Podcasts & Specials

In the 1970’s and 1980’s the UK typically spent 4-5% of its national income on Defence, but what did that money buy and what did our Armed Forces spend their time doing?

Kate Gerbeau and Professor Michael Clarke talk to historian Ian J Sanders, host of the Cold War Conversations podcast, for a history lesson on how we deployed our military capability to protect Europe from a Russian led threat.

Times may have changed a lot, countries like Poland and Estonia which were part of the enemy bloc back then are now staunch allies who we help defend, but some things stay the same.

So Kate, Mike and Ian assess what lessons we should be taking right now from our victory in the Cold War.

[You can see more about the work of British forces in the cold war in our series Real Cold War Spies: BRIXMIS - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeQQkbf45pQM7fhBI5Lv_DvSanxy-bfw0]

[You can listen to Ian’s podcast Cold War Conversations here - https://coldwarconversations.com/]

Despite the many uncertainties about a possible peace-deal for Ukraine, Britain’s Defence Secretary says the detail is being developed for a European led security guarantee.

Former head of the Army General Lord Dannatt warns that while the Prime Minister is ready and willing to commit British troops, the Army is willing but not ready.

Sitrep assesses how many people and what equipment it might be required, exactly what the role of such a force could be, how long it might be needed for, and what alternatives there are  to international ground troops.

Plus Professor Michael Clarke explains how the Sir Keir Starmer will try to persuade President Trump to commit a US backstop that would support Ukraine’s security from outside its territory.

Donald Trump’s tried to take Ukraine’s future out of its own hands by opening negotiations with Russia, and telling Kyiv that NATO membership and getting all of its land back are hopeless ambitions.

So what should Ukraine do now? Could focussing on the fight still improve its negotiating position, or has it reached its high watermark in the war? Professor Michael Clarke and retired General Sir Richard Shirreff assess the battlefield balance of power.

America’s Defence Secretary says “stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being primarily focused on Europe”. The UK’s stepping up as the US steps back, but how much more will we do to lead from the front?

And as some of the world’s most powerful defence and security figures gather at the Munich Security Conference Sitrep explains why this private talking shop has become a marketplace for some of the world’s most consequential decisions.

Keir Starmer wants a post-brexit reset with the EU, and he thinks it should start with “an ambitious partnership” on defence and security.

But would it help our Armed Forces when we already have NATO? Former Army officer Ed Arnold explains how both the EU and NATO could give us more bang-for-our-buck, as well as the potential pitfalls.

British troops are showing partnership in action in Estonia on NATO’s biggest cold weather exercise, Winter Camp.  Sitrep hears from some of those taking part and BFBS reporter David Sivills-McCann explains what it’s all about.

And 25 years since the ban on gay and bisexual people serving in the Armed Forces was lifted, the Defence Secretary who made the change talks in detail for the first time about whether the government was forced to do it, or really believed it was the right thing.

Donald Trump wants NATO members to spend 5% of their national income on Defence, the UK is years away from meeting half that target.

Is 5% a realistic figure, given that we did it back in the cold war, or would that simply be spending money for the sake of it?  Mike does some reality checking, and Kate talks to Labour MP Luke Akehurst who says the current UK ambition of 2.5% should “just be the start of the conversation”.

One demand from some who want more spent on Defence is better protection from missiles.  Claire Sadler explains the options, and how far we can or can’t defeat missiles.

And after the right-royal row about the renaming of a submarine, from HMS Agincourt to HMS Achilles, we explain who chooses the names of Royal Navy vessels, and how.

The defence secretary John Healey sends a message to Russia’s President Putin warning him we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country. It’s after a Russian spy ship is spotted for a second time in UK waters. On Sitrep, we discuss the creeping threat of hybrid warfare.

Why is the US preparing for potential conflict with China by 2027? Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia, Alessio Patalano, who’s also a visiting fellow at the Royal Navy Centre for Strategic Studies, explains the significance of the date.

And it’s a highbrow, high-tech chance to hear about the latest developments in the machinery of war.  Sitrep’s Claire Sadler has been at the International Armoured Vehicles conference for Sitrep.

The Ministry Of Defence is given a stark warning that it needs to play catch-up and should learn from Ukraine’s use of AI on the battlefield. So what is Ukraine using? What happens if Britain doesn’t get a grip? And what could that mean for our troops on the battlefield? Sitrep’s Ukraine reporter Simon Newton and Assistant Director of the defence team at Rand Europe, James Black, discuss the Defence Committee report. 

It’s the biggest step up a soldier will make in their Army career - getting their first stripe and promotion to Lance Corporal.  So when Sitrep’s Sofie Cacoyannis was granted exclusive access to the selection course in Cyprus, it was a unique opportunity to record the highs and the lows of the entire 7 week experience. 

And what makes a good spy? We delve into the latest declassified documents with instructions on appearance, disguise and how to follow targets. 

After a string of attacks against European data and power cables, and undersea pipelines, the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force has activated a new AI powered system to track and monitor suspicious activity from Russian “shadow fleet” ships.

But what can the Nordic Warden operation do to stop attacks from happening when something is spotted?  Former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe explains why stepping-in is complicated.

The Islamic State terror group may have been territorially defeated, but it has not gone away.  After the IS inspired terror attack in New Orleans, and amid fears of a possible resurgence in Syria, Sitrep assesses what threat it currently poses.

And the figures that show around 10% of servicemen and women are medically non-deployable. Are they really as alarming as some headlines claim?  A former Director-General of Army capability puts the numbers in context.

