SPOTLIGHT: Deconstructing Defence’s Digital Engineering Strategy, with Downer’s Rachel Hatton and Connie Heaney

In this episode of the Defence Connect ADSTAR series, Liam Garman sits down with Brian Schimpf, co-founder and CEO of Anduril Industries, and David Goodrich OAM, executive chairman and CEO of Anduril APAC, to unpack how government can facilitate successful defence innovation. They then discuss why it’s important to let capabilities fail fast, and how the company is investing in Australia to become an R&D and manufacturing hub.  Schimpf and Goodrich then unpack the Australian–US alliance and how we are accelerating global capabilities, before analysing what Defence can learn from the tech industry in accelerating global technology.  The podcast then wraps up with a live recording from ADSTAR on innovation, featuring:  Dr Clare Murphy, assistant secretary, strategy and business operations at the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator.  Brigadier Hugh Meggitt, AM, CSC Director General, Special Operations, modernisation. Group Captain Jesse Laroche, Director, Jericho Disruptive Innovation. Captain Dean Battilana, Director Undersea Warfare and Data. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this special ADSTAR series of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Liam Garman sits down with Andrew Seedhouse, chief of space, intelligence, national security and cyber division at Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and Andre Luiten, co-founder and managing director of QuantX Labs, to examine the world of quantum technology. Throughout the podcast, the trio discuss how quantum technology works, before explaining how it can be used to revolutionise the future battlefield from radio frequency (RF) sensing to precision navigation and timing (PNT). They then discuss how Australian researchers have become world leaders in this field and how we can expand the quantum industry. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

Foresight and a resourceful approach are two traits that soldiers embody, and translate seamlessly into property investment success. On this episode of the Defence Property Podcast, co-hosts Phil Tarrant and Discover Buyers Agency’s Kane Dury are joined by Major Ben Vitale, whose property investment journey started when he served alongside Kane in the Australian Defence Force. Ben discusses the keys to success around property investment in the military, highlighting that planning ahead and strategic rentvesting can enable soldiers to build a robust portfolio even when moving from post to post. The trio also highlight the importance of making use of the grants available to ADF members, and how additional grants and rental assistance can be used all at once to maximise a property portfolio.

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Dawn Cappelli, head of OT-CERT at Dragos, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how governments and the industry are responding to current and emerging ICS/OT threats. The pair begin the podcast by examining how operational technology is becoming more interconnected with the digital world and what emerging vulnerabilities providers should be aware of for the future. Cappelli and Garman then look into whether government regulations are keeping pace with evolving threats and whether artificial intelligence is transforming the world of operational technology. They wrap up the podcast by discussing some pertinent case studies, zero trust, and what the landscape of operational technology security will look like over the next decade. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team  

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Liam Garman is joined by senator for Queensland Matthew Canavan to discuss resource and food security, international politics and Australian domestic policy. The pair begin the podcast discussing voting trends in Australia and the results of the recent Queensland election. They then examine the need for a robust policy platform that supports Australia’s resources industry, protecting national sovereignty, delivering jobs and economic growth. Senator Canavan and Garman then unpack the economic impact of trade embargoes on Australia’s finances, before examining the need for effective biosecurity legislation to protect Australian farmers. Finally, the pair discuss the intersection between resources and building a skilled workforce. Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this special ADSTAR series of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Liam Garman sits down with Australia’s chief scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, to discuss quantum technology and how we can facilitate the growth of quantum in Australia.  Dr Foley begins the podcast defining quantum – and how this dual-use technology will revolutionise healthcare, energy and even sports science.   The pair then look at quantum in a national security context, and how it can be employed to understand the impact of disinformation on the human brain, before wrapping up with an analysis of the National Quantum Strategy. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the ADSTAR podcast series, host Liam Garman is joined by Dr Sanjay Mazumdar, executive director of the Defence Trailblazer, to discuss the commercialisation of research to strengthen Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities. The pair then discuss key focus areas for the Defence Trailblazer and their achievements to date, before examining some challenges they’ve faced along the way. The podcast will then showcase a live discussion from ADSTAR on accelerating innovation, featuring: Karl Hanmore, first assistant director-general mission capability and chief technology officer at the Australian Signals Directorate. Dr Rick Muller, director of the US’ Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. Jay Dryer, director of the US’ Strategic Capabilities Office. Professor Emily Hilder, head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator. Dr Sanjay Mazumdar, executive director of the Defence Trailblazer. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Sadiq Iqbal, sales engineering lead and evangelist, office of the CTO at Check Point Software, joins host Liam Garman to discuss platformisation in cyber security and the importance of interoperability for cyber security tools. The pair begin the podcast by looking at recent developments in cyber security and why businesses continue to be breached despite the wide range of cyber security solutions available today. They then examine how to ensure that third-party tools can collaborate to provide holistic security and how Check Point’s Infinity platform can keep users safe. They wrap up the podcast by discussing how Infinity can ensure regulatory compliance and how Check Point has been able to leverage lessons from its reverse engineering department to support clients. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team

In this special ADSTAR series of the podcast, Defence Connect partnered with Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) to shine a spotlight on the groundbreaking research undertaken by industry and academia in collaboration with Defence. In this episode, Defence Connect editor Liam Garman sits down with Professor Emily Hilder, Head of Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), and Dan Bennett, co-founder of Salus Ventures, to provide invaluable advice to start-ups and small businesses on how they can make a difference in the world of defence and dual-use technologies. The podcast then showcases the ASCA Pitch Day presentations as recorded live from the conference. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by returning guest, former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. Morrison, non-executive vice chairman of American Global Strategies, has recently announced a new role as chairman of Space Centre Australia, a planned spaceport in far north Queensland. He has also recently concluded a lecture at the Yomiuri International Economic Society in Tokyo in September. The pair discuss: The Australian government’s priorities for space policy and support of the domestic space industry, and comparisons to the current defence industry outlook. The sudden blooming of interest in space innovation and its increasingly contested environment between international players. The AUKUS and QUAD alliances in regard to the Indo-Pacific. The upcoming US presidential election on 5 November and forecasts for Australian policy under a Republican or Democratic victory. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team