Vandenberg Flash Focus

Dr. Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a distinguished university professor of government at Georgetown University, and a member of the Vandenberg Coalition advisory board, joins Flash Focus to discuss the recent meeting between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, a summit that designated a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ between Russia and North Korea, marking the most significant and far-reaching agreement between the two nations in the post-Cold War era. Victor joins Flash Focus to situate this recent meeting in the context of Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal and future plans for military buildup, Russian-North Korean coordination in evading the international sanctions regime, North Korea’s support of Russia in the war against Ukraine, and the nations’ joint campaign to undermine American leadership and Western stability.

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00:02:15 The history of the Russian-North Korean and its modern objectives

00:04:00 Key elements of the new Putin-Kim strategic alliance

00:7:29 Implications for North Korean involvement in the war in Ukraine

00:10:12 Dynamics among the Russia-China-North Korea-Iran axis 

00:15:13 Recommendations for a Western diplomatic & military response 

00:22:41 Differing approach between a Biden 2.0 & Trump 2.0 

Emilio Gonzalez, former Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President George W. Bush and a member of the Vandenberg Coalition advisory board, joins Flash Focus to discuss the record-breaking surge of illegal immigration under President Biden, an overwhelmed American immigration system, broken border security, and the straining of resources across government agencies and cities nationwide. Furthermore, the influx of special illegal aliens (SIAs) poses an increasing danger to U.S. homeland security.

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00:02:24 Deteriorating border security under the Biden Administration

00:06:02 Impact of illegal crossings on Americans' lives

00:10:43 Motivation for Biden's recent executive order

00:14:46 Areas of reform for border security

00:20:23 Demographic shift of those arriving illegally at U.S. southern border

00:29:47 Increasing threat to national security

Vandenberg is joined by authors Richard Fontaine and Robert Blackwill to discuss their new book, Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power moderated by Vandenberg Director of Strategic Partnerships Sydney Novak. 

U.S. policymakers often discuss a need to “pivot to Asia,” but what does that mean exactly? Lost Decade authors Richard Fontaine and Amb. Robert Blackwill tell the story of Washington’s strategic reorientation towards the Indo-Pacific and simultaneous rise of China’s power and assertiveness. What were the impulses behind the pivot? What challenges has this posed for America’s role in the world? How has this strategy faltered over the last three presidential administrations? The authors will discuss these questions and more while they stress that the United States has little margin for error when it comes to preserving American security and prosperity.

Garrett Exner, an adjunct fellow at Hudson Institute, executive director of the Public Interest Fellowship, board member of Veterans on Duty, and Marine Corps veteran joins Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss the significance of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history in which Allied troops landed in Normandy to liberate Europe. In this special episode, Garrett discusses his time in the military, the inspiration for his enlistment, the enduring legacy and significance of D-Day, and the state of the U.S. military today.

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00:01:58 Historical significance of D-Day

00:03:57 Heroic action of U.S. soldiers on D-Day

00:012:05 The making of heroes in American history

00:15:44 Garrett's reflections as an officer in the U.S. military

00:17:41 The Public Interest Fellowship's WWII trip

00:20:46 Beaches of Normandy today

00:23:38 The personal significance of D-Day for Garrett

Connor Pfeiffer, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action and senior advisor and former executive director of the Forum for American Leadership joins Flash Focus to discuss Mexico's elections this past weekend, the significance of Claudia Sheinbaum's presidential election victory for politics in Mexico, the future of U.S.-Mexican cooperation on matters like the migration crisis, countering illicit fentanyl, bilateral trade, and Mexico’s growing economic ties with China. 

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00:02:17 Claudia Sheinbaum's landslide victory and AMLO's influence

00:04:33 Potential for U.S.-Mexico partnership under Sheinbaum

00:08:18 Unprecedented violence during this electoral cycle

00:12:06 Chinese influence in Mexico

00:15:26 China's role in the fentanyl and migration crises

00:20:16 USMCA negotiations under Trump vs. Biden

00:24:05 Future areas of U.S.-Mexico cooperation

Ambassador J. Peter Pham, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, served as the U.S.'s first-ever U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region during the Trump administration, and a member of the Vandenberg Coalition advisory board, joins Flash Focus to discuss the recent coups across the Sahel regions, where in countries Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have seen their elected governments fall and replaced by military juntas, while expelling U.S. military forces. We will also discuss Kenyan President William Ruto's recent state visit to the United States, the first visit of an African leader since 2008, a meeting which led to Biden declaring Kenya a major non-NATO ally, a designation shared by countries like Israel and Qatar.

