n light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream) thank you! goodbye! let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open. that includes rebuilding our badly depleted navy which is now the smallest it has been since world war i. my plan bills the 350 ship navy we need. we will also build the 350 ship navy that our country has been asking for and our admirals have been asking for. >> our navy is the smallest it has been since world war i. we will build the 350 ship navy

that our country needs and desires and must have. >> our navy is the smallest it's been since world war i. do you believe that? we will build the 350 ship navy that our country needs and really is requesting. >> morning, glory, america. i'm hugh hewitt. that was president trump as candidate trump promising a 350 ship navy. at a conference this week he said we won't there, if at all, for 30 years. mid century to quote him directly. when did our president change his mind? a marine serving active duty from 76 to 81 and businessman investor ever since. he has had almost three on the job. secretary, welcome. you have the best job in the world, in my view. >> thank you, hugh. >> you just heard the president.

that was one of his promises. 350-ship navy. what happened to that promise? >> that promise is still there. as secretary of the navy, i'm working on that goal. mr. d. being an acting placeholder, i don't know whether he was speaking for his own accord. this is one more reason we need to get our politically-appointed people in the pentagon and working for us. i need to get my people there aligned with our vision. >> can we get it done in 10 years? is 350 possible in 10 years? >> we have to lay the cornerstones. these are large capital asset investments that we are making that take five, seven years to build. the aircraft carriers, they all have different timelines. we need to lay the foundation now. we have challenges with the budget control act. we have to wrestle with that. we're going to have to deal with that. what we are doing right now is focusing on two primary things,

building new, increasing capabilities subset of that looking at what we might have available to us that we might be able to replay one more time. >> i want to come back to that, replay one more time. the cheerleader of the navy, franklin roosevelt, john webb, layman. all storied people who say 350 every single day. is that what you think your job is? >> that is one of my jobs. but this is a critical part of increasing our capacity and capability, which we need to do. our navy is our forward deployed force. it has two things. one, it has presence which keeps peace and orderly actions around the world. it keeps the sea lanes open, which as you know is our primary arteries for commerce. it delivers a kinetic punch when we need to deliver it. >> a written down play that says this many cruisers, this many stkoeurs, number of carriers. that's not even written down

yet. does he bug you about this? >> it's under way as we speak. we have been doing it to see what the makeup will be. you heard me talking about 355 and know the makeup? i don't know because technology will be our friend here. i can tell you we will probably get great yield out of the unmanned area. we're just scratching the surface. >> i'm a big booster of the navy. i'm afraid if i put out a couple of drones and call it a ship on a barge. that's not what you're talking about? >> no. various platforms, under sea, on sea, or in the air. they are very complex pieces of equipment. the learning curve we're noticing on this is very, very steep. >> a couple of months ago, president macron of france cut the budget dramatically. the top soldier quit in protest. can you see that happening?

sequestration has truly devastated the pentagon. not just the navy but every branch. we have readiness crises now. >> this is true, hugh. one of the things that i would love america, the taxpayers, to pay attention to is the devastation the budget control wreaked on the pentagon. in the navy alone, the continuing resolutions, the fact that we can't get a budget but the whole process of capped skwe sequestration has cost $4 billion to $5 billion. it has really punched us gut. we need to get over that. here is where the hope is. i don't think you'll see anyone walking out the door. as i did my office calls on the hill and now working with the hill, everyone on the committee is leaning in on how they can help, how to get the navy to 355. how we can get readiness back. very little resistance in how they can help. they are all leading forward.

>> it cost us $5 billion. it may have cost us lives. do you fault the budget control act for the death of the sailors? >> two answers there. one, we're waiting for the studies to come out, the reviews to come out, hugh. those will be coming out shortly. the second is fundamentally, yes, i do. the navy is an organization that is biased to action. no is not a word that is easily reached for in the lexicon. we will do when tasked. we have been overtasked. we have been stretched thin. 16 years of war. now restricted resources. it was a compounding effect. we were exhausting naval accounts, maintenance stretched, things missed due to deployments. we are now getting our hands around that. it took 16 years to get in this hole. we're not going to get out of it

overnight but we are putting a plan together. >> when will the public say we are going to hold the president to that ship yard. >> quickly. i can't give you an exact date. we are honing out some of the numbers. one thing that is important to understand, especially when it comes to the navy and i defer to ms. lord at atl. we are really approaching industry now and saying we have to work in terms of partnership. what i mean by partnership is shared risk, shared rewards. we have to be teammates in this. it doesn't mean we're not going to have competitive situation buying fiduciary early appropriately the best money to buy for taxpayers. we can have an add verial, the best money can buy from the cheapest, tkraup out, painful contract process. we need ideas now. expedition now.

