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[00:00]
A
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[01:35]
B
military general is going public with a dire warning the United States has run out of military equipment if Donald Trump intends to escalate the catastrophic war in Iran. A general who I've been praising now for the better part of the year, even before the United States invaded Venezuela, he's the one who came out with this publicly. His name is General Alexis Grinkowicz. His call sign is Grinch. He's currently the allied commander for the United States with NATO. He's a beloved general, and based on him going public, I worry that he will probably be forced out or fired. Like many of the other top generals and admirals that the Trump regime has pushed out, as Hegseth and Trump have pushed out. But General Alexis Grinkowicz, he went public in the past 24 hours, the top US commander in Europe with NATO, he warned that the Pentagon no longer has enough Navy destroyers to be involved in any escalation of this catastrophic war in Iran. The way Grinkowich framed it, knowing that Donald Trump is a Netanyahu bootlicker, is Grinkowicz is like, I know Israel's the one dragging us into this escalation again, like Netanyahu dragged us into this catastrophic war with Iran. But let's be clear. Trump and Hegseth and the US regime of war criminals was complicit with the Netanyahu regime of war criminals. But what Grigoritz is saying is, all right, well then you're not going to be able to protect Israel. We're not going to be able. If that's what matters to you, Donald. Apparently that's the big deal for you. Not the American people, not the Middle east allies, not anybody else, you war criminal. Well, we're not going to be able to protect Israel. So don't be surprised when Iran is able to pierce through the iron, the so called Iron Dome in Israel. Iran has already been able to destroy, Grinkovich explains. And we've been talking about this, the Arab Dome, the Dome you promised to protect the Arab nations. Iran is striking all the US bases there and you're about to expose that the Iron Dome doesn't really isn't able to protect Israel right now. Grankowicz is basically saying, so these Navy destroyers which have intercepted missiles targeting Israel and other locations as well, are stretched by operations in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and around Iran. While maintenance issues have further reduced availability. I want you to think about that too. Maintenance issues, we've seen that with the aircraft carrier groups as well. Because Hegseth doesn't know what the hell he's doing. The most basic stuff, keep your equipment operational, keep your ships operational, deal with things like the nuts and bolts. I know that's boring for Donald Trump and Hegseth, things like the plumbing, the laundry, food on the ship, stuff like that. Hegseth doesn't care about and doesn't think about. And so you have maintenance issues, you, you have supply chain issues, you have. Iran realizes this. That's one of the reasons the Houthis opened up the Red Sea and shut down the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia's tankers. Saudi Arabia now has to take a longer route around Africa. MBS sent his brother this past week while Netanyahu was in the US his brother's the Defense Minister Khalil Khalid bin Salin to meet with Donald Trump and J.D. vance. MBS called Donald Trump yesterday and you had the warning from General Gracowitz in Europe saying we don't have the ability anymore with Navy destroyers to help you if you escalate this catastrophic war. We're giving you this warning. So it wasn't surprising that late last night around 11pm Donald Trump posted. Despite the fact that we have the capabilities and levels of military terror strength like we've never had before, Since World War II, we have military terror ready to go. But the perimeter of a deal with Iran is now being discussed. Trump says the perimeter. So we're not going to strike Iran. Look, it's not just an issue of the Navy destroyers. And by the way, the Navy destroyers carry SM3 and SM6 anti ballistic missile interceptors. We also know that the United States has run out of its stockpile of the Thaad interceptors. Like, each one of them cost about $12.5 million each. The PAC3 Patri Interceptors we've run out of. And in order to replenish the thaad and the PAC3s and these SM3s and SM6s takes years. I mean, maybe some PAC threes will be ready to go in 2029 based on what we depleted, but these fads can potentially be pushed to 2030, maybe even later for when they will be ready. I mean, it is a real dire situation indeed. And so I want to share with you, I want to share with you, if I can, just to remind you what Grinkowich said back in January of 2026. This is when I began highlighting General Grinkowich. And one of the things he was talking about then is he's like, pay attention. Because while Donald Trump is out there attacking Greenland and attacking, you know, all of these countries that, you know that Trump is attacking our allies. Grinkovich is like, I just want you to be aware, you've got Iran. He was in Switzerland, he was in Sweden. Rather, when he was giving this speech and talking about what a model ally Sweden is, he was trying to, you know, be nice to like other NATO allies. Grinkovich was. But he was like, look, Iran, China, North Korea goes, they're working together, they're building up their munitions, while Trump is out there basically attacking allies. That's what Grinkrich was basically saying. Here, play this clip.
[08:04]
C
China continues to fund Putin's war machine. Iran continues to supply technology and weapons. And North Korean combat troops remain in Russia on Ukraine's border. And of course, there's a confluence between Russia, Iran and Venezuela and their dark fleet of oil tankers that is helping to fund the war in the Arctic and the high north. We see a similar trend. Russian and Chinese vessels are conducting more and more joint patrols. Chinese icebreakers and research vessels are in Arctic waters. And their research is not for peaceful purposes. It's to gain a military advantage. Russia, meanwhile, continues testing advanced capabilities in The Barents Sea. As new shipping routes emerge and new resources are discovered, the Arctic only grows in strategic importance. And all of this comes in the midst of an increasing hybrid threat. Airspace violations, GPS and GNSS interference, and the Shadow Fleet in the Baltic Sea threatening underwater infrastructure. In short, the Arctic and Northern Europe by extension, has become a front line for strategic competition.
