BFBS Radio Sitrep

More than a thousand servicemen and women who might have expected to celebrate Christmas at home are now standing by to cover for striking workers.

The PM says we owe them gratitude, but after two years of Covid work over the festive season is the goodwill of the Armed Forces being stretched?

The head of the Armed Forces says the UK must ‘think big’ on the future of defence, after the invasion of Ukraine. We’ll analyse his annual keynote speech.

Plus what is Skynet, and why is the UK prepared to put billions on the line to keep it updated?

Billions have been spent sending weapons and equipment to help Ukraine over the last 10 months. Sitrep hears from the logistics team at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois about how contributions from the United States reach Europe. The programme hears that lessons learnt from the evacuation from Kabul about information sharing have helped with their current Ukraine operation.

And what advice are the Chiefs of Staff getting from their Senior Enlisted Adviser? Sitrep has spoken to WO1 Rick Angove about culture, training and the impact of the cost of living on forces personnel.

Fragments of a soviet era missile, designed for nuclear war, have been found in Ukraine. Russia appears to be firing the AS-15 Kent with ballast instead of a warhead.

Sitrep explains why Moscow is using these expensive missiles as decoys.

As a new zero-tolerance policy comes into effect in the forces, for unacceptable sexual behaviour, we ask Sarah Atherton MP whether it delivers the change she’s been driving for.

And should Afghan interpreters, who served with British forces, be awarded a medal? We speak to a veteran of Op Herrick, and his interpreter, about their call for medallic recognition.

Some soldiers are turning to food banks, or looking for second jobs, as they try to cope with soaring bills and prices.

Sitrep talks to the Army’s most senior soldier about how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting the men and women he represents, as he appeals to those struggling to speak up and explains what help the service can give.

Inflation has also effectively wiped billions of pounds out of the MoD’s spending power, so what will that mean for the planned update to the UK’s military master plan?

And we visit Oman where a new thirty-million-pound hub for UK forces is growing rapidly.

Sitrep talks to the British Army’s most senior soldier, whose job is to keep top brass in touch with the experiences of the men and women of the army.

WO1 Paul Carney tells James Hirst the big issues that are affecting soldiers, and how he’s trying to ensure commanders understand them.

He also talks about drawing on his own family’s experience of sexual harassment in the drive to end ‘unacceptable behaviours’.

And he shares his own journey through the Army, including making mistakes and recovering from them.  

The missile that killed two people in a Polish village was almost immediately reported as being Russian, but now is put down to an ‘unfortunate accident’ as Ukraine defended itself.

Sitrep explains how we got to that important truth before a major misjudgement was made.

We also reports from Poland where hundreds of British troops deployed to help the NATO ally have been on exercise.

And we assess the announcement of an abrupt end to Britain’s decade long military presence in Mali, despite the fact no one’s saying it’s ‘job finished’

Ukraine has achieved its biggest victory since the early days of the war by liberating the city of Kherson from 8 months of occupation.

But what comes next?

In this extra edition of Sitrep we hear from Kherson where residents are celebrating, to a background of artillery fire.

We also talk in detail to the former top military commander of NATO, General Philip Breedlove, about what moves we can expect next from Russian and Ukrainian forces.

He also explains his frustration with limits and red-lines set by countries like the US and UK, which he believes are tying one hand behind Ukraine’s back as it tries to defend itself.

Russia has ordered its troops to abandon the strategically important city of Kherson, but don’t expect Ukrainian troops to march straight back in.

Sitrep explains why, what happens next, and what traps Russia may be leaving in Kherson.

We also witness UK training that’s turning Ukrainian citizens into soldiers in the space of five weeks.

The US midterm elections have been a political tremor, rather than earthquake, we’ll assess whether the results put its multi-billion dollar military assistance to Ukraine at risk.

And we ask does Twitter really matter – as some in the US raise national security concerns about its new ownership.

Britain is bringing home hundreds of extra troops who’ve bolstered the UK’s presence in Estonia since the invasion of Ukraine.

But the government says it’s improving capabilities in other ways, with weapons and equipment. Sitrep asks if it’s enough to deter Russia and defend the Baltic state if needed.

It was the end of last winter when Ukraine was invaded, now as winter approaches again how will it affect this war? A former RAF weather forecaster gives us some insights.

And we take a look at the new TV Drama telling the story of how the SAS was formed in World War two. A veteran of the service gives Sitrep his take on ‘SAS Rogue Heroes’.

Russia has used top-level diplomatic channels to tell the west Ukraine is planning a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ attack on its own soil.

Sitrep asks why the west is convinced it’s ‘transparently false’, what Russia’s trying to achieve with this claim, and whether it has endangered channels meant to prevent a catastrophic miscalculation.

Russian men ordered to fight in Ukraine have been venting their anger on social media. We hear from a woman in Moscow helping them fight conscription.

And we take a look at a new remake of one of the most powerful and oldest war films, “All Quiet On The Western Front.”

There’s been much outrage about 30 British veterans been who’ve training Chinese fighter pilots, and the government is promising a legally backed ban on helping ‘enemy’ forces.

