Newsweek’s Naveed Jamali recently went on a ballistic missile submarine, becoming the first journalist to film the nuclear triad.
Servicemembers working with the United States’ nuclear weapons have to be prepared to launch a deadly mission at any moment. Newsweek’s Naveed Jamali recently joined some of those men and women on board a ballistic missile submarine —and in doing so became the first journalist to film all three branches of the nation’s nuclear triad.
He began the project by filming from a B-52 bomber in January 2023 for a standalone episode of the Unconventional video series, which he hosts. At the time, Jamali had „no idea” that he would cover the entire nuclear triad, he said in an interview. But the journey then brought him to a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, in April 2024, covering the land leg and setting the mission in motion.
Seven months later, an opportunity opened up for Jamali to film from a B-2 Spirit. He became the 820th person to ever fly in the super-secret stealth bomber, a unique honor marked by receiving his official spirit number: 820. The veteran and former spy finally went aboard the USS Wyoming ballistic missile submarine in August this year.
Learning about the servicemembers working on America’s nuclear weapons was a major takeaway for Jamali. He was struck by their ages, as many are in their early 20s, he said. These men and women hail from across the country and socioeconomic backgrounds—but one thing they all have in common is their commitment to the mission, Jamali said.
They have all worked hard to get where they are and face difficult living conditions on the job, whether it be an isolating journey on board a submarine or tight quarters working on an ICBM. „A lot of this is young women and men below the ocean for months at a time, or young women or men working on missiles in the middle of nowhere in very austere, dangerous conditions, knowing…everything they do is being watched by nuclear adversaries,” Jamali said.
He saw that commitment firsthand aboard the B-52, when there was a „significant malfunction” that caused heat so intense that they were unable to touch any of the metal around them. „The pilots and crews—just the character and professionalism—they still had to fly the mission,” he said.
Although many Americans may not realize it, these nuclear weapons are being used each day as a critical form of deterrence. „Each one of these crews understand that means they have to be able to carry out a terrible mission,” he said. „Obviously the first commitment is to deterrence—but if that fails, there has to be a second commitment to a second type of mission.”
Jamali also noted that servicemembers understand the risk of their job: These nuclear weapons are a target for adversaries should conflict arise, and ICBMs are „missile sponges.” Nuclear submarines are the most „survivable” of the nuclear triad with a critical mission, he said.
„The only two people in the world who know where the USS Wyoming is right now are the captain of the ship and the navigator. No one else in the world knows where that is,” Jamali said. „The purpose for that is that should there be an attack on the United States, it would be impossible for an adversary to wipe out those submarines, and so those submarines assure a dedicated second strike.”
Filming the nuclear triad takes planning and significant security clearance that in some cases could go all the way up to the White House. There’s also an on-site security review. While the U.S. military would review footage for national security purposes, essentially to ensure classified footage was not used, Jamali said he and others working on the project maintained „full editorial control.”
He said he was „honored” to share the stories of the young servicemembers engaged in this work each day, while also praising the crew who worked alongside him on the project. „I have a wonderful crew—we are not a big team, but a crew that’s been with me through a lot of this. These are challenging things to film,” Jamali said. „Spending four days on a ballistic missile submarine was not an easy thing, both physically or mentally, to do,” he added. „I am really proud that we got to do this.”
A ‘Surreal’ Moment
Jamali said that finding himself face-to-face with a nuclear weapon while filming the Minuteman III was a „surreal” experience. He reflected on a juxtaposition between the „power that man has created to literally eradicate life in the world” and the „fact that we have logic and restraint” to not use them in an „irrational manner.”
„My hope and my belief is that the people on the other side in Beijing and in Moscow, if you take the politics out of this, they understand the seriousness of what they’re doing as well,” Jamali said. „And as long as that rational thought remains—the understanding that these terrible weapons can destroy the world, and there’s no way to use them in a decisive victory—I think that keeps everyone from ever using that.”
TASK 3
Task description: Students will participate in a discussion about the U.S. nuclear triad. Task elements:
1. Recall three parts of the U.S. nuclear triad.
2. Imagine you are a journalist given access to film inside one branch of the nuclear triad. Which branch would you choose (air, land, or sea) and why? What questions would you ask the servicemembers?
3. Compare the experiences of servicemembers on land, in the air, and under the sea. Which environment do you think creates the greatest psychological pressure — and why?
4. Debate in two groups: „Nuclear deterrence keeps the world safe.” Each group must present two arguments for and two against, then reach a class consensus.
*Więcej zadań znajdziesz w drukowanej wersji magazynu.
