Good day, Gordon.

Cislunar space is simply the region between the Earth and the moon.

It's a a long distance, but it has become an active strategic space in recent years, a region where the militaries of the superpowers are focused as they contemplate how they are going to occupy the moon and essentially secure their access to the moon.

And the Chinese plans? Yes.

Well, uh, The Chinese plans have been revealed in the usual surreptitious way through the South China Morning Post.

A September 5 article by an Ohio-based SCMP reporter obtained a copy of an article from the Chinese journal Command and Control, which has a website.

You can go to it.

So, Rick, why do you think Beijing would want us to see that article and why in such an indirect way? Or was this just unintentional that somehow this reporter got this article? So what's going on here?

And the Chinese plans?

Yes.

Well, uh, The Chinese plans have been revealed in the usual surreptitious way through the South China Morning Post.

A September 5 article by an Ohio-based SCMP reporter obtained a copy of a an article from the Chinese journal Command and Control, which has a website.

You can go to it.

I went there.

That issue was not yet posted.

So, Rick, why do you think Beijing would want us to see that article and why in such an indirect way? Or was this just unintentional that somehow this reporter got this article? So what's going on here?

should we be about this new development in the Chinese military, especially with the AI feature?

Yes, Tiffany, the Bill Gertz story in the Washington Times on the U.S. Air Force Institute report should spark great concern.

It is evidence that China is applying artificial intelligence to increasing segments of its missile kill chain.

China already uses artificial intelligence on its Ghandi space debris monitoring satellites so that they can find specific things because it's dual use like warheads or American satellites.

It applies artificial intelligence to the programs that sift through just terabytes and terabytes of satellite gathered data in order to find targets to strike.

And now with this latest report, AI is being applied to a hypersonic glide vehicle to help that attacking warhead, if you will, evade interception from American missile defenses.

And what weapons or tools do we have in our arsenal that could counter this threat?

Well, the United States has great understanding of hypersonic platforms since the X-15 flights of the mid 1950s.

So what do you expect to happen next and how might China respond?

China is being cornered, finally.

Its major intervention into the Middle East, into the chaos of the Middle East, is its all-around assistance to the terror regime in Iran.

And the Trump administration, the Treasury Department, is finally signaling that it is rallying the trucks and it is going to surround and isolate China and isolate China from much of its access to the U.S. dollar trading system if it does not comply.

The sanctions have been announced.

The timelines are being worked out.

The banks have not yet been identified, but that clearly is the next target.

So what type of punitive measures are gonna be applied to China if they don't comply and how would that be enforced?

So what do you expect to happen next, and how might China respond?

China is being cornered finally.

Uh, its major intervention into the Middle East, into the chaos of the Middle East is its all-around assistance to the terror regime in Iran.

And, uh, the Trump administration, the Treasury Department is finally signaling that it is rallying the trucks and it is going to surround and isolate China, and isolate China from much, uh, uh, of its access to the, uh, US, uh, dollar trading system if it does not comply.

Uh, the sanctions have been announced.

Uh, the timelines are, are being, uh, worked out.

Uh, uh, the banks have not yet been identified, but that clearly is the next target.

So what type of punitive measures are gonna be applied to China if they don't comply, and, and how would that be enforced?

Yes,

yes.

And in the future, John, China's moon lander will approach the moon with people carrying two astronauts.

And just before it lands, a propulsion stage will detach from the moon lander and crash into the surface of the moon.

So as Falcon 9 crashed into the moon and created a reported, I think, 19-meter-wide crater on the moon, as China sends people and large payloads to the moon, it will be in effect bombing the moon with these expendable propulsion stages.

But on the Earth...

when China crashes an ICBM, as it did on its July 6th test, and rejects the transparency of giving the world 24 hours' notice, as it did when the United States let a statement signed by 41 countries calling for such warning at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament.

It's all bunkum, I understand that, but do you credit their reusability video that we've seen?

First, what does this WICO entail and what are the geopolitical signals here?

Well, China lags behind the United States in several aspects of artificial intelligence.

The United States has over 5,500 large data centers.

Controversial though they are, they confer amazing strength to the United States.

China reportedly only has about 450 data centers.