[09:28]
B
And then in that same event again, back In January of 2026, Grinkowich, who just issued this warning, was talking about trying to do his best to make sure that the US Had a readiness posture. And so the fact that he's now saying July 31, August 1, August 2, that the US no longer has an ability to project a readiness posture, when he said this was his main focus as the Allied Commander Europe of NATO back in January, it shows you how disastrous this all is. Here, play this clip.
[10:10]
C
Well, I won't comment on the political dimensions of recent rhetoric. It's not my place to do that as a military officer. But I will just observe the readout from the North Atlantic Council, where all of our permanent representatives from the 32 nations get together to discuss thorny issues. Those dialogues continue in Brussels. They've been healthy dialogues from what I've heard, and I think that's the most important thing. Members of the alliance who've worked together for so many years are talking together and working through these thorny issues.
[10:41]
A
You had this role for about six months now. Has your priorities in any way changed?
[10:46]
C
Is it only six months?
[10:48]
A
Oh, I'm sorry you feel that way.
[10:50]
C
No, no. It's actually been truly a fantastic six months. One of the best jobs that exists on the planet, in my view, and I've truly enjoyed it. My priorities have been pretty consistent. I've got several of them. One of is, of course, I'm focused on taking care of our people, your people, that you contribute to the alliance and to our missions. They are the bread and butter of what we do every single day. And Michael Claussen and I actually got an opportunity to go see some of the Swedish troops yesterday, Swedish Marines who. I mean, some of the most impressive young women and men that I've seen in uniform throughout my almost 33 years of service. So you all ought to be incredibly proud of what those young people are doing for your country and for the Alliance. So we need to take care of them. We need to focus on them, get them the equipment and the capabilities that they need. My second focus is war, fighting readiness. And, you know, the alliance is ready to fight tonight, but we need to continue to hone our readiness and be more and more ready every single day. That's headquarters readiness, making sure we have the processes and capabilities in place to do the things we need to do. It's also individual unit level readiness. Michael's focused on that here in Sweden. All of the Chiefs of defense are, and I am as well. And it's by being ready that we continue to maintain that deterrence.
[12:14]
B
And again, just to remind you of Grinkowich as Well, back on March 12, Grinkovich admitted right away to the war crimes the United States committed in Manob. When Trump and Hegseth and the band of war criminals slaughtered the little girls at the Benob Elementary School, Grinkowich took accountability right away. It's why when he's out there going public and saying, we don't have Navy destroyers right now, adding on top of the fact that we don't have Thaad interceptors, interceptors and PAC3 interceptors, and going on to say that the issues also have to deal with maintenance issues and were stretched by operations in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to Iran. He's saying how dire it is. Listen to what he said about the Manob war crimes. Here, play this clip.
[13:07]
C
Over the course of my career as a fighter pilot, I've always done everything I can to avoid civilian harm and civilian casualties. And I would tell you I'm absolutely committed to that. I know the department is committed to that, and that when tragedies like this happen, it causes us all to reflect and try to improve our processes. I've been involved in the targeting process both at the tactical and the operational levels throughout my career. And I would tell you we do have a number of safeguards in the system. You know, every single time that at the tactical level I was going to release a weapon on a target, I was personally making an assessment as to whether there was any chance of civilian harm. And if there was, was that proportional to the military necessity of striking the target? At the operational level, both from my time in US Central Command previously and then now at US European Command, I can assure you that we have robust standards that we go through and look to see and update the imagery and update our understanding of the target and refresh the intelligence on a recurring basis to determine the chances of civilian harm and to address any collateral concerns that might be there. So you just know I'm absolutely committed to trying to mitigate that risk.
[14:17]
B
I appreciate your testimony.
[14:18]
A
I'm highly concerned, however, that Secretary Hegseth does not agree with you. Secretary Hegseth has criticized Rules of engagement designed to adhere to the laws of armed conflict and support civilian harm mitigation. Secretary Hegseth has also cut the Civilian Protection center of excellence by about 90%.
[14:41]
B
Now, at the same time he's giving these warnings, the Pentagon also is further attacking Ukraine and attacking the US Leadership in NATO to help Ukraine. As you know, Donald Trump did the ultimate rug pull to Zelensky, promising Zelensky Patriot interceptor licenses and Patriot interceptors, but definitely licenses. Back during the NATO summit in Turkey. And then this past 48 hours, Trump's like, nah, I'm not gonna give it to you anymore. So Trump taps Alinsky along for a full month, let Putin build up his ballistics. Zelensky was promised these interceptors or the licenses he needed him heading into the winter. And now Donald Trump's like, gotcha, Screwed you over. I believe that was all part of giving you my opinion with Trump's plans with Putin. But the Pentagon is now handing leadership of NATO's Ukraine military aid Coordination Group to a European ally. They're going to move it away from Grinkovic as well, marking another step in the Trump administration's effort to reduce the US Military role in Europe. This also comes at the same time that the Wall Street Journal reports China is rapidly closing the satellite gap with the US Expanding its surveillance, nav and military space capabilities. Its growing satellite network improves intelligence gathering, precision targeting and tracking of US Forces, while advances in GPS alternatives, AI analysis, and anti satellite weapons are raising concerns that Beijing could increasingly challenge US Military