The National Security Podcast

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Emily Hitchman and Dr William Stoltz join Professor Rory Medcalf to unpack what ‘secret statecraft’ means in the Australian context and why it should be studied more.Call it intelligence, spying, or covert action, a whole realm of ‘secret’ statecraft operates out of the public eye in Australia, hidden by layers of classification, deniability, and secrecy. Yet — as the recent public address, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, from Director-General Paul Symon highlighted — it’s becoming somewhat more transparent in the contemporary era. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, PhD scholar at ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Emily Hitchman and Manager of Policy Engagement at ANU National Security College Dr William Stoltz join Professor Rory Medcalf to unpack what ‘secret statecraft’ means in the Australian context and why it deserves more attention from scholars and policymakers. They explore whether a reliance on the instruments of ‘secret statecraft’ make sense for Australia as a democratic middle-power, and if this form of statecraft operates within an existing social licence, or whether more needs to be done to build that license.Emily Hitchman is a PhD scholar at ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre researching Australia’s use of the 'Neither Confirm Nor Deny' principle in the intelligence and security context. Emily has worked professionally across the national security and criminal justice public policy space, including in law enforcement and cyber policy.Dr William A Stoltz is the Manager of Policy Engagement at ANU National Security College. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne, and an Associate Member of the Centre for the Study of Subversion, Unconventional Interventions and Terrorism at the University of Nottingham.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.For full show notes visit policyforum.net. 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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Major General (retd) Duncan Lewis and Professor Caitlin Byrne join Professor Rory Medcalf to discuss the potential policy implications of Australia’s change in government.The 2022 federal election has brought a significant change to Australia’s political landscape. The election of a progressive Labor government led by Anthony Albanese ends nine years of conservative Coalition rule. But what does this mean for Australia’s foreign and security policy settings? To make sense of this shift, Major General Duncan Lewis, former Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Origination (ASIO), and Professor Caitlin Byrne, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute, join Professor Rory Medcalf in discussion.Major General (retd) Duncan Lewis AO DSC CSC is Professor in the Practice of National Security at ANU National Security College. Prior to this appointment he served as Director-General of Security and Head of ASIO.Professor Caitlin Byrne is Director, Griffith Asia Institute and Faculty Fellow of the University of Southern California's Centre for Public Diplomacy (CPD). She has worked across a range of senior leadership roles in government, industry and community with a focus on delivering change and reform.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we bring you the fourth instalment of the Women in National Security mini-series, produced in collaboration with Accenture. In her first-ever public interview in the role, Deputy Director-General of Capability and Corporate Management for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) Catherine Burn joins Gai Brodtmann, National Security College Futures Council member, and Meg Tapia, Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture for the fourth episode in the Women in National Security mini-series. They talk about the reality of Australian spies, the diverse range of recruits that ASIS are looking for, and Catherine’s unique career influences.Catherine Burn was appointed ASIS's Deputy Director-General Capability and Corporate Management in April 2018. Prior to this, Catherine had a distinguished career with the New South Wales Police Force reaching the rank of Deputy Commissioner. In 2011, Catherine was announced as the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the year. Gai Brodtmann is a member of ANU National Security College's Futures Council 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. Meg Tapia has 16 years of experience in national security and foreign policy. She served as a diplomat in Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, and Vanuatu. Currently, Meg is Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture. All episodes of the Women in National Security mini-series are available here. 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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Policy Adviser at ANU National Security College Felicity Millar investigates several national security policy issues with expert commentators in the lead up to the 2022 federal election.With the 2022 federal election fast approaching, it’s time to assess the range of national security policies on offer to the electorate. In this episode, Felicity Millar is joined by four experts – Senior Lecturer at ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Andrew Carr, Senior Policy Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre Hayley Channer, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Bond University Danielle Ireland-Piper, and Director of Ethical Intelligence and former Director-General of Emergency Management Australia Mark Croswell – to explore the policies on offer in 2022 in four key areas: defence, domestic security, international partnerships, and disaster resilience. They identify areas of bipartisanship, note policy differences where they exist, and highlight areas of potential minor party and independent influence in national security policy-making. If you’d like more information on these policies, check out the ANU National Security College’s detailed National Security Election Snapshots.Dr Andrew Carr is a Senior Lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at The Australian National University (ANU). His research focuses on strategy, middle powers and Australian defence policy.Hayley Channer is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre. She produces analysis on foreign and defence policy in the Indo-Pacific, engages with key Australian Government agencies and other policy stakeholders, and builds and sustains the Centre’s domestic and international network.Dr Danielle Ireland-Piper is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Bond University and serves as Co-Convenor of the Transnational, International and Comparative Law and Policy Network.Mark Crosweller is Director of Ethical Intelligence, an ethical leadership consultancy, and former Director General of Emergency Management Australia. He led the National Resilience Taskforce for the Commonwealth Government of Australia.Felicity Millar is the Executive Officer and Policy Adviser at ANU National Security College. She has previously held roles in the National Intelligence Community, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and ANU.ANU National Security College is independent in its activities, research, and editorial judgment, and does not take institutional or partisan positions on policy issues. The opinions offered are solely the views of our guests.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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Anna Powles and Henry Ivarature join Rory Medcalf to discuss the controversial Solomon Islands-China security deal and the major challenges it presents for Australia and its neighbours in the Pacific. The recently-signed Solomon Islands-China security deal raises many questions about sovereignty and the national interest – of Solomon Islands, Australia, and their neighbours in the region – as well as claims it could lead to a Chinese military base in the Pacific. