Plus, 0% interest for 48 months on all smart beds. Ends Monday.
[A vulture squawks.]
>> Will: RUSSIAN PORTIONS IN
KYIV THE UKRAINIAN CAPITAL CAN
FALL AS EARLY AS THIS WEEKEND.
AS THE WORLD WATCHES MOSCOW
SHATTER PEACE IN EUROPE.
THE BIG QUESTION REMAINS HAS
PUTIN SET HIS SIGHTS ON
COUNTRIES BEYOND UKRAINE?
LET’S BRING IN FOX NEWS
STRATEGIC ANALYST RETIRED FOUR
STAR JEB JACK KEANE.
BEFORE WE LOOK FORWARD IN THE
FUTURE.
GIVE ME YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
I KNOW YOU FEEL LIKE THIS HASN’T
GONE EXACTLY ACCORD TO GO AHEAD
PLAN FOR PUTIN.
GIVE ME YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE PRESENT.
PRESENT. HOW DO YOU THINK STRONGER
HOW DO YOU THINK STRONGER
FEELING CONFIDENT OR WEAKER FOUR
AXISES OF ADVANCE.
ALL REQUIRE LOGISTIC SUPPORT AND
ALL REQUIRE AIR SUPPORT.
THE AIR CAMPAIGN AFTER THE FIRST
DAY IS OBVIOUS DID NOT GO WELL,
EXCUSE ME.
THEY LEFT PARTS OF THE INTACT.
INFRASTRUCTURE QUITE STUNNING.
THEY WEREN’T ABLE TO PREPARE FOR
THEIR ASSAULT FORCES IN TERMS OF
UKRAINIAN DEFENSIVE
PERSPECTIVES.
THAT’S WHY THE ATTACKS STALLED
IN THREE OUT OF THE FOUR OF
THOSE AXES, WHICH CERTAINLY
SURPRISED MOST OF US. THE UKRAINIANS HAD REALLY I
THE UKRAINIANS HAD REALLY I
THINK A PRETTY GOOD DAY USE
MATCHED THE UKRAINIANS BUT YOU
HAVE TO FEEL FOR THEM HEART GOES
OUT FOR SURE.
THERE ARE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR
PUTIN.
TOPPLE THE GOVERNMENT AND MOVE
TO UKRAINIAN PRO-RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT, THIS IS THE SAME
EXACT GOVERNMENT SAME THREW OUT
IN 20146789 HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS DEMONSTRATING AGAINST
IT.
AND YANNA VELICOVICH FLED TO
RUSSIA THAT STARTED THE ENTIRE
CRISIS OF 2014 MOVING THEM INTO
EASTERN UKRAINE.
WE ARE ABOUT TO GO THROUGH A
SIMILAR PHASE LIKE THAT AGAIN.
IT’S NOT WITHOUT ITS CHALLENGES
FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN HERE TO MAKE
THIS TRANSITION AND TO KEEP THAT
GOVERNMENT IN PLACE.
DESPITE THE ALMOST OVERWHELMING
OPPOSITION TO IT BY THE PEOPLE
OF UKRAINE.
>> Will: YEAH.
I ASKED YOU WHETHER OR NOT HE IS
STRONGER OR WEAKER TODAY.
WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID IS THIS
FIGHT TOUGHER THAN ANTICIPATED
FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN AND CLEARLY
YOUR ANSWER IS ALTHOUGH IT’S
INEVITABLE, HE WILL EVENTUALLY
WIN THE SHORT-TERM WAR, IT’S
MUCH TOUGHER THAN HE ANTICIPATED
AND ALSO TOUGHER IN THE LONG
TERM TO YOUR POINTED TO PACIFY
OR CONTROL UKRAINE.
BUT LOOKING BEYOND THAT GENERAL,
WHAT DO YOU -- WE’RE SEEING
JENNIFER GRIFFIN YESTERDAY
REPORTED THERE IS SOME TROOP
BUILD UP, RUSSIAN TROOP BUILD UP
ON THE POLISH BORDER.
EVERYBODY IS CONCERNED ABOUT
WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE BALTICS
IT’S HARD TO CLIMB INSIDE HIS
MIND.
WHAT IS NEXT?
