We’re All Going to Die Radio

In his fury of crazy political ideas and executive orders, Donald Trump has began leaning into a complicated issue that’s been part of the national security discourse for decades: missile defense. What is the history behind the “Iron Dome” and American interest in missile defense? Why are people calling for increasing U.S. capabilities? And would such investments make any sense at all? Jon Wolfsthal is joined by experts Joe Cirincione, Lisbeth Gronlund, and Laura Grego to tackle all of this and more.

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This week, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists released its annual Doomsday Clock, counting down to the estimated likelihood of human-made catastrophe - this year, the clock sits at 89 seconds. To break down the clock, how the time is chosen, and why it is the closest to catastrophe it’s ever been, Jon is joined by fellow Bulletin members Steven Miller, Daniel Holz, and Rena Younis.

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This week’s episode of We’re All Going to Die Radio features a discussion with Jeffrey Lewis, a longtime friend and Director of the East Asia program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Jon and Jeff discuss the impact of Donald Trump on the nuclear state of affairs around the world, including Iran, North Korea, China, Russia, and within the United States. 

On today’s episode of We’re All Going to Die Radio, Jon is joined by friends and collaborators Jenny Town of the Stimson Center and Dr. Toby Dalton of the Carnegie Nuclear Policy Project. Together, they take a deep dive into the current political situation and attempt to answer the question - what the hell is happening in South Korea? Further, with the Trump inauguration looming, Jon, Toby and Jenny examine the US-South Korean relationship and why having more nuclear-armed allies might actually be a very dangerous thing.

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On today’s episode of We’re All Going to Die Radio, Jon is joined by National Security Correspondent and Pulitzer-Price finalist author Fred Kaplan. Fred discusses his foray into the fiction world with his debut novel Capital Calamity, an electric doomsday story about a Washington DC consultant who accidentally triggers a war with China. Fred and Jon also discuss US-China relations, the national security dangers of a second Trump term, and all things nuclear policy and deterrence.

As the United States is entering a new nuclear age and a new global arms race, what does a second Trump term mean for our national security? What do the plans of Project 2025 mean for the American nuclear weapons force? How will such modernization and weapon buildup affect America’s relationships with both its allies and enemies? Joe Cirincione joins Jon to help navigate the lunacy of this new administration and the very real and very serious dangers we are now facing…. And how they might get worse. Listen here.

Steve Kelly, former FBI agent and colleague at the Institute for Security and Technology in California, joins Jon to discuss the intersection between AI and cybersecurity. How has our perceptions of artificial intelligence changed alongside its rapid technological development? What effects does AI have on cybersecurity and how does it affect cyberwarfare? Are these developments not-so-bad in the long term, or are we facing impending catastrophic risk? Tune in to hear Steve and Jon break down all this and much more.

As China continues to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal and policy, the national security risk becomes central to the US-Chinese relationship. But how is China actually changing its nuclear policy? How does the Chinese political leadership see the purpose of a large nuclear arsenal? What threat are both China and the US perceiving? Tong Zhao joins Jon to discuss his recently published report on Chinese nuclear policy and break down all these topics and more. Listen here:

Eliana Johns, Senior Research Associate with the Federation of American Scientists, joins Jon to discuss China’s latest ICBM tests and her recent geolocation project to locate them. What is the significance of these recent ICBM launches? What goes into open-source investigation projects? And how can one use mere images of bushes, dirt and blades of grass halfway across the world to pinpoint critical missile test sites? Find out all this and more here.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, so does concern over the current state of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Is Israel likely to target nuclear facilities? How close is Iran actually to having a bomb? What role does the United States play in all this? Kelsey Davenport, Director of Non-Proliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, and Eric Brewer, Deputy Vice President at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, join Jon to talk all things Iran, nuclear policy, and more.

Madelyn Creedon joins Jon to talk about the global nuclear landscape and her role as chairperson of the 2023 the Strategic Posture Commission. How will America’s security be affected in this new age of nuclear uncertainty and global competition. What steps and systems are China and Russia building and what are they trying to do. And most importantly, what combination of capabilities and national policy are needed to ensure American security. We consider all of these below:

Veteran national security analyst and nuclear policy expert Joe Cirincione joins Jon to discuss the changing global nuclear landscape. Is disarmament and arms control still possible in this new and modernizing nuclear age? What do these large investments into nuclear weapons systems mean for our national security? And where are Russia and China in this conversation? Find out more here:

Heather and Jon talked to Sarah Mineiro, one of the world's leading experts on space, military operations and nuclear command and control. The former Republican staff Director for the House Armed Services Subcommittee on strategic affairs let us have it with both barrels as we discuss the United States' vulnerabilities and what we should be doing about it to ensure the security of the United States and its allies.

All over the globe, the world is on fire. Ukraine and Russia, Chinese vessels ramming Filipino vessels, Israel at war with seemingly everybody. With all this divided geopolitical attention, what is going on in North Korea? Jenny Town, senior fellow at the Stimson Center and director of 38 North, joins Jon and Heather to discuss all things North Korea, examine its current security relationships, and show that maybe King Jong-Un isn’t as lonely as he might seem.

Nuclear expert and author Jeffrey Lewis joins Jon to discuss proposals by former Trump officials to restart nuclear testing, and how to manage the growing reliance on nuclear weapons in the world.

On today’s episode, renowned journalist and nuclear expert Eric Schlosser joins Jon and Heather to discuss the past, present and future of nuclear command and control, building off his experiences researching and authoring his acclaimed work on the subject. What is shaping the current nuclear climate today? Is there any hope for future generations?

Original air date: July 26, 2024

The current nuclear landscape is, in a word, dire. From Russian nuclear rattling in Ukraine to China’s expanding arsenal, nuclear proliferation could spell disaster for today’s security environment. Today, Amy Nelson, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, joins Heather to discuss arms control, nuclear futures, and a recent piece she authored in Foreign Affairs covering China’s nuclear arsenal.