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Defence & Security Podcast Network — Government
Defence & Security Podcast Network

The Defence & Security Podcast Network hosts a unique series of podcasts, featuring discussions with key enablers from across the Australian defence and security industry.

The podcasts provide the perfect blend of business intelligence and insights from a range of guests, which include government officials, ADF personnel, industry stakeholders, and members of the academic community.

By aligning ourselves with the ADF and the Commonwealth government, we are uniquely placed to deliver a dynamic 360° platform that bridges the gap between the customer (Defence) and industry.

We split our focus not just into the traditional sectors of Land (Army), Air (Air Force) and Sea (Navy), but into the six new Capability Streams:

– Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Electronic Warfare and Cyber
– Key Enablers
– Air and Sea Lift
– Maritime and Anti-Submarine Warfare
– Strike and Air Combat
– Land Combat and Amphibious Warfare

As Defence moves to ensure the Force Structure Review and the First Principles Review: Creating One Defence plans are met, Australian industry involvement is critical for mission success.

The Defence & Security Podcast Network will provide you and your business with valuable lessons, tips and insights into the industry, putting your company in the best position to take part in the increased Defence spending.

We’ll cover every aspect of doing business in the defence industry, from the tender process to recruitment, success stories, access points to Defence, smart business strategies, and geopolitical insights.

Subscribe to the Defence & Security Podcast Network and be part of this exciting and innovative industry.

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Latest Episodes:

CYBER UNCUT: AI is forcing banks to rethink modernisation, with Atos' Dee Lawler and Matthew Hughes Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

AI is pushing financial institutions to modernise, but the answer is not to replace everything. Banks should focus on the technology, data, and processes that directly support business outcomes. AI is putting modernisation back on the executive agenda as legacy systems increasingly limit banks' ability to adopt AI, access data in real time, and respond to regulatory and resilience demands. Atos executives Dee Lawler and Matthew Hughes argue modernisation is now a business issue, not simply a technology refresh.

"The objective to modernise isn't to modernise the technology or the most technology," Hughes says. "It's to modernise the technology that matters most."

But banks should resist the temptation to make AI the answer to everything. Leaders should first identify the business outcome they want, then determine what is holding them back – whether that is technology, data, processes, skills, or risk. Incremental modernisation can reduce operational risk while allowing organisations to measure returns, with resilience and business continuity built into the design.

The takeaway for financial services leaders is simple: modernise where technology is constraining growth, efficiency, customer experience, or resilience – not simply because AI has created a sense of urgency.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

SPOTLIGHT: Building resilience against next-generation cyber threats, with Fortinet Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, AI enabled and difficult to attribute, creating growing risks for Australia's defence networks, critical infrastructure and broader economy, according to Glenn Maiden, chief security officer and director of threat intelligence for Australia and New Zealand at Fortinet. The cyber threat landscape is increasingly blurring the lines between state-sponsored actors, cyber criminals and issue-motivated groups.

For Defence, cyber operations offer adversaries the ability to create significant effects without the geographical constraints, cost or attribution challenges associated with conventional weapons.

The challenge for Defence and industry is therefore not simply preventing compromise but building systems that can withstand it.

The message for Defence and industry is clear: cyber resilience must become an architectural priority rather than a reactive response. Strong security controls, multifactor authentication, password management, robust back-ups and resilient infrastructure can significantly reduce the impact of an inevitable attack.

The next challenge will be understanding the dependencies that connect Australia's economy, critical infrastructure and defence supply chains. Even a small business supplying a seemingly insignificant component could ultimately be critical to a major power plant or defence platform.

The cyber threat is real, but it is not insurmountable. With the right people, processes, technology and resilient architecture, Australia can mitigate the risks and ensure that a successful cyber intrusion does not automatically translate into a national crisis.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Spotlight team

CYBER UNCUT: AI is forcing banks to rethink modernisation, with Atos' Dee Lawler and Matthew Hughes Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

AI is pushing financial institutions to modernise, but the answer is not to replace everything. Banks should focus on the technology, data, and processes that directly support business outcomes. AI is putting modernisation back on the executive agenda as legacy systems increasingly limit banks' ability to adopt AI, access data in real time, and respond to regulatory and resilience demands. Atos executives Dee Lawler and Matthew Hughes argue modernisation is now a business issue, not simply a technology refresh.

"The objective to modernise isn't to modernise the technology or the most technology," Hughes says. "It's to modernise the technology that matters most."

But banks should resist the temptation to make AI the answer to everything. Leaders should first identify the business outcome they want, then determine what is holding them back – whether that is technology, data, processes, skills, or risk. Incremental modernisation can reduce operational risk while allowing organisations to measure returns, with resilience and business continuity built into the design.

