I haven't read a book in 30 years, I read this 400-page book in 4 days. Incredible information as bleak and terrifying as it is, a must read to understand how close we are to destruction.
How wonderful to listen to a well-spoken, articulate, knowledgeable person on possibly the most important subject of our time. I can’t listen to people drunk with emotions, which is most people in mainstream media and to a lesser extent, TH-cam and the like, and people in general. I applaud sober people who speak clearly and intelligently and who don’t spew their emotional energy all over the listener. High praise to Annie and my deepest thanks to her for sharing the facts of such a deeply serious matter in such a calm and reasonable way. Thanks Annie for making palatable, what is unthinkable. I plan to get the audio of this woman’s remarkable book.
I agree 100% She'll even put the mozzies here in Africa to sleep! What a soothing voice this lady has. Just imagine her counting down the doomsday missiles. I'll be fast asleep before the first one hits... (What has humanity come to?)
Just started to listen to this and she talks about satellites being used for that video call which is likely not the case and machine learning being used to calculate missile trajectories which probably isn't the case now either and definitely wasn't the case before.
Tuesday afternoon, June 14,1983, I took a nap and a had a dream concerning a nuclear attack on Honolulu Hawaii. When I woke up from the nap a dark aberration darted high across the bed room wall in front of me. I was 20 at the time. I still remember this dream in detail.
Her voice is pure ASMR. She is talking about complete destruction, yet I still have so much comfort just from hearing her voice. She could make millions from audio books ❤😂
Just the opposite for me. I can’t mesh the serious historian with the constant Valley Girl “right?”that is tossed onto the end of way too many sentences.
Annie, your hair is on point and you look fantastic. Thank you for kicking ass on this book tour alp over social media. Always a pleasure listening to you talk about the newest novel in your stable. As a big fan i think this is the best novel to date. So chilling and real with the explanation over that 72 min of destruction that should never happen.. love you too bits Annie, thank you.
Even in Canada, the US owns a lab in many upper air stations with air scrubbers that detect radioactive isotopes. These filters are changed regularly and the difference in time between detection between locations allows triangulation of where the isosopes came from. In this way, nuclear incidents or tests above ground cannot be hidden. The Americans can find the location of any such event anywhere on the planet.
I've watched a number of her interviews.. Joe Rogan was almost 3 hours long. On every one i learn new info! You are an excellent interviewer! You ask pertinent questions and allow Ms. Jacobsen to fully answer without interrupting! Thank you! Very professional! 👏
I am just old enough, a child of the late 60s, that early in my grade school we twice did a nuclear war drill...which involved orderly and quick evacuation to.the school basement one time and literally ducking under our desks and covering our heads the other time. I was very young and didn't understand at the time what exactly a nuclear war would entail, but those drills instilled a lifelong fascination with weaponry. Janes Defense magazine, any books and government issues pamphlets, etc. have been a part of my life. In my teenage years I already recognized how laughable the drills of ducking under a desk were. The 80s were a really tense time and after the fall of the Soviet Union, nuclear worries lessened and one impact of that is how little too many people understand about nuclear weapons, their impact on humanity and how close we have been at various times and now once again we are to a nuclear exchange. It's a terrifying thought and a sad narrative on how primitive human beings are by continuing to have such instruments available at the press of a button. As far as we have come, we are ultimately still a bunch of dick wagging, blundering primates. Cheers.
Because with 5 minutes warning {INF Europe days}....you don't have time to get/collate/organize the opinions of 300M people. 25 minutes for ICBMs? I SUPPOSE we could organize a FAST plebiscite at 2:02AM on any random Sunday.
If we were going to strike N. Korea, wouldn’t we use submarines? Just curious because Annie describes a scenario where we would “go over pole” and Russia using ICBM’s.
Her goal as an author is to tie in all the actions in a Nuke War often she uses specific examples to do this so it's not exactly Realistic but the specific actions are. Lastly, she ignores Presidential Directive PD-60 which states we are not in Launch on Warning Mode currently but must absorb a strike before we can retaliate. Check it out for yourself PD-60! ! !
It would be B-2 spirits and B-21 Raiders dropping bombs. Submarines would only be a first strike option if we knew there would not be a retaliation. Subs are meant to be an automatic retaliation. The moment you launch they can be seen, so it would be highly advantageous to use a stealth bomber so they wouldn't even know it was happening until the bomb bay doors opened.
Glad she is talking about the fallacy of the current U.S interceptor system. I can't believe how many people believe the interceptors are a credible defense in their current guise.
Correct. Deploying a system that would intercept even 80% of nuclear missiles would cost 2 or 3 Trillion dollars. But if we deployed such a system, an adversary could just massively increase decoys to counter. Since decoys cost a tiny fraction of what interceptors cost, you can't ever win this race.
@@danielkennedy2371 Still only good for only a rogue launch or too. Strategically, the interceptor concept totally fails in an actual nuclear war because interceptors cost hundreds of times as much as extra decoys. Intractable problem.
@@skenzyme81SPOILER: In the book, it's a rogue ICBM that the interceptors fail to shoot down. And it's the rogue detonation that causes the general nuclear exchange between the superpowers. The book NEEDS a failure to intercept a rogue nuke to set up the general nuclear exchange scenario.
Annie...ive listened to your book several times on Spotify..i was born in 1972...it was real..great to hear what really happened...your truth..mirrors what happened...in only 30mins the world can end
It’s going to happen the only question is when. Humans will never learn not to destroy themselves. If someone has something that you desire and can’t get the response is to take it by force by many people. The reason countries have military’s is not about defending themselves it’s about imposing their countries will on others that think differently.
The closest we came to nuclear war was during the Cuban Missile Crisis when an insane US navy captain attacked a Soviet submarine by dropping depth charges on it. That was an act of war and the Soviet sub commander and political officer, between them, were authorized to launch a nuclear torpedo if attacked by the US navy. The commander wanted to launch the nuke at a US carrier and the political officer disagreed so the carrier didn't get nuked. Also, the Soviet commander in Cuba was cleared to use Frog tactical nuclear missiles to defend Cuba against a US invasion. If JFK had given the order to start WW III by invading Cuba, it would have gone nuclear in the first hour. That is worth considering with all the neocon lunatics advocating a NATO attack on Russia. The lesson of the Cuban Missile is that there may not even be a conventional phase to WW III. It could go nuclear immediately. The other close call was when the US was doing a nuclear exercise called Able Archer, in 1983, that the Soviets took for the real thing so they had their nuclear forces on high alert. Then the Russians had a glitch with their early warning system that gave them a false warning of a US ICBM launch. There was a Soviet officer with orders to launch on warning but he disobeyed orders and waited for conformation. He lost his job but he saved the world. The lesson of that close call is that it is dangerous to cause the other side to put their nuclear forces on high alert.
