All episodes
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The Rapid Race in Space
Aaron and Jeffrey crossed paths in Philadelphia for a TTX about space nukes and escalation dynamics. The two caught up on the…
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Calculating the Cost of Golden Dome
Is space based missile defense all gold and no dome? Aaron and Jeffrey sit down with FPRI Fellow Sam Lair to discuss…
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From Past to Future
Aaron and Jeffrey have a lot to announce. On this special episode of the show, the two let the listeners in on…
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JL-3, You know me.
China has conducted a test of its JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile into the open ocean — a departure from its usual practice…
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MOU 404
The US-Iran MOU is humiliating, it was signed at Versailles, and its still not on any government website. In fact, if you…
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Let the Uploading Begin
Aaron and Jeffrey sat down to discuss the Trump administration’s review of nuclear strategy, the case for uploading, and what it all…
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From Satan to Sarmat
Russia tested the RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBM, which will replace the SS-18/RS-36M Satan. What’s it for? Aaron and Jeffrey talk about…
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An Iran War Vibe Check
It’s been a long time, we shouldnt have left you, but we got a dope pod to step too. Or at least…
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(Just Like) New START is Over
The New START treaty has expired leaving the US and Russia without a bilateral limit on offensive strategic arms for the first…
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Conscious Decoupling
U.S. Undersecretary of State Tom DiNanno accused China of conducting decoupled, low-yield nuclear tests including on June 22, 2020. Aaron and Jeffrey…
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Oreshnik Again
Russia has deployed the Oreshnik system in Belarus and then, from Russia, conducted another Oreshnik test. Jefffrey and Aaron discuss how the…
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A Pod of Dynamite
Jeffrey and Scott watched the new Kathryn Bigelow movie “House of Dynamite” and they both have opinions. The crew talks through both the…
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A Return to Nuclear Testing
Donald Trump directed “the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” with other countries. The Department…
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Pentagon Blocks Ukraine Strikes
Alex Ward and others at the Wall Street Journal reported on the details of a Pentagon review process that has halted Ukraine’s…
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Fly Burevestnik Fly!
The Slack channel noticed that Russia was gearing up to test the SSC-X-9 Skyfall nuclear-powered cruise missile (aka Burevestnik), which Jeffrey and…
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Iran’s Pathway to the Bomb
Aaron and Jeffrey finally deconflict their schedules to talk about the outcome of the Israeli-Iranian war, Iran’s pathway back to the bomb,…
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Israel Strikes Iran
Aaron and Jeffrey sat down to discuss the latest new from Iran, where Israel has been launching strike on leadership, nuclear, and…
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The Pahalgam Panic
In what seems like clockwork, India and Pakistan fought an “almost war” recently, prompting concerns about the risk of nuclear war. Aaron…
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Don’t Say JCPOA
The Trump administration appears to be willing to return to the JCPOA, so long as you do not call it the JCPOA.…
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Brilliant Swarms
Aaron and Jeffrey sat down for their first video podcast to discuss the cost of Brilliant Swarm, the name du moment of Brilliant Pebbles,…
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Orbital Collisions
Aaron and Jeffrey sat down to discuss the latest news about anti-satellite warfare and why bumping and grinding in the cosmos is…
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Tusk Muses About France’s Force De Frappe
Donald Tusk — not the indulgent follow up to the perfect Fleetwood Mac Album Rumours — mused recently about the future of…
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The Oreshnik IRBM
Russia launched an experimental, offensive missile into Ukraine, aimed at the PA Pivdenmash (former Yuzhmash) factory. This is a new world of…
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Fred Kaplan and A Capital Calamity
The legendary Fred Kaplan joins Jeffrey to talk about his brand new novel, A Capital Calamity. Fred and Jeffrey talk through the…
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The Big Honking Hyunmoo-V
An absolutely massive mobile ballistic missile was paraded in North…. …wait sorry…. South Korea. Force of habit. Decker joins Jeffrey to talk…
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A Chinese ICBM Test in the Pacific
China tested an ICBM deep into the Pacific Ocean, instead of short-shooting it into PRC deserts. Decker Eveleth joins Jeffrey to talk…
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Iran’s October Missile Raid
Iran just launched what may be the largest single missile raid in history, and Israel claims no Israeli deaths. While we’re still…
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Busting the Burevestnik
Friend of the Pod Decker Eveleth found the Burevestnik deployment site, it seems! Decker, of the CNA Corporation, has tracked down what…
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Russian Entanglement
Tom Schelling described escalation as a “curved slope” where you won’t be able to predict when the final drop occurs, and Ukraine…
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Typhon, Father of Monsters
Jeffrey and his team have been OSINT’ing the heck out of the deployment of the Typhon Strategic Mid-Range Fires (SMRF) ((Typhon Smurf?))…
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Iran and Israel’s Missile War
We have data! Jeffrey and Aaron walk through the new primary source data to figure out if either Iran’s missile raid or…
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Iran’s Once in a Lifetime Moment
And you may find yourself not complying with the IAEA And you may find yourself in a war in another part of…
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Russian Nuclear Doctrine in the Financial Times 2: A Conversation with William Alberque
William Alberque joins Jeffrey for a friendly and deep debate about the Russian Navy nuclear documents leaked to FT, covered in our…
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Russian Nuclear Doctrine in the Financial Times
Max Seddon and Chris Cook with the Financial Times have written an excellent piece on leaked Russian Naval documents that FT saw,…
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Jeffrey Visits the Test Site
Road trip to Vegas. As part of an NGO transparency visit, NNSA opened up the Nevada Test Site to a group of…
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Russia Buys North Korean Missiles
Shoigu went shopping. Russia is buying KN-23 and KN-25 missiles from North Korea and launching them in support of its invasion of…
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North Korea’s New Satellite
North Korea finally got a reconnaissance satellite into orbit, after several failed prior attempts! While it is a little rough around the…
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The Reason We’re all Still Here
Take a listen to the latest season of Jeffrey Lewis’s podcast, The Reason We’re All Still Here Far too often, governments behave like…
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Shenanigans in Novaya Zemlya
Looks like everyone is preparing for a party. Between Russia’s potential un-signing of a nuclear test treaty, threats to test “if the…
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Kim Jong Un’s Excellent Adventure
Sam Lair joins the podcast to talk about Kim Jong Un’s recent whirlwind tour of the North Korean Defense Industrial Base with…
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Oppenheimer
Jeffrey is joined by the illustrious Kelsey Atherton to discuss Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer, as well as the history and legacy of the…
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Hiroshima 2023
Jeffrey is back from Hiroshima, where he participated in a Track 2 nuclear dialogue. The outlook for near-term arms control is still…
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What the F*** Do They Think the Russians are Going to Shoot at Them?!
