The Unconventional Soldier

CONTENT My guest today is Mark Nicol, the Daily Mail’s Defence and Diplomacy Editor and a journalist who has spent twenty-five years reporting on British military operations. His latest book, Blades: The Untold Story of SAS Operations in Afghanistan, tackles one of the most controversial episodes in the recent history of British Special Forces. At its heart are allegations that SAS soldiers unlawf...

CONTENT The guest today is Dorian Minors, a brain and behaviour scientist whose work explores how we make intelligent decisions, particularly under pressure, and what that means for leadership, teams and organisations. He has spent more than a decade as a researcher, educator and clinician, including work at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the University of Cambridge and Judge Business Schoo...

CONTENT The guest today is Stuart Lyle, the Urban Operations Lead at the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, or Dstl, part of the Ministry of Defence. For more than 12 years, Stuart has studied how modern armies fight in cities, leading work on everything from urban explosive ordnance disposal and wargaming to adversary doctrine and lessons from recent conflicts. His particular fo...

CONTENT The guest today is Geraint Jones best selling author, screen writer, podcast host and ghost writer. He is also former British infantryman who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. The discussion focuses on his book, Voices of Victory, which compiles eyewitness accounts of British soldiers fighting through Germany during the final months of World War II. Gez emphasizes the importance of oral...

CONTENT The guest today is Gemma Gardner, a British Army veteran who moved into performance psychology. After experiencing mental health issues following her medical discharge, she developed the Orus framework, which focuses on the five pillars of awareness, understanding, regulation, identity, and stability. The discussion highlights the psychological difficulties soldiers face when their mi...

CONTENT My guests for this podcast are Neale Smiles and Stuart Lyle. Stuart is the Urban Operations Lead at the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, or Dstl, part of the Ministry of Defence. Neale is a former soldier working in the defence industry. For generations, the bayonet has been one of the most enduring symbols of the infantry soldier. But does it still have a meaningful place o...

CONTENT The guest today is Dr Johan Wennstrom an intelligence historian and writer on statecraft, from the Cold War underground to today’s crises. He is the author of “The Stay Behinds: Sweden’s Cold War Guardians” a national bestseller in Sweden recently translated into English and also writes on Substack as “Our Man In Stockholm” (https://johanwennstrom.substack.com/). On this episode we di...

CONTENT Listener information - On this episode we discuss the realities of life in a war zone and suicide. My guest is Graham Paul Roberts, a former Welsh Guardsman and private military contractor who served in numerous global conflict zones in the military and as a PMC. He describes his journey from a premature birth and childhood bullying to training Syrian forces during the civil war. We discus...

CONTENT The guest today is Dr. Gary Buck, a psychologist and military historian, who uses psychological frameworks to analyze the planning failures of Operation Market Garden. Gary applies the OODA loop and Myers-Briggs personality types to examine why high-level commanders like Montgomery, Browning, and Urquhart made critical errors during the 1944 mission. He suggests that extreme stress an...

CONTENT I was saddened to hear this week of the death of Major General Tony Stone CB. The Unconventional Soldier Podcast was created to preserve the history of the Special OP Troop, now known as 4/73 (Special Observation Post) Battery, the British Army's long-range Surveillance and Target Acquisition patrols unit. Tony Stone founded the unit in 1982 and remained one of its strongest supporters thr...

CONTENT In this episode I speak with Steve "Tommo" Thomas, whose remarkable military career took him from being a sailor in the Royal Navy to some of the British Army's most demanding specialist units. After passing both the commando course and P Company, Tommo served with 148 Commando Forward Observation Battery, where he directed naval gunfire and artillery during the Falklands War in some of th...

CONTENT The guest today is Matthew Addison-Black, a former officer in the Royal Gurkha Rifles, discussing his military career and current psychological research. He explains the history and rigorous selection process of the Gurkhas, highlighting the immense socioeconomic transformation these soldiers experience. The conversation explores military mental health, specifically distinguishing between...