We restrict a lot of technology in China to build more data centers and also to access our greater AI technology and large language models and the such.

China is tilting in different ways to try and compensate for the American embargo, so to speak.

And in that vein, zooming out a bit here, how are you reading the biggest differences when it comes to the U.S. versus China-led strategies in terms of AI?

I would recommend above all the Portuguese Way, which comes from the Portuguese coast, enters the Baisas Rios and to draw up the Cathedral of Santiago, which is a great monument and the place where since more than a thousand years people want to come to Santiago.

So that's the Rios Paises, and then you can see at the very end, that was the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

So where did we get the name El Camino del Albariño? So it comes from El Camino de Santiago, and this is a really fascinating historical piece in northwestern Spain.

So the Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, is a pilgrimage that that is rooted all the way back in medieval times.

And it basically leads to the tomb that was believed to be the apostle St. James in the crypt of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

So the Camino, it was during the medieval times and even is today Europe's oldest, busiest and most well-known route.

Now, basically you can see from looking at the slide here.

For example, when you think of adding that lemon on top of the paella for that acidity, right? It goes so well as well with a glass of Albarino.

What do you make of the timing here of China's operations?

Well, yes, the United States has deployed significant force to the South China Sea, luckily, to just follow the Chinese aggression against the Philippine around Second Thomas Shoal in the first week of the month.

Unfortunately, the United States has been undertaking this kind of top-level tier, top-tier force signaling to China for probably close to two decades, and it has not resulted in convincing China to stop its incremental aggression against the Philippines and, for that matter, Taiwan.

As a consequence, the United States is beginning to take a new tack.

In the last week, we've announced, the United States has announced that it is going to help the Philippines build a new pier on the island of Palawan, which is on the front line of the contest over Second Thomas Shoal.

in the southern part of the South China Sea.

The United States has not yet taken an active response to Chinese aggression against Scarborough Shoal in the north.

How fragile is this area?

Rick, what is a MANPAD? What does it mean for air defense for Iran? What does it mean for threat to the U.S.? Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

Yes, 400 MANPADS would be a significant transfer to Iran and pose a significant threat to American aircraft and helicopters, especially those flying in the Strait of Hormuz.

A MANPADS is a shoulder-launched missile that is capable of taking down a drone, a helicopter, a even a large aircraft at a relatively low altitude.

These have been developed by the American, Russian, and other militaries since the 1960s.

Iran has been co-producing a Chinese model of MANPADS for many years, but China... transferring 400 is a remarkable escalation.

And then you have to ask, what else is next? What else are they putting on Russian IL-76s so they don't look like Chinese transports rolling into airfields in Iran?

Rick, what should be the American response?

Rick, what is a MANPAD? What does it mean for air defense for Iran? What does it mean for threat to the U.S.? Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

Yes, 400 MANPADS would be a significant transfer to Iran and pose a significant threat to American aircraft and helicopters, especially those flying in the Strait of Hormuz.

A MANPADS is a shoulder-launched missile that is capable of taking down a drone, a helicopter, even a large aircraft at a relatively low altitude.

These have been developed by the American, Russian, and other militaries since the 1960s.

Iran has been co-producing a Chinese model of MANPADS for many years, but China...

Transferring 400 is a remarkable escalation.

Rick, what should be the American response?

How concerning is this?

Robert Marlayson, Well it's it's very concerning tiffany since the late 1980s.

Robert Marlayson, China has built circles of influence in all of america's state capitals, in addition to the wide influence that they exercise.

in Washington, DC, largely through legal means.

They are basically exercising the same rights that Americans have.

Yes, there are laws that require companies to register if they're lobbying for China.

And of course, Chinese firms have to register as well.

And given what you just laid out there in terms of accountability or pushing back against that, what actions could we see from the US?

Why is the president tying these two items together?

The president requires, he really needs Israel's support in order to win the war against Iran.

but he also requires and really needs Saudi Arabia to play a positive role in the region in order to win the peace.

The offering of a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia contingent upon their signing onto the Abraham Accords is an attempt really to tie these two strands together And it is not yet clear that the Saudis are ready to take a step that President Trump, Biden and others have implored the Saudis to take.

