The General & The Journalist
How wars start, how they are won and what they leave behind them. General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn first met in a war zone. Drawing on their real-life experience of armed conflict, they bring you the latest from Ukraine, Gaza and the dozens of other bitter struggles being fought across our increasingly divided planet. From interviews with key people on the frontlines of modern warfare to discussing the future of nuclear weapons and where Russia will attack next, this podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times also faces up to the biggest question - how ready are we for war, right now, if we had to fight one?
Episodes
Trump’s Cuba Playbook
Cuba is running out of power, fuel and patience. As blackouts spread and anger grows, Donald Trump is turning up the pressure on Havana, blaming the regime for the island’s collapse while Cuba points to decades of US sanctions. The historic US indictment of former president Raúl Castro has raised the stakes and a bigger question – is Trump trying to use his Venezuela playbook on Cuba? With US
How AI drones are changing the war in Ukraine
Nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine is trying to change the course of the war with drones, AI and battlefield innovation. What began as improvised technology has become central to Kyiv’s strategy, helping Ukraine defend the front line and strike deeper into Russia. But can drones really help Ukraine break the deadlock? And what does this mean for the future of war? Patrick
Inside the 8,000ft rescue jump onto Tristan da Cunha
Two weeks after British paratroopers landed on Tristan da Cunha, one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands, the rescue team are finally heading home.Their mission was extraordinary – reach a critically ill Briton on a tiny British Overseas Territory with no runway, no quick route by sea, and no easy way in. Within hours, 16 Air Assault Brigade was mobilised, sending paratroopers, military m
Who is really running Iran now?
Nearly three months after the Iran war began, there is a ceasefire, but no settlement. The Strait of Hormuz remains a global pressure point, Iran’s nuclear programme is unresolved, and Donald Trump is still demanding progress.But the biggest question may be inside Tehran. After war, assassinations and stalled diplomacy, power appears to be shifting away from the clerics and towards the Revolutiona
Has Iran flipped the Xi-Trump balance of power?
As President Trump lands in Beijing for his summit with Xi, Patrick and Tom are joined by China analyst, Sam Olsen, to discuss whether Iran has flipped the balance of power between the rivals.Sam argues the war has degraded America's weapons stockpile, recast China as the reliable global partner, and given Beijing a ringside seat on the US military playbook - gifting China with the strategic
Putin ‘will flood Europe with criminals and fighters after the war’
Estonia's foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, says Putin will flood Europe with the criminals he recruited to fight in Ukraine once the war ends.With Russia unable to reintegrate thousands of 'psychologically crazy' ex-combatants, they will be used for Wagner-style sabotage operations on a scale European governments have yet to grapple with.In Patrick's words, 'the moment of maximum danger could be
Why America needs NATO - US's Supreme Allied Commander
General Christopher Cavoli was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) until July 2025. He was responsible for the defence and security of 981 million people across 32 countries. Ooph. While on a flying visit to London, he dropped into the General and the Journalist studio to see his old friend Patrick and get grilled by Tom on the UK's parlous defence expenditure.But, mostly, he was here
What Trump’s mistakes in Iran teach all of us
Dr Fiona Hill is a former deputy assistant to President Trump and served as director for Russian Affairs on the US National Security Council from 2017-19. She joins Tom and Patrick to chew over the lessons from the Iran war - that the US is no longer a reliable partner, other alliances must urgently be formed, and the world economy can be held to ransom at will. But it's in her capacity as one of
Russia’s nuclear bomb threat in space
From Russia's nuclear threat to satellites, the prospect of a permanent lunar station, and the hopes of Artemis, Patrick and Tom could barely contain their space-geek excitement at speaking with General Whiting, head of US Space Command.'There cannot be anybody on the planet who has more power in space than that man', gushed Patrick. And for good reason; war is now essentially a space do
A rescue mission behind enemy lines, f-bomb tweets and 'a whole civilisation will die'
Having first demanded that Iran 'open the fucking strait', President Trump followed up with a post vowing 'an entire civilisation will die tonight' if it did not do so. But could any such order ever be legal, and would the American military even agree to carry it out?Patrick and Tom chew over these and other questions, including whether it's time for America's long-standing allies to bail on
Q&A: From Xi's PLA purges to Trump's Nato threats, your biggest questions answered
For their Easter special, Tom and Patrick turn the entire show over to you. They answer as many listener questions as possible that have landed in the General & Journalist inbox since Christmas. Among them: whether Europe could defend itself in the events of an immediate Russian incursion, and whether the Iran war has changed Xi's calculus over taking Taiwan - and many more. Hosts: T
Fear and loathing in Moscow - Putin, Iran and a coup?
