ANSWERING THE THREAT OF A THIRD WAR BREAKING OUT: 6/8: The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, by Elbridge A. Colby @ElbridgeColby
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 30 October 2023
⏱️ 8 minutes
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Summary
https://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Denial-American-Defense-Conflict/dp/0300256434
Why and how America’s defense strategy must change in light of China’s power and ambition
Elbridge A. Colby was the lead architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the most significant revision of U.S. defense strategy in a generation. Here he lays out how America’s defense must change to address China’s growing power and ambition. Based firmly in the realist tradition but deeply engaged in current policy, this book offers a clear framework for what America’s goals in confronting China must be, how its military strategy must change, and how it must prioritize these goals over its lesser interests.
The most informed and in‑depth reappraisal of America’s defense strategy in decades, this book outlines a rigorous but practical approach, showing how the United States can prepare to win a war with China that we cannot afford to lose—precisely in order to deter that war from happening.
1910 Canton
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is CBSI in the world, I'm John Boucher with Elbridge Colby. |
| 0:09.6 | His new book is the Strategy of Denial, American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict. |
| 0:15.0 | The PLA, theoretically, the supposition has invaded Taiwan and taken control of Taiwan. |
| 0:24.4 | The coalition has not yet dislodged or recaptured or driven back the invasion force. |
| 0:32.0 | In other words, the Denial Defense has failed. |
| 0:35.3 | There follows a limited war. |
| 0:37.6 | What is to be done? |
| 0:38.6 | Bridge, what is horizontal escalation? |
| 0:42.0 | What is vertical escalation? |
| 0:44.4 | Horizontal escalation is basically the idea that instead of contesting the kind of the |
| 0:48.2 | direct battle that you're thinking about. |
| 0:49.9 | I think Taiwan here, or an earlier think of, say, Korea in 1950, instead you attack your |
| 0:55.6 | enemy in some other geographic location or some other area that's not, you know, militarily |
| 1:01.6 | connected to the direct theater. |
| 1:02.8 | So, you know, if we, in the case of Taiwan, if we, let's say, attack the Chinese in Xinjiang |
| 1:08.8 | or we attack their base in Djibouti, vertical escalation is basically increasing the intensity |
| 1:13.6 | of the conflict. |
| 1:15.0 | So at the highest end, it's the use of nuclear weapons at scale, but it could be, you |
| 1:18.9 | know, terror bombing or large-scale conventional bombing or attacks designed to impose more |
| 1:24.6 | costs and increase the intensity of conflict. |
| 1:28.0 | The China horizontal escalation choices. |
| 1:32.6 | From your list, they don't look attracted to me. |
... |
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