NucleCast

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.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

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.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

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.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Rebecca Grant is a national security analyst based in Washington, DC and president of IRIS Independent Research, a small, woman-owned business specializing in defense and aerospace research and national security consulting. She has appeared on TV as an expert on national security for Fox News, Fox Business, and CNN. She is a series regular on The Smithsonian Channel’s Air Warriors. Dr. Grant writes on China, Russia and other national security topics for Fox News Opinion. Her military books include 75 Great Airmen (with Lt. Gen. Chris Miller), The B-2 Goes to War, and Battle-Tested: Aircraft Carriers in Afghanistan and Iraq.Dr. Grant graduated from Wellesley College and earned a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics, University of London.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost is the Commander, Eighth Air Force, and Commander, Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. "The Mighty Eighth" is responsible for the service’s bomber force and airborne nuclear command and control assets, encompassing approximately 24,000 Airmen across six installations, and proudly operating more than 150 E-4, B-1, B-2, B-52 and T-38 aircraft. The J-GSOC serves as the central command and control node for all operations within Air Force Global Strike Command, orchestrating warfighting and readiness activities for the Commander, Air Forces Strategic.Maj. Gen. Armagost graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and was commissioned in 1992. He has served in multiple operational and training assignments and logged more than 2,900 hours in the B-2A, F-16CJ, F 16CG, B-1B, B-52H and T-38A. His notable educational and staff assignments include a fellowship at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, California, Chief of Nuclear Operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, and Director of Strategic Plans, Programs, and Requirements at Air Force Global Strike Command.Maj. Gen. Armagost commanded the 13th Bomb Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. His operational assignments supported contingency operations during operations Desert Strike, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, Freedom’s Sentinel and Deliberate Resolve. He also served as the Deputy Commanding General for Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, where he led coordination of the DoD’s historic security assistance support effort to the Ukrainian government. Further, he has flown numerous combat missions in the F-16CJ, B-2A, B-1B and the B-52H.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Tomás Díaz de la Rubia is a science and technology leader, strategist and administrator with extensive experience in government, academia and the private sector. At present, Tomas is the Vice President for Research and Partnerships at the University of Oklahoma. In this capacity, he leads OU’s efforts to enhance the scale and scope of the university’s research enterprise, and to develop a new strategic framework for research to propel the university forward, particularly in the areas of national security, energy and sustainability, and the life sciences.Tomas was the Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Purdue University. During Tomas’ tenure at Purdue from September 2015 to September 2019, Discovery Park’s focused strategically on the development of real-world solutions to major global challenges in health and the life sciences; sustainability and the nexus of energy, food, water, climate and the environment; and national security and defense. Over the same period, Discovery Park saw growth in research funding from industry, government, foreign institutions and philanthropic organizations of over 120%. Tomas was also responsible for the success of the Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship and the Purdue Foundry, a hub to nurture and launch new start-up companies based on faculty and student intellectual property (IP) into the market. Over 100 new companies have been created over the last four years.Tomas worked for Deloitte Consulting, LLP where he was the innovation leader and a Director in the energy and resources industry practice. Based in Washington, D.C, he advised C-Suite executives at major multinational Oil and Gas companies and electrical utilities on ways to identify and capitalize on new technologies such as Internet of Things, additive manufacturing, robotics, augmented reality and wearable technologies, and predictive analytics.Tomás was the Deputy Director for Science and Technology (DDST) at the U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, where he served as the Laboratory’s Chief Research Officer (CRO) and oversaw a $250M program of basic and applied research in support of the Laboratory’s missions in science and technology, nuclear security, defense, counterterrorism, energy and technology commercialization.In addition to these leadership roles, Tomas is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Intelligence Community Studies Board, which was tasked in 2016 by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence and discusses science and technology issues of importance to the nations’ intelligence community. He is a board member of the National Defense Industry Association, and of CRFD Global. Among his hobbies, he is a member of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, a worldwide group dedicated to promoting the virtues of the wines and foods of Burgundy.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

This is a special one hour episode with Dr. Lani Kass, Senior Advisor for Center for American Defense Studies and Senior Fellow at The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.From December 2011 to January 2020, Dr. Kass served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Strategic Advisor at CACI. In 2014, she was elected to the Board of Women in Aerospace (WIA) and in 2016, sworn in as a member of the Air University Board of Visitors’ Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Subcommittee, designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research.Prior to 2012, Dr. Kass served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). She was responsible for the high-level assessments and analyses necessary to render the best military advice and execute the integrated strategies, programs, and plans essential to America’s security. Her contributions were recognized by both the Secretary of Defense and CJCS. She received the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award – the highest award granted to U.S. Government civilian employees.Dr. Kass also served as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force (CSAF), Senior Mentor to USAF Project CHECKMATE, and Director of the Cyber Task Force. She developed the intellectual concepts that led to the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command and continue to underpin U.S. cyber strategy. She was awarded the prestigious Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service by both the Secretary of the Air Force and CSAF.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Marc Wortman, PhD, is an independent historian and freelance journalist. He is the author of four books on American military and social history, most recently Admiral Hyman Rickover: Engineer of Power (Yale University Press, 2022), which was named a National Review Book of the Year and received an honorable mention for the John Lyman Award in biography from the North American Society for Oceanic History. His other books are 1941: Fighting the Shadow War, A Divided America in a World at War (Atlantic Monthly, 2016); The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta (PublicAffairs, 2009), and The Millionaires’ Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power (PublicAffairs, 2006). A multi-prize-winning feature-length documentary based on The Millionaires’ Unit is available on streaming services.The Greatest Capitalist Who Ever Lived: Tom Watson Jr. and the Epic Story of How IBM Created the Digital Age (PublicAffairs), the first solo biography of the leader who launched the information technology revolution, will be published in October 2023. ​As an award-winning freelance journalist, Marc has written for many publications, including Vanity Fair, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Time, and The Daily Beast. He has spoken to audiences around the country and has appeared on CNN, NPR, C-SPAN BookTV, History Channel, CuriosityStream and other broadcast and streaming outlets. He has taught at Princeton, Quinnipiac University and a college program at a maximum-security prison. He was the recipient of a New York Public Library Research Fellowship and was the 2014 Jalonick Memorial Distinguished Lecturer on Aviation History at the University of Texas Dallas. He is a fellow of Yale University’s Davenport College.Following college at Brown University, he received a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Princeton University. He lives with his family in New Haven.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Dr. Rajeswari (Raji) Pillai Rajagopalan is the Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy & Technology (CSST) at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) in Canberra. In 2020, she was Co-chair for a thematic group on “Strategic Technologies” for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) work, attached to the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India and Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Dr. Rajagopalan was the Technical Advisor to the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Prevention of Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) (July 2018-July 2019). She was also a Non-Resident Indo-Pacific Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre from April-December 2020. As a senior Asia defense writer for The Diplomat, she writes a weekly column on Asian strategic issues. Dr. Rajagopalan joined ORF after a five-year stint at the National Security Council Secretariat (2003-2007), Government of India, where she was an Assistant Director. Prior to joining the NSCS, she was Research Officer at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. She was also a Visiting Professor at the Graduate Institute of International Politics, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan in 2012.Dr. Rajagopalan has authored/ co-authored or edited more than ten books including ORF-Global Policy Journal Special Issue, Future Warfare and Technology: Issues and Strategies (2022), Military Ambitions and Competition in Space: The Role of Alliances (2021), Global Nuclear Security: Moving Beyond the NSS (2018), Space Policy 2.0 (2017), Nuclear Security in India (2015), Clashing Titans: Military Strategy and Insecurity among Asian Great Powers (2012), The Dragon's Fire: Chinese Military Strategy and Its Implications for Asia (2009). She has published research essays in edited volumes, and in peer reviewed journals such as India Review, Strategic Studies Quarterly, Air and Space Power Journal, International Journal of Nuclear Law and Strategic Analysis. She has also contributed essays to newspapers such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Times of India, and The Economic Times. She has been invited to speak at international fora including the United Nations Disarmament Forum (New York), the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) (Vienna), Conference on Disarmament (Geneva), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the European Union.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

