00:00A Fox News alert for you. Moments ago, President Trump weighing in on replacing the Navy Secretary, saying he is
00:06smart, tough and respected by all.
00:08OK.
00:08Although he has decided to move on from his position as Secretary of the Navy, I very much appreciate the
00:13job that he has done.
00:14Rebecca Grant is the National Security Military Analyst and Vice President of the Lexington Institute and joins us now.
00:20Rebecca, welcome to you.
00:21Welcome, Rebecca. Welcome.
00:23What is your takeaway from this and what does this mean for our current situation?
00:27Yes, Trump speaks on replacing Navy Secretary.
00:32Well, the good news is that Acting Secretary Hong Kong is a fabulous choice, Naval Academy grads, Special Ops, Korea
00:38Navy, and he really knows the business.
00:42And it comes at a time when we are hearing piracy and propaganda coming out of Iran.
00:47But let me tell you, it is the U.S. Navy that holds all the cards in this situation.
00:52Let me tell you, Rebecca Grant is the National Secretary and Military Analyst and let's listen to her.
00:57Strait of Hormuz and really, around the globe, doing some intercepts of Iranian ships in the Indian Ocean as well.
01:04Which leaves us anticipating what our next move is, Rebecca, based on everything we have heard coming from this administration
01:11in recent hours.
01:13What do you see happening next?
01:14These next move-overs.
01:15Well, the latest, of course, is, I think, a good change of the rules of engagement.
01:20And that is President Trump enabling Admiral Cooper to tell the ships in the strait, hey, if you come across
01:26these Iranian fastboats and they're making trouble, you can fire on them.
01:31We can fire on them? Damn.
01:33But that does two things.
01:34Rebecca Grant is from Lexington Institute, Vice President.
01:38That means the blockade is going to continue very strongly.
01:42And then it shows us all that, hey, the U.S. Navy can do this day and night.
01:47They're the ones that have...
01:49Breaking news right now.
01:50Trump said, U.S. Navy to suit and kill.
01:54Suit and kill.
01:55Any boat placing mines in Hormuz.
01:58Suit and kill.
01:59The control of the strait and it's going to increase the pressure on Iran.
02:04I really like what I'm seeing.
02:06Okay.
02:06That's encouraging.
02:07Rebecca, I want to play this out for you and get your reaction to retired Rear Admiral Kenneth Braithwaite, the
02:12former Secretary of the Navy, on critical geopolitical importance of maritime chokepoints, saying there's nothing more important than these sea
02:21lanes.
02:21Maritime chokepoints are, you know them.
02:23Okay.
02:24Listen.
02:25There's nothing more important than controlling the sea lanes.
02:28It's where all the commerce flows.
02:30Of course, we're seeing that in the straits with over 20% of the world's oil supply being cut off.
02:34Armies win wars, but navies prevent them.
02:37And so the effort towards shipbuilding today has to be an all-hands effort.
02:41You know, as many different turns and different directions this war goes in, it all comes back to those critical
02:50lanes in all of this, Rebecca.
02:51Yes, this is because main thing is that this lane, this chokepoints, this international waterway is what we have worrying
03:01for.
03:03And take the long view.
03:05Control of the Strait of Hormuz is a top geopolitical prize.
03:09Yes.
03:09Are U.S. navies able to operate there with our joint forces because of what was done during Operation Epic
03:14Fury to take out Iranian Navy, anti-ship cruise missiles, their vessels, submarines, etc.
03:20This is also a big message from Trump to China because it's China's oil that flows through that strait.
03:28So the U.S. Navy's control of the Strait of Hormuz puts the U.S. in a much better geopolitical
03:33position, not only in the Iran negotiations, but with China as well.
03:38Yes, yes. China is supporting Iran with their technology, with their guns, with their ammunitions, with their missiles, with their
03:49everything.
03:50China is the backbone of Iran right now.
03:53That's why Iran is too powerful as it looks right now because China is backing Iran.
03:59Does it come down to just us?
04:01Lindsey Graham in a new ex-post is suggesting that he expects that the U.S. blockade, Rebecca, against Iran,
04:08quote, could become global soon.
04:11So will we see this get bigger?
04:14I think by global, he means that our forces in the Pacific, Admiral Paparo, is enabled now to go after
04:21Iranian shadow fleet tankers.
04:23We saw those two intercepts done in the Indian Ocean.
04:25So we're going to crack down on all of Iran's shadow fleet.
04:28And again, another message to China about the sea power that we have.
04:33Put that together with air dominance.
04:35And that's why the U.S. is a global power.
04:38U.S. air dominance is the best ever in the world.
04:43No other country, no other country has this dominance that we have right now in this era of the international
04:51way.
04:52Lindsey Graham added to that post and that message that he seems to be putting out to the world after
04:56discussing this with President Trump.
04:58To those assisting or thinking about assisting the Iranian regime in distributing its oil, which provides resources for terrorism, you
05:05do so at your own peril.
05:07Do you think our enemies are getting that message, Rebecca?
05:12Oh, I think Xi Jinping and China is seeing this loud and clear.
05:15And I think what the center is referring to is we don't want to see any more cargoes of chemicals
05:20to make missile fuel going into Iran.
05:22We don't want to see.
05:23You also know that China is sending some of the bad, deadliest drugs to USA with their cargo, with their
05:32plane cargo, sip cargo and everything.
05:34And this is not happening again.
05:36Iran tapping any Chinese satellite data.
05:39We don't want to see.
05:40China did so much damage by buying Iran's oil.
05:44And this crackdown on Iran, on China is really resetting the chessboard.
05:50Yes.
05:50Donald Trump is doing the best ever possible thing anyone can do.
05:55And this is best scrutiny on China and Iran.
05:59I like that a lot.
06:00Always great to get your analysis, Rebecca.
06:02Thank you very much.
06:02Thank you, Rebecca.
06:03Thank you, Rebecca.
06:04Thank you having you.
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