analyst joins us to discuss the sand countries

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<v Speaker 1>once again, and just I'm gonna throw him a two

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<v Speaker 1>strike curve ball in a bit and talk about Venezuela.

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<v Speaker 1>But Mike joins us. Now, Hello, Mike, how are you, sir?

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<v Speaker 1>It's it's always a pleasure. If ISIS is indeed down

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<v Speaker 1>to one square mile, how are they going to be

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<v Speaker 1>back and strong in six months if we pull out? Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of weightlifting and diets. I don't know. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>the bottom line is it's in it's in so many

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<v Speaker 1>people's interests to prop up an enemy, to have it

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<v Speaker 1>in the Middle East, and to keep propping it up

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<v Speaker 1>because it just you know, it pays bills, It allows

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<v Speaker 1>us to write stories on it, we can allocate military

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<v Speaker 1>resource towards it. But if you look at the reality

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<v Speaker 1>of the situation, um, it's not in America's interest to

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<v Speaker 1>be inside of Syria. You saw the President over the

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<v Speaker 1>weekends say to Margaret Brennan that we're going to stay

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<v Speaker 1>in Iraq because we can keep an eye on Iran

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<v Speaker 1>from there, and and that's what the generals are telling them,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, because that's really what we're doing. But now

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's taken the Iraqi government and throwing it into

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<v Speaker 1>a flux because they're insulted that we're actually doing that

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<v Speaker 1>inside of their country. So I still think the President's

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<v Speaker 1>instinct is right top to bottom about getting troops out

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<v Speaker 1>of these locations. If we don't have any long term

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<v Speaker 1>strategy to be there, and if we're there just to

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<v Speaker 1>be in the middle of things, Um, it's just it's

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<v Speaker 1>just not in the interest of our youth of America

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<v Speaker 1>that we're gonna ask to go give their lives for

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<v Speaker 1>their country. Basically, well, I think you've described it beautifully.

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<v Speaker 1>We're there to be in the middle of things, keep

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<v Speaker 1>an eye on around, keep Iraq from becoming completely an

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<v Speaker 1>Iranian client state and then having a semi occupation of Afghanistan.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess to enforce whatever agreement the Afghan government and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm using quotes there and the Taliban come up with.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that is the strategy, right. My my friend

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<v Speaker 1>Scott Miller was on the fourth Star that commands in Afghanistan.

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<v Speaker 1>He was very sober about the situation there. Um, there's

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<v Speaker 1>not a military solution at this point. We're going to

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<v Speaker 1>have to negotiate. Um, it's a generational problem. You know.

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<v Speaker 1>Report came out the other day that we still don't

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<v Speaker 1>have trained enough Afghan pilots. We need a hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>sixty Blackhawk pilots in order for the Afghan military to

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<v Speaker 1>be considered successful. We still can't come up with a

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and sixty of them in a country of three

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<v Speaker 1>d and fifty million people. We can't get six hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and sixty of them trained to fly a helicopter. So

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<v Speaker 1>all all of the generational things had happened in Afghanistan

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<v Speaker 1>haven't been fixed in the last twenty years plus. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>negotiate with the Taliban, we'll be out of there. And

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<v Speaker 1>if we see you know, guys and videos of guys

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<v Speaker 1>jumped around on monkey bars in a K four sevens,

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<v Speaker 1>will attack them with drones. But but Afghana is going

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<v Speaker 1>to be turned over to the Afghan people. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>think that point of view is going to hold sway? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know a good question. It's gonna come down to,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, in the past a lot of it. John

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<v Speaker 1>mcain has such an influence when he was the chairman

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<v Speaker 1>of the House House Arm Services Committee, there's no way

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<v Speaker 1>he would approve us leaving out of there. And he

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<v Speaker 1>in some cases the Senate and these politicians do have

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<v Speaker 1>more power than the president. Uh. And I think it

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<v Speaker 1>just gets back to whether Lindsay Graham and the folks

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<v Speaker 1>on the on I guess on the House, on the

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<v Speaker 1>Senate Services Committee will do the same thing as Um.

