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Former CIA Covert Operations Officer Mike Baker on whether national debt is an issue of national security.
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So we are on ready wait I hope all -- watching it always here on the Fox Business now mark.
And our national debt is clearly becoming a political football down in Washington but it more than fourteen trillion dollars.
It's a serious problem not just for the overall financial health of back country but our national security.
Mike Baker is a former CIA.
Our operations officer and co-founder of business intelligence arm diligence -- always terrific to see -- In what way do you think that our debt is -- national security issue do you worry about cuts -- defense.
Are you more worried about the -- -- that we've handed countries like China because we're so indebted to them.
Well it's it's it's that those items and more than seven that this sense that.
The other national economy.
Has always been an issue of national security and that's existed for for you know decades long really as -- -- countries existed but.
Primarily what -- what we're getting into is a point where.
You know it's it's one thing to say every year we go to a budgeting exercise in the Pentagon developed its budget and inside of that of course is that the Intel communities of the CIA's and and and all the elements that are involved in national security well.
At a certain point you know you get to -- decision where if -- economy is so far south.
That you have to start picking and choosing what programs.
And what security issues you can afford to fund in which you can't.
And that's that's going to be a very ugly time because people.
People have an assumption about security and the particular here in this country and it's one thing to say we're gonna cut foreign aid.
But when you start talking about cutting security programs because the economy won't allow us to afford them.
That that's a whole different issue.
It movement we've already been squeezing defense spending Mike how much more do you think can be wrong out of the Defense Department because -- you look at defence spending.
And that includes does the war in Afghanistan.
And a rock they were only -- about four and a half percent of GDP and that some significant Lowe's low are.
Then the seven and a half percent that we spent on average there of when we were fight.
The Cold War.
Right -- and and Secretary Gates -- -- close to retirement is when he's he's been very smart and and I think very forward leaning.
About.
Looking out the budgeted at the at the Pentagon with defense in terms of what programs you know can go and what what would need to stay what are absolutely critical.
And that exercise happens obviously you know all the time but we are getting to a point because of of of the current state and and we're talking about race and that's coming what's that but not a band aid on a -- -- really because we're not solving the problem.
But yeah I mean you touched on earlier sort of -- did the different parts of of the concern here and one again is can we afford this security and funding all the programs that we bend -- the other is the the leverage that we lose because of the via the state of the economy because our perceived weakness overseas.
You know the the fact that we don't have the -- that we used to that also plays out in terms of national security.
We you can see the world what have we already given a way to China.
How weak -- weak compared to China because we're so indebted to them.
Right well there's there's that perception.
Which is growing and certainly you know within China I would argue also and in Russia and in other parts of the world where.
Do you know what we're not you know we're not the big dog anymore and you know whether that's that's that's right or wrong -- it's the -- if it's -- perception eventually becomes a collective wisdom.
You know there's also the issue of the -- -- from outside whether we're talking about state sponsored or we're talking about al-Qaeda so whether individuals.
The understanding that the way to do us harm is to attack the economy.
And we've been seeing that recently when we've been talking about the cyber security issues in the concern over China probing and and and sort of attacking and looking at our infrastructure.
You know our economy the state of our economy.
Again there's a direct line to our concerns over national security so this -- the very big issue it's not that it hasn't been looked and that's not always -- it is.
It's just I think it's something that the public needs to start considering because this is not just an issue look well gonna raise debt ceiling or not this plays out on -- much more important level.
It surely -- and thank you for land that out -- it was terrific to see you as always Mike Baker.
The former CIA.
-- covert operations officer and co-founder of deal -- -- take care --
