BFBS Sitrep

World leaders talk big at COP26 on trying to avert a spiralling environmental catastrophe – but some key players are missing. The Defence Secretary says militaries would have to deal with the consequences of a failed climate change policy. In this week’s Sitrep – we examine the hopes of success or failure, and ask a former UK ambassador to the UN whether a ‘wartime mentality’ could help. We’ll als...

The Mine Advisory Group says plans to cut back on government funding for landmine clearance is catastrophic...we’ll hear from the CEO of ‘MAG’ and a former British soldier working on the ground for them in Iraq. ...there’s fresh anger over Afghanistan...the RAF has airlifted 102 people who fled Afghanistan to a neighbouring country to the UK, but, is that an impressive number or surprisingly low?....

China denies testing a new hypersonic missile — a potential new threat in space. Meanwhile North Korea tests a new, submarine-launched, missile, sparking more concerns over its ambitions. In this week’s Sitrep, how should the west respond to both events? Foreign affairs analyst Tim Marshall explains how geography can help predict future conflict zones. Plus we hear from the author of a new report...

Hundreds of Afghan interpreters, who worked with British forces in the country, remain stranded after the end of the international evacuation mission. In this week’s Sitrep, we hear from two of them, and an expert on the country, who got out as the Taliban advanced on Kabul, tells us why it’s so vital to restore humanitarian aid. The militia leader once dubbed Iraq’s most dangerous man is now a ke...

As Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is announced as the next Chief of the Defence Staff, what challenges await the new leader of Britain’s armed forces? One issue in his in-tray could be the growing crisis in Taiwan, whose leaders warn relations with China are worse now than they’ve been for forty years. This week, we get the picture from Taipei, and find out what’s behind China’s latest moves. The man in...

The Government turns to the forces to help resolve the fuel crisis that’s seen huge queues at petrol stations across the UK. It’s not the first time the military’s been asked to step in during an emergency at home — are we becoming too reliant on the forces to bolster civilian authorities? And do we need a US-style National Guard on stand-by? America’s military chiefs publicly contradict President...

France has called the defence pact between Britain, the US and Australia a “stab in the back”, but will it do lasting damage to relations between the key allies? Sitrep speaks to a former National Security Adviser, who went on to be Britain’s ambassador in France. There’s also a report that warns nations like Russia and Turkey are stepping into conflict zones as western powers lose any appetite to...

What does the new AUKUS defence pact between Britain, the US and Australia mean? Leaders from the military, politics and the defence industry have been meeting in London over the past few days, and this week’s Sitrep reports from inside DSEI on promises of an integrated future for the forces. We’ll learn more about some of the cutting edge tech on display, and we hear from the Second Sea Lord on p...

Days after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan comes the anniversary of the terrorist attack that sparked the invasion in 2001. How has the world changed since the 9/11 attacks? Is the west stronger or weaker? And are we any safer now than we were then? We hear from some of the British military personnel involved in the evacuation effort at Kabul airport, and find out what might happen to Britain’s...

Days after Britain’s last military personnel leave Afghanistan, the US completes its withdrawal and President Biden says America is not in the business of nation building anymore. But he also vows to strike back at ISIS-K from thousands of miles away — we explore how that will work, and how much the west will need the Taliban’s help. How deep is the division opened up between London and Washington...

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...