Shows / BFBS Sitrep
Episodes
- BFBS Sitrep
How Regular Civilians Can Help The Armed Forces Prepare For War
The Head of the Army calls for the Nation to get behind his soldiers and prepare for sacrifices, the Defence Secretary tells the country we have 1000 days to…
- BFBS Sitrep
Troubles Bill
The Northern Ireland Troubles - MPs back the latest legislation designed to tackle the unresolved legacy of decades of violent conflict. Amid the warnings it…
- BFBS Sitrep
We have to be faster than our adversaries
What are the priorities of the UK’s most senior military officer? Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton launches defence exhibition DSEI with a stark warning: we…
- BFBS Sitrep
How to defend the UK from missiles and drones.
After decades of believing the risk of air-strikes on UK soil were miniscule, everyone now accepts we need to significantly boost our air and missile. The how…
- BFBS Sitrep
Another Iraq exit… will this one last?
All UK troops, and the whole Global Coalition, have left Iraq after 12 years with their mission to support local troops against Islamic State terrorists deemed…
- BFBS Sitrep
Replacing 5,000 Land Rovers
The search is on to find a replacement for the Ministry of Defence’s fleet of five thousand Land Rovers. Forces News reporter Simon Newton has test-driven some…
- BFBS Sitrep
What will replace the main service rifle, the SA80?
There’s a rifle race going on right now – Project Grayburn is the campaign to find the successor to the British Army’s SA80 which entered service in the 1980s…
- BFBS Sitrep
Can the UK Strategic Reserve be reawakened?
In theory 95,000 veterans could be liable for recall if the UK was at war, or headed that way, but for decades it’s been little more than a notional force…
- BFBS Sitrep
British troops caught in “The war of losers”
Iran’s strikes on US military bases in the Middle East are a blunt reminder that British servicemen and women deployed in the region face real risks. Professor…
- BFBS Sitrep
Can UK tech break battlefield deadlock in Ukraine?
The UK has handed final blueprints for Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv, while a treasure trove of battlefield data is coming to Britain. Can this tech-swap help…
- BFBS Sitrep
Russia’s revenge threat – what might Moscow do to the UK?
It’s not just Russia’s threat of “consequences” for British made drones used in Ukrainian strikes, US intelligence says Moscow is considering a bigger…
- BFBS Sitrep
How do you prevent a world war?
The Chief of the Defence Staff says it’s the "most dangerous period" he’s known in his entire military career. And we've all heard the warnings of the…
- BFBS Sitrep
The race to weaponise new tech
From quantum computing to biotechnology NATO has just upped its investment in startups that are trying to turn science-fiction ideas into frontline…
- BFBS Sitrep
Why are British tanks leaving Russia’s doorstep?
The official announcement of hundreds more British troops for Estonia, transitioning to a “mobile anti-armour” force, missed out one key detail. It will end a…
- BFBS Sitrep
Why the Armed Force Bill matters to servicemen and women
Armed Forces bills come round every five years and you might think they’re just a box ticking exercise to renew the legal basis of our military. But they’re so…
- BFBS Sitrep
How the top British officer in NATO has filled gaps left by the US
The UK has joined other European allies to commit more military capability to NATO’s battle plans, after the US made cuts “with immediate effect” That’s been…
- BFBS Sitrep
NATO 3.0 – Installing update
Behind the political theatre $50bn worth of procurement plans were announced at the NATO summit, from artillery shells to airlift and space capabilities…
- BFBS Sitrep
Can the Defence Investment Plan deliver war-ready forces?
The lead military author of the Strategic Defence Review, General Sir Richard Barrons, gives his verdict on the DIP. “Doing the right thing, but not enough not…
- BFBS Sitrep
Hands on with Ukraine’s battle transforming tech
From remote controlled bombs-on-wheels to fooling Russian missiles that they’re flying over Peru, Simon Newton has been in Ukraine looking their homegrown…
- BFBS Sitrep
The Royal Navy’s Iran “peace deal” mission explained
From mine clearance to escorting tankers the UK and France promised to lead a “defensive” mission to reassure shipping “when conditions allow.” With the ink…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – What now for defence after two damning resignations?
