Shows / BFBS Sitrep
Episodes
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Major Andrew Fox
Andrew Fox always knew he wanted more from his Army career. But poor eyesight kept him out of the Army air corps, and a bad luck injury ended any hope of…
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Professor Neil Greenberg
Neil Greenberg is a world leading expert, and practitioner, in military mental health. He signed up to the Royal Navy while still in medical school, then…
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Liz McConaghy
Liz McConaghy joined the RAF on her 19th Birthday and flew on Chinooks for seventeen years. She helped save hundreds of lives on MERT rescue missions for…
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Major General Julian Thompson
Julian Thompson had already served thirty years in the Royal Marines when a phone call, in the dead of night, would come to define his career. It brought news…
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Andy McNab
Andy McNab faced the IRA in Northern Ireland, served on numerous SAS covert operations around the world, and was captured behind enemy lines in Iraq. But he…
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Colonel Rosie Stone
Rosie Stone was recording an audio diary at the moment she came under fire on a patrol in Southern Afghanistan. This was her first experience of a combat…
BFBS SitrepThe Moment That Made Me – Commander Tom Sharpe
On the 16th of December 2008 HMS Endurance suffered a very sudden and catastrophic flood in the South Atlantic. Tom Sharpe was in temporary command of the…
BFBS SitrepThe Sitrep Crystal Ball 2025
“Please don’t look back, more dangerous times lie ahead which means you need to look forward… so that we are ready if war chooses us”. So says the head of the…
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Sitrep meets Ukrainian troops who invaded Russia
Sitrep’s Simon Newton is back from the frontline of Ukraine’s war with Russia. He shares stories from troops who led the push into Kursk, how British…
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Inside the UK’s Defence Review
Two architects of the Strategic Defence Review have lifted the lid on how they’re working on the plan for the future of our Armed Forces. But when they tell…
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EXTRA – How 9 years have changed the world
Sitrep talks to the outgoing Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute, Dr. Karin von Hippel RUSI has contributed to UK defence & security…
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Where are the red-lines against grey-zone attacks?
Drones buzzing airbases and HMS Queen Elizabeth. Undersea cables cut. Mysterious parcel fires at air-freight depots. These have all been described as hybrid…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Meet the new Chairman of the Commons Defence Committee
From testing whether we’re ready for war to checking whether forces families get the support they need, the Commons Defence Committee plays a key role in…
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NELSON: Legend Forged in Battle, with Professor Michael Clarke and Dr Gregory Fremont-Barnes.
BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy…
BFBS Sitrep1000 days on - are Ukraine and Russia locked into a war of attrition?
Russia thought it would conquer Ukraine in 10 days, Ukrainian resolve is still preventing that. But after more than a million casualties on both sides…
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EXTRA – Surprise defence cuts explained.
The Defence Secretary has announced that more than 30 helicopters will be retired early, along with 5 ships, and 46 drones, all of them he calls ‘outdated…
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MONTGOMERY – Unbeatable and Unbearable? With Professor Michael Clarke and General Lord Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff.
BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy…
- BFBS Sitrep
North Korea and Russia join forces
First it was sending ammunition, then troops for the war in Ukraine, now North Korea has signed off on a formal mutual-defence treaty with Russia. NATO’s new…
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BOUDICA - Warrior Queen, with Professor Michael Clarke and Philip Wise, Heritage Manager for Colchester Museums.
BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy…
- BFBS Sitrep
Trump 2.0 – reality vs rhetoric
On the campaign trail Donald Trump said Russia should “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies who underspend on defence, while attacking his former top…
BFBS SitrepDOWDING – The Man behind ‘The Few’, with Professor Michael Clarke and Dr Victoria Taylor
BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy…
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The budget boost for defence explained.
The chancellor has promised an extra £2.9bn for defence next year, but what does that actually mean for our armed forces? Professor Malcolm Chalmers explains…
BFBS SitrepWELLINGTON - Master of Strategy, with Professor Michael Clarke and author Bernard Cornwell
BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy…
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How Afghanistan shapes today’s Armed Forces
It’s 10 years since British troops left Helmand and combat operations came to an end. But the conflict reshaped the forces in ways that can still be seen…
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Sitrep LIVE – The future of NATO
Admiral Sir Keith Blount, who is the most senior British officer in NATO, talks to Sitrep’s Claire Sadler and Professor Michael Clarke from the Supreme…
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EXTRA – Remembering General Sir Mike Jackson
Across 45 years of service General Sir Mike Jackson played a key role in many historic moments for Britain’s armed forces, even before he led the Army as Chief…
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Are human rights laws harming our military?
Our armed forces put their lives on the line to protect the rule of international law and ordinary people’s human rights. But some believe those rights and…
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Operation Shader to end, so what next?
Almost exactly 10 years since Operation Shader began RAF strikes against the Islamic State terror group ministers say it will be drawn down in favour of a new…
- BFBS Sitrep
Sandhurst’s radical process to modernise
The Army’s world-renowned Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is undertaking a radical process to modernise. It’s conducting what it calls a ‘Critical Mass Trial’…
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EXTRA – Unknown warrior
More than a hundred years after the First World War, more than half a million soldiers are still missing, a third of whom are thought to be buried as…
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Lebanon device explosions – what will the British military be thinking?
