Annie Jacobsen

Billy Waugh, who was my subject of my main sort of central figure in a book I wrote about the CIA's paramilitary called Surprise, Kill, Vanish. And Waugh halo-jumped. a tactical nuclear weapon into the Nevada test site with a small team, almost unknown to anyone, right? Only recently declassified. And so his position was like, tactical nuclear weapons may end up being used.

Billy Waugh, who was my subject of my main sort of central figure in a book I wrote about the CIA's paramilitary called Surprise, Kill, Vanish. And Waugh halo-jumped. a tactical nuclear weapon into the Nevada test site with a small team, almost unknown to anyone, right? Only recently declassified. And so his position was like, tactical nuclear weapons may end up being used.

Billy Waugh, who was my subject of my main sort of central figure in a book I wrote about the CIA's paramilitary called Surprise, Kill, Vanish. And Waugh halo-jumped. a tactical nuclear weapon into the Nevada test site with a small team, almost unknown to anyone, right? Only recently declassified. And so his position was like, tactical nuclear weapons may end up being used.

So I'm trying to speak here to the scope of different people I have interviewed over the years, right? And what has happened is as I've gotten closer to the present day, you know, in arrears, there seems to be a growing movement from some of these cold warriors off the position of nuclear weapons make us great and strong toward war. Something must be done to reduce this threat.

So I'm trying to speak here to the scope of different people I have interviewed over the years, right? And what has happened is as I've gotten closer to the present day, you know, in arrears, there seems to be a growing movement from some of these cold warriors off the position of nuclear weapons make us great and strong toward war. Something must be done to reduce this threat.

So I'm trying to speak here to the scope of different people I have interviewed over the years, right? And what has happened is as I've gotten closer to the present day, you know, in arrears, there seems to be a growing movement from some of these cold warriors off the position of nuclear weapons make us great and strong toward war. Something must be done to reduce this threat.

Yes. Well, for that, you want to go to the experts, right? So for Russia, for example, there's a guy called Pavel Podvig, who is probably the West's top expert on Russian nuclear forces. He works in parallel with the UN. He also studied in Moscow. My information comes from him. You do all the footwork to know what questions to ask, and then you take the very specific questions to him.

Yes. Well, for that, you want to go to the experts, right? So for Russia, for example, there's a guy called Pavel Podvig, who is probably the West's top expert on Russian nuclear forces. He works in parallel with the UN. He also studied in Moscow. My information comes from him. You do all the footwork to know what questions to ask, and then you take the very specific questions to him.

Yes. Well, for that, you want to go to the experts, right? So for Russia, for example, there's a guy called Pavel Podvig, who is probably the West's top expert on Russian nuclear forces. He works in parallel with the UN. He also studied in Moscow. My information comes from him. You do all the footwork to know what questions to ask, and then you take the very specific questions to him.

I learned from him about how the Russian command and control goes down. And it's very similar to ours because America and Russia have been at sort of nuclear dueling with one another for 75 years now. And so everything we have, they have, right? With the exception of we have a great satellite system and they have a super flawed one. Theirs is called Tundra. And even...

I learned from him about how the Russian command and control goes down. And it's very similar to ours because America and Russia have been at sort of nuclear dueling with one another for 75 years now. And so everything we have, they have, right? With the exception of we have a great satellite system and they have a super flawed one. Theirs is called Tundra. And even...

I learned from him about how the Russian command and control goes down. And it's very similar to ours because America and Russia have been at sort of nuclear dueling with one another for 75 years now. And so everything we have, they have, right? With the exception of we have a great satellite system and they have a super flawed one. Theirs is called Tundra. And even...

Pavel Podvik admitted that there are serious flaws in Tundra. The Russian satellite system, for example, can mistake sunlight for flames, can mistake clouds for a nuclear launch. This is a fact, okay? And, you know, what was interesting in interviewing him was also this recent, very, very dangerous shift in Russian nuclear policy, which is this.

Pavel Podvik admitted that there are serious flaws in Tundra. The Russian satellite system, for example, can mistake sunlight for flames, can mistake clouds for a nuclear launch. This is a fact, okay? And, you know, what was interesting in interviewing him was also this recent, very, very dangerous shift in Russian nuclear policy, which is this.

Pavel Podvik admitted that there are serious flaws in Tundra. The Russian satellite system, for example, can mistake sunlight for flames, can mistake clouds for a nuclear launch. This is a fact, okay? And, you know, what was interesting in interviewing him was also this recent, very, very dangerous shift in Russian nuclear policy, which is this.

Many Russian experts will tell you that Russia has always maintained that it never had a launch on warning policy. Now, I don't know if I believe that's true, but I'm just telling you what they say. And this is coming from the generals, the Cold War generals in Soviet Russia saying, oh, no, no, no, we would wait. They were kind of playing the noble warrior.

Many Russian experts will tell you that Russia has always maintained that it never had a launch on warning policy. Now, I don't know if I believe that's true, but I'm just telling you what they say. And this is coming from the generals, the Cold War generals in Soviet Russia saying, oh, no, no, no, we would wait. They were kind of playing the noble warrior.

Many Russian experts will tell you that Russia has always maintained that it never had a launch on warning policy. Now, I don't know if I believe that's true, but I'm just telling you what they say. And this is coming from the generals, the Cold War generals in Soviet Russia saying, oh, no, no, no, we would wait. They were kind of playing the noble warrior.

We would wait to absorb a nuclear attack. until we launched. So many Americans, experts will tell you that that's just posturing and propaganda, but that was their official position. And that changed just two years ago when Putin gave a speech and he said that their position had changed, that they will no longer wait to absorb an attack, that once they learn of, how did he phrase it?

We would wait to absorb a nuclear attack. until we launched. So many Americans, experts will tell you that that's just posturing and propaganda, but that was their official position. And that changed just two years ago when Putin gave a speech and he said that their position had changed, that they will no longer wait to absorb an attack, that once they learn of, how did he phrase it?