The Cove Podcast
The Cove
The Cove Podcast brings you candid, unfiltered conversations with the leaders, soldiers, and scholars shaping the Australian Army today. Each week, our host CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with uniformed officers and soldiers leading the change in the Australian Army as well as academics and international partners to unpack what modern warfare demands.
From redefining leadership and resilience in the modern Army to exploring lessons from combat operations, command culture, human performance, and the future of land power, The Cove Podcast reveals how the Australian Army thinks, learns, and fights. Whether it’s a Regimental Sergeant Major reflecting on combat, a general discussing Warrior Culture, or a psychologist unpacking mental readiness—each episode delivers a grounded look at the people and ideas driving the Australian Army forward.
Insightful, grounded, and authentic — this is where the Australian Army thinks out loud.
From redefining leadership and resilience in the modern Army to exploring lessons from combat operations, command culture, human performance, and the future of land power, The Cove Podcast reveals how the Australian Army thinks, learns, and fights. Whether it’s a Regimental Sergeant Major reflecting on combat, a general discussing Warrior Culture, or a psychologist unpacking mental readiness—each episode delivers a grounded look at the people and ideas driving the Australian Army forward.
Insightful, grounded, and authentic — this is where the Australian Army thinks out loud.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 8, 2017 • 11min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 2: Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gardiner
ADF on operations - In series two, we follow the members of Task Group Taji IV as they complete their six-month deployment in Iraq. In episode two, we meet Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gardiner, the Commanding Officer of the Training Task Unit, Task Group Taji IV.
Oct 8, 2017 • 9min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 1 - Captain Tom Wickham
ADF on operations - Task Group Taji is a combined force of Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel that first deployed to Iraq in May 2015 at the request of the Iraqi Government. In series two, we follow the members of Task Group Taji IV as they complete their six-month deployment in Iraq. In this first episode, we meet Captain Tom Wickham who tells us about the training delivered to Iraqi Security Forces at the Taji Military Complex just north of Baghdad.
Oct 5, 2017 • 10min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 7 - Warrant Officer Class One Jae Robinson & The Farewell Parade
ADF on operations - In episode seven, the final interview before Task Group Taji IV’s arrival in Iraq, we learn about the Farewell Parade that took place at Robertson Barracks in Darwin on 11 November 2017. The Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Armoured Regiment, Warrant Officer Class One Jae Robinson, shares his thoughts as Task Group members prepare to leave Australia.
Oct 5, 2017 • 14min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 6 - NZDF Health Integration
ADF on operations - In episode six, we meet the Environmental Health Technician and hear about her background in the New Zealand Defence Force. She also shares her experience of the Christchurch earthquake.
Sep 24, 2017 • 13min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 5 - Corporal Kat Rooney & Private Hannah Mills
ADF on operations - In episode five, we meet Corporal Kathryn Rooney and Private Hannah Mills from Health Company at the start of the Mission Rehearsal Exercise.
Sep 23, 2017 • 15min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 4 - NZDF Senior Officer & Anzac Integration
ADF on operations. In this episode the New Zealand Defence Force contingent performs a Haka on arrival in Darwin and Task Group Taji IV becomes a fully integrated ANZAC force.
Sep 23, 2017 • 10min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 3 - At The Q-Store
ADF on operations - In this episode we visit the Quartermaster at the ‘Q-Store’ of the 1st Armoured Regiment in Darwin, as members of the Task Group are issued clothing and equipment before they deploy.
Sep 22, 2017 • 13min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 2 - Captain John Moulton & Corporal Josh Cooper
ADF on operations - Captain John Moulton and Corporal Josh Cooper describe the medical training and marksmanship skills that will be delivered to Iraqi Security Forces during the mission.
Sep 20, 2017 • 12min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 1 - Colonel Richard Vagg
Task Group Taji is a combined force of Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel that first deployed to Iraq in May 2015 at the request of the Iraqi Government. In series one, we follow members of Task Group Taji IV through their mission specific training in Darwin in October 2016 as they prepare to deploy. In episode one, we meet the Commander of Task Group Taji IV, Colonel Richard Vagg. He explains why the Task Group is deploying to Iraq and how the Australian Defence Force members under his command are training for their mission.
Jun 22, 2017 • 15min
Why I Named My Daughter after Nancy Wake
In this podcast we here from Wyatt Frazer who discusses why he named his daughter after Australia's most famous war heroine, Nancy Wake, AC GM, and to hear his thoughts about fatherhood in the modern Army.
