The Briefing Room

How well equipped is Britain today to defend itself both at home and overseas?Britain's armed forces are struggling to maintain numbers. According to the National Audit Office there is a shortfall of more than 8,000 among military personnel and there is a significant shortage of personnel with skills in critical areas. The Army is at its lowest level since the days it was preparing to confront Napoleon, unable to meet even the reduced requirement of 82,000 regulars. Several reasons are cited: the lack of a current war to act as a recruiting sergeant, a recruitment process that's not working well, discontent within the ranks and a higher number of people leaving the forces than normal. We examine these causes and ask what effect the shortages have both on the battlefield and strategically. Contributors:Mike Martin, former captain in the Royal Yeomanry and author of 'Why We Fight'Anthony King, chair in War Studies at Warwick University and former civilian adviser to General Sir Nick CarterBen Barry, a former British infantry officer and now senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in LondonMandy Hickson, former RAF pilot

Does the new Italian government really pose a danger for the Eurozone and the European Union? There has been much to-ing and fro-ing in Rome this week as the two parties which finished up ahead in Italy's election in March have tried to persuade the president to approve their coalition government. The parties are unlikely populist allies: the anti- establishment Five Star Movement and The League, which started life as a secessionist movement in the north of Italy. Both parties reject economic austerity. They want to lower taxes and raise government debt further. This is causing alarm bells to ring in EU capitals. Were Italy to prove unable or unwilling to cut its budget deficit, the potential for a new crisis in the Eurozone looms. Italy, say some commentators, could drag other countries, such as Spain and Greece, down with it.It is unprecedented in a country that was one of the founder members of the EEC, the EU's forerunner, to have Eurosceptic leaders at the helm. CONTRIBUTORSProfessor John Foot, a historian specialising in Italy at the University of BristolJacopo Iacoboni, author of L'Esperimento, a book about the Five Star MovementCristina Marconi, a journalist on the newspaper Il MessaggeroFerdinando Giugliano, a columnist and leader writer on European economics for Bloomberg OpinionJudy Dempsey, a former Brussels correspondent and now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank.Image: Italian lawyer Giuseppe Conte addresses journalists after a meeting with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella on May 23, 2018 Credit: VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images.

One year into his presidency, can Emmanuel Macron succeed in reforming France where his predecessors have failed? The Briefing Room visits Paris to find out what President Macron stands for and whether his reforms are likely to take root. Does En Marche - the political movement which helped President Macron get elected - have what it takes to change the face of French politics. David Aaronovitch is joined by:Pierre Briançon, Chief Economics Correspondent at Politico EuropeAdam Plowright, France correspondent at AFP and author of 'The French Exception'Delphine O, LREM MP at the French National AssemblySophie Pedder, Paris Bureau Chief at The Economist and author of forthcoming biography 'Revolution Française'Bruno Jeanbart, Deputy Managing Director of OpinionWayAlexander Bregman, CEO, InvitlyCharlotte Muller, CEO, LeService.

Why do we get through so many Home Secretaries?It may be one of the great offices of state, but many British politicians regard the job of Home Secretary with dread. As one former holder of the post put it "there grew a view that the Home Office was a graveyard for politicians". After the resignation of its latest incumbent, Amber Rudd, what is it about the Home Office that makes it such a challenging government department to lead?For this week's programme David Aaronovitch is joined by:Michael Cockerell, political documentary makerErica Consterdine, research fellow at the University of Sussex Professor Nick Pearce, director of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of BathJill Rutter, programme director at the Institute for Government Sue Cameron, writer and broadcaster who covers Whitehall.

Some 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year, where it can be lethal to marine life. Governments and businesses have vowed to take action to curb it. But Just how serious is the problem of plastic waste, and what can be done to tackle it? David Aaronovitch is joined by:Susan Freinkel, author of 'Plastic: A Toxic Love Story'Jan Piotrowski, environment correspondent for the EconomistRob Opsomer, researcher, Ellen Macarthur FoundationChris Cheeseman, Professor of Materials Resource Engineering, Imperial College, London Sabine Pahl, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Plymouth.

After the missile strikes by the US, France and Britain on Syria, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, condemned the attacks and warned that any more would bring chaos to world affairs. With relations between Russia and the West at their lowest ebb for decades, are we about to see the start of a new Cold War? And if so, what should the 'rules of engagement' be? David Aaronovitch is joined by: Gabriel Gatehouse - BBC Correspondent Alexander Baunov - senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center Neil Buckley - Financial Times Eastern Europe editor and former Moscow bureau chiefSir Lawrence Freedman - Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings CollegeProfessor Angela Stent - Georgetown University and a former US State Department official.

London's murder rate overtook that of New York in February and March this year, and the violent crime rate seems to be rising in other parts of the UK too. There's much debate about the causes, with suggestions that austerity, gang culture, social media, drugs and family breakdown are all to blame. But what is the reality behind the headlines? David Aaronovitch is joined by expert guests to discuss why violent crime is rising and look at possible remedies. CONTRIBUTORSProfessor Susan McVie - Statistical Criminologist at Edinburgh UniversityDr Victor Olisa - former Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan PoliceKaryn McCluskey - Chief Executive of Community Justice Scotland. Mark Easton - BBC Home EditorPhil Mackie - BBC Midlands Correspondent.

According to US President Donald Trump "trade wars aren't so bad". Recently his government surprised the world by announcing unexpected big increases in import taxes - or tariffs - on steel and aluminium. Mr Trump believes that this is one way to do something about America's huge trade deficit, which he says stems from the nation being "taken advantage of" by other countries for decades. The US also threatened tariff increases on a huge range of other products, including many from China. The Chinese government responded in kind, raising tariffs on American imports of everything from cars to ginseng. The row has deeply worried many politicians and business leaders across the world: could this be the start of a new trade war? But what exactly is a trade war - and is it possible to win one? And what are the implications for the UK if the dispute between the US and China escalates?CONTRIBUTORSDr Marc-William Palen, historian at the University of Exeter and author of The 'Conspiracy' of Free Trade.Chad Bown, Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC and former White House senior economist. Dr Jue Wang is an expert on the Chinese economy based at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and an associate fellow on the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House.Dr Meredith Crowley, lecturer at the University of Cambridge and research fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research

Radio 4’s Bottom Line and Briefing Room will combine in a special hour-long programme examining the economic and political future of the EU once Britain has left. Evan Davis meets Jean-Claude Trichet – former president of the European Central Bank – and is joined by a panel of business leaders from across the EU. David Aaronovitch will look at the politics of the EU and its future direction. France’s President Macron has outlined a vision of a profoundly transformed and more unified EU. But do all the EU’s members support such a vision? And what might a more integrated bloc on its doorstep mean for Britain?Producers: Tim Mansel, Serena Tarling and Lesley McAlpine

Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel appointed to investigate possible Russian links to the Trump campaign in 2016, last week issued formal charges against three companies and thirteen named individuals. They are all Russian. The 37-page indictment provides a wealth of detail on the scale and ambition of the operation, in which ordinary Americans were manipulated into not only promoting their messages online but even organising political rallies. President Trump responded to the indictment by repeating his assertion that he had never colluded with the Russians. It's not clear that those indicted will ever appear in an American courtroom, but if the allegations are true, they represent unprecedented interference in the American political system and raise questions about future vulnerability. CONTRIBUTORSGordon Corera, BBC security correspondent Molly McKew, expert in information warfare specialising in US-Russia relations, New Media FrontierAndrei Soshnikov, BBC MoscowAsha Rangappa, senior lecturer at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University and former FBI special agent, counterintelligence division.