The Cove Podcast

‘[W]e're not like a professional sporting team that our whole week is designed around that gameday on Saturday, [our] people are required to do their job day in, day out ...’

In this week’s episode, we sit down with WO2 Tavis Nicholson, the Warrant Officer Physical Training Instructor (WOPTI) at the Royal Military College – Duntroon, to explore how physical preparation underpins preparing for and winning wars in the Australian Army. Drawing on his experience training across conventional units and with Special Forces candidates, WO2 Nicholson outlines how physical fitness translates directly into a soldiers’ resilience, availability, and durability on combat and in war.

He discusses his philosophy of programming — know the demands, know the baseline, train the gap — and how this approach ensures soldiers are fit for purpose rather than following passing fitness fads. Drawing lessons from his time with elite sporting teams, he highlights how careful programming, minimum effective dose training, and a focus on longevity can help extend soldiers’ careers and minimise injury. At the same time, he cautions against lowering standards to match societal norms, arguing instead for holding the line on the physical requirements that military service demands.

This conversation is a deep dive into the art and science of physical training, balancing strength, endurance, and recovery with the unique occupational requirements of Army. Every physical training session must be balanced against the high physical demands of our day-to-day jobs. It’s about being intentional, adaptable, and consistent — ensuring every soldier is combat effective when it counts and to prevent injury.

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Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned and WO2 Nicholson’s second episode on the practical elements of becoming and staying fighting fit.

‘[T]hat’s a brigade-sized amphibious operation planned and executed in a week …’

In this week’s episode, we dive into the Huon Peninsula Campaign of 1943–44 and examine how the Australian 9th Division used littoral operations to outpace and outfight the Japanese. Our guest this week – Dr Tom Richardson PhD – is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales – Canberra. He specialises in military history and amongst his many publications is an article called Small Boats and Brave Men, published in the Australian Army Journal.

Following the fall of Lae in September 1943, the Australians turned their focus to securing Finschhafen, a vital harbour on the Huon Peninsula. Using small landing craft to bring tanks, artillery, and supplies forward along the coast, the 9th Division overcame difficult jungle terrain and fierce resistance to seize the town. From there, the campaign culminated in the dramatic combined-arms assault on Sattelberg Ridge, where infantry, armour, artillery, and engineers worked together to dislodge entrenched Japanese defenders. These actions highlight how littoral mobility and a coalition force enabled the Australians to fight heavy and manoeuvre decisively in some of the most demanding conditions of the Second World War.

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Leading Sources:

Dean, P. J. (Ed.). (2013). Australia 1943: The Liberation of New Guinea. Cambridge University Press.

‘[T]he best piece of advice I've had in years past is that if it hurts a little ... there's probably a fair element of truth to it...’

In this week’s episode, we explore how to seek feedback and turn it into actionable advice for commanders. Our guest, WOFF Ken Robertson, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Force (SEAC), is the Australian Defence Force’s most senior enlisted leader. As the first person appointed to the role, he has advised GEN Angus Campbell and ADM David Johnston while representing the soldiers, sailors, and aviators of the ADF.

WOFF Robertson shares his journey from being a fiercely competitive junior aviator and sportsman to recognising the power of deliberate reflection and embracing honest feedback over decades of personal growth. He outlines his approach to gathering insights from tens of thousands of ADF members, uncovering the real value in spending time with those he represents. He also explains how he distils this feedback into clear, meaningful advice for the CDF and senior leaders.

Today, he actively seeks feedback from people who challenge his perspective, a habit that has helped him become confident in his identity as both a leader and a person. He deliberately immerses himself in the ADF squadrons, ships, and battalions to witness and celebrate their achievements firsthand. In doing so, he strengthens trust, stays connected to the lived experiences of the force, and ensures the advice he provides to the nation’s top commanders is grounded in the reality of those achieving amazing things for our organisation.

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‘The scale of Talisman Sabre from a geographic perspective is difficult to comprehend and, in some cases, it can be quite difficult to describe.’

In this week’s episode, we talk through all things Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest Australian Defence Force Exercise this year. Our guest this week – SQNLDR Zac Smit – is an Operations Officer in the Exercise Control on Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 and has lived and breathed this exercise since January this year. We record on-the-road from the Combined Joint Information Bureau at Gallipoli Barracks in South-East Queensland.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 included 43,000 participants in an area spanning 5,300km, 24 warships including 2 carrier strike groups, 270+ aircraft flying 2,000 sorties for the duration of the exercise, the 1st (Australian) Division employed together as the Army’s unit of action, multiple combined joint forcible entry operations via air and amphibious insertion methods, the first live firing of Defence Australia’s HIMARS and Precision Strike Missile, the largest ADF medical effect since the Vietnam War, and the full-activation of Joint Logistics Command Australia’s theatre logistics system.