Germany has a gap that needs to be filled in the face of Russian threats. But this time it isn’t Fulda, it…
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Failure to Launch
Jeffrey is back from Japan and North Korea’s satellite-turned-submarine is back from the bottom of the ocean! North Korea’s failed Chollima-1 space launcher…
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Shangri-la Dialogue with Ankit Panda
Ankit Panda joins Jeffrey by the every so fancy pool at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where they talk about competing speeches…
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The CAT I is Out of the Bag
Ukraine is getting the SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missile, and that’s raising a whole lot of questions about MTCR guidelines Jeffrey and Aaron…
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The Washington Declaration
President Yoon of South Korea recently visited the United States to talk nukes and Don McLean with President Biden. Jeffrey and Aaron…
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FINALLY. North Korea’s Solid ICBM: The Hwasong-18
FINALLY. After almost a decade of hinting and teasing and parading fake empty canisters, North Korea has debuted its long-awated solid propellant…
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Iran, the IAEA, and the Kingdom
The IAEA is doing a great job with the s**t we’re handing them. A very jetlagged Jeffrey joins Aaron to talk about…
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The Actual Demise of New START
New START has been in peril for years. The first episode of the pod was about the INF Treaty being in danger,…
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Another North Korean Missile Parade
Jeffrey, Aaron, and Scott say the unthinkable: we’re a little tired of the parades. But we’re glad the youthes are still ordering…
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One of Them is Wrong About That
Both plan on going first, but… President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea is being piled on for discussing South Korean pursuits of…
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Detecting Missile Launches with Ionospheric Disturbances
Tyler Nighswander and Mike Nute have developed an incredible tool for detecting long-range missile and space launches by processing and visualizing ionospheric…
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How Sting Likes to Test
Jeeze that was a big missile. North Korea has tested another large ICBM, and this one was (another) doozy. Jeffrey and Aaron…
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New New START or New Finish?
The Biden administration has been working to re-kindle New START talks with Russia, while working to deter Russian WMD use in Ukraine,…
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The Lake-Bed Missile
Launch a missile get a pod Launch a missile get a pod Launch a missile get a pod Launch a missile get…
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Another Crazy Train
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is giving people brain worms. Multiple terrible reports, citing oSiNt aNaLyStS, have recently been released and grossly…
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The Janky Triad
Does North Korea have a triad? Perhaps a boostrapped, janky triad? How mature is their arsenal at this point? North Korea lobbed…
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Stealing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
What the heck is going on with the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Planet? Aaron and Jeffrey walk through the safety situation, the open…
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Rules for Testing a Nuke
Why isn’t North Korea testing nukes? What are the signals and signs that precede a test? Jeffrey and Aaron talk testing indicators,…
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The Last Days of the JCPOA
As the President visited various states in the Middle East, Jeffrey and Aaron sat down to eulogize the JCPOA renegotiation attempts as…
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The Wizards of Armageddon
Jeffrey and Aaron walk through a piece of foundational field canon, The Wizards of Armageddon by Fred Kaplan, discussing its coverage of institutional…
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Waiting for the Boom
After a brief hiatus due to Jeffrey’s house catching on a lil’ bit of fire, the Arms Control Wonk team is back…
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American ASAT Controls
The U.S. has unilaterally committed to not conducting destructive anti-satellite missile tests! Jeffrey and Aaron walk through what the U.S. has actually…
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Carrier Killer: China’s Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles and Theater of Operations in the early 21st Century
Gerry Doyle and Blake Herzinger join Jeffrey to talk about their new book: Carrier Killer: China’s Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles and Theater of…
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Test Three Missiles…
…get a pod. North Korea has conducted three (and, as I’m typing this, apparently four), ICBM (or ICBM element) tests, with two labelled…
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The Bunga Bunga Theory of Deterrence
Should we be worried that Russia may intentionally use nuclear weapons in Ukraine? Jeffrey and Aaron discuss the role nuclear weapons, conspiracy…
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Deterrence in Ukraine
Russia has invaded Ukraine, and some folks are arguing that Ukraine could’ve deterred Russia “if it had never given up nuclear weapons.”…
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Nuclear Security for Who?
Jasmine Owens, Lead Organizer and Policy Coordinator at the Physicians for Social Responsibility, joins Jeffrey to discuss social justice and nuclear weapons.…
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Networked Nonproliferation with Michal Onderco
Dr. Michal Onderco, Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, joins Jeffrey…
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Gimme Shelter
After North Korea tested its new MaRV twice, a bunch of weird news stories suddenly started breaking about U.S. responses. Flights were…
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North Korea’s MaRV
North Korea tested what appears to be a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV), which could support a tactical nuclear mission and subvert ballistic…
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North Korea’s Small SLBM
North Korea seems to be taking its new, small, solid propellant missiles to the sea, after taking them to the show. Perennial…
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A Fractional Orbital Bombardment System with a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle??
