Can the US take out nuclear weapons in Russia, China?: Weapons and Warfare

Oct 02, 2024 at 03:00 AM CDT

The team reviewed a controversial new paper that makes claims about the U.S.' ability to deal with its near-peer adversaries' nuclear weapons. — Image credit: Russian Ministry of Defense

This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team reviewed a controversial new paper that makes some extraordinary claims about the U.S. and its ability to deal with its near-peer adversaries. Host Ryan Robertson visited with one of the paper’s authors, as well as a former U.S. military intelligence officer, for his take on the paper’s claims.

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Also featured in this episode:

The president green-lights new aid package for Ukraine.
The Department of Defense’s inspector general finds problems with Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
Army Airborne makes an 80th anniversary jump over the Netherlands.
Weapon of the Week: Andruil uses anime to introduce new missile.

You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.

Ryan Robertson is the anchor of the Straight Arrow News video podcast Weapons and Warfare. He wore many hats in his career — from photographer to news director — and firmly believes honest journalism will save our Republic.

Tags: Russia, China, People's Republic of China, Nuclear Warheads, Military Defense, U.S. military, Nuclear weapons, tactical nuclear weapons, Russian Defense Ministry, Nuclear War

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[RYAN ROBERTSON] HELLO, AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M YOUR HOST, RYAN ROBERTSON. JUST AHEAD ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE…

A NEW PAPER FROM A LONDON-BASED PROFESSOR IS MAKING SOME WAVES IN THE INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. WE VISIT WITH ONE OF THE AUTHORS, AS WELL AS A HIGHLY DUBIOUS FORMER INTEL OFFICER.

PLUS, WE REVISIT A FAMILIAR COMPANY FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK AS ANDURIL TURNS TO ANIME TO LAUNCH THE ARRIVAL OF ONE OF THEIR NEWEST PRODUCTS.

BUT FIRST SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.

AHEAD OF HIS LATEST MEETING WITH HIS UKRAINIAN COUNTERPART, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCED $375 MILLION IN MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE. ENSURING THE COUNTRY HAS THE TOOLS IT NEEDS TO PREVAIL IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST RUSSIA… THIS INCLUDES THE AUTHORIZATION OF A PRESIDENTIAL DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY PACKAGE THAT WILL PROVIDE UKRAINE ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES TO MEET ITS MOST URGENT NEEDS,

HERE’S ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS.: AMMUNITION FOR HIGH MOBILITY ARTILLERY ROCKET SYSTEMS, AKA HIMARS 155MM AND 105MM ARTILLERY AMMUNITION TUBE-LAUNCHED, OPTICALLY TRACKED, WIRE-GUIDED ANTI-TANK MISSILES JAVELIN AND AT-4 ANTI-ARMOR SYSTEMS AIR-TO-GROUND CRUISE MISSILES;

JUST TO NAME A FEW, THIS IS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S SIXTY-SIXTH TRANCHE OF EQUIPMENT FROM DOD INVENTORIES FOR UKRAINE SINCE AUGUST 2021.

[POTUS] We stand with Ukraine, now and in the future. That starts on the battlefield. I’m determined to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to prevail in its fight for survival.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] BIDEN WENT ON TO SAY THE U-S WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH SOME 50 ALLIES AND PARTNERS THROUGH THE UKRAINE DEFENSE CONTACT GROUP AND ITS ASSOCIATED CAPABILITY COALITIONS TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT UKRAINE NEEDS TO WIN THE WAR.

A NEW REPORT BY THE D-O-D’S INSPECTOR GENERAL SAYS THE NAVY’S PRIMARY AIRBORNE BATTLE MANAGER, THE E-2-D ADVANCED HAWKEYE, HAS BEEN PLAGUED BY PROBLEMS AND THE NAVY LACKS A PLAN TO FIX THEM.

KNOWN FOR THE DISTINCTIVE DISC ATOP ITS FUSELAGE, THE ADVANCED HAWKEYE PRIMARILY PROVIDES AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING AND CONTROL FOR CARRIER GROUPS.

