NucleCast

Latest Episodes:

Jeremy Prichard - The History of 20th Air Force Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

Dr. Jeremy Prichard, the command historian at 20th Air Force, discusses the history of 20th Air Force, its origins, transition to the ICBM force, and the challenges faced in fielding the ICBMs. He also shares insights on the Minuteman 3 deployment, the Peacekeeper, and the challenges of modernizing the infrastructure for the Sentinel program.

Dr. Jeremy P. Prichard is the Historian for Headquarters Twentieth Air Force, F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. His duties include preserving and documenting the HQ’s historical record. He conducts historical research for the 20 AF commander and staff and advises on diverse historical matters.

Prior to his current position, Dr. Prichard was Historian for the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, performing similar responsibilities as his current role. During that time, he received assignment as Historian for the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan, producing monthly unit histories and offering guidance on standardized unit emblems. Before entering civilian public service, Dr. Prichard served four years in the US Army at Fort Hood, Texas. Following his Army enlistment, he earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees in History from the University of Kansas. His dissertation, “In Lincoln’s Shadow: The Civil War in Springfield, Illinois,” examined the political, economic, and social attitudes of the 16th US President’s community during the Sectional Crisis. Dr. Prichard’s publications focus on 19th Century American and US Air Force history. He has lectured in both military and academic settings on varied historical

Chapters:

00:00 Exploring the History of 20th Air Force and Its Transition to the ICBM Force

19:52 Challenges and Complexities of Fielding the ICBMs

35:29 The Future of 20th Air Force: Insights and Wishes

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Lindell Lucy - The Journey From Teacher to Nuclear Deterrence Advocate Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

Lindell Lucy shares his journey from teaching history in Hawaii to becoming interested in nuclear weapons and international security, particularly in the context of Taiwan's geopolitical situation. He discusses the need for nuclear deterrence and the potential acquisition of nuclear weapons by Taiwan as a means of self-defense against China's coercive actions. Lindell also presents three wishes related to public opinion polling, US presidential debate questions, and NucleCast.

Lindell Lucy is a high school teacher based in Hawaii. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stanford University. He is currently studying international relations in a master's degree program at the Harvard Extension School, where he just completed the coursework for a graduate certificate in nuclear deterrence. He has spent more than a decade living and traveling around East Asia. He has written numerous op-eds calling on the international community to provide uncompromising military and diplomatic support for Taiwan.

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Muhammad Faisal - Pakistan's Nuclear Program Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of NucleCast, Adam interviews Mohammed Faisal about Pakistan's nuclear program. Faisal provides a brief history of Pakistan's nuclear program, starting from the 1960s when Pakistan and India went to war over Kashmir. He explains that Pakistan's decision to pursue a nuclear option was driven by the perceived threat from India and the loss of East Pakistan in the 1971 war. Faisal also discusses Pakistan's current threat perception, which is primarily India-centric, and its long-term goal of maintaining and sustaining its nuclear force. The role of the United States in influencing Pakistan's nuclear program is also explored.

Muhammad Faisal is a Ph.D. candidate in international relations at the University of Technology Sydney. Previously, he was Research Fellow at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad where his work focused on Pakistan’s regional relationships, particularly with China. He has also been visiting fellow at Center for Non-Proliferation Studies in Monterey, California and an SAV Visiting Fellow at Stimson Center. His current research focuses on Pakistan’s foreign policy as it navigates great-power competition.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background of the Guest

01:19 The History of Pakistan's Nuclear Program

11:21 Pakistan's Long-Term Goals for its Nuclear Force

28:01 Closing Remarks and Wishes

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Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser - 20th Air Force: Capabilities and Opportunities Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of NucleCast, Adam interviews Major General Stacey Huser, the 20th Air Force Commander, about the capabilities and challenges of the ICBM leg of the nuclear triad. They discuss the history of 20th Air Force, the aging Minuteman III missiles, and the importance of maintaining and sustaining the system. They also talk about the changes in the missile career path and the opportunities for leadership in the missile community. Major General Huser emphasizes the need for proper manning and resources to ensure the operational readiness of the ICBM force.

Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser is responsible for more than 12,000 Airmen providing nuclear global strike and nuclear weapons sustainment for the U.S. Air Force.

Maj. Gen. Huser commissioned through Officer Training School in 1996 after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Central College, Naperville, Illinois. She has extensive experience in space and missile operations. She has served as a space operations crew member, instructor and training manager, as well as an ICBM combat crew commander, evaluator, and chief of emergency war order plans. She also completed staff tours in the Secretary of the Air Force's Legislative Liaison Office and at United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). Maj. Gen. Huser commanded the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron, Offutt AFB, Nebraska; the 91st Missile Operations Group, Minot AFB, North Dakota; and the 90th Missile Wing at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming.

