BFBS Sitrep

Sitrep talks to the British Army’s most senior soldier, whose job is to keep top brass in touch with the experiences of the men and women of the army. WO1 Paul Carney tells James Hirst the big issues that are affecting soldiers, and how he’s trying to ensure commanders understand them. He also talks about drawing on his own family’s experience of sexual harassment in the drive to end ‘unacceptable...

The missile that killed two people in a Polish village was almost immediately reported as being Russian, but now is put down to an ‘unfortunate accident’ as Ukraine defended itself. Sitrep explains how we got to that important truth before a major misjudgement was made. We also reports from Poland where hundreds of British troops deployed to help the NATO ally have been on exercise. And we assess...

Ukraine has achieved its biggest victory since the early days of the war by liberating the city of Kherson from 8 months of occupation. But what comes next? In this extra edition of Sitrep we hear from Kherson where residents are celebrating, to a background of artillery fire. We also talk in detail to the former top military commander of NATO, General Philip Breedlove, about what moves we can exp...

Russia has ordered its troops to abandon the strategically important city of Kherson, but don’t expect Ukrainian troops to march straight back in. Sitrep explains why, what happens next, and what traps Russia may be leaving in Kherson. We also witness UK training that’s turning Ukrainian citizens into soldiers in the space of five weeks. The US midterm elections have been a political tremor, rathe...

Britain is bringing home hundreds of extra troops who’ve bolstered the UK’s presence in Estonia since the invasion of Ukraine. But the government says it’s improving capabilities in other ways, with weapons and equipment. Sitrep asks if it’s enough to deter Russia and defend the Baltic state if needed. It was the end of last winter when Ukraine was invaded, now as winter approaches again how...

Russia has used top-level diplomatic channels to tell the west Ukraine is planning a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ attack on its own soil. Sitrep asks why the west is convinced it’s ‘transparently false’, what Russia’s trying to achieve with this claim, and whether it has endangered channels meant to prevent a catastrophic miscalculation. Russian men ordered to fight in Ukraine have been venting t...

There’s been much outrage about 30 British veterans been who’ve training Chinese fighter pilots, and the government is promising a legally backed ban on helping ‘enemy’ forces. BFBS Sitrep digs deeper into the story, including official British defence links to China, and asks a former senior RAF officer if this is a little more complex than it first appears. Russia has been using a ‘kamikaze drone...

The histories of World War Two were largely written by men, because they were almost exclusively the ones who experienced it at the front lines. But a handful of remarkable women defied official bans, and went to the battlefields as war reporters. In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep we hear at length from Judith Mackrell=about her new book ‘Going With The Boys’ =, which tells the stories of six o...

Russia has fired half-a-billion dollars worth of missiles at Ukraine in just one day, after a blast destroyed part of its bridge to Crimea. The Kremlin calls it ‘revenge’. BFBS Sitrep assesses whether it does anything to advance Moscow’s war effort, or damages it by wasting vital weapons. Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine has a new commander, nicknamed ‘General Armageddon’. We look at his trac...

After what looks like a ‘grey zone’ attack on gas-pipelines the UK is rapidly buying two new Royal Navy ships. But how can they protect critical energy supplies, and communication cables, which can be miles below the surface of the sea? President Putin might now be using actions to reinforce his words that he’s ‘not bluffing’ about nuclear weapons, but if he does use them can we respond without st...

The Ministry of Defence has admitted "some mistakes were made" after reports of a recruitment drive favouring women and ethnic minorities. BFBS Sitrep hears the opinions of a former female RAF fighter pilot and asks a legal expert what is and isn’t acceptable when you’re trying to reach diversity targets. And - the untold stories of Colditz prisoner of war camp… what really happened there behind t...

The whole programme is devoted to the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK tells Sitrep that President Putins’s announcement that Russia is mobilising around 300 thousand military reservists is a sign he feels he might be losing the war. He also tells the programme that President Putin is blackmailing the international community by appearing to raise the threat of nuclear weapon...

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Commander in Chief of the UK’s Armed Forces for just over 70 years, now that job falls to her eldest son. BFBS Sitrep talks to a former head of The Army who knows King Charles III well, and we listen to one of his recent speeches to troops to assess what kind of Commander in Chief he will be. As we examine The Queen’s military legacy we talk to Sharon Turton abou...

