Victor Davis Hanson interviews Marine combat veteran and military author Francis J. “Bing” West about West’s new book, “CAT5: The 2033 War,” which argues the U.S. won battles in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan yet suffered strategic defeat because leaders lacked clear end-state objectives and assumed America could do anything without consequences—a “Jupiter complex.” West warns that by 2031–2033 U.S. debt-service could reach about 25% of tax revenue, risking higher interest rates, inflation, and a credibility collapse, while defense spending in real terms has fallen and China could exploit U.S. financial and political paralysis, potentially pressuring Taiwan via blockade. They discuss possible debt “solutions” (inflation, seizing private capital, or renouncing debt), U.S. division blocking reform, Pentagon efforts to rapidly field large numbers of low-cost AI drones, and the political fight over AI and militarizing space capabilities.