For the past 40 years, Tom Ramos has been a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). For the past few years Tom has been conducting research and writing a history of the early years of the Cold War, and the nuclear weapons program of LLNL. Through interviews with historical figures and with extensive research into top secret archives, he has brought out new perspectives of the Cold War that have been little understood until now. His efforts were rewarded with the publication of his book, From Berkeley to Berlin.Tom created several programs in the 1990s that served the Defense Department. Most notable among them, starting with a $200K grant, Tom created the Counterproliferation Analysis and Planning System (CAPS), which helped military operators analyze facilities manufacturing weapons of mass destruction in hostile countries. The program grew into a $46M a year enterprise and was declared to be the Defense Department’s premier counterproliferation program by Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Another significant program that Tom started was the Homeland Defense Operational Planning System (HOPS), a program like CAPS, but steered towards analyses to protect America’s critical infrastructure.In the 1980’s Tom was a nuclear weapons designer in the Laboratory’s X-Ray Laser Program, which supported President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. In the program’s last nuclear test, Tom led a team of physicists who designed the program’s brightest laser. In the late 1980s Tom joined a committee helping to prepare the government for START negotiations and he prepared a daily summary sheet for the Secretary of Energy to use at NSC meetings on the resumption of START Talks. Later Tom was assigned to the Pentagon as the legislative affairs officer for the Congressionally mandated Nuclear Weapons Council. Tom’s duties included preparing the Council for Congressional hearings.Prior to joining the Laboratory, and after graduating from West Point and MIT, Tom served as a combat engineer and was later an associate professor of physics at West Point, New York, where he taught each of the physics department’s core courses, as well as electives in Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

For the past 40 years, Tom Ramos has been a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). For the past few years Tom has been conducting research and writing a history of the early years of the Cold War, and the nuclear weapons program of LLNL. Through interviews with historical figures and with extensive research into top secret archives, he has brought out new perspectives of the Cold War that have been little understood until now. His efforts were rewarded with the publication of his book, From Berkeley to Berlin.Tom created several programs in the 1990s that served the Defense Department. Most notable among them, starting with a $200K grant, Tom created the Counterproliferation Analysis and Planning System (CAPS), which helped military operators analyze facilities manufacturing weapons of mass destruction in hostile countries. The program grew into a $46M a year enterprise and was declared to be the Defense Department’s premier counterproliferation program by Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Another significant program that Tom started was the Homeland Defense Operational Planning System (HOPS), a program like CAPS, but steered towards analyses to protect America’s critical infrastructure.In the 1980’s Tom was a nuclear weapons designer in the Laboratory’s X-Ray Laser Program, which supported President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. In the program’s last nuclear test, Tom led a team of physicists who designed the program’s brightest laser. In the late 1980s Tom joined a committee helping to prepare the government for START negotiations and he prepared a daily summary sheet for the Secretary of Energy to use at NSC meetings on the resumption of START Talks. Later Tom was assigned to the Pentagon as the legislative affairs officer for the Congressionally mandated Nuclear Weapons Council. Tom’s duties included preparing the Council for Congressional hearings.Prior to joining the Laboratory, and after graduating from West Point and MIT, Tom served as a combat engineer and was later an associate professor of physics at West Point, New York, where he taught each of the physics department’s core courses, as well as electives in Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

As Raft’s Senior Director of Data and AI, Angela Sheffield leads programs to build software, data, and AI solutions to deliver information and decision dominance in all operations conditions and all warfighting domains.Before joining Raft, Ms. Sheffield served as the Senior Program Manager for AI at the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy. In that role, she led programs to advance the science of AI and develop novel capabilities to detect and deter nuclear weapons proliferation for mission partners in the DoD, Intelligence Community, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.Ms. Sheffield began her career as an active-duty Air Force officer with assignments in directed energy weapons research and development with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing and technical intelligence at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. Ms. Sheffield joined DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a senior scientist, where she led major initiatives to develop advanced data and AI techniques to counter terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The approaches she pioneered, such as the use of AI to lower detection thresholds and reveal indicators and warnings in nontraditional data sources, are now central to U.S. strategy to reduce nuclear and WMD threats. An internationally recognized expert in AI for science, engineering, and national security, Ms. Sheffield was recently appointed as the first-ever subject matter expert to the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board.Angie has a B.S. in Economics from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.S. in Operations Research from Kansas State University. She is a war college graduate with an M.S. in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University Eisenhower School.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Dr. Howard Hall is the Director for the UT Institute for Nuclear Security. He holds a joint appointment with Consolidated Nuclear Security (Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN, and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, TX), and serves as Professor in both the Department of Nuclear Engineering and the Bredesen Center For Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education. Professor Hall is also a Senior Fellow in Global Security Policy at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee.Professor Hall received his Ph.D. in Nuclear and Radiochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1989; and his BS in Chemistry from the College of Charleston in 1985. Prior to joining UT, Dr. Hall spent more than 20 years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California, where he led major scientific and operational missions in nuclear and homeland security. During his tenure at LLNL, Dr. Hall led efforts supporting US Government programs in aviation safety and security, nuclear threat detection and nuclear emergency response.In 2005, Dr. Hall was part of the team awarded the Department of Homeland Security/Science and Technology Directorate Under Secretary's Award for Science. Professor Hall is a member of the American Nuclear Society, the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, and holds the rank of Fellow in the American Institute of Chemists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

