FACING THE UNITED STATES?

GENERAL STEPHEN CHENEY, CEO OF

THE AMERICAN SECURITY PROJECT,

HAS A LIST OF THE WORST ONES.

HE'LL DISCUSS THEM NEXT, ON

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES.

♪THEME MUSIC♪

>>THIS IS GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

WITH PULITZER PRIZE WINNING

COMMENTATOR, JOHN BERSIA.

>>WELCOME TO GLOBAL

PERSPECTIVES.

IN THE AFTERMATH OF TERRORIST

ATTACKS, AMERICANS ARE NATURALLY

MORE CONCERNED ABOUT NATIONAL

SECURITY.

GENERAL STEPHEN CHENEY, CEO OF

THE AMERICAN SECURITY PROJECT,

SPENDS HIS DAYS KEEPING TRACK OF

THREATS TO THE NATION.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW, GENERAL

CHANEY.

>>WELL, DR. BERSIA I'M SO GLAD

TO BE BACK.

>>TELL US ABOUT YOUR

MOTIVATIONS.

YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE

DEFENSE OF THE COUNTRY IN

VARIOUS WAYS; AS A MARINE NOW

WORKING WITH THE AMERICAN

SECURITY PROJECT.

WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?

>>YOU KNOW IT'S INTERESTING.

WHEN YOU COME UP AS A JUNIOR

MARINE, JUNIOR OFFICER THROUGH

THE RANKS AT THE EARLY STAGES

YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE

TACTICAL SITUATION.

THE MORE SENIOR YOU GET, THE

MORE EDUCATED YOU GET, MORE

INVOLVED YOU GET.

AND YOU BEGIN TO REALIZE THAT

THERE'S A MUCH BIGGER PICTURE

HERE THAT YOU'RE SOME WHAT

APART OF.

AND I THINK I GO BACK PRETTY

MUCH TO THE TIME THAT I WAS

ASSIGNED TO THE OFFICE OF

SECRETARY DEFENSE AND I GOT

NOMINATED TO BE THE DEPUTY

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY TO THEN DICK

CHENEY, NO RELATION.

AND WE SAT DOWN AND CHATTED AND

WENT OVER THE FAMILY TREE-NO

RELATION.

BUT IT WAS THERE I GOT PRETTY

GOOD EXPOSURE TO WHAT WAS GOING

ON IN THE WORLD AND ACTUALLY SAT

NEXT TO HIM FOR INSTANCE WHEN

OUR TROOPS WENT INTO SOMALIA;

WATCHED IT ON T.V., INTERPRETED

FOR HIM WHAT THE VEHICLES WERE.

AND FROM THERE I GOT NOMINATED

TO BE A FELLOW AT THE COUNCIL ON

FORMER RELATIONS.

AND THAT REALLY SPURED MY

INTEREST IN THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN THE DEFENSE

ESTABLISHMENT NATIONAL SECURITY

AND THE SECURITY OF OUR

COUNTRY-AND INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS.

AND I HAVE FOLLOWED THAT THROUGH

EVER SINCE.

CULMINATING OF COURSE TODAY WITH

MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE AMERICAN

SECURITY PROJECT.

SO THAT PART OF IT HAS STUCK

WITH ME.

I'VE BEEN VERY MUCH INVOLVED

IN.

AND I THINK MOST OF YOUR SENIOR

MILITARY FOLKS, PARTICULARLY THE

FLAG OFFICERS, UNDERSTAND THE

NATIONAL STRATEGY AND WANT TO

STAY INVOLVED.

>>TELL US ABOUT YOUR EARLY DAYS

AS A MARINE.

WHAT WERE YOUR CHALLENGES AND

WHAT WERE YOUR OPPORTUNITIES?

>>WELL YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE

RIGHT OUT OF-FOR MY CASE, RIGHT

OUT OF THE NAVAL ACADEMY AND YOU

GO TO WHAT THE MARINES CALLED

BASIC SCHOOL.

YOU GET ASSIGNED AN OCCUPATIONAL

SPECIALTY OR ARTILLERY IN MY

CASE.

AND THEN YOU GO OUT TO YOUR

UNIT.

MY FIRST UNIT WAS AT CAMP

PENDLETON.

IT WAS AN ARTILLERY BATTERY.