The Kremlin's treasury runneth-over with oil revenues, Moscow's military is being treated to a lesson in the latest US warfare in real time, and the world's eyes are averted from Ukraine. Trump's war with Iran has been a boon for President Putin. And yet rumours of paranoia, deserting elites, and strange defections abound. To decipher what exactly is going on in Moscow, Patrick and Tom a
'As big as the Berlin Wall and 9/11', Peter Frankopan on the Iran war
World-renowned historian Peter Frankopan joins Tom and Patrick to dissect the escalating conflict in Iran through the lens of ancient history and shifting civilisations. The Silk Roads author argues the war is less a standalone event and more the continuation of a century-long struggle for control over the "spine of the world" and its vital resources, namely oil.Upending international law, de
What is Trump's off-ramp for Iran?
We are in the second week of a war that was supposed to be over by now. Yet the world is facing soaring oil prices, rising inflation and a regime which doesn't seem ready to capitulate. While President Trump continues to threaten Iran, he faces the limits of what air power, alone, can achieve and increasing pressure at home. Recording on Day 12 of the conflict, Patrick and Tom are joine
How does America win a war with Iran?
President Trump has given numerous reasons for America's war on Iran. But if a clear objective cannot be defined, can that war be won?Admiral James 'Sandy' Winnefeld is a former vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Until last year he headed the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, overseeing planning for American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.He joins Tom and Patrick to talk
‘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 country's military leadership did not fully grasp the seismic shift in warfare brought about by drones and AI - but he did.Having risen at breakneck speed to become armed forces minister, Al talks
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 Turkey and the US.It spends more on defence as a proportion of national wealth than even America and is soon to have more large tanks than the UK, Germany and France combined.So how did this happen, wh
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 the reserves. The Chief of the defence staff recently called for an 'all in mentality', urging civilians to step up to the very real threat posed by Russia. Not 'weekend warriors', but pe
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 capabilities, Artificial 'superintelligence' is smarter, potentially putting ASI beyond human control.Jon Wolfsthal worked in the Obama White House on nuclear non-proliferation. He, like scores of others in def
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 ever episode of The State of It: USA. An attack on Iran looks imminent: we reveal what senior military and political figures are saying about it.Also, is Donald Trump taking a softer line on immi
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 the military's hierarchy. But having now carried out an almost-total purge of the PLA's leadership, has Xi consolidated his power or, ultimately, undermined it? And what does it mean for a prospectiv
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 America to walk away from Nato, what are the military gaps that Europe would rapidly have to fill? Could it do so, and how fast? Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton DunnProducer
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 any would improve the lot of ordinary Iranians or simply make a bad situation worse. Joining them is the author and journalist, Hooman Majd, to explain why the absence of any viable opposition raises t
Trump's confidante on where he'll go next
With Maduro gone and Venezuela seemingly bending to Trump’s will, the world is now asking who will be next and where will it stop? General Jack Keane knows the President well and has his ear. In a wide-ranging conversation, Tom and Jack discuss the Latin American countries the US now wants to bring to heel, and talk about the likelihood of Trump following through on his threat to take Greenland, b
Why the west has one year to see off a polycrisis
In this New Year edition of The General and the Journalist, Tom and Patrick explore the idea of a looming 'polycrisis', a convergence of geopolitical, economic and technological shocks that could peak around 2027. Joined by intelligence expert and China specialist Sam Olsen, they unpack what a simultaneous crisis involving China, Russia, and potentially North Korea and Iran could mean for the West
Q&A: From rogue Nato states to British fighting power, your biggest questions answered
For their Christmas special, Tom and Patrick turn the entire show over to you. They answer as many listener questions as possible that have landed in the General & Journalist inbox since May. Among them: what to do about wayward NATO members who still help Russia, and the state of Britain’s fighting power, and plenty more. Vote for The General & the Journalist for People's Choice at t
Is the UK finally stepping up to the Russia threat?
This week, we heard two strikingly blunt speeches from the UK’s most senior defence and intelligence chiefs, both aimed at recalibrating how Britain thinks about the threat from Russia. The Chief of the Defence Staff warns that the country is no longer safely distant from conflict, while the new head of MI6 breaks with tradition in her first speech to focus squarely on Putin’s Russia, the “grey zo
How do you prepare a continent for war?
