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PODCAST

Battle Lines

Battle Lines is The Telegraph’s defence, security and foreign affairs podcast. It offers expert analysis and on-the-ground reporting from around the world, everywhere from China and the United States to the Middle East and Europe.Three times a week, veteran foreign correspondents Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey bring you on-the-ground dispatches from the world’s most volatile regions and informed analysis from world-class experts.Every Wednesday on Battle Lines x Global Health Security they’re

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All Episodes

44:43

Remembering WWII's 'forgotten army': VJ Day

Battle Lines ·

2025/08/18

Eighty years on from Victory over Japan day in 1945, the contribution of British and Commonwealth soldiers in a brutal battle against the Imperial Japanese armed forces is often overlooked. The fact that the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved the lives of many in prisoner of war camps is even less discussed.Featuring voicenotes from readers whose family fought in Asia and the Pacific, Venetia and Roland dive into this tangled history and reflect on the legacy they have left

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40:09

What Ukrainians want from Trump and Putin's meeting

Battle Lines ·

2025/08/15

As US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin get ready to meet in Alaska, there has been lots of talk about what Washington, Moscow and even Europe want from the historic summit.But what about Ukrainians? What do they want? To find out, Roland speaks to former Ukrainian defence ministerand chairman of the Center for Defence Strategies Andriy Zagorodnyuk and veteran frontline soldier Max Kuzmenko.Plus, Ukraine: The Latest host Dominic Nicholls and acting deputy US editor Connor Stringer

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38:13

Frenemy: why Australia can't live without China

Battle Lines ·

2025/08/11

Australia holds a unique position in global geopolitics - on the other side of the world but still very much a 'Western' country.To that end, Roland Oliphant speaks with former Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne about the delicate balancing act his country faces in dealing with an increasingly sharp-elbowed China; and whether President Trump will stand by the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact with Australia.Also in this episode, Roland looks at developments in Gaza. Nearly 200 journalists have

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45:42

How Putin, Xi and Trump sparked a new nuclear arms race

Battle Lines ·

2025/08/08

Nuclear weapons are back.This week, Moscow announced that it would no longer abide by the once hugely significant Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he had moved nuclear submarines towards Russia.From growing stockpiles in China and North Korea, to growing cooperation between the UK and France, the direction of travel is clear.As Japan marks the 80th anniversary of the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Venetia talks

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30:15

Israel's growing isolation - and why it benefits Hamas

Battle Lines ·

2025/08/04

Amid growing international outrage over an unfolding famine in Gaza, lack of aid supplies and the high death toll in the ongoing war, Israel is increasingly isolated on the world stage.Last week, several of Israel's major Western allies - the UK, France and Canada - set out a timetable for recognising a Palestinian state. In the following days, an apparently emboldened Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad both released fresh videos of hostages they kidnapped on October 7th, showing the two men in

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35:58

China’s military (3/3): Why, when and how it might...

Battle Lines ·

2025/08/01

Will China invade Taiwan? If so, when and what signs should we look for that will show it is imminent? How exactly could Beijing seize the island? And what would the US do in response? These questions have been at the core of Indo-Pacific security concerns for decades, but in recent years, the threat has become more tangible - and the questions more urgent.In the final episode of this three-part series on China's military, Venetia Rainey looks at different analyses of whether Beijing is getting

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22:04

China’s military: Its three major flaws and how Xi is...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/30

China’s military is not a real army - it’s the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party. Ideology is paramount and corruption is endemic.Plus, the People’s Liberation Army hasn’t fought a war since 1979. Xi Jinping calls it “the peace disease”.In episode two of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey looks at the PLA’s weaknesses and how the Chinese president Xi is trying to fix them, from endless purges of top generals to a specially built training centre in Mongolia and live-fire drills around

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24:03

China's military: How it went from obsolete to...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/28

Dive into the strengths and weaknesses of China’s military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class in a new special series on Battle Lines.How significant is China’s military buildup? What does Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge mean for the People’s Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan in the next few years?As the US pivots to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of a truly global war looms, understanding the evolving role of China’s military

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38:32

Why Gaza is starving, plus Thailand-Cambodia conflict...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/25

What exactly is going on inside the Gaza strip? Amid growing reports of children starving to death and fears of full-blown famine, the international community appears to be becoming more critical of Israel. Roland Oliphant hears from a UNICEF staffer with recent on the ground experience in Gaza about why mass starvation is setting in - but is still avoidable. Tess Ingram shares the latest from the area and how it is now nothing short of a ‘hellscape’.Plus, in a dramatic escalation of tensions,

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36:44

War with China: Inside Taiwan's biggest ever drills

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/21

Amid growing speculation around China’s invasion of Taiwan, the island nation has held its largest ever military exercises.Fresh from reporting on live fire drills off the Taiwanese coast, The Telegraph’s Asia correspondent Allegra Mendelson shares the latest on Indo-Pacific tensions with Roland Oliphant.Also, Roland speaks to Neal Urwitz, close friend of the US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy - Elbridge A. Colby - to discuss the latter’s push to dramatically refocus America’s military might

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51:00

'If it flies it dies': Why America's ever-evolving...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/18

