The General & the Journalist

By The Times

How wars start, how they are won and what they leave behind them.

General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn first met in a war zone. Drawing on their real-life experience of armed c

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FAQs about The General & the Journalist:

How many episodes does The General & the Journalist have?

The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.

The General & the Journalist episodes:

August 06, 2025 The future of war, with U.S. General James Rainey
Patrick and Tom sit down with General James E. Rainey, the head of the United States Army Futures Command, to discuss what the wars of tomorrow will look like. Without doubt we are living through a period of rapid and often unsettling military transformation with everything from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 3D-printed drones to hypersonic missiles. The AI revolution paired with quantum computing is redefining what's possible on the battlefield, and at breakneck speed. The wars ahead will look nothing like the ones we've known, but does this change the rules of how wars should be conducted? The two generals and the journalist discuss the mechanics, logistics and ethics of future wars.
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44min
July 30, 2025 Was British involvement in Afghanistan worth it?
It’s been four years since the Taliban retook control of Kabul, marking the end of the UK’s 20-year military presence in Afghanistan. This week, Patrick sits down with James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust and a former army officer who led Task Force Helmand from 2009 to 2010. Together, they reflect on the 2021 evacuation, the recent Afghan data leak, their regrets, and whether Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan was, frankly, worth it.
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40min
July 23, 2025 What's happening to the Ukrainian children taken by Russia?
Tom and Patrick have been in Ukraine updating the story of the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia following their full-scale invasion. Some have been fostered or adopted by Russian families, but the vast majority are thought to have been funnelled into re-education camps. And now, as some of these children reach adulthood, that means new concerns amongst the Ukrainian authorities.
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28min
July 16, 2025 Andriy Yermak: The second most powerful man in Ukraine
While in Ukraine, Tom and Patrick sit down with President Zelensky’s Head of Office, Andriy Yermak. A long-time friend and trusted advisor to Volodymyr Zelensky, Yermak is also one of the most controversial figures in the country - unelected, immensely influential, and central to Ukraine’s war effort and diplomatic strategy.

In their conversation, Yermak discusses the state of the war, the morale of Ukraine’s exhausted population, and most strikingly, whether President Trump’s dramatic new push for peace could actually bring the fighting to an end.
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53min
July 09, 2025 Where will Russia attack next?
Patrick and Tom have both been in countries where there is a very strong feeling that President Putin won’t stop with Ukraine: Tom in Poland and Patrick in Estonia. Nato’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte has gone so far as to say that Putin could launch an attack within the next five years, warning: “Let’s not kid ourselves, we are all on the eastern flank now.” So, they ask: Where will Russia attack next? And does Nato have the military and political strength to defend all its members?
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51min
July 02, 2025 A new age of nuclear weapons
Patrick and Tom unpack a troubling question - are we entering a third nuclear age? With Iran’s nuclear programme back in the headlines and countries like Poland and South Korea considering building nuclear weapons of their own, the old global order is clearly shifting. Patrick and Tom explore what this means for global security, and whether nuclear proliferation is set to become the new normal.

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40min
June 25, 2025 The Nato summit - waving or drowning?
A behind the scenes look at the 2025 NATO Summit. The summit was billed as a turning point—Secretary General Mark Rutte even called it a “quantum leap” in collective defence. The Nato allies have now pledged to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. But will that money come fast enough to meet the threat from Russia? And what does it mean for Ukraine? We break down the numbers, the timing—and the politics. And of course much of this summit was less about strategy and more about one man, President Trump and the ceasefire in the Israel-Iran War.

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36min
June 18, 2025 Iran and Israel - how does this end?
During an unprecedented war between Iran and Israel, and ahead of the much anticipated Nato summit next week, Lord Robertson, former Secretary General of Nato, joins Tom and Patrick to assess what happens next in the conflict, and what it means for the rest of the world.
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50min
June 11, 2025 The shadowy world of targeted killings
A pattern is seemingly emerging with a series of high profile targeted killings taking place inside Russian territory, blamed on Ukrainian forces. This week, an in depth look at those stories, who may be responsible for them, why they may be happening and what are rules when it comes to assessing wether they are legally and ethically justified.
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40min
June 04, 2025 The Strategic Defence Review
Britain unveils a new and ambitious Strategic Defence Review outlining ways to make Britain battle-ready in the years and decades ahead. But is time already running out? With global threats intensifying and much of the review’s ambitions earmarked for the 2030s, Patrick and Tom question whether the UK is truly going to be prepared for full scale war as a result of the review. This week, they break down what they think the review gets right — and what they think it leaves out.

You can reach us at [email protected]
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45min

FAQs about The General & the Journalist:

How many episodes does The General & the Journalist have?

The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.

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