The US destroyer dropped charges designed to tell the sub it knew where it was and it should surface. They were not depth charges designed to sink the sub. Please check your facts.
There were two events in 1983 that were much closer to WW3: 1. The NATO maneuver Able Archer and 2. A false alarm from a Russian satellite that reported the launch of US nuclear missiles. We have the Russian officer Stanislaw Petrov to thank for the fact that we are still alive.
I have often wondered if that story about Russian officer Stanislaw Petrov is true. I am not anti-Russian or anything but the story is like a PR story for Russians, and there is probably no way to confirm that it happened.
I got the audio book...and, as former USAF Intelligence, I was amazed at the authenticity, the detail, and the horror. It is definitely worth reading or listening to.
I read her book a few weeks ago. Fascinating, terrifying, etc. The problem I had with the scenario was as 36:00, the idea the US would fire missiles that fly over Russia in order to hit North Korea. They could just launch SLBMs from the Pacific.
That's exactly how they would strike N. Korea for reasons as mentioned in this video. Plus a strike from a sub would cut the time from launch to impact almost in half.
She mentions The Day After. British film Threads is much more terrifying. I saw the ABC movie the nite it was telecast, Threads a few years later at a small boutique theater. Threads was, IMO, much more realistic.
Threads was, in some sense, more realistic because the post nuclear narrative doesn't go beyond 20 or so kilometers. Everything becomes local. Decent into chaos even more local.
Totally agree. I remember being terrified by Threads when I watched it as a teenager. So well done. Seems like less people watched because not many have mentioned it.
Bought her book on audible and on amazon to try to support her for doing such great, detailed work. Looking forward to reading it (but at the same time not, lol)
I've ordered the book. I've been morbidly fascinated by this subject since I was nine years old when I saw The War game, Threads (the definitive film on nuclear war) and The day after when they were aired by the BBC and ITV in 1985. I have several books on the subject. I look forward to reading it. Thank you Annie. x
I would not characcterize your interest as 'morbid'. I am nearing 70 and have been interested in science and been deeply and philosophically concerned about the long term existence of humankind and life in general on this planet. I sort of grew up in the right environment with thoughtful influences throughout my youth. I also have been deeply interested and concerned over the decades as we have moved increasingly toward self-extinction and civilizational collapse. This is (or should be) a deep and serious area of concern by all who value life and civiliztion. (And I as well have seen, and recommend) the movies _The Day After, Threads, Dr. Strangelove, By Dawns Early Light, Fail Safe,_ the TV mini-series _World War III,_ and probably others I am not aware of or have forgotten.)
For such an expert there are a few holes in her information. The US has Attack Subs following every single Russian Sub. Not that the Russian sub-fleet ventures out much anymore. Also, we would not use ICBMs on North Korea. We would use SLBMs (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles) and/or nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
Chris Evans not cool just like you power back and look and time we be you and hope you would love that and look at you do that show that happen now that this is good news soon gool thanks again this morning so you
@@robk8463 Chris Evans just me first so I can help you would love people so I can do anything with them and I can find out now if we do anything from this one day did you take now and see how much is do next week we will talk tomorrow night
True. Russian Subs are outdated except the new Borej A class. They could and would easily being detected and followed by modern attack subs. So they won´t be able to launch their missiles because they will be destroyed before that. The 2 new Borejs might be harder to track. But perhaps they are a hoax like the Armata Tank and other "gamechanger" Russia only has on paper.
Icbms are in a fixed location and the location of these nukes are well known. We could lose their capabilities if there was an attack. They also are the quicker option to use as they are out in a minute. It would make sense to use the visible option. Also these sites are considered sponges, they will be attacked because of their visibility.
You are wrong. We would get up now to obligate all countries to destroy all Nuclear Weapons. But we are unconscious bipedal mammals lost in our imaginary world
50% miss rate by interceptors? Maybe - it's a tough gig. However these interceptor missiles exist to guard against one or two launches from rogue states - generally seen as a more likely threat. No one in their right mind would think that 44 interceptors can deal with a massive Russian or Chinese attack - why is this even brought up as a serious issue?
Exactly. It was BS propaganda when Putin said he needed to develop hypersonic glide vehicles to counter US ABM tech. He knows our interceptor program is intended for NK and Iran.
Actually, I think that the problem of nuclear weapons remains soluble. The problem is that no one has ever really understood it in the first place--and that's what we need: to understand it in the first place.
"The only way to win is not to play" is a good quote from a movie, but apparently we have some rogue actors out there saying "if can't get what I want, then we all die." Trying to squirm out of MAD for "reasons". As if they are holding the globe hostage. In that case, we die free.
What I'm waiting for you to discuss, because I worked on an SSBN back in 1982 while working at NNS, IS HOW MANY MISSILES OFF OF HOW MANY SUBMARINES IT WOULD TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH THE TASK I was around the military just enough to know the vast majority of what I don't know. I'm glad you all know what you know, because I know enough to know that I don't want to know anymore.
Things to think about.......container based nukes, hypersonic nukes, dirty bomb nukes smuggled in from the " open border" Or satelite nukes already in orbit...just waiting. That would be truly destructive because of the EMP . I don't think that an ICBM will be the first use choice
I would guess EMP would be the enemies first choice, no outright killing of millions. Implosion vs explosion. The country would implode in mere weeks, maybe just days. And I don't think that the country would respond in an escalatory manner, it might be near impossible to find out who delivered it. Just my opinion.
As for interceptors - - - per Dr. R. Wagner - - - who was involved in the initial interceptor program - - - the weapon used to knock down the incoming physics package was also a nuclear weapon not to blow the incoming physics package up but through radiation the physics package would be neutralized. so the interceptor need only to come close by about two miles in diameter. the issue was that the interceptors would cause more nuclear issues than not. then Wagner and his team was tasked with creating physics package shields. at that point he quit. Per Wagner, as for EMP, its 50,000 feet over Kansas and unless the computer(s) is(or) hardened (covered in billow pads) they are all gone. any auto made without a computer will run, the rest won't - - - anything with a vacuum tube is fine.
I grew up in the Soviet Union and we had a nuclear underground concrete shelter next to every school and drill what to do in case of nuclear attack. I don't see any nuclear shelters in major cities in the US, and that nuclear shelters should be constructed and ready asap!
