CAT 5: The 2033 War—Bing West on America’s “Jupiter Complex,” Debt Crisis, and China’s Taiwan Threat
6/24/202654 min
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.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Victor Davis Hanson· Host1:00
[upbeat music] Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for our podcast, Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words. I'm going solo today. Jack and Sammy are not with me, as, as we usually do these solos with, uh, authors. And I'm very proud to have a close friend of mine and somebody I know that you've all known, Bing West. He's