The takeaway for financial services leaders is simple: modernise where technology is constraining growth, efficiency, customer experience, or resilience – not simply because AI has created a sense of urgency.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

CYBER UNCUT: Big 4 banks back local AI, NSW Health responds to hack claims, and PEXA's Graham Fairley explains property scams Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Daniel Croft and David Hollingworth break down the essential AI and security news of the week, from sovereign capability to cyber crime, and fighting property scams. Hollingworth and Croft open the podcast with a breakdown of why Australian banks are standing up a new partnership program to promote the growth and adoption of local AI innovators – and explain why it's an important step in Australia's AI journey.

At the same time, NSW has said it is taking steps to combat the rise of AI in classrooms by tackling the technology and its impact on the HSC. It's a good move.

It's sadly been another bad week for Australian data finding its way onto the dark web via ransomware actors, with patient data once again compromised. But despite the hackers' claims that they hit NSW Health, the department has denied any such intrusion; the threat actor is definitely boasting, but the data is nonetheless real – Cyber Daily just doesn't know where it came from.

And, finally, we sit down with PEXA's chief information security officer, Graham Fairley, to talk property scams: how they work, what a recent survey reveals, and how property buyers can protect themselves.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

SPOTLIGHT: Quantum technology could reshape Australia's defence advantage, with Fujitsu Australia Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Quantum technology could become a major force multiplier for Australia's future defence capabilities, according to Kendy Hau, head of defence at Fujitsu Australia, and Mahesh Krishnan, chief technology officer for Australia and New Zealand at Fujitsu Australia. Quantum technology spans three key areas: quantum sensing, quantum communications, and quantum computing, each at different stages of maturity and offering distinct opportunities for Defence.

For Defence, the opportunity extends beyond quantum computing itself. Quantum-inspired technologies are already available and can help solve complex optimisation problems, while future quantum systems could work alongside high-performance computing and artificial intelligence.

The combination could fundamentally accelerate military decision making by rapidly analysing multiple possible outcomes and identifying optimal solutions across sensing, targeting, and command.

Australia's key challenge is treating quantum as an emerging defence capability rather than simply a research program. The nation has a strong research base and growing industrial partnerships, but the window to translate that advantage into sovereign capability is narrowing.

The message for Defence and industry is clear: Australia cannot afford to wait for fault-tolerant quantum computing before acting. Quantum sensing, communications and quantum-inspired technologies provide opportunities to begin building capability now.

History does not record which side had the better research program. It records which side recognised the disruptive moment and moved faster.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Spotlight team

Digital engineering, GWEO, and the future of guided weapons, with Australian Missile Corporation and Dassault Systèmes Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

How can digital engineering help Australia deliver faster, more capable, guided weapons programs? In this special episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, news editor Robert Dougherty is joined by Dan Christie, chief technology officer and CEO of Australian Missile Corporation (AMC), and Pierre Marchadier, vice president of value engagement industry consultant at Dassault Systèmes.

The pair discuss AMC's new partnership with Dassault Systèmes and how model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is transforming mission engineering, systems design, and guided weapons development under the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) enterprise.

The podcast conversation includes the following topics:

AMC's new digital engineering partnership with Dassault Systèmes and its role in Australia's sovereign GWEO capability.
How MBSE connects mission requirements, system design, and manufacturing through a single digital model.
Replacing document-based procurement with live digital models that improve collaboration between Defence and industry.
Using simulation and AI to accelerate design decisions, reduce risk, and shorten development timelines.
Lessons from Ukraine and the need for rapid capability iteration in modern conflict.
The importance of sovereign industrial capability across the entire guided weapons life cycle, from design through to manufacture and sustainment.

Finally, the discussion explores how digital engineering can help Defence make better capability, cost, and procurement decisions while strengthening Australia's sovereign defence industry.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

CONTESTED GROUND: Is Australia's political discontent becoming a national security problem? Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

A dramatic political shift in Western Australia has put the major parties on notice and raised a much bigger question: what happens to Australia's national resilience when voters stop trusting the institutions that govern them? Hosts Phillip Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson examine the rise of populism in Australia and why growing political polarisation, cost-of-living pressures and economic frustration should be viewed through a national security lens. They unpack the erosion of trust in government and institutions, the weakening of Australia's traditional political centre and the risk that social division creates opportunities for foreign interference, information warfare and malign influence. Finally, the pair look north to the Pacific Islands Forum, currently underway, and Australia's increasingly contested strategic environment. With China seeking greater influence across the region, Taiwan remaining a flashpoint and several Pacific leaders absent from the forum, they discuss why Australia can no longer take its relationships in the Pacific for granted.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

SPOTLIGHT: The hidden defence advantage of Australia's commercial logistics network Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Australia's commercial logistics network could become one of its greatest defence advantages, according to Steve Roughsedge, senior vice-president of Theatre Supply Chain within the government and defence division of Toll Group. The shift from peacetime efficiency to resilience is already reshaping how the Australian Defence Force thinks about logistics. Australia's vast distances, limited transport corridors and vulnerability to weather disruption create challenges that cannot be solved simply by adding more military infrastructure.