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00:01:59 Recent coups in the Sahel region of Africa

00:05:39 Why Africa is the epicenter of global terrorism

00:08:05 Broader U.S. objectives in Africa 

00:12:46 Significance of Kenya's designation as major non-NATO ally

00:15:55 Areas for U.S. strategic improvement in Africa 

00:17:51 Potential for U.S.-Africa partnership under a Trump Administration

Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a member of the Vandenberg Coalition advisory board, joins Flash Focus to discuss the recent summit between Russia’s President Putin and China’s President Xi in which the two autocrats signed a joint statement on a “new era” of partnership. Matt outlines the history and significance of the Sino-Russian alliance, the modern defense coordination between the two nations, and the implications of Xi and Putin’s joint campaign to supplant the U.S.-led global security architecture.

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00:02:10 Shared Sino-Russian strategy to undermine the American-led system 

00:04:43 Defining characteristics of the “new era” of partnership 

00:06:35 Implications of the coalescence of geopolitical blocs 

00:08:17 The new global arms race

00:10:08 Linkage of global theaters & interconnectedness of U.S. adversaries 

00:11:29 China’s provision of “material support” to Russia in Ukraine 

00:12:57 Xi’ lessons learned from Ukraine in looking toward Taiwan

Bonnie Glick, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Senior Adviser with the Project on Prosperity and Development at CSIS, and Advisory Board member of the Vandenberg Coalition, joins Flash Focus to discuss the Middle East’s most recent developments—the crash of a helicopter carrying Iran’s President and Foreign Minister on board and the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. These events have thrown an already unstable region into further turmoil. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, also known as the “Butcher of Tehran,” was considered a top contender to succeed the 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On the same day his death was confirmed by Iranian media, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, unveiled unprecedented arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. 

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00:02:09 Infamous legacy of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

00:03:31 State of domestic Iranian politics 

00:06:10 Iran’s succession plans following Raisi’s death 

00:08:35 Consequences of Biden’s policy in the Middle East

00:11:13 False moral equivalence from the ICC 

00:15:37 Possible American response to the ICC’s warrants 

00:17:12 Implications of the ICC arrest warrants on Israel’s war in Gaza

Secretary Robert Wilkie joins Flash Focus to discuss the Biden Administration's unprecedented move to threaten an arms embargo of Israel, a vital U.S. partner in the Middle East currently embroiled in war. In order to defeat Hamas in Gaza, it is imperative that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) eliminate Hamas's final brigade in Rafah. Efforts by the United States to delay or obstruct such an operation, including the Biden Administration’s most recent pause on sending critical armaments, will only bolster Hamas and prolong the suffering of civilians. Ironically, the Administration has halted the delivery of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) crucial for the IDF to accurately target Hamas terrorists while minimizing civilian casualties. Furthermore, publicly rejecting a partner's self-defense endeavors, President Biden risks emboldening U.S. adversaries and further destabilizing the region. 

Secretary Wilkie, Distinguished Fellow at the America First Policy Institute, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and member of the Vandenberg Coalition's advisory board, assesses the consequences of such steps by the U.S. Administration, especially as Israel begins its major combat operation against Hamas’s last standing brigade in Rafah. Secretary Wilkie will speak on how withholding military armaments from Israel is indeed counterproductive, likely only to strengthen Hamas, embolden Iran and its proxy groups, and prolong the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

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00:02:16 Biden's weapons pause & its implications for the IDF

00:08:48 History of governmental withholding of foreign military sales

00:13:56 Exacerbation of civilian suffering in Gaza

00:17:48 U.S. policy emboldening Hamas & destabilizing the region

00:22:13 Impact of diminishing U.S. support for Israel

00:23:58 Policy predictions of a second Trump presidency

On this episode, we are joined by Carine Hajjar—an opinion and editorial writer at The Boston Globe—to discuss her recent coverage of American college campuses embroiled in anti-Israeli protests and encampments. A recent graduate of Harvard, Carine returned to her alma mater, along with the campuses of NYU, Columbia, and MIT, to gain an understanding of the chaos as it unfolds. She joins us to discuss the wave of anti-Israeli and anti-American sentiment and assess the degradation of higher education more generally. 

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00:02:00 Contrasting campus environments at Harvard, MIT, & Columbia

00:05:30 Oppressor vs. oppressed ideological framework of the protestors 

00:08:29 Implications of faculty support for the anti-Israel cause 

00:11:02 Fixation on social justice in higher education

00:14:05 Broader implications of encampments at Ivies