This is John Batcher, conversation with Admiral Gary Ruffhead,

former chief of naval operations now at the Hoover Institution

writing a nuclear defense about the need for the fourth arm of the services. the Navy, the Army, the Air Force, and the Merchant

Marine.

Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics, to deliver the equipment, the supplies, the people necessary to

sustain a war in the Western Pacific is daunting at any point but right now the Merchant Marine has shrunk to a point where

it is not going to be useful for what is necessary in the event of an attack by

the People's Liberation Army Navy, an Air Force against Taiwan and our allies in the Western Pacific, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Australia.

The Merchant Marine is critical for day two, day five, day ten.

I speak with Errega referred about it and he speaks specifically about the needs right now, what needs

to be done to think through what a war across this vast area will look like.

Here's Admiral Gary Ruffhead, Hoover Institution,

retired US Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, much more of this in the days and

weeks to come.

2027 is the agreed upon jump off date for a war in the Western Pacific.

Thank you. Well, I'd leave that to the current leaders and what they're thinking about, but you can't

get across the Pacific without being able to control those islands or be able to operate from those islands.

It is such a vast area and I think that's where in recent years we've really lost sight of just how large the Western Pacific is and

the importance of these islands.

I would say China has not lost their focus on that.

They have been putting a lot of effort into it diplomatically, economically,

part of their belt and road initiative includes efforts in those islands.

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