I am dangerous.

I've made a decision. Fire one.

Incoming!

Hi, my name is Elliot Ackerman.

Hi, I'm Admiral Jim Stavridis.

[Narrator] Elliot and Admiral Stavridis

are the coauthors of 2034,

a new novel imagining the next World War.

Today we'll be reviewing clips of TV and film

that feature themes represented in our book, 2034.

Surprise attack, Midway.

Incoming!

[bullets firing]

What you have just seen is the worst day

in the history of the United States Navy.

[airplanes buzzing]

Pearl Harbor was viewed, at the time of the attack,

as not vulnerable to the Japanese Navy.

Their attack was a master stroke, tactically.

Pearl is under attack

and we don't even know if the bastards are north or south?

It fundamentally changed our approach

to deep intelligence, imagining what could happen.

We're gonna place our bet right there.

We now work together jointly,

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps.

We are fairly seamless in sharing information.

That was not the case prior to the second World War.

[typewriter tapping]

One of the greatest takeaways from this scene

is that it was the result of a failure in US imagination.

And so it's incumbent on us,

you could even say it's a national security priority,

that we be actively imagining the threats

that will come to us in the future.

Be prepared for anything.

Miscommunication-- Actually.

This one is mine.

I can do it.

Miscommunication, The Bedford Incident.

All systems are in the ready.

This is insane! Ah don't worry Commodore,

The Bedford will never fire first.

But if he fires one I'll fire one.

Fire one.

This scene from The Bedford Incident

is famous throughout the Navy,

where the commanding officer

seeks simply to arm the missile.

Arm number one, ASROC.

But the junior officer...

Aye-aye, sir.

Mistakes his words, and actually launches the missile.

If he fires one, I'll fire one.

Fire one.

It is possible that this could happen.

Geez! [missile booms]

And as a result, that firing chain of command in the Navy

is typically guarded in a two person way,

similar to that with nuclear weapons.

Probably the most similar incident occurred in 1988.

When the USS Vincennes, a cruiser, tragically,

mistakenly shot down an Iranian commercial aircraft.

Killing hundreds of innocent civilians.

It's an example of in the tension of combat

terrible and tragic mistakes can be made.

This was one.

Loss of humanity, Full Metal Jacket.

[gun firing]

Get some, get some, yeah!

In this scene, we see a helicopter door gunner

shooting at unarmed Vietnamese civilians.

[Soldier] Get some, get some, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Full Metal Jacket, which was directed by

Stanley Kubrick, was in part written by

Vietnam War correspondent Michael Herr.

And Michael Herr's iconic book, Dispatches,

has this exact scene.

Why should we do a story about you?

'Cause I'm so [beeps] good.

The portrait of this door gunner

firing at the Vietnamese civilians,

and specifically that bit of dialogue, get some.

Get some!

In Marine circles to this day,

kind of is a slang for like,

you're gonna go out and do the most extreme thing

you can imagine, you're gonna go get some.

Anyone who runs is a VC.

Anyone who stands still is a well disciplined VC. [laughs]

Oftentimes, to wage war, we need to dehumanize our enemy.

How can you shoot women, children?

And that dehumanization is also as old as war itself.

You just don't lead 'em so much.

The military theoretician Clausewitz said,

The nature of war is slaughter.

That has always been the case,

and I believe that always will remain the case.

Just keeping it light. [laughs]

Stealth technology, The Hunt for Red October.

[Man] What are these doors?

You don't miss much, do you?

In this scene, CIA analyst Jack Ryan

uncovers the Russian's latest technological advancement.

This could be a caterpillar. A what?

Magneto hydrodynamic propulsion, you follow?

No.

The caterpillar drive is a fictitious propulsion system

used on the Red October.

It's like a jet engine for the water.

Goes in the front, gets squirted out the back.

So the propulsion system is virtually silent,

which drastically reduces the seismic signature

of the submarine, making it very, very difficult to detect.

Let me take this.

It's the acoustic signature, not a seismic signature.

Sorry.

[Jim] I don't know if that's important.

[Man] Who let you in here?

The caterpillar drive system

from The Hunt for Red October

doesn't exist at that level of capability in real life.

We messed with this a couple years ago.

We couldn't make it work.

But the idea of using water propulsion systems

to silence submarines is quite real.

It's doubtful our sonar'd even pick it up.

And if it did, it'd sound like whales humping,

or some kind of seismic anomaly, anything but a submarine.

What caught our attention in this scene,

and thinking about 2034,

is that you never know when your opponent

is going to suddenly make a technological leap

that renders you highly vulnerable.

This thing could park a couple a hundred warheads

off Washington or New York, and no one would know

anything about it 'til it was all over.

Emerging tech, Black Mirror.

[man yelling] [alarm blaring]

[glass crashes]

So in this episode we see autonomous dog-like

military robots turning on humanity.

