In part two of their discussion, Warships Pod host Iain Ballantyne and guest Doug Littlejohns touch on numerous things, not least nuclear deterrent matters. As in the previous episode, the situation during the Cold War is compared with today’s, including the problem of Royal Navy submarines that carry the deterrent becoming elderly and badly in need of replacement. Doug recalls his role in selling the upgrade from Polaris to Trident to the British public in the 1980s, providing insights into how fundamental it was to absolutely guarantee its effectiveness. Doug suggests that for such system ..read more

In the first part of a discussion with Captain Doug Littlejohns, who commanded a nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine against the Russians during the old Cold War, the primary topic is whether or not we are on the brink of World War Three. Doug provides insights gained when he played key roles tasking NATO submarines during 1980s spikes in tension and also from working in the corridors of power in the Ministry of Defence in London. Podcast host Iain Ballantyne also asks whether or not Doug was ever truly scared the face-off between the Soviet Union and the West would turn into a hot war ..read more

A National Audit Office (NAO) report on ‘The Equipment Plan 2023 - 2033’ in the UK makes for grim reading, revealing a massive so-called ‘black hole’ in the Defence budget, which means there is apparently no money for key projects, including future warships. In part two of the discussion, host Iain Ballantyne and guests Gary Blackburn and James Bosbotinis weigh up the shortfall in funding. They also ponder what the Labour Government-in-waiting might do to fill in the ‘black hole’ if it succeeds in coming to power in 2024.  Are we going to see the Navy-led Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’ by the UK ..read more

This episode begins with a discussion by host Iain Ballantyne and guests Dr Gary Blackburn and Dr James Bosbotinis about the bid by Venezuela to annex a major part of neighboring Guyana. How might navies attempt to prevent escalation as the communist client state of Russia and Iran considers its next move against an oil-rich Commonwealth nation? How the Venezuelan Navy stacks up against Guyana’s forces is part of the discussion. Then there is the Red Sea situation where the Houthi faction in Yemen is letting fly with Iranian-supplied drones and missiles against merchant ships and warships in ..read more

In a fascinating and absorbing discussion host Iain Ballantyne and guest Tom Sharpe discuss the US Navy destroyer USS Carney shooting down cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. As a former warship captain, Tom provides deeply insightful expert analysis on how the incident may have unfolded. But the podcast first grips listeners with Tom’s insider perspective on tense anti terrorist patrols aboard British frigates in the northern Arabian Gulf and facing the Iranian threat in the Strait of Hormuz. Iain and Tom then consider the naval side of the Israel-Hamas crisis, not least the USA mo ..read more

Our special guest for a deep dive into British naval espionage during the Cold War is Mike Hurley, a veteran of undersea deployments in dangerous waters. As a very young submariner in the late 1950s Mike endured marathon patrols in diesel-electric submarines, most notably HMS Taciturn. In this fascinating discussion with Warships Pod host Iain Ballantyne, Mike reveals how Taciturn ventured into Arctic waters to gather intelligence on Red Navy exercises and, potentially, the foe’s secret technology. As a conventional (non-nuclear) submarine, Taciturn had to risk ‘snorting’ to vent diesel fum ..read more

In part one of this discussion between Dr. Gary Blackburn and host Iain Ballantyne, they investigate the recently published UK Defence Command Paper (DCP).  It was meant to lay out how British national defence and security will be achieved, especially in light of the on-going Ukraine War. However, it is regarded by some as nothing more than a ‘word salad’ - an opaquely worded smokescreen to hide the fact that Britain doesn’t have enough money to defend itself properly. Gary highlights valid points made by the DCP, while also suggesting its weaknesses. Iain proposes the DCP should actual ..read more

We continue our occasional series talking to Cold War undersea warriors with the first installment of a two-episode dive into the submarine career of Commander Rob Forsyth. Entering the Royal Navy in the 1950s, after a brief excursion into the surface fleet, Rob found himself aboard the submarine HMS Auriga, undertaking a patrol during the Cuban Missile Crisis of late 1962. With Warships Pod host Iain Ballantyne, Rob also discusses a submerged transatlantic transit in the same diesel-electric boat, which turned out not to be the record-breaking voyage everybody hoped for (due to a messy tech ..read more

In part one of a two-part special, guests Dr Gary Blackburn and Mark Grove discuss an array of hot topics with host Iain Ballantyne. Iain asks Gary and Mark to give their perspectives on submarine aspects of the Australia- United Kingdom-USA (AUKUS) defence pact following the recent big announcement on the way ahead in San Diego. They consider the implications, along with the scale and nature of the challenge, both industrially and strategically. The UK’s Integrated Review 23 Refresh’ (IR23) comes under scrutiny to assess what we know so far and what may be to come, including naval cuts/or r ..read more

Michael G. Welham is our guest, talking to host Iain Ballantyne about the mysterious world of undersea warriors known as ‘combat divers’. Michael has been involved with diving, both military and civilian, for some 40 years. He was a Royal Marines Commando, with skills in diving, canoeing, and parachuting. Mike was also a member of 21 Special Air Service Regiment and of 95 Commando Naval Gunfire Support Royal Artillery, both British elite Reserve units.  To start things off, Iain asks Mike to provide a definition of a combat diver. Who can be described as such? What is it that attracts ..read more