CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast

The Oreshnik Comes to Belarus Belarus has become the latest stage for Russia's military ambitions, hosting the powerful Oreshnik missile system. We discuss the specifics of this missile system, and what this deployment means for NATO. Guest Biographies Decker Eveleth is an Associate Research Analyst with CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program. He specializes in open-source analysis. Gabriela Iveliz Rosa-Hernandez is an Associate Research Analyst at the CNA Russia Studies Program. Her research centers on security orders, deterrence issues, and Russia's security policy, supplemented by her significant in-country experience living in Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and other countries in the region. Further Reading CNA Report: When Nuclear Weapons Return to Belarus: Evolving Concepts in Russian Escalation Strategy Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: The 'Zapad' exercise and how Lukashenko learned to love the Bomb Reuters: Exclusive: Russia likely placing new hypersonic missiles at former airbase in Belarus, researchers find

CNA is committed to using the latest technology to help us deliver for our sponsors. In this episode, we discuss how we are integrating our LLM, Morse Code, into our research process. Guest Biographies Dr. Jonathan Schroden is the Chief Research Officer within the Office of the President at the CNA Corporation. In this role, he oversees CNA's Research Office, including the life cycle of research quality excellence, our independent research program, research publications, editing, and support, human subjects research compliance, and research modernization and data governance. Gregor Goodman is CNA's chief AI officer, acting as the end-to-end technology interlock between study sponsors and CNA on the largest high-impact projects. He works together with business and research leaders to build a technology partnership, ensuring that offered technical solutions deliver exceptional results for clients. Erin Mohres is the managing director of CNA's Center for Homeland Security and Infrastructure Resilience. Further Reading CNA: AI Maturity Model for Government Agencies Microsoft: CNA and Cloudforce deploy trusted AI to advance national security work

This episode discusses the benefits of drone as first responder (DFR) programs for police departments and public safety offices. Guest Biographies Officer J. "Matt" Rowland is a 20-year veteran of the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) located in Fort Wayne, IN. He was a founding member of the FWPD Air Support Unit (ASU) in 2017. He spent 15 years in the Operations division and served 6 years during that time as a hostage negotiator. He is a certified instructor both in the classroom and emergency vehicle driving. Todd Withers is a 34-year veteran of law enforcement with the last 28 years at the Beverly Hills Police Department. He is currently a Lieutenant in charge of the Real Time Watch Center and UAS/ Drone program. He holds a Master of Science Degree from California State University, Long Beach in Emergency Services Administration and is a certified FAA Part 107 UAS Pilot. Don Redmond is a retired Chula Vista Police Captain with over 25 years in law enforcement and now serves as Vice President of Drone as First Responder (DFR) at BRINC Drones. He works with public safety agencies to advance drone technology, improve response times, and save lives. During his career, he was instrumental in developing Chula Vista PD's pioneering Drone as First Responder program, which has become a national model. Dr. Tom Christoff is a Senior Research Scientist with CNA where he is responsible for leading projects involving local assessments, research, and developing technical assistance for agencies nationwide. Dr. Christoff recently served as a Project Director on a COPS Office project where he oversaw the development of a technology implementation guide and six case studies highlighting agencies using technology in innovative ways.

Experts discuss the Fourth Plenum of the 20th CCP Central Committee, where nine senior military officials were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party. Guest Biographies Michael Donmoyer is a Research Analyst with CNA's China Studies Program. Eduaro Jaramillo is an Associate Research Analyst with CNA's China Studies Program. Further Reading CNA InDepth: Military Purges at China's Fourth Plenum Have Implications for Readiness CNA Report: PRC Concepts for UAV Swarms in Future Warfare