BFBS Sitrep digs deeper into the story, including official British defence links to China, and asks a former senior RAF officer if this is a little more complex than it first appears.

Russia has been using a ‘kamikaze drone’ to knock out big parts of Ukraine’s electricity network, we’ll give you a guide to what is essentially a programmable flying bomb.

And we hear the stories of trailblazing women who defied military objections to become war correspondents in World War Two, giving us a rare female perspective from the battlefields.

The histories of World War Two were largely written by men, because they were almost exclusively the ones who experienced it at the front lines.

But a handful of remarkable women defied official bans, and went to the battlefields as war reporters.

In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep we hear at length from Judith Mackrell=about her new book ‘Going With The Boys’ =, which tells the stories of six of these women war reporters.

From risking execution to abandoning lunch with Ernest Hemingway to get the scoops, Judith tells Kate Gerbeau how their reporting records a different perspective on the war, how attempts to block actually helped them, and what they have in common with women who serve at the front lines today.

Russia has fired half-a-billion dollars worth of missiles at Ukraine in just one day, after a blast destroyed part of its bridge to Crimea.

The Kremlin calls it ‘revenge’. BFBS Sitrep assesses whether it does anything to advance Moscow’s war effort, or damages it by wasting vital weapons.

Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine has a new commander, nicknamed ‘General Armageddon’. We look at his track record and compare him with Ukraine’s top officer.

We also talk to one of the RAF pilots who’ll be patrolling the skies of Qatar to protect the World Cup, and examine the security risks facing the tournament. 

After what looks like a ‘grey zone’ attack on gas-pipelines the UK is rapidly buying two new Royal Navy ships.

But how can they protect critical energy supplies, and communication cables, which can be miles below the surface of the sea?

President Putin might now be using actions to reinforce his words that he’s ‘not bluffing’ about nuclear weapons, but if he does use them can we respond without starting a new world war?

And we reflect on centuries of UK military service by Caribbean people, as work begins on the first national monument to mark their efforts and sacrifice.

The Ministry of Defence has admitted "some mistakes were made" after reports of a recruitment drive favouring women and ethnic minorities.

BFBS Sitrep hears the opinions of a former female RAF fighter pilot and asks a legal expert what is and isn’t acceptable when you’re trying to reach diversity targets.

And - the untold stories of Colditz prisoner of war camp… what really happened there behind the stirring tales of escape?

The whole programme is devoted to the war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK tells Sitrep that President Putins’s announcement that Russia is mobilising around 300 thousand military reservists is a sign he feels he might be losing the war. He also tells the programme that President Putin is blackmailing the international community by appearing to raise the threat of nuclear weapons.

Sitrep will also hear how the fighting is going on the ground from a reporter who’s just returned from the region around Kharkiv in the North -East of Ukraine and seen the devastation caused by the Russian invasion.

And a panel discusses the choices facing both Russia and Ukraine militarily and strategically in the months to come. Russia expert Bridget Kendall tells us that she thinks Putin may turn to targeting more of Ukraine’s infrastructure – including fuel and water - as the winter starts to bite. 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Commander in Chief of the UK’s Armed Forces for just over 70 years, now that job falls to her eldest son.

BFBS Sitrep talks to a former head of The Army who knows King Charles III well, and we listen to one of his recent speeches to troops to assess what kind of Commander in Chief he will be.

As we examine The Queen’s military legacy we talk to Sharon Turton about being personally presented the Elizabeth Cross in honour of her fallen husband, Kris.

Plus how has Ukraine recaptured thousands of square miles in a matter of days? A former British commander will explain, and assess what they should do next. 

Liz Truss promised big on Defence in her campaign to replace Boris Johnson – now she has to deliver.

BFBS Sitrep assesses what a big uplift in the defence budget could be spent on, how she will handle the Ukraine war, and whether the forces are facing another shake up.

Russia expected to win in Ukraine within days, six months on it needs millions more rockets and shells and it’s turned to North Korea to supply them. But how good are those munitions?

And a former member of the SBS tells us the extraordinary story of how he’s rebuilt his life after being shot in the neck, and paralysed.

A former member of the SBS shares his remarkable story with BFBS Sitrep.

It was Toby Gutteridge’s dream job, but then it tore his life apart.

He was shot in the neck in Afghanistan, leaving him paralysed.

13 years on he runs his own clothing business, and has just written his autobiography.

From getting selected for special forces, through the incident that almost killed him, to a breakdown and rebuilding of his life he tells us how he’s been given a second chance that he won’t throw away.

The compensation system for injured service personnel has been accused of ‘lacking humanity’ after an assessment panel was heard laughing at a claimant.

A veteran turned journalist tells BFBS Sitrep it’s far from a one off, as the government promises improvements.

Defence Intelligence has a new chief, and for the first time it’s a civilian. We ask if that matters as we investigate the job of Defence Intelligence.

And we assess the military legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the final Soviet leader who thawed the cold war and allowed the map of Europe to be redrawn.