BFBS Radio Sitrep

Former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about his time on combat sorties over Iraq on Operation Shader, what it was like to be high in the sky witnessing friends under attack on the ground, how bombing missions worked, and his close brushes with lethal danger. Mike also tells Kate how he became a fighter pilot, despite initially being rejected by the RAF, and how he still gets to fly fast jets as a civilian.

After an F35, flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth, crashed into the Mediterranean the pilot ejected and was safely recovered to the Aircraft carrier.In this week’s Sitrep we look at the two most urgent tasks now, to find out why the crash happened, and to recover the plane which is packed with top-secret technology that the UK does not want enemies to get a glimpse of.Blowing up a satellite, massing troops near Ukraine, and getting involved in a migrant crisis. We ask what is Russia up to? A world leading expert tells us why he’s changed his mind on the risk of a biological terror attack.And we have the story of a world-record flight using a fuel made from nothing but air and water. We ask the manufacturer of the UK’s fighter jet engines if the fuel really could power a carbon-neutral Royal Air Force.

The Army’s top officers are summoned to discuss ‘disciplinary mistakes’, especially harassment and abuse of women. The outgoing Chief of Defence Staff acknowledges ‘laddish culture’ is encouraged because soldiers have to go ‘close and personal’ with the enemy.In this week’s Sitrep we ask if that culture is necessary for a fighting force, and whether an independent audit of Army culture will be enough to deliver a promised cultural shift?We also examine how Belarus may be ‘weaponising’ migration to destabilise the European Union, and investigate how an off the shelf drone was used in an assassination attempt.And on the 100th Anniversary of Remembrance and the Poppy Appeal, a veteran tells us why it’s still very relevant for him.

World leaders talk big at COP26 on trying to avert a spiralling environmental catastrophe – but some key players are missing.The Defence Secretary says militaries would have to deal with the consequences of a failed climate change policy.In this week’s Sitrep – we examine the hopes of success or failure, and ask a former UK ambassador to the UN whether a ‘wartime mentality’ could help.We’ll also dig into the murky data on just how much carbon emissions come from militaries... and how that might change.Also this week we’ll examine the significance of RAF jets flying from Israeli soil for the first time since the country’s independence.And we ask – is it time for an Afghanistan inquiry, or did the experience of Iraq teach us that there are better ways to learn lessons?

The Mine Advisory Group says plans to cut back on government funding for landmine clearance is catastrophic...we’ll hear from the CEO of ‘MAG’ and a former British soldier working on the ground for them in Iraq. ...there’s fresh anger over Afghanistan...the RAF has airlifted 102 people who fled Afghanistan to a neighbouring country to the UK, but, is that an impressive number or surprisingly low?. We talk that through with Professor Michael Clarke. It’s fifty years since Britain first put a rocket containing a satellite into space...we’ll look back at the Black Arrow project and find out why it was cancelled. And...the Army has quit smoking! All sites in the UK will go tobacco free by the end of next year.

China denies testing a new hypersonic missile — a potential new threat in space. Meanwhile North Korea tests a new, submarine-launched, missile, sparking more concerns over its ambitions. In this week’s Sitrep, how should the west respond to both events? Foreign affairs analyst Tim Marshall explains how geography can help predict future conflict zones. Plus we hear from the author of a new report on domestic violence inside military relationships, and a woman who left her husband after he turned violent. And we look back at the life of Colin Powell, the first African-American to lead the US military.

Hundreds of Afghan interpreters, who worked with British forces in the country, remain stranded after the end of the international evacuation mission. In this week’s Sitrep, we hear from two of them, and an expert on the country, who got out as the Taliban advanced on Kabul, tells us why it’s so vital to restore humanitarian aid. The militia leader once dubbed Iraq’s most dangerous man is now a key powerbroker in the country — we get an update on elections to the Iraqi parliament, and what could happen next. Is war an essential part of being human? We hear from a historian who says we’re making a big mistake by not studying war and its effects. And we find out about new research to try to establish why military personnel are twice as likely as civilians to faint.

As Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is announced as the next Chief of the Defence Staff, what challenges await the new leader of Britain’s armed forces? One issue in his in-tray could be the growing crisis in Taiwan, whose leaders warn relations with China are worse now than they’ve been for forty years. This week, we get the picture from Taipei, and find out what’s behind China’s latest moves. The man in charge of the Centre for Army Leadership tells us about his book, detailing the lessons that could be applied in the boardroom or the classroom. And we report from Belize, where Sandhurst instructors are helping to train future military leaders.

The Government turns to the forces to help resolve the fuel crisis that’s seen huge queues at petrol stations across the UK. It’s not the first time the military’s been asked to step in during an emergency at home — are we becoming too reliant on the forces to bolster civilian authorities? And do we need a US-style National Guard on stand-by? America’s military chiefs publicly contradict President Biden, insisting they did warn him not to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan — we hear what they had to say to Senators in Washington. With the race to be the next Chief of the Defence Staff said to be wide open, how long should our military chiefs stay in their jobs? And does the whole military career structure need a shake-up? And we find out about the man most likely to be Germany’s next Chancellor, and what it means for the country’s relationship with NATO allies.

France has called the defence pact between Britain, the US and Australia a “stab in the back”, but will it do lasting damage to relations between the key allies? Sitrep speaks to a former National Security Adviser, who went on to be Britain’s ambassador in France. There’s also a report that warns nations like Russia and Turkey are stepping into conflict zones as western powers lose any appetite to intervene. And as gas prices surge across Europe, one expert explains why we should see it as a vital issue of energy security, and act before an even bigger crisis happens Plus, 40 years on from its independence, a special report from Belize, where Britain’s military never quite left…