BFBS Sitrep

Boris Johnson has called for the UK to bring back National Service. Sweden did just that seven years ago to solve its military recruitment crisis, and Germany’s looking at the idea.Sitrep talks to Swedish defence expert Elisabeth Braw and former Welsh Guards officer Nicholas Drummond about whether it’s the answer for the UK’s depleted Armed Forces.Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ has carried out regular strikes against US forces in the middle east for months now. Sitrep explains who these militias are, and why Iran is helping them.And as President Putin visits the small isolated Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, Mark Galeotti explains why some think it could be the place where war with NATO begins. 

Strategic command, like the three single services, is deemed important enough to our defence to merit its own Chief of Staff.General Sir James Hockenhull tells Sitrep about the organisation that he leads and its mission to help the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force be the best they can be.From medical services to digital networks, cyber to intelligence, Strategic Command provides joint capabilities for all of the services, and is also tasked with developing new ones.General Hockenhull talks to Sian Grzeszczyk about briefing the Prime Minister at the moment war began in Ukraine, why he sees himself as an accidental general, and why he chose not to apply for the very top job in Britain’s armed forces.

Tens of thousands of people around the world have seen the moment one Royal Navy minehunter reversed into another in Bahrain, doing millions of pounds worth of damage.Former Royal Navy Commodore Alistair Halliday talks us through the range of technical and human factors which could explain why HMS Chiddingfold went backwards instead of ahead.The Chief of General Staff wants the UK to train up a “citizen army” to be ready for war. Mike explains why this doesn’t have to mean conscription, and former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith gives us his reaction.And are killer robots an inevitability in the future of war? Someone who’s helped shape UK policy on autonomous weapons tells us why he’s written a novel to warn about the risks of science-fiction becoming lethal-fact.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith has been a Conservative MP for more than 30 years, and led his party from 2001 to 2003.In parliament he’s a vocal contributor on defence, security, and international issues. His criticism of China’s government is so vocal the country has placed sanctions against him and his family.He tells Sitrep why he believes China is a threat to the UK, not just a ‘challenge’ as it is officially deemed, how his military service shaped his political ambitions, and whether he’d join the “too small” armed forces of today.

The Defence Secretary warns of tough times ahead...we look at those warnings but also hear from another of Britain’s most senior military chiefs who has a more hopeful message. The Head of Stratcom rarely speaks to the media, but we hear his take on the state of the world.Also on Sitrep Is diplomacy still a thing? Does it achieve anything? We speak to a former Army Officer who’s worked as a defence attaché representing the UK in 25 countries.And what do the Houthis actually have in their arsenal?....plenty, according to an expert on the group that’s still causing chaos in the Red Sea. 

The First Sea Lord has been asked for a plan to “take forward” the work of the Royal Marines, as ministers effectively confirm they’re again reconsidering the future of the corps’ two amphibious assault ships.Professor Michael Clarke explains what’s going on, and former Royal Marines Commandant General, Major General Buster Howes, tells Sitrep the Defence Secretary needs to think “very very carefully”.The Defence Secretary tells the world “watch this space” for possible reprisal strikes against Houthis firing missiles at the Red Sea. British Sailors are already on constant watch there, and former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe explains what they experience when missiles and drones are incoming.And how do you learn to command a multi-million pound military craft in an environment less explored than space? Ryan Ramsay who used to lead the Royal Navy’s submarine command course shares stories of near misses, pushing people beyond their limits, and how he’s turned it all into life lessons for a new book.

Under the sea, in charge of a multi-million pound boat, and the safety of your crew, there is a lot that can go very wrong.Ryan Ramsay has lived it all, then trained his successors both in how to avoid those disasters, and to cope if they do strike.In his new book ‘A View From Below’ he shares the inside story how submarine captains are trained, the impossible scenarios they’re faced with in a real sub, and stories of simulated emergency suddenly becoming the real thing.He tells Kate Gerbeau why he turned those experiences into life-lessons that we can all use, what he learned from his most perilous moment in command of HMS Turbulent, and whether any of it helps him on the football pitch while refereeing.

Could more British troops be sent to Eastern Europe, or as peacekeepers in the Middle East? Will Donald Trump return to the White House, and would it guarantee defeat for Ukraine? And where in the world might the next war break out?Kate Gerbeau and Professor Michael Clarke take on the big questions about what’s in store for our defence and security in 2024.They hear from the UK’s top military officers, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, General Sir Patrick Sanders, Admiral Sir Ben Key and Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who tell us what they’ll be working on in 2024.And some of Sitrep’s expert guests from the last year share their thoughts to help explain what might happen in the next 12 months.

The Defence Secretary has called the Army’s ban on beards for most soldiers “ridiculous and outdated”, as the Chief of General Staff reviews the rules.Kate and Mike are joined by former Chief of Defence People, Lieutenant General James Swift, to discuss whether facial hair really matters to recruitment, discipline and operational effectiveness.The next head of the Army has been named as General Sir Roly Walker, so Sitrep takes a look through his CV to see what experience he brings, and explains the challenges he’s taking on.And we go into The Valley of Death with the Welsh Cavalry, on a unique desert exercise where unseen controllers keep changing the game to push troops to their very limits.

HMS Diamond has been sent to the Red Sea after missile and drone attacks against British owned cargo vessels, and RAF spy-planes have been deployed to search for hostages held in Gaza.Professor Michael Clarke and former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe explain what these assets and personnel can achieve, the limitations & risks of their missions, and the possibility of more UK military capability joining them.Sitrep also looks at another big deployment much closer to home, a new Royal Navy task group trying to protect critical undersea power and data cables, alongside European allies.And does military history repeat itself, or just rhyme? Kate talks to military historian Lucy Betteridge-Dyson, General Sir Mike Jackson and General Lord Richards about how the study of past conflicts shapes the wars of today.