Sitrep goes on board a Royal Navy P2000 patrol boat, on exercise Tamber Shield, off the coast of Norway. David Sivills-McCann gives us an insight into the action, and Professor Michael Clarke explains why these boats, some of the smallest Royal Navy vessels, are key to defending the UK. A prototype of the RAF’s next generation fighter jet, Tempest, is expected to fly in just three years time. Air Commodore Martin Lowe, who leads the programme for the RAF, tells us how the journey from concept...

Tempest will be the RAF’s next generation fighter jet, and the heart of the new Future Combat Air System. After a decade of conceptual development work is now underway to turn it into reality, with a first prototype due to fly in around 3 years. Will it really be equipped with laser weapons or brain scanners in the pilot’s helmet? That’s still secret, but Sitrep has been told the much of the initial design is now locked down. Air Commodore Martin Lowe talks us through the progress so far, and...

Rishi Sunak has pledged tens of billions of pounds to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030, but how much will it improve our military capability? Professor Michael Clarke explains why the extra cash will probably be used to firm up our forces rather than making them bigger, and we fact check how much of the £75m figure given by the Prime Minister is actually new money. Months after US military supplies to Ukraine effectively dried up the Washington deadlock is broken. But what will the new...

RAF Typhoons fired in defence of Israel as part of a multi-national operation to stop Iran’s onslaught with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. A former fighter pilot tells Sitrep about the threats posed to pilots. The Armed Forces put a lot of effort into leadership training. But what about the other side of the coin – followers? The Centre for Army Leadership has been researching a concept called Followership – Sitrep discovers how it could benefit the service. When a tank was...

The Armed Forces put a lot of effort into leadership training, but have they lost sight of the people who are led? The Army’s been researching the concept of followership, how it could benefit the service become part of its culture. But what is followership, is it really different from the results of good leadership, and can it be part of an organisation that relies on command? Sitrep talks to Lieutenant Colonel Dean Canham from the Centre For Army Leadership, and one of the leading experts...

Defence Procurement minister James Cartlidge tells Sitrep the history of armed forces having “kit that let them down” keeps him awake at night. But he has a plan to fix the problems. He tells Kate Gerbeau about the changes aimed at delivering equipment on time, and on budget, while Professor Michael Clarke assesses whether it will give troops what they need, when they need it. We also look up close at one of those big procurement projects, as Sitrep’s David Sivills-McCann visits the...

British servicemen and women rely on having the right kit to do their jobs, and protect their lives at the front line, but MPs says the process of buying that equipment is broken. Sitrep talks to Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge about his new plan to fix long delays, multi-billion pound overspends, and hopelessly overoptimistic ideas. A new integration authority can veto plans that don’t work across all three services, equipment will be put into service earlier in development, and...

Troops and hardware which Russia’s been holding in reserve have been moved to the 600-mile-long front line, and handful of local armoured offensives point to the start of a wider push. Sitrep’s Professor Michael Clarke explains how Moscow wants to exploit Ukraine’s ammunition shortages, while Kyiv tries to keep the initiative by forcing Russia’s hand, and journalist Tom Mutch tells us what he saw and heard visiting frontline troops. RAF airdrops have delivered tonnes of urgent food aid to...

Troops and hardware which Russia’s been holding in reserve have been moved to the 600-mile-long front line, and handful of local armoured offensives point to the start of a wider push. Sitrep’s Professor Michael Clarke explains how Moscow wants to exploit Ukraine’s ammunition shortages, while Kyiv tries to keep the initiative by forcing Russia’s hand, and journalist Tom Mutch tells us what he saw and heard visiting frontline troops. RAF airdrops have delivered tonnes of urgent food aid to...

Sitrep hears from Kupiansk, celebrated as a significant victory when it was liberated a year and a half ago, but in Russian sights once again as Moscow tries a new push forward. Ukraine’s troops trying to hold firm are hampered by artillery shortages, they’ve been rationing shells for months, but have turned to small drones to fill at least some of the gap. Journalist Tom Mutch tells us about his visit to Kupiansk, how the soldiers are coping, what they’re expecting, and how he was surprised...

From submariners at sea for months at a time, to soldiers living and working on Russia’s doorstep, the new Wider Service Medal is intended to recognise “crucial operational impact” without the risks to life faced in combat.  Some say it’s long overdue, others call it a medal for “just turning up”. We ask a former head of the Army, General Lord Dannatt, whether this is devaluing medals or valuing people. Amid warnings we need to be ready for war Sitrep’s James Wharton explains how Iraq shaped...

Emergency calls from any vessel under attack in the Red Sea are handled thousands of miles away, in Portsmouth, by a Royal Navy supported control centre. Sitrep’s Tim Cooper is one of the first ever journalists to visit the UKMTO, where calls have soared by 475% as missile and drone attacks from Yemen are launched on average once every two days. Also on Sitrep, after the Defence Secretary’s plane had its navigation system jammed by Russia, we explain the risks from electronic warfare and what...

