How did the industrialisation of blood supply transform the battlefield of the Second World War, and what can it teach us about modern conflict?

In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, Peter Apps is joined by Dr Roderick Bailey, a historian at the University of Oxford and former British Army reservist most recently tasked by the MOD to investigate mass casualty treatment – and specifically blood supplies – during the Second World War to learn its modern lessons.

Roderick's latest book, The Lifesavers, uncovers the monumental, almost industrial effort by the Royal Army Medical Corps to deliver refrigerated blood directly to the front lines. From the muddy trenches of the Somme to the deserts of North Africa, this conversation explores how civilian doctors in uniform revolutionised military medicine and saved countless lives.

Facing Coming Storms is brought to you by the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, in partnership with the Project for the Study of the 21st Century, and produced by Urban Podcasts.

What does it really take to deter a modern adversary at sea when the old rules of the Cold War no longer seem to apply?

In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, Pete Apps is joined by Professor Jim Bergeron, a former US Navy nuclear submariner and long-time political advisor to NATO's Maritime Forces. They explore the shifting realities of naval warfare, from the high-stakes cat-and-mouse games of the 1980s to the modern, AI-driven surveillance of the Baltic and the High North - a great listen that explores what is really going on behind the headlines.

Facing Coming Storms is brought to you by the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, in partnership with the Project for the Study of the 21st Century, and produced by Urban Podcasts.

What does the rapidly evolving face of modern warfare mean for the future of global conflict and Western military strategy?

In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, we sit down to discuss the global face of land warfare with Ruben Stewart, Senior Fellow for Land Warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Ruben shares his unique journey from serving as a New Zealand infantryman to working on the front lines of humanitarian crises while they both discuss conflicts from Ukraine to Sudan and the changing impact of technology.

Facing Coming Storms is brought to you by the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, in partnership with the Project for the Study of the 21st Century, and produced by Urban Podcasts.