Just finished the last episode of The Wargame. Pretty sobering ending - Russia definitely got the better of the exchange, even if the game finishes mid-war.
An excellent way of bringing the dangers of our present age to a wider public, not least the UK's very limited response options.
Donald Trump the "daddy" and his NATO “children" and Marco Rubio having a giggle⬇️
news.sky.com/video/nato-s...
If you still haven't caught The Wargame, now you have the opportunity to binge all five episodes. It is an extremely interesting and sobering listen, as it provides a less often discussed scenario of Russia testing NATO, and many of the UK considerations are equally valid for other NATO-countries.
🚨The final episode of The Wargame is out now:
After another attack by Russia, our fictional British government faces a terrifying choice. The home secretary asks: “We have the nuclear deterrent. In what circumstances would we use it prime minister?"
podfollow.com/thewargame
It will be out on 24 June!
🚨Out today - episodes 3 & 4 of The Wargame podcast.
In the scenario, Russia has just launched an armed attack on the UK. How will our fictional British government respond?
Episode 3: Where’s the War Book?
Episode 4: Ultimatum
podfollow.com/thewargame
🚨Out today - episodes 3 & 4 of The Wargame podcast.
In the scenario, Russia has just launched an armed attack on the UK. How will our fictional British government respond?
Episode 3: Where’s the War Book?
Episode 4: Ultimatum
podfollow.com/thewargame
Episodes 3 & 4 of 'The Wargame' scheduled for release tonight.
Meanwhile, Russian state media coverage highlights that "they also have a person playing the president of Russia. This one. With a beard."
Screenshot of State Department addresses - plus one more.
HACK ALERT - Several of my email accounts have been targeted with a sophisticated account takeover that involved impersonating the US State Department.
More on the how, what and when later (including how to prevent similar attacks in the future), but for now -
[1/5]
Oh, but there are more interesting options as well 😁 Head over to Sky News/Tortoise 'The Wargame' to hear some interesting options. Gibraltar enters the stage in episode 2, but I'm not going to spoil anything more 😎
Hopefully people find this both interesting and educational. I had a small role in the background, but will be fascinated to learn how the other parts of the wargame went. Congratulations to @deborahaynes.bsky.social, Rob Johnson and all of the team for getting it out!
Out now, The Wargame, a podcast series that simulates a Russian attack on the UK.
We imagine it's October 2025 Russia deploys a task force of ships, jets & submarines to the North Atlantic.
The UK is in missile range.
The PM calls an emergency Cobra meeting.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
Date for your diary: on 10 June you will want to listen to this, especially if you are in the UK. @deborahaynes.bsky.social brought together a home team of former ministers, generals and top civil servants to game out defence against Russia. The results are interesting.
news.sky.com/story/the-wa...
The Wargame: what a gripping and much-needed wargame of an attack on the UK.
Featuring luminaries of British politics (and yours truly as NATO SecGen).
Masterfully conceived and written by @deborahaynes.bsky.social & executed by the great Rob Johnson.
news.sky.com/story/bluesk...
As transatlantic relations continue to be in flux (putting it mildly), yesterday was a great moment to speak with @baibabraze.bsky.social @sophiabesch.bsky.social Hasit Thankey (NATO defence planning) & @deborahaynes.bsky.social about European defence as part of our Security & Defence conference.
Russia 'appears to have ignored Trump warning' after deadly strike on Ukrainian town
@deborahaynes.bsky.social | SkyNews
news.sky.com/story/bluesk...
EXCLUSIVE: Russia is finding it "significantly" harder to conduct combat operations against Ukraine because of a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian weapons supplies, ammunition depots & fuel refineries, a senior commander has said.
news.sky.com/story/inside...
Ukraine’s call to rebuild Europe’s armed forces is a harsh truth London, Paris & Berlin need to hear as it becomes clear “America first” leaves Europeans out in the cold. But this isn’t just about money. It’s about a shift in mindset that affects everyone
news.sky.com/story/zelens...
Ukraine has ramped up long-range drone strikes into Russia, targeting oil facilities that fuel warplanes, ships and military vehicles as well as oil refineries that help power the economy.
news.sky.com/story/russia...
EXCLUSIVE: North Korean troops appear to have temporarily pulled back from the frontline in Russia after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian SF commander has said, warning "they'll be back soon". He & others share detail about how Kim Jong-Un's men have been fighting
news.sky.com/story/north-...
A Royal Navy attack submarine surfaced close to a Russian spy ship off the UK coast in an extraordinary warning to stop spying on undersea cables, the defence secretary said. The incident involving HMS Astute happened in November but the Russian vessel returned this week
news.sky.com/story/vladim...
Britain’s PM made powerful remarks alongside Ukraine’s President about the importance of “peace through strength” & how it “has to be more than words. It has to be through actions” But Sir Keir Starmer has yet even to set a timeframe to inch up the UK’s own defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from 2.3%
The public articulation by Donald Trump of a new desired target for NATO allies to spend 5% of national income on defence will surely plunge governments across Europe into crisis mode - not least here in the UK.
news.sky.com/story/donald...
On President-elect Donald Trump and his desire for NATO countries to spend 5% of national income on defence - this would of course also mean a massive increase in US taxpayer cash going towards defence. US defence spending last year was 3.38% of GDP⬇️
www.nato.int/nato_static_...
NEW (#Putin) via @news.sky.com's @deborahaynes.bsky.social:
"#Russia's unconventional attacks against #NATO 'look like war' and allies must set new red lines that will trigger a retaliation if crossed, a former foreign minister has warned."
news.sky.com/story/russia...
Russia's unconventional attacks against NATO "look like war" and allies must set new red lines that will trigger a retaliation if crossed, the former Lithuanian foreign minister has warned ⬇️
news.sky.com/story/russia...
EXCLUSIVE: There is a "real prospect" an unconventional attack by Russia against NATO - such as an act of sabotage or arson - will cause "substantial" casualties, a top alliance official has told Sky News
news.sky.com/story/amp/un...
🚨The head of NATO just sounded the alarm about a need to fix Europe’s hollowed out defences. The big question is whether national governments are listening.
In the UK, Sir Keir Starmer appears for now to favour peacetime priorities over preparing for war…
news.sky.com/story/nato-h...
The state of military accommodation is "shocking", with two-thirds of service family homes "in such poor condition that they are essentially no longer fit for purpose", a report by MPs has found.
news.sky.com/story/damp-a...