dominance in space. And you've got people like Grinkowich warning about all of this. Meanwhile, you even have state regime, media saying the Pentagon is confronting a growing reality. This is from Fox. This is Fox. The Pentagon is confronting a growing reality. After months of fighting in Iran, America's stockpile of missile defense interceptors is shrinking so much that military planners are weighing whether they can continue the current cycle of of limited retaliatory strikes. Iran strategy appears to be targeting US Bases, forcing the US to deplete its advanced missile defense interceptors such as Patriot and Thaad systems, and compelling the Pentagon to accept greater risk in defending U.S. troops. As the conflict drags on, Iran appears to believe this is its best hope about lasting the US Military. So Iran, over the past several days, while Donald Trump's I'm gonna blow the effing s out of him, Iran's like, do it. Blow the effing s out of us. Deplete more of your interceptors. And Iran will shoot very. It will shoot at various US Bases Often the Mufaki, the Mufaq salty base in Jordan, but also the bases in Kuwait areas in Kuwait as well. Make the US Launch a few of its interceptors. The US Basically has depleted its interceptors, exposed that the US Arab Dome has been eliminated. And now Iran knows that the Navy destroyer capabilities are gone as well. And by the way, we've been saying this for a long time and now Fox is finally reporting it. But let's remember, what did Hexent say? March 5, 2026. And you know, when Hegset says something, he's lying. How do you know he's lying? He opens up his mouth. Here's what Hegson said. March 5, 2026 let's play it. We've got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to. Again, our munition status only increases as our advantage increases. But then February 5th of 2025, Hegseth was bragging how he was giving these interceptor capabilities to Israel while sitting across from Netanyahu. Let's play it.
[18:47]
C
We've supplied munitions that were previously not supplied, that are useful in eradicating radical enemies, and we are committed to continuing to do so.
[18:57]
B
So March 4, 2026, you had General Dan Kane, the three star general who's now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who was not qualified to become the chairman of the Joint Joint Chiefs because he was not a four star with the requisite combat experience. But because Hegseth is a racist and Trump is a racist, they fired CQ Brown Jr. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who, by the way, Trump elevated to a top position. Back in Trump's first administration, Biden elevated him to the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was a qualified four star. And then they fired him, pushed him out to have the unqualified Dan Cain because he had a nickname, Raisin and he's white and they had to give him a waiver because he wasn't qualified. Let's play this clip.
[19:50]
C
The throttle is coming up, as the secretary said, as opposed to ramping down. This will allow us to maintain consistent pressure on the adversary over the coming days, disrupt their launch timelines and impose cost every day around the clock. I know there have been a lot of questions about munitions. We have sufficient precision munitions for the task at hand, both on the offense and defense. But I want to tell you teammates, as a matter of practice, I don't want to be talking about quantities. And I know there's been a Great debate about that and I appreciate the interest, but just know that we consider that an operational security matter.
[20:29]
B
And to remind you as well, when Senator Mark Kelly questioned Hegseth back on April. April 30, 2026. This was April of 2026. Okay, now we're post mou. We've had the re escalation of the catastrophic war. And so as bad and dire as things were, when Mark Kelly, Senator Kelly was questioning Hegseth here. Imagine this scenario times 10 times worse where we are right now and we've literally run out of weapons. And you have a top general saying we've run out of weapons. Let's play this clip.
[21:08]
C
Okay, how many years to replenish? That's the question.
[21:11]
B
I think that's exactly the right question
[21:12]
C
too, Senator, because the time frame we were existing under was unacceptable. Okay, well, tell me what budget does. I mean months and years. Fast years. I mean, we're building new plants in real time. So just to replace what we have. I said months and then you said years. But it depends on the weapon system. But 2 to 3 4x of what we have today. So yes, we're dealing with the reality under the previous administration of what they sent to Ukraine and what they allocated elsewhere. I got it. So we fired years worth of munitions and it is clear that we're these are being expended to try to achieve some objectives. That was the plan. But Mr. Secretary, this war is stuck.
[21:56]
B
And so again, as a result of the US running out of these interceptors, Iran's been able to strike these US bases in the region with impunity. They're able to hit it hard. And we've been following with the surveillance for the satellite footage. All of the areas that they've been able to hit. You had again MBS and MBS's brother calling Trump. You're out of missiles. What are you doing? You've exposed all of our nations. There's no Arab Dome. All of the security interceptors and all of the security benefits of you promised us for our quid pro quos have been thrown out the window. You look like a loser. And now Iran has its ballistic missiles and shaheds. They're going to strike our energy infrastructure. If you start to bomb their energy infrastructure and you can't protect us anymore. Donald, you're utterly pathetic. By the way, China's moving in now and going to offer a security umbrella to the Middle east in the absence of the United States. And then Donald Trump announced, I've agreed for the future benefit of the world, and likewise the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran that we're going to do. We've come up with the perimeters of a deal. He goes. Did you mean the parameters, the perimeter of a deal? He says. So I'm not going to bomb Iran and blow the effing s out of them, as he's previously threatened. Serious developments, folks. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. Hey, if you want the full story, how democracy got here and how we take it back, pre order our new book WTF America Today. Just scan the QR code or click the link in the description. Let's do this.
[23:50]
A
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Summary6 min read

