CONTENT

In this episode I speak with Steve "Tommo" Thomas, whose remarkable military career took him from being a sailor in the Royal Navy to some of the British Army's most demanding specialist units. After passing both the commando course and P Company, Tommo served with 148 Commando Forward Observation Battery, where he directed naval gunfire and artillery during the Falklands War in some of the campaign's most challenging conditions.

The conversation explores his journey through Commando and Parachute selection, his experiences operating alongside elite forces, and his later service with the Stay Behind Special OP Troop in Germany. Designed to operate deep behind Warsaw Pact lines during the Cold War, the unit specialised in long-range surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition. Tommo also reflects on the realities of life in Britain's specialist military units, the evolution of surveillance and targeting techniques, the equipment they relied upon, and the mindset required to operate in some of the world's most demanding environments. This is a fascinating first-hand account of an extraordinary career spanning the Falklands War, the Cold War and the world of covert reconnaissance and surveillance.

His book choice on Desert Islands Dits is anything by the authors Wilbur Smith or Clive Cussler. My choice is "Falklands Commando" by Hugh McManners.

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