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On the show
Recent episodes
Why America needs NATO
Apr 29, 2026
Unknown duration
What Trump’s mistakes in Iran teach all of us
Apr 22, 2026
Unknown duration
Russia’s nuclear bomb threat in space
Apr 15, 2026
Unknown duration
A rescue mission behind enemy lines, f-bomb tweets and 'a whole civilisation will die'
Apr 8, 2026
Unknown duration
Q&A: From Xi's PLA purges to Trump's Nato threats, your biggest questions answered
Apr 1, 2026
Unknown duration
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/29/26 |  Why America needs NATO | 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 to talk about NATO and why, as a proud and patriotic American, he sees the Alliance as critical to America's own defence and security. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: General Christopher CavoliProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyClips: Fox newsGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/22/26 |  What Trump’s mistakes in Iran teach all of us | As America finds itself in a trapped quagmire of its own making, dragging its reputation and the world economy down with it. Patrick and Tom are joined by the former deputy assistant to President Trump, Fiona Hill, to chew over the lessons thrown up by the Iran war. The US has confirmed its status as an unreliable partner, drone warfare has gone mainstream, and the world economy can be held to ransom with relative ease. But it's in her capacity as one of the authors of last year's UK strategic defence review that Fiona's lessons from the Iran conflict most hit home.'It's time to level with the population that the UK is under siege, it just doesn't know it'. The Government must prepare now for attacks on critical infrastructure and supply lines, and ensure the NHS could respond to a mass casualty event. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Dr Fiona HillProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/15/26 |  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 domain, as the the American general explains, determining conflicts from Ukraine to Iran. And space, more than any other theatre, is where the cold war with China is most acutely felt. In a welcome note of optimism to close the conversation, General Whiting doubled-down on the benefits to both Europe and America of continued military cooperation, and paid fulsome tribute to his Nato allies.We hope you love this conversion half as much as Patrick and Tom did!Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: General Stephen Whiting, head of US Space CommandProducer: Micaela Arneson and Harry StottExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/8/26 |  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 it, if bombing a country into submission ever works, and what the sacking of the head of the US army tells us about the state of the country's military and, perhaps, its constitution. But first up, in a week which saw possibly the finest rescue mission ever carried out, John Nichols recalls his experience in the first Gulf War of being shot down over enemy territory, attempting to evade capture, and waiting for the infantry to arrive. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: John NicholProducer: Micaela ArnesonExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/1/26 |  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: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick SandersProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 3/26/26 |  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 are joined by Russia-watcher extraordinaire, Mark Galeotti. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Mark GaleottiProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyListen here to Mark's podcast, In Moscow's Shadows Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 3/19/26 |  '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, decades-long alliances, and the norms of democracy, Frankopan posits that the war has buried multilateralism for good, and is as consequential for geopolitics as either the fall of the Berlin Wall or 9/11. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Peter FrankopanProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 3/12/26 |  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 joined by Sir Simon Gass, former Ambassador to Tehran and Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, to dissect the rise of a new Iranian dynasty and the high-stakes search for an off-ramp that no one seems able to find.Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Sir Simon GassProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyClips: War.gov Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 3/5/26 |  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 US tactics, Iranian response and a possible end-game.Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Admiral James 'Sandy' WinnefeldProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyClips: Whitehouse.gov, Reuters, USA Today, @WION. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 2/25/26 |  ‘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 candidly to Patrick and Tom about the need for the country to prepare for war with Russia in "three to five years."Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Al Carns DSO OBE MC MPProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: courtesy of Al Carns Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
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| 2/19/26 |  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, what are the implications, and are there lessons to be learned for the UK? Host:Tom Newton DunnGuests: Oliver Moody and Bartosz KielakProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachPhoto: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 2/12/26 |  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 people from high-tech industries and professions, skills the regular army lacks. He meant all of us. So, who could join the reserves, how quickly, and what would they get out of it?Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuests: Elisabeth Braw and Peter AppsProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachPhoto: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 2/5/26 |  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 defence, diplomacy and AI, has signed a petition calling for a ban on superintelligence, unless and until it can be controlled. He joined Patrick and Tom from New York to spell out exactly why we must stop our nuclear and biological weapons being run by machines.But, don't worry, it gets lighter. Jon is a massive fan of sci-fi. Turns out, so are Patrick and Tom. The three of them swap film and book faves, from Prometheus to Frankenstein, Alien to Terminator, and talk about how they all foreshadowed this artificial intelligence moment.Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Jon WolfsthalProducer: Sophie McNultyClip: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.Photo: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 2/1/26 |  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 immigration after the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis?And get ready for Melania, the movie.Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday TimesGerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street JournalProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/29/26 |  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 prospective move on Taiwan? Patrick and Tom are joined from Taipei by RUSI's Philip Shetler-Jones, to talk about rumours of a coup and chew over what's left of the PLA's command and control structures.Watching events in Beijing closely will be Japan, which has recently ditched its post-war pacificism to rearm at breakneck speed. Recognising the reality of Xi's ambition to 'reunite' with Taiwan, and mindful of an increasingly unpredictable America, Tokyo has come off the fence and declared that any attack on Taiwan would automatically draw it into a war with China. But is it too late to deter Xi?Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton DunnProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive producer: Fiona LeachClips: Al Arabiya EnglishPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/22/26 |  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: Shabnam GrewalClips: CNN, Irish MirrorPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/15/26 |  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 the spectre of civil war, should the regime collapse.Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton DunnGuest: Hooman MajdProducer: Shabnam GrewalClips: CBS News, Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera EnglishPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/7/26 |  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, by force if necessary. Host: Tom Newton Dunn Guest: General Jack KeaneClip: Fox NewsPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/1/26 |  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. The conversation moves from worst-case scenarios to practical mitigations, asking whether governments, businesses and citizens truly grasp the scale of the challenge ahead. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton DunnGuest: Sam OlsenPhoto: GettyGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/25/25 |  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 the 2026 Political Podcast Awards.Hosts: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick SandersGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/18/25 |  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 zone” between peace and war, and the corrosive impact of technology on truth and power. Tom and Patrick explore what’s changed, why the tone is tougher, and whether this marks a genuine turning point in how the UK talks about war, resilience and national security.Vote for The General & the Journalist for People's Choice at the 2026 Political Podcast Awards.Host: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton DunnClips: The Mirror & DailymotionPhoto: GettyGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/11/25 |  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 correspondent and author of Baltic: The Future of Europe, to explore how frontline states are preparing their populations for potential conflict. From Finland’s “Total Defence” model to France’s new voluntary service for teenagers, they break down the shifts already underway, and the uncomfortable questions they raise for Britain. Vote for The General & the Journalist for People's Choice at the 2026 Political Podcast Awards.Hosts: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick SandersGuest: Oliver MoodyClip: EuronewsPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/4/25 |  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 Newton DunnGuest: Turkish Brigadier General Ümit ErsoyPhoto: NATO Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 11/27/25 |  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 Maduro himself. But what really sits behind Trump's determination to see him off, and how might he do it?Host: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton DunnGuest: Ryan BergClips: Associated Press, The Sun, PBS News HourPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 11/25/25 |  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 in the game.” But for how long? Guest: Sir Alex YoungerHost: Tom Newton DunnPicture: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
7 placements across 5 markets.
Chart Positions
7 placements across 5 markets.