In a week that's marked an inflection point in European history and transatlantic relations, Tom and Patrick discuss whether the two continents' world views are, finally, irreconcilable. And, were America to walk away from Nato, what are the gaps that Europe would rapidly have to fill? Could it do so, and how fast?

Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton Dunn

Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Clips: CNN, Irish Mirror

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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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 Dunn

Guest: Hooman Majd

Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Clips: CBS News, Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera English

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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With Maduro gone and Venezuela seemingly bending to Trump’s will, the world is now asking who will be next and where will it stop? General Jack Keane knows the President well and has his ear. In a wide-ranging conversation, Tom and Jack discuss the Latin American countries the US now wants to bring to heel, and talk about the likelihood of Trump following through on his threat to take Greenland, by force if necessary.

Host: Tom Newton Dunn

Guest: General Jack Keane

Clip: Fox News

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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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 Dunn

Guest: Sam Olsen

Photo: Getty

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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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 Sanders

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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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 Dunn

Clips: The Mirror & Dailymotion

Photo: Getty

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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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 Sanders

Guest: Oliver Moody

Clip: Euronews

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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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 Dunn

Guest: Turkish Brigadier General Ümit Ersoy

Photo: NATO

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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