The Security Podcast

Lawfare - what it means for serving and former members of the British Armed forces - especially those serving in the SAS/SBS is the subject of the latest episode of The Security Podcast.  Our guest is Brig (Retd) Phil McEvoy, the former head of Operational Law Army and the Deputy Head of the Service Prosecuting Authority. Recently, the coroner who presided over the inquest into the 1992 Clonoe Amb...

Why did the British Army fail in Afghanistan? In this episode of The Security Podcast Colonel Harry Fullerton tells Sean Rayment why the British mission in Afghanistan was a strategic failure despite being a tactical success. Harry also discusses the loneliness of command, losing soldiers on the battlefield and what it was like being Prince Harry's commanding officer.

Africa has witnessed a significant surge in the recruitment of child soldiers across conflict zones, exacerbated by Islamic insurgencies advancing southward across the continent. The United Nations has highlighted a notably high increase in child recruitment, primarily by non-state armed groups, estimating that 8,655 children were recruited for conflicts in 2023. Disturbingly, children as young as...

Why is the British Army failing and what can be done about it ? In this episode of  The Security Podcast, Colonel Harry Fullerton discusses the sequence of events which has led to the British Army become a force of just 72,000 soldiers and limited combat power at a time when geo-political uncertainty is at its highest level since the end of the Second Word War. In the podcast Harry explains why th...

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, Maj (Retd) Wayne Owers MBE, QGM, a former Army bomb disposal officer, explains how his Army career came to a shuddering halt after he was diagnosed with PTSD. Rather than getting help, Wayne, who had served for 27-years, was booted out of the Army. During his career, Wayne completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan firstly as a bomb disposal officers...

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, Guardian Journalist and best selling author Luke Harding reflects on his four year stint as the newspaper's bureau chief in Moscow. Almost from the moment Luke arrived in 2007 he was targeted by Russian secret police. His apartment was burgled, his emails were hacked, he was followed almost every day and his family were threatened. A hidden camera was...

Western intervention in foreign conflicts has produced a mixed legacy—marked by both successes and failures. While efforts in Kosovo halted atrocities committed by Bosnian Serbs, interventions in Libya and Afghanistan were less successful.  Nowhere is this clearer than in Afghanistan, where the chaotic withdrawal of NATO forces paved the way for the Taliban's return to power, silencing the voices...

  In this episode of The Security Podcast, Kim Hughes reflects on his journey to becoming the UK’s most decorated bomb disposal expert. Renowned for his extraordinary bravery, which earned him the George Cross, Hughes successfully defused over 120 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan. He shares how he developed his expertise, recounting the harrowing operations that defined his caree...

In the second part of The Security Podcast episode with Jerome Starkey, The Sun’s Defence Correspondent, he delves into what motivates war correspondents to report from the frontlines. Starkey recounts a vivid experience of cowering next to a flowerpot while coming under fire and discusses which conflict he found most challenging to cover. He observes that “your imagination is often worse than rea...

In the first part of this episode of the Security Podcast, Jerome Starkey, the Sun’s Defence Editor, shares his insights from the frontlines in Ukraine. As a seasoned war correspondent, Jerome has reported from conflict zones worldwide, including Kabul during the Taliban’s takeover, and is now covering the intense Russian offensive in Ukraine. He discusses the evolving mood among Ukrainians, notin...

One of Britain’s most senior former defence chiefs has said that he believes Donald Trump will remain committed to Nato when he becomes the next US President. Former Air Marshal Greg Bagwell said he hoped Trump’s military advisers would tell the incoming president that leaving Nato would not be a sensible strategic policy. During his first term as US president, Trump had an often difficult relatio...

The war in Gaza has polarised communities around the World leaving little room for progressive debate. Major General Charlie Herbert, a former senior Army officer and a veteran of multiple campaigns in Afghanistan, provides his views on the conduct of the war, whether Gaza has a future and the prospects for peace.

President-elect Donald Trump has claimed he would end the war in Ukraine "within days" of taking office, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that Trump's leadership could indeed expedite the end of the conflict. However, questions remain: What would Trump's peace plan for Ukraine involve? Would Ukraine need to cede territory, and how would a Trump presidency affect NATO and Ukraine’s as...