In this episode, SQNLDR Smit talks about how much different this Talisman Sabre was to Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023, what we set out to achieve in terms of exercise objectives, the impact that global issues can have on the entire exercise and then finally the lessons learnt or takeaways from his perspective in the hot-seat of the Exercise Control Current Operations. Teams of ADF, our partner nations and civilians worked tirelessly 24/7 to achieve some huge successes on one of the largest exercises ever conducted by the ADF.

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‘The way that we designed the Battle Group was on platform and systems of uncrewed and crewed variants that are theoretically attainable within the next two years ...’

In this week’s episode, we talk through combat experimentation in the Australian Army, getting after emerging technology, learning fast and developing the latest TTPs. Our guest this week – LTCOL Jake Penley – is the Commanding Officer of the 1st Armoured Regiment in Adelaide SA and has been tasked with shifting the unit from an Armoured Cavalry Regiment to the Army’s combat experimentation unit. From participating in Project Convergence Capstone 5, a large-scale experiment without the constraints of training levels that allows the US Military, its allies and Defence industry to have at it testing future concepts and the newest war fighting technology to participating in the North Queensland War Fighter, this is the cutting edge of future land warfare.

From running Lavarack Barracks out of maps to enable a huge analytical wargame ran by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) to receiving pallets of brand-new equipment with little instructions, 1st Armoured Regiment is balancing emerging technology and learning with our traditional understanding of tactics and control measures. Tactics and control measures, LTCOL Penley argues, which only become more important with the innovation and leading-edge technology. Working with industry, both Primes and small manufacturers, as well as DSTG mean that any failures are fast, and lessons are learnt quickly to enable the unit to solve the problems of future land warfare.

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‘[On] basic para-course… you must be consciously competent … because you're the only person who is going to pull the reserve handle if there is a malfunction at that stage.’ This week’s episode is centred on how we can improve the training that we deliver in units, making the most of the resource that we have to develop creative training from the individual to the collective. Our guests this week are WO1 Brad Doyle and WO1 Mick Reyne. WO1 Brad Doyle is the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of Forces Command and WO1 Mick Reyne is the Training Warrant Officer - Army.

The Systems Approach to Defence Learning (SADL) is a tool that anyone designing or delivering training can use to ensure that the training that they deliver achieves the right outcomes and encourages continuous evaluation. It includes the ADDIE Cycle, which includes five steps: (1) analyse, (2) design, (3) develop, (4) implement, and (5) evaluate. Taking a skill from unskilled through to competent is done under supervision with the end goal of that individual being able to employ that skill safely in the workplace. This marks the transition point from individual to collective, where that skill must be practiced as part of a collective to proficient and then expert.

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'Watching those aircraft take off ... and knowing that you are part of that success, part of that story, there's not many better feelings.’ In this week’s episode, we talk about the challenges and opportunities of keeping the CH47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters in the air. Our guests are CAPT Shannon McGee and FSGT Jason Smart from the Army’s new 16 Aviation Support Battalion in Townsville, Queensland. CAPT Shannon McGee is a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer on the CH47 Chinook and FSGT Jason Smart is an Aircraft Technician who has seen the introduction-into-service of the MRH90 Taipan and has deployed supporting Army helicopters multiple times, including in the first days of INTERFET in Dili and later from a patrol base in Balibo, both in Timor-Leste. 

The 16 Aviation Support Battalion is tasked with keeping the fleet of CH47 Chinooks in the air to meet Army’s need for rotary wing lift while preparing for the introduction-into-service of the Australian Army’s newest helicopter, the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter. Both 1 Aviation Regiment and 5 Aviation Regiment will fly out of Townsville, operating from Hamel Lines at RAAF Townsville. The Apache is replacing the Eurocopter Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and will become the 1 Aviation Regiment’s attack aviation platform. The first AH-64 Apaches are scheduled to commence flying operations in the next six months and many of the aircrew and support staff have already commenced training in the United States to prepare to be thrown the keys. 

The team that supports Army flying operations include maintainers, Aviation Ground Crew, Life-support Fitters, and engineers. The come from the Army, RAAF and civilian contractors that have maintained helicopters at Hamel Lines for decades, conducting everything from routine to deep maintenance. They will be joined by Maintenance Augmentation Teams provided by the United States Army and field service representatives from Boeing to enable the introduction-into-service. Army aviation is at the start of exciting times and these are the people that get to create history. 

