The General & the Journalist

For The General & The Journalist’s first anniversary, Tom and Patrick return to the question at the heart of the podcast – is the world becoming more dangerous? Recorded live at the Nevill Holt Festival, they look at Ukraine’s fightback, Putin’s next moves, the Iran ceasefire, China’s advantage, the threat to Taiwan and the crisis in Britain’s defences. Patrick warns that we may be entering a new Cold War and Tom asks whether Britain is moving fast enough to protect itself. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnProducer: Julia WebsterExecutive producer: Priyanka Deladia Image: William Blakesley-HerbertWhat are your thoughts on the state of British defence spending? Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.ukHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 military power visible in the Caribbean, can Washington force change in Havana or would intervention in America’s Caribbean neighbour could end in catastrophe?Guest: Stephen Gibbs, Latin America correspondent for The Times & The Sunday TimesWilliam LeoGrande, professor of Government at American UniversityHosts: Tom Newton DunnProducer: Julia WebsterExecutive producer: Priyanka Deladia Image: Paul Brookbanks and GettyClip: USA TODAY, Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 medics and vital supplies into the South Atlantic.Brigadier Ed Cartwright, who planned the operation, tells General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn how the daring rescue unfolded and what it says about Britain’s duty to protect its citizens and remote territories. But could the UK really defend these far-flung outposts from disaster or attack?Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Brigadier Ed Cartwright, Commander, 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat TeamProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: GettyGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 edge.And, if Trump needs Xi's help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, will he be willing to sell-out Taiwan in return, with potentially even greater consequences for the balance of power?Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton DunnGuest: Sam OlsenProducer: Shabnam GrewalExecutive producer: Fiona LeachImage: GettyGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.