Admiral Bates Quotes in Under Siege (1992)

Admiral Bates: Now, since your ass is on the line, sailor, I authorize you right now, to do whatever you can to aid in the arrival of the SEAL Team. Because if I goddamn can't control you, I might as well support you. Correct?

Casey Ryback: That's affirmative, sir!

Jordan Tate: [answers the satellite phone] Hello?

Admiral Bates: Who in the hell in this?

Jordan Tate: Who in the hell is *this*?

Admiral Bates: This is Admiral Bates speaking. I am trying to get a hold of Chief Ryback. Is he about?

Jordan Tate: He's in a gunfight right now. I'm gonna have to take a message.

Admiral Bates: Mr. Strannix... this is Admiral Bates speaking. Would you please tell us why the hell you're doing this?

William Strannix: Hi, Admiral. Six months ago, your boy Tom Breaker cancelled operation 'Cleopatra', and shortly thereafter two young men from Langley showed up in Miami tried to cancel me along with it. Now you *did* receive each man's right forefinger in the mail, didn't you Tom?

William Strannix: [pause] TOM!

Tom Breaker: Yes, I did.

William Strannix: [incredulous] Did you expect us to wait in Miami for you to try again?

David Trenton, National Security Advisor: But what would be the consequences of those missiles dropping on Honololu?

Admiral Bates: Colonel Sarnac?

Air Force Colonel: Approximately one million people will reach ten thousand degrees Farenheit in less than a second.

Tom Breaker: Just last year we found out North Korea was refitting an old French sub to fire anti-ship missile, so we sent Mr. Stranix in.

Admiral Bates: You've been financing this goddamn maniac's private army, and it didn't occur to you it might become a problem?

Tom Breaker: Once we realized we had lost positive control, under Executive Order 136 we tried to neutralize him... we missed.

David Trenton, National Security Advisor: Excuse me, um, this North Korean sub... how do you know he sunk it?

Tom Breaker: [in trembling voice] Oh, we're positive he sunk it. Positive.

[Trenton smiles mockingly, because Breaker's trembling voice makes it clear that he is NOT positive at all]

Admiral Bates: [over the intercom] Chief Ryback.

Casey Ryback: Sir?

Admiral Bates: I see you completely disobeyed my orders.

Casey Ryback: I'm sorry, sir. You can court martial me if I live, sir.

Travis Dane: [Dane just popped on the screens at ATAC with a Parisian background behind him] Bonjour guys. Comment allez-vous?

Admiral Bates: Who the hell is that?

Gen. Cooper: Jesus Christ!

Travis Dane: Uh, not quite, General Cooper. Although, I have sort of risen from the dead! No, it's just your old friend Travis Dane. You remember. They guy you FIRED!

[about the particle-beam weapon]

Admiral Bates: Are you telling me this goddamn thing is working now?

Tom Breaker: In fact, Admiral, it works so effectively that if we were to target the Los Angeles fault lines, in fifteen seconds... Arizona would be beachfront property.

[about Travis Dane]

Gen. Cooper: He's a brilliant guy, he can do virtually anything he puts his mind to, but he's a crazy son of a bitch...

Admiral Bates: Why would you people hire a goddamn maniac-?

Tom Breaker: [impatiently] Because, Admiral, sane people do not build weapons like this.

Admiral Bates: You know, Mr. Breaker... you'd think we'd learn something from that.