The National Security Podcast

Why are Australia’s intelligence agencies growing their public engagement? How are these agencies responding to an increasingly complex, challenging and dynamic strategic environment?And what are intelligence leaders doing to future-proof their organisations, workforces and capabilities?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Director-General of National Intelligence, Andrew Shearer, and Director-General of Security, Mike Burgess, join Professor Rory Medcalf to discuss the state of Australian intelligence.Andrew Shearer is Director-General of National Intelligence and head of the Office of National Intelligence.Mike Burgess is Director-General of Security and head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of the ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than three decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, journalism and academia.Show notes: Director-General's Annual Threat Assessment, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, 2023 Careers in the National Intelligence Community ANU National Security College scholarships: find out more ANU National Security College academic programs: find out more We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How have historical intelligence organisations evolved into the national security agencies we know today? Who were Australia’s early intelligence professionals? And how has this rich history contributed to the formation of key signals intelligence agreements such as Five Eyes?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Clare Birgin and Professor John Blaxland join Dr Will Stoltz to discuss their recently released book, Revealing Secrets: An unofficial history of Australian Signals intelligence & the advent of cyber.Clare Birgin is a former Australian diplomat and former Visiting Fellow at The Australian National UniversityJohn Blaxland is a Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies CentreDr Will Stoltz is Expert Associate at the ANU National Security College and Senior Manager at CyberCXShow notes: Revealing Secrets: An unofficial history of Australian Signals intelligence & the advent of cyberANU National Security College academic programs: find out more We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What challenges does China pose to Australia’s security? And have the recent policy responses from Australian Governments been effective? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr Euan Graham, IISS Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow, discusses his new book, Australia's Security in China's Shadow, with Professor Rory Medcalf in front of a live audience.The conversation follows insightful opening remarks delivered by Richard Maude, Senior Fellow at Asia Society Australia, and former Director-General of the Office of National Assessments.Dr Carolyn Bull is Deputy Head of the ANU National Security College, seconded from the Office of National Intelligence, Australia’s peak intelligence agency.Richard Maude is Senior Fellow at Asia Society Australia, and former Director-General of the Office of National Assessments.Dr Euan Graham is a Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Indo-Pacific Defence and Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of the ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than three decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, journalism and academia. Show notes: Opening remarks delivered by Richard MaudeBook: Australia's Security in China's Shadow by Euan GrahamANU National Security College academic programs: find out more We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the Defence Strategic Review, and why does it matter? What does it mean for Australian strategy and defence in this contested era? And how will it shape the way the Australian Defence Force and Department of Defence adapt to the risks facing the nation?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, co-lead of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) Secretariat, Professor Peter Dean, joins Professor Rory Medcalf to provide an insider's analysis of the government’s latest strategic defence document. Show notes:  Defence Strategic Review 2023 Australian interests in a regional balance of power, National Press Club Address, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong The Defence Strategic Review: a revolution in Australian defence planning?, Stephan Fruehling, The Strategist ANU National Security College academic programs: find out more Professor Peter J. Dean PhD SFHEA was co-lead of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) Secretariat where he served as senior advisor and principal author for the Independent Leads, His Excellency Professor the Hon Stephen Smith and Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK AC AFC (Retd). He is Director, Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than three decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, journalism and academia.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How is the Quad navigating China’s growing power and influence in the region? How do the four countries balance their domestic security priorities with their commitments under the partnership? And does India’s position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine create compatibility challenges?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Darshana Baruah, Lisa Curtis and Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara join Professor Rory Medcalf to discuss the Quad partnership at a key time for Indo-Pacific diplomacy. Darshana M. Baruah is a Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she directs the Indian Ocean Initiative.Lisa Curtis is Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.Nobukatsu Kanehara is Professor of Political Science at Doshisha University. He was previously Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of the ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than three decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, journalism and academia.  