BFBS Radio Sitrep

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, thousands of pieces of military hardware destroyed, will it simply come down to which side can outlast the other?

Sitrep’s Simon Newton and Hannah King join us from Kyiv to share how the people, and their resolve, are holding up, while Professor Michael Clarke analyses the battlefield picture.

If it doesn’t come down simply to attrition then what could prove to be a tipping point?

Ukraine hopes permission to fire British Storm Shadow and American ATACMS missiles into Russia could be a game changer, while Russia’s banking on ratcheting up nuclear rhetoric to discourage western support.  Sitrep assesses the effect they could have.

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announced that more than 30 helicopters will be retired early, along with 5 ships, and 46 drones, all of them he calls ‘outdated capabilities’.

Most significant, after years of ‘will they, won’t they’, the Royal Marines amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, get the axe. Critics call it a black day for the Marines but the Defence Secretary insists they have a bright future.

So which is it? Professor Michael Clarke explains how each of the cuts will, or won’t, affect our military capabilities. He also analyses the shake-up at the very top of the forces giving the Chief of Defence Staff more power over all the services.

And why is all this being announced with months of work still to do on the Defence Review, with more big change ahead?

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery with the former Chief of the Army and former Chief of the Defence Staff, General Lord Richards. The interview is recorded in the D-Day Map Room at Southwick House, outside Portsmouth, which was the nerve centre for Operation Overlord.

Glossary for Audio

General Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander 1944-1945

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander to Eisenhower

Field Marshal Herbert Plumer, British First World war general

Field Marshal Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1944

Field Marshal Lord John Gort, Commander of British forces in France, 1940

Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, British general

Field Marshal Harold Alexander, British general

General George S. Patton, US general

General Frederick E. Morgan, British general

General Omar N. Bradley, US general

Field Marshal William J. Slim, British general

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 Secretary General has called it a threat to our security. Defence researcher Joseph Dempsey, who’s spent years uncovering the secrets of North Korea’s military, explains the risk, and what’s in it for Moscow and Pyongyang.

On the Korean peninsula shots have been fired across the border, more missiles have been tested, and there have been nuclear-capable shows of force in the skies.  Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison draws on his two years helping protect the armistice to assess the scale of the tensions.

And we get the lowdown on China’s new stealth jet, which has a remarkably similar look and name to the US and UK’s fifth-generation fighter.

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. The interview is recorded in Colchester Castle, Essex, which was built on the foundations of the Roman Temple that was sacked and burnt by Boudica’s forces in AD 60.

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 military officer as a “traitor” who should be hanged.

Is this going to be the reality of his second term in the White House? And what does it mean for Ukraine - an end to vital military aid or a new determination that Russia can’t be seen to win?

Former UK National Security Adviser, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, and former Commanding General of the US Army Europe, Ben Hodges, join Kate and Mike to explain both the risks and potential opportunities.

Could Trump’s unpredictability be a deterrent to enemies, even if it unsettles allies? And months into the UK’s strategic defence review is this going to force some rethinking?

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding with aviation historian, Dr Victoria Taylor. The interview is recorded in Dowding’s former office in Bentley Priory, Stanmore, which was Headquarters Fighter Command during the Second World War.

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 why it amounts to a small increase in spending power and not the step change many want, but why that could still come down the line.

Amid reports that the UK’s top military officer could get sweeping new powers General Lord Richards tells us how, when he had the job, he had to explain to the Prime Minister that the Chief of Defence Staff doesn’t actually command the three services.

And Sitrep’s own Professor Michael Clarke reveals the secrets uncovered for his new book and podcast about great British commanders, including one who had a major sideline writing romantic fiction and another who firmly believed in fairies.

BFBS Forces News presents ‘Great British Battle Commanders’ hosted by Professor Michael Clarke, Sitrep’s defence analyst, assessing the leadership and strategy of the Duke of Wellington with the best-selling author of the ‘Sharpe’ and ‘Last Kingdom’ novels Bernard Cornwell. The interview is recorded in Wellington’s former office in Horse Guards, now used as the office of the General Officer Commanding HQ London District.

Based on his book ‘Great British Commanders,’ Mike will be asking what makes for successful command? Is success or failure wholly determined by the circumstances each commander faces – with a bit of luck thrown in? Or are there some essential truths about command and human nature which ultimately make the difference on the battlefield?

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 today.

The next war is expected to involve tanks and trenches not seen in Helmand, so from equipment to military mindsets Sitrep assesses what is helpful to still have, what is a hinderance, and what gaps may exist.

150,000 British personnel served in Afghanistan. A handful of those veterans tell us how that experience shapes their lives today. 

And Invictus medalist Jonny Ball talks to Sitrep about his new mission to create a community for all veterans of British operations in Afghanistan.