SPOTLIGHT: Mission engineering – a missing piece of the capability puzzle, with Downer’s Rachel Hatton and Nathan Rickard

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Liam Garman and David Hollingworth unpack how the US and Australian governments are holding social media giants responsible for their content and data safety. The pair begin by discussing revelations that Congress is looking to force ByteDance to sell TikTok in the United States to an approved third party or face being shut down. They then discuss how Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety commissioner, is challenging X for hosting videos of the Wakeley stabbing attack and their rocky history. The podcast wraps up by analysing the recent OracleCMS hack.  Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Renee Wilson joins host Phil Tarrant to announce the rebrand of War Widows NSW to the Families of Veterans Guild, and how the organisation has a renewed mission to support all veteran family members.  The podcast begins detailing the reason behind the rebrand and how the organisation will support all family members of veterans who have quietly served. Wilson then outlines the history of War Widows NSW and how the newly rebranded Families of Veterans Guild is rising to the challenge to fill the gaps between existing veteran organisations, including providing support to family members of veterans who may not meet the stringent eligibility criteria of current groups. The pair then unpack how the Families of Veterans Guild will work alongside other veteran organisations to help serve former ADF members and their families. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

Have you picked up on the rising swell of interest in mission engineering? In this episode, Rachel Hatton, Downer Professional Services’ Head of Mission Engineering, and Nathan Rickard, Technical Director, join Liam Garman to help demystify mission engineering, explaining why it has become a hot topic and what industry need to know. The trio begin the podcast unpacking how making projects and platforms “king” in the capability life cycle has resulted in a force that isn’t fit for purpose in the new strategic context, suggesting a paradigm shift that prioritises evidence-based decision making and a “top-down” approach. Hatton and Rickard explain the what, how, and why of mission engineering and its critical role in delivering capability at speed and on budget while ensuring that Defence is building the right things to enable key mission outcomes. The team talk about mission engineering’s evolution within the US Department of Defense and wraps up with an analysis of how mission engineering will be pivotal to delivering the strategic imperatives outlined in the Defence Strategic Review. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Tim Walmsley, founder and CEO of BenchOn, joins host Liam Garman to officially launch the Australian Digital Defence Industry Matrix – an AI-powered platform that connects suppliers with the requirements of project teams from right across Defence industry.  The pair begin the podcast discussing how the Defence Strategic Review and Defence Industry Development Strategy changed the landscape of defence industry, making it easier for overseas companies to compete with Australian suppliers for Defence projects. Walmsley then unveils the Australian Digital Defence Industry Matrix (ADDIM) as a solution – a platform that connects suppliers and contractors to smooth the peaks and troughs of defence contracting to help Australian businesses compete across Australian and AUKUS supply chains. Launching this week, Walmsley then discusses how thousands of Australian small-to-medium sized enterprises have already joined the platform to leverage the benefits of interconnectivity. The pair wrap up the podcast looking at how ADDIM will support defence businesses and improve the resiliency of Australian supply chains. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Sabeen Malik, vice-president of global government affairs and public policy at Rapid7, joins Liam Garman to discuss the changing nature of global tech policy – applauding Australia’s stringent cyber security legislation. The pair begin the podcast by discussing Malik’s time developing tech policy within the Obama administration and how there is a hesitancy among policymakers to acknowledge the nefarious application of popular new technologies. Malik then applauds Australia as a world leader in cyber security and recommends that Australia could strengthen its frameworks yet further with privacy regulations that make cyber personally relevant to all individuals and organisations. They then discuss the necessity of public-private partnerships for cyber security, given the expertise of the private sector. The podcast wraps up with some tips for businesses to get ahead of the curb and prepare for future regulations in the sector, including developing bespoke processes based on unique risk profiles. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson unpack building a nexus between academia, business and our national security organisations to build a stronger domestic cyber security industry. MAJGEN (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson begins the podcast by discussing his experience setting up the Australian Defence Force’s initial cyber and information warfare capabilities and discusses creating a pathway into the cyber security industry to foster public-private innovation. The pair then unpack the challenges in creating a nexus between academia, industry and national security with the risk of foreign interference on university campuses. Tarrant and Thompson then discuss the Change Healthcare hack and the operating model of politically and financially motivated criminal gangs. The podcast wraps up by analysing the benefits of the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act and the Australian Digital ID legislation and how governments can improve legislation yet further. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Ben Miller, chief information security officer at Dragos, joins host Liam Garman to unpack the increasing number of ransomware attacks directed towards industrial organisations and how OT/ICS operators can better protect their assets. The pair begin by unpacking how threat groups have adapted their TTPs to attack modern industrial organisations and how ransomware attacks on manufacturers continue to disrupt global supply chains. Miller then details how OT/ICS operators can strengthen their cyber security posture and how the industry can better collaborate to enhance cyber resilience. The podcast wraps up by unpacking how Dragos enhances the threat detection and response strategies of industrial operators and what the future of OT cyber security looks like. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Stephen Kowal, chief executive officer of Atturra, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how Atturra is building a uniquely sovereign workforce to deliver for Defence – and deliver some top tips for SMEs in the defence industry. The pair commence unpacking the importance of sovereignty given Australia’s geographic isolation, and what the Defence Industry Development Strategy (DIDS) means for Australian industrial capability. Kowal then unpacks the workforce constraints facing the defence industry, and what initiatives Atturra employs to get the most from their workforce. The podcast wraps up with some top tips for SMEs navigating this journey, and how Atturra will continue delivering for Defence. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Raj Samani, senior vice-president and chief scientist at Rapid7, joins host Liam Garman to provide intelligence direct from the cyber security battlefield. The pair begin the podcast by discussing the links between leading threat groups and rogue states, detailing their TTPs and operating models. Samani then unpacks recent findings from North Korea’s Kimsuky threat group, lifting the veil on how such threat actors target companies and how Rapid7 works with governments and businesses to keep them safe online. The podcast wraps up by examining emerging TTP trends and how businesses can build effective systems and processes to monitor their organisation’s attack surface. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Liam Garman is joined by Paul Cale, the Australian Army’s subject matter expert for the Army Combatives Program (ACP), to unpack how Cale developed ACP and the importance of combatives in modern close-quarters combat. The pair begin the podcast unpacking the origins of ACP and how Cale drew from his experiences in Afghanistan as a member of 2 Commando and a career in martial arts to develop the Army Combatives Program. Cale then unpacks the ACP core principles and theory, and how they are universal across close-quarters fighting. The podcast wraps up looking at how Army can enhance the delivery of ACP, including encouraging the art of hand-to-hand combatives in the military through the introduction of combatives master trainers. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team