>> Ainsley: WE LEARNED SOMETHING
THIS MORNING.
>> Pete: WE DO.
STILL HAVE BIG QUESTIONS AS
WELL.
THE BIG ONE IS THIS HOW FAR WILL
VLADIMIR PUTIN TAKE THIS AS THE
INVASION COMMENCES OVERNIGHT.
IF YOU ARE JUST TUNING IN THE
INVASION OF UKRAINE HAS BEGUN BY
THE SOVIET MILITARY.
LET’S GET AN ANSWER TO THAT
QUESTION FROM FOX NEWS SENIOR
STRATEGIC ANALYST RETIRED FOUR
STAR GENERAL JACK KEANE.
GENERAL, FIRST OF ALL, WAKING UP
THIS MORNING, ARE YOU AT ALL
SURPRISED BY THE SCOPE AND SCALE
OF WHETHER A VLADIMIR PUTIN
APPEARS TO HAVE UNDERTAKEN?
>> YEAH, WELL I STARTED TO BECOME SURPRISED BY IT, YOU
BECOME SURPRISED BY IT, YOU
KNOW, DAYS AGO WHEN IT BECAME
OBVIOUS HE WAS SELECTING THE
MOST AGGRESSIVE OPERATION TO
TAKE OVER UKRAINE.
IN A SENSE, I MEAN, HE IS
SHOWCASING HIS MILITARY AND HIS
PROFESSIONALISM IN A WAY THE
UNITED STATES DID DURING DESSERT
STORM.
HE HAS SELECTED THE REGIME
CHANGE OPTION WITH HUNDREDS OF
PREASSAULT FIRE TARGETS,
MULTIPLE AXIS OF ADVANCE COMING
INTO THE COUNTRY.
NEAR SIGN MULL TAKENNOUS ATTACK.
THE COLLAPSE OF REGIME AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
AND I THINK, PETE, LOOK IT, WHEN
HE WENT INTO GEORGIA, IT’S
WELL-DOCUMENTED THAT HE -- THAT
HIS MILITARY HAD LOTS OF
PROBLEMS.
IT EXPOSED MORE WARTS THERE
THERE WERE POSITIVE THINGS AS A
RESULT OF IT.
EVEN IN 2014, HE ANNEXED CRIMEA
AND THERE WAS REALLY NO FIGHTING
THERE.
AND THEN HE WENT INTO EASTERN
UKRAINE AND THEN THE LESSONS
LEARNED, THEY INDICATE THAT THEY
RELIED TOO MUCH ON HYBRID
WARFARE AND UNCONVENTIONAL
FORCES AND THEY WEREN’T ABLE TO
TAKE ALL THE OBJECTIVES THAT
THEY HAD IN MIND AND THEY SHOULD
HAVE RELIED MORE ON CONVENTIONAL
FORCES THAT CERTAINLY IS THE
CASE THAT WE ARE SEEING HERE.
WHAT PUTIN HAS DONE, HE HAS
TAKEN ABOUT 60% OF HIS MILITARY
AND PROFESSIONALIZED IT.
IT DOESN’T HAVE MUCH CON SCRIPTS
IN IT.
AND THEY ARE WELL EQUIPPED
DISCIPLINED.
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THEM
CLOSELY AS THEY ARE MOVING
AROUND.
THEY SEEM YOUNG AND AFFERENTS.
MARCH DISCIPLINE IS VERY GOOD AS
THEY’RE MOVE IN CONVOYS AND
VEHICLES.
THIS A PROFESSIONALIZED MILITARY
HE IS SENDING A MESSAGE IN TERMS
OF THE CAPABILITY THAT CERTAINLY
HE HAS ACHIEVED HERE.
I THINK, PETE, THE STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVE, WHAT IS DRIVING HIM
IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND THAT’S
SIMPLY IN MY WORDS, HE HAS HIS
OWN WORDS OF DOING IT EXPRESSING
IT.
PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.
AND THAT IS I MEAN HE IS
RECONSTRUCTING THE POST COLD WAR
BOUNDARIES IN EUROPE.
HE REALLY WANTS TO TAKE AWAY
NATO’S DOMINANCE AND ALTER THE
BALANCE OF POWER IN EUROPE.
THAT’S STRATEGICALLY WHAT THIS
IS ABOUT.
AND WHEN YOU CONSIDER AND YOU
POINTED THIS OUT NOT JUST
UKRAINE, WHICH HE IS GOING TO
OCCUPY AND INSTALL A NEW
GOVERNMENT HERE, BUT ALSO
BELARUS IS IN HIS ORBIT AND THIS
IS VERY SIGNIFICANT WHAT HAS
TAKEN PLACE HIS POLITICAL
OBJECTIVE HERE IS REAL SIMPLE
THAT IS INSTALL A NEW
GOVERNMENT.
