LIBERTY FROM HELMET, OUTRAGE
LATER THIS HOUR.
HALF STORY THIS HALF AN HOUR,
REBUILDING AMERICA’S MILITARY,
PRESIDENT TRUMP UNVEILED 2019
PROPOSAL YESTERDAY, INCLUDES
MORE THAN $686 BILLION IN
MILITARY SPENDING, AMONG THE
EARMARKS TO MODERNIZE EQUIPMENT
BY TEN NEW COMBAT SHIPS AS WELL
AS BUMP PRODUCTION FOR THE
AIRCRAFT.
>> IN THE BUDGET WE TOOK CARE OF
THE MILITARY LIKE IT’S NEVER
BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE, IN
FACT, GENERAL MATTIS CALLED ME
AND SAID, WOW, I CAN’T BELIEVE I
GOT EVERYTHING WE WANTED.
I SAID, THAT’S RIGHT, BUT WE
WANT NO EXCUSES.
WE WANT YOU TO BUY THOUGHT, WE
WANT TO GET TWICE AS MANY PLANES
FOR HALF THE PRICE.
MARIA: JOINING THUS MORNING FOX
NEWS SENIOR STRATEGISTS GENERAL
JACK KEANE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> GLAD TO BE HERE, MARIA.
GENERAL MATTIS IS COMPLETELY
CORRECT ABOUT THAT, THE LARGEST
PLUS-UP IN MILITARY BUDGET IN
ALMOST 40 YEARS AND WE CANNOT
RECOVER IN ONE OR TWO BUDGETS,
WE HAVE TO SUSTAIN THE INCREASES
FOR ABOUT 5 TO 6 YEARS, IT TOOK
US A LONG TIME TO GET IN THE
DESPERATE SITUATION BUT THERE’S
MONEY IN THE BUDGET CLEARLY TO
FIX THE PROBLEM, WE HAVE TO GROW
THE SIZE OF THE MILITARY, WE
HAVE TO FIX OUR EQUIPMENT THAT
WE HAVE, SO MUCH OF IT IS IN
DISREPAIR RIGHT NOW, WE JUST
NEED THE NOUN BUY REPAIR PARTS
AND AS YOU MECHANICSED IN
INTERSECTION, WE NEED FUTURE
CAPACITY THAT WE DON’T HAVE NOW
AND MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO GET
US THERE, THE RUSSIANS AND
CHINESE HAVE CLOSED ON US FROM
TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE.
WE DO NOT HAVE THE DECIDED
ADVANTAGE THAT WE USED TO HAVE.
MARIA: YESTERDAY WE HAD DAVID
STOCKMAN AND HE WAS UPSET ABOUT
THE BUDGET NUMBERS, WHAT ABOUT
THE READINESS, LACK OF OUR
MILITARY, WHAT ABOUT ALL OF
THESE ACCIDENTS THAT WE KEEP
HAVING, WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT
50% OF THE PLANES ARE NOT
FLYABLE, HE SAID THAT NONE OF
THAT IS TRUE, ABSOLUTELY IS NOT.
WE DON’T NEED ALL OF THE MONEY,
WE NEED TO STOP MEN AND WOMEN
ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHY ARE WE
STILL IN AFGHANISTAN, WHY ARE WE
STILL IN IRAQ, THIS FROM THE
PERSON WHO ACTUALLY WAS REAGAN’S
BUDGET DIRECTOR, HE QUIT, HE WAS
UPSET BY SPENDING LEVELS IN
REAGAN ADMINISTRATION, WHAT DO
YOU WANT TO SAY TO HIM?
>> HE HAS A DIFFERENT VIEW OF
WHAT AMERICA’S ROLE IN THE WORLD
IS.
HE WANTS TO DISENGAGE FROM THE
WORLD.
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WANT
TO DO THAT IN BOTH PARTIES TO BE
SURE BUT I FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE
IN THE PRESIDENT’S PATH AND
SIMPLY PUT AMERICA BACK ON WORLD
STAGES, GLOBAL LEAD THE OTHER
HELP STABILIZE AND SECURE THE
WORLD AND HELP THE ECONOMY, THE
WORLD ECONOMY TO PROSPER, WHEN
THE UNITED STATES IS EXERCISING
STRONG LEADERSHIP THROUGH ITS
MILITARY AND THROUGH THE
STRENGTH OF ITS ECONOMY, THE
WORLD IS A SAFER PLACE.
MARIA: YEAH.
>> WE HAVE SEEN THE OPPOSITE THE
SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS.
MARIA: WE HAVE SEEN REAL IMPACT.
OVERNIGHT IN KUWAIT, SECRETARY
STATE TILLERSON TOLD TO NOT LOSE
SIGHT OF OVERALL GOAL, NEARLY
DEFEATED THEM IN SYRIA, MOUNTING
DISTRACTIONS INFIGHTING AMONG
COALITION MEMBERS.
FIRST GIVE ME YOUR TAKE ON
WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ISIS AND HOW
THIS NEW INCREASE IN MILITARY
SPENDING IS GOING TO IMPACT THAT
AND SOME OF THE OTHER THREATS
AROUND THE WORLD AND THEN DO YOU
THINK THE U.S. NEEDS SHIFT IN
STRATEGY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST?
