General Christopher Cavoli was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) until July 2025. He was responsible for the defence and security of 981 million people across 32 countries. Ooph.

While on a flying visit to London, he dropped into the General and the Journalist studio to see his old friend Patrick and get grilled by Tom on the UK's parlous defence expenditure.

But, mostly, he was here to talk about NATO and why, as a proud and patriotic American, he sees the Alliance as critical to America's own defence and security.

Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn

Guest: General Christopher Cavoli

Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Executive producer: Fiona Leach

Image: Getty

Clips: Fox news

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

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As America finds itself in a trapped quagmire of its own making, dragging its reputation and the world economy down with it. Patrick and Tom are joined by the former deputy assistant to President Trump, Fiona Hill, to chew over the lessons thrown up by the Iran war.

The US has confirmed its status as an unreliable partner, drone warfare has gone mainstream, and the world economy can be held to ransom with relative ease.

But it's in her capacity as one of the authors of last year's UK strategic defence review that Fiona's lessons from the Iran conflict most hit home.

'It's time to level with the population that the UK is under siege, it just doesn't know it'. The Government must prepare now for attacks on critical infrastructure and supply lines, and ensure the NHS could respond to a mass casualty event.

Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn

Guest: Dr Fiona Hill

Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Executive producer: Fiona Leach

Image: Getty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Russia's nuclear threat to satellites, the prospect of a permanent lunar station, and the hopes of Artemis, Patrick and Tom could barely contain their space-geek excitement at speaking with General Whiting, head of US Space Command.

'There cannot be anybody on the planet who has more power in space than that man', gushed Patrick. And for good reason; war is now essentially a space domain, as the the American general explains, determining conflicts from Ukraine to Iran.

And space, more than any other theatre, is where the cold war with China is most acutely felt.

In a welcome note of optimism to close the conversation, General Whiting doubled-down on the benefits to both Europe and America of continued military cooperation, and paid fulsome tribute to his Nato allies.

We hope you love this conversion half as much as Patrick and Tom did!

Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn

Guest: General Stephen Whiting, head of US Space Command

Producer: Micaela Arneson and Harry Stott

Executive producer: Fiona Leach

Image: Getty

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.