THAT WILL HAPPEN.
>> Pete: HE MENTIONED IN A
STATEMENT OVERNIGHT HE SAID WE
ARE NOT INTERESTED -- AT THE
SAME TIME OUR PLANS DO NOT
INCLUDE THE OCCUPATION OF
UKRAINIAN TERRITORIES.
I’M INTERESTED BECAUSE YOU
MENTIONED IN THIS SENSE HE IS
DOING IT MORE CONVENTIONALLY.
WOULD THAT MEAN THE DECAPITATION
INSTALLATION OF A PUNISHMENT
GOVERNMENT MAYBE NOT A FULL
MILITARY OCCUPATION SOME
LIMITED.
SOME HAVE SUGGESTED AND I
MENTIONED YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS.
ATTEMPTING TO OCCUPY UKRAINE
WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY COULD
BECOME ARDUOUS TANK AND ONE THAT
WOULD BEGIN TO LOOK NOT VERY
SUCCESSFUL FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN.
HOW DOES HE BALANCE THAT?
>> THERE IS ONLY RISK HERE FOR
PUTIN.
AND THAT’S ONE OF THEM YOU ARE
PUTTING YOUR FINGER ON.
YEAH, HE INTENDS TO INSTALL A
GOVERNMENT THAT IS MADE UP OF
UKRAINIANS THAT ARE FRIENDLY TO
HIM.
HE PROBABLY HAS IN MIND THE
MODEL HE HAD HERE ONCE BEFORE ON
THIANTHE HE WAS A RUSSIAN STOOGE
SENSE REFUSING TO LOOK TO THE
WEST.
REFUSING TO LOOK TOWARDS NATO.
REFUSING TO LOOK TOWARDS THE
PROSPERITY THAT COULD BE OFFERED
TO THE PEOPLE AS A RESULT OF IT.
AND, GUESS WHAT IN THE PEOPLE
THREW HIM OUT.
AND THAT IS -- THAT’S ANOTHER
ISSUE HERE THAT PROVIDES RISK
FOR PUTIN.
AND I THINK FROM THE BEGINNING
GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2014,
HE HAS UNDER ESTIMATED THE
UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, WHEN HE PUT THOSE
TROOPS IN EASTERN UKRAINE, AND
LEFT THEM THERE, THE SO-CALLED
SEPARATISTS I BROUGHT RUSSIAN
TROOPS IN AND OUT THEREOF ALL
THE TIME OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS.
HE REALLY EXPECTED THAT THE --
BECAUSE OF THE THREAT OF FURTHER
INVASION, THAT THE PEOPLE AND
THE GOVERNMENT WOULD -- EVEN
THOUGH IT WAS ANTI-RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT THAT WAS IN THERE
GOVERNMENT THAT WAS IN THERE
POSTIAN KNOWYANOCOVICH.
PEOPLE STIFFENED THEIR WILL
AGAINST WANTING TO BE A ARE THE
PATH THE RUSSIAN ORBIT AND
LOOKING TO THE WEST FOR ALL THE
OBVIOUS REASONS.
OPEN.
THRIVING CAPITALISM.
PROSPERITY FOR THEIR CHILDREN
AND ADVANCING WAY OF LIFE.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS IS WHAT THEY
CERTAINLY WANTED.
AND UKRAINIAN PEOPLE ARE GOING
TO BE FACTOR HERE.
THE MILITARY OBJECTIVE IS PRETTY
CLEAR.
AND THIS IS HIS OPERATIONAL
COMMANDERS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED AN
OBJECTIVE TO DEFEAT THE UKRAINE
MILITARY.
A LOT OF THE PREASSAULT FIRES
CERTAINLY ARE GOING AT THAT IN
TERMS OF MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
TARGETS THAT ARE SUPPORTING
THEM.
ALSO THE DEPLOYED MILITARY IN
THE FIELD.
BE ASSIGNED KEY TERRAIN ON TIFSZ
TO SEIZE AND HOLD AS PART OF A
MILITARY OPERATION.
THAT’S ROUTINE.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS THEY
ARE GOING TO FACILITATE A REGIME
CHANGE.
AND EVENTUALLY THAT -- WE WILL
SEE THAT UNFOLD YOU KNOW, BEFORE
OUR EYES.
HE HAS A LOT OF OPTIONS TO DEAL
WITH THAT I’M SURE HE HAS GOT A
SET PLAN IN PLAY AND HOW HE
INTENDS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
BUT HE CAN CALL AUDIBLES IN
RELATION TO THAT. THAT’S WHAT
WE SEE IN FRONT OF US, CERTAINLY
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FOR
EUROPE, FOR THE WORLD AT LARGE
BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENS IN
ISOLATION ANYMORE.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY AS WE HAVE
SAID SO MANY TIMES, PETE, YOU
KNOW, THE RESULT OF THE AFGHAN
DEBACLE IT HAD RESIDUAL EFFECTS,
EMBOLDENED OUR ADVERSARIES.