LIKE I SAID, YOU'RE FOCUSED ON

THE TACTICAL SITUATION.

BUT HERE'S AN INTERESTING

POINT, WE TRANSITIONED FROM WHAT

WAS CALLED THE 105 HOW IT

STARTED THE 155 MILLIMETER

HOWITZER.

THE 155 AT THAT TIME WAS NUCLEAR

CAPABLE.

AND THAT, WHEN I THINK BACK ON

THAT AS A YOUNG LIEUTENANT AND

CAPTAIN, TO HAVE THAT MASSIVE

AMOUNT OF POWER LITERALLY IN

YOUR HANDS.

YOU WENT TO A SCHOOL AND WERE

TAUGHT HOW TO BUILD THAT ROUND

AND THEN HOW TO PLAN TO SHOOT

IT.

AND I JUST THINK BACK ON IT.

I THINK AT THAT TIME IT WAS JUST

TACTICAL SITUATION.

IT WAS ANOTHER WEAPON IN YOUR

ARSENAL.

WHEN I THINK BACK ON IT NOW,

WHAT A TREMENDOUS CAPABILITY,

WHAT A HORRENDOUS CAPABILITY.

AND THEN I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH

APPRECIATION FOR THAT

PERSPECTIVE ON IT, THE NATIONAL

IMPLICATIONS ON IT.

OF COURSE, THE MARINES NOW HAVE

NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

THEY DON'T HAVE ANY TACTICAL

NUKES.

THE WHOLE U.S.

ARSENAL HAS SOME LIMITED

TACTICAL NUKES BUT THEY'RE

PRETTY MUCH ALL STRATEGIC.

BUT THAT'S ANOTHER ONE THERE

THAT IN MY EARLY CAREER I SAID,

"WOW!

THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING

ELSE!"AND IT WAS PRETTY

EXCITING I WILL TELL YOU.

AND I MOVED FROM THAT FELW BACK

SEAT AN OV-10 AIR CRAFT.

BOTH AT CAMP PENDLETON AND IN

OKINAWA AND AT CAMP LEJEUNE;

REALLY ENJOYED THAT.

ENJOYED THE BACKSEAT FLYING

ASPECT OF IT.

AND THE MORE SENIOR YOU GET, THE

MORE COMMAND AND OPPORTUNITIES

YOU GET, GOT INVOLVED IN BOOT

CAMP.

COMMANDED BOTH AT SAN DIEGO AND

AT PARRIS ISLAND.

AND MY LAST JOB IN THE MARINE

CORP WAS COMMANDING GENERAL AT

PARRIS ISLAND WHICH I THINK WAS

THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD.

WORKING WITH-WE HAD 23,000 YOUNG

MEN AND WOMEN COME THROUGH THERE

A YEAR.

SO IT'S A BIG OPERATION.

>>WHAT'S THE BEST PART?

WHEN THEY ARRIVE, WHEN THEY

GRADUATE?

OR THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE?

>>WELL, JOHN, I DON'T THINK

THEY'D SAY THE BEST PART'S

WHEN THEY ARRIVE.

AND IT'S LEGENDARY WHEN YOU

SEE THEM GET OFF THE BUS AND THE

EYES SCREAMING AT THEM.

WHICH I NEVER MUCH CARED FOR TO

BE HONEST WITH YOU.

AND THEY PUT THEM ON YELLOW FOOT

PRINTS.

BUT THEY ALL KNOW WHAT'S

COMING.

TODAY, THEY'RE ALL VOLUNTEERS.

THEY'RE ALL HIGH SCHOOL

GRADUATES.

99.9 PERCENT OF THEM.

THEY'RE ALL IN SHAPE.

WE HAVE A QUALITY, QUALITY YOUNG

MAN AND WOMEN COMING INTO ALL

THE MILITARY SERVICES TODAY.

BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BY

FAR THE BEST PART'S

GRADUATION.

AND IF ANYBODY HAS NOT BEEN TO

GRADUATION EITHER AT SAN DIEGO

OR AT PARRIS ISLAND THEY DO 40

OR 42 A YEAR.

IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

THEY COME INTO A FULL FLEDGE

PARADE AND A MARCH AND THERE'S

A SPEECH BY THE BATTALION

COMMANDER.

