00:00The U.S. decision to reposition some of its assets from East Asia, like South Korea and Japan, to the
00:05Middle East for this war with Iran.
00:07What impact do you think that will have on defensive postures or the defensive alliance networks in the region?
00:12So let's talk about what is being repositioned. First is the U.S. Navy, mainly the carrier strike group, the
00:21USS Lincoln.
00:23And the second, recently, are the THAAD system in South Korea.
00:30And that leaves one carrier near Japan, which is good.
00:36In the past, the U.S. Navy has participated in exercises as far away as Australia, leaving no carrier in
00:43the area.
00:44So I'm not nervous about something happening with regards to China.
00:51I don't think it's something to get hysterical about.
00:54So I would argue that, no, I think that Japan and South Korea are are are satisfied with the situation.
01:03And they're actually probably more concerned about the Gulf oil flow and gas flow.
01:10Do you think that this is sustainable for the U.S., looking at how it's now engaging this war with
01:15Iran while also having commitments to defensive allies around the world?
01:19It'll take a long time to rebuild the interceptors.
01:23But it's not to a point where the U.S. is unable to do something in another theater.
01:30Most of the missile and air defense systems that have been used so far have not been U.S.
01:38We're just talking about one THAAD battery coming out of South Korea.
01:44The Koreans and the Japanese both have their own air defense systems.
01:48They don't depend on the U.S. for their entire defense.
01:52President Trump has been encouraging countries to invest more so that they don't they are less dependent on the United
01:59States and more dependent on themselves.
02:01I would encourage Taiwan to also look at making sure they do the investment in T-Dome, which President Lai
02:10has said, because that's the key for making sure the entire country is covered and assets in different parts of
02:18the country can be used.
02:19Moving forward, do you think that this conflict emboldens hostile countries or undermines confidence from U.S. allies in the
02:26region?
02:27Always a risk.
02:28I mean, you know, no one knows what Xi Jinping is thinking except himself.
02:32But don't forget that 20 percent or more of the oil and gas that supplies China goes through the Straits
02:44of Hormuz, which is currently blocked by the Iranians.
02:51So there would be a squeeze on them on China in terms of if they were to take some kind
02:57of action.
02:58There could be some counteraction by the U.S.
03:01So it also is a risk for China, because right now at this very point, there is a carrier strike
03:07group at the mouth of the of the of the Arabian Gulf.
03:11And it's not a done deal that just because the U.S. is not the military is not here.
03:16There are other factors that could influence their decision about doing something with Taiwan.
03:22There are other factors that could influence their decision about doing something with Taiwan.
03:23There are other factors that could influence their decision about doing something with Taiwan.
03:24There are other factors that could influence their decision about doing something with Taiwan.
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