PODCAST: Fleet readiness, future warfare and Australia’s naval strategy, with Commodore Antony Pisani

Joint-capabilities
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By: Robyn Tongol

What does it take to lead the Royal Australian Navy in an increasingly uncertain world?

What does it take to lead the Royal Australian Navy in an increasingly uncertain world?

Courage, integrity, service, respect and excellence.

Defence Connect senior journalist Robert Dougherty holds a rare in-depth conversation with Royal Australian Navy Commander Surface Force, Commodore Antony Pisani CSC, aboard the helicopter landing dock HMAS Canberra off the NSW coast.

 
 

CDRE Pisani offers an uncommon look behind the scenes inside the operational engine room of the Royal Australian Navy. From force generation and fleet readiness to training, sustainment and deployment, he outlines how Australia prepares its surface fleet for everything – from border protection to outright conflict.

From crew readiness, system maintenance and advanced warfighting exercises to emerging autonomous technologies and evolving defence priorities, this discussion connects strategic policy with real-world capability.

The conversation explores how the Royal Australian Navy is adapting to a more complex global environment, what a “focused force” really means, and how new platforms and partnerships are shaping the future of maritime operations.

Not to be missed, the discussion provides a seldom seen, clear window into how Australia is building a more capable and resilient naval force in response to shifting geopolitical realities.

Enjoy the conversation,
The Defence Connect team

Defence Connect has made minor audio edits to this podcast interview for clarity and listener experience.

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: CONTESTED GROUND: Weak, vulnerable, backwater – Australia’s choice between strategic camps and managed decline
Episode 10: PODCAST: Undersea dominance – Australia charts the maritime future through autonomous systems and AUKUS innovation
Episode 9: PODCAST: Australian Army Cadets pathways, submarine industry growth and Australia’s fuel security
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: The blind faith factor – why Australians trust an ADF they don’t understand
Episode 7: PODCAST: Defence preparedness, artificial intelligence productivity, and Australian industrial resilience
Episode 6: CONTESTED GROUND: Shots fired! Chinese missile test shatters Australia’s ‘fog of peace’, with Mike Pezzullo
Episode 5: SPOTLIGHT: Counter-drone innovation, directed energy and delivering operational outcomes, with EOS Defence Systems’ Lee Kormany
Episode 4: PODCAST: Strengthening security ties, Fiji defence pact and Australia’s counter-drone push
Episode 3: CONTESTED GROUND: Lessons from the UK in political polarisation, generational dislocation and intergenerational warfare, with Ben Dullroy, Bravo Delta Advisory
Episode 2: PODCAST: Defence Industry Development Strategy, Defence reform and Australians fighting in Ukraine