Our guest this week is Dr. Frederick White. Dr. White is a professor of Russian and Integrated Studies at Utah Valley University, and a specialist in Russian literature, film, and culture. Listen as Professor White discusses how Vladimir Putin cemented his authority as Russian President, how Alexei Navalny challenged Putin’s authority in Russia, and how Russian territorial ambitions pose a threat to NATO and the West.

Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security.

Our guest this week is John McClure, Deputy Director of the Center for National Security Studies at Utah Valley University. John worked at the county, state, and federal levels as an Intelligence Analyst specializing in counterterrorism investigations in the State of Utah.

Listen as Deputy Director McClure discusses his education in Terrorism Studies at St. Andrews University in Scotland, and how that led to a career as an Intelligence Analyst. Deputy Director McClure further describes his experience working at Utah’s Fusion Center, as well as his time with the Salt Lake FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

How do state and local governments prepare for potential terrorist attacks? In what ways do federal, state, and local agencies collaborate on issues of national security? How do investigators and analysts use open-source intelligence to conduct national security investigations?

Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security.

Our guest this week is Dr. Kerry Kartchner, nuclear weapons policy expert, former US Department of State representative, and adjunct professor at Utah Valley University’s Center for National Security Studies. 

Listen as Dr. Kartchner recounts his career beginning as an instructor at the Naval postgraduate school, his participation in the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), and his work with the State Department’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. 

How do recent actions by Russia threaten the emergence of more nuclear states? How does the modernization of the US nuclear arsenal support the goal of nonproliferation worldwide? How will ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine affect the evolution of nuclear strategy?  

Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security 

Our guest this week is Matt Berrett, cofounder of the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence (CAI) at Utah State University, Director of Analytics at Space Dynamics Lab (SDL), and retired Assistant Director with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Listen as Director Berrett describes his early career with the CIA, his time directing the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), and the relationship between Space Dynamics Lab and the Department of Defense.

How do universities cooperate with the U.S. Government to provide critical research and development? What is the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence (CAI)? In what ways has the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) evolved over time? Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security.

Our guest this week is Dr. Jared Pendleton, a Civil Service officer with the U.S. Department of State and an adjunct professor at Utah Valley University’s Center for National Security Studies. Listen as Dr. Pendleton discusses graduate school in Southern California, his time as a political officer in the foreign service, and language training at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). 

What is the mission of the Department of State? How does the State Department support National Security through international relationship building? How do U.S. diplomats fulfill their mission through embracing ongoing technological developments? What can students do to prepare themselves to be future representatives of U.S. diplomacy? Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security. 

Listen as Professor Greg Jackson, Senior Fellow at the Center for National Security Studies and host of the podcast, History that Doesn’t Suck, discusses the historical context behind the conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

How did European colonialism set the stage for decades of violence in the region? How does the conflict reflect wider international tensions? Will the U.S. response and support of Israel help to deescalate the situation? Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security.

Check out Dr. Jacksons podcast at: https://www.htdspodcast.com/

Listen as Dr. Eric Hyer, retired professor of political science and Coordinator of Asian Studies at the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University, discusses his time studying in Taiwan, experience with the foreign service, research regarding Chinese border disputes, and thoughts on political leadership in China. 

How does the One China Policy maintain peace on both sides of the Taiwan Strait? How can the U.S. avoid war with China amid rising tensions and worsening relations? How does President Xi Jinping’s leadership of the Chinese Communist Party compare with Chairman Mao Zedong? Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security.  

Listen as Maggie Hutchens and Ethan Morse, seniors in the National Security Studies Program at Utah Valley University (UVU), share their experiences studying national security at UVU and competing in the Atlantic Council’s Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.

How does the Center for National Security Studies (CNSS) prepare students to apply practical skills in the professional field? What is the makeup of CNSS’s cyber team—the W0LV3R1NES? How do the W0LV3R1NES compete with graduate students from prestigious universities and academies in the Cyber 9/12 competition? How can students become involved in international cyber competitions? Learn all this, and more, in this episode of In the Interest of National Security.