Defence Connect Podcast Network

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, shadow minister for communications and federal member for Banks David Coleman joins host Liam Garman to discuss the recent misinformation bill that will leave free speech and political discourse in Australia.

• They begin the podcast with a recap of what’s in the bill, including how the government will determine what constitutes misinformation or disinformation.
• Coleman and Garman then unpack some unforeseen consequences of the bill, including how it may impact religious freedoms and genuine political discourse.
• The podcast wraps up discussing the government’s push to remove under-16s from social media.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Mike Pezzullo, principal author of the 2009 Defence White Paper and former secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, joins host Steve Kuper to unpack how the Australian Defence Force can meet the demands of the nation’s uncertain security environment.

• The pair begin the podcast by looking at the alternative global order, including an emerging Eurasian bloc that is seeing North Korean troops deployed in Russia and BRICS’ alternative financial system.
• They then examine geopolitical fractures between BRICS members and whether China is in an economic position to become a global hegemon.
• Pezzullo then analyses how Australia’s force structure is designed to overcome low-level threats and why the country needs a new base level of Defence spending.
• Kuper and Pezzullo wrap up by discussing efficiencies in domestic manufacturing and how technology can expedite the production of large-scale naval assets.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect ADSTAR series, Liam Garman sits down with Dr Robert Hunjet, program leader Australian Defence Science and Universities Network, to discuss how ADSUN is driving innovation across industry and academia.

They then unpack the need for a national approach to information, security and technology in light of the National Defence Strategy and concept of asymmetry, before discussing the recently released IS&T Strategy.

The podcast then wraps up with a live recording from ADSTAR on how industry, academia and Defence can better collaborate as part of the IS&T Strategy’s 10-year vision, featuring:

• Sumen Rai, director for the Defence Innovation Partnership.
• Professor Rob Fitch, director of the Defence Innovation Network.
• Associate Professor Toby Murray, director of the Defence Science Institute.
• Stu Blackwell, director of the Queensland Defence Science Alliance.
• Michele Clement, director of the Defence Science Centre.
• Dr Robert Hunjet, program leader, ADSUN.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, IT Strategy Hub’s Hrvoje (Hal) Hančević-Grabić joins host Liam Garman to discuss how Australian organisations – both private and public – are leaving sensitive data and intellectual property at risk as they move to AI.

• The pair begin the podcast discussing how employees are uploading sensitive information to large language models, which are then trained on the new data sets.
• Hančević-Grabić then defines how sovereign and private AI can provide a solution to this problem, with locally domiciled data centres and closed AI models.
• They wrap up the podcast examining IT Strategy Hub’s AI toolkit, which helps businesses embrace AI safely.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, host Liam Garman is joined by Aaron Bugal, field chief technology officer at Sophos, to unpack how businesses can keep themselves safe in the face of an ever-evolving threat environment. 

• The pair begin the podcast by examining recent research from the company’s X-Ops division and how professionals should prioritise disrupting criminal networks with a reminder that ransomware is merely a means to an end for attackers. 
• They then examine how AI is being used to detect threats and the need for businesses to adopt zero-trust security modes.
• Bugal and Garman then wrap up by looking at the evolving characteristics of ransomware and how businesses can employ geo-blocking. 

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect ADSTAR series, Liam Garman sits down with Brian Schimpf, co-founder and CEO of Anduril Industries, and David Goodrich OAM, executive chairman and CEO of Anduril APAC, to unpack how government can facilitate successful defence innovation.

They then discuss why it’s important to let capabilities fail fast, and how the company is investing in Australia to become an R&D and manufacturing hub. 

Schimpf and Goodrich then unpack the Australian–US alliance and how we are accelerating global capabilities, before analysing what Defence can learn from the tech industry in accelerating global technology. 

• Dr Clare Murphy, assistant secretary, strategy and business operations at the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator. 
• Brigadier Hugh Meggitt, AM, CSC Director General, Special Operations, modernisation.
• Group Captain Jesse Laroche, Director, Jericho Disruptive Innovation.
• Captain Dean Battilana, Director Undersea Warfare and Data.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this special ADSTAR series of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Liam Garman sits down with Andrew Seedhouse, chief of space, intelligence, national security and cyber division at Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and Andre Luiten, co-founder and managing director of QuantX Labs, to examine the world of quantum technology.

Throughout the podcast, the trio discuss how quantum technology works, before explaining how it can be used to revolutionise the future battlefield from radio frequency (RF) sensing to precision navigation and timing (PNT).

They then discuss how Australian researchers have become world leaders in this field and how we can expand the quantum industry.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

Foresight and a resourceful approach are two traits that soldiers embody, and translate seamlessly into property investment success.

On this episode of the Defence Property Podcast, co-hosts Phil Tarrant and Discover Buyers Agency’s Kane Dury are joined by Major Ben Vitale, whose property investment journey started when he served alongside Kane in the Australian Defence Force.

Ben discusses the keys to success around property investment in the military, highlighting that planning ahead and strategic rentvesting can enable soldiers to build a robust portfolio even when moving from post to post.

The trio also highlight the importance of making use of the grants available to ADF members, and how additional grants and rental assistance can be used all at once to maximise a property portfolio.

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Dawn Cappelli, head of OT-CERT at Dragos, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how governments and the industry are responding to current and emerging ICS/OT threats.

• The pair begin the podcast by examining how operational technology is becoming more interconnected with the digital world and what emerging vulnerabilities providers should be aware of for the future.
• Cappelli and Garman then look into whether government regulations are keeping pace with evolving threats and whether artificial intelligence is transforming the world of operational technology.
• They wrap up the podcast by discussing some pertinent case studies, zero trust, and what the landscape of operational technology security will look like over the next decade.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Liam Garman is joined by senator for Queensland Matthew Canavan to discuss resource and food security, international politics and Australian domestic policy.

• The pair begin the podcast discussing voting trends in Australia and the results of the recent Queensland election.
• They then examine the need for a robust policy platform that supports Australia’s resources industry, protecting national sovereignty, delivering jobs and economic growth.
• Senator Canavan and Garman then unpack the economic impact of trade embargoes on Australia’s finances, before examining the need for effective biosecurity legislation to protect Australian farmers.
• Finally, the pair discuss the intersection between resources and building a skilled workforce.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team