BFBS Radio Sitrep

The new Chief of Defence Staff has told defence industry they need to “step up” and do more to make Britain’s Armed Forces ready for warfighting.

Sitrep is at one of the world’s largest defence equipment exhibitions to see the latest military technology, and assess the role of defence firms in deterring or winning a war.

Ministers want help ending “stupid rules”, top brass want kit quicker, and shareholders want their returns.  Can they all be delivered as one?

Retired Major General Neil Sexton and Thales Chief Technology officer Mike Sewart join Kate and Mike to explain what changes have already happened, and what’s still needed.

China’s released 80,000 doves at the end of its 80th anniversary victory day parade, but the messaging of military might was far louder than appeals for peace.

Professor Michael Clarke and defence analyst Dr James Bosbotinis explain what new hardware Beijing chose to show off, what the hypersonic missiles and uncrewed jets mean for its military capability, and the significance of who was (and who wasn’t) in the VIP seats.

The Northern Ireland Secretary says Britain and Ireland are “close” to agreeing a new plan for the legacy of the troubles.  But what will it mean for veterans of Northern Ireland?

And what was once called the final-frontier is now expected to be the first-frontline for future wars.  Sitrep explains the rapid weaponisation of space.

Oslo is spending £10bn to equip itself with five Type 26 frigates – a big vote of confidence in these submarine hunters already being built for the Royal Navy.

But it will also mean the already-stretched timeline to deliver the Navy’s eight new frigates becomes even longer.

Former Director of Navy Acquisition, Commodore Steve Prest, explains what cutting edge capabilities of the Type 26 that persuaded Norway to buy British, how the delays might impact Britain’s maritime capability, and why despite that he thinks it’s still good news for the Royal Navy.

Sitrep analyses open-source intelligence which shows an uptick in secretive surveillance flights, by the UK, US and Russia, in the High North and over the Baltic.

Defence Analyst and former infantry officer Ed Arnold explains the possibilities behind the activity, and we hear first hand from NATO's Arctic Ocean patrols.

Could peat-bogs be used as tank-traps to help protect Eastern Europe from Russian invasion? We hear from Estonia where they’re looking at potential spin-off benefits from their plan to tackle climate change.

And BBC weather forecaster Simon King draws on his RAF experience to explain the science of weather manipulation, and whether militaries could ever hope to use it to their advantage.

Sitrep digs deep into the implications for the British military of a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.  

The Defence Secretary has laid out Britain’s preparedness  to put boots on the ground and provide reassurance at sea and in the air.  

So this time on Sitrep – how does Britain plan for that moment, and what’s its part in guaranteeing Ukraine’s future security? 

We hear from former Chief of the Defence Staff Field Marshal Lord Richards and Former Army intelligence officer and military planner, Philip Ingram. 

And ‘battlefield robotics’ – what’s already out there giving soldiers an edge? And what are the dangers? Dr Simona Soare, Professor in Strategy and Technology at Lancaster University, joins the show. 

Kate Gerbeau presents, with expert analysis from Professor Michael Clarke.  

80 years ago General Bill Slim accepted the surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War Two, after leading the 14th Army to victory in Burma.

He is regarded by many as Britain’s greatest general, but how did he achieve what others believed to be impossible?

A veteran tells Sitrep what made the Burma campaign so hard and why General Slim was so well regarded, while Viscount Mark Slim gives us a rare tour of the artefacts which reveal his grandfather’s place in history.

Military historians Dr Robert Lyman and Phil Craig join Professor Michael Clarke and Kate Gerbeau to explain how Slim’s prioritisation of his troops’ wellbeing and focus on his enemy’s weak points made a winning formula which still underpins British military doctrine.

The UK’s 2025 Carrier Strike Group has sailed to the other side of the world, and is halfway through that 8 month mission.  But what’s it all for?

Sitrep explains what the military drills along the way will have given the 4,000 servicemen and women taking part, and why the aircraft carrier’s role hosting defence and trade talks in Japan still matters.

