BFBS Sitrep

As the western evacuation from Afghanistan enters its final phase, what are the key mistakes that led to the country’s fall to the Taliban? This week, we hear from an analyst who only left Kabul as the city was being taken over — she claims the US effectively sold out the Afghan government, and encouraged the Taliban to wait out the clock. We discuss what impact the withdrawal will have on other c...

A special Sitrep examines the implications of the fall of Kabul, and the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. We hear from a former Royal Marine still in Kabul, and a journalist who escaped on the day the Taliban entered the city. A former head of the Army tells us what it felt like to see Afghanistan fall, and we ask what America’s decision to withdraw could mean for its NATO allies. And we...

As the situation in Afghanistan worsens, we ask what are the realistic options to bring things back under control. We’ll hear from the former head of the UK’s Joint Forces Command, General Sir Richard Barrons... he thinks a return to UK boots on the ground isn’t the way forward but allied and Afghan air strikes could be. We’ll look at the impact of climate change on the military... how will it aff...

A month after the bulk of remaining western forces pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban is on the rise. Fierce fighting has brought cities like Herat and Kandahar to the brink of collapsing to the militants. But the greatest danger is in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand -- where British forces fought against the Taliban for so many years. We hear from those who served in Afghanistan - including t...

A damning report accuses military leaders of failing to protect female personnel from bullying, harassment and discrimination. An MPs investigation revealed the huge number of complaints, including allegations of serious sexual offences going unpunished. We hear from the MP who led the probe, and a 30-year Army veteran who resigned to highlight the issue - and we ask a defence minister what they’r...

European officials want Spanish forces on the ground in Gibraltar policing the border — something both the UK and Gibraltar insist they won’t accept. We get the latest from the territory’s Chief Minister. Is your phone spying on you? After the revelations this week about spyware reportedly aimed at human rights campaigners, political and military leaders, we ask who should set the rules for modern...

The Government wants to halt all investigations and prosecutions linked to Northern Ireland’s past. But how can you move on from a conflict when some of its biggest crimes will go unpunished? Will the wars of the future be beyond the capacity of humans? We’ve a report on how new advances in AI and quantum computing could fundamentally change the nature of conflict. And as a global shortage of comp...

As the western military intervention in Afghanistan draws to an end, Sitrep looks back at the last 20 years, and asks what it will mean in the future. A former head of the Army tells us about “frustrating” conversations with ministers at the height of the fighting, while an MP who served in Afghanistan warns withdrawal will alarm Britain’s allies. We get an update from Kabul, and we hear how a sma...

As the western military intervention in Afghanistan draws to an end, Sitrep looks back at the last 20 years, and asks what it will mean in the future. A former head of the Army tells us about “frustrating” conversations with ministers at the height of the fighting, while an MP who served in Afghanistan warns withdrawal will alarm Britain’s allies. We get an update from Kabul, and we hear how a sma...

How did sensitive MoD documents end up dumped by a bus stop in Kent? An accident? Or something more sinister? As China’s Communist Party marks its centenary, an expert on the country tells us what Britain’s getting right — and wrong — in the increasingly fractious relationship. We meet the former serviceman leading calls for a public inquiry into a fatal mid-air collision over Scotland. And we hea...

What really happened when a British warship sailed close to Crimea? We try to cut through the conflicting stories. More than a decade after a report highlighted problems with bullying and sexual harassment, researchers say women in the armed forces still face the same problems. We speak to the author of a new report that sets out the problems facing women who serve, and the issues for female veter...

Joe Biden says his talks with Vladimir Putin were “good, positive”. The Russian president called them “constructive”. But the US and Russia remain far apart on big issues like cyberattacks. So how did the Geneva summit go? Joe Biden’s meeting with Vladimir Putin followed a NATO summit that included a warning to anyone thinking of targeting alliance members’ assets in Space. We ask if that that cou...

President Biden is in Europe for a week of intense top-level diplomacy, including a G7 summit, a gathering of NATO leaders, and then face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin. It’s the first overseas trip for the US President since his election — and a chance for him to demonstrate his commitment to restoring America’s relations with allies, strained under Donald Trump’s administration. We hear about...

As remaining international forces prepare to leave Afghanistan, the fate of the thousands of Afghans who helped them has been in doubt — until now. Both Britain and the US now say they’ll resettle thousands of people, fearing otherwise they’ll be at the mercy of the Taliban. We ask one former Army officer who served two tours in Helmand what that says about the last 20 years of international opera...

There’s been international outrage after Belarus forced a Ryanair jet to land in the country, and arrested a prominent critic of the country’s regime. But how far are western powers willing to go to confront Alexander Lukashenko’s behaviour? And will it make any difference? We hear from a former British ambassador in Belarus. Dominic Cummings says Britain’s failure to prepare for emergencies like...

Almost two weeks of fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants has left more than 200 people dead — almost all of them in Gaza. The International Criminal Court warns both sides may have committed war crimes — in this week’s Sitrep, we learn more about the laws of war, and ask whether anyone will be held to account if they’re being broken. We hear from the RAF’s commander for Middle...

The government promises to bring forward legislation to deal with legacy issues related to the Northern Ireland Troubles. How drones will change warfare. Royal Marines on training exercises before deploying to the High North. And the Antarctic expedition that plans to mark the life of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

British forces on patrol in Mali in West Africa as part of the UN Peacekeeping mission there. The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sends a warning to Russia as he arrives in Ukraine for talks. The new museum that marks the role of logistics in campaigns from Agincourt to Afghanistan.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and her carrier strike group prepare for a deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Find out how paratroopers are being trained to fight on the urban battlefield. Why has Australia announced a large increase in defence spending?

Cyberspace has been described as the most contested domain – so how will the new National Cyber Force defend the UK? Sitrep speaks to the head of Strategic Command, General Sir Patrick Sanders. A former British ambassador to Moscow speaks to Sitrep about President Putin’s State of the Nation speech and concerns over Russian troops gathering on the borders of Ukraine. Also this week, how a military...

Sitrep hears from a former UK ambassador to Kabul and our panel of defence experts on the future for Afghanistan post NATO withdrawal; The programme looks at the Duke of Edinburgh's connections with the armed forces and his wartime service in the Royal Navy; And find out how an inventor is adapting a vehicle to help protect troops against explosions.

Sitrep examines UK military plans for Space; We hear from a former NATO ambassador on growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine; Why the Red Arrows, a Lancaster and a Vulcan will feature in a stained glass window.

(Title) Chief of the Defence Staff interview The CDS Gen Sir Nick Carter speaks exclusively to Sitrep about Army numbers, recruitment for the Rangers Regiment, the future of the Reserve Force, the need for change and new technologies, and the nature of the threats facing the UK.

After another huge week for UK Defence, Sitrep assesses how the plans in the Defence Command Paper will change the Army, the RAF and the Navy. Sitrep has detailed analysis from a range of experts on what's been described as the biggest review of Defence since the end of the Cold War.

Analysis and expert commentary on the Integrated Review - described as the biggest Review of Defence and Security policy since the Cold War -with former CDS Lord Richards, Professor Michael Clarke, Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government and chair of the For Affairs Comm Tom Tugendhat. Also, flexible working in the armed forces with MOD's Helen Helliwell and Royal Marines on night...