The following was an interview done with the Director of The DEFCON Warning System for a newspaper article. After reading the interview, the editor of the newspaper decided to not run the article, citing that the content was too disturbing.

We present the interview here unedited.

Mr Wolf, could you tell us a little bit about the DEFCON Warning System and your role there?

My name is Thomas Lonely Wolf.  For those curious, that is Cherokee (Native American).

The DEFCON Warning System was started in 1984 with a mission to assess the threat of nuclear war.  Back then, it was mostly the United States and Russia, but over time that threat has expanded.  Nuclear threats now come from China, North Korea, India and Pakistan, and even Iran.  Those are just countries that either have or are known to be pursuing nuclear weapons.  That doesn’t even begin to encapsulate nuclear terrorism, which I am surprised has not happened yet.

The idea is that nuclear war is such a horrible thought that most people won’t even consider it.  It isn’t even in the realm of their thinking.  The government certainly won’t warn the public of impending nuclear war.  That’s not nefarious on their part.  Their job is to keep order as well as to not incite the situation even more.  If — let’s say Russia to pick someone at random — saw the United States warning the public of an impending nuclear attack, Russia could read that as the U.S. preparing to launch its own attack.  And so the U.S. will be reluctant to make that kind of announcement.

The DEFCON Warning System, being a private enterprise, does not have that limitation.  An enemy won’t see us as an official mouthpiece of the government, and so would not read a warning by us as they would a warning from the government.

Additionally, we hope to be in a position of public trust.  So that, if the warning does indeed need to go out, the public will believe us and take appropriate steps to safeguard themselves.

We also hope to provide a modicum of information on how to survive a nuclear war as well as dispel the defeatist and criminally inaccurate myth that nuclear war cannot be survived.  It can be, and your family can be safe if you take the proper steps.  The last thing you want to hear from your loved ones is “why didn’t you prepare us for this?” when they are dying from burns and radiation sickness?

Are there any events occurring with the potential to result in potential nuclear weapons use?

At the moment, there is always the potential for Russia’s war with Ukraine to flare up.  Russia has said numerous times this is a war with NATO, and there have been a number of calls within Russia to use nuclear weapons.  And of course, if Ukraine looks like they are going to capture the Crimea warm water port, that is a definite problem.

North Korea is a wild card. China doesn’t control them as much as China and the world likes to think so.  And North Korea has that Honour-Or-Die philosophy.  The government is very willing to sacrifice their country for their beliefs.  That makes them extremely dangerous.

As mentioned, India and Pakistan is one bad week away from going nuclear, and Iran has already mentioned (numerous times) that they want to see Israel destroyed.  Who knows how far they will go to achieve that, though the government leaders aren’t willing to sacrifice themselves like North Korea is. So, there is that.  But don’t believe that hogwash that the Ayatollah has issued an edict that nuclear weapons are immoral.  Iran is definitely working on a bomb.

How likely do you assess a nuclear terrorist attack to be?

Very likely.  It’s just a matter of time.  North Korea is selling nuclear tech.  Iran is.  Russia is.  Nuclear terrorism is very effective.  The first time it may be seen as a bluff unless they can prove they have a weapon, but after that it’s anyone’s game.

Do you believe Iran is likely to possess working nuclear weapons in the next five years? If so, what security implications could this have for the global community?

I would be surprised if they didn’t have one already.  We already have intelligence that they do.  But as for a working arsenal, certainly it can happen, and much faster than that.  It doesn’t take much tech to launch a missile at Israel.  Or to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.  If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, look for an arms race in the Middle East.  Except for a handful of countries, Iran is hated there.  Saudi Arabia has already said that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, they want one as well.

Are you concerned about the security of nuclear weapons globally?

With countries like North Korea and Iran and even Russia, I certainly am.  Russia is porous and North Korea is selling their tech.  Johnny Down The Block certainly can’t get one, but any group with enough money can.  And as long as the world is in need of oil from the Middle East, the money is there.

Are efforts being made to eliminate nuclear weapons stockpiles?

Treaties have been made to reduce the number of nuclear stockpiles as well as the number of weapons in service.  But there is that old saying: Instead of destroying the world fifty times over, we can only destroy it thirty times over.  Not much real progress there.  And countries have no incentive.  If Russia (to pick a country again) disarms, who is to say the U.S. will?  Or China, which has been adamant about not agreeing to any nuclear treaty.  Why should one country disarm when others won’t?

Do you see the potential for a nuclear conflict in the future?

As long as nuclear weapons exist, there is potential to use them.  So far, the big boys have decided that it isn’t worth it to nuke each other over small gains.  But what if one day North Korea decided to play the nuclear card.  Give them what they want or Seoul gets it?  What do you do? We came perilously close to nuclear conflict just a few short years ago between the U.S. and North Korea.  It ended when the U.S. blinked, but if they hadn’t…

Is it possible to survive an all-out nuclear war?

Yes, it is.  As I said, it is a myth that nuclear war will kill everyone.  There will be large swaths of people who survive.  What kind of life they lead will be dependent on how they prepare for the event.

Face this fact: Unless you are killed in the initial attack, dying from radiation sickness is one of the worst ways to die.  And it doesn’t have to happen if you prepare.

Food and supplies will be needed.  Do you have them?  A shelter without supplies is not a shelter but a tomb.  Start stocking up now, a bit at a time.  You’ll be surprised how much you’ll build up over time

Don’t be taken in by the defeatists who say no one will survive nuclear war.  We have articles on The DEFCON Warning System site, including You Can Survive Nuclear War as well as the book (for free) Nuclear War Survival Skills which will tell you that you can survive and how to survive.  Invaluable resources.