BFBS Sitrep

BFBS
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Award winning Defence podcast from BFBS.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Hard lessons for the UK from the Iran war

    The UK ramped up its air power in and around the Middle East before the Iran war, but the fact it took nearly a fortnight to deploy an air-defence destroyer has put military capability and readiness firmly in the spotlight. Sitrep explains the rhetoric and the reality as political opponents accuse the Prime Minister of failing to prepare and sitting on his hands. Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, who helped write the Chilcot Report into the Iraq war, tells Sitrep why he thinks the US operation is “stunningly irresponsible”, and the UK got it right by staying on the sidelines.  And Mike explains how warnings about the just how thinly spread the Armed Forces are now being seen in action.

    47 min

  2. 5 MAR

    Royal Navy warship heads to the Middle East

    The Royal Navy deploys a destroyer to the Mediterranean to bolster defences in the region, amidst a war in the Middle East. But HMS Dragon won’t set sail until next week and it will take days to get there. The question on most observers' lips is - why did it take so long? and is our response a bit late and a bit underwhelming?     Also on Sitrep …. What are the 6 crises predicted to converge, making it the most unstable global time since the second world war?

    43 min

  3. 26 FEB

    Hitting Russia in the roubles – could economic warfare secure victory for Ukraine?

    As Ukraine fights its war for survival alone on the battlefield, the UK has announced new sanctions against Russia to throttle the supply of money into Putin's war machine. But can it work, and persuade Moscow to get serious about peace talks? Economist and Russia expert Timothy Ash runs us through the numbers. Defence Minister Luke Pollard tells Sitrep the UK is considering “further tactics” against Russia’s shadow fleet transporting sanctioned oil.  Mike explains why he doesn’t expect to see Royal Marines roping onto tankers any time soon.  And Simon Newton has been looking through combat videos from Ukraine, with former Paras Major Andrew Fox, to assess lessons from four years of the most filmed war in history.

    53 min

  4. 19 FEB

    Why the AWOL Defence Investment Plan is a big problem.

    The Prime Minister says we are going to have to spend more, faster, on defence.  But his government hasn’t even decided how it will spend the money already in the budget, despite  promising the plan months ago. Sitrep explains why the growing delays are a big problem for some defence firms, and therefore the Armed Forces they supply, as the ADS trade body tells us small business liquidations are at a 30-year high. Sian Grzeszczyk Melbourne shares the Westminster whispers on when these vital decisions could finally be taken, and whether any more money could be found. And Mike explains what US Forces are being massed around Iran, plus what that tells us about any military action that might happen.

    40 min

  5. 15 FEB · BONUS

    Sitrep live from the Munich Security Conference

    The Prime Minister chose a stage in front of dozens of fellow world leaders to announce he’s sending HMS Prince of Wales to lead a carrier strike group to the arctic. But why? The US changed it’s tone towards Europe, but not it’s criticisms, after last year’s bombshell speech by J.D. Vance. And President Zelensky told the world that Ukraine will only accept a “real” peace. Simon Newton and Professor Michael Clarke explain what we’ve learned, and what if anything has been achieved, at this key event for Defence. They break down the key moments, and what they mean, with the help of Lt. Gen (retd) Ben Hodges, former Commanding General US Army Europe, and Oana Lungescu who spent 13 years at the heart of NATO.

    1h 4m

  6. 12 FEB

    NATO’s big military shake-up explained

    A reshuffle of who-commands-what in NATO puts a British General in charge of the only NATO operation on US soil, while an American will take over at Maritime Command in the UK. Tim Henry explains all about the UK’s new command in Norfolk, Virginia, from his time as Deputy Commander there, and former senior NATO official Jamie Shea explains the wider moves to put Europeans in charge of joint operations while the US leads all force components. The Chief of Defence Staff says he wants NATO postings to improve promotion prospects rather than hamper them, but what needs to change? And as the CIA shutters its publicly available “World Factbook” Mike tells us why he thinks it’s a big loss.

    51 min

  7. 5 FEB

    Russia turns the screws on freezing Ukrainians

    Despite temperatures below -20C attacks are targeting not just electricity and gas infrastructure in Ukraine, but heating plants which supply thousands of homes at a time. Is there any military logic or justification? Colin Freeman updates us from the city of Kharkiv, and Simon Newton explains how the extreme cold affects everything from drone batteries to the targeting of artillery shells. As the final nuclear-arms-control treaty between Russia and the US expires, Professor Michael Clarke explains why Britain’s nuclear deterrent has just become more important. And after a doubling of drone-sightings near UK military bases will new powers for the Armed Forces to shoot them down be the solution, or is that too low-tech?

    47 min

  8. 29 JAN

    Could UK troops defend Greenland and does it even need defending?

    Much buzz about a possible NATO Arctic Sentry operation helped calm Donald Trump’s talk of taking over Greenland, and the UK is one of the big backers. But do we have enough troops properly trained to operate in some of the world’s harshest conditions   Ex-Royal Marine Tip Cullen shares the hard realities, including freezing eyeballs, while former Infantry officer Ed Arnold assesses whether it would be a worthwhile use of troops.   As a project leader is sacked, and the Defence Secretary says it’s nearly “back or scrap” time for the Ajax armoured vehicle programme, former tank commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon gives his verdict from a test drive.   And Professor Michael Clarke has read the new US Defense Strategy so you don’t have to.  Spoiler alert – it namechecks President Trump more than fifty times, but says nothing about troop numbers.

    47 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Award winning Defence podcast from BFBS.

Information

  • Channel
    BFBS
  • Creator
    BFBS Radio
  • Years Active
    2009 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.5K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © @ bfbs 2024
  • Show Website
    BFBS Sitrep

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