James Stemm has been Curator at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History since 2021. He began his museum career in 1996 working with the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona as the museum’s Registrar. He remained at Pima for the next twenty-five years while holding several jobs in the museum’s Collections Department including Assistant Curator, Curator of Collections, and Director of Collections. James attended The University of New Mexico where he received a bachelor’s degree in history and attended graduate school at New Mexico State University receiving a master’s degree in public history.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Frank Lowery is the Associate Administrator for Management and Budget, National Nuclear Security Administration, where he oversees the offices of Budget and Financial Management, Human Resources, Business Services, Employee Empowerment, Learning and Career Management, and International Operations. A member of the Senior Executive Service in NNSA since March 2012, he has also served as the Department of Energy’s Acting Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer; NNSA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Management; and Deputy Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security. Prior to entering Federal service, he served in the U.S. Navy.Mr. Lowery has over three decades of experience in national security, much of it associated with nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear weapons. His submarine experience includes service in the Atlanticand Pacific fleets on fast attack as well as strategic deterrent submarines.A certified professional engineer, he developed specialized skills in technical, business, and personnel management through his integral involvement in submarine delivery programs and oversight of the 25 nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that operate in the Atlantic Fleet.Mr. Lowery earned his bachelor of science degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and his master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Matthew Costlow is a Senior Analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy. His areas of expertise are in nuclear deterrence, missile defense policy, arms control, and Russian and Chinese nuclear doctrine. His work has been published by Comparative Strategy, Strategic Studies Quarterly, and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He has also published numerous opinion pieces in the Institutes Information Series as well as the Wall Street Journal, War on the Rocks, Defense News, and Defense One.While working for the National Institute, Matt graduated in 2012 from Missouri State University with an M.S. in Defense and Strategic Studies. His thesis, “Gunboat Diplomacy in the South China Sea” was chosen for publication at the U.S. Air Force Institute for National Security Studies. He is currently a PhD candidate at George Mason University and is writing his dissertation on the intersection of leadership perceptions and war termination in World War II. From 2019-2021, Matt served as a Special Assistant in the office of Nuclear and Missile Defense policy, Department of Defense. His responsibilities included authoring and editing Congressional testimony for senior leadership on nuclear and missile defense topics, writing reports to Congress, drafting speeches to domestic and foreign audiences, and ensuring strategic communications were consistent with official U.S. government policy.While at the Pentagon, Matt also briefed numerous senior officials up to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, explained U.S. policy to multiple allied delegations, and produced nuclear-themed tabletop exercises. For these and other accomplishments, Matt was presented with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Exceptional Public Service. From 2012-2019, Matt worked as an Analyst at National Institute, specializing in many of the same areas he currently writes on. Before 2012, he researched cybersecurity, emergency management, and foreign airpower acquisition at the Congressional Research Service. Prior to that, he worked at SAIC on federal and state emergency management best practices.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Maj Gen (Ret), USAF, Garrett Harencak is the President and CEO of Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS). Harencak joined Mission Support and Test Services, LLC after nearly four years as Vice President of Strategic Defense Programs for Jacobs Engineering. While at Jacobs, he also served as Deputy Program Manager of the Missile Defense Agency Integrated Research and Development for Enterprise Solutions contract, providing overall strategic vision, leadership, direction, and management for all employees, missions, projects and activities related to the contract. Harencak’s organization, through his leadership, developed and communicated the vision for safe, secure, environmentally and fiscally sound contract execution with full authority and accountability to manage and integrate all contractual, financial and technical performance designed to ensure quality, cost control, timeliness of performance, effective business relations and customer satisfaction.Before joining Jacobs, Harencak served in the United States Air Force for more than 39 years and rose to the rank of Major General. Positions he has held include Commander of USAF Recruiting Command; Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration; Commander at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base; Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application (NA- 10), National Nuclear Security Administration; and Commander of the 509th Bomber Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base.Harencak holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in management from Abilene Christian University, and a master’s degree in national security studies from the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base. He is Adjunct Professor of Nuclear Deterrence and Assurance for the Air Force Nuclear College at the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a member of the Board of Regents, Strategic Deterrent Coalition, Washington, D.C.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

James McCue is a career helicopter pilot having performed all three USAF rotary wing missions; nuclear security, combat search and rescue, continuity of government. He has earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and masters studies with the Air Force Institute of Technology, Emby Riddle, Missouri State University, and a fellowship with the National Defense University's C-WMD program.He has been working at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for the last four years supporting nuclear wargames, nuclear doctrine development, is a Fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies, and is a visiting professor with the Defense Nuclear Weapons School where he lectures in that institution's Nuclear Policy course. He has published through Air University and Naval Postgraduate School on matters of physical security of nuclear weapons as well as deterrence at the edge of conventional and nuclear conflict.Here is a link to his latest work: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AEtherJournal/Journals/Volume-2_Number-2/McCue.pdf?source=GovDEPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Thomas (Thom) Mason is the President and CEO of Triad National Security, LLC (Triad) and serves as the Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Most recently he was the Senior Vice President for Global Laboratory Operations at Battelle where he had responsibility for governance and strategy across the six National Laboratories that Battelle manages or co-manages.Prior to joining Battelle, Thom worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for 19 years, including 10 years as the Laboratory Director. Under his leadership, ORNL saw significant growth in programs, new facilities, and hiring while achieving record low safety incident rates.Before becoming Laboratory Director, he was Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for Neutron Sciences, ALD for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), and Director of the Experimental Facilities Division.During his time in Oak Ridge, Thom was active in the community serving as Chair of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation as well as Innovation Valley, the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area regional economic development organization.He moved to ORNL from the University of Toronto where he was a faculty member in the Department of Physics and previously worked as a Senior Scientist at Risø National Laboratory and a Postdoc at AT&T Bell Laboratories.For the past 30 years, he has been involved in the design and construction of scientific instrumentation and facilities and the application of nuclear, computing, and materials sciences to solve important challenges in energy and national security.Thom has a Ph.D. in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics from McMaster University and a BSc in Physics from Dalhousie University.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Christopher Stone is a senior fellow for space deterrence studies at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies think tank. He previously served as special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

