Defence & Security Podcast Network

In this week's podcast, Narelle Devine CSM, chief information security officer, Asia Pacific at Telstra, joins hosts MAJ GEN (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson and Phil Tarrant, director defence and security at Momentum media, to discuss cyber security challenges from the perspective of one of the country's largest telecommunications companies.

Devine begins by discussing her transition from decades of service with the Royal Australian Navy to a successful career in the civilian space, supporting cyber security integration across both the public and private sector.

Telstra's CISO then discusses the cyber security challenges facing the globe, noting the spike in malicious activity, particularly the targeting of consumers through mobile communications scams.

Devine outlines the strategies employed by stakeholders to counter cyber threats, including direct efforts to curtail criminal actors and broader efforts to bolster resilience across the community.

The discussion continues with an analysis of the range of threat vectors, with Devine explaining while ransomware in particular is top of mind for CISOs.

The trio then delve into the ongoing challenges associated with building Australia's cyber workforce, with Devine outlining strategies to retain and attract highly-skilled talent.

Finally, Devine explains how Telstra is shaping their strategy to prepare for the future threat environment.

Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Major General Mick Ryan, AM, Commander Australian Defence College. The pair begin by discussing MAJGEN Ryan's tenure as Commander of the Australian Defence College, enhancing Defence's education continuum from Cadet through to General as well as overcoming the challenges of the recent pandemic. The podcast continues with an analysis of how the Australian Defence Force is preparing its members and future leaders to address the emerging characteristics of war with new curricula that were designed in accordance with Defence's current and future needs. The pair wrap up the podcast discussing MAJGEN Ryan's upcoming book, War Transformed, and the impact that ebbs and flows of technological change have on warfare. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Defence Connect's editorial staff Liam Garman and Charbel Kadib to analyse the latest news and updates from the defence industry.

The trio begin by analysing the latest news in defence industry, from EOS' new T2000-DE turret to Cobham and CAE Australia's joint bid for the AIR 5428 program.

The podcast continues, examining the recent geopolitical and geostrategic updates from around the world including the crisis in Eastern Europe and the realities of Australia's submarine program.

The trio wrap up the podcast discussing the latest military news, including the commissioning of the HMAS Stalwart, and HMAS Canberra returning to its homeport following a lengthy deployment.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this week's podcast, Lani Refiti, regional director, ANZ at Claroty, joins hosts MAJ GEN (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson and Phil Tarrant, director – defence and security at Momentum Media, to discuss securing Australia's critical infrastructure amid an evolving cyber threat landscape. The podcast begins by analysing the latest news and updates from the cyber security industry, including balancing workforce demands for privacy despite remote work, as well as the latest in a long string of cyber attacks overseas. The trio then dives into analysing Claroty's core business offering as an industrial cyber security company, focusing on two crucial areas: critical infrastructure and defence industries. The podcast then analyses Claroty's efforts in protecting Australia's critical infrastructure from threat actors, and whether the government's new critical infrastructure bill was sufficient to address the current cyber security threat landscape. Lani then discusses how "black swan" cyber incidents aren't far-fetched concepts – but growing realities in an increasingly cyber world. The podcast wraps up by analysing Claroty's ambitious plans in the region including optimising their current service offerings, and how the industry can amplify awareness of the cyber threat environment. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Connect team

In this week's podcast, Dr Gregor Ferguson, defence writer, analyst and publisher of EX2, joined Liam Garman, editor defence and security at Momentum Media, to discuss the upcoming Peever review and how to get cutting edge technology into the hands of Australia's warfighters.

The podcast begins by analysing the aims of the review and what efficiencies can be achieved to improve the flow of money into businesses and technology into the ADF.

The pair then unpack whether a DARPA model will support greater innovation in Australia's defence industry, looking at the results of public-private partnerships from the US across defence and space sectors.

The podcast wraps up with Dr Ferguson identifying some of the key factors that he would like to see uncovered throughout the review, and analyse whether the senior leadership has the palate to undergo swift and thorough improvements in the defence industry and defence technology sectors.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

On this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Greg Barsby, managing director of QinetiQ Australia to assess the importance of test and evaluation procedures for a robust sovereign defence capability. The podcast begins by analysing how QinetiQ is investing in Australia to build a sovereign test and evaluation process, developing a more in depth and comprehensive understanding of Defence's platforms. The pair continue to examine how QinetiQ draws from the company's global expertise to support uniquely Australian operations. The podcast wraps up by evaluating the future of the test and evaluation industry in Australia, especially regarding the nation's resilient and highly trained workforce. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Team

In this episode of Cyber Security Uncut, Daniel Lai, chief executive officer of archTIS joins hosts MAJGEN (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson, chair of the Penten board and Phil Tarrant, director – defence and security at Momentum Media to unpack the latest in the cyber security industry. To begin, the trio discusses the latest news and updates from the market, including how the pandemic has created new loopholes for threat actors to exploit – and how secure information sharing services, such as archTIS, have addressed those challenges. The podcast then examines the changing trust environment, including security classifications and protecting information in an increasingly complex ecosystem, before examining the nexus between industry and government to build a resilient sovereign cyber industry. The trio wraps up the podcast by discussing how archTIS and Penten navigate the business environment, while Lai explains how his business growth has been rooted in developing quality products. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Connect team

Thirty-year Royal Australian Navy veteran and editor of the Nuclear Propulsion Roadmap for Australia Christopher Skinner joins Liam Garman to unpack Australia's ongoing submarine debate.

The pair begin by analysing the current submarine question spurred by the technology sharing arrangements under the AUKUS deal, and analyse the differences between the proposed nuclear-powered submarines and the Attack Class.

The podcast then dives into analysing whether Australia needs stopgap capabilities in the meantime while the new fleet is under construction.

Finally, the podcast wraps up looking at whether nuclear powered submarines may spur interest in nuclear technology, and the geopolitical impacts of the France-Australia fallout.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

Dr Peter Layton joins host Liam Garman for this week's Defence Connect podcast, examining findings from Dr Layton's recent report titled Countering China's Gray Zone Strategy. Gray zone featured strongly in Australia's 2020 Defence Strategic Update. It declared that: "grey zone activities directly or indirectly targeting Australian interests are occurring now". The podcast begins with an analysis on the PRC's gray zone activities within the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and how these activities form part of the broader PRC strategy. The pair then discuss China's preferred asymmetries, and how they will continue to exploit aversion to war to assert incremental dominance in the region. The podcast wraps up by analysing what Australia and the Australian defence industry can do to counter these operations within the South China Sea and broader Indo-Pacific. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of Cyber Security Uncut, Matthew Wilson, CEO of cyber technology firm Penten, joins hosts, Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson and Phil Tarrant, director – defence and security at Momentum Media, to discuss the company's growth strategy in the cyber security space. The trio begin by announcing the appointment of MAJGEN (Ret'd) Thompson as the new chair of the Penten board, explaining how the company plans to leverage his experience to realise its ambitions. Wilson then discusses the company's recent capital raise, which aims to strengthen the company's financial position in an effort to bolster investment. The Penten CEO also explains how the company and other SMEs can support the nation's broader push to enhance digital sovereignty, making particular reference to the importance of emerging encryption technology. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Security Connect Team