Defence & Security Podcast Network – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant, Liam Garman, and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson unpack two unfolding challenges shaping Australia's strategic outlook, an Iran-linked cyber breach exposing sensitive defence data, and China's latest move to outmanoeuvre Canberra in the Pacific.

The discussion opens with the major cyber breach linked to Iran-aligned actors, exposing sensitive information from Australian defence programs through vulnerabilities in overseas contractors. Thompson warns that modern military platforms are now fully digital extensions of the network, and that the Australian Defence Force risks becoming collateral damage without stronger supply-chain defence.

The hosts then turn to the Pacific, where China has unveiled a record $86 million aid package to Vanuatu, a direct counter to the Albanese government's stalled security pact. Garman notes the diplomatic setback highlights the limits of Australia's traditional leverage, with Port Vila reluctant to jeopardise its economic ties with Beijing.

The conversation also covers China's commissioning of its first fully indigenous aircraft carrier, signalling a major step in Beijing's push for blue-water naval capability.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

What does it mean to lead with honesty, show vulnerability, and embrace your authentic self – even when life feels chaotic? In this episode of The Progress Report, host Tash Taylor sits down with Rebecca Woolnough, area manager - Oceania for SMART Technologies, to unpack what true resilience and self-leadership look like beyond the polished titles and structured systems.

From navigating self-doubt and impostor moments to learning how to "be the hurricane", Bec shares a refreshingly raw and honest reflection on leadership, motherhood, and maintaining identity amid constant pressure. The conversation explores everything from women's evolving roles in Defence to the mental load of balancing career, family, and self-worth.

Through laughter, humility, and insight, Beck opens up about the moments that nearly broke her – and how those same moments built her into the leader she is today. She reminds us that progress isn't about perfection or control, but about showing up fully as yourself, even when the storm hits.

The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Progress Report team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, special returning host Liam Garman is joined by Lockheed Martin's Josh Woodward and Wayne Harrison to discuss the transformational impact of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the Australian Defence Force.

The trio discuss the range of ways HIMARS will serve as a significant transformation in Australia's approach to littoral and long-range strike warfare.

They also discuss how HIMARS, when armed with precision-guided munitions such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System – and soon to be integrated with the Precision Strike Missile – enables land forces to engage high-value targets at ranges exceeding 500 kilometres.

This blurs traditional boundaries between land and maritime domains, allowing the Army to contribute meaningfully to joint strike missions once reserved for the Air Force or Navy.

Finally, they discuss how HIMARS is more than an artillery platform – it represents a strategic enabler within an integrated joint fires network. When linked with persistent surveillance, space-based sensors, and command-and-control systems, HIMARS provides the ADF with a flexible, scalable, and responsive strike capability.

Enjoy the podcast, 
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft talk about Chris Krebs' extraordinary decision to step down from SentinelOne in order to fight the Trump administration, an array of hacks both global and local, and the importance of funding the essential CVE Program. And China has made fascinating claims about US activity against the Asian Winter Games earlier this year.

• Hollingworth and Croft kick things off with Chris Krebs, who announced his resignation from SentinelOne this week following the signing of an executive order revoking his security clearance. He doesn't want to distract from SentinelOne's work, and he plans on taking this fight to the US government.
• Croft and Hollingworth then catch up on the week in cyber crime, with the 4chan message board getting hacked by a rival board, car rental giant Hertz Australia confirming it was caught up in a global Hertz data breach, and local outfit TMA Group of Companies falling victim to Sarcoma ransomware attack.
• The podcast wraps up with the pair talking about funding uncertainty involving the vital vulnerability-tracking CVE Program and how important the program is as a frontline tool against hackers and nation-state actors.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

• They begin the podcast with a short book review of Stephen Gapps' Uprising: War in the colony of New South Wales, unpacking conflict in colonial Australia – and in particular, the Second Wiradyuri War of Resistance.
• The conversation turns to information security and the regulation and legislation that guides the storing of personal data by businesses.
• The hosts then unpack how businesses can develop a culture of security through the development of systems and procedures to protect business IP. 

In this special defence aviation episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Robert Dougherty catches up with Honeywell Aerospace Technologies senior director Lee Davis on the sidelines of the Avalon Australian International Airshow.

The pair explore aspects of the changing regional defence landscape in Australia, including:

• Changes in the Australian defence industrial base and a big picture approach to the AUKUS trilateral defence partnership between Australia, the US and the UK.
• The continuing discussion regarding servicing and operations of Royal Australian Air Force F-35 aircraft and the broader Asia-Pacific F-35 fleet.
• Honeywell's perspectives on the current geopolitical and defence landscape, and what that might mean more practically for technology providers.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft chat about emissions, credential stuffing attacks targeting Australian super funds, a ransomware attack on a luxury Sydney hotel, and more Donald Trump chaos.

Hollingworth and Croft kick things off with some interesting research that estimates the carbon costs of various AI platforms, with Grok AI coming out on top as the least environmentally punishing chatbot, while ChatGPT generates more than four grams of carbon per prompt.

The pair then move on to an alarming week of cyber incidents impacting Australian organisations, from the superannuation hacks that saw both data and retirement funds compromised, Western Sydney University admitting that the data of 10,000 students had been accessed by a hacker, and The Fullerton Hotel Sydney confirming it had been the victim of a ransomware attack last month.

Hollingworth and Croft wrap things with a discussion of the impact of AI-based threats that could impact the Australian election, lessons learned from last year's US election from SentinelOne's Chris Krebs, and the news that Krebs earned the ire of the US President and having his security clearance removed.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, hosts Steve Kuper and Rob Dougherty discuss fall out from Avalon 2025, budget week and the federal election.

The pair discuss:

• The industry sentiment, rumours and scuttlebutt heard around the traps of the 2025 Avalon Airshow and Exhibition.
• The lacklustre defence spending commitment by the government announced during the federal budget.
• The tight-lipped, coy response from the opposition and its plans for the nation's defence spending.
• Priorities and focus points for defence and national security in the election campaign.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect Team

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 Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft discuss local hacks and the rise of a whole new ransomware evolution. Clayton Utz's Brenton Steenkamp and Debevoise & Plimpton's Luke Dembosky also join in to talk about executive risk and governance.

• Hollingworth and Croft kick things off with a discussion of a fascinating example of data exposure involving a major Australian taxi company and catch up on the local threat landscape.
• The pair then talk about the continuing fallout of a very unserious Trump administration and how one of the most important officials serving the White House is using his personal email for important government business.
• Finally, Hollingworth welcomes two guests to the podcast. Luke Dembosky has been a US federal prosecutor, diplomat in Moscow, and Department of Justice deputy chief. Alongside Clayton Utz partner Brenton Steenkamp, the trio explore emerging executive risks and the challenges of the modern cyber security landscape

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team