Could America Lose a War Against China Over Taiwan? | Alex Velez-Green

Hidden Forces

Demetri Kofinas

Government, Business

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2023

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Episode 326 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Alex Velez-Green, the fmr. National Security Advisor to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, who helped staff the senator on the Armed Services Committee and advised him on matters related to strengthening deterrence against China, including U.S. conventional and nuclear force structure and posture.

Alex and Demetri discuss the perilous situation in which the U.S. now finds itself in the Pacific, how it got here, and what is required to ready the U.S. military for a war against China in the next few years, and if we are lucky, deter it altogether.

The first hour of their conversation is dedicated to a discussion about the serious risks that the United States military currently faces in the pacific and why there is a real chance that the People’s Liberation Army will be able to defeat U.S. forces in a fight over Taiwan. This includes a discussion about Chinese intentions and the advancements that China’s military has made in the last several years, the consequences of losing a confrontation with China over Taiwan, and America’s ability to contain China once it has broken through the first island chain.

In the second hour, Velez-Green and Kofinas assess the state of America’s defense industrial base, what is being done to restock critical weapon systems and munitions, and how long it will take before the U.S. can feel confident in its ability to sustain a protracted war against China. In this context, they also discuss trade-offs between continuing to provide arms to Ukraine and delivering those same weapons systems and munitions to Taiwan in an effort to deter a Chinese invasion. They end the episode by reflecting on the legacy of foreign policy failures that have led to this moment, how we got here, and what needs to happen in order for the United States to prevail in what is likely to be the greatest national challenge the nation has faced since World War II.

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Episode Recorded on 09/14/2023

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's up everybody? My name is Demetra Caffeines and you're listening to Hidden Forces,
0:06.0	a podcast that inspires investors, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens to challenge consensus narratives,
0:14.0	and to learn how to think critically about the systems of power shaping our world.
0:18.0	My guest in this episode of Hidden Forces is Alex Vales Greene, the former National Security
0:24.0	Advisor to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, who helped staff the Senator on the Armed Services Committee,
0:30.0	and advised him on matters related to strengthening deterrence against China,
0:34.0	including U.S. conventional and nuclear force structure and posture.
0:38.0	I cannot recommend this conversation enough for anyone interested in understanding the perilous situation
0:45.0	that the United States now finds itself in in the Pacific.
0:48.0	How it got here, and what is required to ready the U.S. military for a war against China in the next few years,
0:55.0	and if we're lucky, deter it all together.
0:58.0	The first hour of our conversation is dedicated to a discussion about the serious risks
1:03.0	that the United States military currently faces in the Pacific,
1:07.0	and why there is a real chance that the People's Liberation Army will be able to defeat U.S. forces in a fight over Taiwan.
1:15.0	This includes a discussion about Chinese intentions and the advancements that China's military has made in the last several years.
1:21.0	The consequences of losing a confrontation over Taiwan and America's ability to contain China once it is broken through the first island chain.
1:29.0	In the second hour, Alex and I assess the state of America's defense industrial base,
1:35.0	what is being done to restock critical weapon systems and munitions, and how long it will take
1:40.0	before the United States can feel confident in its ability to sustain a protracted war against China.
1:46.0	In this context, we also discussed trade-offs between continuing to provide arms to Ukraine
1:51.0	and delivering those same weapon systems and munitions to Taiwan in an effort to deter a Chinese invasion.
1:58.0	Lastly, we reflect on the legacy of foreign policy failures that have led to this moment,
	...

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