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<v Speaker 1>The guy from Nebraska is the is the new chairman.

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<v Speaker 1>I think he's gonna be well on line with what

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<v Speaker 1>Trump wants to do. And I wouldn't be surprised if

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<v Speaker 1>we cut the troops out of there by half at

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<v Speaker 1>least before his reelection or his the re election back

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<v Speaker 1>ISIS was one of the stories out of the the

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<v Speaker 1>Intel chiefs when they reported to Congress last week, and

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<v Speaker 1>the media making a big deal of Trump and disagreement

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<v Speaker 1>with his intel chiefs or doesn't listen or doesn't read

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<v Speaker 1>briefing books and all this different stuff attacking Trump because uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you had people with the uniforms on saying ISIS is

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<v Speaker 1>still a threat and they'll be back and tough. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>so are you saying they just they just take that

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<v Speaker 1>point of view because they want to continue the military

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<v Speaker 1>machinery going that direction. Or what is what is the

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<v Speaker 1>inertia of that? Well, it's it's in their best interest

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<v Speaker 1>from a risk perspective, to align themselves with the least

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<v Speaker 1>risk averse position there is, and that is status quo.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's not do anything. Let's keep changing the way we are.

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<v Speaker 1>Things are going fine. But Donald Trump is no different

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<v Speaker 1>than any president in the past that takes intelligence information

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<v Speaker 1>and uses it in the manner that he wants to,

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<v Speaker 1>and in this case, he uses it in an opposite manner.

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<v Speaker 1>You know. He brings up this great relationship we have

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<v Speaker 1>with North Korea. He thinks things are going worse in

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<v Speaker 1>Iran than they are. Um, he is again like the

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<v Speaker 1>last two that have taken this intelligence information and used

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<v Speaker 1>it for whatever benefit he's wanted to do. My client's

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<v Speaker 1>military analysts down the line dropping bombs of plane spoken wisdom.

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<v Speaker 1>You're talking about how UH military and intelligence executives, as

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<v Speaker 1>it were, behave a lot like I don't know, entertainment

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<v Speaker 1>executives or other executives. The smartest thing they do I

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<v Speaker 1>I remember. I'll put it this way. David Letterman will

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<v Speaker 1>once said that UH TV executives jobs is having their

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<v Speaker 1>job at the end of the day. And so what

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<v Speaker 1>you're saying is, if you advocate the status quo and

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<v Speaker 1>it goes poorly, you're at much less risk career wise

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<v Speaker 1>than if you advocate a change. Yeah, exactly. And you

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<v Speaker 1>look at the Army, I still think, you know, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Army Green through and through, obviously, and I mean my

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<v Speaker 1>son will go into the Navy. I've got to shift

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit of loyalty there in some regards here shortly.

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<v Speaker 1>But the bottom line is the Army struggles for a mission,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's struggling. And right now, if we come out

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<v Speaker 1>of the Middle East, like what the president wants to do.

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<v Speaker 1>The armies really going to struggle for our mission. The

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<v Speaker 1>Navy will continue to get funded because the Navy projects

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<v Speaker 1>power in the South, trying to see the Air Force

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<v Speaker 1>gets funded. It's a strategic weapon. But it's the army

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<v Speaker 1>that endorses great hardship in the Middle East as the

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<v Speaker 1>army that will have those casualties, and and and from

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<v Speaker 1>my perspective, it's just time to come back and reinvent

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<v Speaker 1>the whole process as to what we want our military

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<v Speaker 1>to do. Well, that's interesting, that is tremendous, So a

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<v Speaker 1>a shift, as I mentioned, Is there any role for

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<v Speaker 1>the United States military beginning with providing humanitarian aid and

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<v Speaker 1>ending with a land invasion in Venezuela. Well, let's hope

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<v Speaker 1>it's the aid. It's humanitarian aid, and let's hope it's

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<v Speaker 1>in a peaceful transition, because that's such a tinder box

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<v Speaker 1>that could take place. I mean, we're we're really looking

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<v Speaker 1>much like the ninety nineties right now. Afghanistan is going

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<v Speaker 1>to return back to the Taliban and power, and you're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna have these Central American revolutions that are taking place.