But the Saudis do want to begin a level of nuclear capability that is not yet there to help them develop a nuclear weapon, but gets them in the game of building their own nuclear cycle.

Now, In September of last year, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a military alliance agreement.

Pakistan's nuclear weapons, according to Pakistani officials, could be made available to Saudi Arabia or for the defense of Saudi Arabia at any time the Saudis ask for them.

Have a look at that interview.

in English, which I won't attempt, but in any event, it appears to be someone had a bright idea in the Chinese Communist Party, and they all looked at each other and said, do you think we can sell it? Rick, what is the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Initiative? Good day to you, Rick.

Good day, John.

Good day, Gordon.

The WICO, World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, is the latest in a long line of Chinese Communist Party origin, proto-alliance, NGO, confabs, to address a particular area of power of concern to the Chinese Communist Party.

Of course, in this case, artificial intelligence.

And In a sense, taking its cue from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that was founded in 2001, the WICO hopes to assemble a large coalition of pro-China countries behind the technology that China sells, the standards that China sets, and in doing so, these countries will be weaving themselves even further into the fabric of global Chinese Communist Party

Good day to you, Rick.

Good day, John.

Good day to you, Rick.

Good day, John.

Good day, Gordon.

World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, or WICO, was announced by the Chinese Communist Party about a year ago, and it's taken them that long.

until now, to pull it together and to convince 29 countries to sign on.

It is in the vein of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China's latest attempt to envelop itself in an area of power of concern to the party.

And of course, artificial intelligence is going to be pervasive, affecting everything, as you've mentioned.

Is this organization a UN one, or is this just China-sponsored?

Rick, I'd like to get your thoughts on the declassified documents.

Well, it's interesting how much of the mainstream media reporting today has been to downplay the president's release of these documents and to say that there's nothing here.

We've already debunked this in 2020.

Why review this? I would urge Americans to go to the White House website and read as many of these declassified documents as you can.

because they do paint a very disturbing picture of China operating in an ecosystem in the United States of lots of both legal and questionable activities that six years ago prompted a justified level of concern.

But six years later, when China is more powerful and throwing its weight all around the world, the future of our elections should be of a concern to all Americans.

Do you have any, as you read the tea leaves, are you understanding a bit more about what their capabilities could be at this point?

Well, I would strongly urge Americans to pay attention to what has been happening in Taiwan.

Rick, I'd like to get your thoughts on the declassified documents.

Well, it's interesting how, uh, much of the, uh, mainstream media reporting today has been to downplay the president's release of these documents.

Uh, a- and to, to say that there's, there's nothing here.

Uh, we've, we've already debunked this in 2020.

Uh, why, why review this? I would urge Americans to go to the White House website and read as many of these declassified documents as you can because, uh, they, they do, uh, paint a very disturbing picture of China, uh, operating in an ecosystem in the United States of, of, uh, lots of both, uh, legal and, and, uh, questionable activities, uh, that, uh, six years ago prompted a justified level of concern.

But six years later, when China is more powerful, and, uh, throwing its weight all around the world, uh, the future of our elections, uh, should be of a concern to all Americans.

Do you have any, uh, as you read the tea leaves, are you understanding a bit more about what their capabilities could be at this point?

Well, I would strongly urge Americans to pay attention to what has been happening in Taiwan.

Do you see China and the US working together as US and the Soviets worked together in the 1970s?

John, that is certainly a hoped-for outcome by many in the space commentariat.

But whether it will indeed happen beyond, let's say, very simple and preliminary cooperation like protocols for rescue operations and the such is difficult to see because the Chinese have... ambitions well beyond mere scientific and commercial.

The Chinese view the moon, Mars, and indeed the whole solar system as a ground for competition to prove the superiority of their ideology and indeed to establish its superiority to enforce the hegemony that it seeks on Earth.

So when both China and the United States go to the moon, they will be going as very nervous rivals.

And behavior on the moon will very much be determined by their behavior on Earth.

China going to war over Taiwan or attacking Japan or some such could very easily escalate into unfortunate outcomes on the moon.

Do we have all the systems that we need in order to create that station by 2035, 2040? Or do we need some engineering invention?

evening,

John.

