This is CBSI on the World with Gordon Chang at Gordon G. Chang.

I'm John Bachelors.

Admiral Richards testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee, March 2022.

Every operational plan in the Department of Defense and every other capability we have

rests on an assumption that strategic deterrence is holding.

And in particular, that nuclear deterrence is holding.

With strategic or nuclear deterrence fails, no other plan and no other capability in the

Department of Defense is going to work as designed.

We welcome Peter Hussie of the Hudson Institute, who's publishing this quote with explication

at warriormaven.com.

Peter, a very good day to you.

The Admiral is very careful and articulate.

I think he just warned that strategic deterrence with nuclear weapons is the last line of defense.

Is that correct?

Good evening to you, Peter.

Good evening to you, John.

Yes, you're absolutely right.

He's now retired and General Cotton has taken his place, but he has been saying this for

some time and he's been saying it very clearly but very carefully.

And what you summarized is exactly right.

Our conventional capability we assume is superior to others, which it is, but it doesn't work.

The outcome doesn't come out the way we want it.

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