WE HAVE SEEN IT HERE WITH THIS
INCURSION AND MILITARY FULL OUT
INVASION IS MORE ACCURATE
DESCRIPTION AND THIS WILL HAVE
THAT KIND OF RESIDUAL IMARKTS
TOO.
AND EMBOLDEN THE IRANIANS FOR
SURE AS THEY ARE GOING FORWARD
AND WANT TO ACQUIRE A NUCLEAR
WEAPON AND TAKE THE SANCTION
MONEY AND FUEL.
THEIR ON TIFTS IN THE REGION.
WE KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AS
A RESULT OF THE 2015 FLAWED DEAL
AND CERTAINLY PRESIDENT XI IS
LOOKING AT WHILE HE PUBLICLY HAS
NOT ENDORSED WHAT PUTIN IS
DOING.
HE HASN’T CONDEMN YOU HAD IT
EITHER.
THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT
NEGOTIATIONS AND MIDDLE OF THE
ROAD APPROACH, BUT YOU CAN BET
THAT HE IS LOOKING AT THIS AND
WHAT HE SEES IS WEAKNESS IN THE
WEST AND HOW THAT CAN ADVANTAGE
HIM IN TERMS OF HIS NATIONAL
OBJECTIVES AS WELL.
>> Pete: WELL SAID.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU HEARD WHAT
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WITH
BENJAMIN HALL FOR A MOMENT,
GENERAL.
EVERYTHING THAT’S BEEN TRIED SO
FAR FROM THE WEST AND THE WHITE
HOUSE HASN’T WORKED THE IDEA WAS
DETERRENT.
HE WAS NOT DETERRED.
SANCTIONS HAVE BEEN RATCHETED
UP.
THEY HAVEN’T BEEN EFFECTIVE.
STRONGLY WORDED REST RESOLUTIONS
AND STATEMENTS FROM NOT BEEN
EFFECTIVE FROM U.N. TO NATO TO
THE G-7.
U.N. RUSSIA WITH A SEAT AT THE
SECURITY COUNCIL.
ALL THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS
PUT IN PLACE TO STOP SOMETHING
LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING HAVE
NOT WORKED.
IS THE WEST TO INCLUDE OUR WHITE
HOUSE, CAPABLE, SHOULD HE GO
EVEN FURTHER OR SHOULD THINGS GO
IN A CERTAIN DIRECTION OF
WIELDING WHAT IS NECESSARY TO
JUSTIFY THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT
EXISTS TO DEFEND THE WEST?
DO WE HAVE IN US TO TAKE ON A
THUG SHOULD HE GO EVEN FURTHER?
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION,
PETE, AND IT GETS AT THE HEART
OF THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE BEEN
FACING HERE.
AND WHY PUTIN HIMSELF SEES THE
OPPORTUNITY THAT HE HAS TAKEN
HERE.
I MEAN, HE OBVIOUSLY SEES THE
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DIVISIONS
THAT EXIST IN EUROPE AND ALSO IN
THE UNITED STATES.
HE ALSO LOOKS AT THE UNITED
STATES AS NOT JUST ABOUT BIDEN
BUT HE LOOKS AT THE UNITED
STATES IN ITS ENTIRETY AND HE
SAYS HE LOOKS AND SAYS WELL,
THEY CAN’T EVEN DO THEIR OWN
KNITTING SO TO SPEAK.
WE HAVE AN OPEN BORDER WHERE
THUGS AND CRIMINALS AND
TRAFFICKERS ARE ROLLING THROUGH
IT.
WE HAVE A CRIME WAVE FROM THIS
COUNTRY.
AND EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS.
THEY SEE THAT -- THEY ROLL THAT
UP ALL ABOUT AMERICAN DECLINE,
AMERICAN WEAKNESS.
>> Pete: SURE.
ABSOLUTELY.
>> YES, THERE ARE REAL ISSUES
HERE, PETE, DEALING WITH NATO’S
RESOLVE.
THEY HAVE GOT TO UP GUN.
THEY HAVE GOT INCREASE PERCENT
OF DEFENSE BUDGET AND PUT REAL
CAPABILITY IN EASTERN EUROPE.
AND THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NOT
DO -- WE SHOULDN’T DO ALL THE
HEAVY LIFTING HERE.
THIS IS MOSTLY ABOUT THEM.
>> Pete: YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF
HEAVY LIFTING YOUR WINDOW IS
ABOUT TO CLOSE AND WE WILL LOSE