Liz Truss promised big on Defence in her campaign to replace Boris Johnson – now she has to deliver. BFBS Sitrep assesses what a big uplift in the defence budget could be spent on, how she will handle the Ukraine war, and whether the forces are facing another shake up. Russia expected to win in Ukraine within days, six months on it needs millions more rockets and shells and it’s turned to North Ko...

A former member of the SBS shares his remarkable story with BFBS Sitrep. It was Toby Gutteridge’s dream job, but then it tore his life apart. He was shot in the neck in Afghanistan, leaving him paralysed. 13 years on he runs his own clothing business, and has just written his autobiography. From getting selected for special forces, through the incident that almost killed him, to a breakdown and re...

The compensation system for injured service personnel has been accused of ‘lacking humanity’ after an assessment panel was heard laughing at a claimant. A veteran turned journalist tells BFBS Sitrep it’s far from a one off, as the government promises improvements. Defence Intelligence has a new chief, and for the first time it’s a civilian. We ask if that matters as we investigate the job of...

When Russia invaded Ukraine we thought it would probably be over in days. That was 6 months ago. So how, and when will it end? BFBS Sitrep gets the assessments of experienced military minds, the Armed Forces Minister, and our own Professor Michael Clarke. Thousands of Afghans who worked with British Forces were promised new lives in the UK, but a year on many are still in limbo living in hote...

Former Royal Marine H Collins led the last diplomatic team out Kabul’s green zone as the Taliban marched on the city. He was responsible for the safety of Japan’s top diplomats, and dozens of colleagues. But hours after getting them to his security company’s HQ they were surrounded, and then had to choose between fighting their way out or negotiating with insurgents wearing suicide vests. He share...

The EU is hosting crisis talks, trying to prevent a new conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. NATO’s KFOR mission, including British troops, still has a UN peacekeeping mandate in Kosovo but what could trigger their intervention? Has the balance of power shifted in favour of Ukraine, as Russia takes two significant hits in annexed Crimea? A former Commanding General of the US Army Europe gives us hi...

12 months since the Taliban swept back into power BFBS Sitrep assesses what the return of the militants has meant for our security, the people of Afghanistan, and those who had worked for Britain but could not escape. Despite Taliban promises not to shelter international terrorists the head of Al Qaeda was found in Kabul, and killed last week by the US, so does Afghanistan pose a threat to the UK...

Journalist Lynne O’Donnell gives us a rare first-hand insight into how the Taliban is operating in Afghanistan. That insight has come at a cost, her life threatened as she was detained by officials, despite entering Afghanistan with a media visa. She tells BFBS Sitrep how it was deeply frightening and yet ‘darkly satirical’, revealing incompetence and chaos.

China says it will punish those who offend it as it launches live fire military drills off the coast of Taiwan. Sitrep looks at China’s tactics and how the United States is responding.   What role are cyber attacks playing in the war in Ukraine? And what are the lessons for the UK? Sitrep speaks to the former head of the National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, who also discusses t...

China has just overtaken counter-terrorism as the biggest effort inside MI6, and the head of the Royal Navy says China is a bigger long term threat than Russia. BFBS Sitrep examines a list of top level warnings issued this week about the risk of conflict with China, and asks if Ukraine has taken our eye off the ball. As Ukraine tries to retake the port city of Kherson we talk to an MP who’s just v...

In less than a year war has broken out in Europe, and Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban. MPs say that means the UK’s new defence masterplan is already out of date, leaving British forces overstretched, vulnerable and too small. They Ministry of Defence says it will continue to adapt strategy, but the Commons Defence Committee wants a major update to the plan now. The committee’s chairman, Tobi...

Scientists have spent years researching concepts including laser weapons and brain sensors for a new RAF plane called ‘Tempest’. Now ministers want those ideas turned into a working plane in just 5 years, but is it a gamble with the UK’s air capability? As British service personnel are banned from buying sex overseas BFBS Sitrep hears how brothels used to be unofficial parts of UK bases abroad. An...