The National Security Podcast

Is artificial intelligence (AI) the game-changer many think it will be? Will advances in AI change the nature of competition and conflict between states, or lift the fog of war? Do the American and Chinese militaries even have what it takes to fully operationalise AI, and what are the weaknesses and risks of each country’s approach?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted learns about the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) military modernisation and China’s drive to lead the world in AI, as well as the blind spots and limitations of the PLA’s focus on innovation. She also seeks to understand the key enablers of AI — from data and cloud computing to 5G — as well as the bureaucratic and doctrinal impediments to effective AI applications, and how countries can manage the safety and escalation risks of the AI 'race'.Elsa B Kania is an adjunct senior fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, a non-resident fellow with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and a research fellow with the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Katherine Mansted is a senior adviser at the National Security College and non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously, she was a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.Show notes | The following were referred to in this episode:Battlefield Singularity:  Artificial Intelligence, Military Revolution, and China’s Future Military Power (2017)Chinese Military Innovation in Artificial Intelligence:  Hearing of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (June, 2019)We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Technology and innovation are key drivers of social progress and economic prosperity. At the same time, emerging technologies can be 'double-edged swords' used to undermine security and democracy.Innovation is also no longer something driven by genius individuals or major government projects. It is a highly comercialised, globalised endeavour. This means that the private sector is often caught in the middle of nation-state power plays. It also finds itself increasingly on the front-lines of national security challenges – as a player, deliberate target, or collateral damage.In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted finds out why states are increasingly engaging in acts of 'economic warfare' against each other, and how this affects private sector interests. She seeks to understand how national security policymakers can work more closely with the private sector, and how democratic governments can preserve the advantages that come with an open and global innovation sector, while managing the risks that this openness will be exploited or weaponised.Samantha Ravich of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), is the chairman of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and its Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab, as well as the principal investigator on FDD’s Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare project. She’s also a tech entrepreneur, and former deputy national security adviser to Vice President Cheney. Recently Dr Ravich was appointed to the congressionally-mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission.Andy Kennedy is an Associate Professor of Policy and Governance at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Published widely on comparative foreign policy issues, Dr Kennedy’s particular interest is China, India and the United States.Katherine Mansted is a senior adviser at the National Security College and non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously, she was a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.Show notes | The following were referred to in this episode:The Conflicted Superpower: America’s Collaboration with China and India in Global InnovationFoundation for Defense of Democracies: Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI)We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a rocky start, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is seeing somewhat of a renaissance. What is driving the renewed interest from the US, Japan, Australia, and India? What are these countries looking to achieve out of the dialogue? Is the Quad going to emerge as a method of containing China, or is this minilateral more mythical than meaningful? Listen here:In this episode of the National Security Podcast, four experts representing the thinking from each of the Quad nations put forward their positions on what the Quad is, what it is not, what each nation sees in the grouping, and where the divergences of interests may arise.Zack Cooper is a Research Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US defence strategy in Asia. Dr Cooper is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and an associate with Armitage International. He previously served on staff at the Pentagon and White House, as well as the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.Kyoko Hatakeyama is Associate Professor at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, teaching international relations and foreign policy. Prior to this Professor Hatakeyama served as a Research Analyst responsible for security situations in Asia and Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.Ian Hall is a Professor in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University and the Deputy Director (Research) of the Griffith Asia Institute. He is also the co-editor (with Sara E Davies) of the Australian Journal of International Affairs and an Academic Fellow of the Australia India Institute. His book on Modi and the Reinvention of Indian Foreign Policy (Bristol University Press, 2019) will be published later this year.Rory Medcalf is the head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional background involves more than two decades of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks and journalism.The National Security Podcast is available Simplecast, iTunes, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @NSC_ANU or find us on Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are social media platforms changing who has power inside democracies and in international relations? Should Israel's recent strikes on Hamas change our thinking on cyber and the use of force? With Australia in the midst of an election and another coming up in the US next year, can ‘critical thinking’ really protect us from electoral interference and fake news?In this episode, Katherine Mansted asks three cyber experts from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business Scott Shackelford, Angie Raymond, and Abbey Stemler, on the role of international law in transnational data sharing. They also discuss whether data will be Balkanised as many suspect the Internet will be, and whether users could possibly limit the data that’s collected on them daily in the future.Angie Raymond is Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University, as well as being Adjunct Associate Professor of Law. She has written widely in international commercial law, international commercial arbitration, and international secured transactions in several renowned publications.Scott Shackelford is Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University, and is Cybersecurity Program Chair along with being Director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance at the university. He is an expert in cybersecurity and privacy, international law and relations, property, and sustainability.Abbey Stemler is Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University. She is a leading scholar on the sharing economy and has published multiple articles on the subject, including in the Emory Law Journal and the Maryland Law Review.Katherine Mansted joined the National Security College as a Senior Researcher in 2018. Katherine’s professional background includes work in both law and government. She has been a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.