Stop the World

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Dr Malcolm Davis and Dr Cathy Moloney speak with special guest General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of the United Kingdom’s Strategic Command.

They discuss the global strategic outlook and the importance of partnerships, including AUKUS, and the need for partners to be truly integrated. They explore how artificial intelligence, cyber and electronic warfare are transforming the military domain, and how countries like the UK and Australia can adapt.

They also talk about the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, which is currently under way and due to be released next year. General Hockenhull details the challenges and questions the review aims to address, and the similarities between the UK’s review and Australia’s Defence Strategic Review.

Guests:

Dr Malcolm Davis

Dr Cathy Moloney

General Sir Jim Hockenhull

In the latest edition of the Sydney Dialogue Summit

They discuss Japan’s place in the world as well as identity, diversity and national security. If you want to watch this interview rather than listen, head over to ASPI’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ASPICanberra/videos

To watch Arfiya’s Sydney Dialogue session on

This episode of Stop the World is a deep dive into quantum computing with Dr Pete Shadbolt, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at PsiQuantum, and Alex Capri, Research Fellow at the Hinrich Foundation. 

The conversation provides a breakdown of quantum computing and explores the challenges and profound opportunities that the technology could bring. Alex and Pete discuss how quantum computing can be applied in a practical sense, from biotech to the battlefield, and they examine the potential security implications of the technology and how we can ensure it is used for good.  

They also discuss the importance of encouraging more diversity in the quantum sector, particularly to strengthen supply chain security and resilience. Finally, Pete details what PsiQuantum’s planned quantum computer in Queensland will look like and how it will be built. 

This conversation was recorded in September at The Sydney Dialogue - ASPI’s premier policy summit for critical, emerging and cyber technologies. You can watch the conversation on ASPI’s YouTube channel here. 

In the latest episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to Abe Denmark, former senior advisor to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and now non-resident senior associate with the Asia Program at CSIS. Given their respective roles in the US and Australian governments to establish AUKUS, Abe and Justin discuss the need for the partnership and how it came together. They also outline what the three countries now need to do to make it work to deliver greater regional stability and security, as well as opportunities for broader collaboration with trusted partners.

Beyond AUKUS, they also discuss the global strategic outlook, and the challenges the US and its partners are grappling with – conflict in the Middle East and Europe, and an increasingly assertive China in the Indo-Pacific – and its strategy in managing multiple crises at once.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australia-needs-to-engage-its-youth-population-around-aukus/  

Guests:

Justin Bassi

Abraham M. Denmark

It’s a double episode week on Stop the World, and today we bring you a conversation with Jennifer Bachus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the US Department of State. ASPI’s Bart Hogeveen speaks to Jennifer about cyber security and tech diplomacy, and how the US Government is working to improve cyber resilience at home and supporting partners globally to do the same.  

They discuss threats such as ransomware and cybercrimes and recent developments including the draft UN convention against cybercrime, and the US-led global Counter Ransomware Initiative. Bart asks Jennifer how the US government is adapting to a constantly evolving tech landscape and changing threat environment countries are facing in the cyber domain.  

Mentioned in this episode:  

Draft UN convention against cybercrime 

Counter Ransomware Initiative  

One Bullet Away, by Nathaniel Fick 

Chip War, by Chris Miller 

Guests:  

Bart Hogeveen 
Jennifer Bachus 

In the latest video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, Bethany Allen, Head of China Investigations and Analysis at ASPI, speaks with Her Excellency Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Political-Security Community.

They discuss Dato’s career path and how her time as a diplomat within Malaysia’s foreign ministry led to her current role with ASEAN. They also explore the role of ASEAN and the value that it brings to the region – not just economic value but also in building relationships.

With growing tensions in the South China Sea, Bethany and Dato' discuss how ASEAN can contribute to greater stability in the Indo-Pacific. They also talk about how ASEAN nations are working to address the rise of disruptive technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.

Dato and Bethany were both panellists at The Sydney Dialogue, ASPI’s premier policy summit for critical, emerging and cyber technologies, held on September 2 and 3. This special episode is the fourth in a series of podcasts filmed on the sidelines of the conference, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Speakers:

Her Excellency Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz

Bethany Allen

In the third video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, sits down with Admiral Michael Rogers (Ret’d), Senior Advisor at Trusted Future, to discuss all things intelligence.

Jason was a founding member of both the Office of the National Cyber Director at the White House and the first cyber command in the world, the Joint Task Force for Computer Network Defense, while Michael is a former Commander of the US Cyber Command and Director of the US National Security Agency.

The conversation explores how Michael’s career began as a surface warfare officer and how he made the transition into the world of intelligence, as well as how signals intelligence has changed over time and whether it will stay the same in the decades ahead.

With Australia no longer having a 10‑year window of strategic warning time ahead of major conflict, they also talk about intelligence and warning. Jason asks Michael how intelligence can provide better warning and whether the job is becoming more difficult as the world becomes more complex.

Jason and Michael were both panellists at The Sydney Dialogue, ASPI’s premier policy summit for critical, emerging and cyber technologies, held on September 2 and 3. This special episode is the third in a series of podcasts filmed on the sidelines of the conference, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Speakers:

Jason Healey – https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/admiral-michael-s-rogers

Admiral Michael Rogers (Ret’d) – https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jason-healey

In the latest episode of Stop the World, Olivia Nelson sits down with Lisa Sharland, Senior Fellow and Director of the Protecting Civilians and Human Security program at the Stimson Centre. The conversation, which was recorded in July, discusses the United Nations (UN) and how the multilateral system is adapting - or struggling to adapt - to rapid global change. They also discuss the UN’s Summit of the Future which aims to find international consensus on pressing global issues. 

The conversation also covers peacekeeping and Australia’s role in it, the challenges that women face in multilateral settings, and how gender equality and women’s security relates to broader national and international security. Finally, as ASPI celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Women in Defence and Security Network (WDSN), Lisa and Olivia explore the evolving presence and contribution of women in Australia’s national security landscape. 

Speakers:

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.stimson.org/2022/strengthening-human-rights-translating-multilateral-commitments-into-action/

https://www.stimson.org/2023/host-country-consent-in-un-peacekeeping/

https://www.stimson.org/2024/the-role-of-air-power-in-un-peacekeeping/

In the first video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, David Wroe sits down with Connor Leahy, co-founder and CEO of Conjecture AI. David and Connor speak about the catastrophic risks that a powerful but uncontrolled and unaligned artificial superintelligence could pose to humanity, and Conjecture’s approach to safe AI called “cognitive emulation”. They also discuss what it means for an intelligent agent to have goals, and the likelihood that the current dominant AI approach of large language models can continue to be scaled up with more computing power.

Connor was a panellist at ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue cyber and tech conference held on September 2 and 3. This is the first of a series of podcasts filmed on the sidelines of the conference, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Check out ASPI’s YouTube channel here to watch the full video.