‘War with Russia in three years’, UK defence minister and ex-marine
Two years ago, Al Carns was a colonel in the Royal Marines and, though he can never confirm or deny it, had also commanded the Special Boat Service. He pivoted to politics when he realised that the co...
25 Feb 35min
Why Poland is becoming Europe's new superpower
Beginning with the annexation of Crimea in 2014, but accelerated by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has super-charged its military to become the third largest in Nato, behind only T...
19 Feb 34min
Reservists: your country needs YOU!
If the UK is to present a credible deterrence to any adversary, its armed forces need to be sufficiently large. They are not. And the fastest, most economical, way of plugging the gap is by growing th...
12 Feb 36min
How do wars change when AI takes over?
In the space race and the arms race, only a human could determine an outcome. But what happens in war when AI, and not a human, takes the decision to pull the trigger? If AI can equal human capabiliti...
5 Feb 53min
Trump v Iran: what MAGA and the military are saying
Our colleagues at The Times this week launched an American edition of their superb UK politics pod, The State of It. We thought you might want to hear the fabulous first episode. Welcome to the first ...
1 Feb 29min
Xi versus his generals
Xi Jinping has effectively removed his last remaining rival power-base in Beijing. Until last weekend, Zhang Youxia was the highest ranking general in the Chinese armed forces and second only to Xi in...
29 Jan 35min
Are Europe and America divorcing?
In a week that's marked an inflection point in European history and transatlantic relations, Tom and Patrick discuss whether the two continents' world views are, finally, irreconcilable. And, were Ame...
22 Jan 39min
Iran: Should Trump intervene, and how?
While President Trump ponders when, whether and how to take action against Tehran, Tom and Patrick discuss the options available to him, ranging from cyber attacks to assassinations, and ask whether a...
15 Jan 39min