This is a complicated one. According to Demetri Sevastopulo at the Financial Times, China tested something that sounds a whole lot like…
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Glide or Die
Glide or die, baby. The North Koreans, on a real cavalcade of missile debuts reminiscent of 2017, have tested what they claim…
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All Aboard the Missile Train
Put another pot of coffee on because it is launch week again. North Korean launched two missiles off of the back of…
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Not Lackin’ LACMs
The DPRK tested a cruise missile, but this time it was a big one. Like “INF Treaty” big, if that term still…
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Boiling Fish at Yongbyon
Looks like Yongbyon is running a little hot. The IAEA has announced that it believes the DPRK is conducting a plutonium reprocessing…
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It’s Always Cloudy in Novaya Zemlya
Jeffrey and his team fear no cloud. Working with Capella Space to acquire cloud-piercing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, the MIIS team has been…
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Wasted Opportunities with the JCPOA
Bad news abounds for Iranian and US returns to JCPOA compliance. Aaron and Jeffrey talk through the frustration around breakout time requirements,…
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A Second Silo Field
Matt Korda and Hans Kristensen with the Federation of American Scientists have tracked down what appears to be a second field of…
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I Sing of Arms and the Man
American weapons systems need better names. Tom Karako, Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,…
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Nuclear Silos in the Chinese Desert
Decker Eveleth and Jeffrey Lewis’s team at CNS have found 119 silos for ICBMs out in the deserts of China. That’s the…
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The Space Launch Simorgh-asbord
Jeffrey’s team is at it again. This time, they (and Jonathan McDowell!) caught an unannounced (and failed) Iranian space launch attempt and…
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The Relevance of the Nuclear Posture Review
Is the Nuclear Posture Review something worth doing, or a massive waste of time and political capital? Jeffrey and Aaron vote “waste.”…
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Hyperbolic Hyper Hype
The hype is real. Maybe its a branding thing, maybe people forget ballistic missiles are a thing, maybe nobody thinks “glider force”…
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Israeli Rocket Motor Test
On April 20, an Israeli twitter user posted a video of a large smoky cloud to his Twitter account with the comment…
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A Tale of Two Launches
North Korea has been active the past few weeks, launching a set of cruise missiles (probably just coastal defense systems) and a…
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Making the Easy Stuff Hard: Re-joining the JCPOA
Biden campaigned on rejoining the JCPOA, but some of that enthusiasm has dried up since he took office. Aaron and Jeffrey debate…
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New START and the Future of Arms Control
President Biden has extended New START for five more years. But what are we going to do with those years? How to…
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Iran’s New Space Launcher: Zoljanah
Iran unveiled a new (mostly) solid-propellant space launcher, the Zoljanah! But it looks….different than the other space launchers. Besides having a new…
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Unraveling the Israeli Ballistic Missile Program
Israel maintains a technologically advanced but understudied ballistic missile arsenal. Jeffrey and Aaron dive into the French, South African, and American influences…
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North Korea’s Next Nukes
North Korea put on *another* parade, during the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Kim Jong Un dropped some fascinating…
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Fancy Ass SWERVE
On Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, the U.S. Air Force, in partnership with the Strategic Capabilities Office, conducted…
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The Donald and The Nuclear 7: Parting Shots
Nancy Pelosi has indicated that Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has assured her that there are safeguards against…
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North Korea’s Biggest ICBM Yet
Jeffrey and crew have been busy at work modelling the giant ICBM that the DPRK paraded in October 2020, as well as…
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New Year, New START, New Facilities in Iran
At the end of this awful year, Jeffry and Aaron talk about the future of arms control, the future of analytics, and…
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Dennis Gormley
Jeffrey and Aaron share stories about the life of Dennis Gormley, renowned proliferation scholar and celebrated professor. Dennis’s work on cruise missile…
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The 2020 North Korean Military Parade
On 10/10/2020, the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the Worker’s Party of Korea, the DPRK showed of a lot of missiles. Again.…
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Saving the World with Datayo
Melissa Hanham, director of Datayo and Deputy Director of the Open Nuclear Network, joins Jeffrey and Scott to talk about Datayo, a…
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The Deal
Now that a few episodes have dropped, Anne and Jeffrey talk about Jeffrey’s new project, The Deal. Jeffrey chronicles how researchers like…
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At The Brink
How do we step back from the brink and reduce the very real threat that nuclear weapons continue to pose? Nuclear weapons…
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The Deal Episode 1: The Revelation
In 2002, Corey Hinderstein, a young research analyst, follows a hunch after a routine press conference in Washington, D.C. The results of…
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The Deal: Promo
The Deal: The story of the Iran nuclear deal; how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for…
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Diamond Tempest in a Teapot
In 2018, the US and the UAE conducted a joint military exercise called Diamond Tempest. While looking through still images and videos…
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Lessons Learned from the War in Yemen
The war in Yemen has seen the highest usage of ballistic missiles since the Iraq War, and the highest usage of ballistic…
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The Wollo-Ri Suspected Nuclear Warhead Manufacturing Facility
Another day, another suspected nuclear facility in North Korea. Anne and Jeffrey discuss the Wollo-ri Suspected Nuclear Warhead Manufacturing Facility. They discuss…
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Mysterious Explosions in Iran
In a cross-over podcast with FPRI’s Middle East Brief, Aaron speaks with Fabian Hinz, a frequent guest on the podcast, about the…
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Renewed Nuclear Testing in… the U.S.?
John Hudson and Paul Sonne at the Washington Post broke the story that Trump administration officials have discussed conducting additional nuclear tests…
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What’s Up with Turkey’s S400?
Turkey previously announced that its S400 air defense regiment would be activated and in service by the end of April, 2020, after…
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Renewed Nuclear Testing in China?
The Wall Street Journal reported that “China might be secretly conducting nuclear tests with very low explosive power” based on the State…
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Iran’s Satellite and the IRGC Space Program
Iran launched a small satellite into orbit. But more importantly, it was Iran’s revolutionary guards, not the civilian space program, that did…
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Russia’s Nudol Anti-Satellite Missile Test
In mid-April, Russia tested a direct ascent anti-satellite missile (DA ASAT), the Nudol/PL19, against a point in space. Anti-satellite weapons are an…
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The IAEA’s questions for Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency has questions about three sites in Iran — but Iran doesn’t feel like answering. Aaron, Anne and…
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Tracking the PLA Rocket Forces
The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Forces used to be a nearly opaque organization to all but a few open-source researchers. Now, increased…
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Mort Halperin and the Okinawa Decision
Mort Halperin a giant as an academic and a policy practitioner. And he’s working on a memoir that covers his sixty year…
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Biden and the Bomb
Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. While the popular perception of Biden is that he’s quite moderate, on nuclear issues…
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The PLA Rocket Force’s Rapid Expansion
China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) has been very busy in the last few years, testing new high-tech missiles and standing…
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Visualizations and Verification
James Palmer of the UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment joins the ACW trio to talk about the importance of 3D modelling and data…
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Iran’s Space Launchers and Solid Missiles
Iran tested a satellite launch vehicle, and it failed. But this isn’t a reason to cheer. Iran showed off a lot of…
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Investigating PS752 with Open-Source Intelligence
After the Iranian ballistic missile raid on U.S. forces in Iraq, the IRGC appears to have accidentally shot down a Ukrianian airliner…
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Iran’s Missile Strikes in Iraq
As it turns out, the ACW trio thinks that Iran’s missiles are accurate. Super accurate. As Anne flies across the United States,…
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Iran’s Fifth Step
The ACW crew discusses the JCPOA…again. Iran has announced its 5th step away from the JCPOA. The trio discusses what that means,…
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The U.S.’s Post-INF Ballistic Missile
Launch a missile, get a pod, post-INF Treaty edition. On December 12, 2019, the U.S. Air Force and the Strategic Capabilities office…
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North Korea’s Mysterious Engine Test
Sohae is open for business! The ACW Gang talks North Korea’s recent engine test at Sohae and marvels (again) at the power…
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The Future of Opens Skies
What is the future of the Open Skies Treaty? The Arms Control Wonk trio talk the Open Skies Treaty, the conspiracy theories…
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Iran’s Four Steps
Iranian President Hasan Rouhani has announce yet another “step” away from the JCPOA, the fourth this year. As Iran resumes feeding UF6 into some…
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China’s 70th National Day Parade
Everybody loves a parade, especially one with missiles and drones. Superproducer Scott joins Jeffrey and Anne to discuss the new hardware displayed…
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Tailkits and the Turks: US Nuclear Weapons in Turkey
The New York Times reported recently that US officials are considering removing US nuclear weapons from Turkey. Aaron knows a bit about…
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North Korea’s New SLBM: The Pukguksong-3
It is finally here! Two years after seeing posters for the Pukguksong-3 during Kim Jong Un’s visit to the Chemical Material Institute of…
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An Iranian Missile Attack on Saudi Arabia?