Kim Hughes was a driver in the Army who’d already quit once and was feeling disheartened again.

But a moment watching a colleague prepare for a potentially deadly duty in Northern Ireland finally awakened his ambition.

He tells James Hirst how that new found drive, a lot of classroom graft, and a childhood fascination with fireworks led to a George Cross for selfless bravery while disarming more than a hundred Taliban bombs in Afghanistan.

Ryan Ramsay spent three years at the helm of a Royal Navy attack submarine, before teaching the next generation of leaders.

But he gives big credit to the US Navy, and one particular leader, for helping him reach command after 20 years at sea.

Ryan tells James Hirst why a transatlantic exchange was the moment that made him, with insights into leadership styles, the importance of supporting families, and why American submarines are “cool as you like”.

When the RAF opened fighter pilot roles to women Mandy Hickson was one of the first in line.

The powers that be told her she was a test-case, and a key flying exam threatened to prove their prediction of failure correct.

But a moment of inspired teamwork, cycling with her fellow student pilots, transformed her struggles into a pass with flying colours.

Mandy tells Kate Gerbeau how that moment made her a pioneer for women in the RAF, and how it shaped her understanding of how teams really do work.

At the age of 23 Chip Chapman not only went to war for the first time, but also had to lead his platoon into the first fighting of the decisive battle in the Falklands war.

When Argentinian forces lost at Goose Green they surrendered and the islands were liberated, but it had been a hard fight that could have gone either way.

Chip tells Kate Gerbeau how Goose Green taught him the importance of discipline, cohesion, and always carrying a pistol throughout his 33 years in the Army.

Andrew Fox always knew he wanted more from his Army career. But poor eyesight kept him out of the Army air corps, and a bad luck injury ended any hope of Special Forces selection.

He didn’t give up though, and his moment came when he took on another of the Armed Forces toughest selections. P-Company to join the Parachute Regiment.

Andrew talks to Kate Gerbeau about passing the selection and finally finding a regimental home where he belonged.

Neil Greenberg is a world leading expert, and practitioner, in military mental health.

He signed up to the Royal Navy while still in medical school, then travelled the world on ships and submarines, not just attending to crew health but getting stuck into everything else required of an officer to keep a vessel operating successfully.

But it could have been very different, had he not heard a radio interview by chance.

Professor Greenberg tells Kate Gerbeau how the medic of a luxury liner inspired him to mix healthcare with adventure, all with the aim of making a difference.

Liz McConaghy joined the RAF on her 19th Birthday and flew on Chinooks for seventeen years.

She helped save hundreds of lives on MERT rescue missions for dangerously-wounded troops, during her ten tours of Afghanistan.

But saving others lives left a big impact on Liz’s own, and months after leaving the RAF she attempted to end her life.

Liz tells Kate Gerbeau why, the moment she woke up in hospital, she chose to live, how it made her into an author, designer and advocate working to inspire and help others through similar struggles.

This podcast includes descriptions of battlefield injuries, and discussion of suicide. Visit bfbs.com/audiencesupport for details of organisations that can offer support and information.

Julian Thompson had already served thirty years in the Royal Marines when a phone call, in the dead of night, would come to define his career.

It brought news of an imminent invasion, and orders to lead 3 Commando Brigade more than seven-thousand miles across the Atlantic, in just a matter of days, to liberate the Falkland Islands.

He tells Kate Gerbeau how his first reaction to the call was horror at being so unprepared, but that chaos always reigns and victory goes to whoever sorts out the chaos quickest.

Andy McNab faced the IRA in Northern Ireland, served on numerous SAS covert operations around the world, and was captured behind enemy lines in Iraq.

But he tells Kate Gerbeau the real moment that made him was reading a Janet & John children’s book at the age of 16.

It unlocked the Army career which took him away from a life of teenage crime, and eventually led him to becoming a bestselling author of more than 50 books, all thanks to a Sergeant Major who he thought was “the world’s oldest soldier”.

Rosie Stone was recording an audio diary at the moment she came under fire on a patrol in Southern Afghanistan.

This was her first experience of a combat situation after more than eight years service in the Army.

But it became a very different learning experience as she was given shelter and tea by local Afghan women while a gun battle raged behind their compound wall.

Rosie shares her recording of that moment with Kate Gerbeau, and explains how that moment shaped her new life as an expert in human security and gender in conflict.

On the 16th of December 2008 HMS Endurance suffered a very sudden and catastrophic flood in the South Atlantic.

Tom Sharpe was in temporary command of the Royal Navy ice breaker as her engine room filled in less than half an hour, and she lost power in turbulent seas.

Tom tells Kate Gerbeau why he ignored advice from the UK to abandon ship, how he led his crew to save the ship from sinking, and how it gave him confidence to lead without being risk averse.

“Please don’t look back, more dangerous times lie ahead which means you need to look forward… so that we are ready if war chooses us”. 

So says the head of the Army, General Sir Roly Walker, in this special edition of Sitrep explaining what 2025 may bring.

Kate Gerbeau and Professor Michael Clarke tackle some of the biggest questions for our defence. Could fighting in Ukraine end, and might British troops be sent as peacekeepers or trainers? Would Russia make a military move against another European country? And will the Defence Review be a revolution or evolution for our Armed Forces

The Chief of Defence Staff, the heads of the Royal Navy and RAF, and a team of top experts also share their assessments of what’s most likely to lie ahead, right around the world.