Defence Connect Podcast Network – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, inaugural head of the ADF’s Information Warfare Division, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack the importance of long-range strike as a deterrent and how Australia is uplifting its cyber and information warfare capabilities.

• MAJGEN (Ret’d) Thompson begins unpacking the benefits of establishing the ADF’s Cyber Command, drawing together the cyber capabilities of each of the services and enhancing the integrated force’s warfighting effects.
• They then examine Iran’s cyber operations against the Republican Party in the US, and whether Australia and the US should consider expanding ANZUS.
• The trio then discuss the acquisition of the B21 to provide redundancy as Australia procures nuclear-powered submarines and the need to develop clear doctrine across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

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, 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

In this episode of the Cyber Security Uncut podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson discuss how the industry can leverage recommendations put forward by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to build a stronger cyber security industry and how cyber can be used as a tool for diplomacy.

• The pair begin the podcast by discussing breaking news in the cyber security industry with the acquisition of ParaFlare by Deloitte Australia.
• Dr Thompson and Tarrant then discuss the lack of confidence in Australia’s cyber security industry and examine how recommendations within the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s three-year strategic plan can be leveraged to keep Australian businesses safe.
• The pair wrap up the podcast discussing identity reform and how the Commonwealth can leverage cyber security as a tool of diplomacy.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Security Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, hosts Liam Garman and Stephen Kuper examine how the Commonwealth’s upcoming surface fleet review will shape the future of Australian naval power projection and the impact of workforce shortages on Defence and defence industry.

• The pair begin the podcast examining Babcock’s recent pitch to enhance the Royal Australian Navy’s firepower, and how it may shape Australian naval power.
• Kuper and Garman then unpack the Albanese government’s response to ongoing workforce shortages in Defence and defence industry.
• The podcast wraps up unpacking China’s waning economy and Australia’s exposure to global economic fluctuations.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by Professor Peter J Dean, PhD SFHEA, foreign policy and defence director at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney.

Professor Dean was previously first chair of defence studies at the University of Western Australia and the inaugural director of the UWA Defence and Security Institute. He has also authored books and articles on the US-Australian alliance, Australian defence policy, and military operations.

The pair discuss the changing geopolitical relationships in the Indo-Pacific, including outcomes from the recent AUSMIN 2023 meetings between the US and Australia.

They then discuss America’s search for an effective defence partner in the Indo-Pacific, and whether Australia fits the criteria.

They also discuss the AUKUS defence agreement, the release of a recent defence paper by Russian and Chinese research institutes against AUKUS, and the USS North Carolina submarine visiting Perth, Western Australia.

They then discuss the LAND 400 Phase 3 decision announcing that Hanwha Defense Australia has been successful in its bid to provide the Australian Army with a fleet of 129 infantry fighting vehicles.

Finally, the pair take a quick look into the chaotic crystal ball of US politics and discuss the impacts a US election next year will have on the dynamic between the US and Australia.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Security Uncut podcast, Liam Garman and Daniel Croft unpack the social paradigm of post-truth and how Russia’s Internet Research Agency has exploited this to prosecute online disinformation campaigns.

• The pair begin defining post-truth and how individuals are increasingly using emotion and affiliative sensemaking to cut through information on the internet.
• They then look into case studies of how Russia’s Internet Research Agency prosecutes online information campaigns.
• Garman and Croft wrap up the podcast by examining how artificial intelligence will be used in future information environments.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Security Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, Liam Garman, Stephen Kuper, and Robert Dougherty unpack plans for the acquisition of corvettes for the Royal Australian Navy, and emerging defence capabilities shaping Ukraine’s battlefield.

• The trio unpack Luerssen’s plans to develop corvettes for the Royal Australian Navy and the future of Australian shipbuilding.
• They then discuss unmanned capabilities shaping Ukraine’s battlefield.
• Garman, Kuper, and Dougherty then wrap up the podcast discussing the latest news shaping Australia’s geopolitical landscape.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, Stephen Kuper and Liam Garman discuss LAND 400 Phase 3 and recent changes in the UK’s national security posture.

• The pair begin the podcast discussing Hanwha Defense Australia’s Redback and its role in Australia’s future combined arms capability.
• They then unpack the United Kingdom’s recent Defence Command Paper 2023 and how it will reshape the British military.
• Kuper and Garman then wrap up the podcast discussing the recent commissioning of the USS Canberra in Sydney.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team