John Healey’s parting broadside as Defence Secretary, and Al Carns resignation as Armed Forces Minister, are clearly intended to jolt the government into a…
- BFBS Sitrep
Spies target military personnel through ad data and fake jobs
MI5 says Chinese intelligence have been trying to lure military personnel into revealing secrets through fake job postings on sites like Linkedin, while the…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – How the tank changed the face of battle
The tank has been written off many times in history, even when the very first ones rolled onto the battlefield in World War One. But this British invention…
- BFBS Sitrep
What to watch for when the DIP drops
The long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, to turn the future blueprint of the Armed Forces into reality, is in sight. But with billions missing from the budget…
- BFBS Sitrep
British troops rehearse for war in Estonia
Exercise Spring Storm may be an annual event for NATO, but this time there’s no playing nicely with words. The troops taking part say they are “rehearsing for…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Land ISTAR: The Army’s plan for data-driven dominance
Sitrep dives into the future of the Army and explains how a new generation of battlefield sensors and worldwide connectivity could transform British…
- BFBS Sitrep
Sitrep Live: “You’re either very stupid or very brave” – reflections on serving in Iraq
From invasion, through stabilisation and counter-insurgency to training Iraqi forces, Operation Telic involved more than 135,000 British servicemen and women…
- BFBS Sitrep
British warships head to the Arctic and Middle East
The Royal Navy, already thinly stretched, is now sending HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Duncan to the High North, while HMS Dragon heads in the other direction to…
BFBS SitrepUkrainian drones learn from 4 years of war
Ukraine has amassed so much battlefield footage from drones that it would take more than 200 years to watch. Now it’s using that footage, with machine…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA - “Security Through Cooperation”
Across three decades Rose Gottemoeller has had a ringside seat at key moments in the changing relationship between Russia, the US, and allies like the UK. As a…
- BFBS Sitrep
A bitter pill - Justice vs Reconciliation for Northern Ireland’s troubles
Three decades since the end of the troubles the legacy on Northern Ireland is affecting today’s Armed Forces, with growing talk it’s damaging recruitment and…
- BFBS Sitrep
Japan rejects pacifism, what does that mean for the UK?
Japan eases restrictions in defence exports, taking a step away from decades of self-imposed pacifism after the Second World War. On Sitrep, we ask, what will…
- BFBS Sitrep
Is the UK now too late to be ready for war?
When they still don’t know what equipment they will get, and when, it’s extremely hard for the UK’s Armed Forces deliver on their mission to be ready for war…
- BFBS Sitrep
The Royal Navy plans for policing an Iran peace-deal
British military planners are working with allies on how to make the Strait of Hormuz “safe and accessible”. The PM says it’s important we get the route open…
- BFBS Sitrep
Defending the UK without the US
The UK’s defence plans have relied, for decades, on the assumption that America will help us in a crisis. But we can’t assume that any more, so what are those…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Is it time for another “super-regiments” shake up in the Army?
20 years ago the “future infantry structure” plan provoked outrage. To reshape a shrunken army some historic regiments were amalgamated, losing names and cap…
- BFBS Sitrep
Home or Away – Where’s best for British training of Ukrainian forces?
Tens-of-thousands of Ukrainian troops have been trained in the UK on Operation Interflex, but Ukraine says our trainers now lack “modern combat experience”…
- BFBS Sitrep
How the Iran war threatens Ukraine’s fight for survival
There are only so many weapons in the world to go round, so the laws of supply and demand leave Ukraine struggling even more to get what it desperately needs…
- BFBS Sitrep
Hard lessons for the UK from the Iran war
The UK ramped up its air power in and around the Middle East before the Iran war, but the fact it took nearly a fortnight to deploy an air-defence destroyer…
- BFBS Sitrep
Royal Navy warship heads to the Middle East
The Royal Navy deploys a destroyer to the Mediterranean to bolster defences in the region, amidst a war in the Middle East. But HMS Dragon won’t set sail until…
- BFBS Sitrep
Hitting Russia in the roubles – could economic warfare secure victory for Ukraine?