Iran may have just rocketed oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The ACW trio asks what else is new, after time spent analyzing…
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Abadeh
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking just days before an election, revealed an alleged new nuclear site in Iran, dubbed Abadeh. On…
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Russia’s Mysterious Nuclear-powered Missile Accident
Russia tested something and maybe kinda sorta told the truth about a subsequent spike in radiation. What happened? who knows? In this…
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Deproliferation in the Debates
During one of the Democratic Presidential primary debates, Elizabeth Warren and Governor Whats-his-name sparred over nuclear weapons, no-first use and deproliferation. Aaron,…
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CTBTO 2019
Jeffrey and Anne attended the CTBTO’s 2019 Science and Technology Conference in Vienna, which means this is another Wienerpod! Aaron calls in…
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First Combat Use: Turkey’s Bora Missile
Turkey used a ballistic missile, the Bora, for the first time in combat. Launch a missile, get a pod! Aaron, Anne…
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Low-yield Nuclear Testing in Russia?
The United States intelligence community, or a portion of it, has concluded that Russia is conducting very low-yield nuclear tests. Aaron and…
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Middle East Missile Map
If see any news coverage about missile threats in the Middle East, nine times out of ten it is Iran’s missiles that…
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Iran and (more) Nuclear Archive
A nuclear archive. JCPOA news. B-52 bomber task forces. A naval armada. And Scuds on ships. What could go wrong? To break…
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North Korea’s New Short-Range Missile
Launch a missile, get a podcast. North Korea launched a short-range missile over the weekend and a Planet satellite was there to…
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Nuclear
The Trump Administration approved some 810s to Saudi Arabia. And INVAP is building a low power research reactor in Riyadh. What’s an…
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Mission Shakti: The Indian Anti-Satellite Test
Test a missile, get a pod. Kill a satellite? Get a podcast with a special guest. Ankit Panda joins Aaron and Jeffrey…
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Trump-Kim II: The Scapegoat Rodeo
The summit in Hanoi was a bust. New podcast co-host Anne Pellegrino joins Jeffrey and Aaron to discuss, as Joshua Pollack calls it, the Scapegoat Rodeo…
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IP3, Yeah You Know Me
The Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform wants answers to allegations about influence peddling and a grandiose plan to sell…
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The Demise of the INF and the Munich Security Conference
Judging from Twitter, the Munich Security Conference is talking about the demise of the INF Treaty. Jeffrey, back in California after his…
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KCN-eh? January’s other North Korea Developments
Andrea hosts one last KCN-eh? before heading off to the Great White North. Jeffrey joins in to talk about North Korea’s other…
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From Bone Saws to Ballistic Missiles
Satellite images taken by Planet Labs appear to show that Saudi Arabia has constructed a plant to manufacture solid propellant ballistic missiles.…
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Avangard: A Boost-Guide Primer
Russia tested a hypersonic missile, or at least they claimed to. As of now, Putin and Russian media have told us a…
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Kim Jong Un’s 2019 New Year’s Day Speech
Jeffrey and Aaron return from the holidays to talk about … North Korea. Kim Jong Un gave his traditional New Year’s Day…
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North Korea’s Expanding Missile Base
The CNS OSINT team did it again. While doing what one does on the weekend, looking at DPRK missile bases, Jeffrey and…
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KCN-eh? November’s other North Korea Developments
A Canadian discusses the month’s North Korea-related developments with some special guests. For November, Andrea is joined by Cristina Varriale of the Royal United…
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Nuclear Navies in South Asia
India has some nuclear naval news, with its defense minister claiming a successful “first deterrent patrol.” What does this mean for Pakistan…
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INF Basing Modes, Asia Edition
With the US on the precipice of withdrawing from the INF, all eyes have turned to China and its large number of…
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KCN-eh? October’s other North Korea Developments
A Canadian reviews the month’s North Korea news together with a special guest. Andrea and Ramon Pacheco-Pardo, the Korea Foundation-Free University Brussels…
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Pulling Out of the INF
The end of arms control, or a sub-culture run amok? In today’s special, live-recorded edition of the Arms Control Wonk podcast, Aaron and Jeffrey…
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A Future for Arms Control?
