Coming out for more on the 2nd anniversary of Russia's
invasion into Ukraine and his own personal story from the
Ukrainian border that day.
Former CENTCOM spokesperson, retired Colonel Joe Pacino.
Colonel, welcome. Thanks for having me.
So let's start with the map of Ukraine.
Two years into this war,
the red is assessed basically under Russian control at this
point.
The blue is assessed areas where Ukrainians are trying counter
offensives.
As someone who wore the US Army uniform at the
time at the start of this conflict,
serving with NATO forces in,
excuse me, in Poland. Does this tell you that map
tell you that ultimately those red sections are probably going
to go to Russia?
Well, it tells you that the situation is grim right
now for Ukraine.
The situation as it is right now,
even if this aid package goes through,
is such that Russia can basically just throw mass at
this problem,
Just send troops, tanks, drones.
They've got an overwhelming advantage in size and speed and
technological advantage.
And it's just a grim situation now for Ukraine,
Every advantage. A cruise to Russia.
Does President Biden need to tell the American people in
Congress why Ukraine matters to the United States?
I think he needs to make a case.
I also think he needs to make a case for
the fact that that $60 billion,
almost all of it, is spent inside the United States.
Those tanks are made in Lima.
OH, the the Switchblade drones are made in Santa Barbara,
CA. These things are made in Arizona.
A lot of the trucks are made in Arizona,
the artillery pieces in Iowa.
So This is Money that's spent inside the United States.
It's not as though this money flows into Ukraine,
to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea in the
Gulf of Aden,
at least 57 since November of last year.
That number could be as high as 60 by now.
We saw some airstrikes by the US and the Brits.
Will those airstrikes make a difference?
No. This is the the strikes that we saw,
the most recent strikes, the USUK strikes.
This is the smallest. They've done 4 strikes thus far
since January
since the Houthi started these attacks on the commercial vessels.
This is the smallest 18 targets.
It's a pinprick. It's basically nothing if you think about
the Houthis have an enormous capacity to absorb pain.
They've been at war for two decades,
1 decade, first with the Yemeni government
and the 2nd decade. The last decade just absorbing strikes
from the Saudis that the most powerful military in the
Middle East and the Saudis weren't able to slow them
down. There's also the environmental impact of these attacks on
a British ship
leaking oil, apparently an 18 mile long oil slick left
behind the ship that's loaded with fertilizer.
There's the shot on the screen.
What about that aspect of,
you know, these, these ships are not supposed to be
attacked.
They're not used to being attacked.
And here we have an environmental disaster in the in
the Middle East,
you've got an environmental disaster.
75% of the commercial ships are not going through the
Suez Canal,
are not going through this area,
which is incurring more costs than everyone.
The environmental spills are going to incur more costs than
everyone.
And should one of these commercial ships sink?
Should the Houthis actually sink one of these ships?
We're in a different place here in geopolitics and with
regard to Iran and with regard to the Houthis,
OK, You were formerly with CENTCOM.
That was your Last Post on active duty.
Obviously, Central Command has more plans to attack if asked
to do so,
correct? That's correct. Yeah. There is a series of plans
that are submitted.
I think, you know what we've got to get to
and what I've been saying here on the Airways here
sometimes with you
since October and November, is we've got to get to
making Iran feel pain because that's really the Nexus of
all this,
you know, these weapons, these advanced,
very sophisticated drones, very sophisticated rockets that go into the
Houthis,
This all comes from Iran.
And Iran has senior leaders on the ground in Yemen
advising,
directing, giving information, giving Intel.
And in order to get the Houthis to back down,
you've got to get Iran to back down.
In order to get Iran to back down,
you've got to make them feel pain and show that
the United States has the will and the resolve.
Colonel Joe Pacino, grateful for your time and your analysis
today.
Thanks so much for having me.