Login
iscover
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.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
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 477: PODCAST: Middle East conflict reignition, with Major General (Ret’d) Gus McLachlan
Episode 476: CONTESTED GROUND: The pace of military change, with Dr David Kilcullen
Episode 475: SPOTLIGHT: Unpacking the opportunities to enhance Australia’s defence capabilities, with Yehuda Lahav, Israel Aerospace Industries
Episode 474: PODCAST: Confronting Australia’s dwindling belief in itself and the national security implications, with Scott Hargreaves, Institute of Public Affairs
Episode 473: CONTESTED GROUND: Espionage and disrupting non-state adversaries
Episode 472: PODCAST: The future of land warfare for Australia and our UK partners with Tom Newman, Babcock Land CEO
Episode 471: CONTESTED GROUND: Irregular warfare in Ukraine and Russian information operations, with MAJGEN (Ret’d) Gus McLachlan
Episode 470: SPOTLIGHT: Deconstructing Defence’s Digital Engineering Strategy, with Downer’s Rachel Hatton and Connie Heaney
Episode 469: CONTESTED GROUND: The enduring opportunities of the Australia–US relationship, with former ambassador Joe Hockey
Episode 468: CONTESTED GROUND: Developing true sovereign capability, with shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie MP