The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Top NATO Commander Sounds Alarm on Trump's Iran Strategy

Date: August 2, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett & Jordy Meiselas

Episode Overview

This episode centers on urgent warnings issued by General Alexis “Grinch” Grinkowicz, the current NATO Allied Commander (U.S.), regarding the escalating U.S.–Iran conflict under President Trump’s administration. The Meiselas brothers use their signature blend of incisive analysis, attribute-backed summaries, and characteristic banter to unpack concerns about America’s depleted military stockpiles, deteriorating alliances, the Trump administration’s relationship with Israel, and the global consequences of current U.S. foreign policy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. General Grinkowicz’s Dire Warning (01:34)

General’s Credentials: General Alexis Grinkowicz, known as “Grinch", is the top U.S. NATO commander in Europe and a widely respected military leader.
Critical Point: Grinkowicz has gone public warning that the U.S. has run out of the Navy destroyers vital to intercepting missiles targeting Israel and protecting U.S. interests if Trump escalates the war with Iran.
Speaker Ben: “What Grinkowich is saying is... you're not going to be able to protect Israel. We're not going to be able. If that's what matters to you, Donald...well, we're not going to be able to protect Israel. So don't be surprised when Iran is able to pierce through the iron, the so-called Iron Dome in Israel.” (03:35)
Maintenance Failure: Ben underscores that maintenance and supply chain breakdowns— “the most basic stuff”—have hampered U.S. naval readiness, citing leadership incompetence.

2. Depletion of U.S. Missile Stockpiles (05:45)

Key Statistics:
- U.S. out of SM3 and SM6 anti-ballistic missile interceptors.
- Stockpiles of THAAD and PAC-3 Patriot interceptors are exhausted.
- Replenishment could take until 2029–2030.
Trump’s Contradictory Claims: Trump claims unprecedented military strength, even as the full stockpile depletion is confirmed by the Pentagon and NATO.
Strategic Vulnerability: The shortage in key missile defense systems leaves the U.S. exposed, putting Israel, U.S. bases, and Middle East allies at risk.

3. Historical Context and Prior Warnings (08:03, 10:10, 13:07)

Grinkowicz’s January 2026 Speech: The general highlighted cooperation between Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea, emphasizing increased joint military exercises and threats to Western infrastructure.
- Notable Quote:
  
  “China continues to fund Putin's war machine. Iran continues to supply technology and weapons. And North Korean combat troops remain in Russia on Ukraine's border... The Arctic and Northern Europe by extension, has become a front line for strategic competition.” — Gen. Grinkowicz (08:03)
Military Readiness as a Priority:
- Notable Quote:
  
  “My second focus is warfighting readiness. And, you know, the alliance is ready to fight tonight, but we need to continue to hone our readiness and be more and more ready every single day.” — Gen. Grinkowicz (11:42)
Accountability for U.S. War Crimes: Grinkowicz took responsibility for the Manob Elementary School tragedy, underscoring his commitment to minimizing civilian casualties.
- Notable Quote:
  
  “Over the course of my career as a fighter pilot, I've always done everything I can to avoid civilian harm... I know the department is committed to that, and that when tragedies like this happen, it causes us all to reflect and try to improve our processes.” — Gen. Grinkowicz (13:07)

4. Oversight, Policy Breakdowns & Leadership Failures

Pentagon and Trump Administration Actions:
- U.S. shifting leadership of NATO’s Ukraine military aid group to a European ally, reducing U.S. presence and influence.
- Trump reneged on promised Patriot interceptor licenses to Zelensky, undermining Ukraine’s defenses and position.
Speaker Commentary: Ben emphasizes coordination failures and claims the Trump administration's dealings directly aid adversaries like Putin.

5. Global Strategic Impact (17:45–21:56)

China and Russia’s Gains: China closes the military satellite gap, expands intelligence-gathering, and positions itself as a future Middle East security provider.
Iran’s War of Attrition: Iran’s strategy is to intentionally force the U.S. to expend its missile interceptors, effectively rendering the U.S. “out of weapons” and unable to defend its bases in the region.
Middle East Power Shift: Saudi leaders (MBS and his defense minister brother) directly pressure Trump over the lack of U.S. protection, while China steps in to fill the regional security vacuum.

