Episode 1031: Biological War — Annie Jacobsen on the Threat That Scares the Pentagon More Than Nuclear War
About this episode
Annie Jacobsen discusses the threats of biological warfare and her new book on the subject.
The Pentagon ranks biological warfare as a greater threat than nuclear war — and investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen spent years finding out why. The Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Nuclear War joins Newt Gingrich to discuss her new book, Biological War: A Scenario, which charts the terrifying hours and days following a lab leak at Russia's Vector Institute. Jacobsen reveals how a Soviet-era "super plague" engineered with a euphoria gene could spread across six continents in days, why 3,500 BSL-3 labs worldwide represent a ticking clock, and what COVID failed to teach us about preparedness. Most chillingly, she exposes the classified U.S. government "Devolution Plan" — a secret continuity program designed to preserve the government underground while society collapses above. Her reporting is a warning — and a call to action before the next lab leak makes the scenario real. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Newt Gingrich
Guest: Annie Jacobsen
Topics covered
- biological warfare
- national security
- pandemic preparedness
- government continuity
- lab leaks
- Soviet-era bioweapons
Keywords
- biological war
- nuclear war
- lab leak
- super plague
- preparedness
- Devolution Plan
- BSL-3 labs
- society collapse
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Pentagon, U.S. government
Books & works: Biological War: A Scenario
Places: Russia, six continents
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