BFBS Radio Sitrep

Russia says it’s pulling troops back from Ukraine’s borders, the west says the buildup’s getting bigger.

BFBS Sitrep talks to a former British Ambassador, and a former Moscow Correspondent to make sense of the competing claims and assess the state of the Ukraine stand off.

A Defence Minister tells us why the UK is doubling its military assistance to NATO members in Eastern Europe, and whether that fits with calls for ‘de-escalation’

And we compare the size of Ukraine’s armed forces with Russia’s military machine to see if it could fend off an invasion.

In a rollercoaster 24 hours the UK went from warning an invasion of Ukraine could start ‘at any moment’ to expressing cautious optimism about a Russian pullback.

In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep Kate Gerbeau talks in depth to the UK’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey.

He tells us it’s his ‘expectation’ that British training troops, pulled out of Ukraine a few days ago, will return providing security conditions on the ground are met.

He also discusses Russia’s claims that the west has been ‘humiliated’ by the failure of ‘war propaganda’, and says we must be able to hear ‘in good faith’ what Russia is saying.

China has called for the UK to hand the Falklands to Argentina, and says NATO’s got too big. This week BFBS Sitrep asks if Beijing has used the Winter Olympics to set out a divide-and-rule strategy, or if it’s just repackaging its old partnerships?

The head of the Army explains why he ordered non-essential work to stop for a day, to talk about teamwork, and an expert in cultural change gives his verdict on the effort to modernise attitudes.

Estonian soldiers tell us about working with their British counterparts at Europe’s ‘most dangerous moment’ in decades.

Is ‘Havana Syndrome’ a case of mass hysteria among US diplomats, or the result of energy-weapon attacks? We examine the latest research.

The UK and its western allies are threatening historically harsh sanctions to try to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. BFBS Sitrep examines what sanctions might be taken, what history tells us about whether they work, and how we might feel the effects of those sanctions too.

We also look at the part played by sanctions in Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis where people are selling their children, and even vital organs, as they struggle to survive.

And on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics will the games boost the communist nation’s international influence further, or does a western diplomatic boycott turn sport into a political football?

Ukraine’s government is urging its citizens to stay calm, but preparing its forces for war. BFBS Sitrep asks where we should be looking for signs of a possible Russian invasion, and hears from Ukraine about the mood among the people... including two Britons who have joined the Ukrainian army.

Also as the UK says it could send more troops to Eastern Europe, the deputy head of Estonia’s armed forces gives us his view on the Ukraine Crisis.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates has come under attack from drones and ballistic missiles – we’ll explain why. And does 10 Downing Street need some military-leadership behind the famous black door to get it back on track?

The US claims Russia plans a ‘false flag’ operation in Ukraine to justify an invasion. The UK’s defence secretary speaks out against ‘false narratives’ from President Putin.

BFBS Sitrep explains the information war being fought over Ukraine, and asks a former NATO spokesman if sending British weapons to the country hands ammunition for disinformation to Moscow.

Why are just 5 of the 1500 most senior Armed Forces officers Black-Caribbean or Asian?

And BFBS Reporter Simon Newton takes us on a journey to the Antarctic with Defence’s climate-change champion.

Decorated former bomb-disposal operator Kim Hughes talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about how Hollywood portrays the job and what it’s actually like.

Since leaving the Army in 2020 he’s worked as a consultant on films, and has written two thrillers “Operation Black Key” and “Operation Certain Death”.

He tells BFBS Sitrep about his three tours of duty in Afghanistan – how you defuse a bomb, what you do if a firefight breaks out, and when you decide to walk away.

And he tells us why films like The Hurt Locker are ‘horrendous’ on detail, but would look like ‘watching paint dry’ if they were realistic.

Moscow is demanding NATO admits absolutely no new members – but could that demand be backfiring?

We hear from Sweden and Finland, where after years of staunch ‘non-alignment’, they’re now seriously considering joining the alliance.

James Hirst fact checks President Putin’s claim, and NATO’s denial, that the alliance promised decades ago not to move ‘one inch to the East’.

What’s the difference between bomb-disposal in Helmand, and in Hollywood? A decorated former soldier tells us how he’s swapped his body armour for books, film and TV.

And a former deputy head of the Army tells us how service charities are coping with the pressures of Covid, and extra demand because of Afghanistan.

What’s going to happen in 2022, where and why?

Will Ukraine be invaded or can big talks next week dial down the tension?

Why has Russia sent troops to Kazakhstan and will it become the first new international crisis of the year?

Does China really want to use its growing military, or is it just for show?

Professor Michael Clarke, and Dr Melanie Garson will help navigate us through the potential trouble spots of the next 12 months.