With nearly 53 years living and working in Oak Ridge, TN, Ray Smith has developed an extensive understanding and appreciation of the heritage of Oak Ridge’s history, especially the Manhattan Project era and resulting technological advances during ensuing years. For the last 10 years of his 47-year career with the Y-12 National Security Complex, he served as the official Y-12 Historian. Ray now serves as the Historian for the city of Oak Ridge, TN. He was appointed to that position in December 2015.Ray has co-produced the award-winning and highly acclaimed Secret City: The War Years and Secret City: 1945–2006 documentary films that have become the definitive history of Oak Ridge. He has also produced a four-episode television series of 30-minute programs on the history of the Y-12 National Security Complex, A Nuclear Family, which has won four platinum Remi awards in the World Fest-Houston International Film Festival. He completed the compilation of twelve documentary short films including the award winning Our Hidden Past series into a two DVD set, Y-12 Anthology. His most recent documentary film, produced in January 2018, is Ed Westcott– Photographer, a tribute to the famous Manhattan Project and Department of Energy photographer without whose exceptional photographs our Oak Ridge and DOE history would not be nearly so well documented. The documentary film can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYvzw9f8M8A.In 2017, Ray was appointed a commissioner on the Tennessee Historical Commission and is now serving his second three-year term. He has served on several boards for charitable organizations, one a state level board, The Tennessee Children's Home, of which he is currently the past chairman. He is also on the board of directors of the East Tennessee Historical Society and the nation board of directors of the Atomic Heritage Foundation. In 2018, Ray assisted Dr. Lee Riedinger, Professor of Physics and Director, Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the University of Tennessee, teach an honors course, Science and History of the Manhattan Project. The course materials have formed the basis of a book to be published in 2024, Critical Connections, How Partnerships formed at the Dawn of the Atomic Age Helped Transform a University, a National Laboratory, and a City.Ray is the author of 18 books of Historically Speaking newspaper columns published over the past 17 years.He has published 10 books of local nature photographs, produced a 40-image photographic show and was chosen as the exclusive source to provide photographs to decorate the TownePlace Hotel as well as a portion of the Y-12 Federal Credit Union. His photographs also decorate other offices in Oak Ridge and some company websites.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Dr. 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.Dr. Swegle has also had a long career in the field of high-power microwaves. He is the co-author of High-Power Microwaves, which has been published in three editions. The book has become an international standard and has been translated into Chinese. He served as an Associate Editor of The Physics of Plasmas and co-edited a special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science devoted to high-power microwaves.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

With nearly 53 years living and working in Oak Ridge, TN, Ray has developed an extensive understanding and appreciation of the heritage of Oak Ridge’s history, especially the Manhattan Project era and resulting technological advances during ensuing years. For the last 10 years of his 47-year career with the Y-12 National Security Complex, he served as the official Y-12 Historian.Ray now serves as the Historian for the city of Oak Ridge, TN. He was appointed to that position in December 2015. Ray has co-produced the award-winning and highly acclaimed Secret City: The War Years and Secret City: 1945–2006 documentary films that have become the definitive history of Oak Ridge. He has also produced a four-episode television series of 30-minute programs on the history of the Y-12 National Security Complex, A Nuclear Family, which has won four platinum Remi awards in the World Fest-Houston International Film Festival. He completed the compilation of twelve documentary short films including the award winning Our Hidden Past series into a two DVD set, Y-12 Anthology. His most recent documentary film, produced in January 2018, is Ed Westcott– Photographer, a tribute to the famous Manhattan Project and Department of Energy photographer without whose exceptional photographs our Oak Ridge and DOE history would not be nearly so well documented. The documentary film can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYvzw9f8M8A.In 2017, Ray was appointed a commissioner on the Tennessee Historical Commission and is now serving his second three-year term. He has served on several boards for charitable organizations, one a state level board, The Tennessee Children's Home, of which he is currently the past chairman. He is also on the board of directors of the East Tennessee Historical Society and the nation board of directors of the Atomic Heritage Foundation. In 2018, Ray assisted Dr. Lee Riedinger, Professor of Physics and Director, Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the University of Tennessee, teach an honors course, Science and History of the Manhattan Project. The course materials have formed the basis of a book to be published in 2024, Critical Connections, How Partnerships formed at the Dawn of the Atomic Age Helped Transform a University, a National Laboratory, and a City.Ray is the author of 18 books of Historically Speaking newspaper columns published over the past 17 years. He has published 10 books of local nature photographs, produced a 40-image photographic show and was chosen as the exclusive source to provide photographs to decorate the TownePlace Hotel as well as a portion of the Y-12 Federal Credit Union. His photographs also decorate other offices in Oak Ridge and some company websites.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Dr. Matthew Kroenig is Vice President and Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the Council’s Director of Studies. In these roles, he manages the Scowcroft Center’s bipartisan team of more than thirty resident staff and oversees the Council’s extensive network of nonresident fellows.His own research focuses on US national security strategy, strategic competition with China and Russia, and strategic deterrence and weapons nonproliferation. Kroenig is currently a commissioner on the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. He previously served in the Department of Defense and the intelligence community during the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations. He received the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. He was a national security adviser on the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney (2012) and Marco Rubio (2016).Kroenig is also a tenured professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University. A 2019 study in Perspectives on Politics ranked him one of the top twenty-five most cited political scientists of his generation. He is the author or editor of seven books, including The Return of Great Power Rivalry: Democracy versus Autocracy from the Ancient World to the US and China (Oxford University Press, 2020)and The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy: Why Strategic Superiority Matters (Oxford University Press,2018). Kroenig co-authors the bimonthly “It’s Debatable” column at Foreign Policy. His articles and commentary regularly appear in major media outlets, including: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Politico, CBS, BBC, CNN, Fox News, and NPR.He has held fellowships at the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard University, and Stanford University. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds an MA and PhD in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Lieutenant General In-Bum Chun (ROK, Ret) served his country with both honour and integrity for nearly four decades. Chun retired in 2016 after distinguished service in the South Korean Army.During his military career which started in 1978 at the Korea Military Academy he ascended to positions of leadership that included, the Chief of the Election Support Branch, Civil Military Affairs/Strategic Operations Directorate of the Multinational Forces in Iraq, the Director of U.S. Affairs at the Ministry of National Defense (ROK), Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff of Operations for the U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command, Senior member of the UNCMAC, the Commander of the ROK Special Warfare Command, and the Deputy Commander for the First ROK Army.Chun is a holder of three U.S Legions of Merit, the US Bronze Star Medal and the USSOCOM Medal.His interests and expertise in national defense and security policy saw him awarded positions that included Visiting Fellow at the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, Visiting researcher at the US-Korea Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University and as Visiting fellow at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Tech.Currently, Chun is serving as a Senior Fellow with the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and the Vice-president of the Air and Space Forces Association (AFA) MIG Alley Chapter and is on the Advisory board for the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Global SOF Foundation, the Global American Business Institute and the Korean Modelers Association as well as a Senior Contributor for the Asia Society Korea and a fellow with the Institute of Corea American Studies and Distinguished Military Fellow with the Institute of Security and Development Policy in Sweden.He is also a board member for the Korean Animal Welfare Association which advocates for animal rights and humane treatment of all animals.In addition to his many roles with various military and defense organizations, he is active on social media as a military analyst with his YouTube channel where he uploads videos discussing defense and security matters related to South Korea and Northeast Asia.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