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<v Speaker 1>What could happen there is all function of what the

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<v Speaker 1>army does. If the army decides to turn against the citizens,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll have a blood bath in the streets. As that

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<v Speaker 1>military is well funded and is well prepared to do anything. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>if if you can get a transition of power, if

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<v Speaker 1>there's another election, if there's something, then perhaps it'll happen peacefully,

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<v Speaker 1>but we've got to be especially careful. It's a good

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<v Speaker 1>example of reallocating of resources. Maybe that that does become

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<v Speaker 1>the mission for our army. Maybe we do not from

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<v Speaker 1>an occupation perspective, but let's focus towards on our own hemisphere,

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<v Speaker 1>clean up our backyard, and then maybe that's the goal

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<v Speaker 1>for the next ten years. It would be something that

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<v Speaker 1>I think people can get their arms around. Hey, do

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<v Speaker 1>you have or are you going to write a book

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<v Speaker 1>or do you have a blog or anything that we

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<v Speaker 1>can turn people onto because this is really good stuff. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't. I'm I'm gonna write a book someday. It's

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<v Speaker 1>called You've got to write a letter, and it's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be about that. Everything I've ever done in my

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<v Speaker 1>life always happened because I wrote a letter to something

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<v Speaker 1>or somebody, and I keep sitting down, I start to

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<v Speaker 1>write it, but then I get But now I've got

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<v Speaker 1>to get something good on TV. That is. Yeah, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>gonna write a bunch of I'm gonna write. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>puberty changes everything that be about my coaching career, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>with some little kids. Amen to that. I'm a master

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<v Speaker 1>of the obvious, you know what. And it's funny, Mike,

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<v Speaker 1>I've considered writing a book many times, and every time

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<v Speaker 1>I have the same thought. There are plenty of books.

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<v Speaker 1>No one's going to read it. No one's going to

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<v Speaker 1>read it anyway, supply without demand. Uh, Mike Clients, CBS

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<v Speaker 1>News Military Analysts, Mike, fabulous. As always. We can't thank

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<v Speaker 1>you enough. Great guys, Thanks, thanks. Quite interesting. He's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot closer to Rand Paul than he is to all

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<v Speaker 1>of the main street media, who all of a sudden

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<v Speaker 1>is in love with fighting endless wars because Trump's the president.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah but yeah, but he arrives at it through such

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<v Speaker 1>an interesting, uh you know path as a major in

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<v Speaker 1>the Army and an artillery commander and and Operation Desert

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<v Speaker 1>Shield and Desert Storm awarded the Bronze Star, etcetera. He

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<v Speaker 1>knows what he is talking about from that point of view,

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<v Speaker 1>From a soldier's point of view, and he arrives at

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of the same conclusions that you know Rand

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<v Speaker 1>Paul does you know via his row. Yeah, I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>discounting all of my lions experience, which is vast and

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<v Speaker 1>all that sort of stuff, But some of it's pretty

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<v Speaker 1>damned obvious, it seems to me, and has been for years.

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<v Speaker 1>Afghanistan's gonna end up in the hand of the Taliban.

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<v Speaker 1>We can't stop that, right in any agreement we forge

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<v Speaker 1>with them will not be worth the goat skin it's

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<v Speaker 1>printed on um unless we you know, there are certain

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<v Speaker 1>boundaries which will not cannot be crossed, and and we

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<v Speaker 1>are close enough to send something horrific from the sky

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<v Speaker 1>to remind them of that. Some of our hanging around

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<v Speaker 1>us keeping on our in Yeah, that's kind of what

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<v Speaker 1>we thought for a long time. And now the Iraqis

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<v Speaker 1>have their japanties in a wad. Sorry to hear that

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<v Speaker 1>we can ship them some good American made panties which

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<v Speaker 1>you're probably made in China.