Aaron and Jeffrey return to the topic to discuss the potential for a New Start extension and what it could mean for the…
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If You See, Kay
US Ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, made some news. And not in a good way. She was trying to say that…
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KCN-eh? September’s other North Korea Developments
Andrea is joined again by John Hemmings, Director of Asia Studies at the Henry Jackson Society, to talk about the major developments…
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JCPO-eh? Iran, the EU, and the US
Andrea discusses friction between Europe and the United States over the Iran nuclear deal with Justine Walker, Director of Sanctions at UK Finance.…
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Nuclear Rationality and the 2020 Commission
In today’s episode, Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the 2020 Commission and its relationship with how we are conditioned to think about nuclear weapons. The…
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South Korean Missile Tracking
In today’s podcast, Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the geolocation work that underpinned Jeffrey’s research for his novel and how open source investigations…
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KCN-eh? July’s other North Korea Developments
It’s a family pod today! Andrea, Aaron, and Jeffrey review July’s new North Korean developments. They dive into the developments at Sohae…
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North Korea’s Continuing Missile Production
Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick have a bombshell story about North Korea producing one, possible two, Hwasong-15 ICBMs at its Sanumdong facility. …
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North Korea’s New Old Enrichment Site: Kangson
KANGSON. We have the (probable) location of North Korea’s original enrichment site: Kangson, now called Chollima. This is probably the spot where…
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KCN-eh? June’s other North Korea Developments
A Canadian reviews the last month’s news with two special guests. Andrea talks to CNS Senior Research Associate Melissa Hanham and FAS Adjunct…
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Sentosa Goat Rodeo
Jeffrey spent the past week making Singapore Slings but it didn’t help dull the pain. The conversation then turned to the summit…
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Russia’s Crashing Cruise Missile
Back in March, Putin said that Russia has been testing a nuclear-powered cruise missile and showed a little bit of video footage.…
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Iranian ICBMs, Shahrud, and an Important Safety Lesson
This is a full end-to-end OSINT episode, buckle up. Using satellite imagery, SAR data, Farsi-language television coverage, one rocket scientist’s favorite color,…
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KCN-eh? May’s other North Korea Developments
A Canadian reviews the last month’s news with a special guest. Andrea talks to Hamish Macdonald from NK News about what went boom at…
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The Libya Model and North Korean Nukes
What is going on with the Trump-Kim summit following the recent cancellation of a DPRK-ROK meeting? Will Trump and Kim meet? And…
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North Korean Nuclear Tunnels
Kim Jong Un said he is closing the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri. But if outside inspectors and exports aren’t allowed in,…
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KCN-eh? April’s other North Korea Developments – Part 2
A Canadian reviews the last few weeks of North Korea news with a special guest. Andrea chats with Antoine Bondaz from the Foundation for…
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Netanyahu and the Atomic Archive
Bibi showed off Iran’s bomb. And its pretty crappy. The slide show added some titillating details to what the world already knew…
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KCN-eh? April’s other North Korea Developments – Part 1
A Canadian reviews the last few weeks of North Korea news with a special guest. Andrea talks to Ramon Pacheco-Pardo from King’s…
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The Strike on Al Kibar
Haaretz dropped an incredible article with new details about the 2007 Israeli air strike on the nascent Syrian nuclear reactor at Al…
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KCN-eh? March’s Other North Korean Developments
A Canadian reviews the last month’s North Korea news with two special guests, Jeffrey and Aaron. It’s a family pod! Andrea discusses…
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Russian Nuclear Doctrine and Escalation
What is Russia’s nuclear doctrine? Jeffrey talks to Dr. Olga Oliker about Russian nuclear doctrine and developments. Unfortunately, she speaks Russian, which turns out…
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Novichok: The New Guy
The Russian chemical weapons attack in Salisbury is, sadly, not the first assassination to take place on UK soil. Jeffrey and Aaron spoke about…
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A Trump/Kim Summit
President Trump announced that he’s going to meet with Kim Jong Un. He seems to think that Kim Jong Un is giving…
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North Korean Missile Lunch
A delegation from South Korea visited Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. After a sumptuous lunch and what looked like a little booze,…
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KCN-eh? February’s Other North Korean Developments
Two Canadians review the last month of North Korean developments as they try to ignore Canada’s Olympic performance in curling and hockey.…
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Putin’s Nuke-a-palooza
Russian president Validimir Putin presented his annual address yesterday. He showed off a bunch of new or recent nuclear weapons systems, designed…
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Missile Materiel and Adventures in Munich
We’re back. After a brief hiatus, Jeffrey and Aaron return from their myriad trips. The show documents Aaron and superproducer Scott’s visit…
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KCN-eh? December and January’s Other North Korean Developments
A Canadian reviews the last two months’ North Korea news with a special guest. Andrea talks to Scott LaFoy for a whirlwind…
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Agonizing over the Agni
India launched the Agni-V intermediate-range ballistic missile. Launch a missile, get a pod. Aaron is skiing in Vail, so The Diplomat‘s Ankit Panda…
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Reviewing the Nuclear Posture Review
A draft of the Trump Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review has leaked — and its a doozy. Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the history of these…
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Tightening the Screws on the INF
The Trump Administration is naming names, confirming what Jeffrey has long said ? that the new cruise missile Russia is building in…
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The Donald and The Nuclear VI: Pushin’ My Buttons
We usually avoid chasing Trump’s tweets but when the President of the United States says his button is bigger than Kim Jong…
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Up Close and Personal with Iranian Drones
Ambassador Nikki Haley gave quite the presentation a few weeks ago. Standing in front of two Qiam/Burkan-2H missile pieces, the US Ambassador…
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Japan and JASSM
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera announced that Tokyo wants to acquire a pair of long-range cruise missiles — the 500 km-range Joint…
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Up Close and Personal with the Qiam
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley gave a dog-and-pony show with debris from the recent Houthi missile strikes against Saudi…
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A Swing and a Miss in Saudi Arabia
“A shot was just taken by Iran, in my opinion, at Saudi Arabia. And our system knocked it down,” Donald Trump told…
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KCN-eh? November’s Other North Korean Developments
A Canadian reviews the month’s North Korea news with a special guest. For November, Andrea talks to John Hemmings, the Director of the Asia…
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North Korea’s Big Frickin’ Missile
North Korea tested a new ICBM called the Hwasong-15. We’ll keep these show notes brief. Its frickin’ huge. Aaron, Jeffrey, and Scott discuss…
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The Donald and the Nuclear V: The Senate Strikes Back
“Liddle Bob Corker” and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the President’s authority to use nuclear weapons. A bipartisan…
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Missiles over the Middle East
Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, recently stated that Iran has no need to extend the range…
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South Korea’s Missile Arsenal Expands
The US and South Korea agreed to revise the missile guidelines that have limited South Korea’s missile programs since the 1970s. Aaron…
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KCN-eh? October’s Other North Korean Developments
A Canadian reviews the month’s North Korea news with a special guest. For October, Andrea talks to Adam Cathcart — a lecturer…
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Our Source was the New York Times
The New York Times has a splashy interactive editorial, “Trump’s Nuclear Arsenal.” It’s good, but gets a few things wrong — things…
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97% Invincible
President Trump said each of the missile defense interceptors at the Ground-based Midcourse Defense site in Alaska has a 97% chance of…
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Uranium Fever
No, Hilary Clinton did not sell America’s uranium to Russia. Aaron and Jeffrey attempt to patiently discuss the Uranium One purchase of…
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Decertification Day
Donald Trump announced a new “strategy” — loosely defined — for confronting Iran. Trump also will refuse to certify that Iran is…
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ICAN wins the Nobel Peace Prize
ICAN won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work on “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences…
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Scuttling Der Weinerplan
Donald Trump told the United Nations that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (aka the Iran nuclear deal aka the Vienna Plan…
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KCN-eh? September’s Other North Korean Developments
A Canadian reviews the month’s North Korea news with a special guest. For September, Andrea talks to Alison Evans — deputy head…
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Banks and the Bomb
Proliferators not only need to move goods around the world to support their WMD and missile programs, they need to move money…
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Tiny Nukes for Tiny Hands
The Trump Administration is reportedly mulling the development of new “low yield” nuclear weapons in its Nuclear Posture Review. But is this…
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North Korea’s Missile Submarine(s): Part 3
The final part in our three part series! Episode 1 can be found here. Episode 2 is here. This addendum episode includes…
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North Korea’s Missile Submarine(s): Part 2
In addition to a new ICBM and thermonuclear weapon, North Korea is also developing new class of solid-fueled missiles. Joseph Dempsey from…
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North Korea’s Missile Submarine(s): Part 1
In addition to a new ICBM and thermonuclear weapon, North Korea is also developing new class of solid-fueled missiles. Joseph Dempsey…
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North Korea Tests an H-bomb
Jeffrey was lounging at the beach with his phone off. You know what the means: NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR TEST TIME! North Korea…
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An Era Without Arms Control?