CONTENT The guest today is Lilian van Mourik who has been on the podcast before when we discussed the recovery of  wartime Stirling bomber BK716.  On this one we feature her efforts to preserve the unique wartime history of the Dutch polders through her podcast Holland's hidden heroes and touring business Polder Pathways. She describes how the massive reclamation projects that turned sea...

CONTENT The guest today is Rupert Hague-Holmes and we discuss the life of Lieutenant General Sir George Lea, a pivotal figure in British military history who played a central role in the survival of the SAS. The conversation explores Lea’s transition from a non-academic, athletic youth into a distinguished leader who commanded parachute battalions during the Second World War and spearheaded c...

CONTENT The guest today is Graham Goulden a much sought after international speaker, leadership and violence prevention trainer. For thirty years he was a Scottish police officer specialising in criminal investigation, drug investigation, training, and crime prevention. For the last eight years of his career, he was a Chief Inspector and a key member of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. I...

CONTENT My guests today are Neale Smiles and Ian Garnett. Regular listener will know Neale from previous podcasts where we have discussed defence and technology issues.  Ian, is a former New Zealand Army officer who transitioned from a career in the army to become a successful defence technology entrepreneur. He discusses his extensive military background, including specialised...

CONTENT My guest is retired Lt Col Derek Plews, a man whose career has spanned journalism, the MOD press office, and 37 years of military service as a reservist including operations in Afghanistan  Now, he has turned his focus to a critical chapter of the war in that theatre: the siege of Musa Qal'ah in 2006. In his book, "Shamrock Among the Poppies - Musa Qal'ah 2006 a bloody siege and...

CONTENT The guest on this episode is Chris Oldfield, a former Royal Engineer.  We discuss his military career and high-intensity operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he witnessed significant casualties whilst dealing with the persistent threat of improvised explosive devices. Chris also discusses his PTSD and recovery.  Now living in Finland, he educates students on trauma an...

CONTENT This pod was originally recorded in the discussion I had with Brad Knight on episode 111 when we discussed his involvement in Royal Engineer Search Teams operations in Afghanistan. I decided to cut it as a separate episode as a subject in its own right. On this one we discuss the systemic failures contributing to veteran homelessness in the United Kingdom despite the existen...

CONTENT The guest today is Royal Navy diver Stu.  We discuss his early career in the navy before he volunteered to be a clearance diver and he describes the rigorous selection and training required for the role.  We then move on to operations in the first Gulf war (Operation GRANBY) where his experiences included clearing Iraqi mines and conducting harbour searches under environmentally...

CONTENT The guest today is former Royal Engineer Brad Knight.  On this episode we discuss his service with the Royal Engineers and his specialised role in counter IED search teams during the war in Afghanistan.  Joining the army at 16 years old, he eventually transitioned from a driver to a lead searcher tasked with detecting IEDs. The conversation highlights the high-stakes nature...

CONTENT This pod is the fifth in a series featuring former Royal Marine, SBS soldier and clearance diver Terry Powell. In this episode he recounts his deployment with the SBS during the 1982 Falklands War. Terry describes the chaotic initial mobilisation, including a discarded high-stakes plan to parachute directly into Stanley, before detailng the strategic shift to clandestine rec...

CONTENT This pod is the fourth in a series featuring former Royal Marine, SBS soldier and clearance diver Terry Powell. In this episode Terry recounts his extensive career in specialised underwater operations and military training. He highlights his role in the early development of the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV), a craft he helped transform into a vital tactical asset through gr...

CONTENT This pod is the third of a series featuring former Royal Marine, SBS soldier and clearance diver Terry Powell. After passing SBS selection Terry underwent diverse and rigorous training, including HALO/HAHO parachuting and advanced paramedic certification. The narrative also highlights his involvement in testing experimental diving equipment and working with US Navy SEALs to refin...

CONTENT This pod is the second of a series featuring former Royal Marine, SBS soldier and clearance diver Terry Powell. In this episode Terry describes the intense selection process and evolving identity of the Special Boat Service (SBS). He details the rigorous physical and psychological trials candidates endure, including underwater navigation, demolitions, and resistanc...