As Ukraine fights its war for survival alone on the battlefield, the UK has announced new sanctions against Russia to throttle the supply of money into Putin's…
- BFBS Sitrep
Why the AWOL Defence Investment Plan is a big problem.
The Prime Minister says we are going to have to spend more, faster, on defence. But his government hasn’t even decided how it will spend the money already in…
- BFBS Sitrep
Sitrep live from the Munich Security Conference
The Prime Minister chose a stage in front of dozens of fellow world leaders to announce he’s sending HMS Prince of Wales to lead a carrier strike group to the…
- BFBS Sitrep
NATO’s big military shake-up explained
A reshuffle of who-commands-what in NATO puts a British General in charge of the only NATO operation on US soil, while an American will take over at Maritime…
- BFBS Sitrep
Russia turns the screws on freezing Ukrainians
Despite temperatures below -20C attacks are targeting not just electricity and gas infrastructure in Ukraine, but heating plants which supply thousands of…
- BFBS Sitrep
Could UK troops defend Greenland and does it even need defending?
Much buzz about a possible NATO Arctic Sentry operation helped calm Donald Trump’s talk of taking over Greenland, and the UK is one of the big backers. But do…
- BFBS Sitrep
Why UK defence is “uniquely vulnerable” to US threats
Donald Trump crossed a line by threatening economic warfare against the UK and other allies. He may have backed down, for now, but former Defence Secretary Sir…
- BFBS Sitrep
Reality bites for the future of the Armed Forces
The Chief of Defence Staff refuses to say cuts are coming, but has confirmed there isn’t enough money for everything they want to do to make the Armed Forces…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Mindful Soldier, how combat offers resilience lessons for us all
In his 22 year army career Ash Alexander-Cooper was shot multiple times, targeted by a suicide bomber, and caught in numerous explosions. But he has taken…
- BFBS Sitrep
WTAF? Would Trump actually fight (for Greenland)?
Denmark says US threats to take Greenland by force would ‘end’ NATO. Does NATO have any plan to deal with an ally-on-ally attack? Which side would the UK take…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Is the Islamic State terror group making a comeback in Syria?
It’s seven years since the jihadists’ caliphate was brought to a complete end, but IS continues to attack in Syria and there are signs of a potential…
- BFBS Sitrep
The World in 2026 – Defending the UK
The outcome of the Ukraine war is arguably the most immediate key to our security in the UK, and if the fighting ends our Armed Forces may be sent to Ukraine…
- BFBS Sitrep
The World in 2026 – The US and NATO
President Trump’s “America First” agenda has now been translated into an official security strategy with Europe at the bottom of the list. Will that mean big…
- BFBS Sitrep
The World in 2026 – China rising and Asia tensions
China is the world’s fastest growing military power and likes to keep the world guessing. Might it use that military power against Taiwan in 2026, or will this…
- BFBS Sitrep
The World in 2026 – Making UK Armed Forces ready for war
Britain’s Armed Forces go into 2026 with two big missions, become war-ready and transform for a high-tech future. There’s also the possibility of being…
- BFBS Sitrep
The World in 2026 – The Next Conflict
Global tensions are high going into 2026, but will they tip over into fighting and if so, where? Could a battered and bruised Iran hit back against the US and…
- BFBS Sitrep
The Sitrep Crystal Ball 2026
Could hundreds or thousands of British troops be sent to Ukraine to support a peace plan in 2026? If there’s no deal how can Ukraine turn the tide of Russian…
BFBS SitrepHas the US just raised the risk of war in Europe?
Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy prioritises improving relations with Russia and China, while calling for resistance to “weak leaders” in Europe…
- BFBS Sitrep
Cyprus 1974 - when Britain nearly gave up its vital sovereign bases
When a Greek military coup and Turkish invasion plunged Cyprus into a bloody conflict, more than 30,000 British military personnel and their dependents were…
- BFBS Sitrep
How can ‘toxic leadership’ be stopped?
The Royal Navy is “vulnerable to promoting toxic leaders”. This is not a warning from a pressure group, or a critical MPs report, it has come from the new…