BUT THE BEST PARTS THE END WHERE

THEY DROP THE ROPES AND IN SOME

CASES, FIVE OR SIX THOUSAND

PARENTS RUN ONTO THE PARADE DECK

TO FIND THEIR YOUNG MAN OR

WOMEN.

AND THE FUNNY PART IS, YOU KNOW

ALL THEIR HEADS ARE SHAVED,

THEY'RE ALL TRIMMED.

MIGHT'VE, A LOT OF THEM HAVE

LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT.

THEY DON'T RECOGNIZE JOHNNY.

AND WHEN THEY DO THEY'RE

ASTONISHED AT THE

TRANSFORMATION.

AND IT LITERALLY IS A

TRANSFORMATION.

>>SO MOVING FROM THAT WORLD INTO

THE WORLD OF POLICY AND RESEARCH

AND SO FORTH, HOW WAS THE

TRANSITION.

WAS IT EASY?

WAS IT DIFFICULT?

>>YOU KNOW, TO CONTINUE MY SAGA

OF MY CAREER AFTER BEING A

FELLOW AT THE COUCIL AND FOREIGN

RELATIONS IN NEW YORK CITY, I

WAS REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE I WAS

GOING OUT TO CAMP PENDLETON TO

COMMAND A REGIMENTAL SIZE UNIT.

AND OVER NIGHT MY ORDERS GOT

CHANGED AND I GOT SENT TO

CAPITAL HILL TO WORK THE

CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION,

MISSIONS OF THE ARMED SERVICES.

AND THAT OF COURSE IS ULTIMATE

POLICY.

HERE THE LAW MAKERS ARE GONNA

DECIDE THE FUTURE OF ALL THE

SERVICES.

THEY HAD A COMMITTEE, A

COMMISSION THAT WAS GOING TO SIT

THERE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS

TO THE GOVERNMENT, TO THE

ADMINISTRATION THEN, AND TO

CONGRESS AND COULD VERY WELL

HAVE REORGANIZED HOW EVERYTHING

WAS GONNA TRANSPIRE.

COURSE I'M BEING A LITTLE

PAROCHIAL ABOUT THIS BUT WE WERE

DEFENDING OUR INTERESTS CLEARLY,

THE MARINE CORP WAS.

AND AT ONE TIME, THE AIR FORCE

WANTED TO GET RID OF ITS CLOSE

AIR SUPPORT MISSION AND GIVE IT

ALL, YOU READY?

TO THE MARINE CORP.

MARINE CORP HAS IT'S OWN CLOSE

AIR SUPPORT AND IS VERY PROUD OF

IT; DID NOT WANT TO ABSORB THE

AIR FORCES EITHER.

SO I MEAN, THAT LEVEL OF POLICY

WAS PRETTY INTERESTING TO ME AND

I'VE CARRIED THAT ON EVER

SINCE WITH MY RELATIONSHIP WITH

THE COUNCIL OF FORMER RELATIONS.

AND THEN I DID SOME WORK WITH

JOHN KERRY IN 2003,2004.

I ENDED UP BEING THE CHEIF

OPERATING OFFICER OF A

NON-PROFIT IN D.C.

AS A BUSINESS EXECUTIVE FOR

NATIONAL SECURITY WAS THE NAME

OF THE ORGANIZATION.

STAYED IN TOUCH WITH KERRY AND

HAGEL.

THEY FORMED THE AMERICAN

SECURITY PROJECT IN 2005 AND OF

COURSE I KNOW THE UNIVERSITY OF

CENTRAL FLORIDA IS WELL INVOLVED

AND UNDERSTANDS THAT BECAUSE YOU

WERE INVOLVED ALMOST SINCE THE

INCEPTION OF ASB.

THE FIRST UNIVERSITY PARTNER

THAT WE'VE EVER HAD AND IT'S

A GREAT RELATIONSHIP.

AND IT STAYED WITH ME AND THEN

IN 2011 I GOT CALLED AND ASKED

IF I WOULD BE THE CEO OF THE

ORGANIZATION AND THEN I

DELIGHTFULLY TOOK THAT JOB.

>>WELL LIFE HAS CHANGED A LOT IN

THE FEW YEARS SINCE YOU TOOK THE

JOB.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN SECURITY

CONCERNS FACING THE UNITED

STATES TODAY?

>>OH LORD, JOHN.