Defence & Security Podcast Network

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, Adam Lockyer, associate professor in strategic studies at Macquarie University and a non-resident fellow at the Sea Power Centre – Australia, joins host Liam Garman to discuss how governments build a coherent defence policy and the history of Australian defence epochs.

• The podcast commences with a deep dive into policy and strategy formulation, before examining what lessons can be learnt from the Singapore strategy in a renewed era of regional competition.
• The pair assess the role of geography in defence strategy and how the Commonwealth and Australian Defence Force can best exploit this.
• The podcast wraps up with a discussion of the potential future flashpoints in the region and how Australia can best work with regional partners to deter an aggressive China.

Lockyer's book that was referenced throughout the podcast, Australia's Defence Strategy Evaluating Alternatives for a Contested Asia, can be found here. Enjoy the podcast,The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Northrop Grumman Australia's Triton program director, Andrew "Jake" Campbell, joins host Phil Tarrant to discuss the way uncrewed systems like the MQ-4C Triton will help reshape the Royal Australian Air Force and provide an update on the program ahead of the release of the Defence Strategic Review.

• Campbell provides a history of his time in uniform and experience operating the P-3C Orion conducting maritime surveillance and intelligence operations across Australia's northern approaches, and how this experience informed the pursuit of the next-generation MQ-4C Triton capability for the RAAF.
• The pair also discusses how uncrewed platforms like Triton will help complement the crewed P-8A Poseidon fleet to conduct high-priority operations hunting for adversarial submarines by providing unmatched time on station, reliable, real-time access to large volumes of intelligence and surveillance data, and how this will enable the ADF to establish a fifth-generation warfighting capability.
• The podcast wraps up by unpacking the survivability and the operational advantages Triton will provide to the ADF in high-intensity operations, and the future of uncrewed platforms ahead of the release of the Defence Strategic Review.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Security Uncut podcast, Robert Lee, chief executive officer and co-founder of ICS/OT technology provider Dragos, joins Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson to analyse the threat of cyber breaches on national infrastructure.

• The podcast begins unpacking Lee's passion for defending critical civilian infrastructure, before assessing whether Australian companies are prepared to defend their systems from sophisticated state-based attackers.
• Lee then unpacks the corporate, economic, and physical risks of a cyber attack on Australian infrastructure — from board members being held liable for breaches through to the physical destruction of energy sources.
• Lee, Thompson, and Tarrant then discuss the myth of isolated systems, observing that industrial systems are almost always connected to a broader network and not immune from penetration.
• Wrapping up the podcast, Lee provides fundamental lessons to business leaders and discusses how Dragos helps keep businesses safe.

To learn more about Dragos and recent ICS/OT trends, you can visit the Dragos Year in Review 2022 here.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Ken Kota, vice-president, and James Heading, director of programs, Australian Defence Strategic Capabilities Office, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, join host Liam Garman to unpack the company's role in building Australia's sovereign missile capability.

• The trio begin the podcast discussing why it is fundamental for Australia to develop a sovereign missile capability, and the company's role in building Australian expertise in this field through the Australian Defence Strategic Capabilities Office.
• Kota and Heading then explain how the company's guided weapons solutions, including the HIMARS, have been so successful on the modern battlefield.
• The podcast wraps up unpacking how a sovereign missile capability fits into the company's broader joint all domain operations offering, and how Australian SMEs can play a part in this supply chain.

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded prior to the Commonwealth confirming the acquisition of HIMARS in January.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Rear Admiral (Ret'd) Nevin Carr, former Chief of Naval Research at the US Navy and current Vice President, Navy Strategic Account Executive at Leidos, joins host Liam Garman to discuss how autonomous naval vessels can be deployed within the Royal Australian Navy to defend the nation's maritime borders.

• RADM (Ret'd) Carr begins the podcast outlining the challenges of defending Australia's maritime approaches, and the future role of autonomous systems.
• The podcast continues with an analysis of the AUKUS agreement and how Leidos' recent advancements in autonomous technology could be embedded within this framework to preserve Australian security.
• The pair wrap up the podcast unpacking how Leidos' Sea Hunter and Seahawk programs can expand Australia's force structure in yet unforeseen ways.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Security Uncut podcast, Momentum Media director of defence Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson unpack the latest current affairs in cyber security.

• The podcast begins by unpacking the news cycle over the holiday break and how Australia has earned the unfortunate mantle of the most hacked nation on the planet. The year 2022 saw Australia go through a raft of cyber security disasters, from Medibank to Optus, and the pair explore how this has impacted the cyber security policy debate.
• The pair then discuss the ramifications of the recent LastPass data breach, and how much of the data we see get lost in a breach is available elsewhere.
• The podcast wraps up with an analysis of a new zero-trust agreement between the Five Eyes nations, and how important it is for Australia's national security, and the security of its allies.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Managing Director – Indo-Pacific, CAE Defence & Security, Matthew Sibree, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how the company is accelerating training for Australia's next generation of ADF personnel.

• The pair begin the podcast discussing the relationship between acquisition and training, and how CAE pursues multi-domain training operations to hone the capabilities of Australia's warfighters.
• Sibree and Garman continue by analysing how Defence can best allocate resources to optimise ADF training and the industry's role in embedding enhanced defence capabilities in national security architecture.
• The podcast wraps up discussing what's next on the horizon for CAE, including advanced synthetic and simulated training scenarios.

Enjoy the podcast,The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Defence Connect's new senior journalist, Robert Dougherty, joins Liam Garman in the studio to unpack the latest in defence industry, including some interesting evolutions in the AUKUS trilateral security partnership.

• The podcast begins by unpacking recent challenges to the AUKUS partnership emerging from the United States.
• Dougherty and Garman then discuss the upcoming South African, Russian and Chinese maritime exercises.
• They wrap up the podcast discussing some of the latest news from the defence industry, including the news on the Chinook and Black Hawk programs.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Security Uncut podcast, Cyber Security Connect's David Hollingworth and Liam Garman investigate the cyber fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

• The podcast begins by unpacking Russia's attacks on news networks, and how Russian disinformation operations have gained traction in the West.
• The pair then unpack recent operations within Russia targeting young men concerned about Putin's conscription campaign.
• Hollingworth and Garman wrap up the podcast examining some of the malware campaigns emerging from Russia, including democratised state-sanctioned hacking groups that are offering free hacking tools for download.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior defence industry analyst Stephen Kuper and Defence Connect editor Liam Garman discuss recent findings from a CSIS wargame investigating a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

• The pair begin the podcast unpacking the key findings from the wargame — as well as the fundamental lessons for Western military strategists.
• Kuper and Garman then discuss Taiwan's prevailing military doctrine including the Porcupine Strategy and irregular warfare capabilities.
• The podcast wraps up with an assessment of whether the CCP is a revisionist power, or whether it now operates as part of the global system to supplant the US as the global hegemon.