The Royal Navy can’t do big global deployments without the support from the Royal Fleet Auxilliary.  But with yet another RFA ship forced out of service, former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe tells us why he thinks that logistic capability is at crisis point.

And in our ongoing exploration of transformative technologies, Sitrep explains directed energy weapons including lasers and radio beams could soon be in service with Britain’s Armed Forces.

The UK, France, and Canada are upping the pressure on Israel for a ceasefire, by talking about recognising a Palestinian state. Even Donald Trump has told Israel it has to “do it a different way” because of “real starvation”.

But will this diplomatic pressure make any difference? Professor Michael Clarke and Middle East expert Dr Burcu Ozcelik consider whether cutting military aid might be more effective and assess the impact of Arab League calls for Hamas to disarm.

Sitrep also speaks to British veteran Major Andrew Fox, about what he’s just seen in Gaza as an invited observer of the Israeli/American aid distribution programme.

And how brain-sensors, eye implants, and robot exoskeletons could transform not just future military operations but military personnel too.

Britain and France say they’re ready to lead a multinational Ukraine Support Force, in the event of a ceasefire, with a British led two-star HQ in Kyiv and Command and Control from London or Paris.

They promise air and sea policing, and logistic support on the ground. Senior RUSI researcher and former infantry officer Ed Arnold explains the thinking, and the big gaps that need to be filled.

Sitrep examines the evidence that suggests American nuclear bombs have just been moved to the UK for the first time in nearly two decades, and asks whether it might just be a bluff.

And one of NATO’s top research scientists tells us how quantum computing could revolutionise military capability, while it threatens to make some current tech useless.

After months of ratcheting up pressure on Ukraine to do a peace deal, Donald Trump’s now supplying arms to them, and sending the bill to the rest of NATO.

But can weapons worth billions turn the tide, maybe change President Putin’s calculus, or will they just drag out a slow-motion defeat? The military options are explained by former defence attaché John Foreman and Professor Michael Clarke.

What’s motivated scores of British veterans to fight in Ukraine, and how does it compare to their time in British uniform? Colin Freeman tells us about his new book “The Mad and The Brave – The Untold Story of Ukraine’s Foreign Legion”

And how starlings are teaching scientists to make drones much more lethal, in the first of Sitrep’s new series explaining transformative military technologies.

Hundreds of British people answered Ukraine’s urgent plea for military volunteers to help it fight back when Russian tanks rolled in.Some were novices, who travelled against UK government advice, while others took experience from the Britain’s armed forces.

The journalist Colin Freeman has got to know many of them during his work in Ukraine and is sharing the story of the war through their eyes, in detail, for the first time.

He tells Kate Gerbeau about his book “The Mad and The Brave – The Untold Story of Ukraine’s Foreign Legion”

Sitrep digs deep into homeland defence in the UK. A former National Security adviser lays out the potential threats we face and we ask how prepared are we for a wartime scenario? 

The Colonel in charge of engaging the Army with the public says the challenge has never been bigger .

And how do you persuade the public that defence matters? A former Lance Corporal, now an MP faces that very battle. 

War is changing and military strategy no longer delivers victory because of a “short war fallacy”. That warning comes from eminent defence historian Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, who was part of the Iraq inquiry panel.

He tells Sitrep why he believes military strategists, and their political masters, need to change their mindset, while Professor Michael Clarke explains how the UK’s recent defence review stacks up against that thinking.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton has been confirmed as the new Chief of Defence Staff.  Sitrep assesses what he’ll bring to this newly beefed-up role leading the Armed Forces.

And Dr Victoria Taylor tells us why German reticence to share the history of the Luftwaffe means we may have failed, until now, to fully understand the Battle of Britain.

The history of the Battle of Britain has been written many times over the last 85 years, but almost always from a British perspective.

The award-winning aviation historian Dr Victoria Taylor believes that’s led to the Luftwaffe’s role being oversimplified, meaning we don’t truly understand what happened.

She talks to Sitrep editor James Hirst about her new book “Eagle Days”, which takes a fresh look at the story of wartime Germany’s air force to understand the psychology which drove its actions.

