BFBS Radio Sitrep

(First broadcast on Thursday11th June 2015 at 4.30pm)     SITREP TRAIL THURS, 2nd JULY   Terror in Tunisia – after last week’s atrocities could the UK attack Islamic State in Syria?   Can anyone stop IS? And what do the lawyers say?   Find out what changes lay ahead for the British Army   It's back to The Somme - but what's the point in all these commemorations?     --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:    BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS:    TUNISIA/IS THREAT & REACTION The new Chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Crispin Blunt, Hamish de Bretton Gordon, a chemical weapons expert working for NGOs in Syria and Iraq....and of course, BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee.   POLITICAL REACTION BFBS reporter James Hirst   LAND WARFARE CONFERENCE BFBS reporter Rosie Laydon speaking to Director General of RUSI, Professor Michael Clarke   BATTLE OF THE SOMME CENTENARY EVENT BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee   THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211   Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep podcast.

SITREP TRAIL THURS, 25 JUNE   Nato ministers meet as Russia flexes its muscles. Defence Spending…can the UK have its cake and eat it?   And…the Victoria Cross?  Is it time for a rethink on why it’s awarded?     --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:    BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS:      NATO TALKS BFBS Reporter Rob Olver   RUSSIAN STRATEGY BFBS Reporter Charlotte Cross   DEFENCE SPENDING Bernard Jenkin MP     VICTORIA CROSS Author Gary Mead (book review)       THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum)  Sky Channel 0211   Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

Presenter Kate Gerbeau   Yemen – we hear from a reporter on the ground in the wartorn region Europe's Migrant Crisis deepens but what next for the Royal Navy's involvement? There’s a new man in the defence Committee Chair - but what will Julian Lewis bring to the job? The Afghan Appeal fund celebrates 10 years of building schools in Afghanistan.   And ...The 1805 battle of Waterloo, what does it mean for you?

This week's Sitrep comes to you from the hallowed turf of Lord's Cricket Ground where the Inter-Service T20 tournament is taking place.   We will talking about the importance of Sport in forces life as well as looking at the connections between Cricket and the military.   Rain may stop play but the usual discussion and debate about all things defence and foreign affairs will continue.    Kate Gerbeau is our Spin Bowler with BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee behind the wicket.   THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum)  Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

(First broadcast on Thursday 4th June 2015 at 4.30pm)     Who’s our biggest threat – Islamic State or Russia? And should the UK send ground troops to fight alongside the Iraqi Army? One former British Army Commander thinks they should. Will America’s snooping restrictions have an impact on British Intelligence?   Could there be major development problems for the carriers’ new F35 fighter jets?   And why Forces’ sport is an integral part of military life …………………………       --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:    BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS:      Defence Cuts BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee     Ukraine/ISIS Professor Paul Rogers from the department of peace studies at the University of Bradford   ISIS in Iraq Lieutenant General Graeme Lamb served in Iraq as Deputy Commanding General of the multi-national force. F35s Former Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Sharkey Ward Amercian & British intelligence gathering Richard Norton-Taylor who writes for the Guardian on defence and security matters   Forces Sport BFBS Reporter Julian Evans     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum)  Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau   (First broadcast on Thursday 28th May 2015 at 4.30pm)   Find out how the next SDSR is shaping up.   What the new Crowsnest surveillance system will mean for the Royal Navy.   Why Obama has spoken out about Russian’s aggression towards Ukraine.   And, why China could be heading for a show-down with the US over the disputed South China Islands. And from British Soldier to Blackwater - life as a security contractor in Iraq. --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:    BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS:    QUEEN’S SPEECH AND  SDSR BFBS reporter James Hirst interview with Professor Malcolm Chalmers, from the Defence and Security think tank - The Royal United Services Institute,   CROWSNEST SURVEILLANCE FOR THE ROYAL NAVY. Commander Graham Edmonds, Vice Chairman, at the UK National Defence Association.   RUSSIAN/NATO/UKRAINE. Professor Michael Stathis from the University of Southern Utah & BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee.   CHINA &  THE DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA ISLANDS. Mark Stone Asia Correspondent for Sky News.   BLACKWATER One former British soldier talks about his time as a Blackwater contractor in Iraq.     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211   Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

(First broadcast on Thursday 21st May 2015 at 4.30pm)   AS IS gathers ground in both Syria & Iraq, Sitrep speaks to a leading expert on Islamic State as the militants continue to gather ground in Iraq and Syria. Also this week, is America sending weapons into space? Nato chiefs of staff list new security challenges. And why more people are dying in conflict despite fewer wars being fought.   --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:    BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS:    Abdel Bari Atwan, author of "Islamic State - The Digital Caliphate" BFBS reporter Victoria Smith interview with the International Institute for Strategic Studies Director of transnational threats and political risk, Nigel Inkster, as it publishes its 2015 Armed Conflict Survey. X-37B Spacecraft  with Kenneth Chang ,Science Reporter from The New York Times, BFBS reporter James Hirst talks to the people behind a new film giving a unique insight into the Afghan Army in Helmand .  "Tell Spring Not To Come This Year"   THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum)  Sky Channel 0211   Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau   In Syria - have the Generals had enough of Assad? Is NATO lining up it's Baltic army? Who will be the new Chair of the Defence Select Committee? RAF Chinooks are being prevented from helping in Nepal. Has Britain sent the wrong type of helicopter? And some right royal opinions have aired about the Ministry of Defence.   --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:           BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS:    Sir Andrew Green, a former British Ambassador in Damascus.   Former Chief of the General  Staff, Lord Dannatt, discussing the possibility of Nato troops being deployed to Baltic states. The Conservative MP Colonel Bob Stewart talking to Tim Cooper about the now vacant position of Chair of Commons Defence Select Committee.   Nepal Aid - Yurendra Basnett , Research Fellow from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI)     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum)  Sky Channel 0211   Alternatively listen again on the website

KATE GERBEAU PRESENTS TODAY   (First broadcast on Thursday 7th May 2015 at 4.30pm)   70 years on from VE Day...how did the Second World War change the world?Plus, what’s the experts verdict on what's in store for the NEXT seventy years?Why the West should understand how Russia’s past has influenced its presentAnd...how Dynamic Mongoose is taking the North Sea by storm.---------------------------PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate GerbeauSTUDIO GUEST: BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee & Dr Paul Rogers, Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford   OTHER INTERVIEWS:  Grand Strategy  - looking ahead Professor Malcolm Chalmers from the Royal United Services InstituteRussia/VE Day - Mary Dejevsky (DEJ-EV-SKEE) from The Independent.EXERCISE MONGOOSE – Dr Paul Rogers   THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases     You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum)  Sky Channel 0211Alternatively listen again on the website

How Gurkha engineers and the RAF are providing aid to Nepal Trident - why the debate goes on? There's a new man in charge of Northern Cyprus, will that help the stalled peace talks? And Britain's Greatest Generation with stories of VE Day and beyond. --------------------------- PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Paula Middlehurst STUDIO GUEST:           BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee.   OTHER INTERVIEWS:  NEPAL AID EFFORT Ghurka Welfare Trust chairman; General Sir Peter Wall speaking to James Hirst and BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee TRIDENT Interview with former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Boyce, and BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee NEW PRESIDENT OF NORTHERN CYPRUS Correspondent - Mike Theodoulou BOOK REVIEW   Sue Elliot, Co-Author of "Britain's Greatest Generation”