They are pointless. Sure you might survive the initial blast, but then you'll be dead in the coming weeks due to radiation fallout, starvation, disease, etc. All of society will collapse. There will be no supplies coming in. You simply cannot survive a nuclear war in the long run unless you are some elite mountain man living off the grid in the middle of the woods in a remote country and that's like super rare. 99.9999999999% of the world doesn't have the skills.
There were shelters back in the day but they were only in the big cities for the most part. Some where along the way our government came to the conclusion that you can't protect people with shelters due to the size of the bombs both sides were deploying.
Humm....at 1:14 Annie is describing a star-siting missile guidance system for sub-launched ICBM/IRBMs. I'm calling BS on this one. I worked in a land-based ICBM system that - once-upon-a-time - had a star-siting guidance system, but it was replaced in the 70s with a fully inertial guidance system. I'm not a Navy guy but I feel strongly that their ICBM/IRBMs are *not* using 60+ year-old guidance technology. Just the technical aspects of using a star-siting system would be outrageously difficult for an ocean-launched missile.
I have read through the book three days before December 7th. Not to forget, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7th, 1941, which got us in World War II.
Why on earth is this pair talking about this dreadful scenario like they are enjoying it and borderline excited about it - the biggest tragedy in the history of humanity and they look like they couldn't be happier
Smart Author, she wrote a book on people's fears during a time when everyone is afraid. I love Nukes, it's going to suck if you ever hear the "Tang" sound that they create as metal explodes, but just for a fraction of a second. Seriously, don't worry about the Nukes, the day will come when they will be used, all weapons made eventually get used. Instead think about what you are going to do in the event you are lucky or unlucky enough to live?
44:50 When she’s discussing the “black book” that contains specific instructions for dealing with rogue countries. . . Is that black book updated? Is it electronic? Is it constantly receiving updated data around the globe? Very curious how that stays in real time.
@@mdavidmullins the stupidity of your comment has been heard and understood by the world wide web. There is no doubt in anyone's mind, how senile Biden is, especially when compared to Trump. Yes, we get it. You have Trump derangement syndrome, but you seriously lie to yourself to this magnitude? I'm impressed. I'm not American and it seems like I know more about your presidents than you do. Kind of sad in that regard.
@libertyinperil520No borders ? That's the way you invite yourself into dangerous situations. Stop hiding behind YT and your living room. Take a vacation to Douglas AZ, the California border near TJ, or south Texas. You'll see an inordinate about of middle eastern and Chinese young men entering almost unfettered. Then read the ENTIRE "Rules for Radicals" and the tennents of Sharia Law. If you aren't concerned, you're ignoring the obvious.
Excellent stream/interview. I might challenge a couple of the detail comments, lol. But I have ordered all the books. Brilliant stuff. Everyone should read this stuff. More value than watching the Kardashians.
I am more worried about the US using nuclear weapons first than any other nation. We have had really dumb presidents like Ronald Reagan, George W Bush, Donald Trump to name a few.
Interesting you say that given my quality of life was quite good under all of these presidents. I can't say that for the current walking vegetable in office.
Omg, we got 20mins from the launch. You really did not know that? Theres absolutely nothing new or surprising in anything she said. The only surprise is she had to talk to all rhose high officials to learn what is available for a few mins of googling.
I'm amazed that Ms. Jacobsen has the cheek to put her name on this book. It is nothing more than a slick repackaging of work done by Eric Schlosser, Daniel Ellsberg, and especially Alex Wellerstein. There is not one chapter of her book that doesn't "borrow" from those sources. I'm not saying the topic doesn't warrant serious study, but Jacobsen's book doesn't even attempt to answer any of the difficult questions as they relate to the nuclear war topic. For example, "How does the world effectively deal with a megalomaniac like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, or Kim Jong Un?" She doesn't even try!
She cites these sources right? - so I'm not seeing the problem. The scope of the book was not that of deterrence but rather a laying out of what happens when deterrence fails. It's a chilling, singularly focused book, and needs to be read by one and all. With a clearer understanding of the stakes, the hope is that more will be done to stand down, as a species, to hopefully embrace sanity. The how of this is for another book - or more likely another dozen books.
@mdavidmullins Were Ms. Jacobsen less of a literary hack and more of an honest broker of facts, I might give her the benefit of the doubt. The fact is that her book on nuclear war brings NOTHING new to the table-NOTHING. Even her description of the effects of a one-megaton detonation over a city is "borrowed" content from the 1980s. An actual nuclear strike on a city with today's weapons will consist of pattern bombing of that city. But I digress. My real issue with Ms. Jacobsen's most recent work is that it implies that nuclear deterrence, a force for peace for the last seventy years, is somehow in need of revision. However, she offers NOTHING to replace it with! The implication is that bad actors like Vladimir Putin should simply be appeased, accommodated, or otherwise ass-kissed in order to avoid nuclear war. Such thinking ignores the effect of deterrence on every despot who manages to acquire nuclear weapons. It nullifies the fact that nuclear deterrence creates a "line in the sand" that one dares not cross.
@@mdavidmullinsThe far bigger issue is that her thinking destroys the foundation of mutually assured destruction and encourages capitulation in the face of nuclear blackmail. Vaddy Poontang would love that. So would Little Kim. As to the rest of the book, it's a rehash of very old information much of which is sadly out of date. For example, all of her nuclear scenarios are based upon old weapons no longer in service being deployed in ways they would never be used (groudburst vs. airburst). In my opinion, the entire book appears similar to what could be produced over a long weekend using Chat-GPT4.
Love Annie's books in general and this one in particular. However, she has two major blind spots in her narrative. First is regarding missile defense. Yes, the Alaska and California sites have limited numbers of interceptors (mostly due to treaty obligations). But I find it odd that she doesn't even mention the Navy's newfound ability to hit ICBMs with the new SM-3 Block IIA. It seems she could at least mention this capability rather than presenting only the evidence against missile defense. Similar with the nuclear winter thing. Yes, there are plenty of studies that say it will be bad. There are also plenty of studies that say it will be quite mild. On both of these issues, she presents a consensus that just isn't there. Great book otherwise! Don't read it at night though
As an old nuclear guy way back when, she's trying to sell a book; good for her. But too many mistakes, too many oversights. It's why as a widebody Captain nearing retirement---I cannot read any news aviation articles any more. Utter bullshit spewed by people to impress people that know even less [if that's possible!].
