BFBS Sitrep

Defence Procurement minister James Cartlidge tells Sitrep the history of armed forces having “kit that let them down” keeps him awake at night. But he has a plan to fix the problems.He tells Kate Gerbeau about the changes aimed at delivering equipment on time, and on budget, while Professor Michael Clarke assesses whether it will give troops what they need, when they need it.We also look up close at one of those big procurement projects, as Sitrep’s David Sivills-McCann visits the under-construction Type 26 frigate HMS Cardiff.Israel has sacked two officers over the air-strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, which it calls a ‘grave accident’. Sitrep explains the process of ‘deconfliction’ that should have prevented it from happening. 

British servicemen and women rely on having the right kit to do their jobs, and protect their lives at the front line, but MPs says the process of buying that equipment is broken.Sitrep talks to Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge about his new plan to fix long delays, multi-billion pound overspends, and hopelessly overoptimistic ideas.A new integration authority can veto plans that don’t work across all three services, equipment will be put into service earlier in development, and exportability will also be a priority.But governments have struggled with these procurement problems for decades, so will this plan finally deliver the forces the kit they need, when they need it, or will the “legion stories of kit that let them down” continue?

Troops and hardware which Russia’s been holding in reserve have been moved to the 600-mile-long front line, and handful of local armoured offensives point to the start of a wider push.Sitrep’s Professor Michael Clarke explains how Moscow wants to exploit Ukraine’s ammunition shortages, while Kyiv tries to keep the initiative by forcing Russia’s hand, and journalist Tom Mutch tells us what he saw and heard visiting frontline troops.RAF airdrops have delivered tonnes of urgent food aid to Gaza in operations that carry risks both for the aircrew and civilians on the ground. Retired Air Vice Marshal Sean Bell explains how it’s done.And is the mysterious Havana Syndrome, suffered by hundreds of US diplomats and spies, linked to the Salisbury poisonings? Hamish de Bretton-Gordon assesses new findings which claim the same Russian military intelligence unit is behind both.

Sitrep hears from Kupiansk, celebrated as a significant victory when it was liberated a year and a half ago, but in Russian sights once again as Moscow tries a new push forward.Ukraine’s troops trying to hold firm are hampered by artillery shortages, they’ve been rationing shells for months, but have turned to small drones to fill at least some of the gap.Journalist Tom Mutch tells us about his visit to Kupiansk, how the soldiers are coping, what they’re expecting, and how he was surprised by their morale.

From submariners at sea for months at a time, to soldiers living and working on Russia’s doorstep, the new Wider Service Medal is intended to recognise “crucial operational impact” without the risks to life faced in combat. Some say it’s long overdue, others call it a medal for “just turning up”. We ask a former head of the Army, General Lord Dannatt, whether this is devaluing medals or valuing people.Amid warnings we need to be ready for war Sitrep’s James Wharton explains how Iraq shaped the Army of today, and Professor Michael Clarke assesses whether counter-insurgency has bent our warfighting capability out of shape.And as the Apache mark-1 retires we reflect on two decades of service from this attack helicopter which looks like a giant menacing insect, and hear what its successor can do.

Emergency calls from any vessel under attack in the Red Sea are handled thousands of miles away, in Portsmouth, by a Royal Navy supported control centre.Sitrep’s Tim Cooper is one of the first ever journalists to visit the UKMTO, where calls have soared by 475% as missile and drone attacks from Yemen are launched on average once every two days.Also on Sitrep, after the Defence Secretary’s plane had its navigation system jammed by Russia, we explain the risks from electronic warfare and what we can do about them.And the Army’s teamed up with McLaren to learn from Formula 1 electric vehicle technology. We ask former Defence Sustainability adviser Lieutenant General Richard Nugee whether electric vehicles really could rule the battlefield.

Wargaming is about as old as war itself, but in a time many describe as “pre-war” how can it help us be ready for the worst, if it happens?Sitrep talks to the UK’s Assistant Head of Defence Wargaming, Captain Eugene Morgan, who’s charged with building British wargaming capacity and capability “to make better decisions for defence”He explains how it’s already used, and what the future may hold, while former US Army soldier Anna Nettleship shares wargaming stories from her new career as a leading researcher in the field.Plus Sitrep’s James Hirst tries his hand at some simple wargaming with students at Kings College London.

Russia has published the recording of a meeting between senior German air-force officers, revealing military and political secrets about British, French and German support to Ukraine.Former Army intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram tells Sitrep it comes down to people being the weakest link, and that we shouldn’t dismiss it as “just a German problem”.United Nations peacekeeping troops have now been in Cyprus for 60 years. Professor Michael Clarke explains why hundreds of British soldiers still serve on that operation, while Sitrep’s Sofie Cacoyannis takes her father back to where he lived when the peacekeepers arrived.And we talk to Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman about her journey to becoming the world’s only female Chief of Defence Staff and the Jamaica Defence Force’s close ties with the UK.

Every single country in the world allows women to serve in at least some military roles, but only one has a woman at the very top of its Armed Forces.Jamaica’s Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, was appointed in 2022 and is only the second woman in history to hold such a role (Slovenia appointed a female chief of defence for two years in 2018).Rear Admiral Wemyss-Gorman talks to Kate Gerbeau about her rise through the ranks across three decades, how male military leaders around the world react to her, and how the UK can learn from her approach to changing culture.She also shares memories of her officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth (cold apparently), and the value she places on the Jamaica Defence Force’s close ties with the UK.

Six NATO submarines, accompanied by ships and aircraft, are playing a giant military game of hide and seek in the Mediterranean.NATO’s Commander Submarines, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Wall, tells us more about exercise Dynamic Manta, and Sitrep’s Claire Sadler explains what life is like onboard one of those subs.Vladimir Putin claims Russia now has the initiative in the Ukraine war – is he right? Professor Michael Clarke and Simon Newton explain the current battlefield picture, and Colin Freeman gives a first-hand account from one of Russia’s next targets.And why do so many British people say they would refuse to fight for their country, despite most believing war is a real possibility within the next decade. Matt Smith from YouGov talks us through their latest research.