Strategist, author, and former Commander of the Australian Defence College, Mick Ryan distils 35 years of service into sharp lessons on leadership, modern warfare, and innovation. We examine the realities of Ukraine, where technology truly changes war — and where it doesn’t — and the cultural work required to connect founders with end‑users. A wide‑angle conversation on sovereign capability, Australia’s role in great‑power competition, and preparing for the wars of tomorrow.

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Q‑Branch founder Marc Cervantes dives into the realities of building dual‑use companies that sell to the government. We cover the origin story, the craft of becoming an ‘acquisition ninja,’ and lessons from engagements spanning DIU to state and federal partners.

For founders, Marc maps the path past innovation theatre toward programs with budget, users, and urgency — and shares straight talk on entering the U.S. market from Australia. We close on how Q‑Branch and BZV can strengthen cross‑border deal flow and AUKUS Pillar Two collaboration.

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Policy veteran John Thomas outlines Station D.C.’s vision and how legal, regulatory, and policy strategies intersect with defence innovation.

We explore advising dual‑use companies, collaborating with DIU and IQT, and what Australians often misunderstand about entering the

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Peta Ellis – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis

Sean Singleton – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/

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Army veteran and social innovator Dylan Conway reveals how a simple idea — ‘just one book can change a life’ — became one of Australia’s largest book communities.

We discuss the mission of bibliotherapy in strengthening mental resilience for serving members and veterans, building a movement of 20,000+ readers, and why the World’s Coolest Readathon resonates. For innovators and transitioning veterans, Dylan shares candid lessons on pivots, momentum, and designing programs that actually help people.

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Australian Bibliotherapy Foundation

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Former Director of the Defense Digital Service and co‑founder of Rebellion Defence, Chris Lynch shares a rare end‑to‑end view of software, procurement, and venture in national security. We revisit why DDS was created, the enduring lessons from Rebellion, and how Arsenal evaluates dual‑use founders today. Practical guidance includes avoiding theatre, engaging the right PEOs and budget owners, and the timing of partnerships with primes.

A grounded roadmap for founders aiming to build durable capability in the U.S. and AUKUS markets.

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Peta Ellis – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis

Sean Singleton – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/

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Venrock investor and U.S. Navy Reservist, Morgan Hitzig, breaks down the U.S. defence‑tech landscape from a top‑tier VC perspective. We cover re‑industrialisation, public safety tech, and a survivability‑first lens for dual‑use capability.

Morgan shares operator lessons from Dataminr, practical guidance on selling into government, and red flags for ‘innovation theatre.’ Founders will take away a playbook for mapping the human terrain (end users and budget owners), choosing the right prime partnerships, and focusing on real problems with budgeted demand.

A sharp look at how Aussie startups can earn their place in the U.S. market — and where BZV and Venrock can collaborate across AUKUS.

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Space is now a live attack surface. Zendir’s Chris Capon explains how digital twins and persistent rehearsal environments prepare warfighters for space‑cyber integrated missions.

We walk through the training → rehearsal → operations loop, real‑world scenarios (reaction‑wheel hacks, solar‑array spoofing, ground‑station backdoors), and the road to autonomous constellations.

From federated learning at LEO to software‑defined satellites and AUKUS Pillar II ‘decision advantage,’ this is a masterclass on readiness, speed, and secure data in space operations.

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From Army service to venture, Jake shares the human side of capability building. He unpacks his transition out of uniform, the hard‑won lessons from prototyping a training grenade inside Defence, and why that experience reshaped his view of how founders must engage as end‑users first.

We talk common pitfalls when pitching to the Army, the role of trust and culture, and where sovereign capability matters most in the next decade. A reflective close on fatherhood, mateship, and what it means to work on technology that keeps people safe.

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Jake Bostock – LinkedIn: [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake123456789/]

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 In this episode, the founding partners of Marque Ventures share how a veteran-led venture capital firm is backing defence, space, and critical technologies across the U.S. and allied markets. We unpack their dual-use investment thesis, lessons from collaborating with ManTech, and how active duty, Guard, and Reserve experience informs their approach to scaling companies. The team offers sharp insights on avoiding “innovation theatre,” building the right relationships early, and what international founders often misunderstand about breaking into the U.S. market. A candid conversation on bridging capability gaps, accelerating adoption, and strengthening cross-border AUKUS partnerships.

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Founder and lead investor at Beaten Zone Ventures, Steve Baxter sets the tone for the series: why BZV exists, what we invest in, and how ‘lethality and survivability’ guides our early‑stage defence thesis. We cover the state of the fund, portfolio highlights (HEO, Arkeus, Zendir, Zeromark, Tiberius), and why hackathons and events like Breach Point matter for capability. Steve shares pragmatic advice for Australian founders navigating the U.S., thoughts on real versus performative innovation, and the importance of building products warfighters will actually use. Clear, direct, and grounded — this is the mission brief for The Briefing Room.

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