Defence & Security Podcast Network

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Jeffrey Hawkins, managing director of Pivot Maritime International, to discuss the role of innovation in Australia's modern defence industry.

The pair discuss:

• The history of Pivot Maritime International and what sets the Tasmanian company apart from competitors to see the company emerge as one of the nation's great unsung defence industry innovators.
• Hawkins' experience and what it takes – skills and mindset – to build an innovative business culture and what he believes sets Pivot apart from other companies.
• What is next for Hawkins and Pivot as the company continues to focus on innovation and delivering for Australia's defence capability.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson unpack how foreign actors are targeting persons of interest on social media and how Australians are falling victim to unsophisticated credential stuffing campaigns.

• Like all news over recent months, the podcast begins talking about Taylor Swift – and how regular Australians became victims of credential stuffing campaigns on a popular ticketing website.
• The podcast continues with a look into pop culture deepfakes and how artificial intelligence (AI) poses a risk to geopolitical stability.
• The pair wrap up the podcast by looking into ASIO's Annual Threat Assessment and how foreign actors have targeted people of interest online, before analysing some of the world's most high-profile recent data breaches.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Robert Dougherty is joined by Brian Lim, Australian space industry insider and the CEO and founder of Dandelions. The pair discuss:

• Lim's previous career in the Singaporean Army and how the island-trading nation's geostrategic situation has changed in the last 20 years, plus its evolving relationship with the rising power of China.
• The growing relationship between Australia and Singapore and the opportunities for collaboration and partnership to support Australian deployments in the south-east Asian region.
• Lim's history in engaging with Silicon Valley as a space-tech entrepreneur during his time in the United States and the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs seeking to raise capital and build cutting-edge businesses.
• The need for greater government support for Australia's space industry following a quick break out of the block and the breakdown of how revenue is generated in Australia's space industry.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Mark Goudie, director of CrowdStrike Services, joins host Liam Garman to provide insight into the most prolific threats and vulnerabilities facing Australian businesses and how they can immediately take action to defend themselves.

• The podcast begins by examining critical findings from CrowdStrike's Global Threat Report before detailing the top things Australian businesses must do to protect their assets.
• Goudie and Garman then outline the roles and responsibilities of different departments across a business in the event of a breach – from IT to legal and investor relations.
• The pair wrap up the podcast by discussing how businesses can wargame an attack, before addressing common misconceptions in the cyber security industry.

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by returning guest, Australian Army Corporal (Ret'd) and Afghan veteran Matthew "Willy" Williams OAM, to discuss the fall of Avdiivka in Ukraine, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the emerging discussion around conscription in Australia. Corporal Williams was deployed as a private to Afghanistan with the Australian Army and left as a corporal in 2020, undertaking a radical career change to operate the 167,000-subscriber "Willy OAM" independent journalism YouTube channel.

He now acts as a travelling civilian conflict reporter following a terminal brain cancer diagnosis on his 22nd birthday and after being awarded an OAM in the Queen's Birthday 2020 Honours List. The pair discuss the recent withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from Avdiivka and the changing landscape of the battlefield in Ukraine.

They then discuss the controversial topic of war crimes in the conflict, as well as tackling issues regarding the donation of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters and M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine. They also discuss Williams' travels on the ground in Israel following the October attacks last year and use of drones in the conflict.

Finally, the pair discuss the public discourse around the possible conscription in Australia and the comparative effectiveness of called-up troops in Ukraine. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this special Defence Connect Podcast, hosts Liam Garman and Steve Kuper unpack the findings of the government's independent analysis of the Navy's surface combatant fleet with former defence minister and ambassador to the US, the Honourable Kim Beazley AC. The trio begin by discussing the background and logic behind the review and how they shaped the findings the government ultimately released.

They then move on to discuss the government's commitment to expand the number of surface combatants in the fleet and the emphasis on building out the "Tier 2" fleet alongside innovative capabilities, including autonomy. Finally, the trio discuss the balancing act required to deliver this ambitious plan and Australia's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by WA Minister for Defence Industry and Veterans Issues, Paul Papalia CSC, MLA, to discuss the West Australian government's ambitious plans to help build the state's defence industry. The pair discuss the opportunities presented by the trilateral AUKUS agreement and Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines will provide for WA defence industry businesses. The pair also discuss the growing interconnectivity and engagement of the WA government with our international AUKUS partners and the important role these industry partners play in supporting the long-term development of the state and nation's defence industry workforce and defence industrial base.

Finally, they then discuss programs like the WA government's Defence Ready Initiative that are designed to help support the maturity, development and lower the barriers to entry for WA's defence industry.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this special episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Liam Garman, Steve Kuper, and Rob Dougherty unpack the independent analysis into Navy's surface combatant fleet – and what the recommendations will mean for the Royal Australian Navy and defence industry.

• The podcast begins by examining how the recommendations will change the makeup of the Royal Australian Navy, with the introduction of up to 11 new general purpose frigates and the reduction of the Hunter Class program from nine to six.
• The three then look into how the Royal Australian Navy appears to be grasping the benefits offered by autonomy.
• They wrap-up the podcast discussing how the growth of Australia's surface fleet to 26 may create challenges for the Defence workforce.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Liam Garman, David Hollingworth, and Daniel Croft provide critical insights for business leaders on how to craft an investor and media relations strategy in the event of a breach.

• The trio begin the podcast by discussing the latest news before diving into how cyber breaches require all hands on deck to get a company back to business as usual.
• Hollingworth and Croft then provide anonymised case studies of investor and media relations strategies that have allowed companies to take control of the narrative.
• The podcast wraps up with a list of top tips for businesses to get on the front foot in the event of a breach. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Daily team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Dr David Kershaw, chief science strategic planning and engagement of the Defence Science and Technology Group. The pair begin discussing the evolution of the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and how it is working to help deliver key capability outcomes in line with the Defence Strategic Review. They then move on to the role DSTG plays in bringing together Defence, industry, and academic institutions around the country through organisations like the NSW-based Defence Innovation Network (DIN) to bring together the best and brightest to solve the unique scientific challenges that face the Australian Defence Force. Finally, they discuss the opportunities available to industry and academia to work with DSTG to deliver capability outcomes for the Australian warfighter. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Team