Show notes: ANU National Security College academic programs: find out moreWe’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How important is Korea to Australia’s regional outlook? What elements of the Australia-South Korea relationship should be strengthened? And can South Korea continue to effectively juggle the competing security priorities of a rising China and a belligerent North Korea? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr Lauren Richardson and Dr Michael Cohen join David Andrews to examine the Korean peninsula in the context of Australian foreign and security policy. Dr Lauren Richardson is a Lecturer in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at ANU. Dr Michael Cohen is a Senior Lecturer and the PhD Convenor at the ANU National Security College.David Andrews is the acting Policy Manager at the ANU National Security College. Show notes: Rethinking the Potential for Australia-ROK Relations, AsiaLink, Lauren Richardson: read now ANU National Security College academic programs: find out more  We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we learn from First Nations Australians about our obligation to country? And is enough being done to protect native title owners from foreign interference?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Hall and Dr Danielle Ireland-Piper discuss what security means from an Indigenous Australian perspective, and how cultural knowledge and cultural safety can directly impact domestic and regional security.Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Hall is the Australian Army's first Command Cultural Advisor to the Regional Force Surveillance Group.Dr Danielle Ireland-Piper is an Associate Professor and Academic Convenor at the ANU National Security College.Show notes:National Intelligence Community and National Security College Scholarship for Women: find out moreAstronomy, Sky Country, Karlie Noon, Krystal De Napoli, Margo Neale, April 2022The Uluru Statement from the HeartWe’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are Australia’s strategic interests in Antarctica? What role does the continent play in climate science? And what does Australia stand to gain from investment in the region?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr James Mortensen and Isabelle Bond, authors of recent NSC Policy Options Paper Cold logic: getting intelligent about Antarctica, join William Leben to discuss the geopolitics of Antarctica.   James Mortensen is a Lecturer at the ANU National Security College. Isabelle Bond is a Research Assistant at the ANU National Security College. William Leben is a Senior Research Officer at the ANU National Security College. Show notes: ANU National Security College academic programs: find out more ANU National Security College, Policy Options Paper: Cold logic: getting intelligent about Antarctica Australian Antarctic Strategy & 20 Year Action Plan Antarctic Treaty System News article based on study published in Nature: Antarctic ice melt could disrupt the world’s oceans: study Center for Strategic & International Studies reporting: Frozen Frontiers: China’s Great Power Ambitions in the Polar Regions March 2022 ice shelves collapse UN report: no credible pathway to limit warming to 1.5 °C  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While social media has many benefits, there are a growing number of users – both human and machine – spreading harmful disinformation and misinformation on these networks. What is the difference between disinformation and misinformation? How do different actors – both state and non-state – affect society and geopolitics using social media? And what steps can be taken to overcome these challenges?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Associate Professor Darren Linvill from Clemson University and Associate Professor Will Grant from ANU, join David Andrews in conversation to discuss the state of disinformation and misinformation on social media.Darren Linvill is an Associate Professor and Co-director of the Clemson University Media Forensics Hub. He studies state-affiliated social media information operations.Will J Grant is Associate Professor at The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU, where he researches the interaction of science and politics. He podcasts on science at The Wholesome Show.David Andrews is the acting Policy Manager at the ANU National Security College.Show notes: ANU National Security College academic programs: find out more Darren Linvill’s recent article for Irregular Warfare Initiative covers some of the themes discussed in today’s episode: Custer’s last tweet: avoiding a digital little bighorn in the fight for hearts and minds. We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the Women, Peace and Security framework and how did it come about? What was this agenda designed to do, and has it achieved the original ambition?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Professor Jacqui True from Monash University, and Lisa Sharland from the Stimson Centre, join Gai Brodtmann in conversation to unpack the Women Peace and Security agenda 23 years on from its creation.Jacqui True is a Professor of international relations and Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for The Elimination of Violence Against Women.Lisa Sharland is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Protecting Civilians & Human Security Program at the Stimson Centre in Washington DC.Gai Brodtmann is a Distinguished Advisor to the ANU National Security College, having previously served as a diplomat, defence consultant, Member of Parliament, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence.Show notes: National Intelligence Community and National Security College Scholarship for Women: find out more The Australian WPS Coalition: The Women, Peace and Security Agenda We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.