we need to have industry on our side with us working side by side for solutions at the right price. >> yesterday secretary defense mattis was in korea as a third carrier in the western pacific for the first time in four or five decades. are we prepared, if it comes to blows, do you think those carriers are defended and can the teams on them penetrate north korean airspace without getting shot down? >> the carrier -- i am safe to say the carrier is a well protected asset. yes, hugh. >> about the teams in the north korean air match? >> they are a match and i think we are the superior outcome there. >> one of the new industries that you have come out with which makes a lot of sense to a civilian like me. but is it hard to sell to the congress? >> it is is very interesting. this is going on right now. this is a perfect example of leaning in. the four committees that would enter tape be any sort of action

like this, and this is a bold action, but we have been working with industry to come up with a number that makes it worth while for us to put this proposition forward. there's a lot of heavy lifting with this proposition. but in initial conversations with the committees, everyone is leaning in to say how can we do it versus we can't do it. >> and can we reclaim ships from the so-called ghost fleet? >> here's what we're doing on the perry class is one that we're looking as. one, we're not going to do a lot of them. there might be 10 perry class in the zone to be retrofitted. but what we're looking at now in this whole buildup of what the fleet is going to look like is we're starting to look at matching the asset off against the threat. so we have drug interdiction on the side of latin america. can we put a refitted oliver harry -- excuse me, the perry

class frigot down there? >> last question, 182,000 marines, that's down significantly from where it was at the height of the invasion of iraq. does the marine corps. need more marines? in speaking to the commandante, it is in decremental to where we are now. we are up to 189. do you go up to 190, 200? it is not a huge number. the marine corps. is in pretty good shape. what we have to really get our hands around is debt to dwell. we have to get that. >> explain. i don't get that. >> deployment to dwell time. how much time do we have home to recharge, be with family, quality of life versus deploying yet again. >> the spin-off is how about sailors. 279 ship fleet going to 350. that's a lot more sailors. do you have a recruitment plan

and reform in pension and pay to afford it long time. >> you hit the nail on the head, hugh. my three priorities, people, capabilities and process. people are the most important thing we have. otherwise it's a piece of aluminum in the air or metal floating in the water or under the water. they are our most expensive asset, most valuable and most expensive asset. we have to think this thing through. yes, we have a plan. we can't grow to 355 ships and keep the navy the same size. we have to manage staff. >> i'm sneaking one in. columbia class replaced the ohio class. i asked every candidate about this. are they on time? will they be there? do you have to expand the life of the columbus. >> it is the stealthiest of the leg of the triad and one of the most important. not just wearing the navy hat but looking at the triad itself. columbia class, i will be very

candid and open, it is critical. it's public record. we keep it on time, on schedule. the way we have all our assets rolling off, we will look at the ability to give them service life extension for every asset and platform we have. columbia class, to keep it on fund said, on schedule is critical. >> how often do you get updated on that, mr. secretary? >> that's twice a week. >> is it really? >> oh, yes. >> thank you for coming in. maybe we will do a six-month checkup. >> i welcome it, hugh. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. richard spencer, secretary of the navy. i'll be back with a couple of commentators to wrap up what the secretary just said. stay tuned. i've always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free. it creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. even well fitting dentures let in food particles just a few dabs of super poligrip free is clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat.

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welcome back. i'm hugh hewitt. monday through friday you hear

me on salem radio network 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. but saturday mornings i'm here on msnbc. joining me now is captain jerry hendrix of the united states navy, retired. and at the center for new american security. and ana maria cox. most weekends with the "new york times". podcast host as well of "with friends like these." you heard the secretary. has donald trump kept his promise or has he broken it? >> the jury is still out on that. the secretary is committed to this. there seems to be a plan. i was pleased with what he said of trying to ramp up production of new ships. but looking at some of the innovative approaches, for instance, bringing the perry class out of inactive research or service life extension programs for older ships where

we need to are taeupb the capabilitie capabilities. i heard his response with regard to the statement by the accounting undersecretary two days ago about the fact that this is going to take a long time. that is the example of the long-term career approach to this, which is a 30-year plan rather than getting on it of the box and going with some of these more innovative approaches. >> ann marie, i wanted you to come on because i'm a civilian and you're a civilian and we hear things differently from jerry and the secretary. what did you hear about the promises being made? >> i was struck by a few things. first of all, i was struck by something that i think even a civilian can understand. if we are going to increase the size of our navy that trump and the navy wants, we're going to need all of these people, right? we need more seamen. that presents a bigger problem than the secretary let on. i don't know if you saw the time survey that came out this past

week looking into trump's popularity with the military and the problem with white nationalism in the military. a quarter of those surveyed said they had seen white nationalism among the ranks. 42% of those people of color in the military said that they personally experienced an incidence of white nationalism. what's more, there was the largest differential ever between enlisted men approving of trump and officers approving at trump 48% and 30%. >> wow. >> they point to a military that is not in a good place. that 30% -- >> i did not see that story. >> that 30% officer approval rating of trump is lower than the approval rating of obama, be who was by no means very much favorite. i talked to a couple of friends in the military. they said they can't read minds and they didn't personally interview anybody. they suspect what that has to do with -- the survey was taken