The relationship between the United States and Russia is in the toilet. The FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act contains a number…
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North Korean Sanctions and Shellfish
In all the squinting at shiny missile bits, the bigger picture on North Korea has gotten a bit lost. Jeffrey and Andrea…
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The Donald and The Nuclear Goblet of Fire (And Fury)
The fourth part in our The Donald and The Nuclear series. The crazy lunatic with the odd hair style and long-range nuclear…
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Iranian Space Launch and the JCPOA
Amidst all the hoopla surrounding North Korea’s ICBM, Iran launched a Simorgh, a rocket designed to put a satellite into space. Aaron…
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Hot Launch Hot Take
The DPRK just launched a looooong range missile. According to podfriend Ankit Panda, it went farther, higher, and farther than the July 4th…
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Banning the Bomb III: Subsection B
The second half of yesterday’s Banning the Bomb III. Make sure to listen to that one first. 122 countries just adopted…
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Banning the Bomb III: Subsection A
122 countries just adopted a treaty banning nuclear weapons, in the same week that North Korea tested an ICBM. Andrea, Gaukhar, and…
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North Korea’s New Missiles
No one has better sources in the U.S. government when it comes to North Korea’s missile program than the Diplomat’s Ankit Panda. …
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North Korea’s ICBM: Hwasong-14
Test a missile, get a pod. North Korea tested a missile. The big one. An ICBM. To discuss recent events, Aaron,…
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The Hyunmoo-2C: South Korea’s 800km Missile
South Korea tested the 800km Hyunmoo-2C ballistic missile … from a barge! New President Moon Jae-in was in attendance, resulting in…
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LORA at Sea
Norm enforcement: You test a missile, you get a pod. You test a missile in a shipping container, you get a pod…
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The Zolfaqar at War
Iran fired a number of ballistic missiles, including the new solid Zolfaqar missiles, from bases in Kermanshah and Kurdistan against at least two…
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The UAE’s Phantom Missile Arsenal
The UAE is a missile power. Who knew? In today’s episode, Jeffrey and Aaron discuss the UAE’s 1989 purchase of the Scud…
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MDA Shoots Down an ICBM Target
The US conducted a successful test, FTG-15, of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system designed to protect the United States against a…
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Banning the Bomb: Part 2
A group of countries is negotiating a convention to ban the use and possession of nuclear weapons. The chair has released a…
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BORA! BORA! BORA!
Turkey released footage of a test of a short-range ballistic missile, Roketsan’s Bora/Khan. You know the Arms Control Wonk rule, test a…
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The Hwasong-12, finally
North Korea has finally tested (successfully) a new missile — and boy it is a doozy. After the April 15 parade, we called…
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En Marche!
France has elected Emmanuel Macron as President, which is a chance for Jeffrey to inflict upon Aaron endless stories illustrating his love of…
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THAAD Deployment
Jeffrey and Aaron don’t really want to keep talking about North Korea, but there is a US THAAD battery sitting on a…
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THE GREENER BEE
Do you remember THE GREEN BEE? Where we talked about a mysterious Taiwanese ballistic missile that looked a lot like the Lance?…
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Reviewing that Iran Deal
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the the Trump Administration is conducting a comprehensive review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,…
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North Korean Missile Parade: JucheFest 2017
Where were you, April 15th? Because we were in front of our computers ironically tweeting about what new missiles North Korea would…
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Assad’s Chemical Weapons
Syria’s Bashar Al Assad has used chemical weapons (again.) Jeffrey and Aaron discuss what happened, why and what to do about it.…
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Banning the Bomb: Part 1
Why are more than 100 countries negotiating a legally binding prohibition on nuclear weapons, at the same time that Donald Trump is…
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BMD 101
Do you get lost in missile defense jargon? Have trouble with radar bands, layering, or interceptor types? Jeffrey and Aaron take a…
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North Korean Missile Operations
North Korea launched 4 extended range Scuds in March. They weren’t the long-awaited ICBM, but they are a big deal in their…
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Glocom and DPRK Fronts
Andrea Berger and James Pearson sit down to discuss their open source exposure of Glocom, a front company used by North Korea…
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The INF, NATO, and the MSC
Jeffrey just returned from the Munich Security Conference. On his way back, he passed through DC where he sat down with Aaron…
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KN-11 Ashore
North Korea tested the Pukguksong-2, a medium-range solid-fueled ballistic missile. Jeffrey says “I told you so,” Scott wonks out about the missile’s…
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NEW START UP
Donald Trump ordered up a new Nuclear Posture Review and reportedly told Vladimir Putin that the New START arms control treaty was…
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The Khorramshahr: BM-25 Musudan in Iran
Iran’s Khorramshahr missile may be the BM-25 variant of North Korea’s Hwasong-10, which the US calls the Musudan, which is based on…
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Nuke the Moon.
Jeffrey and Scott celebrate the Lunar New Year by sharing two stories about how the moon featured in the arms race. Scott…
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Please sir, May I launch another?
