The General & the Journalist – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Simon Case, the former Cabinet Secretary examines how much Britain should be spending on defence “right now” to protect ourselves against spiralling global threats - including Russia and China. The former leading British civil servant warns the West now faces an axis of rival states that are cooperating ever more closely. Leading them is the technological and military powerhouse of China, which he describes as "the pace setting threat” that will dominate the next 20 years - especially as he says Beijing is now sharing its rapid advances with Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Hosted by two extraordinary individuals with decades of experience in their respective fields, this podcast offers unparalleled insight into the dynamics of modern warfare through General Sir Patrick Sanders, a soldier with 40 years of military expertise. He is joined by Tom Newton Dunn, an award-winning journalist. Together they provide a unique perspective on global conflict.

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Last week, President Trump said in reference to the war in Ukraine: "I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going". With that very real possibility looming large, General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn discuss in detail whether Ukraine can survive without the support of the US - and for how long.

Do get in touch with the show: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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Britain unveils a new and ambitious Strategic Defence Review outlining ways to make Britain battle-ready in the years and decades ahead. But is time already running out? With global threats intensifying and much of the review’s ambitions earmarked for the 2030s, Patrick and Tom question whether the UK is truly going to be prepared for full scale war as a result of the review. This week, they break down what they think the review gets right — and what they think it leaves out.

You can reach us at generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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A behind the scenes look at the 2025 NATO Summit. The summit was billed as a turning point—Secretary General Mark Rutte even called it a “quantum leap” in collective defence. The Nato allies have now pledged to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. But will that money come fast enough to meet the threat from Russia? And what does it mean for Ukraine? We break down the numbers, the timing—and the politics. And of course much of this summit was less about strategy and more about one man, President Trump and the ceasefire in the Israel-Iran War.

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Patrick and Tom unpack a troubling question - are we entering a third nuclear age? With Iran’s nuclear programme back in the headlines and countries like Poland and South Korea considering building nuclear weapons of their own, the old global order is clearly shifting. Patrick and Tom explore what this means for global security, and whether nuclear proliferation is set to become the new normal.

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While in Ukraine, Tom and Patrick sit down with President Zelensky’s Head of Office, Andriy Yermak. A long-time friend and trusted advisor to Volodymyr Zelensky, Yermak is also one of the most controversial figures in the country - unelected, immensely influential, and central to Ukraine’s war effort and diplomatic strategy.

In their conversation, Yermak discusses the state of the war, the morale of Ukraine’s exhausted population, and most strikingly, whether President Trump’s dramatic new push for peace could actually bring the fighting to an end.

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