The Unconventional Soldier

CONTENTThe guest today is Gemma Gardner, a British Army veteran who moved into performance psychology. After experiencing mental health issues following her medical discharge, she developed the Orus framework, which focuses on the five pillars of awareness, understanding, regulation, identity, and stability. The discussion highlights the psychological difficulties soldiers face when their military identity is stripped away, often leading to a loss of purpose and confidence in civilian life. Gemma emphasizes the importance of proactive transition planning to help veterans navigate life after service and advocates for better education on the cultural differences between military and civilian workplaces. We also discuss how veterans can redefine themselves and find new outlets for their service-oriented values.Gemma's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "Papa Papa Blues - A Memoir Of 80s To 90s Policing And Combat Sports" by CJ Brett. My choice is "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius.WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.

CONTENTMy guests for this podcast are Neale Smiles and Stuart Lyle. Stuart is the Urban Operations Lead at the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, or Dstl, part of the Ministry of Defence. Neale is a former soldier working in the defence industry. For generations, the bayonet has been one of the most enduring symbols of the infantry soldier. But does it still have a meaningful place on the modern battlefield? In this episode, we examine the declining practical value of the bayonet in contemporary infantry combat.Modern rifles, suppressors, body armour and other weapon attachments increasingly make the fixed bayonet cumbersome and of questionable effectiveness, particularly in close-quarter fighting. We explore whether armies should move beyond tradition and instead place greater emphasis on practical hand-to-hand combat skills and purpose-designed fighting knives. We also consider the bayonet’s enduring psychological and cultural importance, from aggression and fighting spirit to its place in infantry identity and training. The bayonet may remain a powerful symbol but has its time as a practical weapon finally passed?Stuart's article on this subject can be found on the think Defence web page here: https://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2026/09/the-bayonet-is-obsolete-the-case-for-change-in-extremely-close-quarters-combat/"BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.

CONTENTThe guest today is Dr Johan Wennstrom an intelligence historian and writer on statecraft, from the Cold War underground to today’s crises. He is the author of “The Stay Behinds: Sweden’s Cold War Guardians” a national bestseller in Sweden recently translated into English and also writes on Substack as “Our Man In Stockholm” (https://johanwennstrom.substack.com/). On this episode we discuss the secretive history of Sweden’s "stay-behind" network established in 1949. This clandestine organization was composed primarily of civilians, such as farmers and factory workers, trained to act as a resistance movement in the event of a Soviet occupation. Operating through a strictly compartmentalized cell structure, members were prepared to conduct activities as intelligence gathering and establishing escape rat lines while under direct Swedish command. The discussion highlights that despite Sweden’s official non-aligned status, the government maintained secret ties with Western intelligence to ensure national survival. Johan provides an overview of Sweden’s "Total Defense" doctrine at the time, illustrating the strategic preparations made to prepare for a Soviet Invasion during the Cold War.Johan's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" by John Le Carre. My choice is his book “The Stay Behinds: Sweden’s Cold War Guardians”. We also discuss "A Private Spy - The Letters Of John Le Carre" edited by Tim Cornwell.WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.

CONTENTListener information - On this episode we discuss the realities of life in a war zone and suicide. My guest is Graham Paul Roberts, a former Welsh Guardsman and private military contractor who served in numerous global conflict zones in the military and as a PMC. He describes his journey from a premature birth and childhood bullying to training Syrian forces during the civil war. We discuss the psychological toll of war, including his struggle with complex PTSD and the hallucinations that haunted him upon returning home. Through his memoir, Echoes in Silence, he reflects on a pivotal realisation regarding the actions of the forces he trained and his subsequent path toward recovery.Today, Graham has found a new sense of purpose as a teacher in North Wales, where he uses his experiences to foster resilience and confidence in students with additional learning needs. He emphasizes the importance of seeking mental health support, crediting his recovery to professional intervention and the unwavering support of his family.Graham's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "B20" by Andy McNab. My choice is Graham's Book "Echoes in The Silence - A True Story Of War, Trauma & Resilience".WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.

CONTENTThe guest today is Dr. Gary Buck, a psychologist and military historian, who uses psychological frameworks to analyze the planning failures of Operation Market Garden. Gary applies the OODA loop and Myers-Briggs personality types to examine why high-level commanders like Montgomery, Browning, and Urquhart made critical errors during the 1944 mission. He suggests that extreme stress and organisational pressure caused leaders to abandon their typical caution for risky, uncharacteristic gambles. The discussion highlights how cognitive biases and personal ambitions led to an overly optimistic plan that relied on luck and ignored stiffening German resistance. Ultimately, the discussion provides a psychological autopsy of how human decision-making processes can derail complex military operations.Gary's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett. My choice is Gary's Book "A risk too far - A psychological autopsy of the planning for Arnhem".WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.

CONTENTI was saddened to hear this week of the death of Major General Tony Stone CB. The Unconventional Soldier Podcast was created to preserve the history of the Special OP Troop, now known as 4/73 (Special Observation Post) Battery, the British Army's long-range Surveillance and Target Acquisition patrols unit.Tony Stone founded the unit in 1982 and remained one of its strongest supporters throughout both his military career and his retirement. Even towards the end of last year, he was still taking the time to meet successful students coming off the patrols selection course, reflecting his lifelong commitment to the unit and its people.In this episode, we discuss one of the Cold War's most remarkable military concepts: the plan to counter a potential Warsaw Pact invasion of West Germany using stay-behind patrols. We explore how specially selected soldiers would occupy concealed underground observation posts, allowing enemy forces to pass overhead before directing artillery fire onto them. We also discuss the demanding selection process, the unique mindset and technical skills required, and the specialist equipment, MEXE hides and observation posts that made these operations possible.This episode is dedicated to Tony's memory. It is an edited extract from a much longer interview we recorded together in 2020, preserving his firsthand account of the creation of one of the British Army's most unique and secretive capabilities.WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.