56:00 I suspect it takes an awful lot to get a video like this up and running, but at this particular juncture in the video, there are an enormous number of video edits. It is very choppy. Please think about that.
Her book ( and the inevitable movie) are important because of the conversations that will result. It’s important to realize how implausible her sequence of events is. NK launches a single ICBM at DC, and the US responds in minutes with scores of minuteman missiles that must overfly Russian airspace. This initiates a massive Russian strike, and a subsequent massive US response. It is implausible to the point of absurdity that our military hasn’t simulated many scenarios that avoid this escalation chain. What about our response coming from air-launched cruise missiles or SLBMs? There will certainly always be a US boomer submarine in the western Pacific. One could even imagine a scenario in which the US responds with a massive conventional attack
She needs to include y'all facts about what the positive are of nuclear weapons and treatments for exposure like ARS or ARP to truly understand and try and affect change. Listen to Ryan MacBeth.
53:20 you can talk about Kim jong-un being crazy but you need to include the fact that Donald Trump had the nerve to walk across the DMZ. Trump's not perfect but NO NEW WARS, $2 GAS.
I guess she has to sell her book. I remember in the 80's this was a daily topic (unfortunately it' coming back). We've known since 1954 (Castle Bravo) about the effects. Happy sales AJ!
52:00 Ms. Jacobsen: North Korea side, even Israel aside .... What you (in your very pure heart) have never posited is what it would take for a leader to walk up to another country's leadership and ask: "What is it you really want?" USNR 82-89 USMMA 82 NNS 82-84 MSC PAC 84-85 NAVSEA 85-89 "Jeremiah Johnson" ever since.
One actually doesn't need classified knowledge to understand that EMP is super scary. Simply back of the envelope calculations tell you this - the mechanisms are pretty well known physics. Certainly there are effects whose details are denied to physicists by classification, but you don't need to know much to make your blood run cold. Imagine the civil panic total loss of cummunications would cause, even WITHOUT other nuclear strikes. There is no way to shield against this. Priority comms could be shielded, but there is just no way civilian infrastructure can be protected,
Wow excellent discussion. I wasn't aware that we don't have a separate doctrine for a rogue state nuclear missile attack. I would have thought the response would have been a massive air and sea attack with Conventional weapons. This assumes only one or two missiles were fired at the U.S. homeland. If the president does not have that discretion under laws passed to do such a thing...that is horrible. 80 ICBM missile as a response is nuts.
She should make a relaxation audio for playing when the bombs drop. Just some herbal tea and her voice. Ahhh, so peaceful (blinding flash).
😂😂😂
Lol 😊
😂😂😂😂😂
She’s calmly and lovingly explaining to a cherished young person how they’re going to be incinerated with love
😂😂😂😂
Our liberal friends would call it World Love Three, It; 's like Orwell's 1984 is holey scripture today
She super creepy and in on it
It makes perfect sense. Have you seen who's running the country?
She really wants to say: They're going to burn in hell as the wages of their sin." But she's far too polite. 😁😁
I haven't read a book in 30 years, I read this 400-page book in 4 days. Incredible information as bleak and terrifying as it is, a must read to understand how close we are to destruction.
It is already predicted.
It will take place by 2035 at latest.
So, think wisely what you will do these 15 years
@@atmannityananda-autognosiaWhy? What will it matter
The earth will be trying to heal by that time. World War III will have been all over by then.
What's the title of the book please?
@@machadomachado8597Nuclear War: A Scenario
Annie Jacobsen: She is the ultimate Horror/ASMR/Bedtime Story Narrator.
Nothing this horrible ever sounded so good.
she can read me the phone book
How wonderful to listen to a well-spoken, articulate, knowledgeable person on possibly the most important subject of our time. I can’t listen to people drunk with emotions, which is most people in mainstream media and to a lesser extent, TH-cam and the like, and people in general. I applaud sober people who speak clearly and intelligently and who don’t spew their emotional energy all over the listener. High praise to Annie and my deepest thanks to her for sharing the facts of such a deeply serious matter in such a calm and reasonable way. Thanks Annie for making palatable, what is unthinkable. I plan to get the audio of this woman’s remarkable book.
I agree 100% She'll even put the mozzies here in Africa to sleep! What a soothing voice this lady has. Just imagine her counting down the doomsday missiles. I'll be fast asleep before the first one hits... (What has humanity come to?)
@@willemjohannessmit9636 lol😅
Just started to listen to this and she talks about satellites being used for that video call which is likely not the case and machine learning being used to calculate missile trajectories which probably isn't the case now either and definitely wasn't the case before.
@@cyberfunk3793Israel is using AI to target anyone so I think it’s in use already.
Tuesday afternoon, June 14,1983, I took a nap and a had a dream concerning a nuclear attack on Honolulu Hawaii. When I woke up from the nap a dark aberration darted high across the bed room wall in front of me. I was 20 at the time. I still remember this dream in detail.
That's interesting! What do you think it was?
Nap after the acid trip in Hawaii?
Wow. You had a dream - fascinating.
A shuffle through Annie's book case collection would no doubt be more than an eyeful.
Annie, you have the best voice. I watch your videos so I can go to sleep.
I've used the audio book she has about ww3 to fall asleep. Some of the most grim, and darkly realistic dreams ever.
Finished reading it last week, is fascinating and frightening
What was your impression of the book?
Her voice is pure ASMR. She is talking about complete destruction, yet I still have so much comfort just from hearing her voice. She could make millions from audio books ❤😂
Does anyone else find her voice very relaxing? I mean she's talking about the end of the world and I'm still like... ☺️
Yes, I know what you mean
You'll change your tone very quickly when war comes to your neighbourhood
Agree.. Intellectually turn on
Just the opposite for me. I can’t mesh the serious historian with the constant Valley Girl “right?”that is tossed onto the end of way too many sentences.
Absolutely
Every time I try to watch this video I fall asleep, she's amazing
Annie, your hair is on point and you look fantastic. Thank you for kicking ass on this book tour alp over social media. Always a pleasure listening to you talk about the newest novel in your stable. As a big fan i think this is the best novel to date. So chilling and real with the explanation over that 72 min of destruction that should never happen.. love you too bits Annie, thank you.
Even in Canada, the US owns a lab in many upper air stations with air scrubbers that detect radioactive isotopes. These filters are changed regularly and the difference in time between detection between locations allows triangulation of where the isosopes came from. In this way, nuclear incidents or tests above ground cannot be hidden. The Americans can find the location of any such event anywhere on the planet.
I listen to this when im stressed. Crazy relaxing voice.
