ASPI Podcast: Policy, Guns & Money

In the final episode of ASPI’s special podcast series ‘The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions’, ASPI’s David Wroe speaks to David Waterhouse, Managing Director of Hypersonix. They discuss how the company Hypersonix came about, what hypersonic technology is and how it fits into defence strategy, as well as the future of Australia’s defence industry. Guests (in order of appearance): David Wroe: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-wroe David Waterhouse: https://hypersonix.com/aerospace-engineering/our-team/ Music: "Nordic" by Crowander, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

In the penultimate episode of this special series, Justin Bassi speaks to Mr Kestutis Budrys, National Security Advisor to the President of Lithuania. They discuss Australia’s relationship with Lithuania, including how they’re partnering to address shared challenges to national security, and Russia’s war on Ukraine and how it has galvanised Europe. ‘The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions’ is a short podcast series that features conversations with leading government, industry and civil society voices on the sidelines of The Sydney Dialogue, a major summit on critical, emerging, cyber and space technologies hosted by ASPI on 4-5 April. Guests (in order of appearance): Justin Bassi: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi Kestutis Budrys: https://tsd.aspi.org.au/speakers Music: "Nordic" by Crowander, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

In the latest episode of ASPI’s special podcast series ‘The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions’, ASPI’s Director of Defence Strategy, Bec Shrimpton speaks to Misha Zelinsky, a Fulbright Scholar and national security expert. They discuss Misha’s career background and what led him to work in national security. Misha details his recent experiences reporting from Ukraine on Russia’s war, including his views on Russia’s strategy and what’s at stake for democracies globally in this conflict. Guests (in order of appearance): Bec Shrimpton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/bec-shrimpton Misha Zelinsky: https://www.mishazelinsky.com.au/ Music: "Nordic" by Crowander, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

In 2022, then U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, despite threats of retaliation from Beijing over the visit. Dr Samantha Hoffman speaks to Nadège Rolland about Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, Beijing’s propaganda, and its effectiveness. While climate change is primarily viewed as an environmental challenge, Australia, like many other countries, is increasingly focused on the implications of climate change for Australia’s national security. Dr Robert Glasser speaks to Dr Tobias Ide about climate and Australia’s national security and how climate hazards can lead to conflict. This week was budget week in Canberra, and to break down the Defence budget, Bec Shrimpton speaks to David Uren. They discuss defence projects and the usefulness, or otherwise, of measuring defence spending by GDP. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr Samantha Hoffman: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/samantha-hoffman Nadège Rolland: https://www.nbr.org/people/nadege-rolland/ Dr Robert Glasser: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/robert-glasser Dr Tobias Ide: http://profiles.murdoch.edu.au/myprofile/tobias-ide/ Bec Shrimpton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/bec-shrimpton David Uren: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-uren Metnioned in this episode: Climate change and Australia’s national security: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2023.2170978 Music: "Rodeo Drive" by Eazy, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

In this episode of ‘The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions’, Dr Alex Caples, Director of Cyber, Technology and Security at ASPI speaks to Dr Dirk Hager, Head of Operational Cyber Security at Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security. They discuss cyber security and critical infrastructure, emerging cyber security threats, including the increasing threat of ransomware, and the challenge governments face in regulating technology, given the rapid pace at which it is developing. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr Alex Caples: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/alex-caples Dr Dirk Hager Music: "Eclipse-6" by Michikawa. Via: www.tribeofnoise.com/

In this episode of ASPI's special podcast series, The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, John Leslie, Director of Trade and Investment and Lead for Space & Defence at Austrade speaks to Heather Richman, Entrepreneur in Residence at BMNT, and Linda Lourie, Senior Advisor with WestExec Advisors. They discuss all things defence innovation, investment and security. The conversation covers the different approaches of government and industry to innovation, how the government can support innovation and the role of industry in security innovation. Guests (in order of appearance): John Leslie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-leslie/ Heather Richman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherjrichman Linda Lourie: https://www.westexec.com/linda-lourie/ Music: "Eclipse-6" by Michikawa. Via: www.tribeofnoise.com/

On 24 April, the Albanese Government released an unclassified version of the Defence Strategic Review. The roadmap for the ADF over the next decade has been generally well-received, albeit with questions about some of the specifics. The Review advocates the need for Australia to do more of the regional security heavy lifting, while also deepening our key partnerships. To unpack this seminal document, David Wroe speaks to Bec Shrimpton, ASPI’s Director of Defence Strategy and National Security, and Dr Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst in Defence Strategy and National Security. Guests (in order of appearance): David Wroe: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-wroe Bec Shrimpton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/bec-shrimpton Dr Malcolm Davis: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/malcolm-davis Music: "Just Wondering" by Maarten Schellekens, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk Image: Defence Strategic Review cover - c/ Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence.

Earlier this month, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute hosted The Sydney Dialogue, a global summit on critical, emerging, cyber and space technologies. Senior government, industry and civil society leaders from across the globe joined us in Sydney for discussions on policy solutions to the biggest challenges we are facing. On the event’s sidelines, we spoke to a number of special guests on topics ranging from Ukraine, international security, critical tech, cyber and defence capabilities, all with the common focus on closer international collaboration. These conversations are featured in ASPI’s special podcast series ‘The Sydney Dialogue Summit Session's. In this episode, Justin Bassi speaks with Ylli Bajraktari, President and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project. They discuss the impacts of technology on strategic competition and how democracies can remain secure in the AI age. Guests: Ylli Bajraktari: https://www.scsp.ai/ylli-bajraktari/ Justin Bassi: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi Music: "Eclipse-6" by Michikawa. Via: https://www.tribeofnoise.com/

In this episode, Justin Bassi speaks to Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Robert Mardini. They discuss the importance of neutrality to the ICRC’s work, how the development of technology is impacting conflict and the challenges international humanitarian actors face in getting access to affected populations. Dr Alex Bristow speaks to Vice Admiral Louise Dedichen, Norwegian Military Representative to NATO. They discuss opportunities for progress in the global Women, Peace and Security agenda, NATO’s online presence and how they are combating disinformation and NATO’s views on Russia’s war on Ukraine. Guests (in order of appearance): Justin Bassi: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi Robert Mardini: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-directorate Dr Alex Bristow: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/dr-alex-bristow VADM Louise Dedichen: https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2021/1/pdf/210128-cv-nor-milrep-dedichen.pdf Music: "Just Wondering" by Maarten Schellekens, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

Earlier this month, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute hosted The Sydney Dialogue, a global summit on critical, emerging, cyber and space technologies. Senior government, industry and civil society leaders from across the globe joined us in Sydney for discussions on policy solutions to the biggest challenges we are facing. On the event’s sidelines, we spoke to a number of special guests on topics ranging from Ukraine, international security, critical tech, cyber and defence capabilities, all with the common focus on closer international collaboration. These conversations are featured in ASPI’s special podcast series ‘The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions’. In this episode, Dr Jake Wallis speaks to Ambassador Baiba Braže, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy. The conversation covers the role of NATO, the role critical technologies will play in strategic competition and the tools and tactics that are being used by autocratic governments to challenge the existing rules-based order. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr Jake Wallis: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jacob-wallis Ambassador Baiba Braže: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_175615.htm Music: "Eclipse-6" by Michikawa. Via: www.tribeofnoise.com/