BFBS Sitrep

The Royal Navy, already thinly stretched, is now sending HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Duncan to the High North, while HMS Dragon heads in the other direction to loiter for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz.  Both high profile deployments come with some big questions.  Is an aircraft carrier the best way to deter Russian submarines? And if Dragon is waiting for an end to fighting...

Ukraine has amassed so much battlefield footage from drones that it would take more than 200 years to watch. Now it’s using that footage, with machine learning, to teach drones to become more lethal. Simon Newton explains how the country has made breakthroughs that allow the devices to identify not only potential targets, but also their most vulnerable spots. The work could also have benefits for...

Across three decades Rose Gottemoeller has had a ringside seat at key moments in the changing relationship between Russia, the US, and allies like the UK. As a former Deputy Secretary General of NATO and U.S. Undersecretary of State she’s seen the highs, as well as the lows. Rose talks to Kate Gerbeau about those experiences, and the driving mission behind her new book “Security Through Cooperatio...

Three decades since the end of the troubles the legacy on Northern Ireland is affecting today’s Armed Forces, with growing talk it’s damaging recruitment and driving some to leave service. The Northern Ireland Secretary promised additional protections for veterans to help as the save his legacy bill from running out of parliamentary time, but it remains hugely divisive. Sitrep explains the complex...

Japan eases restrictions in defence exports, taking a step away from decades of self-imposed pacifism after the Second World War. On Sitrep, we ask, what will they be selling and will the UK buy any of it? Searching for the next generation of Gurkha soldiers – we’re on the road in Nepal with the recruiters battling with bribery and corruption. Also on Sitrep, how do you prepare for peace while war...

When they still don’t know what equipment they will get, and when, it’s extremely hard for  the UK’s Armed Forces deliver on their mission to be ready for war.  But the clock is ticking ever louder, so how long have they got? Professor Michael Clarke and Dr. Jack Watling explain the types of conflict that could lie ahead, when they could happen, and what we need to be ready for thos...

British military planners are working with allies on how to make the Strait of Hormuz “safe and accessible”. The PM says it’s important we get the route open, but how and when could it be done? Former Royal Navy Weapon Engineering Officer, Commodore Steve Prest, tells Sitrep what capabilities are needed, and why the announced two-week ceasefire isn’t enough to start the job. With the US and Iran b...

The UK’s defence plans have relied, for decades, on the assumption that America will help us in a crisis.  But we can’t assume that any more, so what are those plans worth now? Sitrep explains the findings of MPs and Peers who say we must end our “deep dependence” on the US, for everything from software updates for planes to nuclear capable missiles. Former National Security adviser Lord...

20 years ago the “future infantry structure” plan provoked outrage. To reshape a shrunken army some historic regiments were amalgamated, losing names and cap badges, while others were closed altogether. Two decades later, those regiments that were created have their own histories, and bonds forged in battle.  So was the pain worth it, and with all that’s changed since is it time for another r...

Tens-of-thousands of Ukrainian troops have been trained in the UK on Operation Interflex, but Ukraine says our trainers now lack “modern combat experience”, and that the lessons would be more effective delivered at home. Simon Newton explains the practical considerations and why this will be an evolution of Op. Interflex, not an end to it. Also on Sitrep a senior Army officer blames failures to co...

There are only so many weapons in the world to go round, so the laws of supply and demand leave Ukraine struggling even more to get what it desperately needs. And Russia’s been thrown an economic lifeline by a double whammy of surging gas and oil prices, along with weakened sanctions. Professor Michael Clarke explains how all this will impact the battlefield, and Colin Freeman gives us insights fr...

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, w...

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 predict...

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” agai...

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 busines...

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 Profess...

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 operat...

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...

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 i...

Donald Trump crossed a line by threatening economic warfare against the UK and other allies. He may have backed down, for now, but former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace says we should be preparing for the potential of the US turning its back on NATO.   From nuclear missiles, to fighter jets and spare parts Professor Michael Clarke and Matthew Savill, a former policy chief in the MoD, expla...

The Chief of Defence Staff refuses to say cuts are coming, but has confirmed there isn’t enough money for everything they want to do to make the Armed Forces war-ready and transformed for a high-tech future.  Professor Michael Clarke and former RAF Deputy Director of Operations Greg Bagwell explain the “hard choices” once again facing defence, with the vital Defence Investment Plan still not...

In his 22 year army career Ash Alexander-Cooper was shot multiple times, targeted by a suicide bomber, and caught in numerous explosions.   But he has taken those traumatic moments, learnt from them, and now uses those experiences to help others with leadership and resilience. Now he’s teamed up with leading neuropsychologist Dr Jessica Miller for a new book, “Mindful Soldier”, which tells th...

Denmark says US threats to take Greenland by force would ‘end’ NATO.   Does NATO have any plan to deal with an ally-on-ally attack?  Which side would the UK take if it happened? Or is it all just about Trump’s “art of the deal”?  Former UK ambassador to NATO Lord Ricketts shares his insights. The US was said to have finally offered a security backstop for Ukraine when...

It’s seven years since the jihadists’ caliphate was brought to a complete end, but IS continues to attack in Syria and there are signs of a potential resurgence. The RAF and French Air Force have just bombed what they believe was an underground weapons and explosives store. Yet the US led coalition against IS, including the UK’s Operation Shader, is supposed to be winding down in 2026. Dr. Charlie...

The outcome of the Ukraine war is arguably the most immediate key to our security in the UK, and if the fighting ends our Armed Forces may be sent to Ukraine to secure not just its future but also ours. At the same time the Chief of Defence Staff has warned we all need to be prepared for the possibility of war coming to the UK. So what kind of year does this set out for Britain’s servicemen and wo...