BFBS Radio Sitrep

Lord Sedwill, the former National Security Adviser and Cabinet Secretary who stepped down this month, talks exclusively to Sitrep about chemical and biological weapons, the changing nature of threats and the Integrated Defence Review. Why a new institute has been set up to study air and space power issues in defence and security and - out mortar training with the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment.   Follow us @bfbssitrep

NATO’s Assistant Secretary-General talks exclusively to Sitrep about the possible long-term extreme threats to the UK and other NATO members And remembering the Battle of Britain 80 years on - we hear about the letters written by a Pilot Officer about the battle to his wife in occupied France. Follow us #bfbssitrep

Where are the Cyber threats to the UK coming from? The former head of the National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, on Russia, China and the impact of Covid 19. More than two thousand US troops are to leave Iraq but is it the right time to draw down forces? We speak to the Chair of the Commons Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood. More than a million British soldiers have lived and served in Germany over the past 75 years. A new exhibition at the National Army Museum opens on Saturday looking at this unique deployment .  Follow us @bfbssitrep

Germany says that Novichok has been used on a rival of President Putin - how will the international community react this time? What’s behind the recent tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean? Plus, Sitrep looks at how the Gurkhas are changing their recruitment process. We join the Royal Marines on training exercises and how some of Britain’s rarest reptiles are thriving in a military fuel site. Follow us @bfbssitrep

We look at the options facing the government as part of their Integrated Review of foreign policy, defence and security. Lord Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, tells us that the government must find more money for defence.  We ask what will be the impact of the recent coup in the West African state of Mali on plans to send 250 British troops there as part of a UN mission?   Sitrep reports on how German soldiers are using the British run Sennelager training area to prepare for a mission in Afghanistan next year - and we hear how the last surviving landing craft from D-Day has finally reached its new home.  

As protests continue in Belarus, Sitrep looks at the wider implications. We hear from the man who was Britain’s ambassador in Minsk when Lukashenko took power 26 years ago on what’s likely to happen next. In the United States, the race for the White House is hotting up, with Joe Biden setting out his pitch to American voters. We ask a former head of the Royal United Services Institute what a Biden victory could mean for US allies, and find out why there’s talk about the military potentially being asked to remove Donald Trump from the White House if he loses, and then refuses to leave. A former head of GCHQ joins us to discuss the idea of “principled spying” — is it even possible? And we find out why Chelsea Football Club has adopted an historic Lancaster bomber. Plus we report from Biggin Hill airfield, 80 years after it played a key role in the “hardest day” of the Battle of Britain. Follow us @bfbssitrep

75 years on - what’s the legacy of VJ day? How should the government review the UK’s security and defence needs? We hear what military personnel are doing to help after the devastating explosion in Beirut And why the script of the film 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' caused concern in the War Office. Follow us @bfbssitrep

The Government offers aid and help from military personnel after the massive explosion in Beirut. What impact is the Covid 19 pandemic having on food supplies around the world?  Sitrep has a special report on training with the UK Gurkha Company    And the Battle of Balaclava, one man’s story as part of the Charge of the Heavy Brigade. Follow us @bfbssitrep

What should be done to counter cyber threats from Russia? A new report says there needs to be more investment in armed forces personnel and their families to keep them in the military. We report on Exercise Merlin Storm with Commando Helicopter Force And a reservist’s personal insight into what it's been like to work in hospitals throughout the Covid pandemic. Follow us @bfbssitrep

Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham on the future deployment of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.  The Red Cross tells Sitrep how the conflict in Yemen is having a devastating impact on the treatment of those affected by COVID-19. And we report from Germany on the 75th anniversary of the Potsdam Conference that shaped the future of post-war Europe.    Follow us @bfbssitrep