Europe is rearming at a pace not seen in decades, from the Baltics to France, where President Macron has called for a new era of “mobilisation,” short of conscription but aimed at readying the nation for darker horizons. This week, Tom and Patrick ask what the UK should do in response, and whether our volunteer army can meet the moment. They’re joined by Oliver Moody, The Times’s Berlin correspond
On the frontline of Nato's cyber war with Russia
Cyber warfare is played out in the shadows, never declared and never attributed. But, as the General in charge of Nato's cyber operations tells Tom, the west is fighting what amounts to a war on a daily basis. Patrick agrees, recalling his time as Commander of UK Cyber operations, an experience he likens to living under a 'digital Blitz.' Host: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom
What's Trump really doing in Venezuela?
The largest deployment of US naval assets since the Cold War has been sent steaming across the Atlantic to the Venezuelan coast. The CIA has reportedly been given the green light to operate inside the country. And now the Cartel de los Soles has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, potentially paving the way for strikes against the man the US claims to be its leader, President Nicolas
BONUS: Is peace coming to Ukraine?
The former chief of MI6, Sir Alex Younger, tells Tom that this is the moment Europe needs to “regain its relationship with hard power”, having been caught on the back foot by an American peace plan widely regarded to have been made in Moscow. As we recorded this bonus episode, Ukraine had just accepted America's modified plan, but Moscow had yet to respond. Sir Alex believes that “Ukraine is still
Inside the Pentagon's nuclear war game
Journalist Annie Jacobsen joins Tom to discuss her bestselling and harrowing book Nuclear War: A Scenario, which maps out in minute-by-minute detail what would happen if a single nuclear missile were launched at the United States. Drawing on rare on-the-record interviews with senior nuclear experts, she reveals how little time a president has to respond, how unreliable missile defenses truly are,
The Generals vs The Lawyers
It's warfare or lawfare, but it can't be both. Patrick and Tom chat with General Sir Nick Parker, Patrick's friend and mentor of old, to talk about a letter they and six other four-star Generals signed, calling for an immediate end to retrospective legal cases being brought against former servicemen and women.The cases are not only undermining the very basis of the compact between soldier and stat
Meet Skyfall and Poseidon, Putin’s new nuclear threats
In the space of only three days, President Putin announced the arrival of two new super weapons. Both powered by nuclear reactors, they have no equal in the west. Burevestnik, or Skyfall by its Nato codename, is a low-flying cruise missile with unlimited range and the ability to travel undetected by US defence systems. Poseidon is a torpedo capable of carrying a nuclear payload whic
“A cauldron of pressure”, reporting from Ukraine’s frontline
For three and a half years, BBC correspondent James Waterhouse was the face of the Ukraine war, reporting nightly from Kyiv through air raids, blackouts, and breaking news. In this episode, he joins Tom and Patrick to reflect on the mental and emotional toll of years on the frontline, the strange adjustment to life back home, and the addictive intensity of war. From the first hours of Russia’s ful
How does a war over Taiwan play out?
While trade wars hog the headlines ahead of next week's historic meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, it's the potential of a real, kinetic war over Taiwan that's occupying the minds of military analysts the world over. Xi has called the reunification of Taiwan and China 'inevitable' and necessary for the realisation of his 'China Dream.' But America has a historic obligatio
Undersea cables: just how close is Russia to causing a catastrophic disaster?
While Nato looks up at the skies to Russian drones buzzing its airspace, a far more serious threat lurks below, on our ocean beds. And evidence is mounting that Moscow is already mapping the frontlines in a putative, deniable, attack. As our guest, the former British Defence Secretary, John Hutton, tells Tom, undersea cables are the means by which the economy and society itself survives. And they
What does the military do when a president goes rogue?
As President Trump orders the Texas National Guard into Chicago, America stands poised on the brink of a constitutional crisis. With troops already stationed in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., critics charge that the president is wielding the military as a political weapon. At the same time, Trump is reshaping the upper ranks of the armed forces, sidelining those who have challenged his authorit
Putin’s drones probe Nato's defensive lines
A wave of drones targeting airports, threatening critical infrastructure and potentially endangering the lives of civilians brought a number of Nato countries briefly to a standstill this past month. The presumed gift of President Putin, this deniable activity was straight out of the Kremlin playbook. But was the primary purpose to disrupt for disruption's sake, to probe the weaknesses in Nato's d
India the new giant: will it be forced to pick a side?
