In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, Liam Garman and Phil Tarrant unpack findings from the Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) Annual Cyber Threat Report 2023-2024 and the challenge of building a governance framework that disrupts the purveyors of disinformation. 

• The trio unpack findings from the ASD, in particular the ongoing risk Australia’s critical infrastructure providers face at the hand of adversarial nation-state actors, and how Australia must prepare for this growing risk. 
• They then discuss what governance frameworks the government can implement to disrupt the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation online, while being careful to protect liberal values such as freedom of expression. 

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Pat Conroy MP, Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, to discuss the year that was 2024 in defence industry.

The pair discuss:

• The key lessons for the minister behind the process of the Defence Industry Development Strategy, National Defence Strategy, Integrated Investment Program and Surface Fleet Review.
• The key highlights for Minister Conroy throughout the year 2024.
• The impact of recent major announcements, including the downselect of the general purpose frigate program, the reprioritisation of funding for JP 9102 and Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise Plan.
• What to expect in the year ahead for Defence, defence industry and national security.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Team

In this episode of the Defence Connect ADSTAR series, Defence Science and Technology Group acting chief of platforms Dr Greg Bain and DSTG Director General Future Land Warfare, Land Capability Division, Brigadier James Davis join host Liam Garman to discuss the evolving role and importance of trusted autonomy in a changing battlespace.

They begin the podcast discussing the past 12 months of development on trusted autonomy by Defence and opportunities the DTSG has used to further their autonomy research.

Bain then describes DTSG’s involvement in testing environments such as Autonomous Warrior and the collaborative assistance of international partners.

The podcast then turns to the rise of uncrewed aerial systems and their usage in military forces, such as the Australian Defence Force.

They wrap up the podcast with BRIG Davis examining the strategic importance of directed energy and trusted autonomy systems in the changing battlespace.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, independent cyber security executive Tony Vizza and Lumify lead cyber security trainer Louis Cremen join host Liam Garman to discuss whether boards truly understand cyber security risks – and whether they are doing enough to manage them.

• They begin the podcast by unpacking how boards can have a greater understanding of the risk of cyber incidents to organisations and how they differ from other elements of risk that face businesses.
• Vizza and Cremen then discuss whether board members are told the full story by management and whether they should undertake their own cyber security training.
• The podcast wraps up by analysing the security implications of AI and how businesses can prepare their incident response plans.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Genetec’s Asia-Pacific sales engineering and services manager, Lee Shelford, joins host Liam Garman to discuss the world of physical security and how Genetec’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution is keeping public and private organisations safe. 

• The podcast begins analysing the evolution of physical security, from rudimentary alarm systems to today’s SaaS-enabled physical control solutions. 
• Shelford then discusses how this solution keeps businesses safe: from using data analytics to streamline access control to automating endpoint cyber security. 
• The pair then discuss the myth of the airgap, and the company’s expansion into the Australia-New Zealand market, with Australia proving to be a world leader in this technology.
• They wrap up by discussing how Genetec helps businesses on their journey, whether they want cloud-enabled physical security devices or on-premises capabilities. 

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Property Podcast, co-hosts Kane Dury from Discover Buyers Agency and Liam Garman unpack the top 10 common property mistakes made by military personnel – and what lessons listeners must learn to achieve financial freedom.

The podcast covers a range of areas, from developing a holistic investment plan to navigating the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme and how to research the property market between postings.

Dury and Garman then discuss three crucial tips for the discharging and veteran community for their long-term success – including understanding entitlements and how to align their investment strategies with their long-term goals. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

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