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Donald Trump becomes the first US President to be impeached twice — but he remains in office. This week’s Sitrep asks what would happen if the Commander-in-Chief tried to launch military action in his final days in the White House.

His successor faces calls from a group of politicians in the UK to keep American troops in Afghanistan — but is their presence vital for peace talks with the Taliban?

And on the thirtieth anniversary of the start of the first Gulf War, Sitrep speaks to some of those involved in making the big decisions in the operation to force Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, including a former Prime Minister.

The first Sitrep of 2021 looks at two huge stories in the first week of the year, whose impact could be felt far longer.

In the United States, a mob raids Congress, trying to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.

How will the chaotic scenes in Washington DC be seen in London, Moscow and Beijing?

Meanwhile, at home, Boris Johnson announces a new lockdown to try to curb spiralling coronavirus cases — the response to the pandemic is now the biggest-ever domestic peacetime military operation.

We’ll take a longer look too at some of the other big issues likely to dominate the coming year.

Fresh from its funding boost, is the MoD about to face some more tough spending decisions?

Will 2021 be the year international forces finally leave Afghanistan?

And what will the Biden presidency mean for America’s global allies?

Sitrep looks back at an unpredictable and challenging year and assesses how it has changed Defence.

Key figures involved in the military response to Covid discuss the lessons learned.

The programme also hears from experts in the domains of Cyber and Space.

And Professor Michael Clarke, the former Director of RUSI, gives his assessment of 2020 for the armed forces.

What could be the impact of planned budget cuts on Navy and Army reservists training?

We ask what are the challenges facing NATO and how should the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps respond?

And we hear how military logistics experts have worked through the Covid 19 pandemic and what lessons have been learnt

The Service Complaints Ombudsman tells Sitrep that - despite progress - the system for raising and addressing grievances in the military is not efficient, effective, or fair.
Sitrep looks at what we know so far about the promised Type 32 Frigate first mentioned by the Prime Minister in the funding settlement statement.
And you can hear a special report from Cyprus where Royal Marines are testing new technology and systems.

Sitrep focuses on future Defence priorities and funding with the Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, Lord Richards and Professor Michael Clarke from RUSI .
Plus Hannah King reports on how 'gun bubbles' are helping troops train for a deployment to Estonia.
 
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