New Delhi: On ‘The Gist‘, Jack Detsch, ‘Foreign Policy’ Pentagon and National Security Reporter in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi.
Jack Detsch discusses Global Flashpoints and U.S. Security Policy. On Israel’s war against Hamas, he says, “the TV has flipped from covering Ukraine, to covering Israel. This is a 180° shift”. He also points out, “everyone is trying to wrap their head around…(whether) this high tech approach to warfare is actually going to work, when dollars come to doughnuts”. On tension between the Philippines and China, the ‘Foreign Policy’ Pentagon and National Security Reporter says, “the Philippines is one of the treaty allies of the United States in the Indo-Pacific. If you actually mess with them or get involved in a shooting war, that’s something that the U.S is going to get involved in”. Using a baseball reference, his reading is that “the hole in the swing for the U.S. and Western Allies is getting more countries like India, like the countries in Southeast Asia to get systems that talk to western counterparts”. On the India-U.S. 2+2 between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in November, Jack Detsch says, “there’s been talk of expanding basing agreements in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Those are of course, now I guess, very limited refueling capabilities. The U.S. doesn’t even use them very frequently. But, I think when you talk about actually integrating the Quad, that’s the next thing, right? As you’re going to have more bomber rotations of the U.S. through Australia, you’re going to have more use of Japan. So, it’s getting India, I guess, up to that level of infrastructure, up to that level of capability (that)is going to be key for the Americans. I’m sure that’s going to be one of the major things that the Defence Department(DoD) is going to be pressing on”.
Jack Detsch also talks about: the Pentagon’s deterrence strategy against state and non-state actors in the Israel-Hamas War, President Vladimir Putin “indirectly” taking advantage, the U.S. keeping its eye on the ball at the same time on the Russia-Ukraine War, the effect of election year on President Biden’s foreign policy, China taking advantage to open a third front in the Indo-Pacific, what will trigger the Philippines-U.S. mutual defence treaty alliance, whether there is a need for a 2+2×4 Quad meeting, the India-U.S. 2+2, the DoD’s China military report, the U.S. bipartisan Congressional report warning that the U.S. is not ready for the China and Russia nuclear threat and the ‘Davidson window‘ threat against Taiwan.
