The Burn Bag Podcast

Burn Bag Media

We’re here to redefine how scholars and policymakers approach national security and foreign policy. Join us, as we make sense of a world in crisis.

  1. The Nuclear Threshold: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and Disarmament featuring Alexandra Bell

    12/03/2025

    The Nuclear Threshold: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and Disarmament featuring Alexandra Bell

    In the final episode of The Nuclear Threshold, A’ndre speaks with Alexandra Bell, President & CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and one of the leading U.S. diplomats behind recent efforts to strengthen arms control and reduce nuclear risks. Building on the technical and command-and-control foundations laid by Laura Grego and Steve Fetter, this conversation shifts to the political and diplomatic fault lines that make today’s nuclear landscape uniquely dangerous. Alexandra explains why nuclear policy has fallen out of public view even as the world edges closer to crisis, and why diplomacy — often undervalued and underfunded — remains the only real mechanism for preventing disaster. Drawing on her experience negotiating the New START Treaty and other engagements, she breaks down the collapse of Cold War–era treaties, the rise of new nuclear states, and the challenge of rebuilding trust in a multipolar world. We also explore how deterrence theory holds up in an era of political volatility and weapons on minutes-notice alert. Alexandra discusses realistic steps the United States and others could take to reduce tensions, the role of scientific cooperation when politics freeze, and why public engagement has always been the catalyst for major progress on nuclear issues. As the Doomsday Clock sits closer to midnight than ever, Alexandra makes the case for “fearless diplomacy” — and why, despite the risks, the path away from catastrophe is still possible if governments and citizens choose it.

    50 min
  2. The Nuclear Threshold: Who Really Decides on Nuclear Launch? featuring Dr. Steve Fetter

    11/19/2025

    The Nuclear Threshold: Who Really Decides on Nuclear Launch? featuring Dr. Steve Fetter

    In the second installment of The Nuclear Threshold mini-series, we turn from missile defense to the human side of nuclear risk — the people, protocols, and split-second judgments that determine whether nuclear weapons are ever used. While deterrence is often framed as a stable system, history tells a far messier story: false alarms, malfunctioning sensors, training tapes mistaken for real attacks, and leaders operating under extreme pressure. Our guest, Dr. Steve Fetter — Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, former Assistant Director in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board — walks us through how nuclear launch authority actually works inside the U.S. system. We explore why the president has sole authority, why that concentration of power is riskier than most Americans realize, and how “launch-on-warning” creates a decision window measured in minutes. Steve breaks down famous near-miss incidents, the vulnerabilities of command-and-control systems, and his proposal to require concurrence from other top officials before any nuclear order is carried out. The conversation is grounded, accessible, and quietly unsettling — a reminder that deterrence relies on human beings who can make mistakes. This episode asks a deceptively simple question with civilization-level implications: How safe is a system that depends on one person getting everything right?

    50 min
  3. Best of: Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service

    10/08/2025

    Best of: Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service

    RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally released in February 2025. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins A'ndre for an in-depth conversation about his decades-long career in public health and his experiences leading the U.S. response to some of the world’s most pressing infectious disease challenges. Dr. Fauci reflects on his early work during the HIV/AIDS crisis, the evolution of treatments that saved millions of lives, and his role in launching PEPFAR, one of the most significant global health initiatives in history. He  discusses his leadership at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), navigating crises such as Ebola, Zika, H1N1, anthrax, and COVID-19, while working alongside multiple U.S. presidents to shape national and global health policies. Beyond his career in government, Dr. Fauci shares his thoughts on the intersection of public health and national security, the growing challenges of vaccine skepticism and misinformation, and the vital role of institutions like the NIH and CDC in protecting public health. He also highlights the major health threats that remain overlooked in mainstream discourse. Now a professor at Georgetown University, Dr. Fauci reflects on his transition to academia and the importance of training the next generation of medical leaders in an era of evolving global health challenges. You can purchase his recent memoir, On Call, here.

    1 hr
  4. The Pentagon Playbook: Steve Blank and Pete Newell on How Start-Ups can Crack Defense Innovation and Acquisition

    10/02/2025

    The Pentagon Playbook: Steve Blank and Pete Newell on How Start-Ups can Crack Defense Innovation and Acquisition

    The Pentagon is one of the hardest customers in the world to win over. For startups, the barriers are steep: complex rules, unfamiliar offices, and a culture that doesn’t work like Silicon Valley. But the stakes couldn’t be higher—cracking the Department of Defense can mean scaling breakthrough technologies that shape national security. In this episode of The Burn Bag, A’ndre Gonawela speaks with two of the most influential voices in defense innovation: Steve Blank, the father of the Lean Startup movement and co-founder of Hacking for Defense, and Pete Newell, CEO of BMNT and former leader of the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force. Together, they’ve helped release the 2025 PEO Directory—a first-of-its-kind playbook that maps who buys what inside the Pentagon and how startups can navigate the system. We break down why so many companies fail when they try to sell to the military, what’s changing in the Pentagon’s acquisition culture, and how new reforms could give startups and investors a real shot at competing with defense giants. Steve and Pete also walk through the different paths a startup can take—whether building patiently through government programs or charging directly to the field—and share how founders can take advantage of the PEO Directory. If you’ve ever wondered how innovation actually gets into the hands of warfighters—or why it so often doesn’t—this conversation is your guide to understanding and changing the system. Download the 2025 PEO Directory here. Read Steve Blank's blog post on the Directory here.

    52 min
4.9
out of 5
46 Ratings

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We’re here to redefine how scholars and policymakers approach national security and foreign policy. Join us, as we make sense of a world in crisis.