Great but terrifying book. Absolutely terrifying
Annie Jacobsen's book Nuclear War: A Scenario is excellent and chilling in equal measure. I read it in 5 days.
I've watched a number of her interviews.. Joe Rogan was almost 3 hours long. On every one i learn new info! You are an excellent interviewer! You ask pertinent questions and allow Ms. Jacobsen to fully answer without interrupting! Thank you!
Very professional! 👏
I am just old enough, a child of the late 60s, that early in my grade school we twice did a nuclear war drill...which involved orderly and quick evacuation to.the school basement one time and literally ducking under our desks and covering our heads the other time.
I was very young and didn't understand at the time what exactly a nuclear war would entail, but those drills instilled a lifelong fascination with weaponry. Janes Defense magazine, any books and government issues pamphlets, etc. have been a part of my life.
In my teenage years I already recognized how laughable the drills of ducking under a desk were. The 80s were a really tense time and after the fall of the Soviet Union, nuclear worries lessened and one impact of that is how little too many people understand about nuclear weapons, their impact on humanity and how close we have been at various times and now once again we are to a nuclear exchange. It's a terrifying thought and a sad narrative on how primitive human beings are by continuing to have such instruments available at the press of a button. As far as we have come, we are ultimately still a bunch of dick wagging, blundering primates. Cheers.
Why do a handful of people get to decide our death? Today a few people brought us all closer to death. I do not give psychopaths' power over my life.
It's always been that way.
Because with 5 minutes warning {INF Europe days}....you don't have time to get/collate/organize the opinions of 300M people. 25 minutes for ICBMs? I SUPPOSE we could organize a FAST plebiscite at 2:02AM on any random Sunday.
But do you have any say in this. We are all in the same boat
@@nilakshandissanayake1379 I do as long as I say I do. You do, too.
We don’t have a choice
Young people are sent to war against unknown young people by older men who know each other
If we were going to strike N. Korea, wouldn’t we use submarines? Just curious because Annie describes a scenario where we would “go over pole” and Russia using ICBM’s.
Yes, we would use the Ohio class subs. In conjunction with icbm. The book goes into great detail about the usage.
Yes. The over the pole thing is just stupid with NK.
Her goal as an author is to tie in all the actions in a Nuke War often she uses specific examples to do this so it's not exactly Realistic but the specific actions are. Lastly, she ignores Presidential Directive PD-60 which states we are not in Launch on Warning Mode currently but must absorb a strike before we can retaliate. Check it out for yourself PD-60! ! !
It would be B-2 spirits and B-21 Raiders dropping bombs. Submarines would only be a first strike option if we knew there would not be a retaliation. Subs are meant to be an automatic retaliation. The moment you launch they can be seen, so it would be highly advantageous to use a stealth bomber so they wouldn't even know it was happening until the bomb bay doors opened.
Exactly right. Suspicious. There's something 'off' about her.
Glad she is talking about the fallacy of the current U.S interceptor system. I can't believe how many people believe the interceptors are a credible defense in their current guise.
Correct. Deploying a system that would intercept even 80% of nuclear missiles would cost 2 or 3 Trillion dollars. But if we deployed such a system, an adversary could just massively increase decoys to counter. Since decoys cost a tiny fraction of what interceptors cost, you can't ever win this race.
That's true, its better to surrender to Putins Russia even he wants Alaska back, just obey him to prevent a nuclear war 😂😂😂😂😂😂
GBI system definitely not great. However, the sea based SM-3 Block IIA program is very encouraging.
@@danielkennedy2371 Still only good for only a rogue launch or too. Strategically, the interceptor concept totally fails in an actual nuclear war because interceptors cost hundreds of times as much as extra decoys. Intractable problem.
@@skenzyme81SPOILER: In the book, it's a rogue ICBM that the interceptors fail to shoot down. And it's the rogue detonation that causes the general nuclear exchange between the superpowers. The book NEEDS a failure to intercept a rogue nuke to set up the general nuclear exchange scenario.
Annie...ive listened to your book several times on Spotify..i was born in 1972...it was real..great to hear what really happened...your truth..mirrors what happened...in only 30mins the world can end
This woman is the greatest ASMR star of all time
She has an amazing voice
Awesome podcast. Just ordered her book. 👌🏻
It’s going to happen the only question is when. Humans will never learn not to destroy themselves. If someone has something that you desire and can’t get the response is to take it by force by many people. The reason countries have military’s is not about defending themselves it’s about imposing their countries will on others that think differently.
' yeah ! , so there !!! "
The closest we came to nuclear war was during the Cuban Missile Crisis when an insane US navy captain attacked a Soviet submarine by dropping depth charges on it. That was an act of war and the Soviet sub commander and political officer, between them, were authorized to launch a nuclear torpedo if attacked by the US navy. The commander wanted to launch the nuke at a US carrier and the political officer disagreed so the carrier didn't get nuked. Also, the Soviet commander in Cuba was cleared to use Frog tactical nuclear missiles to defend Cuba against a US invasion. If JFK had given the order to start WW III by invading Cuba, it would have gone nuclear in the first hour. That is worth considering with all the neocon lunatics advocating a NATO attack on Russia. The lesson of the Cuban Missile is that there may not even be a conventional phase to WW III. It could go nuclear immediately.
The other close call was when the US was doing a nuclear exercise called Able Archer, in 1983, that the Soviets took for the real thing so they had their nuclear forces on high alert. Then the Russians had a glitch with their early warning system that gave them a false warning of a US ICBM launch. There was a Soviet officer with orders to launch on warning but he disobeyed orders and waited for conformation. He lost his job but he saved the world. The lesson of that close call is that it is dangerous to cause the other side to put their nuclear forces on high alert.
The US destroyer dropped charges designed to tell the sub it knew where it was and it should surface. They were not depth charges designed to sink the sub. Please check your facts.
There were two events in 1983 that were much closer to WW3: 1. The NATO maneuver Able Archer and 2. A false alarm from a Russian satellite that reported the launch of US nuclear missiles. We have the Russian officer Stanislaw Petrov to thank for the fact that we are still alive.
No need to add anything at all and you even Mr. Andropoff
I remember this. Scary times. We all live in a Matrix-type ignorance.
I have often wondered if that story about Russian officer Stanislaw Petrov is true. I am not anti-Russian or anything but the story is like a PR story for Russians, and there is probably no way to confirm that it happened.
I got the audio book...and, as former USAF Intelligence, I was amazed at the authenticity, the detail, and the horror. It is definitely worth reading or listening to.
