Air Power and International Security

The potential for conflict between China and Taiwan seems to be growing. China seems intent on reunifying the once Chinese island of Taiwan into the Peoples' Republic of China one way or another. Any hostile action on the part of China, however, may incur a military response form the US, Taiwan's principle ally. But would America risk nuclear war with China to protect Taiwan? Clearly this scenario...

In this episode, we have Group Captain (ret.) Dr Paul Stewart on the show to talk about the development and importance of photo reconnaissance during the Second World War. Most people seem to known about the eccentric cryptographers working at Bletchley Park, but few people seem to be aware that another secret department, housed at RAF Medmenham from 1941, began producing thousands of intelligence...

In this episode, we hear from Dr Mike Martin about his work in Afghanistan and his research into the local experience of the conflict there. Mike spent time in Afghanistan as a Political Officer in the British Army, and as a Pashto speaker, he was brilliantly placed to understand the wider struggle going on in Afghanistan, as well as evaluate Britain's military strategy in the conflict. Mike's fir...

On the 5th of June 1967, Israel launched a series of devastating attacks against neighbouring Arab states. This would be the third Arab-Israeli war in less than twenty years. In the months preceding June 1967, tensions increased significantly after Egypt threatened to close the straights of Tiran to Israeli shipping for the second time. In May, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser closed the ship...

What is the difference between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Weapons? What capabilities do these systems offer in a military context? But perhaps more importantly, can the use of such weapons ever be ethical? In this episode, Professor Pete Lee (University of Portsmouth) moves us away from Terminators and science fiction, so we can appreciate how greater autonomy might affect operati...

In 2021, the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy announced that the UK will increase its cap on the number of operational nuclear warheads that it has available. Previously, the UK had committed to only maintaining 225 warheads and was working to reduce that number down to 180. Now, however, the UK can keep 260 warheads in its nuclear arsenal. This raises various...

The Falklands War of 1982 - or the Falklands Conflict, if you prefer, as war was never formally declared - saw Britain launch a task force to recapture the islands after Argentine forces had invaded. Not only was it a huge effort to simply project force down in the south Atlantic 8,000 miles from the UK mainland, but on top of that, British forces had to launch an amphibious assault on the other s...

With the swift fall of Kabul in 2021, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, can NATO continue to deter adverse behaviour against member states? Moreover, how can NATO respond to the European Union's growing purview, or China's increasing influence as a major superpower? These are some of the thought provoking questions that will be addressed in today's show.  This episode features Dr Domi...

When was the first space war? A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away perhaps? Not quite. It was actually much closer to home. In fact, the first Gulf War in 1991 is often regarded as 'the first space war'. Why? Because it was the first conflict in which space power provided a significant advantage, especially to tactical operations.  With the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS),...

With cyber becoming a bit of a buzz word at the moment, there is much hype surrounding the potential capabilities and advantages that operating in and from cyberspace can offer. But what sort of activities even constitute a cyber attack? What does cyber warfare actually look like? And most importantly, are offensive cyber operations legal under the law of armed conflict?  In today's show, we...

Ever wondered how Putin rose to power in Russia? Or why we hear so much about Russian Oligarchs in the news? Or why Russia believes it has a right to govern or influence politics in eastern Europe? This episode is for listeners wanting an introduction into Russian politics or anybody after more context behind Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. In this episode, Dr Natasha Kuhrt (King's College...

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, the 1st Viscount Trenchard, served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) for a hundred days in 1918, and was later reappointed to this position in 1919. Trenchard was to then serve as CAS for over ten years during which time he was instrumental in maintaining the survival of the Royal Air Force against staunch opposition to the idea of an independe...

With space increasingly in the news because of the potential for conflict in and from space, we decided to learn more about the capabilities of space power and the implications of space warfare. Today's episode is with Dr Bleddyn Bowen (University of Leicester) who gives us a fantastic insight into why space power should always be implemented within conventional strategy and political objectives,...

In this episode, we will be hearing from Professor Peter Gray (University of Wolverhampton) about how Air Power thinking has evolved over the past century. Professor Gray gives us a great overview of some of the ways in which Air Power has been used successfully, the inherent limitations and difficulties in using Air Power, as well as answering the all-important question: which is the most importa...