D-Fence

At the Sea Air Space defence trade show I had the opportunity to speak with Dale Sisson, Technical Director of the Naval Surface Warfare Centre Dahlgren Division, about their recruitment practices. It was really interesting to discuss their outreach in secondary schools, but also to talk about diversity, what it means and what it can bring to team work.

As a woman defence journalist I get asked that question all the time. How does it feel like to often be the only woman in the room? Have you been victim of prejudice, or harassment? Do you feel people treat you differently? 9 years into this field, I decided to take all these questions and turn them into a new focus for the podcast: women in defence. To debunk myths, talk about important issues, raise other ones, and also give a voice to the men and women who support gender equality. In this first episode of the new focus, we set the scene with my friend and colleague, Yannick Smaldore - editor in chief of DefTech.

Jon Pentreath is back on the microphone of the D-Fence podcast to discuss with me DSEI 2023, its key themes (impact of the war in Ukraine, unmanned systems, issues with procurement) and the incredible attendance this year!

In this episode, Ken Miller, from the Association of Old Crows, and myself delve into what it is like to make a podcast, what technologies are emerging in the defence sector, and defence start-ups' difficulties in getting access to government and inter government programmes. We also talk about what are upcoming season will discuss so... stay tuned!

Ken's podcasts:

From the Crows' Next: https://www.crows.org/page/FromtheCrowsNest

History of Crows: https://www.crows.org/page/HistoryofCrows

Join Sonia Purnell, the author of "A Woman of No Importance", Thomas Withington, electronic warfare, and myself as we discuss: part 1, how Sonia did her research, the incredible achievements of a disabled woman who became a spy in WWII against all odds, and her legacy at the CIA; part 2, how radio was used to transmit and how morse is making a come back today.

In this episode I speak with Maja Kuzel, from the European Defence Agency, about the agency's consultation forum on sustainable energy. We discuss how it brings together military and civilians from 30 different countries to develop ideas for a more resilient defence sector.

Discussing UDT2023 key topics with Jon Pentreath, from AI and data analytics, to autonomous systems and climate change. All under one roof.

Joan Curran never wrote or published anything. Yet she helped save thousands of fighter pilots' lives by contributing to the development of chaffs (or 'window' as it was originally called). In this episode, Thomas Withington tells us about radars and chaffs, and how Joan Curan's research contributed.

Join Thomas Withington and myself as we discuss Liza Mundy's book Code Girls and talk about deciphering, the patience and dedication these women showed for a job they were very briefly trained to do, and how their hard work helped turning WWII around for the US and their allies.

In this episode, Joshua Henry explains how messaging on sustainability (at national, European or international level) can be problematic for private investment in defence startups.

Find out also how investors networks like Défense Angels can help businesses working tirelessly on defence innovation for a more sustainable (i.e. ESG 16 🕊 ) sovereign future for our countries.