Just read paperback, you are spot on
Former USAF 😂 you complete 🤡
@@Rroovviah Well, that was a psychotic retort.
@@Rroovviah When and where did you serve...and, Bob's Big Boy or Olive Garden don't count.
@ I served about as much time as you did 😂
The closest you’ve been to armed forces is the assless chaps your rent boy slips into
I think I’m in LOVE 🥰 with Annie ❤️😂
I read her book a few weeks ago. Fascinating, terrifying, etc. The problem I had with the scenario was as 36:00, the idea the US would fire missiles that fly over Russia in order to hit North Korea. They could just launch SLBMs from the Pacific.
That's exactly how they would strike N. Korea for reasons as mentioned in this video. Plus a strike from a sub would cut the time from launch to impact almost in half.
@@POPJack1717 No, the launches that went over Russia weren't SLBMs they were ICBMs.
@@robbie_ wtf are you talking about? That has nothing to do with my comment.
Sounds like an interesting book. I'll check it out. She's certainly hyping it up; many many interviews on TH-cam.
She mentions The Day After. British film Threads is much more terrifying. I saw the ABC movie the nite it was telecast, Threads a few years later at a small boutique theater. Threads was, IMO, much more realistic.
You can find Threads online.
Threads was, in some sense, more realistic because the post nuclear narrative doesn't go beyond 20 or so kilometers. Everything becomes local. Decent into chaos even more local.
I watched threads also. It was scary.
@@geoffpool7476 agreed if you’re unlucky enough to survive the attack you’ll wish you didn’t
Totally agree. I remember being terrified by Threads when I watched it as a teenager. So well done. Seems like less people watched because not many have mentioned it.
I'm buying this book.
Bought her book on audible and on amazon to try to support her for doing such great, detailed work. Looking forward to reading it (but at the same time not, lol)
I have only read two of her books. But she is an excellent writer.
She needs a netflix show
I've ordered the book. I've been morbidly fascinated by this subject since I was nine years old when I saw The War game, Threads (the definitive film on nuclear war) and The day after when they were aired by the BBC and ITV in 1985. I have several books on the subject. I look forward to reading it. Thank you Annie. x
One great book on nuclear winter is The long darkness from the early 80s and edited by Lester Grinspoon.
I would not characcterize your interest as 'morbid'. I am nearing 70 and have been interested in science and been deeply and philosophically concerned about the long term existence of humankind and life in general on this planet. I sort of grew up in the right environment with thoughtful influences throughout my youth.
I also have been deeply interested and concerned over the decades as we have moved increasingly toward self-extinction and civilizational collapse. This is (or should be) a deep and serious area of concern by all who value life and civiliztion.
(And I as well have seen, and recommend) the movies _The Day After, Threads, Dr. Strangelove, By Dawns Early Light, Fail Safe,_ the TV mini-series _World War III,_ and probably others I am not aware of or have forgotten.)
" My only friend the End " Jim Morrison/The Doors 1967 ⏰️
Never thought about them words in that way before
Love it how she starts out talking about the end of civilization with a smile on he face.
For such an expert there are a few holes in her information. The US has Attack Subs following every single Russian Sub. Not that the Russian sub-fleet ventures out much anymore. Also, we would not use ICBMs on North Korea. We would use SLBMs (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles) and/or nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
Chris Evans not cool just like you power back and look and time we be you and hope you would love that and look at you do that show that happen now that this is good news soon gool thanks again this morning so you
@@chrisevans9688 Are you having a stroke?
@@robk8463 Chris Evans just me first so I can help you would love people so I can do anything with them and I can find out now if we do anything from this one day did you take now and see how much is do next week we will talk tomorrow night
True. Russian Subs are outdated except the new Borej A class. They could and would easily being detected and followed by modern attack subs. So they won´t be able to launch their missiles because they will be destroyed before that. The 2 new Borejs might be harder to track. But perhaps they are a hoax like the Armata Tank and other "gamechanger" Russia only has on paper.
Icbms are in a fixed location and the location of these nukes are well known. We could lose their capabilities if there was an attack. They also are the quicker option to use as they are out in a minute. It would make sense to use the visible option. Also these sites are considered sponges, they will be attacked because of their visibility.
Annie Jacobsen as president!! 2024🎉🎉❤❤
I’m reading her book now. It’s absolutely eye opening and mind blowing. We are so under prepared for nuclear war.
How would you prepare for nuclear war?
By moving as close to a likely fireball zone as possible so it's just lights out before you know anything is different.
@@chaddie69 which was obviously my point.
You are wrong.
We would get up now to obligate all countries to destroy all Nuclear Weapons.
But we are unconscious bipedal mammals lost in our imaginary world
I will survive. We were taught to duck and cover way back in the 4th grade. 🤣💪
She’s brilliant
Have hypersonic missiles changed the timing?
No because icbm's go up then come down and only have to travel about 300 miles or so to hit their target
Yes out of subs
Love your library background. Ive got something similar going.
50% miss rate by interceptors? Maybe - it's a tough gig. However these interceptor missiles exist to guard against one or two launches from rogue states - generally seen as a more likely threat. No one in their right mind would think that 44 interceptors can deal with a massive Russian or Chinese attack - why is this even brought up as a serious issue?
Exactly. It was BS propaganda when Putin said he needed to develop hypersonic glide vehicles to counter US ABM tech. He knows our interceptor program is intended for NK and Iran.
Fascinating topic. By the end of the video, you will be well informed.
I refuse to live my life in fear. There's nothing that can be done about it anyway. Live as well and as fully as you can in the present moment.
Actually, I think that the problem of nuclear weapons remains soluble. The problem is that no one has ever really understood it in the first place--and that's what we need: to understand it in the first place.
"The only way to win is not to play" is a good quote from a movie, but apparently we have some rogue actors out there saying "if can't get what I want, then we all die." Trying to squirm out of MAD for "reasons". As if they are holding the globe hostage. In that case, we die free.
Her voice makes nuclear war seem stress free.
💯
I listen to her book to fall asleep at night 😴
Her book is fantastic. growing around the U.S Air Force , I thought about WW-3. 😮
She is fascinating!
Isn’t this timing problem part of Putins argument for not having NATO in Ukraine?
Bingo.
Absolutely.
What I'm waiting for you to discuss, because I worked on an SSBN back in 1982 while working at NNS, IS HOW MANY MISSILES OFF OF HOW MANY SUBMARINES IT WOULD TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH THE TASK
I was around the military just enough to know the vast majority of what I don't know.
