Defence Connect Podcast Network

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Steve Kuper, Robert Dougherty and Liam Garman unpack the fast moves and overall strategy being employed by the new US administration, led by returning US President, Donald Trump.   The podcast commences with an analysis of the opening salvo of US tariffs on Canada, Mexico and Panama under America's new "carry a big stick" policy. Kuper, Dougherty and Garman then differentiate fact from fiction in the new US President's economic and international strategy. The podcast wraps up with a brief look on internal policies being undertaken, the border control in relation to national security and possible outcomes under Trump's reinstallation of the America first, last and always approach. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft look back on their week reporting on cyber crime in Australia and abroad. Croft opens the show with a round-up of the biggest story of the week - Chinese AI platform DeepSeek. From how it works, why it's trashed NVIDIA's stock, and the very real security concerns, DeepSeek is going to be a story for some time. Hollingworth then looks at the recent spate of ransomware posts made by the Clop gang - it promised last year that it had stolen a lot of data via vulnerabilities in Cleo's file transfer software, and over the weekend, the gang posted the details of 60 victims, including three Australian firms. Finally, after talking about the dangers of mistaken identity in cyber crime reporting, the pair talk about infamous hacker IntelBroker and his decision to retire from the role of admin on a popular hacking forum. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

As the global economy and political environment continue to become increasingly unpredictable, hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman unpack what’s in store for 2025 using diplomacy, information, military and economic (DIME) analysis. This podcast represents the second of two episodes, where the hosts provide insight into the latest military and economic events, and how they impact us at home in Australia. The trio begin examining the recent appointment of Pete Hegseth as the US Secretary of Defense and how the incoming administration will shape the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. They then look at the global economy, and whether the US economy will undergo a resurgence with a strengthening US dollar and an ambition to reduce the government’s $36 trillion debt. Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper speaks with Rachel Falzon, founder and national president of the Women in Defence Association, to discuss the important role women play in boosting outcomes for defence and defence industry. The pair also discuss:  Falzon's inspiration for launching the Women in Defence Association and the challenges facing women involved in boosting representation in Defence and defence industry. The rapid growth of the association and its ambition to engage with women across the nation who are interested in supporting national security. The benefits provided by boosting diversity across defence industry, in the boardroom and throughout the process regardless of the role. Enjoy the Podcast,  The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, the team from Defence Connect travel to Victoria to sit down with Graeme Bulte, chief executive officer and founder of Aquaterro. They discuss developing a sovereign uniform and load carriage capability, and how Aquaterro is delivering for Defence and law enforcement. The podcast then turns to unpacking the latest innovations in small arms, in particular, the new innovative range of SIG Sauer weapons and how this will impact sovereign readiness and combat capability. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft look back on their week reporting on cyber crime in Australia and abroad. Croft and Hollingworth talk about a hack that really wasn't - the 2023 Dymocks data breach is commonly resold on hacking forums, and Croft has found another instance of an enterprising type trying to make money from a previous compromise, and it did not end well for them. Finally, the pair discuss how hacktivists crave publicity in return for very little actual hacking and Hewlett Packard Enterprise's (HPE) most recent investigation into another alleged data breach, before talking about the state of cyber crime reporting in the first month of 2025. Buckle in; it's going to be one heck of a year. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

As the global economy and political environment continue to become increasingly unpredictable, hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman unpack what’s in store for 2025 using diplomacy, information, military and economic (DIME) analysis. This podcast represents the first of two episodes, where the hosts provide insight into the latest diplomatic and information events, and how they impact us at home in Australia. The trio begin by examining the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and whether it will likely hold in the current environment. They then turn to the Ukraine War and Britain’s 100-year pledge. They then look at the incoming White House’s approach to TikTok, and whether information should be considered a military domain. Stay tuned for the next episode, where the trio unpack military and economic power. Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by travellers and entrepreneurs Frank van der Linde and Kerry Leach. The pair are the new owners of two decommissioned Royal Australian Navy minehunters - HMAS Norman and HMAS Hawkesbury. The former military vessels have been towed more than 3,800 nautical miles from Newcastle, Australia, to Cebu, Philippines, as they prepare for a new lease on life as private superyachts. The trio discuss: The origins of the two minehunter vessels, how the sale was completed and some complications along the way. The challenges of using former military equipment in the commercial industry and documenting their journey via the YouTube channel, Living the Oneironaut Life. The plans for the vessels and the construction efforts still to come. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by the Honourable Matt Keogh MP, Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs, to discuss the latest developments shaping the Defence workforce.    Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh MP to discuss the latest developments shaping the Defence workforce.  The pair also discuss: The major milestones in the government’s efforts to build the uniformed Defence workforce through 2024, including the release of the 2024 Defence Workforce Plan and Strategic Review of the Australian Defence Force Reserves. The key work done to overhaul Defence recruiting and ensure that the recruitment process is fit for the contemporary labour market and to the standards expected by Australian taxpayers. The life-long training and professional development opportunities available with a career in the Australian Defence Force, and the efforts being made to ensure that veterans have a seamless transition into the broader economy when they leave the ADF. Enjoy the Podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft take yet another look back at a year of cyber incidents and talk about how 2024 saw incidents rise by almost half again. The pair also look at a hacktivist group targeting Australian websites, the still ongoing UnitedHealth saga, a dangerous hacking that may be on the horizon, and the latest in ransomware attacks on Australian organisations. Hollingworth and Croft kick off the chat with Check Point Software Technologies' look back at the year that was, with 2024 seeing 44 per cent more cyber incidents than the previous year. The pair talk about how that matches their expectations, from nation-state actors to hacktivists and, of course, ransomware and cyber crime. Croft then goes into his own investigations into the RipperSec hacktivist group, while Hollingworth looks into vulnerabilities impacting a popular firewall device that has been extensively exploited in the past and could well be about to be hacked en masse again. Finally, Croft looks at the latest chapter in the UnitedHealth hack from last year and some rather disturbing allegations that the giant insurance company is not entirely being above board with its reporting. The pair then look back at the week that just passed and the nearly half-dozen ransomware attacks targeting organisations in the ANZ region. It's been a busy start to the year. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team