Yes, a 2027 circumlunar mission will likely be preceded or soon followed by low Earth orbit tests of their lunar lander.

We expect that by the end of this year, 2026, that an initial short single-stack version of the Long March 10 space launch vehicle will take an unmanned new Mengzhou manned space capsule with some cargo up to the Chinese Tiangong space station.

And that could be followed in early 2027 with a manned test of the Mengzhou to the space station, then to be followed by a launch on the larger tricorps Long March 10, which will also have to have been tested already, taking the taikonauts around the moon, as Jared Isaacman is predicting.

What are we building?

Initially, we're sending one of two human landing systems, the Starship-based HLS or the Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark II HLS.

And they can transport to the surface of the moon far more cargo than was ever envisioned during the Apollo era.

How would you assess that,

Rick? Very risk averse.

A failure... uh would pose a a very high risk to the chinese communist party regime uh certainly it would survive a catastrophe uh but uh the the internal ruction that would result would would be highly unsettling for that regime so uh very risk averse cannot uh tolerate any disasters

Are there glitches in this Chinese program to our knowledge, Rick?

John, so far, we do not know of any glitches.

The Chinese are intentionally going forward with a lightweight architecture, far simpler.

What they have revealed so far is success, success in testing, simulated manned The reentry system, the emergency escape system, and also initial tests simulated low gravity landings of their moon lander.

They've not revealed any issues with these systems.

What is it that China wants to achieve when it says it's on the moon? What do they want it to look like? Good evening to you, Rick.

Good evening, John.

China wants an eventual permanent presence.

It wants to occupy strategic points at the south pole of the moon, on the far side.

It eventually wants to use the moon to establish the capability to deny access to other powers, especially the United States.

It could set up cislunar manned and unmanned bases in between the Earth and the moon to act as a sort of tollbooth to the moon.

It's explored that concept in academic journal articles, but there's no indication that they're getting ready to do just that.

do China and the United States want the same outcome or how do the benefits as they perceive it differ from one another

So I want to get your view on what are the objectives of the president? Does he want to bring them back to the table yet again? Or have they crossed the president's red line at this point?

It's not clear that Iran has completely crossed the red line.

And as we've seen on so many previous occasions, President Trump is quite adept at escalating pressure, especially military pressure, in order to try to corral the Iranians back to the table.

The Iranians are devastated.

They're divided.

Their leadership has been just so damaged that they're not able to form a consensus, much less move in a direction that would end this war.

President Trump correctly probably deduces that Iran needs more pressure and the September or the June 17 memorandum of understanding has lasted barely 20 days.

So, Rick, of course, NATO has historically worked to counter Russia in the European theater, but does NATO now have a role to play with countering the Chinese communist regime?

More of this tonight.

Manned space capsule and the lunar lander are essentially the same size as what the Americans lofted for the Apollo program.

But instead of docking in Earth orbit, the Chinese plan to do the docking in lunar orbit.

And they are taking a page from the Soviet system and using a special propulsion stage that detaches from the lunar lander posing a possible hazard to anybody in the path of this five or so ton thing that's going to just crash into the surface of the moon.

So that's one huge difference with the Apollo architecture.

But one hopes that we can communicate to the Chinese that they really have to move beyond that kind of architecture

Is their first stage ready to get X number of tons into orbit, into earth lunar orbit?

It, the, the main space launch vehicle, John is in the process of beginning testing.

Rick, what can you tell us about what we've learned about the Chinese space station? When and what will it appear to be? Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

The Chinese Tiangong Space Station is now three main modules plus a cargo stage and then the manned transport spaceship.

It's far smaller in area and in internal space than the International Space Station.

But by 2030 or so, it will double in size.

Right now, it can hold a crew of three for four months at a time, up to six people for a week or two at a time.

But after its expansion, it will hold a constant crew of about six people.

Is that

Rick, what can you tell us about what we've learned about the Chinese space station? When and what will it appear to be? Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

The Chinese Tiangong space station is now...

Three main modules plus a cargo stage and then the manned transport spaceship.

It's far smaller in area and in internal space than the International Space Station.

But by 2030 or so, it will double in size.

Right now it can hold a crew of three for four months at a time, up to six people for a week or two at a time.

Is that