Prior to her current assignment, Maj. Gen. Huser served as the Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. In that role, she assisted the Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs to maintain the safety, security, and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview of 20th Air Force

03:27 The Challenges of Maintaining the Aging Minuteman III Missiles

08:15 Improvements in the Missile Career Path and Leadership Opportunities

16:13 Reflections on the Changes in the Past 10 Years

26:17 Three Wishes for the Missile Force

29:46 The Impact of Uncertain Budgets on the Missile Force

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B.G. (Ret.) Gregory S. Bowen - The Importance of Hedging Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of NucleCast, Adam interviews Brigadier General Retired Greg Bowen about hedging in nuclear conflicts. They discuss the importance of hedging as a strategy to quickly react to unforeseen events in a conflict. They also emphasize the need for the president to have multiple options and tools in the toolkit to deal with different scenarios. The conversation touches on the concept of the hedge, the known/unknowns in triad recapitalization, and the need for the United States to maintain a strong deterrent against authoritarian regimes.

Greg’s 36-year military career culminated as the Deputy Director of Global Operations at U.S. Strategic Command, where he was responsible for Department of Defense space activities, ballistic missile defense, cyber operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear command and control. He was part of the executive leadership team overseeing the operations of 162,000 people, billions of dollars’ worth of equipment, and our nation’s nuclear arsenal. In addition to his normal duties, Greg was certified as an Airborne Emergency Actions Officer and Designated Command Alternate; in those roles, he was one of a handful of officers certified to brief the President of the United States on nuclear response options. Greg was selected for Major General (2-star), but elected to retire from active duty to pursue other interests.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:14 The Importance of Hedging

08:06 The Role of Options in Nuclear Conflicts

19:18 Challenges in Triad Recapitalization

23:21 The Role of Deterrence Against Authoritarian Regimes

32:19 Three Wishes

34:20 Conclusion

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Bruce Tarter - LLNL's Technology, the Development of Nuclear Weapons, and the Era of Stockpile Stewardship Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

Bruce Tarter is Director Emeritus of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and was the eighth director to lead the Laboratory since it was founded in 1952. This episode covers the history and influence of the lab's technology on policy and strategy, the development of nuclear weapons, and the era of stockpile stewardship. It also delves into the challenges and wishes for the future of nuclear arms control.

A theoretical physicist by training and experience, Bruce began his career at the Laboratory in 1967. As Director from 1994 to 2002 he led the Laboratory in its mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important problems of our time. In particular he oversaw the development of stockpile stewardship during his tenure. Tarter received a SB from MIT and a PhD from Cornell. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and received the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Gold Medal and the Secretary of Energy’s Gold Award. He recently published “The American Lab” (Johns Hopkins University Press 2018) , a history of his Laboratory.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Lawrence Livermore National Lab and Bruce Tarter

02:00 Influence of Technology on Policy and Strategy

05:09 Development and Impact of Nuclear Weapons Technology

16:18 The Era of Stockpile Stewardship

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Thomas Ramos - The Importance of Capturing History to Inform Current Threats May 28, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of NucleCast, Adam interviews Tom Ramos, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, about the relevance of the early years of the Cold War to today's national security challenges. They discuss the lessons learned from the past and how they can inform our approach to handling current threats from Russia and China. They emphasize the importance of capturing and memorializing the history of this period and the need for strong policy analysts and integrated collaboration between the military, think tanks, and scientists. They also highlight the need for a sense of urgency and recognition of the serious threats we face.

For the past 40 years, Tom Ramos has been a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he was a member of the nuclear team that developed the X-ray Laser for President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. He later supported US/USSR arms control negotiations for START and over a span of seventeen years he created and ran a program for the Department of Defense called CAPS.

Ramos, who graduated from West Point, commanded combat engineers before entering MIT to earn a degree in high energy physics.

His most recent venture was writing a book titled “From Berkeley to Berlin: How the Rad Lab Helped Avert Nuclear War,” which focuses on how the United States had the ability to stand up to Nikita Khrushchev, former leader of the Soviet Union, and his attempts to expand Soviet influence around the globe. The book brings individuals alive, especially those at Livermore, who played important roles in making the country safe during the Cold War.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:02 Relevance of the Early Cold War to Today's Challenges

06:41 Lessons from the Kennedy Era

08:09 Challenges of Nuclear Superiority and Modernization

11:26 The Need for Collaboration and Integration

21:30 Advice for Present Leadership

23:15 The Importance of History and Lessons Learned

28:13 Conclusion and Three Wishes

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William Hennigan - Bringing Nuclear Issues to the Forefront for Everyday People May 21, 2024

Show notes

William Hennigan, national security correspondent for the New York Times Opinion Section, discusses his series of articles on nuclear issues and the motivation behind them. He highlights the convergence of events such as modernization efforts, arms control treaties, and the war in Ukraine that prompted the New York Times to focus on nuclear issues. Hennigan aims to bring these issues to the forefront and make them understandable to everyday people. He also discusses the response from the professional community and the general public. He also provides insights for the nuclear enterprise on how to better communicate their perspective to journalists.