>> YES, I DO.
FIRST OF ALL, TO DEAL WITH ISIS,
WE TOOK THEIR TERRITORY AWAY
FROM THEM AND THE PEOPLE WHO
WERE INVOLVED IN THAT ARE
LEADERS AND THE IRAQIS AND
SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES DESERVE
HUGE CREDIT FOR DOING THAT.
BUT SOMEWHERE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD OF 16,000 FIGHT IRS
IN SYRIA AND IRAQ HIDING, WAIT
TO GO CONDUCT TERRORIST
ACTIVITIES AND WAIT TO GO
REEMERGE PARTICULARLY IF THE
UNITED STATES AND COALITION
FORCES LEAVE.
JUST AS WHAT HAPPENED IN IRAQ
WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA PULLED US
ALL OUT.
THAT WOULD BE A HUGE MISTAKE, WE
CANNOT DO THAT.
WHEN THE MIDDLE EAST STRATEGY,
WHAT WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE, THE
NUMBER ONE THREAT IN THE MIDDLE
EAST IS IRANIANS WHO ARE TRYING
TO ESTABLISH CONTROL OF THE
MIDDLE EAST.
THEY’VE GOT LEBANON POLITICALLY,
MILITARILY, THEY HAVE MOST OF
SYRIA, BEGIN TO GO ENCROACH ON
ISRAEL, DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT
ESTABLISHING BASES IN SYRIA TO
FIRE MISSILES INTO ISRAEL,
THAT’S WHY THE ISRAELIS ARE
PUSHING BACK, THEY HAVE SOME
POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN IRAQ THAT
WE DON’T HAVE AND THEY ALSO WANT
CONTROL OF YEMEN, I THINK IT’S
TIME NOW TO STAND UP SOME KIND
OF ARAB NATO AND RECOGNIZE THAT
WE HAVE GOT TO PUSH BACK ON THE
IRANIANS PARTICULARLY WITH THE
WINDFALL OF MONEY THAT THEY
RECEIVED BECAUSE OF NUCLEAR DEAL
AND RETURN OF SANCTIONS AND
MONEY THAT WAS TIED IN
INTERNATIONAL U.S. BANKING,
WE’VE GOT TO STOP THESE GUYS
WITH THEIR AGGRESSIVE AND
MALIGNED BEHAVIOR.
MARIA: IS IT GOING TO WORK?
EVEN WHEN THE DEAL WASN’T EVEN
SIGNED, THEY WERE STILL SAYING
DEATH TO AMERICA.
>> THEY STARTED IN 1979, THEY
SAY IT EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
TWO THICKS THAT THEY WANT TO
ACHIEVE TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL
THE MIDDLE EAST AND THEY TALK
ABOUT IT EVERY SINGLE YEAR, ONE
IS DRIVE THE UNITED STATES OUT
OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND THAT’S
WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO IN
SYRIA AND OTHER PLACES AND
NUMBER TWO, DESTROY THE STATE OF
ISRAEL, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY 100%
CONSISTENT ON THAT AND THAT’S
WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT AND WE HAVE
TO RECOGNIZE FOR THAT AND WE
HAVE TO STAND UP AGAINST IT WITH
OUR ALLIES.
MARIA: REAL QUICK, A WORD ON
THIS BUDGET BECAUSE WE ARE
TAKING A LOOK AT THE
APPROPRIATIONS NOW, THAT’S THE
THE APPROPRIATE END RESULT FOR
SOME OF THIS INCREASE IN
SPENDING IN TERMS OF
APPROPRIATIONS, WHERE ARE THE
NEEDS, GENERAL, FROM YOUR
STANDPOINT?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE
OVERALL AMOUNT FOR 2018 AS
AGREED TO SHOULD BE
$700 BILLION, THAT INCLUDES THE
BASE BUDGET AND WHAT WE SPEND
FOR CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS
OVERSEAS AND FOR 2019 IT SHOULD
BE SOMEWHERE WHAT WE AGREED TO,
$716 BILLION AND INITIALLY,
WE’VE GOT TO GET OUT THERE AND
FIX THIS EQUIPMENT THAT’S IN
SUCH DISREPAIR THAT YOU HAVE THE
DIMENSION.
THAT’S ESSENTIAL, WE HAVE TO
PROVIDE PILOTS WITH HOURS OF
TRAINING AND OTHERS THAT NEED
TRAINING DONE AND BEGIN WITH
FUTURE CAPABILITY.
OUR PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO DO.
I’M ENCOURAGED BY THIS.
THE NUMBER TWO GUY BY THE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT IS A
BUSINESSMAN.
IF WE USE BUSINESS PRACTICES,
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT IS NOT A
BUSINESS, BUT MANY OF ITS
FUNCTIONS, MARIA, ARE
BUSINESS-LIKE FUNCTIONS AND ID
NEEDS THAT KIND OF EXPERTISE AND
EXPERIENCE TO HELP IT.
MARIA: REALLY INTERESTING,
GENERAL, GREAT ANALYSIS, THANKS