BUILT BY NORTHRUP GRUMAN SINCE 2007, AND CALLED THE “DIGITAL QUARTERBACK,” THE I-G’s REPORT DETAILED THAT 62, OF AN EVENTUAL PLANNED FLEET OF 80 E-2-Ds, DO NOT MEET THE REQUIRED PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES BECAUSE THE NAVY ISN’T TRACKING PROBLEMS FOUND DURING OPERATIONAL TESTING.

AMONG THE PROBLEMS REDACTED IN THE REPORT WERE LOCKING ISSUES WITH CREW SEATS, OBSCURED VIEWS OF TRACKING SCREENS, AND A REFERENCE TO QUOTE, “THE RADAR IS THE AIRCRAFT’S PRIMARY MEANS TO DETECT AND TRACK LAND AND SEA CONTACTS.”, AN ADMITTEDLY ODD THING TO HAVE TO POINT OUT ON AN EARLY WARNING AND CONTROL AIRCRAFT.

AMONG THE INSPECTOR GENERAL’S RECOMMENDATIONS, THE NAVY NEEDS TO DEVELOP A MEANS TO EVALUATE, TRACK AND ADDRESS ALL ISSUES. TO ITS CREDIT, THE NAVY AGREED AND SAID PLANS WOULD BE IN PLACE BY DECEMBER 1ST.

WHILE MOST AMERICANS ARE AT LEAST FAMILIAR WITH THE TROOP JUMPS INTO NORMANDY ON D-DAY AHEAD OF THE ALLIED INVASION, LESS KNOWN IS OPERATION MARKET GARDEN. A LITTLE MORE THAN THREE MONTHS LATER, THE U-S AND ALLIED TROOPS JUMPED INTO THE NETHERLANDS AS PART OF A PLAN TO LIBERATE THE DUTCH. IN HONOR OF THE OPERATION’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY, AMERICAN TROOPS ONCE AGAIN MADE THE LEAP, THIS TIME INTO A MUCH FRIENDLIER RECEPTION.

[COL. DEREK NOEL] From the first day you’re a paratrooper, you realize you’re a part of an organization that remembers its history. And coming to events such as Market Garden is a perfect opportunity to tie the past to the present, to demonstrate and show the similarities that exist amongst paratroopers of all generations, and to remember the sacrifices of those that came before us.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] 35,000 PARATROOPERS FROM THE U-S AND 12 OTHER NATO NATIONS TOOK PART IN A SERIES OF JUMPS WATCHED BY A SMALL GROUP OF WORLD WAR II VETERANS AND SOME 60,000 SPECTATORS.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] THE UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES HAVE ENOUGH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS AND DELIVERY SYSTEMS TO TAKE OUT ALL OF RUSSIA AND CHINA’S NUCLEAR LAUNCH SITES IN ABOUT TWO HOURS…AT LEAST ACCORDING TO A PAIR OF BRITISH RESEARCHERS BEHIND A NEWLY PUBLISHED STUDY TITLED MASTERS OF THE AIR: STRATEGIC STABILITY AND CONVENTIONAL STRIKES.

IT’S CERTAINLY A BOLD CLAIM–SO I REACHED OUT TO MATT SHOEMAKER–A FORMER US INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR SOME CONTEXT.

You have some pretty strong opinions, your background with your, your intelligence background, like you were on the Russian desk. So when you see an article that says the US can take out all of Russia and China’s nukes in a couple of hours. Accurate, inaccurate. What do you think?

[MATT SHOEMAKER] That is an extraordinary claim that requires extraordinary evidence to support that. And this particular report is not worth its weight at all from what I can see.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] SHOEMAKER’S ASSESSMENT IS BASED ON HIS OWN EXPERIENCE. HIS DAY JOBS AS AN INTEL OFFICER INCLUDED SITTING ON THE CHINESE NUCLEAR FORCES DESK AND THE RUSSIA DESK.

[MATT SHOEMAKER] So when I see a report that claims that the United States and its allies can wipe out Chinese and Russian nuclear forces capabilities within two hours using conventional weaponry, the first question I have to ask is who in the world is claiming this?

