Jack Keane: This is TROUBLING

>> Bill: BREAKING NEWS FROM. OVERNIGHT. THIS MIGHT BE GOOD NEWS FOR THE. RED SEA. YEMEN SAUDI-BACKED GOVERNMENT. ANNOUNCING A WAR AGAINST THE. HOUTHIS TRYING TO RETACK. TERRITORY IT LOST EARLIER TO THE. IRANIAN ALLY. RETIRED GENERAL JACK KEANE, SENIOR STRATEGIC ANALYST. GOOD TO SEE YOU ON THIS MONDAY. THEY CAPTURED SOME OF THOSE. ISLANDS IN THE RED SEA THAT. COULD HAVE GUMMED UP THE WORKS. FOR SAUDI OIL TRYING TO REACH.

THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET. HERE IS THE "NEW YORK TIMES". ADDING THIS MORE THAN 200 U.S. INTELLIGENCE AND MILITARY. ANALYSTS ARE IN SAUDI ARABIA. HELPING TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO. ITS YEMENI ALLIES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT. THAT OR HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS. COUNTER OFFENSIVE HAS BEEN. HOW DO YOU SCORE IT RIGHT NOW, GENERAL? >> CERTAINLY THE HOUTHIS. ESCALATED SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN. THEY TOOK CONTROL OF THE.

STRAITS. THE SAUDIS IN TERMS OF ITS. IMPACT ON THEM AND THEIR ECONOMY. CAN'T LET IT STAND. SO OUR AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDS THE. HOUTHIS TOOK CONTROL OF A. PORTION OF YEMEN BACK IN 2015. THE CAPITAL. WITHIN 90 DAYS SAUDI WENT TO WAR. WITH THEM. THEY'VE BEEN ON AND OFF AGAIN IN. THE CONFLICT FOR YEARS. THEY HAVE HAD PEACE AGREEMENTS. AND THEN VIOLATIONS OF IT. NOT SURPRISING SAUDI IS GOING. BACK INTO CONFLICT OPERATIONS OH.

THAN A PERMANENT BASIS WITH THE. HOUTHIS. YES, WITH HE HAVE A TASK FORCE. HEADED UP WHICH A THREE STAR. HELPING TO PROVIDE INTELLIGENCE. AND TARGETING TO THEM. LIKELY THE ISRAELIS MAY BE DOING. SOME OF THAT, COVERTLY AS WELL. BUT THEY ARE GETTING CERTAINLY. SIGNIFICANT HELP. THE SAUDIS HAVE SIGNIFICANT. MILITARY CAPABILITY IN THEIR. ARSENAL, FIGHTERS, OFFENSIVE. WEAPONS, GROUND FORCES, ETC. THEY AREN'T AS EXPERIENCED AS.

THE EMIRATI OR UAE BUT THEY HAVE. SIGNIFICANT CAPABILITY. THEY CAN'T LET THIS STAND AND. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ABOUT. >> Bill: IT WOULD BE A BLOW TO. IRAN KEEPING THE HOUTHIS UNDER. CHECK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AT. THE AIR BASE IN ENGLAND. WE TOOK A LOT OF OUR BOMBERS. FROM THERE OVER THE WEEKEND. THEY SAID ALL U.S. BOMBERS WERE. DEPLOYED THERE HAVE REDEPLOYED. TO THEIR STATIONS IN THE UNITED. STATES.

B-1 -- THE U.S. IS A LONG WAY. FROM TEHRAN. FAIRFORD IS MUCH CLOSER. 3500 MILES FROM IRAN FLYING. TIME. WHY DID WE DO IT? WAS IT TRUE THERE IS INDEED A. THREAT AGAINST THIS BASE TODAY? >> YES. SO OUR AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDS WE. HAVE A LOT OF BASES IN NATO. COUNTRIES AND WE HAVE THEM THERE. GIVEN THE POTENTIAL THREAT FROM.

THE COLD WAR SOVIET UNION, RUSSIA. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR. WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. IT IS AN OCEAN CLOSER TO. CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST. WE USE THESE BASES TO DEAL WITH. THAT OPERATION. WE USE MORE THAN THIS ONE BASE. IN ENGLAND TO DO IT. WE HAVE FIGHTERS AT OTHER BASES. AS WELL. IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT WE MOVED. THE B-ONE BOMBERS, NO DOUBT. ABOUT THAT. FOR US TO DO THAT, THAT MEANS. THAT OUR LEADERS WHO ARE. CONTROLLING THOSE RESOURCES DO.

BELIEVE THERE IS A THREAT. AND THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE. ABILITY TO SAFEGUARD AGAINST. THAT THREAT. NOW UNDERSTAND THIS. THIS IS NOT -- WHILE WE'RE USING. THAT BASE IT IS NOT LIKE HAVING. A U.S. BASE IN THE UNITED. STATES. WE HAVE TO DEPEND ON THE BRITS. TO HELP US WITH INTELLIGENCE. WE HAVE OUR OWN BUT ALSO WITH. THE DEFENSE OF IT. SO THERE MAY BE SOMETHING THERE. THAT GIVES US SOME PAUSE FOR. CONCERN. I'M JUST SPECULATING HERE. I DON'T HAVE ANY INSIDE. INFORMATION TO THAT. BUT MOVING THAT B-1 BOMBER OUT.

OF THERE IS SIGNIFICANT. THE GOOD NEWS IS WE CAN FLY THEM. FROM THE UNITED STATES. OBVIOUSLY IT IS MUCH LONGER. DISTANCE AND MORE REFUELING AND. WE HAVE FLOWN OUR BOMBERS FROM. THE UNITED STATES TO CONDUCT. OPERATIONS DURING THIS WAR AND. WE WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO DO. THAT. IT IS JUST GOING TO MEAN MORE. STRESS ON THE PILOTS, TO BE SURE. AND MORE STRESS ON THE MACHINES. IN THE OPERATIONS. >> Bill: THEY ARRESTED THESE. GUYS AND LET THEM GO WITHOUT. BAIL. IN 30 SECONDS, DO YOU HAVE.

CONFIDENCE IN THIS BRITISH. GOVERNMENT? >> WELL, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS. ABOUT THEM TO BE SURE IN TERMS. OF THEIR INITIALLY DENYING THE. UNITED STATES USE OF BASES. DURING THE WAR. THEY HAVE SINCE CERTAINLY. CHANGED THAT POLICY. BUT I DO THINK THERE IS AN ISSUE. THAT IS TROUBLING US AND WE. AREN'T TALKING ABOUT IT. PUBLICLY. I'M SPECULATING HERE FOR THE. SAKE OF OUR AUDIENCE. BUT OBVIOUSLY WE DO HAVE SOME. CONCERNS AND WHO WOULDN'T BE. CONCERNED IF THE THREAT THAT IS.

BEING ADVERTISED IS REAL, WHY. ARE PEOPLE WHO POSED THE THREAT. NOT BEHIND BARS? THAT MAKES NO SENSE WHEN BASED. UPONON A TERRORIST THREAT, THEY. HAVE THE SAME RESTRICTIONS THAT. THEY CAN IMPOSE ON CITIZENS. THEY ARE U.K. CITIZENS IF IT'S A. TERRORIST THREAT. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY DON'T HAVE. THE SAME DUE PROCESS RIGHTS THEY. WOULD NORMALLY HAVE. DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S. HAPPENING HERE. THAT MAY BE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS. IN TERMS OF LACK OF CONFIDENCE. I DON'T KNOW THAT FOR A FACT.

BUT CERTAINLY THERE IS A THREAT. OUT THERE. OUR PEOPLE ARE TAKING THE RIGHT.