I'm glad you all know what you know, because I know enough to know that I don't want to know anymore.
Things to think about.......container based nukes, hypersonic nukes, dirty bomb nukes smuggled in from the " open border"
Or satelite nukes already in orbit...just waiting. That would be truly destructive because of the EMP . I don't think that an ICBM will be the first use choice
I would guess EMP would be the enemies first choice, no outright killing of millions. Implosion vs explosion. The country would implode in mere weeks, maybe just days. And I don't think that the country would respond in an escalatory manner, it might be near impossible to find out who delivered it. Just my opinion.
lol, open border. Then describe coming through the checkpoints.
As for interceptors - - - per Dr. R. Wagner - - - who was involved in the initial interceptor program - - - the weapon used to knock down the incoming physics package was also a nuclear weapon not to blow the incoming physics package up but through radiation the physics package would be neutralized. so the interceptor need only to come close by about two miles in diameter. the issue was that the interceptors would cause more nuclear issues than not. then Wagner and his team was tasked with creating physics package shields. at that point he quit. Per Wagner, as for EMP, its 50,000 feet over Kansas and unless the computer(s) is(or) hardened (covered in billow pads) they are all gone. any auto made without a computer will run, the rest won't - - - anything with a vacuum tube is fine.
I grew up in the Soviet Union and we had a nuclear underground concrete shelter next to every school and drill what to do in case of nuclear attack. I don't see any nuclear shelters in major cities in the US, and that nuclear shelters should be constructed and ready asap!
Too late. USA has grown fat and lazy.
why ,,,, you have no chance at all, if your in a shelter near to a bomb, your buried alive anyway.
They are pointless. Sure you might survive the initial blast, but then you'll be dead in the coming weeks due to radiation fallout, starvation, disease, etc. All of society will collapse. There will be no supplies coming in. You simply cannot survive a nuclear war in the long run unless you are some elite mountain man living off the grid in the middle of the woods in a remote country and that's like super rare. 99.9999999999% of the world doesn't have the skills.
There were shelters back in the day but they were only in the big cities for the most part. Some where along the way our government came to the conclusion that you can't protect people with shelters due to the size of the bombs both sides were deploying.
Your shelter would be vaporised. Have you not listened to what happens with modern nukes? Anyone in a city is dead.....☹️
I'm reading this book at the moment. It's terrifying.
Who else is watching this after last week's news 😮
Yeah yeah
She should do an instructional nuke disaster painting, kind of like Bob Ross, but with a not too happy ending.
😂 Love your gallows humor
Humm....at 1:14 Annie is describing a star-siting missile guidance system for sub-launched ICBM/IRBMs. I'm calling BS on this one. I worked in a land-based ICBM system that - once-upon-a-time - had a star-siting guidance system, but it was replaced in the 70s with a fully inertial guidance system. I'm not a Navy guy but I feel strongly that their ICBM/IRBMs are *not* using 60+ year-old guidance technology. Just the technical aspects of using a star-siting system would be outrageously difficult for an ocean-launched missile.
She sounds exactly like The Boss from MGS 3: Snake Eater which makes this so much more credible
Hahahaha she does!
I thought the same thing. Been years since I've played that game lmao.
I have read through the book three days before December 7th. Not to forget, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7th, 1941, which got us in World War II.
Why on earth is this pair talking about this dreadful scenario like they are enjoying it and borderline excited about it - the biggest tragedy in the history of humanity and they look like they couldn't be happier
I get the same impression. It’s so important therefore I’m important
I wish the host would have held up Annies book so i know what it looks like ?
So i could buy it !
Google her name, plus “book”.
@@BinkyTheElf1She's wrote more than one book😂 daft
Smart Author, she wrote a book on people's fears during a time when everyone is afraid.
I love Nukes, it's going to suck if you ever hear the "Tang" sound that they create as metal explodes, but just for a fraction of a second.
Seriously, don't worry about the Nukes, the day will come when they will be used, all weapons made eventually get used. Instead think about what you are going to do in the event you are lucky or unlucky enough to live?
44:50 When she’s discussing the “black book” that contains specific instructions for dealing with rogue countries. . . Is that black book updated? Is it electronic? Is it constantly receiving updated data around the globe? Very curious how that stays in real time.
What is the point of briefing the president if he is senile?
Luckily senile Trump is now out of office and hopefully will stay that way, so your question is hypothetical.
@@mdavidmullins the stupidity of your comment has been heard and understood by the world wide web. There is no doubt in anyone's mind, how senile Biden is, especially when compared to Trump. Yes, we get it. You have Trump derangement syndrome, but you seriously lie to yourself to this magnitude? I'm impressed. I'm not American and it seems like I know more about your presidents than you do. Kind of sad in that regard.
@@mdavidmullinsKeep fooling yourself. It's a good way to embrace stupidity ideology.
@libertyinperil520No borders ? That's the way you invite yourself into dangerous situations. Stop hiding behind YT and your living room. Take a vacation to Douglas AZ, the California border near TJ, or south Texas. You'll see an inordinate about of middle eastern and Chinese young men entering almost unfettered. Then read the ENTIRE "Rules for Radicals" and the tennents of Sharia Law. If you aren't concerned, you're ignoring the obvious.
Well to be honest, it's why we voted DJT out
Excellent stream/interview. I might challenge a couple of the detail comments, lol. But I have ordered all the books. Brilliant stuff. Everyone should read this stuff. More value than watching the Kardashians.
I am more worried about the US using nuclear weapons first than any other nation. We have had really dumb presidents like Ronald Reagan, George W Bush, Donald Trump to name a few.
No wars were started during Trump's presidency. It took Biden to start a war that could escalate into WW3. You obviously don't know your history.
Interesting you say that given my quality of life was quite good under all of these presidents. I can't say that for the current walking vegetable in office.
Interesting you only mention Republicans. Did you enjoy Jimmy Carter and his stagflation?
I believe in you.keep up the work.
How to sell my book 101.
She’s writing books, we’re writing TH-cam comments, let her sell it
💯
She has the best non-intentional asmr voice
Omg, we got 20mins from the launch. You really did not know that? Theres absolutely nothing new or surprising in anything she said. The only surprise is she had to talk to all rhose high officials to learn what is available for a few mins of googling.
Oh yeah because the information on the net is super reliable. JFC.
Love her voice, so pleasant and relaxing!
