TO HIM ASAP, ALSO KNOWN AS
TOMORROW.
SEAN: GILLIAN TURNER, THANK YOU.
JOINING ME NOW IS GENERAL JACK
KEANE, FOX NEWS STRATEGIC
ANALYST.
GENERAL, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
SO WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?
SHOULD SPEAKER PELOSI GO OR NOT
GO?
>> WELL, I THINK THE BIDEN TEAM
HERE HAS MANAGED TO PAINT
THEMSELVES INTO A CORNER HERE
WHERE THEY’RE GOT A LOSE-LOSE
SITUATION.
BY THAT I MEANSPEAKER PELOSI
GOES, THE PRESIDENT’S ALREADY
WEIGHED IN ON THIS THING AND,
OBVIOUSLY, THE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE HAS AS WELL.
AND IT MAKES HIM AND HIS
NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM LOOK VERY
WEAK.
IF SHE CANCELS OR DELAYS THE
TRIPP, THEN -- THE TRIP, THEN
THE REALITY IS THAT ONCE AGAIN
THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY HAS
REASSERTED ITSELF INTO WHAT IS
IN THE U.S.’ NATIONAL INTERESTS
AND WHAT IS IN THE U.S.’
NATIONAL INTERESTS.
WE HAVE BEEN SELF-CENSORING AND
SELF-DETERRING OURSELVES AS THE
RESULT OF CHINA’S BULLYING US
AND TAIWAN FOR YEARS.
AND THAT POLICY HAS BEEN A
MASSIVE FAILURE.
FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS, WHAT HAS
PRESIDENT XI BEEN DOING?
EVERY SINGLE YEAR INCREASING HIS
AGGRESSION ABOARD PARTICULARLY
WHEN IT COMES TO TAIWAN IN TERMS
OF MILITARY INTIMIDATION AND
COERCION, UNDERMINING THE CIVIL
SOCIETY AND THE DEMOCRACY OF
TAIWAN AND DOING EVERYTHING IN
THEIR POWER IN TERMS OF BULLYING
ALLIES AND PARTNERS TO
DISSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH
TAIWAN.
WE SHOULD NOT TAKE A KNEE ON
THIS.
THAT WOULD BE A HUGE MISTAKE AND
FALL INTO THE VERY SERIOUS
MISTAKES WE’VE BEEN MAKING FOR
YEARS.
WE’VE GOT A RIGHT TO GO, AND WE
SHOULD STAND UP FOR THAT RIGHT
TO GO.
SEAN: I THINK SHE ALMOST HAS TO
GO RIGHT NOW, OTHERWISE IT LOOKS
LIKE SHE’S BOWING TO THE
CHINESE.
WHAT REALLY GETS ME IS HOW
AGGRESSIVE THE CHINESE HAVE
BEEN.
THEY SAID THE U.S. WILL BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE SERIOUS
CONSEQUENCES AND FIRM AND
RESOLUTE MEASURES WILL COME9 IF
THE SPEAKER GOES TO TAIWAN.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS
AGGRESSION?
>> WELL, THAT’S TYPICAL
INTIMIDATION BY THE CHINESE.
THEY WANT TO GET INSIDE OUR HEAD
AND GET US, TO GET US TO BACK
DOWN.
I MEAN, DO WE REALLY BELIEVE
THAT CHINA’S GOING TO GO TO WAR
OVER SPEAKER PELOSI GOING INTO
TAIWAN?
DO WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT
THEY’RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING TO
HER AIRPLANE?
I THINK NOT.
WILL THEY ESCALATE SOMETHING IN
RELATIONSHIP TO TAIWAN LIKE
HEAVY BEEN DOING?
PROBABLY.
CONCERN THEY’VE BEEN DOING?
PROBABLY.
COULD THEY COME UP WITH A NEW
TRICK SHORT OF CONFLICT?
POSSIBLY.
BUT THAT SHOULDN’T STOP US.
THAT’S SELF-DETERRING ONCE
AGAIN, IF WE FALL, IF WE FALL
INTO THAT TRAP.
AND THAT’S WHAT CHINA EXPECTS.
AND THE REASON WHY THIS RHETORIC
HAS INCREASED, I THINK GILLIAN
IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, PRESIDENT
XI IN SEVERAL WEEKS IS GOING TO
BE ENSHRINED BY THE NATIONAL
PARTY CONGRESS FOR A THIRD TERM,
LIKELY INDEFINITE, AND THEY
DON’T WANT ANYTHING THAT WOULD
DIMINISH THAT EVENT TAKING PLACE
IN TERMS OF EMBARRASSMENT TO
PRESIDENT XI AND, CERTAINLY,
THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE
INTERPRETED BY PEOPLE IN THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AS THAT
KIND OF AN EMBARRASSMENT OR
ANYTHING THAT MAKES HIM HOOK
WEAK.
