DAGEN: I’M JUST KIDDING.
THANK YOU.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
ARRIVING IN SINGAPORE TO BEGIN
HER ASIA TRIP WHILE HER OFFICE
MADE NO MENTION OF A POSSIBLE
TRIP TO TAIWAN.
A SENIOR TAIWANESE OFFICIAL SAID
SHE WILL MAKE A STOP THERE AS
CHINESE FOREIGN MILITARY SAID
ITS MILITARY WILL NOT SIT IDLY
BE IF SHE VISITS TAIWAN.
JOINING ME NOW, FORMER DEPUTY
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE,
ROGER ZACHHIME.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
PUT SPEAKER PELOSI’S TRIP IN
PERSPECTIVE AND IS IT TRULY
IMPORTANT NOW FOR HER TO
DEFINITELY VISIT TAIWAN?
>> WELL, THE STAKES HAVE
CHANGED.
IT’S NOT OKAY FOR THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY TO DICTATE THE
TRAVEL SCHEDULE OF THE SPEAKER
OF THE HOUSE.
IT’S A HE REFLECTION OF THE
HEIGHTENED TENSIONS BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES AND THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY AS IT RELATES TO
TAIWAN.
THE REALITY IS, NANCY PELOSI HAS
ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG ADVOCATE OF
FREEDOM AROUND THE WORLD.
IT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT THE
BIDEN INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATIONBIDENADMINISTRATION WOULD
PREFERRED HER NOT TO DO AT THE
OUTSET OF THE THE CONVERSATION.
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IS XI
DICTATING WHERE SEE SHOULD OR
SHUTSHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GO.
AND THAT’S NOT OKAY.
DAGEN: WHAT SHOULD THE
ADMINISTRATION BE DOING TO STAND
UP TO XI JINPING AND THE
COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA?
AGAIN, WAS FENTANYL BROUGHT UP
ON THE CALL?
WHAT ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF COVID
IN THAT CALL?
IT WAS MORE THAN TWO HOURS LONG
LAST WEEK BETWEEN BIDEN AND XI
JINPING.
COVIDS HAS KILLED MORE THAN A
MILLION AMERICANS AND MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE.
AND WE WILL NEVER GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF THE ORIGINS OF IT.
>> WELL, THERE’S SO MANY LAYERS
TO THIS RELATIONSHIP, HAVING
PRESIDENT BIDEN TALK TO
PRESIDENT SHY XI IS A POSITIVE
THING.
THEY SHOULD BE IN TOUCH.
BUT IN PARALLEL WITH THE
DIPLOMACY OF THE UNITED STATES,
THEY SHOULD SHOW STRENGTH IN
EVERY DOMAIN.
YOU MENTIONED COVID.
THE UNITED STATES SHOULD
CONTINUE TO PRESSURE THE
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO
UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS AND IT’S
CLEAR THAT CHINA DID NOT ALLOW
FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION TO
WHAT HAPPENED THERE, WITH THE
ORIGINS OF COVID.
ACROSS THE BOARD, THE UNITED
STATES NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO
DEMONSTRATE STRENGTH, TO BE
PRESSURING CHINA ON EVERY DOMAIN
AND EVERY FRONT AND PRESIDENT
BIDEN AT LEAST AS RELATES TO
TAIWAN HAS REALLY CONFUSED THE
SITUATION BY AT TIMES BEING IN
FAVOR OF THE STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY
POLICY AND AT TIMES SAYING HE
WANTED TO WALK AWAY FROM IT.
HIS STAFFERS HAD TO SCURRY TO
TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S PREFERRED POLICY.
THE REALITY IS, THE UNITED
STATES NEEDS TO STAND WITH THE
FREE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN AND TAIWAN
HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO A LOT OF
AGGRESSION FROM BEIJING AND
CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES
NEEDS TO STAND WITH TAIWAN,
VIS-A-VIS MILITARY AND
DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT.
DAGEN: I WANT TO MOVE ON TO
UKRAINE’S FIRST GRAIN SHIPMENT
SINCE RUSSIA INVASION, DEPARTING
FROM THE PORT OF ODESA EARLIER
THIS MORNING.
