In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, Steve Kuper, Robert Dougherty and Liam Garman unpack Ukraine’s Kursk offensive, Australia’s exposure to global economic headwinds and Iran’s mooted response to Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The podcast commences with an analysis of Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk, before examining whether the sanctions have had the desired effect on Russia’s economy. Kuper, Dougherty and Garman then assess how a growing axis of authoritarianism is creating a parallel global economy, and whether Australia would have the means to survive economic headwinds if it experienced a sharp decrease in commodity demand. The podcast wraps up discussing Iran’s mooted response to Haniyeh’s assassination, and how actors would respond to regional conflict. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Graeme Bick, global test and evaluation campaign chief solution architect at QinetiQ, and Adjunct Associate Professor Dr Keith Joiner, engineering management and systems engineering at Old Dominion University, join host Liam Garman to discuss how T&E, certification, and systems assurance are essential for the delivery of Defence capabilities.  The trio begin the podcast unpacking how industry needs to adapt how it undertakes T&E as Defence embarks on an era of rapid modernisation, and those impediments facing T&E in Australia. Bick and Dr Joiner then discuss areas for improvement in the Australian T&E workforce, and how academia and industry can work together to ameliorate workforce constraints. They wrap up looking at how education providers can train Australia’s future T&E workforce, and how the Defence Capability Assurance and Oversight Bill will help Defence and industry.  Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Contested Ground podcast, where hosts Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack how nations vie for influence below the threshold of armed conflict. In this episode, the hosts unpack how foreign actors sought to stoke tensions during the recent English riots and how social media echo chambers have caused a deep division in society. The hosts then look closer to home and how the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) recently raised Australia’s terror threat level, analysing a range of factors that have contributed to this, including how communities responded to the 7 October attacks in Israel. They wrap up the podcast debating whether the government and police should monitor speech online, and to what extent. Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of Cyber Uncut, James Blake, head of global cyber resiliency strategy at Cohesity, joins host Liam Garman to discuss how businesses can respond to destructive ransomware and wiper attacks – and why chief information security officers (CISOs) should perceive backups as a secret weapon in the fight against malicious actors.  The pair begin the podcast by analysing what the new-era ransomware and wiper attacks look like and how they can stop a business – even in critical industries – from delivering for their clients. Blake then unpacks the challenges behind incident containment before diving into Cohesity’s recent research, which showed alarming statistics on the number of Australian businesses that have paid ransoms. The pair wrap up the podcast by discussing how businesses must leverage backups in order to ensure business continuity, as Blake explains why backups are a CISO’s secret weapon in the war against malicious actors.  Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Dr Ross Babbage, CEO of Strategic Forum and senior non-resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.   The pair begin their conversation discussing the origins of Dr Babbage’s report for the Lowy Institute, Deterrence and alliance power: Why the AUKUS submarines matter and how they can be delivered.    The pair also discuss:  Some of the concerns in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom around delivering the future SSN-AUKUS fleet.  The risk/reward opportunity available to Australia as part of the generational nation-building program AUKUS represents.  Setting the record straight on some of the misconceptions and focal points that dominate the national conversation about AUKUS.  Enjoy the podcast,  The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, the 2024 Western Australian AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner, Mandy Walker, joins senior journalist Robert Dougherty to discuss new ways to integrate regional businesses into the defence supply chain to resist seasonal challenges in Australia. The pair discuss the 2024 WA AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, the national finals, and working in Western Australia. Walker, co-manager of Walkers Diesel Services, then explains a new initiative expected to pave the way for regional engineering businesses to participate in the defence industry supply chain. Walker and Dougherty wrap up the podcast by looking at decision making in Western Australia and her plans to win the national AgriFutures award. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Peter Maloney, CEO and managing director of AUCloud, joins host Liam Garman to examine the 71 per cent year-on-year increase in cyber attacks against healthcare systems and the risks that this will pose for regular Australians. The pair begin the podcast by unpacking key findings from the 2024 Cyber Security Healthcare Report and the key factors that contribute to this alarming trend. Maloney then provides insight into the Monash Health and MediSecure data breaches and what steps that healthcare providers must take to prevent future breaches. They wrap up the podcast by looking at the ethical implications of healthcare data breaches, while Maloney details the must-need strategies and technologies to ameliorate this risk. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Australian Army veteran Adrian Bucci joins senior journalist Robert Dougherty to discuss life in the Australian Defence Force, his deployment to Afghanistan, and becoming the first Australian forward observer to fire artillery on operations since the Vietnam War. The pair discuss Major (Ret’d) Bucci’s time with the Royal Australian Artillery, parachuting with the ADF, and assignment with United Kingdom troops during Exercise Long Look. Bucci then explains the changes to a post-Western intervention Afghanistan as the Taliban takes on a more solidified governmental role. Bucci and Dougherty wrap up the podcast looking at the current world demand for 155mm artillery munitions and what new recruits can look forward to during a career in the Australian Defence Force. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems at L3Harris, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how integrated all-domain electronic warfare is a fundamental capability in today’s defence landscape, and how the Australian Defence Force must establish freedom of manoeuvre in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). The pair begin the podcast examining how electronic warfare is used in modern military operations and how L3Harris is helping Australia leverage the power of information. Zoiss then unpacks L3Harris’ collaboration with the US Space Force and how space capabilities will be critical for the monitoring and detection of emerging hypersonic and ballistic missile threats. The podcast wraps up assessing the future of electronic warfare and space operations, and how Australia can leverage the Australia–US alliance and AUKUS to build their capabilities in these domains. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Christopher Groves, former Royal Navy submariner and underwater business development lead at QinetiQ, and Graeme Bick, QinetiQ’s global test and evaluation campaign chief solution architect, join host Liam Garman to unpack how test and evaluation will be critical for the success of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program. The trio begin the podcast examining the role of T&E in submarine operations, especially in ensuring that the capability remains undetectable while on deployment. Groves and Bick then discuss Australia’s unique geography and oceanographic conditions, and how the transition from conventionally powered to nuclear-powered submarines will pose interesting challenges for Defence and industry. Bick continues the podcast by unpacking how the Submarine Rotational Force - West will shake up naval operations in Australia before Groves wraps up, looking at how T&E will be fundamental for the introduction of emerging capabilities into the Australian Defence Force. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team