The Fourth Leg

Institute for Security and Technology

The Fourth Leg is a series of podcasts focused on one of the most complex systems in the world today—nuclear command and control—and its increasingly complicated future. Hosted by Institute for Security and Technology's Philip Reiner, we go straight to the experts across multiple sectors to discuss the modernization of nuclear command and control systems.

  1. 10/27/2020

    Communication Over Escalation

    In this episode, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes are joined by nuclear weapons and conflict resolution expert, Steven E. Miller, to discuss the historical significance and evolution of nuclear communications. Hotlines have increased and improved over time, reaching well beyond the White House’s red telephone link to Moscow. Miller brings us through the history of hotlines and the role they play in conflict, de-escalation, alliances, and nuclear strategy today. Their criticality is clear  — the most heavily armed nuclear rivals should be able to directly communicate in all circumstances. Tune in to find out why our CATALINK design – a radically simple and secure nuclear crisis communications hotline – is necessary for averting future war.

    59 min

  2. 09/17/2020

    Formally Verified

    This episode of The Fourth Leg features Adam Wick, one of the world’s leading experts on secure operating systems design and implementation. Wick discusses how formal methods, a precise mathematical description of a system’s function, is a crucial component to the design and implementation of CATALINK — a radically simple and secure nuclear crisis communications hotline. We take a deep dive into the substance of how formal proofs not only minimize language misunderstandings in a system as complex as NC3, they provide a rigorous executable specification on how a system such as CATALINK is supposed to run.

    1h 1m

  3. 07/06/2020

    Security Through Simplicity

    Eric Grosse joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to detail the trade-offs of prioritizing security, reliability, and efficiency in the CATALINK system. This includes a primer on how a sender and receiver will exchange cryptographic keys to ensure they are communicating securely. The episode also discusses the reasoning for Grosse's proposed technical baseline solutions. Music by Punch Deck

    51 min

  4. 06/22/2020

    The Mathematics of Trust and Betrayal

    In this episode of The Fourth Leg, host Philip Reiner sits down with experienced cryptographer and owner and founder of Anagram Laboratories, Dr. Tom Berson. Dr. Berson discusses how lessons from the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) competition can aid the development of international standards and potentially serve as an example for collaborative, transparent efforts for the creation of the CATALINK system. Music by Punch Deck

    38 min

  5. 06/08/2020

    Assume Vulnerability

    This week’s episode of The Fourth Leg, "Assume Vulnerability", features the High Priest of Coreboot, Ron Minnich. We dive deep into the substance of his paper, “Hardware that is Less Untrusted: Open Source Down to the Silicon” and discuss software, firmware, and hardware vulnerabilities and the value of open source code. Music by Punch Deck

    45 min

  6. 05/28/2020

    Targeting Communications and Escalation

    This week's episode of The Fourth Leg features the return of one of the “NC3 originals,” Paul Bracken from Yale University. We take a deep dive into the substance of his paper, “Communication Disruption Attacks on NC3,” which argues that states must do more to delineate intentions in attacking communications systems in order to avoid inadvertent nuclear conflict. Dr. Bracken also shares insight into the beginnings of his career and how he came to work for Herman Kahn for a decade at the Hudson Institute. Music by Punch Deck

    58 min

  7. 05/13/2020

    Wake-Up Call

    Welcome back to The Fourth Leg, a series of podcasts focused on one of the most complex systems in the world today - nuclear command and control - and its increasingly complicated future. In season two, we will discuss the necessity for a secure, global crisis communications capability. In the first episode of the season, we discuss the need for a better communication system between nuclear powers with Philip Reiner, Peter Hayes, Eric Grosse, Rear Admiral John Gower, and Subrata Banik. Music by Punch Deck

    1h 4m

  8. 11/21/2019

    NC3, Entanglement, and the Inadvertent Risk of Nuclear War

    In this episode, Philip Reiner sits down with Dr. James Acton to understand how to evaluate the risk of inadvertent escalation arising from entanglement. In a conventional conflict, each belligerent might attack the other’s command, control, communication, and intelligence (C3I) capabilities to gain a war-fighting advantage. However, because a number of C3I assets are dual-use, such attacks would degrade the target’s nuclear command-and-control system, creating serious risks of inadvertent escalation.

    52 min
See All (24)

About

The Fourth Leg is a series of podcasts focused on one of the most complex systems in the world today—nuclear command and control—and its increasingly complicated future. Hosted by Institute for Security and Technology's Philip Reiner, we go straight to the experts across multiple sectors to discuss the modernization of nuclear command and control systems.

Information

  • Creator
    Institute for Security and Technology
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Institute for Security and Technology
  • Show Website
    The Fourth Leg