NucleCast

Latest Episodes:

Alan Carr - The History of Los Alamos National Laboratory Part 1 Dec 05, 2023

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Alan B. Carr currently serves as a Program Manager and the Senior Historian for Los Alamos National Laboratory. During his tenure as a Laboratory historian, which began in 2003, Alan has produced several publications and lectures pertaining to the Manhattan Project, nuclear testing history, and the historical evolution of LANL. He has lectured for numerous professional organizations and has been featured as a guest on many local, national, and international radio and television programs. Before coming to Los Alamos, Carr completed his graduate studies at Texas Tech University.

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Curtis Buckles - The Navy's Role in Deterrence Nov 30, 2023

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Mr. Curtis Buckles is the Navy’s Strategic Deterrence Policy Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Operations, Strategy and Policy) (N3N5). His responsibilities include providing Navy strategy and policy guidance on strategic and integrated deterrence, countering of weapons of mass destruction policy, nuclear weapons programs, stockpiles, deployments, employment policy, safety, security, survivability, nuclear command & control, and international arms control treaties to the N3N5 and Chief of Naval Operations. Additionally, Mr. Buckles is the CNO’s Navy action officer for the DoD/DOE Nuclear Weapons Council.

Mr. Buckles joined the Navy staff in 2005 and has extensive experience in nuclear weapons operations, policy, strategy, and management. Mr. Buckles retired from the United States Air Force in 2005 after 24 years of service that included positions as the ICBM Nuclear Policy Advisor to the Joint Staff J5 Director of Strategy and Policy, assignments as an ICBM launch officer, Command Instructor, maintenance officer, and the command lead project officer for the Minuteman III Guidance Replacement Program and the guidance applications programs. Additionally, Mr. Buckles’ Air Force career includes experience as the Director of Operations for the combined U.S. Air Force - Australian Defence Forces Joint Defence Facility Nurrungar Defense Support Program facility at Woomera, South Australia and as the Deputy Division Chief for Air Force Requirements Development in HQ USAF.

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The Honorable Frank Miller - Strategic Posture Commission Report Nov 28, 2023

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The Honorable Franklin Miller is a principal at the Scowcroft Group in Washington, DC. He dealt extensively with nuclear policy and nuclear arms control issues during his 31-year government career, which included senior positions in the Defense Department and on the NSC staff.

He was directly in charge of US nuclear deterrence and targeting policy from 1985 to 2001 and also chaired NATO’s senior nuclear policy committee, the High-Level Group, from 1997 to 2001. He is a member of the Strategic Command Advisory Board and served on the Defense Policy Board from 2008-2020.

He served on the 2008 Secretary of Defense Task Force on DoD Nuclear Weapons Management (Schlesinger Task Force), on the 2013-2014 Congressional Advisory Panel on the Nuclear Security Enterprise (Mies-Augustine Panel), and is currently a member of the on-going Congressional Commission on Strategic Posture.

He publishes frequently on deterrence and arms control issues. He has been awarded the Defense Department's highest civilian award, the Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, five times and received the Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal in lieu of a sixth award.

Mr. Miller has also been awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II, the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit (Grand Officer), the French Legion of Honor (Officer), and Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon). A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Director of the Atlantic Council, he received his BA from Williams College and his MPA from Princeton University. He served as a surface warfare officer from 1972 to 1975.

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Codeac Solutions: Revolutionary Technology and Partnerships Nov 21, 2023

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Aaron McAdow, Head of US Marketing Development

Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Aaron McAdow, who has more than 20 years of experience in US Special Operations and other Joint Strategic DoD programs. Aaron currently serves as Codeac Solution’s Head of US Market Development and advises on technology integration to meet operational requirements

Ben Hall, CEO and President

A former Australian Army Officer, Ben is the CEO and President of Codeac Solutions. Ben previously held executive roles at publicly listed companies and senior advisory roles in strategy consulting, he has experience across defense, politics and public sector industries globally.

Catherine Riddle PhD, Inventor

The co-inventor of Codeac Solutions, Cathy is a senior research scientist at Idaho National Laboratory and has 24 years’ experience in radiochemistry research for nuclear energy and national security

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Jennifer McArdle, Ph.D. Wargaming - The Realm of Possibility Nov 16, 2023

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Dr. Jennifer McArdle is the Senior Director of Futures and Advanced Concepts at CAE USA, where she focuses on applying innovative simulation technology to defense. She is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in their Defense Program and Wargaming Lab, and a member of the Editorial Board and Adjunct Professor at the Joint Special Operations University. A former professor, McArdle has served on former Congressman Langevin’s cyber advisory committee and as an expert member of a NATO technical group that developed cyber effects for the military alliance’s campaign simulations. McArdle holds a PhD from King’s College London in War Studies, is the recipient of the RADM Fred Lewis (I/ITSEC) doctoral scholarship in modeling and simulation and is a certified modeling and simulation professional (CMSP). She is a term member with the Council on Foreign Relations and was named an honorary Mad Scientistby the US Army Training and Doctrine Command.