Trident’s latest test was rather underwhelming. The missile’s flight trajectory was error filled and flew at an unintended target (Disneyworld). Why? The…
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The Trump Dump: Sources and Methods
If you study nuclear weapons, you study something secret. Not surprisingly, we spend a lot of time in the arms control community…
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Shooting Down (Dumb Ideas About) North Korea’s ICBM
Jeffrey and Aaron discuss a number of inaccuracies in the public debate over North Korea’s long-range missiles and U.S. missile defenses, while…
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THE GREEN BEE
In the mid-60s, The Green Hornet was a popular TV show. Popular enough for the Taiwanese to apparently name an early ballistic missile…
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Andrea Berger Talks UNSC 2321
Can the North Koreans still trade coal effectively? What is going on with North Korean ships? Are transit lounges smokey dens of…
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Turkey and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Aaron and Scott talk about the Fourth Player in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Turkey was the lesser-known player in the Cuban Missile Crisis,…
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The Donald and the Nuclear 3: Tokyo Drift
Donald Trump can independently order the United States to launch nuclear weapons. No, really … he can independently order the use American…
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2 Donald 2 Nuclear
The election is over and Donald Trump is our president elect. The president elect and the nuclear did make regular appearances on…
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Egypt’s Missile Programs
Did you know Egypt has a robust ballistic missile program? And has had, since the 1960s? Or that Egypt worked with Argentina and…
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China’s HQ-19 Hit-to-Kill Interceptor
Scott Lafoy sits in for Aaron as Scott and Jeffrey discuss China’s hit-to-kill program being tested out of Korla in China’s western…
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START UP
Donald Trump made a bunch of crazy claims about the 2010 New START treaty, misnaming it the START UP treaty. And, on top of…
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Iskander, INF and Kaliningrad
Russia deployed the Iskander missile system to its tiny enclave of Kaliningrad for a training exercise and is reportedly churning out ground-launched…
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Yemen’s Burkan-1 Missile
Yemen showed off a new missile called the Burkan-1 that looks an awful lot like an Extended Range Scud (aka the Scud…
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On Fabius and the Iran Deal
Former French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has written an article for The Washington Quarterly that dishes some of the dirt about negotiations…
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ICBM Basing Modes
There is a healthy debate about how much a new ICBM will cost the US Air Force. One question is whether to base the new…
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Hilary and the LRSO
Leaked audio proves that Hilary Clinton revealed her secret plan to cancel the nuclear-armed cruise missile at a fundraiser in February. Except…
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The Donald, The Nuclear and No First Use
During the first Presidential debate, Donald Trump was asked about whether the United States should pledge not to be the first to use…
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The Security Council and the Test Ban
Jeffrey and Aaron take to the podcast to discuss UN Security Council Resolution 2310, which calls for an end to nuclear testing…
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Dudes from the SHIG II: Electric Boogaloo
Jeffrey and Aaron discuss North Korea’s test of new rocket engine.
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Barry’s Legacy and the Bomb
Like every other two term President, Barack Obama has turned attention in the final months has turned to his legacy, and what…
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Another North Korean Nuclear Test
North Korea conducted yet another nuclear test. On a school night. New podcast.
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MIRVs!
“MIRV” stands for Multiple Independently-targetable Re-entry Vehicles, the ability to put lots of very accurate nuclear warheads on a single missile. Michael…
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Russia, China, and the US discuss the Norks
Jeffrey and the Center for Nonproliferation Studies have been busy hosting a series of track 1.5 dialogues in the foggy bit of…
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South Korea and the Bomb
Would South Korea ever build the bomb? Probably not, but there is a constituency in the country that has thought about it.…
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Kim Jong Un’s Bomb
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visited a missile factory and posed with a nuclear weapon promoting the obvious question: Which one is Fat Man…
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The North Korean Missile Threat and Alliance Reassurance
The DPRK launched a small satellite using its latest SLV, the Kwangmyŏngsŏng. In response, the United States and its regional allies deployed…
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Dudes from the Shig
The U.S Treasury Department sanctioned individuals in the UAE and Iran, including some “dudes from the SHIG” for cooperation with KOMID. What…
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North Korea’s KN-11 Goes Kablooie
North Korea tested a submarine launched ballistic missile called the KN-11. The North Koreans released footage of the test that showed the…
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North Korea Tested an H-Bomb?
North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, claiming it was an H-bomb. Was it? Aaron Stein returns to talk with Jeffrey about North…
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Russian Cruise Missiles
Russian cruise missiles are in the news lately, from allegations from strikes in Syria to ongoing allegations that Russia is violating the…
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Campaign Against Red Mercury
Red Mercury. It does not exist and anyone promising you riches for it is a conman. Following CJ Chivers massive story in…
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Parchin Puzzle
The IAEA has completed its managed access to Iran’s Parchin site, which reportedly included the taking of samples and images. The process…
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The Bombing of Hiroshima
In this week’s podcast, Jeffrey speaks to Aaron live from Hiroshima. Seventy years after the first use of nuclear weapons, Aaron and…
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Sanctions and the Iran Deal
Sanctions relief is a super important part of the Iran deal. It can also be kind of boring. We know boring. We…
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We have a deal!
