NucleCast

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Nicolas M. Chaillan- Securing U.S. Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Mr. Nicholas M. Chaillan was appointed as the first Air Force Chief Software Officer (CSO), under Dr. William Roper, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Arlington, VA. He was also the Co-lead for the DoD Enterprise DevSecOps Initiative (DSOP) with the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer. As the Air Force’s former senior software czar, Mr. Chaillan was responsible for enabling Air Force programs in the transition to Agile and DevSecOps to establish force-wide DevSecOps capabilities and best practices, including continuous Authority to Operate (c-ATO) processes and faster streamlined technology adoption.

Dr. John Swegle - Chinese Weapons Programs Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

John Swegle works as an independent consultant through the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska on issues related to the effects of nuclear weapons and proliferation on US national security. Immediately prior to that, he was a Senior Advisory Scientist at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, South Carolina. He began his career at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was a member of the plasma theory group, and then moved to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he conducted and managed analyses of foreign technology and nuclear programs in what was then Z Division; he also worked in a nuclear design division for several years where he was introduced to the basic concepts of nuclear design and nuclear-driven electromagnetic pulse. He is a graduate of Cornell University, where he obtained an MS and PhD in applied physics with a specialty in plasma physics, and the University of Washington in Seattle, where he earned BSEE and MSEE degrees.

Greg Meyer - Pantex, Submarines, and the Role of the Private Sector in Deterrence Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Greg is Senior Vice President of Fluor’s Mission Solutions Nuclear and Civil Solutions business line with more than 40 years of nuclear operations and safety experience. In his current role, Greg oversees Fluor’s interests in the government construction, base operations, secure services, and environmental and nuclear sectors, as well as commercial nuclear power pursuits. His customers include the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, and the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Previously, Greg was the president and general manager of B&W Technical Services Pantex, LLC. Greg has also held significant senior management positions in operations, project management, and project support at three other DOE sites: Hanford, Savannah River, and Rocky Flats.

Greg completed a 24-year career in the U.S. Navy that included assignments as a submarine commander and a diplomatic post in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was the Joint Chiefs of Staff Representative to the Conference on Disarmament and

a senior member of the U.S. Delegation that negotiated the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Greg received his B.S. in marine engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and M.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the National War College. He is a Certified Safety Professional and Project Management Professional.

Christopher Stone - Tactical Warning/Strategic Warning and F.O.B.S. Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Prior to joining Mitchell, Stone served as a strategic consultant supporting the Office of Secretary of Defense, and he was a Presidential appointee in the Office of Secretary of Defense's Space Policy office. Stone has served on the staffs of two United States Senators, as well as over a decade serving as a senior space policy analyst for two Secretaries of the Air Force; Chief of Staff of the Space Division at Air Force International Affairs, and Chief of Strategy for the National Guard Bureau's Space

Operations Directorate, Pentagon. He has served as a space operations officer in the Air Force (Regular, Reserve and now

National Guard) for over 17 years at tactical, operational, and strategic levels to include two Combatant Commands, Joint Staff,

and Air Staff strategy and campaign planner positions.

BG (Ret) Greg Bowen - U.S. Strategic Command and Missile Defense Review Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Greg Bowen’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. He is a skilled planner, and thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. 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.

Greg graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology, as well as a Master of Science in Space Studies. He also holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Major General (Ret.) Richard Evans: Components That Comprise the U.S. Nuclear Enterprise Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Major General, USAF (Ret.) Richard J. Evans III (Rick) serves as the Executive Director for the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI), a national security-focused research institute created by the University of Nebraska. Before joining NSRI, he served more than 35 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, retiring at the rank of Major General in October, 2019. He was previously the Director of Reserve Forces and Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He served as the principal advisor to the Commander on reserve component matters related to the command's diverse missions, including strategic deterrence, nuclear operations and command, control and communications, space and cyberspace operations, full-spectrum global strike, integrated missile defense, joint electromagnetic spectrum operations and joint warfare analysis.

NucleCast Holiday Special with Dr. Adam Lowther Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Thank you for listening to NucleCast in 2022! Here is a special episode for the holiday season, featuring an even more special reading from Adam. NucleCast will return in 2023 with new episodes!

Dr. James Petrosky - ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles), Electromagnetic Pulse and More Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Dr. James C. Petrosky is the President of the National Institute for Deterrence Studies (NIDS). He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Engineering Physicswhere he developed experimental techniques for the prediction of damage to electronic devices and materials. He has substantial technical expertise in pulsed radiation effects and nuclear weapon survivability, with an emphasis on radiation effects on electronics and electromagnetic pulse.

Previously, Dr. Petrosky served at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) where he achieved the academic rank of Professor of Nuclear Engineering. At AFIT he sustained an ABET accredited Nuclear Engineering program serving the unique military and civilian advanced education requirements for the DoD.

Dr. Petrosky has published in 96 public and government classified peer-reviewed journals. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2004 as a Lieutenant Colonel, after serving as an Engineer Officer and Nuclear Research Officer.

Zachary Kallenborn - Drones: Strategic Uses Now and in the Future Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

Zachary Kallenborn is a Policy Fellow at the Schar School of Policy and Government, a Fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies, a Research Affiliate with the Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), an officially proclaimed U.S. Army "Mad Scientist," and Senior Consultant at ABS Group.

Lucian Niemeyer - Nuclear Power used in Strategic Defense Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Lucian co-founded the non-profit entity, United Coalition for Advanced Nuclear Power in 2021 to facilitate the use of advanced nuclear reactor for to meet federal and

commercial energy needs. Lucian’s national security expertise spans five decades as an Air Force and the Air National Guard Officer, Professional Staff Member on the Senate Armed Service Committee, and in the Pentagon and White House. Throughout his professional career, he has been a strong advocate for the use of clean, safe advanced nuclear power to enhance energy resiliency with balanced, reliable energy generation sources.

He previously served as an Assistant Secretary of Defense managing the world’s largest real property portfolio, encompassing 28 million acres on 500 installations valued at a trillion dollars. Lucian was responsible for identifying and mitigating risk to national security programs, as well as improving energy and environmental resilience through alternate power generation development and investments in the protection of natural resources.

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