2021 – the year that Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump, took international troops out of Afghanistan, and the Taliban swept back to power.

The final Sitrep of the year examines the key events of the last twelve months, and what they mean for the UK and the world.

Britain’s first carrier strike group deployment in a decade, HMS Defender’s run-in with Russia in the Black Sea, and the defence review that shrinks the Army again but promises new high-tech planes and vehicles in years to come.

So who has had a good year, and who’s had a bad one? And what can the world expect in 2022? 

Four months since the Taliban marched back to power in Afghanistan Sitrep hears from three interpreters who had worked with UK forces, but who couldn’t get on evacuation flights.

After a whistleblower alleged chaos in the Foreign Office has cost lives, a Conservative MP has branded it a ‘failure of statecraft’, but has it done lasting damage for future military operations?

Domestic abuse accounts for around one in eight cases handled by the Army Welfare Service – they tell us how they can help turn things round.

And author Toby Harnden lifts the lid on how the CIA and SBS laid the groundwork in Afghanistan for the 2001 US-led invasion.

It is ‘the biggest modernisation of the Army for a generation’ according to ministers – but can it deliver? This week on Sitrep we look through the details of the ‘Future Soldier’ plan for the Army to spend more time deployed around the globe. We assess whether billions of pounds of new technology can make up for smaller numbers of people and tanks.

Defence is to make an ‘immeasurable shift’ in the way it handles complaints about sexual behaviour after thousands of women gave evidence of their experiences in the forces. One woman shares her story with Sitrep, and the MP who led an inquiry tells us it’s a victory for those who have spoken out.

And do we have to accept hearing damage as an occupational hazard of serving your country? We learn what it’s like for the hundreds of thousands of veterans whose hearing has been damaged, and look at what can be done to cut the risks.

Former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton tells us about his time flying sorties over Iraq on Operation Shader in 2015. From the cramped conditions of the cockpit, to close shaves with enemy fire and friendly aircraft.

Also on Sitrep we hear from one of the British Airways passengers held as human shields by Iraq in 1990, before the first Gulf War, and investigate who a mystery group of men on that flight really were.

Bosnia is in crisis once more, with fears the state could collapse and a new armed conflict emerge, we’ll explain why.

And from Premier League footballers, to chemical weapons experts, we hear about Britain’s ‘persuaders’ who help the UK maintain its soft-power around the globe.

Former RAF Typhoon pilot Mike Sutton talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about his time on combat sorties over Iraq on Operation Shader, what it was like to be high in the sky witnessing friends under attack on the ground, how bombing missions worked, and his close brushes with lethal danger.

Mike also tells Kate how he became a fighter pilot, despite initially being rejected by the RAF, and how he still gets to fly fast jets as a civilian.

After an F35, flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth, crashed into the Mediterranean the pilot ejected and was safely recovered to the Aircraft carrier.

In this week’s Sitrep we look at the two most urgent tasks now, to find out why the crash happened, and to recover the plane which is packed with top-secret technology that the UK does not want enemies to get a glimpse of.

Blowing up a satellite, massing troops near Ukraine, and getting involved in a migrant crisis. We ask what is Russia up to?

A world leading expert tells us why he’s changed his mind on the risk of a biological terror attack.

And we have the story of a world-record flight using a fuel made from nothing but air and water. We ask the manufacturer of the UK’s fighter jet engines if the fuel really could power a carbon-neutral Royal Air Force.

The Army’s top officers are summoned to discuss ‘disciplinary mistakes’, especially harassment and abuse of women. The outgoing Chief of Defence Staff acknowledges ‘laddish culture’ is encouraged because soldiers have to go ‘close and personal’ with the enemy.

In this week’s Sitrep we ask if that culture is necessary for a fighting force, and whether an independent audit of Army culture will be enough to deliver a promised cultural shift?

We also examine how Belarus may be ‘weaponising’ migration to destabilise the European Union, and investigate how an off the shelf drone was used in an assassination attempt.

And on the 100th Anniversary of Remembrance and the Poppy Appeal, a veteran tells us why it’s still very relevant for him.

World leaders talk big at COP26 on trying to avert a spiralling environmental catastrophe – but some key players are missing.

The Defence Secretary says militaries would have to deal with the consequences of a failed climate change policy.

In this week’s Sitrep – we examine the hopes of success or failure, and ask a former UK ambassador to the UN whether a ‘wartime mentality’ could help.

We’ll also dig into the murky data on just how much carbon emissions come from militaries... and how that might change.

Also this week we’ll examine the significance of RAF jets flying from Israeli soil for the first time since the country’s independence.

And we ask – is it time for an Afghanistan inquiry, or did the experience of Iraq teach us that there are better ways to learn lessons?