This is the first episode in ANWA Deterrence Center's Legacy Series where we look back at the Manhattan Project and the evolution over 80 years of the U.S. strategic nuclear deterrent. Darwin Morgan retired as Director, Office of Public Affairs, Nevada Field Office, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) In March 2021. In retirement he serves as the President of the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation. This Non-Profit organization oversees the Atomic Testing Museum, a Smithsonian affiliated museum dedicated to the history of atmospheric and underground nuclear weapons testing. In addition, he is a Historian with the NNSA’s Nevada National Security Site’s (NNSS’s).As the former Director, Office of Public Affairs, he served as the advisor to senior management for public and congressional affairs and oversaw Freedom of Information/ Privacy Act and all outreach activities for the NNSA Nevada Field Office. He has also served as the Deputy Assistant Manager, Office of Public and Institutional Affairs, where he was responsible for quality leadership and diversity, public affairs and information, and economic diversification.Morgan’s federal service began in 1989 as a Public Affairs Specialist with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Nevada Operations Office of External Affairs. He provided public affairs support for the environmental management programs, Yucca Mountain Project, and the national security programs. In addition, he served on two Source Evaluation Boards for the site office, one as the chairperson. Morgan was awarded the NNSA Administrator’s Gold Medal and is a Graduate of the Federal Executive Institute.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Colonel Glen R. Shilland assumed the duties of United States Air Attaché to the Republic of Korea in 2019.Colonel Shilland entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of Officer Training School. In his first assignment as a satellite operations officer at Colorado Springs, Colorado, he performed command and control for surveillance, weather, and navigation spacecraft. He became a B-52H navigator and bombardier at Minot, North Dakota, and volunteered as an Air Liaison Officer, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky—deploying twice in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM with the 5th Special Operations Forces and the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters. He has been a B-52H instructor, flight commander, and deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM as Assistant Director of Operationsin the 23d Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and 5th Operations Support Squadron.He then served as the Strategic Plans Branch Chief at Air Force Global Strike Command Headquarters at Barksdale, Louisiana. After that, he was Commander of the 505th Combat Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida, in charge of 120 military, civilian, and contractor personnel supporting worldwide joint and combined operational-level air component command and control exercises. Colonel Shilland was also the Nuclear Air Tasking Order Coordinator at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Combined Air Operations Center, at Torrejón Air Base, Madrid, Spain. He was then assigned as the Commander of the 608th Air Operations Center at Barksdale, Louisiana—in charge of 230 personnel tasked with planning, executing, and assessing worldwide bomber operations.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Dr. Wallace T. (Wally) Clark III retired as a civilian employee of the United States Air Force in November2020. Currently, he is a Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies and via Banda GroupInternational, he a Senior Technical Adviser on Nuclear Explosive Safety to the NNSA.Among Dr. Clark’s numerous positions in his 40+-year career are: ultra-high vacuum scientist at the DOEY-12 Weapons Plant and fiber-optic sensor scientist at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He was a rocket plumeelectromagnetic scientist for the U.S. Navythen Chief Scientist and data integrator of the first U.S.unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) for the Army and Marines. As a USAF contractor he was Chief Scientistat the Electromagnetic Pulse Simulatorsand Chief Scientist of the ARGUS Aircraft Program. As a USAFcivilian he was the Microwave Airborne Electronic Attack Technical Area Manager, the HPM TechnologiesBranch Chief, the Laser Division Chief where he led the scientific effort behind the Airborne Laser (ABL),and the Microwave Division Chief where he drove the successful flight test of the Counter Electronics HighPower Microwave Advanced Missile Project and deployment of a Counter Improvised Explosive Device(IED) system.In the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, he served as the 498th Nuclear Systems Wing Chief Scientist (earning the “Grenade” call sign), the Systems Engineering Division Chief, the Enterprise Engineering Division Chief, the Weapon Effects Survivability Division Chief, and the Deputy Chief Scientist where he provided scientific and technological advice to the Commander and information on advanced science, technology, and innovation in coordination with the DoD, the DOE, academia, industry, and others. Grenade served on a Defense Science Board, contributed to two DoD Test Resource Management Center studies, was as a program manager, branch chief, division chief four times, and chief scientist five times. Throughout his career, he was foremost an R&D scientist. He is nationally and internationally known as a strong advocate for system survivability testing to weapon effects, especially nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP), often saying “proven survivability is deterrence.”EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

