In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Dr Andreas Schwer, managing director and chief executive of Electro Optic Systems, joins host Liam Garman to discuss modern counter drone systems including high-energy laser systems and remote weapons stations. The pair begin the podcast with the success of EOS’ Slinger weapons system, particularly in Ukraine, where it can connect with radar and automatically engage drone targets in seconds. Schwer then turns to high energy laser systems as a solution to drone swarms, as they can reduce the cost of an engagement to just $1 and automatically destroy up to 20 drones a minute. They then turn to the future of drone and counter-drone warfare, and how this rapidly evolving area is requiring a rethink to business as usual – including the need for kinetic capabilities to bolster electronic warfare as an increasing number of drones contain onboard computing and AI. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson and Phil Tarrant discuss the heroic actions of Australian soldiers in World War II, before turning to the big issues in the upcoming federal election. The pair begin the podcast discussing Joan Beaumont’s book, Gull Force, and the treatment of Australian prisoners of war on the islands of Ambon and Hainan. They then discuss the role of Australia’s Reserves in warfare, before unpacking the fundamental importance of seizing and holding ground in warfare. Thompson and Tarrant then turn to the upcoming federal election, unpacking some of the big issues facing Australian society, including housing policy and building forward-looking infrastructure for Australia’s financial future. Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Advent Atum CEO Andy Wilson joins host Liam Garman to discuss how the company has helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine revolutionise their air defence capabilities. The pair begin the podcast unpacking the evolution of Ukraine’s air defence systems, and how Advent Atum is helping to automate the country’s 60-year-old air defence capabilities. Wilson then unpacks how the HORAS threat, detection and engagement system is automating the kill chain, including detecting, tracking and neutralising threats. They wrap up the podcast examining how kinetic kill capabilities are increasingly important as drones can undertake onboard computation, thus mitigating the effectiveness of electronic warfare – and Advent Atum’s upcoming product showcase in France. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Dr Sanjay Mazumdar, executive director of Defence Trailblazer, joins host Liam Garman to unpack their new combat systems engineering micro-credentials. They begin the podcast by discussing the suite of six courses covering introductory studies to radar systems and C2 to C4ISREW, defence systems and mission engineering. Mazumdar then discussed why micro-credentials are fundamental for upskilling Australia’s industrial base to support the Australian Defence Force and the journey to making the micro-credentials. The podcast wraps up by looking at the future vision for the combat systems engineering course, including developing an award-level qualification in combat systems engineering. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, host David Hollingworth and journalist Daniel Croft talk about Apple backdoors, Facebook bans, the disastrous Signal chat that exposed the highest levels of the Trump administration as less than security-minded and how we report on exposed databases. Hollingworth and Croft get the ball rolling with a news wrap-up focusing on malware posing as Chinese chatbot DeepSeek, Papua New Guinea’s new trial Facebook ban, and behind-closed-door deliberations on the UK’s efforts to get a backdoor into Apple devices. After a short break, the pair get to the biggest story of the week – a leaked Signal chat between senior Trump administration officials that somehow had an American journalist added to the chat. Hollingworth and Croft talk about the security implications, the proper use of apps like Signal, and the alarming revelation that JD Vance may have been the smartest person in the room. To round things out for the week, Croft talks about a recent database exposure suffered by a popular Australian hardware chain, why reporting on data leaks and breaches can be a difficult thing to cover, and why not all data leaks are equal. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team.

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Raj Samani, senior vice president and chief scientist at Rapid 7, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how nation-state threats are actively targeting Australian organisations – and how we can proactively prepare for future attacks. They begin the podcast by looking at those groups that are most actively targeting Australian organisations and how their strategies are different from traditional cyber crime. Samani then unpacks some of the most common mistakes he sees from Australian organisations that are leaving them vulnerable to ransomware, before diving into the operating models of these threat actors, from negotiations and double extortion tactics. The pair then wrap up the podcast by looking at how companies can improve their post-breach response and resilience and the actionable steps they must take to stay ahead of emerging risks. To listen to Samani’s previous appearance on the Cyber Uncut podcast, click here. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team.

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, James Moorhouse, director of wargaming at Atturra, joins host Liam Garman to explore the crucial role of wargaming in helping soldiers, sailors and aviators engage with the kill chain in a fail-safe environment. Throughout the podcast, also available on YouTube, Moorhouse and Garman delve into how wargaming serves as a platform to experiment with various strategies in an educational and analytical setting. Key discussion points include: The history of wargaming and how an investment during the Obama administration revolutionised military professionals’ understanding of the kill chain. Moorhouse introduces Atturra’s Battle Chess, a game designed to illustrate how capabilities can interact and influence one another in a domain-agnostic environment. The duo further explores how Battle Chess helps professionals understand the layering of capabilities, strategic conundrums and military dilemmas. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Matt Martin, Senior Manager Business Development at CAE USA, joins host Liam Garman to discuss how Defence forces can drive proficiency in joint operations and how synthetic technologies underpin modern training environments. The podcast begins by discussing those critical skills that enable individuals, teams and units to become successful in joint operations. Martin then unpacks the benefits of synthetic training in mission rehearsal and operations, and the role of data and analytics in the modern training environment. They wrap up the podcast examining how live virtual-constructive training exercises can enhance interoperability and training for joint operations. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, 4walls founder and managing director Nik Devidas sat down with host Liam Garman to discuss the technological knowledge gap between company boards and strong cyber security and how 4walls is closing it. The podcast starts by outlining how boards can be overwhelmed with technical language and information when dealing with cyber security. The pair then discuss the concept of maintaining and updating an understanding of cyber security to keep up with an ever-evolving landscape. Speaking of a changing landscape, Devidas and Garman finish up by weighing up the impact of AI on the cyber security landscape and how organisations are adopting the technology without introducing protective controls. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, hosts Steve Kuper and Robert Dougherty explore the recent wave of international announcements, such as the Ukraine 30-day ceasefire, USA tariffs and Australia’s future role in the global order. The pair discuss a range of topics, including: The newly announced tariffs of 25 per cent on all imported steel and aluminium into the United States and Australia’s absolute horror at not attaining an exemption. The continuing discussion regarding the US-led peace deal in Ukraine, Ukraine’s acceptance of the US proposal and a look at US President Donald Trump’s endgame for the negotiations and minerals remuneration. The global shifts in international power, the emerging "large over small country" global order and Australia's role in a new sphere of influence strategy. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team