[RYAN ROBERTSON] THAT PERSON WOULD BE PROFESSOR DAN PLESCH–WHO, ALONG WITH A COLLEAGUE–AUTHORED THE MASTERS OF THE AIR STUDY.

[DAN PLESCH] Back in the 1960s, as a teenager, I was extremely interested, particularly with the nuclear threat, and was subscribing to the International Institute for Strategic Studies journals before I ever went to college.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] PLESCH WAS INVOLVED IN THE UK’S ANTI-NUCLEAR CAMPAIGN FOR YEARS IN THE 1970S AND 80S. HE FOUNDED THE BRITISH AMERICAN SECURITY INFORMATION COUNCIL–OR BASIC IN 1985. IT’S A THINK TANK WORKING TOWARDS NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT.

TODAY, PLESCH IS A PROFESSOR OF DIPLOMACY AND STRATEGY AT SOAS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON…WHERE HE’S SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF ENERGY RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT THE PROLIFERATION OF CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS.

[DAN PLESCH] And some years ago I wrote a piece for the Conversation because I felt rather frustrated about the way the debate was– which has had about quarter of a million reads I think– about a non -nuclear world war how viable this was, because it seemed to me that conventional counterforce was really the the missing link, the dog that did not bark, choose your cliche.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] CONVENTIONAL COUNTERFORCE IS THE MILITARY TACTIC OF USING CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS TO TARGET AN ADVERSARIES NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

DURING THE COLD WAR–COUNTERFORCE WAS ALL ABOUT USING NUKES TO STOP NUKES.

TODAY–PLESCH SAYS THE US HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH CAPABILITY TO WIPE OUT BOTH RUSSIA AND CHINA’S NUCLEAR ARSENALS WITHOUT EVER NEEDING TO USE ITS OWN NUKES.

PLESCH POINTS TO PROGRAMS LIKE RAPID DRAGON, WHICH USES CARGO PLANES TO LAUNCH PALLETS FULL OF CRUISE MISSILES–OR THE DOMINANCE OF STEALTH AIRCRAFT AS PROOF OF THE WEST HOLDING A DECISIVE ADVANTAGE OVER ITS ADVERSARIES.

AND THAT IMBALANCE OF POWER–ACCORDING TO PLESCH AND OTHERS–COULD BE FUELING A VERY REAL ARMS RACE WITH THE US AND ITS ALLIES ON ONE SIDE, AND RUSSIA, CHINA AND THEIR ALLIES ON ANOTHER.

PLESCH SAYS WHILE THE INTENT OF THE WEST MAY BE TO DETER ADVERSARIES–TO CHINA AND RUSSIA, THE BUILD UP IN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS BY THE WEST IS A DIRECT THREAT TO BOTH BEIJING AND MOSCOW’S STRATEGIC STABILITY…ESSENTIALLY A MISUNDERSTANDING OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

[DAN PLESCH] I think one has to say if you have this level of misunderstanding and weapons development and poor understanding about it, then this enhances an already widely acknowledged risk of major war, whether conventional or nuclear, and right now arms control and disarmament is not wanted on voyage. and you know i think we would simply say you know Putin is not a tougher nut than the Soviet Union. He’s materially weaker in many, many ways. And yet, we are asked to accept this. I think it isn’t a question. We have a mutual self -interest in securing an arms control solution.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] PLESCH SAYS THERE NEEDS TO BE A SOFT-LANDING–AN OFF RAMP SOMEWHERE THAT THE WORLD CAN TAKE TOWARDS DISARMAMENT–BOTH CONVENTIONAL AND NUCLEAR. AND HE HOPES HIS MASTERS OF THE SKY REPORT–WHICH SHOWS AN OVERWHELMING DOMINANCE BY THE WEST–CAN HELP SPARK THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

BUT FOR FOLKS LIKE MATT SHOEMAKER–PLESCH’S FINDINGS ASSUME TO MUCH–LIKE THAT RUSSIAN NUCLEAR SUBS ARE EASY TO TRACK–OR THAT WESTERN AIR POWER IS SO DOMINANT THE CHINESE AND RUSSIANS NUCLEAR THREATS COULD BE WIPED OUT IN ABOUT AS MUCH TIME AS IT TAKES TO WATCH A MOVIE.