The opportunity lies in infrastructure that already exists. Toll operates extensive transport, warehousing and distribution networks supporting Australia's resources sector, much of it across the same northern geography where Defence is strengthening its posture – from Darwin and Tindal to Curtin and Learmonth.

Roughsedge describes these capabilities as "capability bricks" that can be brought together around an operational requirement. Rather than Defence recreating every logistics function itself, commercial infrastructure could be integrated into a broader theatre supply chain, providing greater flexibility, resilience and capacity.

That requires a fundamental shift in the Defence–industry relationship. Traditional task-based contracting needs to evolve towards partnerships focused on delivering an operational effect, whether that means moving guided weapons, sustaining forward forces, operating warehouses or supporting naval and allied activity across the Indo-Pacific.

The vulnerability of just-in-time supply chains adds urgency. Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East have demonstrated how quickly fuel, weapons, drones, medical supplies and spare parts can be consumed during sustained conflict. Australia's ability to maintain the fight will depend not only on what it can manufacture, but on whether it can keep those capabilities supplied, repaired and operational.

For Roughsedge, the missing piece is a comprehensive understanding of Australia's commercial logistics infrastructure and establishing access to it before a crisis occurs.

The challenge is no longer simply building military capability. It is ensuring the infrastructure behind that capability remains resilient when supply chains are contested.

Now is the time to build those relationships, not when the roads are cut, the fuel is running short and the ADF is already in the fight.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Spotlight team

CYBER UNCUT: AI advice woes, Aussie auto dealers under attack, and sweeping changes coming to Facebook Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Join David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft for this week's round-up of cyber security and artificial intelligence news! The pair kick things off with the startling revelation that young Australians are turning to AI for their financial advice, as cost-of-living pressures bite. Can AI help get your finances in line? The jury is very definitely out.

Then it's on to the impact of cyber crime on Australian businesses, with a relative newcomer ransomware groups targeting Aussie car and automotive dealers. Is it happenstance, or have the hackers found a vulnerable third party, in common with all the victims, to exploit?

Finally, Hollingworth and Croft take a look at massive changes coming to Facebook and Instagram as Meta settles a US court case alleging the company's actions to create addictive content to capture the teen market. A definite good thing, but Meta wants the industry to go further.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

The broad church – why Pine Gap remains the focal point of Australia's anti-bases movement Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Recent public backlash over the suspected involvement of Pine Gap in the ongoing conflict with Iran has once again raised concerns about Australia's sovereignty, its status as an "imperial" province or valued partner and the future of Pine Gap and other US bases in the country. The 300-person gathering at Pine Gap in Alice Springs signals a periodic spike rather than a structural acceleration of Australia's anti-bases movement, according to Dr Nicole Townsend, war studies lecturer and director of UNSW Canberra's Second World War Research Group, Asia-Pacific. Yet the movement's durability warrants close attention from defence industry and policymakers alike.

Speaking with news editor Robert Dougherty, UNSW Canberra historian Dr Nicole Townsend argues that recent protests reflect a cyclical resurgence driven by geopolitical instability, not fundamental shift in public opposition to US military cooperation.

Pine Gap dominates anti-bases consciousness not because it is Australia's only joint facility – several operate under Australia–US agreements, maintaining the fiction that no foreign bases exist on Australian soil – but because of what isn't publicly known. Townsend emphasises that protesters' core complaint isn't demand for disclosure; it's the philosophical tension: if you cannot tell us what happens here, should it be here? That secrecy, necessary for intelligence operations, defines the facility's place in public imagination.

What distinguishes the movement is its deliberately assembled coalition. Townsend's David Scott Mitchell Fellowship research into the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition reveals extraordinary heterogeneity: unions, teachers associations, Indigenous groups, pro-Palestine activists and Greens politicians coexist under an umbrella targeting US basing. Yet this breadth obscures fragmentation. A recent national survey of 1,500 Australians found roughly one-third neutral on bases – neither supportive nor opposed – complicating assumptions about movement momentum. Lowy polling suggests 50–55 per cent support US basing, 43 per cent opposed.

Historically, these movements spike during geopolitical anxiety – Cold War nuclear fears, Iraq War opposition in 2003 – then subside. Current resurgence reflects Middle Eastern instability and Indo-Pacific uncertainty rather than new anti-American sentiment.

Townsend cautions against predicting trajectory. Media framing shapes which groups appear prominent; political contexts shift suddenly. Precedent exists for direct action targeting defence expos in the 1990s. But whether current momentum continues upward, stabilises or declines depends on variables historians cannot forecast.

The movement remains a barometer of Australian strategic anxiety, not a settled political force.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

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