WHAT ARE THE AMBITIONS OF
VLADIMIR PUTIN?
>> I THINK WE JUST LISTEN TO MR.
THINGS.
HE IS SAID -- HE HAS THREATENED
THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS THAT
ARE NOW A PART OF NATO.
WHEN HE WAS JUSTIFYING HIS
OPERATION ON UKRAINE, HE
THREATENED THOSE STATES.
AND HE WANTS TO BRING THEM BACK
IN TO HIS SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.
I THINK WE TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY
AND NATO HAS TO OUTGUN
THEMSELVES IN TERMS OF HAVING AN
EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE ON THE
GROUND.
NOT ON PAPER WITH ARTICLE 5.
I’M TALKING ABOUT TROOPS ON THE
GROUND.
AND THE TARGET HAS GOT TO BE THE
BALTICS.
P LD THE BALTICS PRIMARILY
BECAUSE THEY ARE CLEARLY THE
MOST VULNERABLE.
ANOTHER THREE OF THEM, LITHUANIA
IS THE MOST VULNERABLE BECAUSE
IT’S GOT RUSSIA ON BOTH SIDES.
SO, YES.
AND I’M FAMILIAR WITH WAR GAME
WE PLAYED JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS
AGO, PART OF A CONGRESSIONAL
COMMISSION AND RUSSIA TOOK TWO
OF THE CAPITALS IN 60 HOURS AND
WE HAD A FIGHT OUR WAY BACK INTO
EUROPE BECAUSE WE ARE AN OCEAN
AWAY IN THE UNITED STATES AFTER
THEM HAVING TAKEN OUT OUR A RIVA
AIRPORTS AND AIRFIELDS.
A MAJOR, MAJOR CHALLENGE.
WE CANNOT TAKE THIS FOR GRANTED.
AND I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT A HUGE
AMOUNT OF U.S. TROOPS HERE.
WILL.
THAT’S NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER.
WE HAVE A -- WE HAVE A CHALLENGE
WITH CHINA.
AND WE’RE OUTGUNNED AND
OUTMANNED THERE.
AND WE HAVE TO MOVE RESOURCES IN
THAT DIRECTION.
THIS IS ABOUT THE EUROPEANS.
>> Will: RIGHT.
>> THE EUROPEANS STICKING UP FOR
THEMSELVES.
THE GERMAN MILITARY IS ALMOST
NON-EXCESS TENT IN TERMS OF ITS
CAPABILITIES.
I’M BEINGLY CRITICAL TO MAKE THE
POINT.
YET, THEY HAVE THE LARGEST
ECONOMY.
OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE THAT WHERE
THERE IS NOT MUCH EXANTD.
WE HAVE GOT TO GET SERIOUS HERE
IN NATO AND OUTGUN OUR
CAPABILITY.
AND OUR DEFENSE BUDGETS ARE
INADEQUATE.
WILL, DURING THE COLD WAR, THE
DEFENSE BUDGET AVERAGED AROUND
7%.
OF G.D.P.
NOW IT’S SOUTH OF 3.
AND IT’S INADEQUATE TO DEAL WITH
THE THREAT IN EUROPE THAT WE’RE
FACING AND THE THREAT IN CHINA
THAT WE’RE FACING.
AND ADD TO THAT THE DIMENSION ON
WHAT THE IRANIANS ARE ABOUT TO
DO WHEN THEY GET THE JCPOA
WINDFALL MONEY IN A FEW WEEKS AS
A RESULT OF A NEW DEAL AND WHAT
THEY ARE GOING TO DO WITH THAT
MONEY TO DESTABILIZE THE MIDDLE
EAST.
WE HAVE MAJOR STRATEGIC
CHALLENGES AND WE’RE
INADEQUATELY FUNDED.
>> Will: GENERAL, I WANT TO SAVE
A MINUTE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU
ABOUT CHINA.
LET ME JUST FOLLOW THE
CONVERSATION YOU JUST
INTRODUCED.
FASCINATING.
YOU ARE ASKING THAT THE
EUROPEANS AMASS TROOPS IN THE
BALTICS AS A DEAL TENTH TO
RUSSIA GOING TO LITHUANIA,
LASTLY INTO HE ESTONIA NOT JUST
AMERICAN TROOPS OR NOT EVEN
PRIMARILY.
