BFBS Radio Sitrep

The UK and its western allies are threatening historically harsh sanctions to try to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. BFBS Sitrep examines what sanctions might be taken, what history tells us about whether they work, and how we might feel the effects of those sanctions too.We also look at the part played by sanctions in Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis where people are selling their children, and even vital organs, as they struggle to survive.And on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics will the games boost the communist nation’s international influence further, or does a western diplomatic boycott turn sport into a political football?

Ukraine’s government is urging its citizens to stay calm, but preparing its forces for war. BFBS Sitrep asks where we should be looking for signs of a possible Russian invasion, and hears from Ukraine about the mood among the people... including two Britons who have joined the Ukrainian army.Also as the UK says it could send more troops to Eastern Europe, the deputy head of Estonia’s armed forces gives us his view on the Ukraine Crisis.The capital of the United Arab Emirates has come under attack from drones and ballistic missiles – we’ll explain why. And does 10 Downing Street need some military-leadership behind the famous black door to get it back on track?

The US claims Russia plans a ‘false flag’ operation in Ukraine to justify an invasion. The UK’s defence secretary speaks out against ‘false narratives’ from President Putin.BFBS Sitrep explains the information war being fought over Ukraine, and asks a former NATO spokesman if sending British weapons to the country hands ammunition for disinformation to Moscow.Why are just 5 of the 1500 most senior Armed Forces officers Black-Caribbean or Asian?And BFBS Reporter Simon Newton takes us on a journey to the Antarctic with Defence’s climate-change champion.

Moscow is demanding NATO admits absolutely no new members – but could that demand be backfiring?We hear from Sweden and Finland, where after years of staunch ‘non-alignment’, they’re now seriously considering joining the alliance.James Hirst fact checks President Putin’s claim, and NATO’s denial, that the alliance promised decades ago not to move ‘one inch to the East’.What’s the difference between bomb-disposal in Helmand, and in Hollywood? A decorated former soldier tells us how he’s swapped his body armour for books, film and TV.And a former deputy head of the Army tells us how service charities are coping with the pressures of Covid, and extra demand because of Afghanistan.

Decorated former bomb-disposal operator Kim Hughes talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about how Hollywood portrays the job and what it’s actually like.Since leaving the Army in 2020 he’s worked as a consultant on films, and has written two thrillers “Operation Black Key” and “Operation Certain Death”.He tells BFBS Sitrep about his three tours of duty in Afghanistan – how you defuse a bomb, what you do if a firefight breaks out, and when you decide to walk away.And he tells us why films like The Hurt Locker are ‘horrendous’ on detail, but would look like ‘watching paint dry’ if they were realistic.

What’s going to happen in 2022, where and why?Will Ukraine be invaded or can big talks next week dial down the tension?Why has Russia sent troops to Kazakhstan and will it become the first new international crisis of the year?Does China really want to use its growing military, or is it just for show?Professor Michael Clarke, and Dr Melanie Garson will help navigate us through the potential trouble spots of the next 12 months.

2021 – the year that Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump, took international troops out of Afghanistan, and the Taliban swept back to power. The final Sitrep of the year examines the key events of the last twelve months, and what they mean for the UK and the world.Britain’s first carrier strike group deployment in a decade, HMS Defender’s run-in with Russia in the Black Sea, and the defence review that shrinks the Army again but promises new high-tech planes and vehicles in years to come.So who has had a good year, and who’s had a bad one? And what can the world expect in 2022? 

Four months since the Taliban marched back to power in Afghanistan Sitrep hears from three interpreters who had worked with UK forces, but who couldn’t get on evacuation flights.After a whistleblower alleged chaos in the Foreign Office has cost lives, a Conservative MP has branded it a ‘failure of statecraft’, but has it done lasting damage for future military operations?Domestic abuse accounts for around one in eight cases handled by the Army Welfare Service – they tell us how they can help turn things round.And author Toby Harnden lifts the lid on how the CIA and SBS laid the groundwork in Afghanistan for the 2001 US-led invasion.

It is ‘the biggest modernisation of the Army for a generation’ according to ministers – but can it deliver? This week on Sitrep we look through the details of the ‘Future Soldier’ plan for the Army to spend more time deployed around the globe. We assess whether billions of pounds of new technology can make up for smaller numbers of people and tanks.Defence is to make an ‘immeasurable shift’ in the way it handles complaints about sexual behaviour after thousands of women gave evidence of their experiences in the forces. One woman shares her story with Sitrep, and the MP who led an inquiry tells us it’s a victory for those who have spoken out.And do we have to accept hearing damage as an occupational hazard of serving your country? We learn what it’s like for the hundreds of thousands of veterans whose hearing has been damaged, and look at what can be done to cut the risks.

Former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton tells us about his time flying sorties over Iraq on Operation Shader in 2015. From the cramped conditions of the cockpit, to close shaves with enemy fire and friendly aircraft.Also on Sitrep we hear from one of the British Airways passengers held as human shields by Iraq in 1990, before the first Gulf War, and investigate who a mystery group of men on that flight really were.Bosnia is in crisis once more, with fears the state could collapse and a new armed conflict emerge, we’ll explain why.And from Premier League footballers, to chemical weapons experts, we hear about Britain’s ‘persuaders’ who help the UK maintain its soft-power around the globe.