Defence & Security Podcast Network

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft take a look back at some of the biggest and most intriguing stories of the year, from CrowdStrike's outage and amazing response to the takedown of ransomware giant LockBit.

• Croft kicks off with the epic story of the Change Healthcare hack, which saw the data of about a third of the population of the United States compromised. But it wasn't just the scale of the hack; it was also the behind-the-scenes manoeuvering between greedy ransomware-as-a-service operators, hacker affiliates just wanting to get paid, and a company realising that it really does have to pay an exorbitant ransom.
• The pair then discuss the takedown of ransomware giant LockBit and the remarkably sassy response of the law enforcement agencies behind the operation, before looking back at another ransomware operation that turned out to be nothing but an extensive scam.
• Lastly, Croft and Hollingworth look back at July's CrowdStrike outage, both its wide-ranging impact and what turned out to be an excellent and comprehensive response from CrowdStrike itself, before turning the gaze forward to wonder what they might see in 2025.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

Understanding the dynamics of regional areas in Australia can offer lucrative opportunities for investors. In this episode of the Defence Property Podcast, co-hosts Liam Garman and Discover Buyers Agency's Kane Dury sit down with Morgan Oliver, director and sales agent of JMO Property Group, to unpack the ins and outs of property investment in the town of Gatton. Gatton, in regional Queensland, is poised for economic growth with major infrastructure projects underway, such as a medium-security prison and a high-speed rail, creating thousands of stable government jobs, which the trio highlight as appealing for property investors. The group also discusses how investors in the defence sector can focus on regional areas to grow their portfolio by buying property at each posting, leveraging grants like Home Purchase Assistance Scheme (HPAS) and Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme (DHOAS) to gain financial benefits, and then rent-vest to foster cash flow and long-term portfolio growth.

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by the newly confirmed federal president of the Navy League of Australia, Mark Schweikert, to discuss the proud history of the league in supporting the mission of the Royal Australian Navy.

The pair discuss the long-standing history of the Navy League and its earliest days supporting public interest in and engagement with the Royal Australian Navy dating back to its foundation in 1901.

They also discuss:

• The services the league provides to current and former naval personnel, including the opportunity to discuss and deliberate on the issues facing the nation's sea power.
• The importance of the Royal Australian Navy and naval sea power for Australia and critical capabilities worth considering further development on, including fixed-wing naval aviation.
• The role the league plays in working with Defence and naval cadets to encourage more Australians into the Navy.
• Schweikert's long history of association with the Navy and the league and his ambitions for the future of the league.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the future of warfighting in the information domain.

• They begin the podcast unpacking major national security developments for 2024 and how global powers have continued to exploit the grey zone, before unpacking an absence of ownership of the information domain in Australia when examining the DIME construct – diplomacy, information, military, and economic.
• The trio then discuss Ukraine's exploitation of the information environment, and how the modern battlefield nevertheless reflects the Clauswitzian notion that the nature of war never changes.
• Tarrant, Thompson and Garman then predict how the incoming US administration will impact the conflict.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, James Heading, director of Programs, Strategic Capabilities Office, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, joins host Liam Garman to provide an update on the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO), and what the enterprise's next steps might look like after the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) production.

• Heading and Garman begin the podcast looking at the Guided Weapons Production Capability Risk Reduction Activity and Strategic Partner Services contracts, and how they will build a robust and resilient supply chain to protect Australia's national sovereignty.
• They then discuss the Lockheed Martin–Thales teaming agreement overseeing solid rocket motors and warheads, and how the GWEO's success lies in leveraging partnerships from SMEs to academia and through to global primes.
• The pair wrap up the podcast discussing what the logical progression for GWEO is after achieving GMLRS production.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect ADSTAR series, Stephen Moore, First Assistant Secretary AUKUS Advanced Capabilities, and Dr Nigel McGinty, Defence Science and Technology Group Chief Technology Officer – Science Strategy, Communications and International Engagement, join Liam Garman to unpack how technology sharing arrangements improve our collective AUKUS security.

Moore and Garman begin the podcast discussing the strategic rationale for AUKUS Pillar II, and how sharing insights into AI, electronic warfare, undersea warfare, hypersonics, quantum and cyber make the AUKUS alliance stronger than the sum of its parts.

They then discuss how the three governments are enabling technology transfer, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations reform and improved governance frameworks, before analysing efforts on how the three nations can energise their combined industrial base.

Dr McGinty wraps up the podcast detailing how AUKUS Pillar II provides unique asymmetric advantages for the Australian Defence Force, and in particular, the role of cyber and information on the modern battlefield.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft discuss a widespread hacking campaign by a network of hacktivist groups and an alleged data breach impacting United States Marine Corps personnel. The pair also catch up on the evolving case of the apparent assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO and talk about the threat of Chinese espionage operations against telecommunications companies.

• Hollingworth and Croft begin by breaking down a campaign by a raft of pro-Russian and pro-Palestine hacktivist groups that recently targeted more than 60 Australian organisations, taking websites offline, defacing others, and even getting into a handful of operational technology environments.
• Croft then breaks down an alleged data breach that saw the personal details of thousands of US Marine Corps personnel leaked on a popular hacking forum. He also goes into some detail about the challenges of reporting and investigating data leaks.
• Finally, Hollingworth and Croft catch up on the latest developments in the case of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and then share stories from a pair of recent discussions with experts from CrowdStrike and BlackBerry regarding the insidious threat of Chinese espionage efforts in the telecommunications sector.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, special host Steve Kuper is joined by co-host Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson and AMP's chief economist, Shane Oliver, to discuss the latest economic data and what it means for the nation's economic and national security.

The trio discuss the recently released Australian gross domestic product figures and the impact of Australia's ailing economy on national security.

They also discuss:

• Australia's collapsing productivity and the growth of record government spending on the national economy and the baked-in, long-term structural deficits that will characterise the future fiscal outlook for the country.
• The need to boost economic complexity and diversity to better prepare the nation to face the mounting geopolitical and "whole-of-nation" efforts being leveraged against Australia in this new multipolar world and how best to deliver such a monumental change.
• The urgent need for a serious national debate with the Australian public about the future of the country and its economic future and the intersection of national security.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by John Storey, director of law and policy at the Institute of Public Affairs, to discuss the third of the IPA's Defence of Australia report series.

The pair discuss the significant collaborative research being conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs and Strategic Analysis Australia to stimulate conversation and debate about the need to urgently accelerate the nation's defence and defence industry capabilities.

The pair also discuss:

• Core suggestions around reforming the existing Defence procurement processes and procedures that are hindering our acceleration of capability acquisition.
• The urgent need to begin stockpiling critical war stocks, including ammunition, liquid fuel, pharmaceuticals and other critical resources that would otherwise leave the national economy unable to function.
• The creation of an Australian Industry Mobilisation and Resilience Council to plan for how Australia's non-defence sectors can be mobilised in case of war.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Andrew Balmaks, defence and national security industry lead at Atturra, joins host Liam Garman to discuss enterprise risk management for Defence.

• They begin the podcast discussing how Defence is managing risk at a group and enterprise level, before unpacking how Atturra leverages its unique expertise from resources and other sectors to support Defence.
• The pair then discuss the impediments to effective risk planning and management, and why things go wrong even when risk management systems are in place.
• They wrap up the podcast unpacking what "good" looks like in developing leading risk frameworks.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team