The General & the Journalist

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

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

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, and why even a lone strike could trigger global annihilation. Tom and Annie explore the catastrophic aftermath and the grim reality that no nation, however distant, would be spared. With nuclear tensions rising and key treaties expiring, the episode confronts an urgent question: whether nuclear war is becoming inevitable, and what humanity can still do to prevent it.Host: Tom Newton DunnGuest: Annie JacobsenPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch:  generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.ukFurther listening: A new age of nuclear weapons

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 state, but it's also jeopardising operations in the field, a fact Patrick and Nick confirm when they discuss the departure of a "significant" number of Special Forces officers who've handed in their weapons rather than risk being dragged before the courts on some as yet unknown charge.Hosts: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick SandersGuest: General Sir Nick ParkerPhoto: Getty ImagesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.ukFurther reading: "Ongoing lawfare risks everything"

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 which, if detonated, could inundate entire US coastal cities with a radioactive tsunami. In response, President Trump called for the immediate resumption of nuclear warhead testing after a three-decade moratorium. Tom and Patrick discuss whether Skyfall and Poseidon actually work or could ever be usefully deployed. But despite the doubts, they agree their arrival poses a serious threat to nuclear arms reduction. And, while the US may take some comfort from the potential limitations of Skyfall and Poseidon, both Russia and China have pulled ahead where it matters most, hypersonic warfare. Tom and Patrick explain how the west got left behind and why it urgently needs to catch up.Hosts: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick SandersPhoto: Getty ImagesClips: 60 MinutesGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.ukFurther listening: China's power: The PLA vs the USA

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 full-scale invasion to the blurred battle lines of today, he offers a rare insider’s view of a conflict that continues to redefine modern combat. A gripping conversation about technology, trauma, and the personal cost of telling one of the world’s hardest stories.Guest: James WaterhouseHosts: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick SandersPhoto: Courtesy of James WaterhouseClips: BBCGet in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.ukFurther listening: "Whose wars do we care about and why, with war reporter Anthony Loyd"