[man yelling]

In these scenes when you see drones turning on people

it's not necessarily too far-fetched.

'Cause that technology is being developed

and it wouldn't take much to weaponize that technology.

[beeps]

Currently, the US military views this technology

as something that it's essential

that there is a human decision maker in the loop.

However, it's very easy to imagine a scenario

where other countries don't feel

those same ethical inhibitions,

which would be, quite frankly, chilling.

What kind of society is that?

Cybersecurity phones hack, Mr. Robot.

I've been lying to you.

I don't take my pills, but you don't either.

In this scene, Elliot reveals

that he's hacked his psychologist.

I don't just hack you Krista, I hack everyone.

My friends, coworkers.

There are 7 billion people on the planet today

and probably 40 billion devices connected to the internet.

Every one of those devices is a potential attack surface.

On paper, your Thursday 2:00,

Marilyn O'Brien, is your doppelganger.

As advanced as your technology becomes

it can also become a weakness

because your over-reliance on it makes you vulnerable.

You bought a tall hazelnut latte,

paid for it on your Evil Corp card.

We've certainly seen the reliance

we all place on our phoness, on the internet.

If a competitor nation can shut down your cyber capability,

suddenly a high-tech war can immediately

turn into a very, very low tech war.

Cybersecurity is at the top of the worry list

for the Pentagon.

All of our systems depend on

internet-like communication paths.

I sometimes watch you on your webcam.

You cry sometimes.

Just like me.

Cyber security requires over time

the creation of a cyber force,

if we're gonna be prepared

for the coming conflict in cyberspace.

Really good advice.

False commands, Dr. Strangelove.

[machine buzzing]

In this scene, a patrolling bomber

is given a wrongful command to drop a hydrogen bomb.

I know you'll think this is crazy,

but I just got a message from base over the CRM114,

it decodes as wing attack plan R, Alpha Romeo.

There certainly has never been a false command

to actually launch a nuclear strike against an enemy.

How many times have I told you guys

that I don't want no horsing around on the airplane?

All of our nuclear codes are held at the highest levels.

No single actor has access to

our nuclear weapons or nuclear codes.

I'm not horsing around, sir.

That's how it decodes.

One of the things that I love about that scene

and how it's constructed is you're seeing this very real

and premeditated architecture of the codes.

But you're also seeing it overlaid

in a very realistic and human situation.

Major Kong, is it possible

this is some kind of loyalty test?

You know, give the go code and then recall

to see who would actually go?

It is 100% likely that individuals receiving the code

would stop, question, think about it.

Oh there's just gotta be something wrong.

But ultimately, if the order was legitimate,

and had come through the nuclear channels properly,

it would be executed.

Well, boys, I reckon this is it.

The American service member, Top Gun.

You guys really are cowboys.

What's your problem, Kazansky?

We see in this clip, the sort of...

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Classic...

[man howling]

20th century... I want some butts!

Machismo.

[Kazansky] I don't like you because you're dangerous.

That's right.

They're as much attacking each other

as bonding with each other.

I am dangerous.

In the novel 2034 culture plays a very important role,

as it does in all conflict.

He's laughing at us.

No it's me laughing, dickhead.

That type of interaction...

Well, you shut up.

Don't worry. Okay I won't.

Just don't worry.

Although over the top,

I think is and continues to be accurate.

And it's something we wanted to harness

and put into the book.

Remember boys, no points for second place.

The Naval hijacking, Operation Red Sea.

[man speaking in a foreign language]

An attack by pirates in certain shipping lanes

around the world is highly likely.

[suspenseful music]

Both the US and the Chinese armed forces

train for hostage scenarioses

because such scenarioses are all too real.

[gun firing] [glass shattering]

One of the things the clip doesn't really

emphasize properly is the extent to which

a rescue force would prioritize

the safety of those hostages.

The idea of taking a shot like the one you just saw

is probably pretty unrealistic

given the threat that would pose

to the individuals that'd been taken hostage.

Sudden escalation, Hunter Killer.

In this clip, we see a US submarine

that thinks it's undetectable being hit by a Russian sub.

Stay right behind her.

This scenario is all too likely.

Our submarines are operating under the Arctic ice,

monitoring Russian subsurface activity.

What you see here is an Akula Class Russian submarine,

the very best and quietest of their nuclear attack boats.

What is that?

It's crucial that the United States Navy

have accurate acoustic information

about each one of the Russian submarines.

Torpedo in the water, bearing 335 at 600 yards.

Torpedo evasion.

If we were to go into a combat situation

we would know the submarines we were up against.

All ahead flanked. There's no time.

200 yards. Right hard rudder.

Terminal holding!

[missile whooshing]

[explosion booming]

It's unlikely there would be a sudden attack like that

under current geopolitical circumstances.

15 years from now,

what are the relations between the United States and Russia?

What are the relations between the United States and China?