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‘We are never going to be combat ineffective because of atmospherics... we can work in the rain, we can work in the mud, and we can work in the jungle.’ In this week’s episode, we talk all things infantry reconnaissance and how reconnaissance patrols enable the fight. Our guest this week - CPL Andrew Noseda - is currently the acting Platoon Sergeant for the Reconnaissance Platoon at the 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment. He was the Section Commander for the battalion’s Duke of Gloucester Cup team and his team took out second place out of all the teams submitted by the regular infantry battalions. He has been in reconnaissance for the last four years, two as a digger and two as a Patrol Commander, and he talks us through the purpose of dismounted infantry recon and what a recon patrol can offer commanders. 

Observation Posts (OP) and Point Target Reconnaissance (PTR) are the primary means by which infantry recon will answer their Commander’s Critical Information Requirements, ranging from questions about the terrain/weather to the enemy disposition and pattern of life. Recon patrols are prime targets for enemy engagement and are inherently vulnerable. They operate in isolation, with limited communications and they often carry all the stores and equipment necessary for their task on-foot. They can be inserted via vehicle, boat, helicopter or on-foot to set the preconditions for the main force. 

Infantry recon can be supplemented with engineer recon, armoured recon and Joint Fires Observers to enhance mobility, endurance, to answer more of the commander’s questions and to target the enemy with Offensive Support. The Basic Reconnaissance Course is the first course in the continuum and can be completed by both infantry and other corps. The Patrol Commander is responsible for briefing the commander that they are attached to on what they can achieve. The earlier in planning that the Patrol Commander is included, the more refined the specified tasks their patrol is allocated in orders to better enable the commander’s intent. 

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‘There are a number of things to [jamming] and I don’t think we necessarily train it well because it’s a very complex concept.’ In this week’s episode, we talk all things tactical communications or more specifically the options available to communicate within a combat brigade. Our guest this week – CAPT Jack Virtue – has been the signals officer for a combat signals regiment, a combat engineer regiment and an artillery regiment all within a combat brigade. He has also been a communications planner for rotary wing attack aviation and has just finished a posting to the Joint Data Network Unit, integrating Army, Navy and Air Force assets into the joint fight. 

Combat net radios remain the primary means of transmitting information in a brigade. Any planner needs to understand, integrate and monitor the development and establishment of tactical communications. Terrain, weather, distance, dispersion and even whether it is night or day can have an impact on how easy it is to establish and maintain communications. For ease of understanding, the backbone of brigade and below communications can be separated into line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond line-of-sight options (BLOS). LOS options include Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Very High Frequency (VHF) bands which are both relatively easy to operate; however, can be constrained by terrain conditions and only reach longer distances by using retransmission. BLOS options include High Frequency (HF) and Satellite Communications (SATCOM) which can reach far greater distances; however, can be more difficult to use and in the case of SATCOM can be disrupted or denied. 

Communications proficiency is a perishable skill, and it is paramount to conduct regular training and Command Post Exercises (CPX) well before the time comes to run it live. Like weapon drills, CAPT Virtue argues that if you do not maintain hands on with the equipment and the theory behind communications, you’ll lose the competency that is so hard fought for. This episode sets the preconditions for a future episode with the Commanding Officer of the 1st Armoured Regiment on combat experimentation and a future episode on machine learning in command posts and jamming. 

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‘I was always the digger that had slightly out of regs hair, my sunnies fit so nicely on my head so why wouldn’t I put them there and I obviously love non-issued gear ...’ In this week’s episode, the creator of the popular Instagram page Tuesday Night Violence Co. joins us again to talk about his approach to junior leadership. CPL Mitchell Clark is currently posted as the Training Sergeant at 2nd/17th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (2/17 RNSWR). He has bounced in-and-out of full-time and part-time service and today he talks us through how he approaches leadership in an organisation full of volunteers that can choose to show up or not show up.

CPL Clark came to Army with a teaching background and finds real

CPL Clark takes us through his five reflections on how to be a good junior leader which are: (1) your character flaws are your problem and your responsibility; (2) you set the standard for your team; (3) look the part; (4) use common sense; and (5) be the mentor. He also shares a personality triad that he most relates to which combines professional competence, professional attitude and likeability. To be a good leader, you must have at least two of these traits. To be a good leader long-term, CPL Clark argues that one of those two traits must be professional competence. Honesty, self-reflection and embracing vulnerability are the cornerstones of junior leadership and in this episode, we talk through what it is like to make the leap.

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