The General & the Journalist

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

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

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

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

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

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"