Wargaming is about as old as war itself, but in a time many describe as “pre-war” how can it help us be ready for the worst, if it happens? Sitrep talks to the UK’s Assistant Head of Defence Wargaming, Captain Eugene Morgan, who’s charged with building British wargaming capacity and capability “to make better decisions for defence” He explains how it’s already used, and what the future may hold, while former US Army soldier Anna Nettleship shares wargaming stories from her new career as a...

Russia has published the recording of a meeting between senior German air-force officers, revealing military and political secrets about British, French and German support to Ukraine. Former Army intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram tells Sitrep it comes down to people being the weakest link, and that we shouldn’t dismiss it as “just a German problem”. United Nations peacekeeping troops have now been in Cyprus for 60 years. Professor Michael Clarke explains why hundreds of British...

Every single country in the world allows women to serve in at least some military roles, but only one has a woman at the very top of its Armed Forces. Jamaica’s Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, was appointed in 2022 and is only the second woman in history to hold such a role (Slovenia appointed a female chief of defence for two years in 2018). Rear Admiral Wemyss-Gorman talks to Kate Gerbeau about her rise through the ranks across three decades, how male military...

Six NATO submarines, accompanied by ships and aircraft, are playing a giant military game of hide and seek in the Mediterranean. NATO’s Commander Submarines, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Wall, tells us more about exercise Dynamic Manta, and Sitrep’s Claire Sadler explains what life is like onboard one of those subs. Vladimir Putin claims Russia now has the initiative in the Ukraine war – is he right? Professor Michael Clarke and Simon Newton explain the current battlefield picture, and Colin...

Britain has spent seven billion pounds over the last two years, equipping Ukraine’s armed forces to help keep them in the fight against Russia. On the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion Sitrep talks to Major General Anna-Lee Reilly and Andy Start from Defence Equipment and Support about how that’s been done, and what lies ahead. Denmark’s decided to give its entire artillery stock to Ukraine and appealed to others to do the same. Professor Michael Clarke explains the pros and...

For the second time in a row a Royal Navy test firing of an unarmed Trident missile has ended in failure. The government says it was an “anomaly” and that it has “absolute confidence” in the nuclear deterrent, but it hasn’t explained why the missile failed. It’s called the ultimate insurance policy, but can it still deter Russia after two very public failures? Professor Michael Clarke explains what could have gone wrong, why the government insists we can have confidence, and whether it’s just...

Donald Trump’s talk of telling President Putin to “do whatever the hell he wants” to NATO allies who “don’t pay” has been called unhinged, but he could be President again. So Sitrep examines if Europe could defend itself against Russia without American support, if it really came to that.   Professor Michael Clarke and Simon Newton explain how European military capability compares to Russia’s and former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller gives an alliance insider's view. Also...

Donald Trump’s talk of telling President Putin to “do whatever the hell he wants” to NATO allies who “don’t pay” has been called unhinged, but he could be President again. So Sitrep examines if Europe could defend itself against Russia without American support, if it really came to that.   Professor Michael Clarke and Simon Newton explain how European military capability compares to Russia’s and former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller gives an alliance insider's view. Also...

Sitrep gets unprecedented access to the heart of the UK’s military spying operation.  Sian Grzeszczyk tells all, including the crashed Russian drones being disassembled by Defence Intelligence, how its analysts uncovered an arms-for-horses deal between Moscow and North Korea, and why it really does all look like a James Bond lair. As MP’s say we must choose between more money for the forces or limiting their workload, former National Security Adviser Lord Ricketts tells Sitrep training...

Sitrep gets unprecedented access to the heart of the UK’s military spying operation.  Sian Grzeszczyk tells all, including the crashed Russian drones being disassembled by Defence Intelligence, how its analysts uncovered an arms-for-horses deal between Moscow and North Korea, and why it really does all look like a James Bond lair. As MP’s say we must choose between more money for the forces or limiting their workload, former National Security Adviser Lord Ricketts tells Sitrep training...

Boris Johnson has called for the UK to bring back National Service. Sweden did just that seven years ago to solve its military recruitment crisis, and Germany’s looking at the idea. Sitrep talks to Swedish defence expert Elisabeth Braw and former Welsh Guards officer Nicholas Drummond about whether it’s the answer for the UK’s depleted Armed Forces. Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ has carried out regular strikes against US forces in the middle east for months now. Sitrep explains who these...

Boris Johnson has called for the UK to bring back National Service. Sweden did just that seven years ago to solve its military recruitment crisis, and Germany’s looking at the idea. Sitrep talks to Swedish defence expert Elisabeth Braw and former Welsh Guards officer Nicholas Drummond about whether it’s the answer for the UK’s depleted Armed Forces. Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ has carried out regular strikes against US forces in the middle east for months now. Sitrep explains who these...