February 24, 2026

Derek Williams: Evaluating the Evolving Nuclear Landscape and Global Security

41 minutes

Colonel Derek “Kiwi” Williams joins NucleCast for a wide‑ranging discussion on the evolving nuclear landscape and what it means for global security. Together, they examine recent developments in nuclear testing, including China’s reported testing activities and the use of decoupling techniques, and assess their implications for strategic stability.

The conversation also explores the consequences of the expiration of the New START treaty, debating whether the future points toward renewed arms control frameworks or an emerging arms race. Host Adam Lowther and Williams dive into the role of hydro nuclear testing and stockpile stewardship in maintaining confidence in nuclear forces, as well as why a credible nuclear deterrent remains central to national security.

Throughout the episode, they unpack the enduring importance of the nuclear triad, the challenges of nuclear proliferation, and how deterrence strategies must adapt in an increasingly competitive strategic environment.

Colonel Derek “Kiwi” Williams is a strategic planner in the Plans and Policy Directorate at U.S. Strategic Command. A U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate, he has extensive experience in bomber operations, nuclear planning, and deterrence strategy, including leadership roles at Air Force Global Strike Command, the Air Staff, and as Director of Operations for the 23d Bomb Squadron. He is the founder of the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies, a former Air Force Fellow at Sandia National Laboratories, and a fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. Colonel Williams holds advanced degrees in defense and strategic studies and aerospace engineering, with additional certifications in nuclear weapons policy, effects, and operations.

Episode Correction: NNSA does Hydrodynamic experiments (weapon representative geometries) LLNL's Contained Firing Facility (CFF).

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