Mr. Hennigan has reported from more than two dozen countries across five continents, covering war, the arms trade, and the lives of U.S. service members.

Learn more: W.J. Hennigan - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

06:02 Discoveries and Highlights in Reporting

12:32 Improving Communication with the Nuclear Enterprise

23:42 Concerns and Trust in Journalistic Coverage

28:12 Three Wishes: North Korea, China, and US Modernization

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Greg Weaver - The Need for U.S. Strategy: Rebuilding and Expansion of the US Nuclear Weapons Production Infrastructure May 14, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of NucleCast, Greg Weaver, former Deputy Director for Strategic Stability in the Joint Staff J5 and nuclear policy expert, discusses the potential use of nuclear weapons in a Taiwan conflict and the role of nuclear weapons in deterring and fighting China. Weaver emphasizes the need for the US to determine its strategy regarding nuclear weapons in the face of the two-peer problem with Russia and China. He also advocates for the rapid rebuilding and expansion of the US nuclear weapons production infrastructure and the fielding of the SLCM-N theater nuclear weapon. Weaver's three wishes include the rapid modernization of the infrastructure, the fielding of SLCM-N, and for listeners to read the Strategic Posture Commission Report.

Mr. Weaver began his career working as a Congressional staffer in both the House and Senate, working for Reps. Pete Stark (D-CA) and Charles Bennett (D-FL) and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). He spent 18 years as a Senior Analyst and Division Manager at SAIC in both San Diego, CA and Omaha, NE. While a contractor in Omaha, Mr. Weaver co-authored the Defense Department’s Deterrence Operations Joint Operating Concept and was the Director of the USSTRATCOM Strategic Deterrence Assessment Laboratory (SDAL).

Mr. Weaver returned to government in 2007 at US Strategic Command, serving as a Senior Analyst (GS-15) and as the Deputy J5 (SES-1). He was appointed by President Obama to be OSD Policy’s Principal Director for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy (SES-2) and closed out his full-time career serving over 6 years as the Deputy Director for Strategic Stability in the Joint Staff J5. In that role he was the principal nuclear, missile defense, space, cyber, and arms control policy and strategy advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mr. Weaver is now the Principal at Strategy to Plans, LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2022.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background of Greg Weaver

10:42 China's Perception of US Willingness to Use Nuclear Weapons

23:26 The Importance of SLCM-N and Theater Nuclear Weapons

30:22 Greg Weaver's Three Wishes

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Col. USAF (Ret.) Curtis McGiffin - Enhancing Decision-Making: AI-enabled NC3 May 07, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of NucleCast, Adam and Colonel Curtis McGiffin discuss the need for an AI-enabled NC3 system with a dead hand. They argue that the current NC3 system and the decision-making process have significant problems that need to be addressed and propose using AI tools to enhance the decision-making process and improve the speed and effectiveness of the system. They also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of such a system and its importance for deterrence. The conversation highlights the need for the United States to modernize its nuclear command and control capabilities and consider new approaches to ensure the effectiveness of its deterrent.

Curtis McGiffin is the Vice President for Education and Co-founder of the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. His areas of expertise are deterrence theory education, grand strategy, and strategic triad operations. He also serves on the teaching faculty of the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies at Missouri State University, where he teaches graduate and doctorate courses in deterrence theory and grand strategy. Previously, he was the Associate Dean of the School of Strategic Force Studies at the Air Force Institute of Technology, where he led a robust portfolio of USAF professional continuing education programs supporting the AF nuclear enterprise. He also was the Executive Director of the Louisiana Tech Research Institute, where he designed and developed a catalog of Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications curriculum and courses for Air Force Global Strike Command’s workforce.

Colonel McGiffin retired with over 26 years of experience in the USAF as an aviator, commander, staff officer, and educator, most of which was supporting the USAF’s nuclear enterprise. Prior to his retirement from active duty, Colonel McGiffin was the Associate Dean of Faculty and Assistant Professor of Strategy and Deterrence at the National War College in Washington DC. He has served on the Joint Staff, HQ AF staff, and combatant command staff, as a squadron commander, and as the senior advisor to Iraq’s military Vice Chief of Staff. He was a Master Navigator and flight instructor with 2,750 flight hours in the E-4B, EC-135, KC-135 and T-43 aircraft. He has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, and two Aerial Achievement Medals.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

06:16 Enhancing Decision-Making with AI Tools

25:11 The Importance of Modernizing the NC3 System for Deterrence

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