*We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @NSCANU or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are relations between Washington and Beijing increasingly competitive, and should we expect a reset any time soon? Will Washington have an enduring role to play in the Indo-Pacific? Is technological advancement making strategy more difficult in the 21st century? How can democracies respond to the rising risk of technology-enabled foreign interference? In this National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted talks with Laura Rosenberger about the security challenges democracies face in a world of renewed great power competition and rapid technological change.They also examine the pros and cons of the Trump administration’s approach to the China challenge, and take a look at what good foreign policy could look like in the 21st century, as well as how everyone – from citizens to national governments and overseas allies and partners – can play a role in securing democracies.Laura Rosenberger is a 2019 Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Visitor with the ANU National Security College, and a director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy — a bipartisan, transatlantic initiative housed at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). She is also a senior fellow at GMF, and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.Katherine Mansted joined the National Security College as a Senior Researcher in 2018. Katherine’s professional background includes work in both law and government. She has been a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this National Security Podcast, Brigadier Ewen Murchison from the UK Ministry of Defence joins Chris Farnham to talk about futures forecasting in national and international security.What is futures forecasting and how is it different to ‘crystal ball gazing’? Can we reliably predict the future of warfare and international security, or does strategic forecasting aim to achieve something entirely different?In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham finds out about forecasting strategic futures with Brigadier Ewen Murchison from the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre of the UK Ministry of Defence. They also discuss how offensive strategic weapons are changing, and answer whether arts and culture can help military planners and policymakers better plan for what’s ahead.Ewen Murchison is the Head of Futures and Strategic Analysis at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Development, Concept and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) – an internal think tank that has been responsible for publishing the Global Strategic Trends for nearly 20 years. BRIG Murchison is a Royal Marine whose career has spanned a range of roles within the MoD.Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 and is currently Senior Outreach and Policy Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia.Show notes | The following were referred to in this episode:Global Strategic Trends: the future starts todayGlobal Trends: Paradox of ProgressNational Security College, Futures HubThe Hague Centre for Strategic Studies: Global TrendsWe’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How has history continuously pitted two nuclear-armed nations against each other over land-locked territory? In a deadly mix of terrorism, giant conventional forces, and nuclear weapons, India and Pakistan are again trading blows over the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. In this National Security Podcast extra, Chris Farnham hears from Dr Claude Rakisits and Dr Michael Cohen about the latest spike in violence as well as its triggers and historical context. The experts also look at the roles of other countries, control over violent extremists, and how the mutual possession of nuclear weapons affects the situation.Claude Rakisits is Honorary Associate Professor at the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Australian National University, and an Associate at Georgetown University. Dr Rakisits is an expert in defence and strategic issues, international affairs, and intelligence, and is specifically interested in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa.Michael Cohen is a Senior Lecturer at the ANU National Security College. His research addresses international security in the Indo-Pacific and explores the causes of armed interstate conflict. Dr Cohen’s expertise covers nuclear weapons proliferation, the Korean peninsula, South Asia, deterrence and coercion, leaders, foreign policy decision-making, and the US-Australia alliance.Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 and is currently Senior Outreach and Policy Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia.We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the National Security Podcast, co-host Katherine Mansted talks data, cyber, democracy, and the social contract with Dr Lesley Seebeck, CEO of the Australian National University's (ANU) Cyber Institute. Is the growing collection and aggregation of data likely to empower the individual and strengthen democracy? Or is it more likely to benefit manipulative corporations and encourage authoritarian governance? How should society frame the problem of privacy and information control, and where does regulation give way to personal responsibility?Lesley Seebeck is CEO of the Cyber Institute, Australian National University (ANU), on 30 July 2018. Lesley has extensive experience in strategy, policy, management, budget, information technology and research roles in the Australian Public Service, industry and academia.Katherine Mansted joined the National Security College as a Senior Researcher in 2018. Katherine’s professional background includes work in both law and government. She has been a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Professor Michael Clarke talks with Chris Farnham about terrorism in China and his latest edited book Terrorism and Counter Terrorism in China: Domestic and foreign policy dimensions. Is the security landscape in China’s western region dominated by jihadism, Uyghur independence movements, or state terrorism? What is the 'minority question' the Chinese Communist Party asks, and is there an actual organised terror movement in China’s west or is the violence a response to government repression?Michael Clarke is an expert on the history and politics of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, Chinese foreign policy in Central Asia, Central Asian geopolitics, and nuclear proliferation and non-proliferation. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 and is currently Senior Outreach and Policy Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia.We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the arrests of Australian and Canadian citizens in China, Rory Medcalf discusses the implications of arbitrary arrests not only for intergovernmental relations but also for greater society. Katherine Mansted – our new co-host of the National Security Podcast – then shares with us her insights into the unsealing of the indictments against Huawei, as well as what this actually means for the US and its partners.Professor Rory Medcalf is the head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional background involves more than two decades of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks and journalism.Katherine Mansted joined the National Security College as a Senior Researcher in 2018. Katherine’s professional background includes work in both law and government. She has been a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 and is currently Senior Outreach and Policy Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.