[DAN PLESCH] Excuse me. Like if that were the case, then the Cold War would have been a joke as if we had nothing to worry about.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] SHOEMAKER SAYS JUST BY EXAMINING HOW MUCH TIME, ENERGY, EFFORT AND MONEY BOTH THE CHINESE AND RUSSIANS ARE POURING INTO THEIR NUCLEAR PROGRAMS–THE ONLY REASONABLE ASSUMPTION TO TAKE IS THOSE PROGRAMS ARE IMPORTANT AND THE CHINESE AND RUSSIANS WILL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PROTECT THEM.

[DAN PLESCH] And so to treat it almost in a sort of flippant attitude is what really irritates me because the people that are going to be reading this on the government side, not just in the West, but also in other parts of the world are going to get a very different message. It’s going to drive some of our adversaries to overreact, potentially speaking. And it allows us to fall on our laurels and just step back and not worry about these things. It’s like, why did you actually publish this if that’s what you think? It’s it’s mind blowing. It really is.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] THOUGHT PROVOKING–POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS–A CONVERSATION STARTER– THE MASTERS OF THE AIR REPORT IS CERTAINLY A LOT OF THINGS.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] TIME NOW FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, A PLACE WHERE WE USUALLY FEATURE SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND HARDWARE IN THE WORLD. A PLACE WHERE WE’VE FEATURED NEW CONCEPTS IN WARFIGHTING, AND RECENTLY, SOMETHING CALLED OPERATION HARD KILL IN WESTERN NEW YORK STATE.

BUT NEVER BEFORE HAVE WE FEATURED THE COMMERCIAL FOR THE WEAPON, ALONG WITH THE WEAPON ITSELF.

BUT, AS WITH MOST THINGS ANDURIL DOES, THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

THAT’S RIGHT, THEY’VE GONE FULL-ON ANIME TO INTRODUCE THE BARRACUDA-M FAMILY OF CRUISE MISSILES.

SET TO A RE-MIX OF THE 1977 HEART CLASSIC, BARRACUDA, NOT A SHOCK, THE VIDEO QUICKLY TAKES YOU INSIDE THE WORLD OF ANDURIL BEING CREATED, AT LEAST IN PART, BY CO-FOUNDER PALMER LUCKY.

AFTER READING A HEADLINE DETAILING AMERICA’S NEED FOR MORE MISSILES TO DETER CHINA, THE FACTORY SWINGS INTO ACTION. MASS PRODUCING THE BARRACUDA-100, BARRACUDA-250, AND BARRACUDA-500.

JUMP TO THE CLOSE, AND WE SEE A STYLIZED BARRACUDA GRAPHIC AS A LONE 250 FLIES THROUGH THE FRAME, ONLY TO BE FOLLOWED SECONDS LATER BY A SWARM OF 250s.

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, THE BARRACUDAS ARE MAKING REAL HEADLINES.

INTRODUCED IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, ANDURIL IS TOUTING THEIR SIMPLICITY AND AFFORDABILITY WITH CLAIMS THE BARRACUDAS ARE THE MOST PRODUCIBLE CRUISE MISSILE ON THE MARKET TODAY, TAKING 50 PERCENT LESS TIME TO MAKE, WITH 95 PERCENT FEWER TOOLS AND 50 PERCENT FEWER PARTS. ALL AT A FRACTION OF THE COST. AMONG THE MOST EYE-CATCHING CLAIMS IS THAT A BARRACUDA CAN BE ASSEMBLED WITH TEN OR FEWER TOOLS.

SO HERE’S THE BREAKDOWN ON EACH VARIANT.

BUILT FOR QUICK, SHORT MISSIONS, THE BARRACUDA-100 IS LIGHTWEIGHT AND LAUNCHABLE FROM THE GROUND AND AIR.

NEXT UP, THE BARRACUDA-250. THIS MID-SIZE MODEL BALANCES RANGE, SPEED, AND PAYLOAD CAPACITY AND IS CAPABLE OF FITTING IN THE WEAPONS BAY OF FIGHTER JETS.

