The Security Podcast

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, Guardian Journalist and best selling author Luke Harding reflects on his four year stint as the newspaper's bureau chief in Moscow. Almost from the moment Luke arrived in 2007 he was targeted by Russian secret police. His apartment was burgled, his emails were hacked, he was followed almost every day and his family were threatened. A hidden camera was even placed inside his bedroom by FSB operatives. The reason for the intimidation was because from the beginning of his four year Moscow assignment Luke wrote articles critical of the Putin regime. He was eventually expelled from the country on Putin's orders in 2011. Luke now reports  on Ukraine where he has been based since before the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. During the podcast he describes how young Ukrainians were eager to fight on the front line in the early days of the war. Now, however, that enthusiasm has waned as, Luke explains, everyone now knows someone who has been killed or seriously wounded. He also describes how "brainwashed" Russian troops obediently followed orders and tortured and executed hundreds of civilians in Bucha and Mariupole. He also explains why the Ukrainians now want peace and why Russia is unlikely to change even with the death of Putin.

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, I take apart the £6.3bn procurement disaster that is Ajax. Billed as the vehicle that would transform the British Army into a force ready to take on the UK’s adversaries anywhere in the world, Ajax was surrounded by hype from the start. The reality is very different. The Army has been left with a dud — a vehicle that has injured soldiers during testing and is still not fit for purpose. My guest is Colonel Harry Fullerton, former commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment and someone who spent much of his career in the reconnaissance vehicles Ajax was meant to replace. He was also involved in the programme years ago, when it was known as the Future Rapid Effects System. Few people are better placed to explain how this went so badly wrong — and why.

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, I take apart the £6.3bn procurement disaster that is Ajax. Billed as the vehicle that would transform the British Army into a force ready to take on the UK’s adversaries anywhere in the world, Ajax was surrounded by hype from the start. The reality is very different. The Army has been left with a dud — a vehicle that has injured soldiers during testing and is still not fit for purpose. My guest is Colonel Harry Fullerton, former commanding officer of the Life Guards and a man who spent much of his career in the reconnaissance vehicles Ajax was meant to replace. He was also involved in the programme years ago, when it was known as the Future Rapid Effects System. Few people are better placed to explain how this went so badly wrong — and why.

In this episode of The Security Podcast I am joined by Lord West of Spithead, a former Chief of the Naval Staff and Security Minister and who now sits on the Intelligence and Security Committee. During the podcast, we examine the claim that the West is involved in a Grey Zone war with Russia and how Nato needs to prepare for a potential attack by Putin. We also look at the current state of the Royal Navy, discuss whether the aircraft carriers are white elephants and whether the UK's submarine based nuclear deterrent is still relevant.      

In this episode of The Security Podcast, I am joined by Colonel Phil Ingram a former military intelligence officer and media commentator. We discuss why nations spy on one another, what they hope to achieve and the various strategies involved in developing agents and acquiring secret information. Phil also explains how he was once targeted by Chinese intelligence officers and how that experience is now used to help others avoid becoming assets for foreign powers.

In this episode of The Security Podcast, the acclaimed foreign correspondent and author Colin Freeman and I discuss his latest book: The Mad and The Brave - The Untold Story of Ukraine's Foreign Legion. Colin has been reporting from inside Ukraine since before the start of the 2022 Russian invasion. In the podcast we discuss the book's genesis, the characters who make up the foreign legion and how the war has impacted the lives of many Ukrainians. Colin has also reported on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa so it's fair to say that he knows his way around a conflict zone.  

In this episode of The Security Podcast, Andres Andreu, the chief operating officer of the cyber security company Constella Intelligence, explains how Agentic AI is changing the  threat landscape in the world of cyber security.  Andres also reveals how talented teenagers in some of the world's poorest countries are being recruited to work as hackers on huge salaries and what action companies, individuals and states need to undertake to protect against the threat posed by hostile state, terrorists and criminal gangs.

