BFBS Sitrep

In a rollercoaster 24 hours the UK went from warning an invasion of Ukraine could start ‘at any moment’ to expressing cautious optimism about a Russian pullback. In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep Kate Gerbeau talks in depth to the UK’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey. He tells us it’s his ‘expectation’ that British training troops, pulled out of Ukraine a few days ago, will return providing...

China has called for the UK to hand the Falklands to Argentina, and says NATO’s got too big. This week BFBS Sitrep asks if Beijing has used the Winter Olympics to set out a divide-and-rule strategy, or if it’s just repackaging its old partnerships? The head of the Army explains why he ordered non-essential work to stop for a day, to talk about teamwork, and an expert in cultural change gives his v...

The UK and its western allies are threatening historically harsh sanctions to try to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. BFBS Sitrep examines what sanctions might be taken, what history tells us about whether they work, and how we might feel the effects of those sanctions too. We also look at the part played by sanctions in Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis where people are selling their children,...

Ukraine’s government is urging its citizens to stay calm, but preparing its forces for war. BFBS Sitrep asks where we should be looking for signs of a possible Russian invasion, and hears from Ukraine about the mood among the people... including two Britons who have joined the Ukrainian army. Also as the UK says it could send more troops to Eastern Europe, the deputy head of Estonia’s armed f...

The US claims Russia plans a ‘false flag’ operation in Ukraine to justify an invasion. The UK’s defence secretary speaks out against ‘false narratives’ from President Putin. BFBS Sitrep explains the information war being fought over Ukraine, and asks a former NATO spokesman if sending British weapons to the country hands ammunition for disinformation to Moscow. Why are just 5 of the 1500 most seni...

Moscow is demanding NATO admits absolutely no new members – but could that demand be backfiring? We hear from Sweden and Finland, where after years of staunch ‘non-alignment’, they’re now seriously considering joining the alliance. James Hirst fact checks President Putin’s claim, and NATO’s denial, that the alliance promised decades ago not to move ‘one inch to the East’. What’s the difference bet...

Decorated former bomb-disposal operator Kim Hughes talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about how Hollywood portrays the job and what it’s actually like. Since leaving the Army in 2020 he’s worked as a consultant on films, and has written two thrillers “Operation Black Key” and “Operation Certain Death”. He tells BFBS Sitrep about his three tours of duty in Afghanistan – how you defuse a bomb, what you...

What’s going to happen in 2022, where and why? Will Ukraine be invaded or can big talks next week dial down the tension? Why has Russia sent troops to Kazakhstan and will it become the first new international crisis of the year? Does China really want to use its growing military, or is it just for show? Professor Michael Clarke, and Dr Melanie Garson will help navigate us through the potential tro...

2021 – the year that Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump, took international troops out of Afghanistan, and the Taliban swept back to power. The final Sitrep of the year examines the key events of the last twelve months, and what they mean for the UK and the world. Britain’s first carrier strike group deployment in a decade, HMS Defender’s run-in with Russia in the Black Sea, and the defence review th...

Four months since the Taliban marched back to power in Afghanistan Sitrep hears from three interpreters who had worked with UK forces, but who couldn’t get on evacuation flights. After a whistleblower alleged chaos in the Foreign Office has cost lives, a Conservative MP has branded it a ‘failure of statecraft’, but has it done lasting damage for future military operations? Domestic abuse accounts...

It is ‘the biggest modernisation of the Army for a generation’ according to ministers – but can it deliver? This week on Sitrep we look through the details of the ‘Future Soldier’ plan for the Army to spend more time deployed around the globe. We assess whether billions of pounds of new technology can make up for smaller numbers of people and tanks. Defence is to make an ‘immeasurable shift’ in th...

Former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about his time on combat sorties over Iraq on Operation Shader, what it was like to be high in the sky witnessing friends under attack on the ground, how bombing missions worked, and his close brushes with lethal danger. Mike also tells Kate how he became a fighter pilot, despite initially being rejected by the RAF, and how he st...

