BFBS Sitrep

From submariners at sea for months at a time, to soldiers living and working on Russia’s doorstep, the new Wider Service Medal is intended to recognise “crucial operational impact” without the risks to life faced in combat. Some say it’s long overdue, others call it a medal for “just turning up”. We ask a former head of the Army, General Lord Dannatt, whether this is devaluing medals or valuing people.Amid warnings we need to be ready for war Sitrep’s James Wharton explains how Iraq shaped the Army of today, and Professor Michael Clarke assesses whether counter-insurgency has bent our warfighting capability out of shape.And as the Apache mark-1 retires we reflect on two decades of service from this attack helicopter which looks like a giant menacing insect, and hear what its successor can do.

Emergency calls from any vessel under attack in the Red Sea are handled thousands of miles away, in Portsmouth, by a Royal Navy supported control centre.Sitrep’s Tim Cooper is one of the first ever journalists to visit the UKMTO, where calls have soared by 475% as missile and drone attacks from Yemen are launched on average once every two days.Also on Sitrep, after the Defence Secretary’s plane had its navigation system jammed by Russia, we explain the risks from electronic warfare and what we can do about them.And the Army’s teamed up with McLaren to learn from Formula 1 electric vehicle technology. We ask former Defence Sustainability adviser Lieutenant General Richard Nugee whether electric vehicles really could rule the battlefield.

Wargaming is about as old as war itself, but in a time many describe as “pre-war” how can it help us be ready for the worst, if it happens?Sitrep talks to the UK’s Assistant Head of Defence Wargaming, Captain Eugene Morgan, who’s charged with building British wargaming capacity and capability “to make better decisions for defence”He explains how it’s already used, and what the future may hold, while former US Army soldier Anna Nettleship shares wargaming stories from her new career as a leading researcher in the field.Plus Sitrep’s James Hirst tries his hand at some simple wargaming with students at Kings College London.

Russia has published the recording of a meeting between senior German air-force officers, revealing military and political secrets about British, French and German support to Ukraine.Former Army intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram tells Sitrep it comes down to people being the weakest link, and that we shouldn’t dismiss it as “just a German problem”.United Nations peacekeeping troops have now been in Cyprus for 60 years. Professor Michael Clarke explains why hundreds of British soldiers still serve on that operation, while Sitrep’s Sofie Cacoyannis takes her father back to where he lived when the peacekeepers arrived.And we talk to Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman about her journey to becoming the world’s only female Chief of Defence Staff and the Jamaica Defence Force’s close ties with the UK.

Every single country in the world allows women to serve in at least some military roles, but only one has a woman at the very top of its Armed Forces.Jamaica’s Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, was appointed in 2022 and is only the second woman in history to hold such a role (Slovenia appointed a female chief of defence for two years in 2018).Rear Admiral Wemyss-Gorman talks to Kate Gerbeau about her rise through the ranks across three decades, how male military leaders around the world react to her, and how the UK can learn from her approach to changing culture.She also shares memories of her officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth (cold apparently), and the value she places on the Jamaica Defence Force’s close ties with the UK.

Six NATO submarines, accompanied by ships and aircraft, are playing a giant military game of hide and seek in the Mediterranean.NATO’s Commander Submarines, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Wall, tells us more about exercise Dynamic Manta, and Sitrep’s Claire Sadler explains what life is like onboard one of those subs.Vladimir Putin claims Russia now has the initiative in the Ukraine war – is he right? Professor Michael Clarke and Simon Newton explain the current battlefield picture, and Colin Freeman gives a first-hand account from one of Russia’s next targets.And why do so many British people say they would refuse to fight for their country, despite most believing war is a real possibility within the next decade. Matt Smith from YouGov talks us through their latest research.

Britain has spent seven billion pounds over the last two years, equipping Ukraine’s armed forces to help keep them in the fight against Russia.On the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion Sitrep talks to Major General Anna-Lee Reilly and Andy Start from Defence Equipment and Support about how that’s been done, and what lies ahead.Denmark’s decided to give its entire artillery stock to Ukraine and appealed to others to do the same. Professor Michael Clarke explains the pros and cons.And thousands of people are asking the government to rethink its New Accommodation Offer for the forces. Sitrep explains the plan to “modernise eligibility” for service family accommodation, and why there are losers as well as winners.

For the second time in a row a Royal Navy test firing of an unarmed Trident missile has ended in failure.The government says it was an “anomaly” and that it has “absolute confidence” in the nuclear deterrent, but it hasn’t explained why the missile failed.It’s called the ultimate insurance policy, but can it still deter Russia after two very public failures?Professor Michael Clarke explains what could have gone wrong, why the government insists we can have confidence, and whether it’s just an embarrassment or a serious worry.

Donald Trump’s talk of telling President Putin to “do whatever the hell he wants” to NATO allies who “don’t pay” has been called unhinged, but he could be President again.So Sitrep examines if Europe could defend itself against Russia without American support, if it really came to that.  Professor Michael Clarke and Simon Newton explain how European military capability compares to Russia’s and former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller gives an alliance insider's view.Also on Sitrep we’re at Marchwood sea loading centre as hundreds of British military vehicles head to NATO’s biggest exercise in decades.And the former climate-change champion for defence, Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, talks us through the practicalities of getting militaries to do more for the environment.

Sitrep gets unprecedented access to the heart of the UK’s military spying operation. Sian Grzeszczyk tells all, including the crashed Russian drones being disassembled by Defence Intelligence, how its analysts uncovered an arms-for-horses deal between Moscow and North Korea, and why it really does all look like a James Bond lair.As MP’s say we must choose between more money for the forces or limiting their workload, former National Security Adviser Lord Ricketts tells Sitrep training foreign forces and Cyprus peacekeeping could be cut to concentrate on better warfighting capability. And we meet Turbo, the RAF’s new Typhoon display pilot, to talk negative-G, slow passes, and wowing the crowds.