The Honorable David Trachtenberg: U.S. Missile Defense Priorities

In this episode of NucleCast, Adam interviews Dave Trachtenberg about his report on missile defense. They discuss the need to move away from Cold War-era thinking regarding mutual vulnerability and the importance of defending the homeland against missile threats from adversaries like China and Russia. The conversation also covers the role of space in missile defense, necessary legislative changes, and future wishes for missile defense capabilities, including directed energy systems.

The Honorable David J. Trachtenberg is Vice President of the National Institute for Public Policy, a nonprofit research center in Fairfax, Virginia. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 17, 2017 as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and served in this capacity until his retirement from government service in July 2019. Until January 2018, he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the principal civilian adviser to the Secretary of Defense on policy matters.

He was also the senior Department of Defense civilian official responsible for DoD policy on civilian casualties resulting from military operations. Prior to his confirmation, Mr. Trachtenberg was President and CEO of Shortwaver Consulting, LLC. Earlier, he was a Vice President at CACI and Senior Vice President for Homeland Security at National Security Research, Inc.

Prior to joining NSR, Mr. Trachtenberg was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Forces Policy. From 1995-200, Mr. Trachtenberg was a Professional Staff Member with the House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) in Washington, D.C, serving as head of the committee's policy staff and staff lead for the HASC Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism.

Mr.Trachtenberg is a two-time recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. He holds an A.B. in International Relations from the University of Southern California and a M.S. degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He currently teaches graduate seminars in nuclear deterrence and strategy and the role of Congress in national security policy at the Fairfax, Virginia campus of Missouri State University’s Defense and Strategic Studies Program.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Missile Defense Priorities

03:10 Reassessing Cold War Paradigms

06:00 The Role of Space in Missile Defense

08:51 Legislative Changes for Enhanced Defense

11:58 Wishes for the Future of Missile Defense

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