David Schild is Executive Director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. An established leader and trusted advocate, he has over 20 years of experience managing political involvement, corporate public relations and public policy efforts for the aerospace and defense industry.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Raphael "Rafi" Cohen is the director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE, and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He works on a broad range of defense and foreign policy issues, including defense strategy and force planning, Middle East and European security and civil-military relations.Cohen previously held research fellowships at the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute and the National Defense University’s Center for Complex Operations. He has written for a variety of forums, including the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, War on the Rocks, Lawfare, The Hill, The National Interest and other publications. He also served as a staffer on the Congressionally-appointed 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission and is now the deputy executive director of the 2023 National Defense Strategy Commission.A military intelligence branched lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, Cohen has held a variety of command and staff positions in both the active and reserve components, including during two combat tours in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008. He holds B.A. magna cum laude in government from Harvard University and an M.A. in security studies and Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Brian Green is a non-resident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project. Prior to his current position, he was the founder and principal at Impact Strategies, a national security consulting firm, and served as Executive Director of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Washington Operations Office, with planning and execution responsibilities for the company’s defense business development and government affairs in the DC area. Prior to his work at Aerojet, he was the Director of Strategic Force Assessments at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.In his government service, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategic Capabilities in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, with oversight and policy development responsibilities for US nuclear forces, missile defense, military space, information operations, and arms control. He also served as the staff lead for the Strategic Forces subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the lead for strategic programs on the House Armed Services Committee, in which he had legislative and oversight responsibilities for nuclear, missile defense, and military space programs. Prior to those assignments, he served on the staff of the Air Force Association, the Aerospace Education Foundation, and the Heritage Foundation.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Carl Rhodes Ph.D. is the founder of Robust Policy, a Canberra-based business that provides evidence-based analysis on defense topics. Carl worked at RAND Corporation from 1997-2021, including four years as director of RAND Australia. Prior to moving to Australia, Carl spent twenty years as a researcher and manager in RAND’s Project AIR FORCE. His research portfolio has covered topics including long-range strike, ISR, sovereign weapons, nuclear deterrence, unmanned systems, and stressors facing 20th Air Force.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Wendy Baca started her career in 1987 with the Department of Energy in what was then known as the Albuquerque Operations Office. She was hired to fill the W87-1 Small Inter-continental Ballistic Missile (SICBM) Program Engineer position where one of her first tasks was to issue the Phase 3, Development Engineering, authorization to the DOE Nuclear Weapons Complex. Although the program was canceled a short time later, she continued to work in numerous Federal Program Manager roles for the next 25 years. The majority of Wendy’s work focused on the ICBM programs where she was also the Director of the DOE’s and later, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s), ICBM Division for 9 years. During that time, her primary focus was the First Production Unit through completion of the W87 Alt 342, which was also referred to as the W87 Life Extension Program. Wendy’s other Federal Program Manager positions included the Pantex Stage Right Program, the AT-400A Pit Container, the DOE/NNSA Dismantlement Program, Plutonium Sustainment, and the Modernization Programs.After retiring from DOE/NNSA in 2012, Wendy worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) as an Executive Advisor in the Principal Associate Directorate for the Weapons Program. In 2015, Wendy became the Director of the Integrated Program Management Office in the Plutonium Science and Manufacturing Division where she focused on the ongoing LANL Production Agency efforts to include plutonium pits.Wendy worked at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) from February 2017 until October 2022. She started in the Military Liaison Department as the W80-1/W84 Field Engineer and she finished her SNL career as the Manager of the Accident Response Group and Legacy Hardware Laboratory Department.In 2021, Wendy joined TechSource Inc’s Weapons Knowledge Preservation and Transfer Program where she works with the team to develop and deliver instructional modules for new and mid-career employees across the Nuclear Security Enterprise. As a Subject-Matter-Expert, Wendy provides lessons learned, experiences, and perspectives regarding the NNSA’s Weapons Acquisition Process that she has gained over the past 35 years.Since November 2022, Wendy has also been a consultant with MELE Associates where she is part of the NNSA’s Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation “Reserve Force” which is a cadre of retired employees that provides expertise and support to the NNSA’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Brad is an accomplished senior leader who enjoys a reputation for original thinking and strategic acumen coupled with an affirmative leadership approach. He holds a doctorate from Vanderbilt University and is a graduate of the National War College. Most recently Brad served as the Army’s longest-tenured Senior Strategist and Chief of Plans, Brad exercised wide-ranging and global responsibilities across the Army. With his enterprise-wide authorities Brad directly advised Army executives as he led the Army’s formal outreach to international military partners to fashion agreements that enhanced the readiness of the Army through better-value investment and effective basing of high demand logistics and equipment footprints. The programs Bradinitiated delivered capabilities in the form of innovative solutions that leveraged current Army force designs with emerging technologies, new concepts, and effective alignment of institutional priorities.Charged by Army leaders to “own the future” Brad built new structure models validated through scenario-driven experiments to maximize Army capabilities and operations. He refashioned planning and training methods to improve the Army’s counter-WMD readiness; wrote orders for Army-wide implementation; and regularly advised senior leaders regarding emerging trends affecting national defense, international affairs, and security policy.Brad led the Pentagon’s primary planning and force posture forums. He regularly consulted with senior DoD civilian and military leaders across defense organizations to build DoD’s first and unique worldwide plans that integrated the DoD’s crisis responses to cross-domain challenges posed by disruptive technologies and the rapid global transfer of information.In addition to his strategy and leadership experience, Brad served as a special assistant to multiple senior executives. An accomplished writer, he published capstone Army documents and has written numerous professional essays, three college instructor resource manuals, two urban warfare anthologies, and a military biography. He continues to work as a senior mentor to the Army and as an executive consultant.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Juan Vitali is the Assistant Director Nuclear Energy Innovation at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House. Previously, he was the Army’s Nuclear Engineer and Chief of the Nuclear Power Branch where he led a team of engineers to shape conditions for the adoption of nuclear power by the Army. He was the chief concept architect for the development of mobile nuclear power plant for ground operations. He was the Senior Advisor to the Chief of Engineers on Nuclear Power Matters. Juan was Principal Research Faculty for eight years at Georgia Tech Research Institute and was Director of the Washington Office for the Electro-Optics Environment and Materials Laboratory.Throughout his career, Juan has maintained a dedication to excellence not only in science and technology but, in general, quietly effecting change through increasing leadership roles. In 2000, his work in halon replacements earned him the International US-EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award. Juan completed studies at National Defense University/Eisenhower Schooland obtained a master’s degree in National Security Studies and Resource Strategy in 2013. Juan is a Harvard University Senior Executive Fellow. Juan holds a Doctorate in Engineering Physics/Nuclear Engineering(1992), a Master of Engineering (1987) and a bachelor’s degree Cum Laude in Engineering Physics/Nuclear Engineering (1984), all from the University of Florida. Juan is married to the former Kathryn Bowler of Needham, MA.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Major Frank W. Perry, Jr. is the Chief, Helicopter Operations Division, Twentieth Air Force. In this position Major Perry advises the Commander, Twentieth Air Force on operational and administrative issues for the Air Force’s sole Helicopter Group. He leads planning, coordination, and Operational Plan support for three operational helicopter squadrons, integrating USSTRATCOM and USNORTHCOM missions for over 400 personnel.Prior to this assignment, Major Perry was a student at Air Command and Staff College in Air University. There he performed studies as part of the Russia Research Task Force, garnering the Thomas “Dutch” Miller Award for most relevant research in his field.Major Perry enlisted in the Air Force as a Ground Radio Technician in 2004, receiving his commission through Officer Training School in 2009. Following graduation, he has served in a variety of operational assignments as a UH-1N instructor pilot, and subsequently as a Mi-17 instructor and evaluator pilot. Major Perry has deployed in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