If you ever wanted to know more about the role of Army Padres then please listen to the latest episode of The Security Podcast. Padres have a unique role in the British Army. Padres of all faiths have rank but do not command and although they can deploy on operations, padres are non-combatants and are unarmed. My guest on the podcast is Father Stephen Sharkey, who has been a padre since 2008. Prior to becoming a priest he served as a territorial soldier for five years. Padres accompany British troops - including the special forces - wherever they are based. During his career, Stephen has served on numerous military operations around the world, including two tours in Afghanistan one of which was with the Rifles in 2009. During the podcast Stephen recalls giving services in the field in Afghanistan while wearing body armour and helmet, how he coped when soldiers were killed and wounded in battle and why the role of the padre is crucial to morale.

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast,  I discuss the Strategic Defence Review with Colonel Harry Fullerton, a former commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment and an Afghanistan War veteran. Harry gives his views on what is both good and bad within the SDR and whether it should be more tactical and less strategic. We also discuss whether Russia is really a threat to the West and Nato and whether Putin has a plan to end the war.

In this episode of The Security Podcast author and former diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey reveals how he uncovered the role of a largely unknown British spy, who had managed to infiltrate the highest levels of the Nazi party, met with Hitler and helped convince the British government of the need to rearm during an era of appeasement. The Spy and the Devil covers the role of Bill de Ropp, a multi-lingual British agent recruited by MI6 after the First World War and who went onto to provide his handlers with 70 percent of all intelligence on the Nazis.

Transforming the British Army into a war winning machine will require a revolution not an evolution, according to Colonel (Retd) Harry Fullerton OBE. The British Army's fighting Power has been allowed to erode over the past 35 years. The publication Government’s Strategic Defence Review 2025 (SDR 25) has been delayed, pending the production of a new National Security Strategy. In light of the delay, there is an opportunity to examine what the ideal Land Force of tomorrow should look like. In this episode of the Security Podcast with Col Fullerton, former commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment looks at what the Army needs to do to transform itself into a lethal, competent fighting force capable of meeting the challenges of a future conflict.

Lawfare - what it means for serving and former members of the British Armed forces - especially those serving in the SAS/SBS is the subject of the latest episode of The Security Podcast.  Our guest is Brig (Retd) Phil McEvoy, the former head of Operational Law Army and the Deputy Head of the Service Prosecuting Authority. Recently, the coroner who presided over the inquest into the 1992 Clonoe Ambush, which resulted in the deaths of four IRA terrorists being shot dead by the SAS, submitted his findings of unjustified killings of the terrorist to the Director of Public Prosecutions. This effectively means that the four SAS veterans could face criminal charges. So, are these inquests into legacy killings an SAS witch-hunt or the correct application of the law? This, and other aspects of Lawfare, are discussed in this episode of the Security Podcast.  

Why did the British Army fail in Afghanistan? In this episode of The Security Podcast Colonel Harry Fullerton tells Sean Rayment why the British mission in Afghanistan was a strategic failure despite being a tactical success. Harry also discusses the loneliness of command, losing soldiers on the battlefield and what it was like being Prince Harry's commanding officer.

Africa has witnessed a significant surge in the recruitment of child soldiers across conflict zones, exacerbated by Islamic insurgencies advancing southward across the continent. The United Nations has highlighted a notably high increase in child recruitment, primarily by non-state armed groups, estimating that 8,655 children were recruited for conflicts in 2023. Disturbingly, children as young as five, were coerced into joining.  In an interview with The Security Podcast , Naomi Haupt, a researcher from the University of the Free State in South Africa, highlighted how the recruitment of child soldiers is driven by factors such as armed conflicts, political instability, poverty, weak governance, and ethnic tensions. Armed groups exploit children's vulnerability, sometimes forcing them into service, she said. Haupt recommends withholding aid to countries where the recruitment of children takes place to strengthen accountability.

Why is the British Army failing and what can be done about it ? In this episode of  The Security Podcast, Colonel Harry Fullerton discusses the sequence of events which has led to the British Army become a force of just 72,000 soldiers and limited combat power at a time when geo-political uncertainty is at its highest level since the end of the Second Word War.In the podcast Harry explains why the Army needs to undergo transformation change. And why the UK’s defence chiefs should embrace a culture of  constructive criticism from within.