6. Political and Military Accountability

Failures in Leadership:
- Appointment of under-qualified generals (e.g., General Dan Kane, “Raisin”), at the expense of 4-star General CQ Brown Jr., attributed to racial and political biases.
Trump Administration’s Claims of Strength vs. Reality:
- Hegseth—Trump's Defense Secretary—repeatedly insists U.S. munitions are sufficient, contradicting all independent and internal military assessments.
- Memorable Dig:
  
  “How do you know he's lying? He opens up his mouth.” — Ben on Hegseth (17:45)
Sen. Mark Kelly's Congressional Oversight: Direct questioning exposes the years-long gap in replenishing critical missile supplies.

Notable Quotes & Exchanges

General Grinkowicz on Alliance and Readiness:
- “It's by being ready that we continue to maintain that deterrence.” (11:57)
Brett on U.S. Vulnerability:
- “As a result of the US running out of these interceptors, Iran's been able to strike these US bases in the region with impunity. …You've exposed all of our nations. There's no Arab Dome. All of the security interceptors and all of the security benefits you promised us for our quid pro quos have been thrown out the window.” (21:56)
Trump's Statement (as read by Ben):
- “For the future benefit of the world, and likewise the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran that we're going to do. We've come up with the perimeters of a deal. …So I'm not going to bomb Iran and blow the effing s out of them, as he's previously threatened.” (22:54)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment & Context | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:34 | Ben introduces General Grinkowicz’s public warning about the U.S. running out of destroyers | | 03:35 | Ben explains the implication: U.S. can't protect Israel or regional allies | | 08:03 | General Grinkowicz details Russia, China, and Iran alliance threats at January conference | | 10:10 | Grinkowicz emphasizes maintaining NATO’s military readiness | | 13:07 | Grinkowicz on taking accountability for U.S. military mistakes in Manob | | 17:45 | Ben challenges Hegseth's false claims about munition sufficiency | | 18:46 | Hegseth and Netanyahu on U.S. interceptor munitions for Israel | | 19:50 | General Dan Kane on maintaining offensive and defensive pressure, dodging quantity questions | | 21:07 | Sen. Mark Kelly questions Hegseth on U.S. missile stockpile replenishment | | 21:56 | Analysis of strategic vacuum: Iran’s advantage, China stepping in | | 22:54 | Ben reads Trump’s announcement of a new “perimeter” (parameters) of an Iran deal |

Memorable Moments

Ben’s pointed monologue about the Trump administration’s negligence and its consequences for U.S. readiness, security, and diplomatic credibility (starts at 01:34 and recurs throughout).
Grinkowicz’s candid, professional testimony on both accountability for civilian harm and the necessity of military readiness (08:03, 10:10, 13:07).
Trump’s awkward, malaprop-filled “perimeter of a deal” speech, signaling an abrupt shift in U.S. posture toward Iran (22:54).
Brett and Ben’s recurring jabs at Trump officials, especially Hegseth, for misleading Congress and the public about the true state of U.S. military affairs (17:45, 21:07).

Tone & Style

Language: Direct, unfiltered, often sharp and critical of current U.S. administration; genuine respect shown for military professionalism and NATO alliances.
Atmosphere: Engaged, analytical, with moments of brotherly humor and biting sarcasm, particularly aimed at governmental mismanagement.

This summary covers the vital content and analysis provided by the Meiselas brothers, spotlighting the episode’s exploration of crisis-level U.S. military depletion, leadership failures, and the shifting global security landscape as voiced by both the hosts and primary sources like General Grinkowicz.