EUROPEAN TROOPS TO SERVE AS
PHYSICAL DETERRENT AND YOU
MENTIONED YOUR WAR GAME.
THAT YOU GUYS PARTICIPATED IN A
FEW YEARS AGO TAKING THE CAP AT
THAT POINT OF THE BALTICS IN 60
HOURS.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?
WAS POLAND TAKEN OVER AS WELL?
WHAT DID THE WAR GAMES SHOW
RUSSIA COULD DO?
>> WELL, TO RUN THE COUNTER
OFFENSIVE, TO TAKE BACK THE
BALTICS, WE HAD COME IN THROUGH
POLAND.
BUT WE HAD TO FIGHT OUR WAY BACK
IN TO EUROPE BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY
WE WERE AT WAR WITH RUSSIA AND
WE’RE DEALING WITH ATTACK
SUBMARINES.
AND DEALING WITH CYBER WARFARE
IN OUR COUNTRY AND DEALING WITH
ARRIVAL AIRFIELDS AND ARRIVAL
PORTS SEVERELY DAMAGED BY THEIR
AIR CAMPAIGN.
SO, A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE.
WE CAN’T TAKE THIS ARTICLE 5.
THIS PAPER AGREEMENT THAT WE
HAVE FOR GRANTED.
IT IS ABOUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND
FACING OFF AND MAKING CERTAIN
THAT PUTIN UNDERSTANDS THERE
REALLY IS A DETERRENT HERE, THAT
IS WHAT SENDS THE MESSAGE, NOT
RHETORIC.
>> Will: YEAH.
AND GENERAL, SO THEN THERE IS
THIS.
PERHAPS THE SCARIEST ASPECT OF
IT YOU TALKED ABOUT IT AND THAT
IS WHAT IS CHINA SEE?
WHAT DOES CHINA DO IN THIS
MOMENT IN THE CHINESE ASSISTANT
FOREIGN MINISTER IS BLAMING THE
U.S. FOR RUSSIA’S INVASION.
HE SAID THE FOLLOWING: THE U.S.
HAS BEEN FUELING THE FLAMES,
FANNING UP THE FLAMES.
HOW DO THEY WANT TO PUT OUT THE
FIRE?
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT NOW FROM
CHINA?
>> WELL, THEY ARE NOT ENDORSING
OR CONDEMNING THIS RUSSIAN
INVASION BUT, BELIEVE ME,
PRIVATELY, THEY ARE CHEERING
FROM THE SIDELINES.
THIS PLAYS INTO PRESIDENT XI’S
NARRATIVE, WILL.
YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT HE IS
TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE
UNITED STATES AND THE WEST ARE
DECLINING POWERS.
CHINA IS A RISING POWER.
THE WORLD ORDER AS WE KNEW IT IS
CHANGING AND COMING TO THEIR
SPEAR OF INFLUENCE IN RUSSIA AND
CHINA.
THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE
FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT.
AND THAT IS WHY THEY HAVE A
RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER.
THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL
DIFFERENCES BUT THEY HAVE COME
TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY WANT TO
CHANGE THE WORLD ORDER AND YOU
SEE PUTIN CERTAINLY MAKING TAKE
A SERIOUS STEP IN THAT DIRECTION
RIGHT NOW AND CHINA, I THINK THE
DANGER ZONE COMES AFTER THE
NATIONAL PARTY CONGRESS IN THE
FALL WHEN PRESIDENT XI WILL BE
ENSHRINED AS THE NEW LEADER
LIKELY WITH NO TERM LIMITS.
IN 23, 24, AND 25. I THINK WE
ARE IN THE DANGER ZONAL WHERE HE
WILL BE INCENTIVIZED TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT TAIWAN IN TERMS
OF USING MILITARY FORCE.
AND WE HAVE GOT TO BUILD AN
EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE THAT WE DO
NOT HAVE RIGHT NOW IN THE
INDO-PACIFIC REGION.
>> Will: GENERAL JACK KEANE,
CONCERNING BUT ENLIGHTENING
INFORMATION THIS MORNING.
ALWAYS GREAT TO TALK TO YOU.
>> YEAH.
GREAT TALKING TO YOU, WILL AND