The ANWA Deterrence Center wishes you a safe and happy 4th of July.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Thomas Karako is a senior fellow with the International Security Program and the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he arrived in 2014. His research focuses on national security, missile defense, nuclear deterrence, and public law. In 2010–2011, he was an American Political Science Association congressional fellow, working with the professional staff of the House Armed Services Committee and the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces on U.S. strategic forces policy, nonproliferation, and NATO. Dr. Karako is also currently a fellow with the Institute for Politics and Strategy of Carnegie Mellon University. He received his PhD from Claremont Graduate University and his BA from the University of Dallas.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Ambassador Eric S. Edelman is Counselor at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He retired as a career minister from the U.S. Foreign Service on May 1, 2009. He has served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House, where he led organizations providing analysis, strategy, policy development, security services, trade advocacy, public outreach, citizen services, and congressional relations. As undersecretary of defense for policy (August 2005-January 2009), he was DoD's senior policy official, overseeing strategy development with global responsibility for bilateral defense relations, war plans, special operations forces, homeland defense, missile defense, nuclear weapons and arms control policies, counterproliferation, counternarcotics, counterterrorism, arms sales, and defense trade controls.He served as U.S. ambassador to Finland in the Clinton administration and Turkey in the Bush administration and was Vice President Cheney's principal deputy assistant for national security affairs. He was chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, special assistant to Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Robert Kimmitt, and special assistant to Secretary of State George Shultz.His other assignments included the State Department Operations Center, Prague, Moscow, and Tel Aviv, where he was a member of the U.S. Middle East delegation to the West Bank/Gaza autonomy talks.Ambassador Edelman has been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, and several Department of State Superior Honor Awards. In 2010, he was named a knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honor.Ambassador Edelman serves as the Chair of the National Defense Strategy Commission and on the bipartisan board of directors of the United States Institute of Peace.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

David Campbell is the Executive Vice President, EnergySolutions and previously served as the Associate Administrator, Office of Congressional, Intergovernmental & Public Affairs at the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).As the Executive Vice President at EnergySolutions, Mr. Campbell is responsible for all aspects of business development and implementing the company’s growth strategies across the utility, commercial, federal, and international sectors. In addition to his experience as a senior executive in private industry as well as within the US government, he brings a unique experience of over thirty years across the nuclear, defense and environmental markets helping companies break into and grow in existing and new markets. David’s expertise in managing and implementing government, corporate, and commercial business development, marketing, and communications programs across North America and internationally is a key factor in EnergySolutions push to grow across all our sectors. David resides in the Washington DC area and holds a BS in Political Science and Economics from James Madison University and a MA in International Relations and National Security from George Washington University.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Dr. Carl Rehberg is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Carl was founder and director of the Headquarters Air Force Asia-Pacific Cell, which played a pivotal role in the development of Air Force strategy, force development, planning, analysis and warfighting concepts supporting initiatives related to Asia-Pacific and the DoD Third Offset Strategy. Carl spearheaded the establishment of the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) and led the development of innovative concepts and capability proposals to improve DoD’s joint resiliency and integrated air and missile defenses. Prior to this assignment, he was the Assistant Associate Director for AF Strategic Planning and Director, Analysis Division in the AF QDR organization, leading multiple assessments of future capabilities and force structure.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Dr. Lani Kass is Strategic Advisor for Cyber Reliant Corporation, focused on advancing Cyber Reliant’s National Security & Justice presence and stature in the U.S. national security sector, as well as enhancing and expanding key client and industry relationships. From December 2011 to January 2021, Dr. Kass served the CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board at CACI, as the Senior Vice President and Corporate Strategic Advisor for a $5.7B mission and enterprise technology company whose expertise plays a vital role in national security, safeguarding US troops, and enabling the federal government to deliver cost-effective, high-quality support for all Americans.Prior to 2012, Dr. Kass served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). She was responsible for the high-level assessments and analyses necessary to render the best military advice and execute the integrated strategies, programs, and plans essential to America’s security. Her contributions were recognized by both the Secretary of Defense and CJCS. She received the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award – the highest award granted to U.S. Government civilian employees.Dr. Kass also served as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force (CSAF), Senior Mentor to USAF Project CHECKMATE, and Director of the Cyber Task Force. She developed the intellectual concepts that led to the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command and continue to underpin U.S. cyber strategy. She was awarded the prestigious Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service by both the Secretary of the Air Force and CSAF.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] NucleCast podcastRate the show

Michael R. Shoults, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Shoults assists in the oversight of the Air Force’s Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction efforts, Nuclear Command Control and Communication portfolios and international treaties and arms control agreements.Mr. Shoults was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force upon graduation from Parks College of St. Louis University in 1982. He has an extensive background in Air Force operations, amassing more than 3,000 hours in the B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer. In addition, he has held several key operational and staff positions at the squadron, wing, numbered Air Force and Headquarters, U.S. Air Force levels. After more than 27 years of active-duty service in the Air Force, Mr. Shoults retired as a colonel and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2013.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