Loading summary

Transcript27 lines

[00:00]
A
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[01:35]
B
military general is going public with a dire warning the United States has run out of military equipment if Donald Trump intends to escalate the catastrophic war in Iran. A general who I've been praising now for the better part of the year, even before the United States invaded Venezuela, he's the one who came out with this publicly. His name is General Alexis Grinkowicz. His call sign is Grinch. He's currently the allied commander for the United States with NATO. He's a beloved general, and based on him going public, I worry that he will probably be forced out or fired. Like many of the other top generals and admirals that the Trump regime has pushed out, as Hegseth and Trump have pushed out. But General Alexis Grinkowicz, he went public in the past 24 hours, the top US commander in Europe with NATO, he warned that the Pentagon no longer has enough Navy destroyers to be involved in any escalation of this catastrophic war in Iran. The way Grinkowich framed it, knowing that Donald Trump is a Netanyahu bootlicker, is Grinkowicz is like, I know Israel's the one dragging us into this escalation again, like Netanyahu dragged us into this catastrophic war with Iran. But let's be clear. Trump and Hegseth and the US regime of war criminals was complicit with the Netanyahu regime of war criminals. But what Grigoritz is saying is, all right, well then you're not going to be able to protect Israel. We're not going to be able. If that's what matters to you, Donald. Apparently that's the big deal for you. Not the American people, not the Middle east allies, not anybody else, you war criminal. Well, we're not going to be able to protect Israel. So don't be surprised when Iran is able to pierce through the iron, the so called Iron Dome in Israel. Iran has already been able to destroy, Grinkovich explains. And we've been talking about this, the Arab Dome, the Dome you promised to protect the Arab nations. Iran is striking all the US bases there and you're about to expose that the Iron Dome doesn't really isn't able to protect Israel right now. Grankowicz is basically saying, so these Navy destroyers which have intercepted missiles targeting Israel and other locations as well, are stretched by operations in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and around Iran. While maintenance issues have further reduced availability. I want you to think about that too. Maintenance issues, we've seen that with the aircraft carrier groups as well. Because Hegseth doesn't know what the hell he's doing. The most basic stuff, keep your equipment operational, keep your ships operational, deal with things like the nuts and bolts. I know that's boring for Donald Trump and Hegseth, things like the plumbing, the laundry, food on the ship, stuff like that. Hegseth doesn't care about and doesn't think about. And so you have maintenance issues, you, you have supply chain issues, you have. Iran realizes this. That's one of the reasons the Houthis opened up the Red Sea and shut down the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia's tankers. Saudi Arabia now has to take a longer route around Africa. MBS sent his brother this past week while Netanyahu was in the US his brother's the Defense Minister Khalil Khalid bin Salin to meet with Donald Trump and J.D. vance. MBS called Donald Trump yesterday and you had the warning from General Gracowitz in Europe saying we don't have the ability anymore with Navy destroyers to help you if you escalate this catastrophic war. We're giving you this warning. So it wasn't surprising that late last night around 11pm Donald Trump posted. Despite the fact that we have the capabilities and levels of military terror strength like we've never had before, Since World War II, we have military terror ready to go. But the perimeter of a deal with Iran is now being discussed. Trump says the perimeter. So we're not going to strike Iran. Look, it's not just an issue of the Navy destroyers. And by the way, the Navy destroyers carry SM3 and SM6 anti ballistic missile interceptors. We also know that the United States has run out of its stockpile of the Thaad interceptors. Like, each one of them cost about $12.5 million each. The PAC3 Patri Interceptors we've run out of. And in order to replenish the thaad and the PAC3s and these SM3s and SM6s takes years. I mean, maybe some PAC threes will be ready to go in 2029 based on what we depleted, but these fads can potentially be pushed to 2030, maybe even later for when they will be ready. I mean, it is a real dire situation indeed. And so I want to share with you, I want to share with you, if I can, just to remind you what Grinkowich said back in January of 2026. This is when I began highlighting General Grinkowich. And one of the things he was talking about then is he's like, pay attention. Because while Donald Trump is out there attacking Greenland and attacking, you know, all of these countries that, you know that Trump is attacking our allies. Grinkovich is like, I just want you to be aware, you've got Iran. He was in Switzerland, he was in Sweden. Rather, when he was giving this speech and talking about what a model ally Sweden is, he was trying to, you know, be nice to like other NATO allies. Grinkovich was. But he was like, look, Iran, China, North Korea goes, they're working together, they're building up their munitions, while Trump is out there basically attacking allies. That's what Grinkrich was basically saying. Here, play this clip.
[08:04]
C
China continues to fund Putin's war machine. Iran continues to supply technology and weapons. And North Korean combat troops remain in Russia on Ukraine's border. And of course, there's a confluence between Russia, Iran and Venezuela and their dark fleet of oil tankers that is helping to fund the war in the Arctic and the high north. We see a similar trend. Russian and Chinese vessels are conducting more and more joint patrols. Chinese icebreakers and research vessels are in Arctic waters. And their research is not for peaceful purposes. It's to gain a military advantage. Russia, meanwhile, continues testing advanced capabilities in The Barents Sea. As new shipping routes emerge and new resources are discovered, the Arctic only grows in strategic importance. And all of this comes in the midst of an increasing hybrid threat. Airspace violations, GPS and GNSS interference, and the Shadow Fleet in the Baltic Sea threatening underwater infrastructure. In short, the Arctic and Northern Europe by extension, has become a front line for strategic competition.
[09:28]
B
