Nuclear War Preparedness: Deterrence and Realities

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The chapter delves into the importance of publicizing nuclear plans for deterrence and the fragility of peace through nuclear strategies. It discusses the unfulfilled promises of US presidents regarding nuclear policies, their lack of education on the topic, and the unsettling nature of nuclear war preparations. The conversation also explores the challenges of using interceptor missiles against intercontinental ballistic missiles and the global implications of a nuclear catastrophe.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen investigated this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and are responsible for those decisions should they need to be made.

Shermer and Jacobsen discuss: surviving a nuclear explosion • what happens in a nuclear bomb explosion • consequences of a nuclear exchange • Getting to Nuclear Zero • North Korea, China/Taiwan • increasing budgets for more weapons • types and quantities of nuclear weapons • why humans engage in aggression, violence, and war

Annie Jacobsen is an investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and New York Times bestselling author. Her new book is Nuclear War: A Scenario. Her other books include: Area 51, Operation Paperclip, and The Pentagon’s Brain.