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Robert J. Peters, Ph.D. - The Dawn of the New Nuclear Age: Reactions to the Strategic Posture Commission Report Nov 14, 2023

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Robert J. Peters is a Senior Fellow for Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense, The Heritage Foundation. He was previously the Chief within the Strategic Integration Directorate of the Strategic Trends and Effects Department (STED) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. STED’s mission is to generate timely, credible, and actionable insights into threats within the counter-WMD and counter-emerging threat mission space and to assess the effectiveness of Agency efforts to support the Joint Warfighter. STED also sponsors a strategic dialogues program with allies and partners, table top exercises, and a number of research efforts. Prior to joining DTRA, Mr. Peters served as a Senior Research Fellow at National Defense University's Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

From March-November 2009, Mr. Peters was detailed to the Office of the Secretary of Defense-Policy as Special

Assistant to the DASD for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. Prior to joining National Defense University, Mr. Peters worked as a Technical Analyst for the Northrop Grumman Corp., and as a Research Associate for the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Mr. Peters received an MA from Georgetown University in National Security Studies and a BA in Political Science and History from Miami University. His publications include: "Deterrence in the 21st Century: Integrating Nuclear and Conventional Force;" in Strategic Studies Quarterly; “A New Approach to Eliminating North Korean Weapons of Mass Destruction is Needed;” at 38north.com; and “The WMD Challenges Posed by a Collapse of North Korea,” in the Nonproliferation Review.

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The Honorable David Trachtenberg - The Fallacy of Deterrence by Detection Nov 09, 2023

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The Honorable David J. Trachtenberg is Vice President of the National Institute for Public Policy, a nonprofit research center in Fairfax, Virginia. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 17, 2017 as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and served in this capacity until his retirement from government service in July 2019. Until January 2018, he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the principal civilian adviser to the Secretary of Defense on policy matters.

He was also the senior Department of Defense civilian official responsible for DoD policy on civilian casualties resulting from military operations. Prior to his confirmation, Mr. Trachtenberg was President and CEO of Shortwaver Consulting, LLC. Earlier, he was a Vice President at CACI and Senior Vice President for Homeland Security at National Security Research, Inc.

Prior to joining NSR, Mr. Trachtenberg was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Forces Policy. From 1995-200, Mr. Trachtenberg was a Professional Staff Member with the House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) in Washington, D.C, serving as head of the committee's policy staff and staff lead for the HASC Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism.

Mr. Trachtenberg is a two-time recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. He holds an A.B. in International Relations from the University of Southern California and a M.S. degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He currently teaches graduate seminars in nuclear deterrence and strategy and the role of Congress in national security policy at the Fairfax, Virginia campus of Missouri State University’s Defense and Strategic Studies Program.

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Vahid Majidi, Ph.D. - Savannah River's Important Mission - Pit Production Capability and More Nov 07, 2023

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As Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) Director, Vahid Majidi is responsible for the management, operation, and strategic direction of SRNL. Employing approximately 1,000 technical and support staff, SRNL conducts research and development for diverse federal agencies, providing practical, cost-effective solutions for the nation’s environmental, nuclear security, energy and manufacturing challenges. As the United States Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Laboratory, SRNL provides strategic scientific and technological direction and program support for the nation’s $6 billion per year legacy waste clean-up program.

Dr. Majidi is a former member of the senior executive service with direct reporting responsibilities to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of chemistry, measurement science and technology, national and homeland security, science and technology policy, and nuclear nonproliferation.

Dr. Majidi previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters, responsible for nuclear weapon surety and the acquisition and modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile. From 2006-2012, Dr. Majidi served as Assistant Director for the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate, responsible for coordinating and managing its equities, activities, and investigations involving WMD. In 2003, he was appointed Chief Science Advisor to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and was detailed to the DOJ from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where he coordinated science and technology policy among DOJ component agencies and with state and local law enforcement entities. Dr. Majidi also served as the Chemistry Division Leader at LANL and was a tenured associate professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Majidi is the President of the Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC (BSRA). BSRA brings world class expertise in laboratory management, nuclear operations, national security, and scientific research to Savannah River National Laboratory.

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Mark Schneider, Ph.D., 2 - The Size and Characteristics of the Russian Nuclear Stockpile Nov 02, 2023

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Dr. Mark Schneider is a Senior Analyst with the National Institute for Public Policy. Before his retirement from the Department of Defense Senior Executive Service, Dr. Schneider served in a number of senior positions within the Office of Secretary of Defense for Policy including Principal Director for Forces Policy, Principal Director for Strategic Defense, Space and Verification Policy, Director for Strategic Arms Control Policy and Representative of the Secretary of Defense to the Nuclear Arms Control Implementation Commissions. He also served in the senior Foreign Service as a Member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff.

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Colonel George L. Chapman and Colonel Benjamin D. Jensen - The Mission of Minot AFB Oct 31, 2023

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Colonel George L. Chapman is the Deputy Commander, 91st Missile Wing, Minot Air Force Base (AFB), N.D. In this role, he assists leading the wing’s 1,800 personnel as they operate, maintain, and secure 150 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), 15 missile alert facilities, and 150 remote launch facilities located throughout an 8,500 square-mile missile complex in N.D. Combat-ready Airman provide a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear capability to credibly hold at-risk targets worldwide, ever-poised to accomplish the Air Force’s core mission of global strike.

Colonel Benjamin D. Jensen is the Deputy Commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, N.D. As the Deputy Commander, he is responsible for the health and welfare of roughly 4,900 active-duty members, 500 civilian employees, and 6,000 family members. He also assists with overseeing operations involving the wing’s fleet of B-52H bombers to provide deterrence and long-range strike capability for combatant command operations worldwide.

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