Nuclear weapons are the forgotten existential threat. Yet, they can alter the course of history in an afternoon. Leading nuclear policy expert, Joe Cirincione, joins Mark Hannah to discuss the dangers of a policy orientation geared toward maintaining, modernizing, and growing a large nuclear arsenal. According to Joe, proliferation of nuclear weapons in the U.S. makes us less safe as other countries rush to compete with this great power or develop new nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against U.S. intervention. How can the U.S. scale its nuclear capabilities back, and what’s at stake?

Joe Cirincione is president of Ploughshares Fund. He is the host of Press The Button, a weekly podcast dedicated to nuclear policy and national security, and the author of Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late.