AS A BREAK AWAY PROVINCE.
ARTHEL?
>> ARTHEL: MEANWHILE, CHAIRMAN
OF THE GIANT CHIEFS GENERAL
MARK -- JOINT CHIEFS GENERAL
MARK MILLEY CALLS CHINA’S
SUCCESSFUL HYPERSONIC WEAPONS
SYSTEM TEST QUOTE A VERY SPUTNIK
MOMENT REFERRING TO THE RUSSIAN
SATELLITE THAT LAUNCHED IN THE
SPACE AGE OF COURSE.
GENERAL MILLEY IS THE FIRST
PENTAGON OFFICIAL TO CONFIRM THE
CHINESE MILITARY HAD PERFORMED
THIS SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF A NEW
CLEAR CAPABLE HYPERSONIC WEAPON
INCREASING ALREADY HEIGHTENED
TENSIONS IN THE REGION.
AS YOU JUST NOTED, AND IT IS
GETTING WORSE.
JOINING US NOW IS THE DIRECTOR
OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
NATIONAL SECURITY LAW AND POLICY
PROGRAM.
HOW DO YOU SEE IT?
IS THIS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT?
>> YEAH, ARTHEL, LOOK, I THINK
THAT OBVIOUSLY THE ABILITY OF
THE CHINESE TO DELIVER NUCLEAR
WEAPONS OR EVEN CONVENTIONAL WAR
HEADS THROUGH A HYPERSONIC
CAPABILITY IS AN IMPORTANT NEW
STEP FOR EM, THE ABILITY TO --
FOR THEM, THE ABILITY TO BRING A
WEAPON FROM SPACE, BEING ABLE TO
MANEUVER IT THE WAY THESE GLIDE
VEHICLES CAN TO EVADE OUR
MISSILE SYSTEMS A HUGE STEP
FORWARD AND A HUGE THREAT TO THE
UNITED STATES IF WE GET IN
CONFLICT WITH THEM WHETHER
THAT’S IN TAIWAN OR SOME OTHER
AREA AS ERIC WAS JUST TALKING
ABOUT.
>> ARTHEL: IS THERE A DIPLOMATIC
RESPONSE?
OR DOES THIS CALL FOR SOMETHING
MORE DRAMATIC?
>> IN A LOT OF AREAS, CHINA IS
SEEKING TO ENGAGE US AND GET
AHEAD OF US, WHETHER THAT’S
QUANTUM, SEMICONDUCTORS, OR THE
LIKE, CHINA IS MAKING ADVANCES,
AND WE’RE NOT NECESSARILY
KEEPING UP THE WAY WE SHOULD.
WE’VE BEEN TESTING HYPERSONIC
VEHICLES FOR A WHILE, BUT BACK
IN 2018, EVEN, THE U.S. DEFENSE
OFFICIALS TESTIFIED THEY WERE
TESTING 20 TIMES AS MANY
HYPERSONIC TYPES OF CAPABILITIES
THAN WE WERE.
WE NEED TO STOP PLAYING CATCH UP
AS WE ARE TODAY AND BEING
SURPRISED THAT THE CHINESE ARE
TESTING THESE KINDS OF VEHICLES
AND START TO GET AHEAD OF THIS.
THIS IS TRUE ARTHEL NOT JUST IN
MILITARY WEAPONS SYSTEMS.
IT IS TRUE IN RARE EARTH METALS
WHERE THE CHINESE ARE TRYING TO
CORE THE MARKET, AND IT IS TRUE
IN OTHER AREAS LIKE
SEMICONDUCTORS WHERE THEY HAVE A
HUGE CHUNK OF THE MARKET AND
THREAT ANG HUGE PART OF IT IN
TAIWAN -- THREATENING A HUGE
PART OF IT IN TAIWAN.
>> ARTHEL: GREAT POINTS.
BACK TO THE HYPERSONIC MISSILE
TESTING, THERE’S ALWAYS A WHY
AND WHY NOW BEHIND THIS TYPE OF
TESTING.
WHAT IS IT?
>> ONE IS THE TIMING OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHINESE ARE
ENGAGING IN.
THEY ARE MOVING FORWARD ON THE
HYPERSONIC VEHICLES AS THEY HAVE
FOR A WHILE.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER STEP IN THE
SAME DIRECTION THEY HAVE BEEN
GOING.
BUT OF COURSE THIS ALL TAKES
PLACE AT THE SAME TIME THAT THEY
HAVE BEEN GETTING VERY
AGGRESSIVE WITH TAIWAN, 52
FIGHTER JETS, BOMBERS TOGETHER,
WHEN IN TAIWAN AIRSPACE THE LAST
FEW WEEKS.
THE TAIWANESE ANNOUNCED WE HAVE
SOME MILITARY MEMBERS THERE IN
TAIWAN NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TO
DEFEND THE ISLAND, BUT THEY ARE
SUPPORTING THEM.
THAT MAY BE PART OF THIS.
IT MAY BE AN EFFORT FOR THE
CHINESE TO SAY WE HAVE
CAPABILITIES TOO.
KEEP AN EYE ON WHAT WE’RE DOING.
>> ARTHEL: LISTEN, I WANTED TO
ASK YOU THIS, YOU KNOW, HOW
DOES -- I MEAN, I AM GOING TO
BRING IT TO POLITICS NOW.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
GRIDLOCK IN CONGRESS AND THE
PERVASIVE TRIBAL POLITICS.
DOES THIS NOT ONLY THREATEN OUR
DEMOCRACY?
DOES IT ALSO THREATEN OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY ESPECIALLY IN
THE FACE OF A VERY VERY
AGGRESSIVE CHINA?
>> IT ABSOLUTELY DOES.
YOU KNOW, ARTHEL, WE HAVE GOT TO
COME TOGETHER AS A NATION,
PUTTING ASIDE POLITICS AND
RECOGNIZE THERE ARE VERY REAL
THREATS IN THE WORLD, WHETHER
THERE ARE THREATS FROM
TERRORISTS OR THREATS FROM
NATION STATES LIKE CHINA WHO ARE
OPPOSED TO AMERICA AND WHAT WE
WANT TO DO IN THE WORLD AND OUR
LEADERSHIP OF THE WORLD
COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT’S GOING TO BE REALLY
HARD TO DO IF WE CAN’T TO BE
DIVIDED AS A NATION THE WAY WE
ARE TODAY.
I HAD THE GOOD LUCK TO WORK FOR
TWO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, SENATOR
CORKER AND CONGRESSMAN ROGERS
BOTH WORK CLOSELY WITH DEMOCRAT
COUNTERPARTS, FROM MARYLAND ON
THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
AND MENENDEZ ON THE SENATE
FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE,
WORK CAN BE DONE ACROSS THE
AISLE.
WE NEED TO BE WILLING TO DO SO.
RIGHT NOW UNFORTUNATELY THE
SITUATION IN D.C. DOESN’T MAKE
THAT VERY POSSIBLE.
WE NEED TO GET BEYOND THAT AS A
NATION AND AS A POLITICAL BODY
AND EXPECT BETTER OF OUR
POLITICIANS.
>> ARTHEL: MEANWHILE, OUR
ADVERSARIES EXCUSE ME ARE MAKING
ADVANCES AND WE’RE STUCK ON