even better this incident with the gold star widow where trump appeared to be somewhat insensitive. >> what do you make of that survey, jerry? what do you make of the idea that they will recruit up to the service levels that we need if we expand the navy this fast? >> i don't think we will have problems recruiting. the fact of the matter is the u.s. navy will draw from the enlisted ranks or officer ranks to be able to fill those. i think there is probably some concern about the chains that the trump administration expresses. the difference in the language, the way we are going. it's a far cry from the obama administration's lead from behind approach to foreign policy. president trump is taking a much more activist role. it is much more, you know, more in line perhaps with some of the

ambiguity pursued by president ronald reagan and even before that, president eisenhower. but with his own trump personality that's added in. i don't think we will have problems with recruitment. there is still a deep well of support fort military and recognition in the role of the united states and the world. i am not familiar with the actual survey. >> ann marie, let me ask you this. when the president ran he promised the supreme court the navy. and obamacare repeal. but this 350-ship navy along with the supreme court to me was the superpiece of voting for him. can he afford to walk away from that? the perspective of someone on the left of the spectrum, what do you think about that? >> well, i don't know. he has proven to have a ratheren durable place, as you know, who seems to be prepared with him no matter what happens. and then i would say let's call

them the more persuadable conservatives like yourself who voted with him with very specific ideas in well, seem to be clinging to the gorsuch nomination really, really tightly. if a nuclear bomb goes off, they will cover themselves with the gorsuch nomination. i actually also want to point out that the sort of whether or not the trump is being more aggressive in foreign policy, i don't know if you noticed this in the budget, hugh, but the trump budget that just passed, the overseas contingency fund, from what i understand we use to fund unexpected military actions is actually zeroed out in that budget of the next 20 years. that seems odd to me. do they not expect we will have any unexpected -- i guess they expect won't have any unexpected military interventions. whereas the way trump talks it sounds like we should be

prepared for that. i don't know. >> that is so complicated. jerry could do a half hour on that. do you think what ana maria is saying is true, that the trump budget is is not adequate to the challenges that are ahead? >> the initial budget was a bit of a disappointment. >> a bit or a lot. >> a lot. we wanted to see a stronger increase in military spending in order to make up for the promises that have been made. we expect this first year, if we take secretary mattis's word that he has looked at the strategy to figure on out where we need to go with the military that the next budget would come with a significant bus up. certainly to be able to get to 350 ships, the fact of the matter is it's going to take additional funds. it won't be as expensive as some have suggested. but it is going to come with additional expense by the ships, by the maintenance, by the training and then of course by the personnel. >> do you think we will see is a piece of paper with a plan to 350 within six months, jerry

hendrix? >> i think we will see a plan. at what point in time, how long does it take to get to 350? it ranges from 10 years to 35 years. quite frankly, it needs to be closer to 10 years to lock in the gains. >> i expect the democrats to run against the president from the right on the navy. 15 seconds to you. do you think a democrat can run as a hawk against a president who has broken the promise? >> i think that has been tried. i don't know if you were watching the democratic national convention summer before last. they tried to draw upon hillary's own hawkish views to that. i don't know if it will work. i think they will try. >> thank you so much for both of you being here. we'll be right back.

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when they book at choicehotels.com and stay with us just two times? fall time. badda book. badda boom. pumpkin spice cookie? i'm good. book now at choicehotels.com well, that's all the time we have today. no formal hugh's views since it is obvious that my view is president should keep his promise and demand a plan to get

the 355 ships by the end of the next decade, a very detailed plan. he is a builder after all. let's see him build the navy he promised again and again. keep the conversation going on msnbc.com/hughhewitt. see you next saturday morning right here on msnbc. oh my gosh! how are you? well watch this. i pop that in there. press brew. that's it. look how much coffee's in here? fresh coffee. so rich. i love it. that's why you should be a keurig man! full-bodied. are you sure you're describing the coffee and not me? do you wear this every day? everyday. i'd never take it off. are you ready to say goodbye to it? go! go! ta da! a terrarium. that's it. we brewed the love, right guys? (all) yes.

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hey, everyone, good morning. i'm alex witt here at msnbc world headquarters in new york at the half hour. breaking news in the mueller investigation. special counsel reportedly filed his first set of charges, although at this point it is unclear exactly what are the charg charges. they are part of an indictment that could be revealed as early as money and the defendant or defendants could be taken into custody. we have not yet independently confirmed the report. this is what was told to rachel mad dough about the timing of these charges. >> i would say the one thing he's known for