BFBS Sitrep

The Secretary of State for Defence Phillip Hammond speaks to Kate Gerbeau on Sitrep and discusses the British deployment to Mali and today's news about defence spending......   Also this week: how do you stop extremism – is education the answer rather than conflict?   And find out why the Defence Select Committee want to hear your views on the provision of Service children’s education     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUESTS:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:  The Secretary of State for Defence Phil Hammond discussing Mali, defence cuts and Syria   Lt Gen Jonathan Riley on the British Forces mission to Mali   President of the Quilliam Foundation Noman Benotman on extremism   The Chair of the Defence Select Committee James Arbuthnot on Service children’s education   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

Should more troops should go to Mali and why North Africa is now a global concern?   What shape will the Army be in after the latest round of redundancies?  And can the Reserves plug the hole?   Who are the new names at the top of the military command?   How should the centenary of the First World War be commemorated?   And how does the Prime Minister’s Europe speech affect the Armed Forces?   PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUESTS:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee & Major General Julian Thompson   OTHER INTERVIEWS:  Forces News reporter Charlotte Cross with a report from Mali The Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Jim Murphy discussing Mali, defence cuts and women on the front line WW1 Centenary commemorations with Professor Sir Hew Strachan (pro: STRAWN) and Major Sir Michael Parker – organiser of many Royal Tournaments and military events.   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

Is the Hostage crisis in Algeria retaliation against the French intervention in Mali or something else? Why Russia’s top general tells Nato that Afghanistan pull out spells disaster Are forces children getting a good deal when it comes to their education? And what prompts A-listers like David Beckham and Ray Winstone to visit injured troops in hospital?PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUESTS:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee  OTHER INTERVIEWS: Analytst Jon Marks on AlgeriaBBC Mark Doyle in MaliHeadteacher Su Scrimshaw telling us what it’s like to run a school where the majority of students are from Forces’ families.Sir Bob Russell from the Commons Defence Select Committee discussing Service children’s educationForces News reporter Claire Sadler talking to actor Ray Winstone You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time)Alternatively listen again on the website.

  Will America keep its commitment to Afghanistan post 2014   And what difference will the new faces in the US Administration make to the transition?   What can we do to increase our cyber security awareness?   Why there’s an increasing worry that Syria will use chemical weapons   And how do you stop the violence and demonstrations in Northern Ireland…..     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUESTS:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee & Dr Martin Macauley from University College London   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    Professor Michael Stathis, political scientist from Southern Utah University   Forces Radio reporterTim Cooper on the National Audit Office Report, speaking to Phillip Hammond   Forces Radio reporter Rosie Laydon on Cyber Security interviewing Major General Jonathan former head of cyber-security at the MoD.   Northern Ireland analyst Chris Ryder on Belfast. You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

This week there’s more pressure from Argentina over its claims to the Falklands Islands   Why America thinks Europe should pay for its own defence and security including Afghanistan.   There’s a warning over military intervention in Syria & the consequences of drone strikes in Yemen.   And there’s concerns over the future capabilities of the Royal Navy.     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee & Professor Paul Rogers, from the Dept of Peace Studies at Bradford University.   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    Jonathan Foreman from Civitas Institute discussing moving the international aid budget to the armed forces.   Professor Sir Paul Newton on Syria    Iona Craig, the Times Yemen correspondent, on drone strikes in Yemen   Steve Bush editor of British Warships And Auxiliaries 2013/14 You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

This week Sitrep looks back at events that have shaped 2012  & Britain’s Armed Forces From transition in Afghanistan to civil war in Syria A year that remembered the Falkland's conflict & saw trouble returning to the streets of Belfast It was a summer of celebration and ceremony for the military, but what’s in store for 2013? Listen to this week’s Sitrep and find out… You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time)Alternatively listen again on the website. PRESENTER:  Kate GerbeauSTUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee and Major General Julian Thompson OTHER Contributors:  BFBS Reporters Tim Cooper in Cyprus, Rob Olver in Germany and Steve Britton in Brunei.

What next for Syria as the violence continues to escalate?   What’s behind the latest trouble in Northern Ireland ?   Could North Korea’s rocket launch elevate their  status on the world stage?   How a mother’s story of her soldier son may help young officers.   And why women might make better spies than men..........     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    Northern Ireland analyst Alan Murray on the latest troubles   Aidan Foster Carter, Korean expert on the rocket launch   Margaret Evison, author of "Death of a Soldier: A Mother's Story"   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

  The Chancellor’s Autumn statement – what does it mean for  Defence?   Find out how much progress has been made with the military covenant one year on   The new Deputy Commander of ISAF speaks about his hopes for the Afghan people.   Was this week’s NATO meeting Hilary Clinton’s farewell as US Foreign Secretary?   And, could the new US Ambassador be wearing Prada…….     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    BFBS Reporter James Hirst on the Autumn Statement and James Blitz – the security and defence editor of the Financial Times   Catherine Spencer, Chief Exec of the Army Families Federation on the military covenant & the hardships facing US Army wives .   The Deputy Commander of ISAF Lt General Nick Parker     You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

What’s the state of Britain’s military justice system? Find out what concerns Nato's Secretary General has for Afghanistan and his hopes for a smooth transition. Who are the M23 & why we should be concerned And, the search for Burma’s missing spitfiresPRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee  You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time)Alternatively listen again on the website.

  A ceasefire’s been declared but what’s next in the long quest for peace between Gaza and Israel?   Find out why the British Army in Kenya have been building a new base   And why former Cypriot dissidents might sue the British Army   Plus...  the story behind Portsmouth’s new Book shop and Naval art gallery   PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee     You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.