BFBS Sitrep

Why does French President Emmanuel Macron think NATO is suffering brain death and that Europe should be more powerful?  Find out what the two main party leaders are saying about the main defence and security issues on the campaign trail.  We talk to The Times' defence correspondent Lucy Fisher. And, remembering Lord Bramall -  looking back at a long & distinguished military career from D-Day to Ho...

Jonathan Eyal, International Director at the Royal United Services Institute, explains why a report into Russian interference with British politics hasn’t been published.   Sitrep talks to the former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon as he steps down from political life.   It’s 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Sitrep hears from former British Army spy Dave Butler who worked on the BR...

For years he’s been the world’s most wanted terrorist. Now Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. In this week’s Sitrep, we examine the implications of the death of the IS leader, and what’s likely to happen next with Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Professor Michael Clarke, former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute. After months...

People all over the world are taking to the streets in protest against their governments for different reasons.  Professor Paul Rogers from the University of Bradford explains why this is happening now and what it could mean for the future. President Trump is pulling America out of the Paris climate change agreement. Paul Osbourne explains what the Australian newspaper black-out has to do with def...

President Donald Trump says the crisis which has followed the withdrawal of US troops from Syria is not America's fight.  As Russian forces appear to fill the void left we talk to Mary Dejevsky about why this is a good and bad situation for President Putin.  Simon Marks gives us the low down on the Republican vote, supported by some Democrats, condemning Trump's decision on Syria and the increasin...

Turkish forces are stepping up air strikes and a ground offensive, as their incursion in Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria continues. It follows the withdrawal of US troops, who fought alongside Kurdish forces in north-east Syria against so-called Islamic State.  Former soldier and Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely joins us along with former US intelligence officer Michael Pregent. The American press...

An RAF pilot has been selected to join Virgin Orbit's small satellite launch programme on secondment Brexit is four weeks away, so what preparations are being made for any potential civil disobedience and will the military be involved?  Hiding in plain sight Exercise Iron Viper challenges the art of camouflage in an urban environment. As the violence in Hong Kong gets worse we speak to Professor S...

We are joined by Professors Paul Rogers and Michael Clarke to talk the constitution, law and the military after this week's Supreme Court decision.   Can climate change send us to war? Forces News has been given exclusive access to a sniper course and Amy Wiltshire has been speaking to one of the them about their job. And soldiers jumping ship to join the Royal Navy. Follow us on twitter @bfbssitr...

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has praised the military at a Downing Street reception for the Armed Forces. The Iran/Saudi stand off continues but what does this mean for the US we hear from experts Dan Plesch and Mike Evans.  Two former paratroopers who took the Ministry of Defence to a tribunal were subject to "highly offensive" racial harassment, an employment judge has ruled.  Why is this still...

This week the First Sea Lord is at DSEI as the MOD announce Babcock will build the new Type 31 frigates. Police chiefs in Northern Ireland say a bomb in Londonderry was built with the aim of killing police officers.  We talk to the Chair of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland Mark Lindsay. We are joined by Dr Karin Von Hippel, the Director General of RUSI to talk about the sacking of the US...

This week we are joined by Dr Julian Lewis, Chair of the Commons Defence Committee to discuss defence spending and why the UK needs a full time National Security Adviser. Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times talks about the Taliban peace talks and whether they will bring long term peace to Afghanistan. We're tracking the Adrian Darya 1.  The oil tanker that was seized b...

The Prime Minister's decision to temporarily suspend parliament and have a new Queen's Speech means the Chancellor is planning his spending.  Defence analysts Francis Tusa and Professor Michael Clarke discuss whether defence could lose out. We track the Iranian tanker formerly known as Grace 1.  It's now called Adrian Darya 1 and is trying to find somewhere to refuel in the eastern Mediterranean,...

Talks between the US and the Taliban on a peace deal in Afghanistan are said to be close to completion — with the White House keen to get American troops home before Donald Trump seeks re-election next year. We hear from a correspondent who’s been talking to the Taliban’s chief negotiator in Qatar. The latest figures on UK military personnel numbers again show the forces are under their target str...

On the 14th August 1969 the British Army deployed to Northern Ireland in response to sectarian riots on the streets of Londonderry and Belfast.  Op Banner, as the Army came to call it, was the longest ever continuous operational deployment of troops in the history of the British Armed Forces. In this programme, 50 years on, you'll hear from: Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence.  Genera...

Please also plug listen again/podcast   In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… The UN hears pleas to intervene in Syria, but why the is the west is seemingly so reluctant to intervene? As Britain’s stand-off with Iran continues, is there a diplomatic way to end it?  One week into Boris Johnson’s premiership, what have we learned about his commitment to the forces? And are the rep...

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… We have a new Prime Minister and now a new Defence Secretary, so who is Ben Wallace? The UK wants to put together a European-led maritime protection mission in the Gulf – but what ships are needed and how will it work? Britain is going to deploy troops to Mali in Africa, but what will they be doing? And Sitrep’s summer reading list:  delve d...

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee…

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… The controversy surrounding the Royal Marines capturing an oil tanker off Gibraltar. Hong Kong riots - has the UK gone too far in condemning China? Putin says it's time the West changed its liberal ideas. The British Ambassador to the United Nations who wanted to be a fighter pilot. And why Trump won't let the generals rain on his parade.

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee…

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee…

13th June 2019 This week on Sitrep: No more street-fighting. The RAF tracks down IS to the Iraqi mountains.  Air Commodore Justin Reuter talks to Simon Newton Why two oil tankers were on fire in the Gulf. Pressure builds in Sudan.  Michelle Gavin, senior fellow for Africa Studies at the Council for Foreign Relations says the country is on a knife edge. British Forces lead Exercise Baltic Protector...

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee…

In Sitrep with James Hirst and Christopher Lee…   As Theresa May prepares to step down — what will her legacy be on defence? We hear from one expert who thinks she was never that interested in the forces, and find out which of the candidates vying to replace her has the best defence pedigree.   Before she resigns, Mrs May has to host Donald Trump on his state visit to the UK next week — we head to...

In today’s Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… Why did the Carrier’s Captain have to leave his ship?  Is Turkey hungry for war with Cyprus? Should Britain hand back the Chagos (PRO: Chay-gos) Islands? What are the modern day challenges of UN Peacekeeping operations? And the essence of being a soldier – the warrant officer’s speech that’s a must-watch for MoD recruiters.

Former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Dannatt welcomes the Defence Secretary's plans to examine the way historical allegations are handled. Tensions rise between the Iran and the United States but are they heading towards confrontation? Professor Joshua Landis from the University of Oklahoma explains what's happening and Michael Evans, former Pentagon Correspondent for The Times talks about the m...