Geopolitics Decanted with Dmitri Alperovitch

Experts Michael Kofman, Rob Lee, and Andrey Liscovich discuss the impact of FPV drones on the Ukraine war, including advantages and disadvantages, challenges in developing munitions, electronic warfare strategies, and the changing nature of warfare. They highlight the need for Western militaries to learn from this conflict and the role of drones in naval warfare and ground operations.

Dmitri Alperovitch interviews Dr. Ben Buchanan, White House Special Advisor on AI, about the risks and benefits of AI, the US government's goals with the President's Executive Order on AI, concerns about evil people misusing AI, requirements for reporting developments in foundational models, maintaining US technological leadership, open source AI models, international AI strategy, using AI in the US government, the mission of the AI Safety Review Board, and US government's concerns about China's use of AI.

Alicia García-Herrero, an economist specializing in China, discusses why China is facing structured deceleration and the deflationary trend it brings. She highlights the real estate bubble, demographics collapse, lack of economic productivity, and the impact of China's economy on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Gilbert Herrera, Director of Research at NSA discusses the limited current applications of quantum computing, the revolutionary progress of AI, challenges in AI technology, and the need to address errors and hallucinations in AI models.

Discussion on ATACMS missiles and their advantages for Ukraine including range capabilities and difficulty of interception. Analysis of availability and potential impact of ATACMS on counter offensive. Benefits of Taurus missile and its potential integration in Ukrainian Su-34 jets. Use and benefits of ATACMS for Taiwan and Ukraine. Exploration of marketing benefits and production rate of TACAMs

Guests: Dmitri Alperovitch (discusses the complicated Starlink-Elon saga) and Patrick Gray (host of Risky Business podcast). The podcast explores the complexities of Elon Musk's involvement in providing Starlink connectivity to Ukraine, including military use of Starlink, payment challenges, and the controversy surrounding service in Crimea. It also examines the potential of Starlink as a backup communication solution for Taiwan and its impact in Australia and Ukraine.

Bryan Vorndran, Assistant Director of FBI's Cyber Division, discusses the importance and successes of FISA Section 702, such as disrupting assassination plots and recovering ransom from the Colonial Pipeline hack. The podcast also covers compliance issues with the program and the FBI's efforts to address them. Other topics include the use of 702 to uncover terrorist plots and rescue kidnapped Americans, the use of batch jobs for IP address search, and the challenges of combating blended threats in cybersecurity.

Explore the implications of the alleged death of Prigozhin, leader of Wagner, on the group's structure, command, and operations in Africa. Discover the uniqueness of Wagner as a private military company and the predictions for its future. Learn about the founding members and evolution of Wagner, including their combat experiences and transformation from a support-focused PMC to an elite infantry force. Hear discussions on rumors surrounding Prigozhin's time in prison and attacks on his family. Speculate on the implications of Prigozhin's death for Russia's future in Africa and the role of Wagner in establishing relationships. Understand the choices available to Russian soldiers and the significance of quality personnel. Analysis of the commander's history, loyalty, and potential role in the military police is also discussed.

Dmitri Alperovitch, Patrick Gray, and Illia Vitiuk discuss Russia's cyber attacks on Ukraine, including turning off the power grid in 2015 and hacking satellite communications. They explore Ukraine's successful defense strategies, collaboration with Western companies, intelligence collection on battlefield systems, and tactics used by Russian intelligence operatives.

Geoeconomist Douglas Rediker discusses the enduring dominance of the US dollar, the lack of viable alternatives, and the limitations of the Chinese renminbi. The podcast also explores seizing Russia's Central Bank Reserves for Ukrainian reconstruction and the economic repercussions for China if it invades Taiwan.