Nukes of Hazard

Chemical weapons have left a lasting impression on global security since their introduction in World War I. Now, with 100% of America's chemical weapons legacy dismantled, it's time to revisit how we got here and what concerns we have for future chemical weapons threats. Host Farah Sonde speaks to John Gilbert, Senior Science Fellow for the Center's Scientists Working Group on Biological and Chemical Security; John Isaacs, Senior Fellow at the Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation; Matthew Meselson, Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences at Harvard University and Council for a Livable World board member; and Andy Weber, Senior Fellow at the Council on Strategic Risks’ Janne E. Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons.

Music from www.bensound.com

Show Notes:

'This Day in History Class' episode: https://omny.fm/shows/this-day-in-history-class/phone-call-in-dugway-sheep-incident-march-17-1968

'This Day in History Class' podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-this-day-in-history-class-29520957/

Matthew Meselson's archives: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/meselsonarchive

Matthew Meselson's testimony to the Committee on Foreign Relations in 1969: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/sites/projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/meselsonarchive/files/04301969meselson.pdf

Jonathan B. Tucker's book 'War on Nerves': https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/180879/war-of-nerves-by-jonathan-b-tucker/

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) and satellite imagery have changed the way civil organizations understand and evaluate nuclear arsenals and delivery systems — and the way governments interact with a changing balance of transparency and secrecy. Join us as we break down new developments in OSINT technology, how OSINT analysis can be used in nuclear weapons verification and the challenges ahead in regulating its use. Host Farah Sonde speaks to Decker Eveleth, Graduate Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies; Marcy R. Fowler, Research and Analysis Manager for Open Nuclear Network; Matt Korda, Senior Research Fellow for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists; and Dave Schmerler, Senior Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Music from www.bensound.com

Show Notes:

The Glory of Youth (Chinese Rocket Force TV Show) trailer: https://youtu.be/yXhIbqaMkCU?si=6m0GlALSyWf_BYpA

Open Nuclear Network's Korean Peninsula Analysis Centre: https://analysis.opennuclear.org/

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought us closer to nuclear escalation than ever in a post Cold War world. One major question hangs overhead: what if Ukraine had kept its nuclear arsenal after the USSR’s dissolution? Host Geoff Wilson speaks with Mariana Budjeryn, author of Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine, about how Ukraine made the brave decision to give up the bomb.

What happens when a new country is born with nuclear weapons already within its borders? What happens when the legacy of nuclear testing takes place almost entirely within communities of color? And how do the answers to these questions get knit together to form a national identity that refuses nuclear weapons, even in a world that seems to want to seek them out more than ever? Host Geoff Wilson talks with Togzhan Kassenova, Center board member and author of Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb, to break down these questions. Order the book: http://ow.ly/kQrX50K1gW7

Battlefield nuclear weapons — also called tactical or nonstrategic nuclear weapons — are a continuing topic of conversation in the halls of Congress and inside the Pentagon following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But what are they, are they necessary and why do we keep talking about them? Host Geoff Wilson talks with Jane Vaynman, Assistant Professor in Political Science at Temple University, to discuss their role in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, deterrence and more.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a day that changed the trajectory of world history in ways that we are still coming to terms with. In this special episode of Nukes of Hazard, host Geoff Wilson talks to the Center's Executive Director, former Congressman John Tierney about his experience in Congress post-9/11, his work to redress some of the worst policies that came out of these tragic events, and how we must reframe the way we think about national security going forward.

There is a rising clamor among top U.S. policymakers pushing for more military spending to confront China. Recent discoveries of new nuclear missile silos being built in China have only added fuel to the fire. But will China’s actions really change the nuclear balance of power? And what does it mean for global arms control and non-proliferation efforts? Host Geoff Wilson sits down with Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, who helped uncover some of China’s new nuclear developments, to get some answers.

Inauguration Day means it's almost time for the nuclear football to shift from one president to another. But how does that work, exactly? And in a country built on a system of checks and balances, why does the President of the United States have complete and total control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal? How did the system get set up this way, what are the actual mechanics involved in a nuclear launch, and is it about time for America to rethink its system? Host Geoff Wilson sits down with Stephen Schwartz, nonresident Senior Fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and author of Atomic Audit, to get some answers.

You asked, we answered! In our annual year-end mailbag podcast episode, host Geoff Wilson and Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell take on listener-submitted questions, covering topics such as the future of nuclear policy under a Biden administration, the National Defense Authorization Act, "exotic" nuclear weapons and more.

With the 2020 presidential election looming large, it’s a good time to take a look at the absolute power the President of the United States has over U.S. nuclear weapons. Policy Analyst and Host Geoff Wilson sat down with Dr. Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science at the Stevens Institute of Technology, to discuss the history of presidential launch authority, how our nuclear launch system actually works, and what steps we could take to make it more democratic.