Nukes of Hazard

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.

August 6 marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, followed three days later by the bombing of Nagasaki, on August 9th. In this special episode, Nukes of Hazard host Geoff Wilson narrates a selection from John Hersey’s Hiroshima, written in 1946. We also revisit last year’s episode of Nukes of Hazard, an interview with Kathleen Burkinshaw, who tells the story of her mother, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Mariwan Hama was 8 years old when he was a victim of a chemical weapons attack. It was 1988, during the closing days of the Iran-Iraq War, and the Iraqi military gassed ethnic Kurdish civilians in their own country with a lethal cocktail of mustard gas, sarin and VX nerve agents in what would become known as the Halabja Massacre. In this special episode, Center Senior Science Fellow John Gilbert speaks with Mariwan about his experience and thoughts on chemical weapons use today.

Since the beginning of the nuclear age, there have been hundreds of serious and well-drilled plans about how the United States would use nuclear weapons in war, with the express purpose of winning. But when a military plan calls for the use of thousands of nuclear weapons, and assumes that your enemy will respond in kind, how do you define winning? Policy Analyst and Host Geoff Wilson sat down with Dr. Fred Kaplan to discuss his new book, The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

For our last episode of the year, experts at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation answered listener-submitted questions on topics like how nuclear weapons are made, the situation in the Middle East, the prospects of reaching nuclear zero, and more. Host Geoff Wilson, a policy analyst at the Center, is joined by Alexandra Bell, Senior Policy Director. Music by BenSound.com.

Women have been involved with U.S. nuclear weapons policy since before there were even nuclear weapons. Yet, women are still fighting hard for their place and their voice in this community. On this special episode of Nukes of Hazard, guest host Rachel Emond talks to Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Ambassador Susan Burk, New America’s Heather Hurlburt and Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell about experiencing sexism and racism in the nuclear security field, their career paths, and potential solutions to making this field more inclusive and diverse.

Kathleen Burkinshaw's mother was 12 years old when she survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Now 74 years later, the author of "The Last Cherry Blossom" shares her mother's story and explains how remembering the human cost of nuclear weapons can help young Americans understand why this issue is still important today.

Many Americans believe the “nuclear issue” was solved when the Cold War ended. Yet, there are still 14,000 nuclear weapons around the world today in the arsenals of nine countries. The United States alone currently maintains an arsenal of more than 6,000 weapons—more than enough to end life on this planet several times over. Americans are increasingly waking up to a nuclear nightmare, fueled by bloated defense budgets, unnecessary and wasteful modernizations of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and the unchecked power of the president to launch a weapon at will. New host Geoff Wilson sat down with Joe Cirincione, the president of Ploughshares Fund, to make the case for why nuclear issues should be a serious agenda item for all Americans. Music: www.bensound.com

Almost everyone has heard of Godzilla, even if they’ve never seen a Godzilla movie. What most people don’t know is the famous monster’s connection to nuclear weapons. Sixty-five years and 35 movies after its 1954 debut, Godzilla is still a mainstay in our summer movie rotation, but its origins have been all but erased. With nuclear tensions on the rise around the world, there’s no better time to get reacquainted with the real Godzilla. New host Geoff Wilson sits down with Godzilla experts -- Center Scoville Fellow Rachel Emond and intern Deverrick Holmes -- to discuss where Hollywood went wrong on Godzilla's nuclear past. Read the accompanying article in Inkstick: inkstickmedia.com/will-the-real-go…please-stand-up/

At the end of March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India had successfully shot down one of its own satellites with an anti-satellite weapon. We spoke with Ankit Panda to break down the test and what it means for broader security issues in South Asia. Music: www.bensound.com

At the launch of his Administration's Missile Defense Review, President Trump declared that his goal is to intercept enemy missiles "anywhere, anytime, anyplace." In the nuclear world, that sounded a lot like President Reagan's nearly 40-year-old missile defense plan, "Star Wars." We explain President Trump's likely unrealistic and potentially dangerous vision with our Senior Science Fellow Philip Coyle and the Union of Concerned Scientists' Dr. Laura Grego. Music: www.bensound.com Artist Rendition of "Star Wars": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMfmVzHZvkc&t= Union of Concerned Scientists Report on GMD: https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/07/Shielded-from-Oversight-full-report.pdf

President Trump has announced that the United States will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a landmark agreement negotiated by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. This episode dives into the consequences of the decision and what it could mean for broader nuclear arms control moving forward. We're joined by two premier experts: Lynn Rusten of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Olya Oliker of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Music: www.bensound.com

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy feared that 25 countries could possess nuclear weapons by the 1970's. Today, nine countries have them. Many experts attribute this to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an agreement that turns 50 this year. We explore the Treaty and its future with Ambassador Susan Burk and Ambassador Laura Kennedy. Music: www.bensound.com