BFBS Sitrep

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?. We talk that through with Professor Michael Clarke. It’s fifty years since Britain first put a rocket containing a satellite into space...we’ll look back at the Black Arrow project and find out why it was cancelled. And...the Army has quit smoking! All sites in the UK will go tobacco free by the end of next year.

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 on domestic violence inside military relationships, and a woman who left her husband after he turned violent. And we look back at the life of Colin Powell, the first African-American to lead the US military.

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 key powerbroker in the country — we get an update on elections to the Iraqi parliament, and what could happen next. Is war an essential part of being human? We hear from a historian who says we’re making a big mistake by not studying war and its effects. And we find out about new research to try to establish why military personnel are twice as likely as civilians to faint.

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 charge of the Centre for Army Leadership tells us about his book, detailing the lessons that could be applied in the boardroom or the classroom. And we report from Belize, where Sandhurst instructors are helping to train future military leaders.

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 Biden, insisting they did warn him not to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan — we hear what they had to say to Senators in Washington. With the race to be the next Chief of the Defence Staff said to be wide open, how long should our military chiefs stay in their jobs? And does the whole military career structure need a shake-up? And we find out about the man most likely to be Germany’s next Chancellor, and what it means for the country’s relationship with NATO allies.

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 intervene. And as gas prices surge across Europe, one expert explains why we should see it as a vital issue of energy security, and act before an even bigger crisis happens Plus, 40 years on from its independence, a special report from Belize, where Britain’s military never quite left…

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 plans for the UK to project its power around the world. The minister responsible for defence procurement tells us how he hopes the problems with the Ajax armoured vehicle might be fixed and what future threats keep a leading expert on information warfare awake at night?

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 nuclear deterrent if Scotland votes for independence in a second referendum. Plus the continuing problems with the Ajax armoured vehicles, and we look inside NATO’s newest command, designed to cover the alliance’s back in a crisis.

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 by the withdrawal — and how long will it last? We hear from veterans on how they’ve handled the chaotic end of the 20-year campaign in Afghanistan. Plus we speak to the author who was determined to tell the stories of women who played a big part in the Second World War, before it’s too late.

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 countries’ faith in western military powers, and whether it will prompt a fracture between the US and UK. Plus we ask what impact this last deployment in Afghanistan will have on the hundreds of British troops now pulling out of Kabul, and how it’s affecting veterans of the last twenty years.