And then in that same event again, back In January of 2026, Grinkowich, who just issued this warning, was talking about trying to do his best to make sure that the US Had a readiness posture. And so the fact that he's now saying July 31, August 1, August 2, that the US no longer has an ability to project a readiness posture, when he said this was his main focus as the Allied Commander Europe of NATO back in January, it shows you how disastrous this all is. Here, play this clip.
[10:10]
C
Well, I won't comment on the political dimensions of recent rhetoric. It's not my place to do that as a military officer. But I will just observe the readout from the North Atlantic Council, where all of our permanent representatives from the 32 nations get together to discuss thorny issues. Those dialogues continue in Brussels. They've been healthy dialogues from what I've heard, and I think that's the most important thing. Members of the alliance who've worked together for so many years are talking together and working through these thorny issues.
[10:41]
A
You had this role for about six months now. Has your priorities in any way changed?
[10:46]
C
Is it only six months?
[10:48]
A
Oh, I'm sorry you feel that way.
[10:50]
C
No, no. It's actually been truly a fantastic six months. One of the best jobs that exists on the planet, in my view, and I've truly enjoyed it. My priorities have been pretty consistent. I've got several of them. One of is, of course, I'm focused on taking care of our people, your people, that you contribute to the alliance and to our missions. They are the bread and butter of what we do every single day. And Michael Claussen and I actually got an opportunity to go see some of the Swedish troops yesterday, Swedish Marines who. I mean, some of the most impressive young women and men that I've seen in uniform throughout my almost 33 years of service. So you all ought to be incredibly proud of what those young people are doing for your country and for the Alliance. So we need to take care of them. We need to focus on them, get them the equipment and the capabilities that they need. My second focus is war, fighting readiness. And, you know, the alliance is ready to fight tonight, but we need to continue to hone our readiness and be more and more ready every single day. That's headquarters readiness, making sure we have the processes and capabilities in place to do the things we need to do. It's also individual unit level readiness. Michael's focused on that here in Sweden. All of the Chiefs of defense are, and I am as well. And it's by being ready that we continue to maintain that deterrence.
[12:14]
B
And again, just to remind you of Grinkowich as Well, back on March 12, Grinkovich admitted right away to the war crimes the United States committed in Manob. When Trump and Hegseth and the band of war criminals slaughtered the little girls at the Benob Elementary School, Grinkowich took accountability right away. It's why when he's out there going public and saying, we don't have Navy destroyers right now, adding on top of the fact that we don't have Thaad interceptors, interceptors and PAC3 interceptors, and going on to say that the issues also have to deal with maintenance issues and were stretched by operations in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to Iran. He's saying how dire it is. Listen to what he said about the Manob war crimes. Here, play this clip.
[13:07]
C
Over the course of my career as a fighter pilot, I've always done everything I can to avoid civilian harm and civilian casualties. And I would tell you I'm absolutely committed to that. I know the department is committed to that, and that when tragedies like this happen, it causes us all to reflect and try to improve our processes. I've been involved in the targeting process both at the tactical and the operational levels throughout my career. And I would tell you we do have a number of safeguards in the system. You know, every single time that at the tactical level I was going to release a weapon on a target, I was personally making an assessment as to whether there was any chance of civilian harm. And if there was, was that proportional to the military necessity of striking the target? At the operational level, both from my time in US Central Command previously and then now at US European Command, I can assure you that we have robust standards that we go through and look to see and update the imagery and update our understanding of the target and refresh the intelligence on a recurring basis to determine the chances of civilian harm and to address any collateral concerns that might be there. So you just know I'm absolutely committed to trying to mitigate that risk.
[14:17]
B
I appreciate your testimony.
[14:18]
A
I'm highly concerned, however, that Secretary Hegseth does not agree with you. Secretary Hegseth has criticized Rules of engagement designed to adhere to the laws of armed conflict and support civilian harm mitigation. Secretary Hegseth has also cut the Civilian Protection center of excellence by about 90%.
[14:41]
B
Now, at the same time he's giving these warnings, the Pentagon also is further attacking Ukraine and attacking the US Leadership in NATO to help Ukraine. As you know, Donald Trump did the ultimate rug pull to Zelensky, promising Zelensky Patriot interceptor licenses and Patriot interceptors, but definitely licenses. Back during the NATO summit in Turkey. And then this past 48 hours, Trump's like, nah, I'm not gonna give it to you anymore. So Trump taps Alinsky along for a full month, let Putin build up his ballistics. Zelensky was promised these interceptors or the licenses he needed him heading into the winter. And now Donald Trump's like, gotcha, Screwed you over. I believe that was all part of giving you my opinion with Trump's plans with Putin. But the Pentagon is now handing leadership of NATO's Ukraine military aid Coordination Group to a European ally. They're going to move it away from Grinkovic as well, marking another step in the Trump administration's effort to reduce the US Military role in Europe. This also comes at the same time that the Wall Street Journal reports China is rapidly closing the satellite gap with the US Expanding its surveillance, nav and military space capabilities. Its growing satellite network improves intelligence gathering, precision targeting and tracking of US Forces, while advances in GPS alternatives, AI analysis, and anti satellite weapons are raising concerns that Beijing could increasingly challenge US Military dominance in space. And you've got people like Grinkowich warning about all of this. Meanwhile, you even have state regime, media saying the Pentagon is confronting a growing reality. This is from Fox. This is Fox. The Pentagon