The Security Podcast

The war in Gaza has polarised communities around the World leaving little room for progressive debate. Major General Charlie Herbert, a former senior Army officer and a veteran of multiple campaigns in Afghanistan, provides his views on the conduct of the war, whether Gaza has a future and the prospects for peace.

One of Britain’s most senior former defence chiefs has said that he believes Donald Trump will remain committed to Nato when he becomes the next US President. Former Air Marshal Greg Bagwell said he hoped Trump’s military advisers would tell the incoming president that leaving Nato would not be a sensible strategic policy. During his first term as US president, Trump had an often difficult relationship with Nato suggesting that the US could pull out of the alliance unless partner nations started meeting spending targets. Earlier this year he said that the US would not come to the assistance of Nato countries attacked by Russia if they had failed to reach the two per cent of GDP on defence spending. Speaking to National Security News’ Security Podcast, the retired air marshal said: “What does it (Trump’s election) mean for NATO?  He has said and done some things that I think he will follow through on this time." During The Security Podcast Air Marshal Bagwell also spoke about the crisis in the Middle East and how the US’s relationship with China may develop over the next four years.

President-elect Donald Trump has claimed he would end the war in Ukraine "within days" of taking office, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that Trump's leadership could indeed expedite the end of the conflict. However, questions remain: What would Trump's peace plan for Ukraine involve? Would Ukraine need to cede territory, and how would a Trump presidency affect NATO and Ukraine’s aspirations of joining the bloc? This week on The Security Podcast, National Security News Editor, Sean Rayment and Deputy-Editor Linda van Tilburg were joined by Admiral Mike Hewitt, a U.S. Navy veteran who served for 31 years. Admiral Hewitt, also the co-founder and CEO of IP3, an international energy and security company, has extensive experience in Ukraine. He argues that Trump's election could fill a leadership vacuum in Western Europe and that Trump could bring an earlier end to the war in Ukraine. Admiral Hewitt also discusses the potential implications of Trump's presidency for NATO, what Trump’s peace strategy for Ukraine is likely to be, and how young Ukrainians might favour ceding territory in exchange for peace. He says a peace agreement is complex, because it is intertwined with larger geopolitical dynamics involving China, Iran and Noth Korea.

In this episode of The Security Podcast, Colonel Harry Fullerton, a former commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment and Afghan War veteran, gives his view on 10 elements the forthcoming Strategic Defence Review must contain if it is to be fit for purpose.

In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, Maj (Retd) Wayne Owers MBE, QGM, a former Army bomb disposal officer, explains how his Army career came to a shuddering halt after he was diagnosed with PTSD. Rather than getting help, Wayne, who had served for 27-years, was booted out of the Army. During his career, Wayne completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan firstly as a bomb disposal officers for which he was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. In a second tour as a Weapons Intelligence Specialist, he received an MBE. In the podcast, Wayne talks about coping with losing colleagues, PTSD and why the Army still doesn't know how to properly treat troops with combat-related mental health issues.