I'm amazed that Ms. Jacobsen has the cheek to put her name on this book. It is nothing more than a slick repackaging of work done by Eric Schlosser, Daniel Ellsberg, and especially Alex Wellerstein. There is not one chapter of her book that doesn't "borrow" from those sources. I'm not saying the topic doesn't warrant serious study, but Jacobsen's book doesn't even attempt to answer any of the difficult questions as they relate to the nuclear war topic. For example, "How does the world effectively deal with a megalomaniac like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, or Kim Jong Un?" She doesn't even try!
She cites these sources right? - so I'm not seeing the problem. The scope of the book was not that of deterrence but rather a laying out of what happens when deterrence fails. It's a chilling, singularly focused book, and needs to be read by one and all. With a clearer understanding of the stakes, the hope is that more will be done to stand down, as a species, to hopefully embrace sanity. The how of this is for another book - or more likely another dozen books.
@mdavidmullins Were Ms. Jacobsen less of a literary hack and more of an honest broker of facts, I might give her the benefit of the doubt. The fact is that her book on nuclear war brings NOTHING new to the table-NOTHING. Even her description of the effects of a one-megaton detonation over a city is "borrowed" content from the 1980s. An actual nuclear strike on a city with today's weapons will consist of pattern bombing of that city. But I digress. My real issue with Ms. Jacobsen's most recent work is that it implies that nuclear deterrence, a force for peace for the last seventy years, is somehow in need of revision. However, she offers NOTHING to replace it with! The implication is that bad actors like Vladimir Putin should simply be appeased, accommodated, or otherwise ass-kissed in order to avoid nuclear war. Such thinking ignores the effect of deterrence on every despot who manages to acquire nuclear weapons. It nullifies the fact that nuclear deterrence creates a "line in the sand" that one dares not cross.
Trump was president for four years, no new wars, world mostly at peace. How was he a megalomaniac?
@@mdavidmullinsThe far bigger issue is that her thinking destroys the foundation of mutually assured destruction and encourages capitulation in the face of nuclear blackmail. Vaddy Poontang would love that. So would Little Kim. As to the rest of the book, it's a rehash of very old information much of which is sadly out of date. For example, all of her nuclear scenarios are based upon old weapons no longer in service being deployed in ways they would never be used (groudburst vs. airburst). In my opinion, the entire book appears similar to what could be produced over a long weekend using Chat-GPT4.
I recommend her book, very clever woman.
Not if when
Definitely, only a matter of time unfortunately 😪
The thumbnail for this video has that energy of 'we made a funny, comedy cut of a trailer to THE DAY AFTER'
Love Annie's books in general and this one in particular. However, she has two major blind spots in her narrative. First is regarding missile defense. Yes, the Alaska and California sites have limited numbers of interceptors (mostly due to treaty obligations). But I find it odd that she doesn't even mention the Navy's newfound ability to hit ICBMs with the new SM-3 Block IIA. It seems she could at least mention this capability rather than presenting only the evidence against missile defense. Similar with the nuclear winter thing. Yes, there are plenty of studies that say it will be bad. There are also plenty of studies that say it will be quite mild. On both of these issues, she presents a consensus that just isn't there. Great book otherwise! Don't read it at night though
As an old nuclear guy way back when, she's trying to sell a book; good for her. But too many mistakes, too many oversights. It's why as a widebody Captain nearing retirement---I cannot read any news aviation articles any more. Utter bullshit spewed by people to impress people that know even less [if that's possible!].
The story of human destruction delivered by the voice of an angel ….its poetic😢
56:00 I suspect it takes an awful lot to get a video like this up and running, but at this particular juncture in the video, there are an enormous number of video edits. It is very choppy. Please think about that.
I love her bookcase. I love hard back books books too. I sure hope they don't get nuked.
Her book ( and the inevitable movie) are important because of the conversations that will result. It’s important to realize how implausible her sequence of events is. NK launches a single ICBM at DC, and the US responds in minutes with scores of minuteman missiles that must overfly Russian airspace. This initiates a massive Russian strike, and a subsequent massive US response. It is implausible to the point of absurdity that our military hasn’t simulated many scenarios that avoid this escalation chain. What about our response coming from air-launched cruise missiles or SLBMs? There will certainly always be a US boomer submarine in the western Pacific. One could even imagine a scenario in which the US responds with a massive conventional attack
She needs to include y'all facts about what the positive are of nuclear weapons and treatments for exposure like ARS or ARP to truly understand and try and affect change. Listen to Ryan MacBeth.
Interesting talk. But I question that someone would defy order to launch with a lower probability than a powerball win.
Frightening scenario. But absolutely inexplicable and inappropriate that this guy is having a big smile on his face all the time.
Nuclear war is kinda comical
Interceptor programs could also cause an arms race, where more nukes are built just to get passed the interceptors.
What's missing here is that AGEIS. SM6 and SM3 are a shield and there are lots of them. On top of that you're missing the energy based systems.
53:20 you can talk about Kim jong-un being crazy but you need to include the fact that Donald Trump had the nerve to walk across the DMZ. Trump's not perfect but NO NEW WARS, $2 GAS.
I guess she has to sell her book. I remember in the 80's this was a daily topic (unfortunately it' coming back). We've known since 1954 (Castle Bravo) about the effects. Happy sales AJ!
Honestly the best book on the nuclear subject I have ever read
No it wasnt
@@emssmiley2002 what would you recommend?
@@davidmckee2989 see my comment above
Never read such a stressing book!
I like her background.
52:00 Ms. Jacobsen: North Korea side, even Israel aside ....
What you (in your very pure heart) have never posited is what it would take for a leader to walk up to another country's leadership and ask:
"What is it you really want?"
USNR 82-89
USMMA 82
NNS 82-84
MSC PAC 84-85
NAVSEA 85-89
"Jeremiah Johnson" ever since.
How do we know the Russian systems are flawed if they are secret and also since they haven't failed so far?
The book is amazing
One actually doesn't need classified knowledge to understand that EMP is super scary. Simply back of the envelope calculations tell you this - the mechanisms are pretty well known physics. Certainly there are effects whose details are denied to physicists by classification, but you don't need to know much to make your blood run cold. Imagine the civil panic total loss of cummunications would cause, even WITHOUT other nuclear strikes. There is no way to shield against this. Priority comms could be shielded, but there is just no way civilian infrastructure can be protected,
Wow excellent discussion. I wasn't aware that we don't have a separate doctrine for a rogue state nuclear missile attack. I would have thought the response would have been a massive air and sea attack with Conventional weapons. This assumes only one or two missiles were fired at the U.S. homeland. If the president does not have that discretion under laws passed to do such a thing...that is horrible. 80 ICBM missile as a response is nuts.