That's really the premise that we explore in 2034.

War room briefing, The Hunt for Red October.

You son of a bitch.

You son of a bitch!

Jack Ryan realizes that the Russian captain is defecting.

Ramius might be trying to defect.

Do you mean to suggest that this man has come--

Proceed.

So often, history hinges on the little people,

the medium sized bureaucrats who speak up in a meeting

and are told to act on their opinions.

You're just an analyst.

What can you possibly know what goes on in his mind?

I know Ramius, General.

One of the things that is somewhat realistic about this

is the ability that those mid-level officials

can have to sway opinion in a room.

Proceed, Mr. Ryan.

It's not necessarily that they're choosing to

believe Jack Ryan over the Admiral,

but they're giving him an opportunity

to prove that he's right.

Let's assume for a minute that you're right

and this Russian intends to defect.

What do you suggest we do about it?

In 2034 we have a character

who's very similar to Jack Ryan,

in that he's often in the room

where decisions are being made.

And there are a few critical times in the book,

speaks up in ways that proved to be extremely influential.

I said speak your mind, Jack, but Jesus.

Cloaking device, Star Trek.

Throw the switch.

[dramatic music]

Weapons officer, commence fire--

They have the cloaking device!

This does not really exist.

Although as we move forward in time,

and stealth becomes better and better,

it is not inconceivable that extremely large vessels

could, at some point, evade detection.

Cloaking device is working perfectly.

At this moment, for example, a large US Navy destroyer,

something that is 10,000 tons and 500 feet in length,

can appear on a radar to be as small

as a coastal fishing boat.

But it doesn't completely disappear, yet.

Captain, I'm working as fast as I can!

Crisis call, Dr. Strangelove.

You know how we've always talked about

the possibility of something going wrong with a bomb.

The US president calls the Russians,

trying to smooth over an attack

One of our base commanders, he had a sort of,

well, he went a little funny in the head.

Countries communicate best

when the leadership simply picks up the phones.

Of course, I like to say hello.

When they are in that intimate space, one-on-one.

Well it's good that you're fine then, and I'm fine.

They can be very candid

and they can find their way to real agreement.

[President] I agree with you, it's great to be fine.

But too often leaders are bound by

talking points prepared by their staffs

and they don't have a true human conversation.

I am as sorry as you are Dimitri,

don't say that you're more sorry than I am,

because I'm capable of being just as sorry as you are.

And it therefore becomes very difficult

to resolve situations in crisis.

Dimitri, there's no point in you getting hysterical

at a moment like this!

Close call, Hunter Killer.

Launch detection, reports 15 seconds to impact, sir.

Locked on enemy missiles, sir.

The US submarine is attacked by the Russians.

Intercept window closed. Impact!

There is no point in ducking when you're

on a ship and there are missiles inbound.

[missiles whooshing]

What just happened?

Often audiences think that all these operations

go very, very smoothly.

You've had to make a call like this before, Captain?

I've never been part of a real world operation

where I actually knew...

Who fired? Not us.

Everything that was happening.

And this scene, I think is a perfect example

of that kind of confusion.

Commander, did you know? I didn't.

I hoped.

Breaking rank, Crimson Tide.

Repeat my command.

Sir, we don't know what this message means.

Our target package could have changed.

You repeat this order

or I'll find somebody who will!

We see the second in command refusing to launch

the attack that his commanding officer is ordering.

I do not concur.

And I do not recognize your authority to relieve me

of the command under Navy regulations.

Cob, arrest this man and get him out of here!

The scenario depicted in Crimson Tide

is highly unlikely.

It's based on a partially received order

to launch the nuclear weapons.

Our systems have many fail-safes built into them

to ensure that those orders come through clearly.

You of command, Captain.

I order you to place under arrest on the charge of mutiny!

There has not been a charge of mutiny

laid in the United States Navy since the 19th century.

I've made a decision, I'm captain of this boat.

Now shut the [beeps] up!

I think it's hard to put yourself

in the shoes of a captain and an executive officer

with a partially received nuclear launch.

So I don't think anybody is actually

overreacting in this scenario.

Captain please. Now, Cob!

How wars end, 1917.

There is only one way this war ends.

Last man standing.

Colonel Mackenzie is talking about

the nature of the first World War,

and potentially war itself.

And when he says... Last man standing.

I think what he's alluding to is this only ends

once one side has had its will totally and utterly broken.

And that's always been the case with war.

I have heard it all before.

I think the larger question is not necessarily

how do wars end, but why do wars persist?

Well done, lad.

Thank you, sir.

Conclusion. In addition to

enjoying a good story, what we hope people

will take away from the novel 2034

is some more active engagement with some of the challenges

that are facing our country as we move forwards.

Okay, Elliot, you got the con,

as we say in the Navy Marine Corps team.

All right, see ya, Jim.

Thanks, Wired.

[people clapping and cheering]