This episode examines a new CNA model that can help government officials optimally deploy unmanned systems, and how it overlaps with our existing tools. Guest Biographies Arpita Verma is an expert in optimization, modeling, and simulation in CNA's Data Science for Production Program. John Crissman is an expert in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and natural language processing in CNA's Center for Data Management Analytics. Rebekah Yang is an expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) for FAA NextGen and a specialist in data visualization and modeling in CNA's Center for Data Management Analytics. Further Reading UAS Cooperative Airspace Traffic Simulation (UCATS) First Responder Awareness Monitoring during Emergencies (FRAME)

This episode features a panel of CNA's own Gayatri Gopavajhala and Lizzy Schneider, data scientists, discussing their paths to being in their roles as data scientists at CNA. Guest Biographies Gayatri Gopavajhala is a Data Analyst in CNA's Data Science for Sustainment Program. Lizzy Schneider is a Research Analyst in CNA's Data Science for Production Program.

In this episode, we explore how the war in Ukraine has impacted Russian military thought on combined arms operations, naval surface warfare, and air dominance operations. Guest Biographies Michael Petersen is a principal research scientist in CNA's Russia Studies Program. He is an expert on Russian military strategy, operations, and net assessments of high-intensity conflict. From 2023-2024, he served as senior advisor to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti. Paul Schwartz is a Senior Research Scientist with CNA's Russia Studies Program. Gabriela Iveliz Rosa-Hernandez is an Associate Research Analyst at the CNA Russia Studies Program. Her research centers on security orders, deterrence issues, and Russia's security policy, supplemented by her significant in-country experience living in Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and other countries in the region. Further Reading CNA Report: Russian Concepts of Future Warfare Based on Lessons from the Ukraine War

Gabriela Iveliz Rosa-Hernandez, an Associate Research Analyst with deep expertise in Russian security policy, joins the discussion. She shares insights on how the war in Ukraine has amplified rather than altered Russia's threat perceptions. Gabriela highlights Russian fears regarding U.S. non-nuclear strikes and missile defenses, as well as the concerns surrounding NATO expansion. She also touches on the transformative impact of drone attacks and Western assistance to Ukraine, elucidating the implications for U.S. military strategies.

This episode explores how the PRC is developing autonomous drone swarm technology for deployment during a potential military invasion of Taiwan. Guest Biographies Timothy Ditter is a senior research scientist in CNA's China Studies Program. His work covers PLA amphibious warfare, China's military modernization and expansion, China's growing nuclear weapons program, and China's nascent global military presence. Eleanor Harvey is a senior research secialist in CNA's China Studies Program. Further Reading CNA Report: PRC Concepts for UAV Swarms in Future Warfare CNA InDepth: China Readies Drone Swarms for Future War

This episode discusses the benefits of drone as first responder (DFR) programs for police departments and public safety offices. Guest Biographies Officer J. "Matt" Rowland is a 20-year veteran of the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) located in Fort Wayne, IN. He was a founding member of the FWPD Air Support Unit (ASU) in 2017. He spent 15 years in the Operations division and served 6 years during that time as a hostage negotiator. He is a certified instructor both in the classroom and emergency vehicle driving. Todd Withers is a 34-year veteran of law enforcement with the last 28 years at the Beverly Hills Police Department. He is currently a Lieutenant in charge of the Real Time Watch Center and UAS/ Drone program. He holds a Master of Science Degree from California State University, Long Beach in Emergency Services Administration and is a certified FAA Part 107 UAS Pilot. Don Redmond is a retired Chula Vista Police Captain with over 25 years in law enforcement and now serves as Vice President of Drone as First Responder (DFR) at BRINC Drones. He works with public safety agencies to advance drone technology, improve response times, and save lives. During his career, he was instrumental in developing Chula Vista PD's pioneering Drone as First Responder program, which has become a national model. Dr. Tom Christoff is a Senior Research Scientist with CNA where he is responsible for leading projects involving local assessments, research, and developing technical assistance for agencies nationwide. Dr. Christoff recently served as a Project Director on a COPS Office project where he oversaw the development of a technology implementation guide and six case studies highlighting agencies using technology in innovative ways.