FINALLY, THE BIGGEST BIG BROTHER, THE BARRACUDA 500, HAS A RANGE OF NEARLY 600 MILES, CAN CARRY 100+ POUNDS OF PAYLOAD CAPACITY, AND IS CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING 5 Gs OF MANEUVERABILITY, AND OFFERS MORE THAN 120 MINUTES OF LOITERING TIME.

WHILE THERE IS NO OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT BUYER JUST YET, ANDURIL IS CONFIDENT ENOUGH THAT THEY HAVE PLANS TO BUILD A NEW FACTORY TO MAKE WEAPONS AND MILITARY SYSTEMS FASTER AND IN LARGER QUANTITIES.

[RYAN ROBERTSON] EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE INTRODUCED YOU TO A SMALL COMPANY WITH A BIG IDEA AND BIG AMBITIONS.

LUMENA, A DENVER START-UP, HAS QUIETLY BEEN INSTALLING THEIR MIND-GYMS AT MORE THAN A DOZEN AIR FORCE BASES ACROSS THE U-S AND BEYOND. THE SEVEN-FOOT BY SEVEN-FOOT CUBES UTILIZE THE ELEMENTS OF ISOLATION, MEDITATION, REFLECTION, LIGHT, AND SOUND TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE DESIGNED TO BUILD UP MENTAL FORTITUDE.

SINCE INSTALLING THE FIRST MIND-GYM ON HILL AIR FORCE BASE IN UTAH, LUMENA WORKED WITH NINE DIFFERENT AIR FORCE MAJOR COMMANDS, AND NOW THEY’RE POISED TO MAKE THEIR BIGGEST MOVE YET. AND THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S COMMS CHECK.

AFTER SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING THE DOD’s SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS SBIR (Sib-er), AND PROVING THE MIND-GYM’S EFFECTIVENESS ONE INSTALLATION AT A TIME, THE TEAM AT LUMENA SECURED THEIR FIRST COMMAND-WIDE BUY OF THE MIND-GYM.

SO CONVINCED OF THE POTENTIAL TO HELP THE NEARLY 31,000 AIRMAN ASSIGNED TO GLOBAL STRIKE COMMAND, TOP BOSS GENERAL THOMAS BUSSIERE (Boo-sea-a) WANTS MIND-GYMS TO BE AVAILABLE TO THE BASES AND UNITS UNDER THE STRIKE COMMAND UMBRELLA. LUMENA’S CONTRACT MANAGER, JAMIE RHONE, SAYS IT’S VALIDATION FOR ALL THE WORK THAT’S ALREADY BEEN PUT INTO THE PROJECT.

[JAMIE RHONE] “So we did a number of installations, Travis, Little Rock, Hawaii, Hill started with Hill, but what the Global Strike command contract actually marks is the first command, wide buy, which enables us to get our systems out in a single point. It’s a four star level saying, this is important. Resiliency of our people is important, and it’s now done and executed, codified in a contract, and we’re going to be rolling that out over the next 60 to 90 days.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON] JUST AS LUMENA’S BUSINESS WITH THE AIR FORCE IS GROWING, SO TOO IS THE USER EXPERIENCE INSIDE THE MIND-GYM. TAKING FEEDBACK AND INFORMATION LEARNED FROM ITS INITIAL ITERATION, LUMENA ADVISOR DR. JANNELL MacAULAY, SAYS USERS CAN EXPECT AN EXPERIENCE THAT LEANS INTO EVERYTHING THE TEAM AT LUMENA LEARNED SINCE THEIR WORK WITH THE AIR FORCE BEGAN.

[DR. JANNELL MacAULAY] “I’m really excited for people to have the opportunity to explore all the different from the modules in the curriculum to the adaptive experiences, whether it’s space or snow or rain, we’re really kind of listening to the users and what they want to see and what they want to experience, and then developing and creating those spaces for them.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON] AS WITH ANYTHING NEW, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO AREAS LIKE MENTAL HEALTH, GETTING BUY-IN FROM PROSPECTIVE USERS CAN BE A CHALLENGE. BUT RHONE SAYS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT G-S-C’s TOP BOSS IS BEHIND THE INITIATIVE SHOULD HELP CONVINCE PEOPLE.