After months of negotiations, the EU3+3 and Iran have signed a nuclear agreement. Jeffrey was so excited he got up at 3:30…
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A Region in Flux: Proliferation Concerns in the Middle East
After a four week absence, Aaron returns to the show to discuss the current state of the Middle East and related nonproliferation…
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North Korea’s Submarine Launched Missile
In May, North Korea released pictures of the Kim Jong Un watching the launch of what appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic…
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NPT Review Conference Follies II
The 2015 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, known among wonks as the REVCON, collapsed in acrimony. If that sounds familiar,…
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NPT Review Conference Follies I
The 2015 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, known among wonks as the REVCON, collapsed in acrimony. After weeks of debate…
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China MIRVs Some Missiles
The Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military power (PDF) describes for the first time, China’s CSS-4 mod 3 missile equipped with multiple…
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Keeping up with the Kims
Iran has been dominating the news, but the North Koreans have been busy too. Whether it is missile testing, nuclear activities at…
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535 Secretaries of State
A bill to have both Houses of Congress vote on any deal between Iran and the E3/EU+3 to limit Tehran’s nuclear program…
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Modernization Molehill
The United Kingdom is having an election in May. Inexplicably, the issue of whether London can afford to replace its fleet of…
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The Framework Nuclear Agreement with Iran
We have a deal! Or, at least, a “framework” agreement between Iran and the E3/EU+3. Whether the negotiators can hammer out the…
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Israel’s H-Bomb
The circus continues! In Obama’s America, the truth is revealed! The US helped with Israel’s H-Bomb. But wait, there’s more! To punish…
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Iran Talks Have Become a Coughing Goat Rodeo
With negotiations between Iran and the E3/EU+3 coming down to the wire, Aaron and Jeffrey talk about the circus surrounding the talks…
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Putin’s Dead Hand
Russia’s last early warning satellite is dead. It is no more, has ceased to be, is bereft of life, it rests in…
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The Terse End to Cooperative Threat Reduction
Its cold in Moscow. On a chilly day in a hotel overlooking Red Square, Boston Globe reported “the Russians informed the Americans…
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Modernization Mountain: Ash Carter and the Aging Triad
After a series of scandals, incoming Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has some tough choices to make about US nuclear weapons and…
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When Open Source Goes Wrong
We love open source. We talk about it all of the time. But it went wrong – like really wrong – in…
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Cruisin’
What’s up with Taiwan’s cruise missile program? What in the world compelled the Taiwanese government to deploy the HF-2E in poorly disguised…
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Geospatial Analysis and the Serial Podcast
We love Serial. But what does it have to with arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament – nothing, really. So why talk about…
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The Monarchy’s Missiles
Today, Jeffrey and Aaron discuss the history of Saudi Arabia’s missile program and the reasons for the Kingdom’s new openness vis-a-vis its…
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The Little Green Men and a New Cruise Missile
The INF debate continues. The controversy about Russia’s new cruise missile raises a number of key questions about American strategy in Europe:…
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An Autonomous SecDef?
Washington is a mess. We are fighting three wars and we don’t have a Secretary of Defense. In this episode of the…
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The Redline: Iran and the January Deadline
7 months! Really? 7 Months! Is it over? After the recent extension of the JPOA, Jeffrey and Aaron felt it necessary to…
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Negotiating with Tehran
After sitting poolside for two weeks, Arms Control Wonk podcast co-host Aaron Stein returns to talk with Jeffrey and Shashank Joshi about…
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Monitoring Missile Proliferation with Open Source Tools
How does Jeffrey find time to podcast? He has super talented staff to do the real work! Jeffrey talks with Melissa Hanham…
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Open Source Verification
How can open source information help verify arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation agreements? Jeffrey and Aaron talk with the NTI’s Corey Hinderstein.…
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Space and Emerging Technologies: Future Proliferation Threats
Aaron and Jeffrey talk with Theresa Hitchens, the Director of UNIDIR, about life in Geneva, space, and emerging technologies. The podcast begins…
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Screwing up in Iraq
The Iraq Survey Group did a poor job. How did the ISG miss so many pre-1991 chemical weapons? Did Donald Rumsfeld do…
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Where is Kim Jong-Un?
Where is Kim Jong-Un? Is he sick? Has there been a coup? Or is North Korea simply trolling DPRK watchers? Today, Jeffrey…
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Concerns about Iran’s Nuclear Program in the Gulf
What are the regional perceptions of Iran’s nuclear program? Are the Gulf States obsessed with breakout times and the Arak reactor, or…
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Interview with CTBTO’s Zerbo
Last week, Dr. Lassina Zerbo, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBO), paid a visit to us at…
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Full Frontal? Verifying a Nuclear Deal with Iran
Aaron took a long weekend in Istanbul, but Jeffrey and Karl were hard at work! Jeffrey talks to Christopher Bidwell, a senior…
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Putin’s Nuclear Threat
Did Vladimir Putin just threaten the West with nuclear weapons? Could nuclear weapons be used in Europe? What is Russia’s nuclear doctrine?…
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A Hypersonic Arms Race
What is the status of China’s and the United States’ hypersonic weapons programs? What can open source tell us about China’s most…
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An Expensive Burden: Nuclear Weapons in Europe
Are NATO based nuclear weapons an advantage in a dangerous world? Or are they an expensive and obsolete weapon that undermine NATO…
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Satellites Under Threat: The Spread of Hit-To-Kill
What are the implications of the spread of hit-to-kill? What are the differences between ground based missile defense interceptors and anti-satellite weapons?…
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Russia and the INF: Don’t Call it a Circumvention
What should we make of the United States’ conclusion that Russia has violated the INF? What do we know about the violation?…
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Open Source and the MH17 Shootdown
What open source information is out there about the MH17 shootdown? Do the rebels have the Buk missile system that reportedly downed…
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The Motorcycle Diaries: Japan’s Nuclear Program
Has the focus on the unlikely possibility of a nuclear-armed Japan distracted from more important policy challenges that threaten the shared interests…
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Double Dragon: Open Source and North Korean Missile Launches
Why did North Korea just test two Scud missiles? Was North Korea responding to the US-South Korean military exercise? Does the pairing…
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The Cruise Missile Conundrum
Are cruise missiles proliferating? Are the North Koreans in the cruise missile business? How has open source helped analysts track cruise missile…
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Open Source and Arms Control
How has open source impacted arms control and nonproliferation research? How has work done by the likes of Eliot Higgins impacted our…
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The Rebalance and the Shangri La Brouhaha
Tension boiled over at the Shangri La Dialogue last week. Are the tensions a cause for concern in the arms control community?…
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The Trillion Dollar Triad?
It’s budget time in the United States! And what’s on the agenda – nuclear weapons. Today, Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the plans…
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The Sensor Gap and Open Skies
Is there a sensor gap? Today, Jeffrey and Aaron discuss the Treaty on Open Skies, Russia’s new spy plane, the sensor gap,…
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Burma’s Suspicious Defense Facility
What is Burma building in the jungle? In this week’s podcast, Jeffrey and Aaron discuss Jeffrey’s and Catherine Dill’s two recent pieces…
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Podcast: Iran and the JPOA
Can the West verify a deal with Iran over its nuclear program? Jeffrey and Aaron discuss Ken Pollack’s oped in the New York Times…
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Missiles on Parade: The Saudi DF-3
Jeffrey and I discuss the Saudi decision to unveil the Kingdom’s DF-3 missiles. The conversation begins with a brief discussion about the…
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Will North Korea Test a Nuclear Weapon?
Is North Korea about to test (another) nuclear weapon? Or perhaps more than one? Jeffrey Lewis and Aaron Stein discuss the possibilities.
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Podcast: The INF and the Dismemberment of Ukraine
In the inaugural Arms Control Wonk Podcast, Jeffrey and I discuss the alleged “circumventions” of the INF Treaty, the situation in Ukraine,…