World War III. When, where, and how?

The new episode of “Zugehört” explores various images of war and expectations regarding war. Colonel Dr. Wagner and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gutzeit from the ZMSBw discuss imagined concepts of war in the past, present, and future. How might a new global war unfold?

Images of War in Literature, Academia, and Film

War is always associated with images—images of war. These images of war, which define the technological dimension of conflicts, are diverse and constantly changing, just as expectations of war do. Expectations of war revolve around political constellations that can lead to conflict. In this episode, we discuss how new wars have been and are being imagined in terms of technological and political contexts—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened the West with nuclear weapons in recent years and, in 2022, demonstratively placed Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert. Although nuclear forces are always on high alert, this announcement reignited fears in many people that were long thought to have been overcome: the fear of a new world war. This line of thought, however, raises the question: How do we actually recognize a world war as such? When does a world war begin? When is it a global war?

Black biology, pulse weapons, and hybrid warfare

In this discussion, Colonel Dr. Wagner and Lieutenant Colonel Gutzeit explore conceptions of war in literature, film, and science. In addition to thriller authors such as Ken Follett and Tom Clancy, the discussion covers science fiction blockbusters as well as renowned scientists like Carlo Masala. What’s interesting here isn’t just the depictions of the use of nuclear and chemical weapons of mass destruction, but also comparatively lesser-known phenomena such as “black biology” or electromagnetic pulse weapons. Furthermore, the focus is not exclusively on a nuclear apocalypse, but also on conventional large-scale war planning and hybrid warfare. Nor should we forget the new “C”: instead of chemical warfare, it stands for cyber warfare and cyberattacks.

Apart from this podcast episode, the predicted nature of possible future wars will also be discussed at this year’s 65th International Conference on Military History (ITMG) in Berlin.

Interviewee

Colonel Dr. Armin Wagner is, among other things, the former director of the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden and, since 2024, head of the Security Policy and Armed Forces Research Division at the ZMSBw. He is the author of “The ABCs of the Apocalypse: NATO Officers Tell the Story of World War III.”

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gutzeit is the head of public relations, which includes responsibility for the ZMSBw’s press relations, website, and digital media.

You can listen to the podcast episode on the ZMSBw website.