This week, Patrick and Tom turn their attention to India - the world’s most populous country, a rising military power, and a state determined to hold its ground between East and West. As President Xi Jinping courts Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Washington’s ties with Delhi fray, India’s long-cherished “strategic autonomy” is looking increasingly fragile. With Britain’s Prime Minister preparing
Whose wars do we care about and why, with war reporter Anthony Loyd
This week Tom is joined by award-winning war correspondent Anthony Loyd for a special “Journalist & Journalist” edition. Together, they explore why some wars capture global attention while others, equally devastating, remain largely ignored. Drawing on three decades of frontline reporting from the Balkans to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine, Anthony offers a unique insight into how compassion fa
China’s power: Is Xi's strategy to supplant the West working? (Part 2)
This week, Patrick and Tom turn from China’s military power to its less visible, but no less powerful, tools of economic dominance. Their guest, Sam Olsen is a geopolitical strategist with decades of experience studying China who argues that the West’s reliance on Chinese supply chains isn’t just about cheap consumer goods, but runs through the very heart of our defence industries. From rare earth
China’s power: The PLA vs the USA (Part 1)
The People’s Liberation Army put on one of the largest military displays in China’s modern history this week as the country marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the Second World War. Accompanied by Presidents Putin and Kim Jong Un, President Xi Jinping showed the world the might of the CCP’s forces, but China-watchers disagree over just how battle-ready the PLA would be in any showd
The story of Ukraine's heroic 'Iron People'
This week, Tom and Patrick take you inside Ukraine’s railways, the country’s lifeline since the full-scale Russian invasion began. With over 20,000 kilometres of track, they’ve evacuated millions, ferried troops and supplies to the front, and turned carriages into mobile hospitals. At the heart of this effort is Oleksandr Pertsovski, the CEO of Ukrainian Railways, who shares how his “Iron Peo
Why Trump doesn't understand Putin, with Gen Sir Nick Carter
Sir Patrick's away this week, so Tom persuaded another four-star General, the UK's former Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Nick Carter, to join him instead. They discuss whether, in the wake of the Alaska summit between Presidents Trump and Putin, and Europe's mad dash to DC to see off its worst effects, a so-called 'Non-NATO Article 5-style' security guarantee for Ukraine can be any such thin
What is the Israeli strategy for Gaza?
Tom and Patrick discuss Israel’s new Gaza strategy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set a controversial new goal - the full occupation of Gaza, starting with Gaza City. His security cabinet has signed off on the first phase, but opposition is growing fast from the international community, and it seems from within Israel’s own military leadership. There are warnings that the plan will deepen
The future of war, with U.S. General James Rainey
Patrick and Tom sit down with General James E. Rainey, the head of the United States Army Futures Command, to discuss what the wars of tomorrow will look like. Without doubt we are living through a period of rapid and often unsettling military transformation with everything from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 3D-printed drones to hypersonic missiles. The AI revolution paired with quantum
Was British involvement in Afghanistan worth it?
It’s been four years since the Taliban retook control of Kabul, marking the end of the UK’s 20-year military presence in Afghanistan. This week, Patrick sits down with James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust and a former army officer who led Task Force Helmand from 2009 to 2010. Together, they reflect on the 2021 evacuation, the recent Afghan data leak, their regrets, and whether Britain’s involvement
What's happening to the Ukrainian children taken by Russia?
Tom and Patrick have been in Ukraine updating the story of the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia following their full-scale invasion. Some have been fostered or adopted by Russian families, but the vast majority are thought to have been funnelled into re-education camps. And now, as some of these children reach adulthood, that means new concerns amongst the Ukrainian autho
Andriy Yermak: The second most powerful man in Ukraine
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 o
Where will Russia attack next?
Patrick and Tom have both been in countries where there is a very strong feeling that President Putin won’t stop with Ukraine: Tom in Poland and Patrick in Estonia. Nato’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte has gone so far as to say that Putin could launch an attack within the next five years, warning: “Let’s not kid ourselves, we are all on the eastern flank now.” So, they ask: Where will Russia attac
A new age of nuclear weapons
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. Ho
The Nato summit - waving or drowning?
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 pol
Iran and Israel - how does this end?
During an unprecedented war between Iran and Israel, and ahead of the much anticipated Nato summit next week, Lord Robertson, former Secretary General of Nato, joins Tom and Patrick to assess what happens next in the conflict, and what it means for the rest of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The shadowy world of targeted killings
A pattern is seemingly emerging with a series of high profile targeted killings taking place inside Russian territory, blamed on Ukrainian forces. This week, an in depth look at those stories, who may be responsible for them, why they may be happening and what are rules when it comes to assessing wether they are legally and ethically justified. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor
The Strategic Defence Review
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
Can Ukraine survive if President Trump walks away?
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 s
Simon Case: If you want peace, prepare for war
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
Introducing - The General & the Journalist
A new podcast on the intricacies of geopolitics in an age of uncertainty at a time when conflict is never far from the headlines. Patrick and Tom - the General and the Journalist - examine why wars begin, and how they end - and, crucially how they can be prevented. Unparalleled insights into the dynamics of modern warfare through General Sir Patrick Sanders, a decorated soldier with 40 years of mi