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University Dr Anna Powles and Pacific Fellow at ANU Australia Pacific Security College Dr Henry Ivarature join Head of ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf to unpack these issues and more.Dr Anna Powles is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University. Her research in the Pacific is focused on how state and non-state actors are shaping security and the intersection of geopolitics and local security dynamics.Dr Henry Ivarature is a Pacific Fellow at ANU Australia Pacific Security College. He has worked and travelled extensively in the Pacific Islands for over 28 years, doing research and writing about development issues, as well as a public servant.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism. 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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we bring you the third instalment of the Women in National Security mini-series, produced in collaboration with Accenture.In this episode of the National Security Podcast, hosts Gai Brodtmann, National Security College Futures Council member, and Meg Tapia, Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture, are joined by Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Deputy Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Abigail Bradshaw CSC. Abigail explains the steps the ACSC has taken to achieve gender balance in their workforce and how they support working families. They also discuss her love of leadership and approach to helping others become amazing leaders themselves.Abigail Bradshaw CSC is the Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Deputy Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). She worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, most recently as the Deputy Coordinator of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and prior to that as the head of the National Security Division.Gai Brodtmann is a member of ANU National Security College (NSC)'s Futures Council, 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.Meg Tapia has 16 years of experience in national security and foreign policy. She served as a diplomat in Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, and Vanuatu. Currently, Meg is Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture.Find out more about the National Intelligence Community and National Security College Scholarships for Women, and careers at the Australian Signals Directorate and Australian Cyber Security Centre.All episodes of the Women in National Security mini-series are available here. 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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, the European Union and French ambassadors to Australia join Professor Rory Medcalf to discuss the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific ahead of the EU Indo-Pacific Forum, which will be hosted by ANU National Security College on 25 May 2022.Why does the Indo-Pacific matter to the European Union? What is the significance of the European Union’s Indo-Pacific strategy? And how does the European Union see itself engaging in the Indo-Pacific in the future? The European Union’s Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Dr Michael Pulch, and France’s Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Jean-Pierre Thébault — representing the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union — join Head of ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf to explore how the European Union is engaging with the strategic challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific.This conversation precedes the upcoming EU Indo-Pacific Forum – hosted by ANU National Security College on 25 May — which will foster the exchange of ideas about the European Union’s engagement in the region. This event will complement the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, held in Paris in February 2022.His Excellency Dr Michael Pulch is the European Union’s Ambassador to Australia.His Excellency Jean-Pierre Thébault is France’s Ambassador to Australia.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, James Mortensen and Anastasia Kapetas join Will Stoltz to explore the increasing threat of natural disasters in Australia and the role of the Australian Defence Force in responding to them.In recent years, Australia has faced a series of devastating natural disasters – on the back of intense bushfires and cyclones, thousands of Australians are currently grappling with the impact of historic flooding. With these events happening more frequently, what threat does climate change pose to Australia’s national security? And is the Australian Defence Force properly prepared to deliver the disaster support it keeps being asked to provide? On this National Security Podcast, Lecturer at ANU National Security College Dr James Mortensen and National Security Editor at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Anastasia Kapetas join Dr Will Stoltz to explore these issues. Dr James Mortensen is a Lecturer at ANU National Security College where he currently teaches several postgraduate courses covering national security ethics as well as the intersection between the environment, the cyber domain, and emerging technologies with national security policymaking.Anastasia Kapetas is National Security Editor of The Strategist at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Her research has explored the geopolitics of climate and security in the Indo-Pacific as well as policy options for assessing and adapting to the impacts of climate change.Dr William Stoltz is the Senior Adviser for Public Policy at ANU National Security College responsible for mobilising the College’s research and resident expertise to influence and inform current public policy debates.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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Tanvi Madan and Ben Herscovitch join Rory Medcalf in conversation to look at what impact the war on Ukraine might have on diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.How should India’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine be interpreted? What has China learned from Russia’s strategic miscalculations? And how will the war shift the diplomatic landscape in the Indo-Pacific? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Ben Herscovitch, Research Fellow at ANU National Security College, join Professor Rory Medcalf to analyse the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have on diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 29 March, before the reports emerged of atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha, Ukraine.Tanvi Madan is a Senior Fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program, and Director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution. Tanvi is also a member of the NSC Futures Council.Benjamin Herscovitch is a Research Fellow at ANU National Security College and ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism. 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.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we bring you the second instalment of the Women in National Security mini-series, produced in collaboration with Accenture. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, hosts Gai Brodtmann, National Security College Futures Council member, and Meg Tapia, Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture, are joined by Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts, the inaugural head of the Australian Defence Force’s new Space Command. They delve into what it means for Australia to have a Space Command, the importance of gender diversity in STEM, and Catherine’s advice for taking control of your own career. Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts AO CSC is the inaugural Defence Space Commander. AVM Roberts joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1983 as a specialist in aerospace engineering at the Aircraft Research and Development Unit and has held more than 20 roles throughout her Air Force career.Gai Brodtmann is a member of the ANU National Security College (NSC)'s Futures Council 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.Meg Tapia has 16 years of experience in national security and foreign policy. She served as a diplomat in Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, and Vanuatu. Currently, Meg is Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture.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.