THE PROGRESS REPORT: Against the tide – Captain Mona Shindy on gender, culture and change in the Royal Australian Navy

Joint-capabilities
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By: Noemie Veñegas

Someone has to take the plunge and shoulder the burden.

Someone has to take the plunge and shoulder the burden.

A pioneer forging the path for the future generations of women in the Australian Defence Force, no matter the consequences.

Royal Australian Navy Captain (Ret’d) Mona Shindy shares her unique journey serving in the Royal Australian Navy as a warship weapons engineer, becoming one of the first three women to serve on an Australian warship, being selected as the first female captain to wear a hijab and, finally, leaving a legacy as the inaugural and only chief of navy strategic advisor on Islamic cultural affairs.

 
 

In this episode of The Progress Report, senior journalist Robert Dougherty sits down with Captain Shindy to discuss her extraordinary career spanning more than 25 years in the Royal Australian Navy, her trauma and triumphs navigating the treacherous waters of gender bias, cultural expectations and resistance to change.

The pair also look ahead to the future, how Defence has improved and how it can better understand and support personnel from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

Beyond her own career, Shindy reflects on leadership, the nature of negative military culture, her memoir, Shattering identity bias, and a newly launched Mona Shindy Foundation designed to provide mentoring, networks and support to people who may not otherwise have access to them.

The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Progress Report team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: PODCAST: UK–Australia defence cooperation, GCAP and CEA advanced radar, with UK Minister Luke Pollard
Episode 10: PODCAST: From hardware to algorithms – how Defence is embedding AI into warfare without surrendering human accountability
Episode 9: CONTESTED GROUND: Weak, vulnerable, backwater – Australia’s choice between strategic camps and managed decline
Episode 8: PODCAST: Undersea dominance – Australia charts the maritime future through autonomous systems and AUKUS innovation
Episode 7: PODCAST: Australian Army Cadets pathways, submarine industry growth and Australia’s fuel security
Episode 6: CONTESTED GROUND: The blind faith factor – why Australians trust an ADF they don’t understand
Episode 5: PODCAST: Defence preparedness, artificial intelligence productivity, and Australian industrial resilience
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: Shots fired! Chinese missile test shatters Australia’s ‘fog of peace’, with Mike Pezzullo
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Counter-drone innovation, directed energy and delivering operational outcomes, with EOS Defence Systems’ Lee Kormany
Episode 2: PODCAST: Strengthening security ties, Fiji defence pact and Australia’s counter-drone push