[JAMIE RHONE] “This command wide buy does legitimize and validate the fact that we do have something real, and that is actually not only good from a product standpoint, but it’s literally changing lives. And so now, how do we take the command wide buy from Global Strike and move it to other match comms and replicate it.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON] IT’S AN IDEA THAT MIGHT JUST FIND ALIGNMENT WITH THE AIR FORCE’S CURRENT PUSH TO RESTRUCTURE ITSELF IN THE FACE OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION AND AN INCREASING FOCUS ON THE GROWING THREAT THAT IS CHINA.

[DR. JANNELL MacAULAY] “So we need access to these types of resources to ensure our war fighters are ready for the next fight. They’re not distracted, they’re more productive, they’re more efficient in the things that they do, and then overall as a wellness tool. And so I’m hearing from a lot of the airmen today that that’s what they’re really finding the benefit is that it’s, it’s twofold, right? I’m learning these skill sets that are improving my overall wellness and mental health, but I’m also learning these skill sets that are making me better at my job and better at my life.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON] IF YOU’RE THINKING TO YOURSELF, ‘THAT SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD. HOW CAN I GET INSIDE ONE OF THOSE BOXES?’ THAT OPPORTUNITY COULD EVENTUALLY BE AVAILABLE BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF THE MILITARY. LUMENA’S LEADERSHIP TELLS US THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING FOR THE NEXT LANDING SPOT FOR THE MIND-GYM, AND HOW THEY CAN REACH EVEN BIGGER GROUPS LOOKING FOR THE HELP THEY PROVIDE.

REMEMBER, IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SAW, PLEASE LIKE, SUBSCRIBE AND SHARE ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS. YOU CAN ALSO REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY BY EMAILING WEAPONS AND WARFARE AT S-A-N DOT COM.

FOR THIS WEEK’S WRAP–I’M GOING TO SPEND JUST A FEW MOMENTS TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE.

AND NOT ONLY MILITARY SERVICE–BUT SERVICE TO OTHERS IN A MORE GENERAL, UTILITARIAN SENSE OF THE WORD.

THIS TOPIC HITS A LITTLE CLOSE TO HOME FOR ME. THE NIGHT BEFORE I RECORDED THIS SEGMENT, I WAS TALKING WITH MY OLDEST KID ABOUT HER VOLUNTEERING AT A LOCAL COMMUNITY EVENT. SHE REALLY DID NOT WANT TO DO IT… MAINLY BECAUSE NONE OF HER FRIENDS WOULD BE THERE. TEENS, RIGHT?

BUT I GET IT. PUTTING YOURSELF INTO THE SERVICE OF SOMETHING GREATER CAN BE A SCARY PROPOSITION–ESPECIALLY IF YOU FEEL ALONE…

BUT IN MY CONVERSATION WITH MY DAUGHTER I REALIZED I WAS FAILING HER–

BECAUSE I’M NOT TEACHING HER ENOUGH ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SELFLESSNESS.

DOING SOMETHING FOR OTHERS AND FROM WHICH YOU YOURSELF DON’T DIRECTLY BENEFIT.

SURE, WE CAN WEAR SHIRTS BRANDED WITH BE KIND–OR WE CAN POST GRANDIOSE PLATITUDES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU VOLUNTEERED? VOLUNTEERED TO FEED THE HUNGRY–TO HELP A NEIGHBOR– TO HELP COACH A YOUTH LEAGUE–WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE TRULY SELFLESS–AND PUT YOURSELF IN THE SERVICE OF SOMETHING GREATER THAN YOU?

FOR FAR TOO MANY OF US–MYSELF INCLUDED–THE ANSWER IS IT’S BEEN TOO LONG. YEARS AGO–WE ASKED NOT WHAT OUR COUNTRY COULD DO FOR US–WE ASKED WHAT WE CAN DO FOR OUR COUNTRY. WELL RIGHT NOW… OUR COUNTRY COULD USE A LITTLE HELP. AND IN EACH OF US RESIDES THE POWER TO BE THAT HELP.

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON, WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS–SIGNING OFF.

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