BFBS Radio Sitrep

Two architects of the Strategic Defence Review have lifted the lid on how they’re working on the plan for the future of our Armed Forces.But when they tell MP’s one aim is to get it “as least wrong as possible” on predicting future conflicts, does that inspire confidence?  Kate and Mike are joined by Sitrep’s Sian Grzeszczyk Melbourne to analyse what’s been revealed, and what is still shrouded in secrecy.Syria’s civil war appeared dormant for years, but has suddenly reignited.  Last time it led to the UK’s Operation Shader against jihadist terrorists, so are we going to have to rethink the ending of that operation?Brigadier Gavin Thompson explains why he and several dozen other British Officers are embedded into Kuwait’s armed forces, and gives an insight into their life and work in the small gulf state.

Sitrep talks to the outgoing Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute, Dr. Karin von HippelRUSI has contributed to UK defence & security thinking for almost two centuries, and under Dr. von Hippel’s leadership it’s help the country face threats ranging from the Covid pandemic to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.Before leading RUSI she was a key figure at the US State Department, as Chief-of-Staff to General John Allen who led the global coalition against the Islamic State terror group.After 9 years at the helm of RUSI, Karin talks to Kate Gerbeau about the many challenges and surprises the world has brought in that time, and what lies ahead.

Drones buzzing airbases and HMS Queen Elizabeth. Undersea cables cut.  Mysterious parcel fires at air-freight depots.  These have all been described as hybrid, grey-zone, or sub-threshold attacks against the UK and it’s allies.But if they are all below the threshold of an act of war, where does that threshold lie?Sitrep explores the use of deniable attacks, from disruption and disinformation to assassination and bomb plots. How do we defend against them, deter enemies from even trying, and stand up to international bullying?Kate Gerbeau and Professor Michael Clarke talk to grey-zone expert Elisabeth Braw, former military intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram, and Tan Dhesi MP who chairs the Commons Defence Committee.

From testing whether we’re ready for war to checking whether forces families get the support they need, the Commons Defence Committee plays a key role in overseeing our defence.Kate Gerbeau talks to the man chosen by his fellow MP’s to chair the committee in this Parliament.Tan Dhesi has a background in maths, management science, and running his own construction business.So what does he bring to this important defence role, why did he want the job, and what does he hope to achieve for the UK’s defence and it’s service personnel? 

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of Admiral Lord Nelson with Dr Gregory Fremont-Barnes, author of several books on Nelson and his Navy, and senior lecturer in war studies at RMAS. The interview is recorded in Nelson’s cabin on HMS Victory in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.Nelson GlossaryCuthbert Collingwood Admiral and Second in Command at Trafalgar.John Jervis Earl of St Vincent, Admiral and Commander at the Battle of Cape St Vincent.George Towry Captain, involved in the Battle of Cape St Vincent.Thomas Troubridge Captain, involved in the Battle of Cape St Vincent.Ralph Abercromby General, mortally wounded at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801.Pierre-Charles de Villeneuve French Admiral and overall Commander of the Combined Fleet at Trafalgar.Frederico Gravina Spanish Admiral and Second in Command at Trafalgar.

Russia thought it would conquer Ukraine in 10 days, Ukrainian resolve is still preventing that.  But after more than a million casualties on both sides, thousands of pieces of military hardware destroyed, will it simply come down to which side can outlast the other? Sitrep’s Simon Newton and Hannah King join us from Kyiv to share how the people, and their resolve, are holding up, while Professor Michael Clarke analyses the battlefield picture. If it doesn’t come down simply to attrition then what could prove to be a tipping point? Ukraine hopes permission to fire British Storm Shadow and American ATACMS missiles into Russia could be a game changer, while Russia’s banking on ratcheting up nuclear rhetoric to discourage western support.  Sitrep assesses the effect they could have.

The Defence Secretary has announced that more than 30 helicopters will be retired early, along with 5 ships, and 46 drones, all of them he calls ‘outdated capabilities’.Most significant, after years of ‘will they, won’t they’, the Royal Marines amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, get the axe. Critics call it a black day for the Marines but the Defence Secretary insists they have a bright future.So which is it? Professor Michael Clarke explains how each of the cuts will, or won’t, affect our military capabilities. He also analyses the shake-up at the very top of the forces giving the Chief of Defence Staff more power over all the services.And why is all this being announced with months of work still to do on the Defence Review, with more big change ahead? 

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery with the former Chief of the Army and former Chief of the Defence Staff, General Lord Richards. The interview is recorded in the D-Day Map Room at Southwick House, outside Portsmouth, which was the nerve centre for Operation Overlord. Glossary for AudioGeneral Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander 1944-1945Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander to EisenhowerField Marshal Herbert Plumer, British First World war generalField Marshal Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1944Field Marshal Lord John Gort, Commander of British forces in France, 1940Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, British generalField Marshal Harold Alexander, British general General George S. Patton, US generalGeneral Frederick E. Morgan, British generalGeneral Omar N. Bradley, US general Field Marshal William J. Slim, British general

First it was sending ammunition, then troops for the war in Ukraine, now North Korea has signed off on a formal mutual-defence treaty with Russia.NATO’s new Secretary General has called it a threat to our security. Defence researcher Joseph Dempsey, who’s spent years uncovering the secrets of North Korea’s military, explains the risk, and what’s in it for Moscow and Pyongyang.On the Korean peninsula shots have been fired across the border, more missiles have been tested, and there have been nuclear-capable shows of force in the skies.  Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison draws on his two years helping protect the armistice to assess the scale of the tensions.And we get the lowdown on China’s new stealth jet, which has a remarkably similar look and name to the US and UK’s fifth-generation fighter. 

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. The interview is recorded in Colchester Castle, Essex, which was built on the foundations of the Roman Temple that was sacked and burnt by Boudica’s forces in AD 60.