is confronting a growing reality. After months of fighting in Iran, America's stockpile of missile defense interceptors is shrinking so much that military planners are weighing whether they can continue the current cycle of of limited retaliatory strikes. Iran strategy appears to be targeting US Bases, forcing the US to deplete its advanced missile defense interceptors such as Patriot and Thaad systems, and compelling the Pentagon to accept greater risk in defending U.S. troops. As the conflict drags on, Iran appears to believe this is its best hope about lasting the US Military. So Iran, over the past several days, while Donald Trump's I'm gonna blow the effing s out of him, Iran's like, do it. Blow the effing s out of us. Deplete more of your interceptors. And Iran will shoot very. It will shoot at various US Bases Often the Mufaki, the Mufaq salty base in Jordan, but also the bases in Kuwait areas in Kuwait as well. Make the US Launch a few of its interceptors. The US Basically has depleted its interceptors, exposed that the US Arab Dome has been eliminated. And now Iran knows that the Navy destroyer capabilities are gone as well. And by the way, we've been saying this for a long time and now Fox is finally reporting it. But let's remember, what did Hexent say? March 5, 2026. And you know, when Hegset says something, he's lying. How do you know he's lying? He opens up his mouth. Here's what Hegson said. March 5, 2026 let's play it. We've got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to. Again, our munition status only increases as our advantage increases. But then February 5th of 2025, Hegseth was bragging how he was giving these interceptor capabilities to Israel while sitting across from Netanyahu. Let's play it.
[18:47]
C
We've supplied munitions that were previously not supplied, that are useful in eradicating radical enemies, and we are committed to continuing to do so.
[18:57]
B
So March 4, 2026, you had General Dan Kane, the three star general who's now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who was not qualified to become the chairman of the Joint Joint Chiefs because he was not a four star with the requisite combat experience. But because Hegseth is a racist and Trump is a racist, they fired CQ Brown Jr. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who, by the way, Trump elevated to a top position. Back in Trump's first administration, Biden elevated him to the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was a qualified four star. And then they fired him, pushed him out to have the unqualified Dan Cain because he had a nickname, Raisin and he's white and they had to give him a waiver because he wasn't qualified. Let's play this clip.
[19:50]
C
The throttle is coming up, as the secretary said, as opposed to ramping down. This will allow us to maintain consistent pressure on the adversary over the coming days, disrupt their launch timelines and impose cost every day around the clock. I know there have been a lot of questions about munitions. We have sufficient precision munitions for the task at hand, both on the offense and defense. But I want to tell you teammates, as a matter of practice, I don't want to be talking about quantities. And I know there's been a Great debate about that and I appreciate the interest, but just know that we consider that an operational security matter.
[20:29]
B
And to remind you as well, when Senator Mark Kelly questioned Hegseth back on April. April 30, 2026. This was April of 2026. Okay, now we're post mou. We've had the re escalation of the catastrophic war. And so as bad and dire as things were, when Mark Kelly, Senator Kelly was questioning Hegseth here. Imagine this scenario times 10 times worse where we are right now and we've literally run out of weapons. And you have a top general saying we've run out of weapons. Let's play this clip.
[21:08]
C
Okay, how many years to replenish? That's the question.
[21:11]
B
I think that's exactly the right question
[21:12]
C
too, Senator, because the time frame we were existing under was unacceptable. Okay, well, tell me what budget does. I mean months and years. Fast years. I mean, we're building new plants in real time. So just to replace what we have. I said months and then you said years. But it depends on the weapon system. But 2 to 3 4x of what we have today. So yes, we're dealing with the reality under the previous administration of what they sent to Ukraine and what they allocated elsewhere. I got it. So we fired years worth of munitions and it is clear that we're these are being expended to try to achieve some objectives. That was the plan. But Mr. Secretary, this war is stuck.
[21:56]
B
And so again, as a result of the US running out of these interceptors, Iran's been able to strike these US bases in the region with impunity. They're able to hit it hard. And we've been following with the surveillance for the satellite footage. All of the areas that they've been able to hit. You had again MBS and MBS's brother calling Trump. You're out of missiles. What are you doing? You've exposed all of our nations. There's no Arab Dome. All of the security interceptors and all of the security benefits of you promised us for our quid pro quos have been thrown out the window. You look like a loser. And now Iran has its ballistic missiles and shaheds. They're going to strike our energy infrastructure. If you start to bomb their energy infrastructure and you can't protect us anymore. Donald, you're utterly pathetic. By the way, China's moving in now and going to offer a security umbrella to the Middle east in the absence of the United States. And then Donald Trump announced, I've agreed for the future benefit of the world, and likewise the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran that we're going to do. We've come up with the perimeters of a deal. He goes. Did you mean the parameters, the perimeter of a deal? He says. So I'm not going to bomb Iran and blow the effing s out of them, as he's previously threatened. Serious developments, folks. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. Hey, if you want the full story, how democracy got here and how we take it back, pre order our new book WTF America Today. Just scan the QR code or click the link in the description. Let's do this.
[23:50]
A
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[24:51]
B
here for Mint Mobile Now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial.
[25:08]
C
Give it a try.
[25:09]
B
Try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for
[25:12]
A
3 months, $90 for 6 months or $180 for 12 month Plan required $15 per month equivalent to taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.