Researched through the letters and diaries of the men who served she tells us why this was not the David vs Goliath fight that is often simply portrayed, and why the idea that “they were just like us” is a troubling misunderstanding.

NATO countries have signed up hundreds of billions of pounds in extra defence spending by 2035, but no one has told us yet what it will be spent on.

But Mike explains how the UK’s part can already be seen in recent Strategic Defence Review.

From F-bombs to F-35s, and the viral ‘Daddy’ moment, there was a lot of political theatre at the NATO summit. But a former commander of the UK-led Allied Rapid Reaction Corps tells Sitrep why he’s sure that, behind the scenes, serious military figures have a firm grip on getting things done.

And Sian Grzeszczyk-Melbourne gives us an insider’s take from The Hague, including the importance of seating plans and President Trump turning the tables on a Ukrainian journalist.

The UK has around 100 square miles of sovereign territory in Cyprus, home to more than 3000 Defence personnel, and it is a lynchpin of British military operations around the world.

On the doorstep of the Middle East it’s used from everything from bombing missions, to intelligence gathering and decompression for troops returning from operations.

Sitrep talks to Colonel Vicky Reid about her key role as the UK Defence Adviser in Cyprus, responsible not only for helping deliver missions such as civilian evacuations, but also keeping everything running smoothly by maintaining the working relationship with the government of Cyprus

[This interview was recorded before the war between Israel and Iran, when extra RAF jets were deployed to Cypus]

RAF planes have been moved to the Middle East for ‘contingency support’, but what could those contingencies end up being?

Professor Michael Clarke maps out the British military presence in the region, which could come under threat from Iran in a worst-case scenario.

Lord Peter Ricketts, who led many a crisis meeting as National Security Adviser, explains how and why the UK is making military plans even as it calls for de-escalation.

And a former Deputy Commander of RAF Operations, Air Marshal Greg Bagwell, tells us how those British aircraft could be used, and in what situations that might happen.

The head of NATO issues his starkest warning yet about Russia’s readiness for war. We speak to Ed Arnold, a senior research fellow at the defence think-tank RUSI and a former infantry officer.

In Ukraine, drone warfare is reaching ever-more sophisticated levels. We look at how this single weapon is changing warfare with Dr. Ulrike Franke, a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

And the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group makes its way through the Red Sea – what next for this projection of UK military power?  We get the thoughts of Commodore Steve Prest who was the Commander Weapon Engineer on Britain’s other carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. He was also part of the top-level team that brought the QE out of build and into sea trials.

It’s the new defence masterplan for the next decade and beyond, but what does the Strategic Defence Review mean for the Armed Forces?

The lead military author of the review, General Sir Richard Barrons, joins a special live edition of Sitrep to explain the plan and answer your questions about how it should work.

Former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe adds his insights to the discussion with Kate Gerbeau and Professor Michael Clarke.

The whole team will break down the big questions including the threats we face, how the job of the Armed Forces could change,  and when the PM’s target of warfighting readiness can be met.

As the Royal Navy unveils HMS Venturer to the public for the first time – we ask, what hope does the first Inspiration Class Frigate offer a surface fleet short on ships and sailors?

Sitrep’s reporter David Sivills-McCann has all the answers - he witnessed the new type 31 frigate rolling out of the build hall in Rosyth. The former second sea lord and Babcock chief executive of marine Sir Nick Hine says the Royal Navy will love her.

We’ll also look at the German Chancellor's announcement that restrictions are lifted on long range Western weapons supplied to Ukraine – and that his country will help them make their own. It’s been a contentious issue for well over a year now - both before and after ATACMs and Storm Shadows were supplied to Ukraine. Sitrep’s Ukraine reporter Simon Newton tells us how significant this move is.

And the story of the secret unit set up in World War 2, to deceive, mis-inform and, on occasion, come up with believable lies. Terry Stiastny's new book examines the people and the tactics used by the Political Warfare Executive whose job it was to broadcast fake news to the occupied countries in World War 2.