Former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton tells us about his time flying sorties over Iraq on Operation Shader in 2015. From the cramped conditions of the cockpit, to close shaves with enemy fire and friendly aircraft. Also on Sitrep we hear from one of the British Airways passengers held as human shields by Iraq in 1990, before the first Gulf War, and investigate who a mystery group of men on tha...

After an F35, flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth, crashed into the Mediterranean the pilot ejected and was safely recovered to the Aircraft carrier. In this week’s Sitrep we look at the two most urgent tasks now, to find out why the crash happened, and to recover the plane which is packed with top-secret technology that the UK does not want enemies to get a glimpse of. Blowing up a satellite, massing...

The Army’s top officers are summoned to discuss ‘disciplinary mistakes’, especially harassment and abuse of women. The outgoing Chief of Defence Staff acknowledges ‘laddish culture’ is encouraged because soldiers have to go ‘close and personal’ with the enemy. In this week’s Sitrep we ask if that culture is necessary for a fighting force, and whether an independent audit of Army culture will...

World leaders talk big at COP26 on trying to avert a spiralling environmental catastrophe – but some key players are missing. The Defence Secretary says militaries would have to deal with the consequences of a failed climate change policy. In this week’s Sitrep – we examine the hopes of success or failure, and ask a former UK ambassador to the UN whether a ‘wartime mentality’ could help. We’ll als...

The Mine Advisory Group says plans to cut back on government funding for landmine clearance is catastrophic...we’ll hear from the CEO of ‘MAG’ and a former British soldier working on the ground for them in Iraq. ...there’s fresh anger over Afghanistan...the RAF has airlifted 102 people who fled Afghanistan to a neighbouring country to the UK, but, is that an impressive number or surprisingly low?....

China denies testing a new hypersonic missile — a potential new threat in space. Meanwhile North Korea tests a new, submarine-launched, missile, sparking more concerns over its ambitions. In this week’s Sitrep, how should the west respond to both events? Foreign affairs analyst Tim Marshall explains how geography can help predict future conflict zones. Plus we hear from the author of a new report...

Hundreds of Afghan interpreters, who worked with British forces in the country, remain stranded after the end of the international evacuation mission. In this week’s Sitrep, we hear from two of them, and an expert on the country, who got out as the Taliban advanced on Kabul, tells us why it’s so vital to restore humanitarian aid. The militia leader once dubbed Iraq’s most dangerous man is now a ke...

As Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is announced as the next Chief of the Defence Staff, what challenges await the new leader of Britain’s armed forces? One issue in his in-tray could be the growing crisis in Taiwan, whose leaders warn relations with China are worse now than they’ve been for forty years. This week, we get the picture from Taipei, and find out what’s behind China’s latest moves. The man in...

The Government turns to the forces to help resolve the fuel crisis that’s seen huge queues at petrol stations across the UK. It’s not the first time the military’s been asked to step in during an emergency at home — are we becoming too reliant on the forces to bolster civilian authorities? And do we need a US-style National Guard on stand-by? America’s military chiefs publicly contradict President...

France has called the defence pact between Britain, the US and Australia a “stab in the back”, but will it do lasting damage to relations between the key allies? Sitrep speaks to a former National Security Adviser, who went on to be Britain’s ambassador in France. There’s also a report that warns nations like Russia and Turkey are stepping into conflict zones as western powers lose any appetite to...

What does the new AUKUS defence pact between Britain, the US and Australia mean? Leaders from the military, politics and the defence industry have been meeting in London over the past few days, and this week’s Sitrep reports from inside DSEI on promises of an integrated future for the forces. We’ll learn more about some of the cutting edge tech on display, and we hear from the Second Sea Lord on p...

Days after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan comes the anniversary of the terrorist attack that sparked the invasion in 2001. How has the world changed since the 9/11 attacks? Is the west stronger or weaker? And are we any safer now than we were then? We hear from some of the British military personnel involved in the evacuation effort at Kabul airport, and find out what might happen to Britain’s...

Days after Britain’s last military personnel leave Afghanistan, the US completes its withdrawal and President Biden says America is not in the business of nation building anymore. But he also vows to strike back at ISIS-K from thousands of miles away — we explore how that will work, and how much the west will need the Taliban’s help. How deep is the division opened up between London and Washington...