THE SHIPMENT IS THE FIRST REAL
TEST OF A DEAL AGREED TO LAST
MONTH BETWEEN KYIV AND MOSCOW TO
HELP EASE GLOBAL FOOD SHORTAGES.
ROGER, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS?
>> WELL, IT’S A POSITIVE
DEVELOPMENT.
THIS ADDRESSES FOOD INSECURITY
AROUND THE WORLD.
THIS FOOD SHIPMENT I BELIEVE
WILL BE GOING TO LEBANON WHERE
IT’S MUCH NEEDED.
THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT RELYING
ON VLADIMIR PUTIN FOR WORLD FOOD
SECURITY OR TO ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE IS A PERILOUS AFFAIR.
SHORTAGE IS A PERILOUS AFFAIR.
WE CANNOT BE DEPENDENT ON
DESPITS FOR OIL AND GAS.
IT REFLECTS THE WORK OF THE
PRESIDENT OF TURKEY, THE UNITED
NATIONS BUT FOR THE WORLD TO
DEPEND ON THIS BEING THE
SOLUTION I THINK IS FOOL HARDY.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO
WATCH CLOSELY AND LOOK FOR
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES.
VLADIMIR PUTIN IS IN THIS FOR
ONE THING, TO WIN IN UKRAINE AND
TO PUT PRESSURE ON THOSE THAT
ARE PRESSURING HIM.
I DON’T THINK IT’S SOMETHING WE
CAN RELY ON IN THE FUTURE.
DAGEN: PUTIN CALLING THE U.S.
MOSCOW’S GREATEST NAVAL THREAT
IN A MILITARY DOCTRINE, SAYING
THEY WOULD DEPLOY MILITARY FORCE
IF DIPLOMACY WAS NOT ETCH EBBING
IN CONTAINING THE U.S.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON COMMENTS?
AND IN TERMS OF OUR NAVY, OUR
NAVY NEEDS BETTER READINESS AND
WE NEED A MODERNIZES OF OUR
NAVAL FORCES DO WE NOT AND
THAT’S ONE PLACE THAT MONEY IS
NOT BEING SPENT.
TRUE?
>> WELL, THE REALITY IS, OUR
NAVY’S TOO SMALL.
WE HAVE GLOBAL COMMITMENTS
AROUND THE WORLD.
WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT CHINA
AND TAIWAN.
OBVIOUSLY NAVY’S CRITICAL THERE.
WE TALK ABOUT, IN THIS EXAM EXAM
YOU JUST GAVE, IN EUROPE THE
NAVY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART,
PARTICULARLY THE MED MEDITERRANE
YOU TALK ABOUT THE PERSIAN GULF.
THOSE REGIONS ALONE YOU NEED TO
HAVE A STRONG NAVY, ONE WE’VE
BEEN UNABLE TO BUILD BECAUSE
DEFENSE BUDGETS HAVE BEEN TOO
LOW AND BECAUSE OUR
INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR DEFENSE
INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT ADEQUATE
IN TERMS OF BUILDING ENOUGH
SHIPS TO KEEP PACE WITH THOSE
COMMITMENTS.
VLADIMIR PUTIN OF COURSE ALWAYS
LOOKS TO THE UNITED STATES, HE
DEMONIZES OTHERS IN ORDER TO
JUSTIFY HIS MILITARY BUILDUP, IN
ORDER TO DEAL WITH DOMESTIC
CHALLENGES HE FACES.
THE REALITY IS, THE UNITED
STATES NEEDS TO BE STRONG
VIS-A-VIS VLADIMIR PUTIN, THE
U.S. NAVY IS ONE ELEMENT OF
THAT.
OUR NAVY IS TOO SMALL TO MEET
THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY AND IT
REQUIRES INVESTMENT IN TERMS OF
DOLLARS AND INCREASING OUR
MANUFACTURING BASE AND
INDUSTRIAL BASE SO WE CAN KEEP
PACE AND MODERNIZE AND GROW OUR
NAVAL FEET.
DAGEN: OH, BUT CLIMATE CHANGE.