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In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by returning guest, Australian Army Corporal (Ret’d) and Afghan veteran Matthew “Willy” Williams OAM, to discuss the fall of Avdiivka in Ukraine, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the emerging discussion around conscription in Australia.
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Corporal Williams was deployed as a private to Afghanistan with the Australian Army and left as a corporal in 2020, undertaking a radical career change to operate the 167,000-subscriber “Willy OAM” independent journalism YouTube channel.
He now acts as a travelling civilian conflict reporter following a terminal brain cancer diagnosis on his 22nd birthday and after being awarded an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List.
The pair discuss the recent withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from Avdiivka and the changing landscape of the battlefield in Ukraine.
They then discuss the controversial topic of war crimes in the conflict, as well as tackling issues regarding the donation of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters and M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine.
They also discuss Williams’ travels on the ground in Israel following the October attacks last year and use of drones in the conflict.
Finally, the pair discuss the public discourse around the possible conscription in Australia and the comparative effectiveness of called-up troops in Ukraine.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:
Episode 433: SPOTLIGHT: Introducing the Australian Digital Defence Industry Matrix, with BenchOn’s Tim Walmsley
Episode 432: SPOTLIGHT: What does sovereignty mean in a post-DIDS industry? With Stephen Kowal, CEO of Atturra
Episode 431: PODCAST: Developing Army’s hand-to-hand combatives program, with Paul Cale
Episode 430: PODCAST: Aussie innovation supporting navies around the world, with Jeffrey Hawkins, Pivot Maritime International
Episode 429: PODCAST: Commercialisation essential to the success of space and defence industry, with Brian Lim
Episode 427: PODCAST: Unpacking the surface combatant review with the Honourable Kim Beazley AC
Episode 426: PODCAST: WA ready, willing and able to support defence industry opportunities – Paul Papalia CSC MLA, Minister for Defence Industry and Veterans Issues
Episode 425: PODCAST: Unpacking the independent analysis into Navy’s surface combatant fleet
Episode 424: PODCAST: Bringing together Defence, industry, and academia to drive innovation – Dr David Kershaw, DSTG
Episode 423: PODCAST: Unpacking the role and responsibilities of Parliament’s oversight committees