LOOK WEAK.
SO THAT, I THINK, ACCOUNTS FOR
SOME OF THE STRENGTH OF THE
RHETORIC.
SEAN: GENERAL, OBVIOUSLY THE
CHINESE FEEL EMBOLDENED.
ARE WE DOING ENOUGH ON THE
MILITARY STRENGTH TO COUNTER THE
GROWING MILITARY STRENGTH OF
CHINA, OR DO WE HAVE TO DO MORE?
>> OH, WE HAVE GOT TO DO SO MUCH
MORE.
WITH WE -- OUR MILITARY
DETERRENCE HAS ERODED IN THE
PACIFIC REGION DUE TO THE 9/11
WARS AND EIGHT YEARS OF OBAMA’S
DECLINING BUDGETS.
TRUMP PUT MONEY, INCREASED MONEY
INTO THE DEFENSE BUDGET TO BEGIN
TO TO DIG US OUT OF THIS HOLE.
THERE’S MORE MONEY COMING FROM
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, GOOD
THING.
BUT IT’S GOING TO TAKE A NUMBER
OF YEARS TO DO THAT.
AND PRESIDENT XI HAS
INCENTIVIZED -- IS INCENTIVIZED
KNOWING FULL WELL HE HAS THE
MILITARY ADVANTAGE RIGHT NOW.
AND HE’S ALSO FACING SOME
ECONOMIC HEADWINDS RIGHT NOW.
IT MAY BE TO HIS ADVANTAGE TO DO
SOMETHING SOONER, NEXT 3-5
YEARS, RATHER THAN LATER BECAUSE
WITH HE KNOWS AT SOME POINT THE
UNITED STATES IS GOING TO CATCH
UP TO WHERE WE SHOULD BE IN THE
INDO-PACIFIC REGION AS WE
DEVELOP INCREASED CAPABILITIES
AND PUTTING MORE OF THAT
CAPABILITY INTO THE REGION.
SEAN: GENERAL, I ONLY HAVE 20
SECONDS, NO DOUBT YOU’RE TALKING
ABOUT THE ARMAMENT SIDE, BUT THE
ARMY CAN’T MEET ITS RECRUITING
GOALS, SO THEY’RE REDUCING THEIR
STANDARDS IN REGARDS TO BODY FAT
AND ACADEMICS.
I MEAN, WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
>> NO, THEY’RE NOT REDUCING
THEIR STANDARDS.
YOU DON’T HAVE THAT RIGHT, SEAN,
I’M SORRY TO SAY CONCERN.
>>
SEAN: I HOPE YOU’RE RIGHT.
>> I AM RIGHT.
SEAN: ALL RIGHT.
>> THEY’RE STARTING A PREBASIC
CAMP, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD
THING.
LISTEN, THE ELIGIBILITIES THAT
WE HAVE, PEOPLE IN AMERICA WHO
ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENLIST IN THE
UNITED STATES MILITARY IS AT
23%.
THE REASON WHY THEY CAN’T,
THEY’RE NOT ELIGIBLE.
THERE’S THREE REASONS.
ONE, MORALLY.
THEY COMMITTED A CRIME.
TWO, MENTALLY.
THEY CAN’T PASS THE APTITUDE
TEST.
AND NUMBER THREE, THEY’RE SO
OVERWEIGHT THAT THEY HAVE
CO-MORBIDITY PROBLEMS.
THE ARMY IS STARTING A PRE-BASIC
CAMP FOR 90 DAYS TO GET THE FAT
OFF THE RECRUITS, NUMBER ONE, SO
THEY CAN MEET STANDARD, NOT
DECREASE THE STANDARD.
AND, NUMBER TWO, HELP THEM
PREPARE AND PASS THE TEST.
THE FACT THAT SO MANY YOUNGSTERS
IN AMERICA CANNOT PASS THE BASIC
APTITUDE TEST TO GET INTO THE
UNITED STATES MILITARY IS AN
ABSOLUTE INDICTMENT OF OUR
SECONDARY HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION
SYSTEM.
IT IS A SHAMEFUL EVENT, THAT
THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE.
THE ARMY IS TRYING TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
THEY ARE NOT DECREASING THE
STANDARDS.
SEAN: I’M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT,
AND IT’S ALSO PROBLEM OF CHIPS,
PIZZA AND VIDEO GAMES IN THE