{"podcast":{"title":"This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler","slug":"this-is-not-a-drill-with-gavin-esler-4458337","podcast_index_feed_id":4458337,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/doomsdaywatch","website_url":"https://www.patreon.com/thisisnotadrill","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/02401908-3ccc-11ec-bbb5-1772ce803003/image/3af8572d96101372a0602695e09e147d.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Podmasters","episode_count":237,"summary":"Exploring threats to global stability from Ukraine to China to the Middle East with host Gavin Esler – former BBC News presenter, Washington correspondent and host of Newsnight – plus Ukraine-based war reporter Oz Katerji and independent conflict analyst Emma Beals. This Is Not A Drill dives deep into the dangers, corruption, conflicts, disinformation, rivalries and ruthless realpolitik that are making our world ever more dangerous. Support This Is Not A Drill on Patreon from just £3 per month to get each episode early plus bonus material and exclusive merchandise. From Podmasters, the team behind Oh God, What Now?, Paper Cuts and The Bunker.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T14:22:10.545142+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-a-drill-with-gavin-esler-4458337"},"episode":{"title":"Germany braces for war – Can rearmament secure Europe?","slug":"germany-braces-for-war-can-rearmament-secure-europe","published_at":"2026-06-11T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-a-drill-with-gavin-esler-4458337/germany-braces-for-war-can-rearmament-secure-europe","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-a-drill-with-gavin-esler-4458337","url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR7228569249.mp3","audio_url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR7228569249.mp3","summary":"Germany is rearming as the Russian threat looms over Europe and much of the continent’s security rests on its success. Backed by an emergency ‘Zeitenwende’ fund and an ever-expanding defence budget, Germany is undertaking a profound military transformation with the aim of becoming Europe’s strongest conventional army. What does this mean more broadly? And where do they need to focus? Jörg Lau, foreign policy correspondent at Die Zeit, joins Gavin Esler to discuss how the budget will be spent and the challenges facing Germany – from domestic politics to European unity and the uncertainty over relations with Trump’s US administration. You can buy Jörg Lau’s new book Der Westen Sind Jetzt Wir (in German) here. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"Germany is rearming as the Russian threat looms over Europe and much of the continent’s security rests on its success. Backed by an emergency ‘Zeitenwende…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1741,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/this-is-not-a-drill-with-gavin-esler-4458337/episodes/germany-braces-for-war-can-rearmament-secure-europe/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-a-drill-with-gavin-esler-4458337/germany-braces-for-war-can-rearmament-secure-europe.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}