Donald Trump—never one to shy away from controversy—has done another dramatic U-turn. After flatly refusing to send any more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, he’s now decided to send them anyway. So what’s changed? And why do these missiles matter so much?Let’s cut through the noise. Are Patriot missiles genuinely game-changers on the battlefield, or are they just a powerful symbol in modern warfare? To get to the truth, we’re speaking to someone who’s actually been there—Air Marshal Edward Stringer. He

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50:04

'Prepare for war with Russia by 2030': ex-army chief...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/14

General Sir Patrick Sanders has a stark warning: Britain must prepare for war with Russia within five years and start building bunkers and better air defences.Speaking exclusively to our Defence Editor Danielle Sheridan, the former head of the British army points to the Nordic countries and says we need to start taking a leaf out of their book.He also discusses why an Iron Dome couldn’t work in the UK, his thoughts on the recent Israel-Iran war, and why he didn’t encourage his son to join the

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49:09

You can't trust Putin or Trump': Hamish de...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/11

US President Donald Trump has called out Vladimir Putin's "bullshit" and appears to be getting ready to back major US sanctions against Russia. Could this be the end of Trump's soft spot for the Russian dictator?Venetia chats to veteran army officer and chemical and nuclear weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon about what might happen next and why we can't trust either Trump or Putin.They also discuss Russia's campaign of chemical weapons in Ukraine, the dangers of not supporting Syria's new

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53:15

How Israel has reshaped the Middle East + Dalai Lama...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/07

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets American President Donald Trump to try to hash out a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, a new Middle East is emerging from the ashes of years of war. Iran's nuclear programme has been bombed, Syria's new leader is re-establishing diplomatic relations with the West, and the Gulf is considering normalising relations with Israel.Roland talks to journalist Adrian Blomfield about how people across the region feel about these tectonic shifts and why Israel

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47:19

Trump wants a new armada. Can America still build one?

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/04

Last week, the Pentagon unveiled a jaw-dropping $47.3 billion plan to supercharge its fleet with 19 brand-new battleships. That’s right—nineteen. Up from a paltry five last year. And let’s not kid ourselves: this isn’t just about flexing maritime muscle, it’s a direct message to China—loud and clear.Enter Commander Tom Sharpe, a man who’s not only been there and done it, but practically wrote the manual. A retired Royal Navy heavyweight who’s commanded four warships and earned an OBE for saving HMS

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38:01

Embed with UK's elite paratroopers on the Swedish...

Battle Lines ·

2025/07/02

In this bonus episode, something a bit different: a special dispatch from the Swedish island that has become a Nato bulwark against Russian aggression in the Baltic Sea. Although all troops were removed in 2005, Gotland Island has since been remilitarised and is now home tothe Swedish Armed Forces’ newest outfit: the Gotland Regiment.The troops are charged with protecting this hugely strategic Baltic outpost from Russia - and they are clear-eyed about the threat Moscow once again poses in northern

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45:09

Chinese naval drills put Indo-Pacific on edge plus...

Battle Lines ·

2025/06/30

For several weeks, two Chinese aircraft carrier battle groups have been conducting unprecedented drills in the Western Pacific, sailing further from Beijing than ever before.What message is China trying to send to the world and what can we learn about its Navy’s capabilities? Venetia chats to RUSI's Philip Shetler‑Jones, who specialises in Indo-Pacific security.Plus, a rare journey through Gaza with UNICEF's chief spokesman James Elder and a look at an explosive story accusing Israeli soldiers of

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44:38

How Trump took us to the brink of World War 3 and...

Battle Lines ·

2025/06/27

This week in Trumpland: Trump bombed Iran on Saturday, declared its nuclear programme "obliterated" by Sunday, shrugged off Iranian missile strikes on Monday, and by Tuesday had single-handedly forced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel—only for it to nearly collapse hours later. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he turned up at the NATO summit in The Hague and strong-armed allies into a staggering 5% defence spending target, all while barely mentioning Ukraine.Was this the art of the deal or the

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49:08

Inside Trump's Iran attack and why Tehran can still...

Battle Lines ·

2025/06/23

The United States has just pulled off one of the most audacious bombing campaigns of the 21st century — attacking Iran’s nuclear sites in a stunning show of military might. The Pentagon is calling it a surgical strike. Donald Trump? He’s calling it a “obliteration.” Either way, it’s one hell of a moment in global history.But this didn't come out of nowhere. This is part of a full-blown war that started just ten days ago, when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran. Since then, it’s been chaos

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39:13

"A taste of their own medicine" - how Israel's...

Battle Lines ·

2025/06/20

Israel and Iran are trading missiles. A hospital’s been hit. Thirty injured. Israel’s fired back — hard — targeting Iran’s nuclear sites. Inside Iran? Chaos. Power’s out. Hackers hijack state TV, urging revolt. And Donald Trump? He’s green-lit Pentagon war plans — but is holding fire. For now.We’ve got The Telegraph’s best on the ground: Sophia Yan in Beirut, Paul Nuki in Tel Aviv, and David Blair in the studio. Lebanon’s on edge. Israel’s braced. And the big question — will Trump strike? Or let

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