Lebanon is on edge after thousands of Hezbollah electronic devices exploded across two days. Many people have died and thousands are injured. Former Army…
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The cost of helping Ukraine – less training for British soldiers
More than 40,000 Ukrainians have had military training in the UK since Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country, but that’s made it harder for the Army to…
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EXTRA – The Iranian Embassy Siege First Hand.
It remains an iconic piece of news footage and now historian Ben MacIntyre, the man behind SAS Rogue Heroes, has been given permission to talk to the men who…
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A reality check on “painful choices” and defence cut rumours.
The Defence Secretary has said “we will do our part” as the government prepares us for a “difficult” budget, fuelling speculation that some big defence…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Soldier, Doctor, Poet.
Major General Tim Hodgetts served 41 years as an Army doctor, rising to become Surgeon General. He’s lived through gunfire and explosions while trying to save…
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Who’s qualified to lead our national security?
Rishi Sunak wanted one of the UK’s top generals to be the next National Security Adviser, but Keir Starmer has decided to readvertise the job. So far it’s…
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The UK joins the military space race
The UK’s first sovereign military satellite, Tyche, is now in orbit. It’s the first piece of a planned constellation of intelligence, surveillance and…
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Ukraine’s big gamble in Russia – what happens next?
Is this Chess, or Russian Roulette? Professor Michael Clarke explains why Ukraine has chosen a path with big risks, but also potentially big rewards by taking…
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Wagner Mercenaries in West Africa
Sitrep’s looking into the role of the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, after reports of fierce fighting in the West African country of Mali and asking why this…
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The armed forces pay rise – what’s it really worth?
Most servicemen and women are getting a 6% pay rise, twice the rate of inflation. The government says it’s the biggest increase for more than 20 years. But in…
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Ready for war in three years?
The new head of the Army has warned the UK has three years to be ready to fight a war or deter conflict. General Sir Roly Walker’s talked about an…
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Why have outside experts been put in charge of the UK’s Defence Review?
From where the armed forces are deployed around the world, to the kit they have for the job, and how they’re looked after, the government has launched a “root…
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“Don’t be Jack” -- the veterans who’ve become MPs
Around one in twenty of the UK’s MPs have military experience, but what do they bring to the job and does it help them make a difference? Sitrep talks to the…
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EXTRA - The Allied Reaction Force (and Britain’s role) explained
The Allied Reaction Force is the new “tip of the spear” for NATO’s military power. It’s described as a strategic, high-readiness, force-generated, multi-domain…
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Defending Europe – what does NATO need to do?
75 years since NATO was created to defend Europe, Sitrep asks what’s needed to do that job properly today. From organising hundreds of thousands of troops, to…
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The Black Sea mine threat
Two Royal Navy minehunters, given to Ukraine last year, are still in UK waters because they can’t get into the Black Sea while the war continues. But Ukraine’s…
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Who’s promising what for the Armed Forces?
Sitrep analyses the main party manifestos for the general election in which defence has had its highest profile in decades. AI and data collection are promised…
- BFBS Sitrep
War of the playground
While North Korea sends hundreds of balloons, loaded with rubbish and manure, across the border, South Korea is setting up giant speakers to blare K-pop music…
- BFBS Sitrep
The art of deception
From the wooden horse at Troy to rubber tanks in Dover military deceptions have been central to war for thousands of years. In the lead up to D-Day the allies…
- BFBS Sitrep
An insider’s guide to the NATO summit
Presidents and Prime Ministers have big decisions to make in Washington about how to better defend Europe, deter Russia, and support Ukraine. But how does it…
- BFBS Sitrep
Is it time for western boots in Ukraine?
Russia has the momentum in Ukraine right now, so is it time for a radical rethink of how we help? James Heappey, who served four years as Armed Forces…
- BFBS Sitrep
EXTRA – Hercules: first in, last out
For more than half a century the C-130 Hercules was the backbone of the RAF. It’s played a key role in daring special forces and counter terror mission…
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What Course Ahead For The Royal Navy?
Sitrep looks at the future shape of the Navy as the government talks of a new ‘golden era in shipbuilding’ and assesses what it can learn from current…
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The forces payroll hack – what you need to know
The cyber-attack which potentially exposed names and bank details of more than 270-thousand people is certainly embarrassing, but what might a “malign actor”…
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Naval hide & seek in Norway’s fjords
Sitrep goes on board a Royal Navy P2000 patrol boat, on exercise Tamber Shield, off the coast of Norway. David Sivills-McCann gives us an insight into the…
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EXTRA – Tempest, turning sci-fi concepts into flying reality
Tempest will be the RAF’s next generation fighter jet, and the heart of the new Future Combat Air System. After a decade of conceptual development work is now…
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The PM’s defence spending spree – what’s it really worth?
Rishi Sunak has pledged tens of billions of pounds to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030, but how much will it improve our military capability? Professor…
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How did the RAF support Israel when it was attacked by Iran?
RAF Typhoons fired in defence of Israel as part of a multi-national operation to stop Iran’s onslaught with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. A…
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EXTRA – What is followership, and how could it change the Army?
The Armed Forces put a lot of effort into leadership training, but have they lost sight of the people who are led? The Army’s been researching the concept of…
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Can ‘broken’ defence procurement be fixed?
Defence Procurement minister James Cartlidge tells Sitrep the history of armed forces having “kit that let them down” keeps him awake at night. But he has a…