David S. Jonas is a partner at the law firm of Fluet, Huber & Hoang (FH+H). His practice includes corporate transactions, employment law, government contracts, trial and appellate litigation, international law, administrative/regulatory compliance and investigations. He has extensive experience in national security issues and is recognized as one of a handful of experts worldwide in nuclear nonproliferation law. He was a career member of the Senior Executive Service and served as General Counsel of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) where he negotiated numerous multilateral and bilateral international agreements to include the U.S. – India Civil Nuclear Agreement. He also served as General Counsel of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.Prior to his civilian service, he was a career Marine Corps officer where he held a wide variety of command and staff billets. He served as nuclear nonproliferation planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff negotiating multiple international agreements and has worked extensively with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Conference on Disarmament, and the United Nations. He is one of the only judge advocates to have commanded two units, including a company in an infantry regiment, the 5th Marines.He argued the case of Davis v. United States, 512, U.S. 452 (1994) at the U.S. Supreme Court becoming the first judge advocate in the history of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force to do so. He received the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Award for Excellence in Legal Writing and was selected as the Outstanding Career Judge Advocate in the Marine Corps. He concluded his military service as a lieutenant colonel. He is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and George Washington (GW) University Law School and has also taught at the U.S. Naval War College.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Pete Newell is a nationally recognized innovation expert whose work is transforming how the government and other large organizations compete and drive growth. A retired Army Colonel and former director of the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, he is the CEO of BMNT Inc., an internationally recognized innovation consultancy and early-stage enterprise accelerator that helps solve some of the hardest real-world problems in national security, state and local governments, and beyond.Together with Lean Startup founder Steve Blank and Joe Felter, the retired Army Colonel and former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia; Pete is also founder and co-author of Hacking for Defense (H4D)®, an academic program taught at 50+ universities in the U.S., as the UK and Australia, that has created a national security innovation pipeline as it solves critical national security problems at startup speed.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Paul J. Saunders was previously Executive Director of the Center for the National Interest (CFTNI) and remains a member of the Center’s Board of Directors and a Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at CFTNI. He was the Center’s Chief Operating Officer and directed its U.S. - Russian Relations Program in addition to leading projects on other issues, including energy and climate change and U.S.-Japan relations. He was also Associate Publisher of the foreign policy magazine The National Interest, published bi-monthly by the Center for the National Interest.Mr. Saunders served in the Bush Administration from 2003 to 2005 as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs. In that capacity, he worked on a broad range of transnational issues, including energy and climate change as well as a variety of regional issues. Earlier, Mr. Saunders served as Director of CFTNI from 1997 to 2003 and was Assistant Director from its founding in 1994 until 1997. In 2000, he was a Senior Policy Advisor to the Speaker’s Advisory Group on Russia, established by the Republican Policy Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Daniel B. Poneman is president and chief executive officer of Centrus Energy Corp. He also serves on the company’s board of directors. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Poneman was the Deputy Secretary of Energy, also serving as the chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Energy. His responsibilities spanned the range of U.S. energy policies and programs – hydrocarbons, renewables, nuclear, and efficiency – including cybersecurity, project management, national security, and international cooperation. He was also responsible for the Department’s efforts on resilience and emergency response, in cases ranging from Fukushima to Hurricane Sandy.Between April 23, 2013, and May 21, 2013, Mr. Poneman served as Acting Secretary of Energy. In prior tours in government, Mr. Poneman served as a White House Fellow and as Director of Defense Policy and Arms Control for the National Security Council. From 1993 through 1996 he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Nonproliferation and Export Controls at the National Security Council. His responsibilities included the development and implementation of U.S. policy in such areas as peaceful nuclear cooperation, missile technology, space-launch activities, sanctions determinations, chemical and biological arms control efforts, and conventional arms transfer policy.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show on Apple Podcasts

Dr. Roehrig is Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at the Harvard University Extension School and a non-resident expert with the Center for Korean Legal Studies at Columbia University. He was a Research Fellow at the Kennedy School at Harvard University and a past President of the Association of Korean Political Studies.Roehrig has written numerous books, articles and book chapters on Korean and East Asian security issues, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, the Northern Limit Line dispute, the South Korean Navy, deterrence theory and the U.S.-South Korea alliance. His books include Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella: Deterrence After the Cold War (Columbia University Press) and The Evolution of the South Korea-United States Alliance (Cambridge University Press), co-authored with Uk Heo. He has interviewed with and written for many news organizations including BBC, Bloomberg, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, CNN, CTV (Canada), Fortune, Korea Times, National Interest, Newsweek, NK News, NPR, Reuters, The Hill, UPI and Voice of America. Dr. Roehrig received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. from Marquette University, both in political science.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

The Honorable Robert R. Hood served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs at the Pentagon. In this role, he supported the Secretary of Defense and the Department's other senior leaders by promoting the policies, strategies, and budget of the Department of Defense (DOD) to the United States Congress.Prior to being confirmed as an Assistant Secretary, Rob served as the Vice President for Government Affairs at CH2M HILL, a fortune 500 engineering company. Rob previously served in the White House as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush in the Office of Legislative Affairs. Before working on the White House staff, Rob served at the DOD as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) for Budget and Appropriations Affairs. Prior to the Pentagon, Rob served as the Director of Congressional Affairs for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy responsible for maintaining the nation's nuclear weapon stockpile and nonproliferation efforts.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

LT COLONEL RAYMUNDO M. VANN JR. is the Deputy Commander of the 90th Operations Group at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyoming. The group he serves operates fifteen Missile Alert Facilities and one hundred and fifty Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), a third of the nation’s ICBM nuclear alert force, which stand on alert and are constantly ready to launch at the direction of the President of the United States. Lt Col Vann graduated and was commissioned from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas through the Air Force ROTC program in May 2003. He has been qualified in the Minuteman III weapon system. Lt Col Vann has deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch.CAPT GABRIELLA C. GRAHAM is the Wing Executive officer at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyoming. She plans, performs, and manages executive support functions, programs, and policies for the wing commander and assists with administration of over 42 units and wing staff. She is accountable to the President, SECDEF, and DUSSTRATCOM for critical launch actions of 150 ICBMs upon direction. Capt Graham graduated and was commissioned from the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming through the Air Force ROTC program in May 2016. She has been qualified in the Minuteman III weapon system.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and guest nominations to [email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show