PODCAST: Building interoperability amid adversity – Captain Phillipa Hay, Royal Australian Navy

Joint-capabilities
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By: Robyn Tongol
Captain Phillipa Hay

COVID-19 has reshaped the world and RIMPAC ’20 wasn’t immune, but it did in some ways enhance the way the participants conducted the operations.

COVID-19 has reshaped the world and RIMPAC ’20 wasn’t immune, but it did in some ways enhance the way the participants conducted the operations.

 

 
 

On this Defence Connect podcast, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Captain Phillipa Hay, RAN, to discuss the ongoing transformation of the Royal Australian Navy and the role interoperability plays in enhancing collective security in the Indo-Pacific.

CAPT Hay and Tarrant discuss the latest round of RIMPAC exercises, of which CAPT Hay was the first Australian woman appointed to command a task force in the 49-year history of Exercise Rim of the Pacific.

The two discuss the growing levels of interoperability and capability aggregation developing between Australia and its Indo-Pacific partners and the role they play in supporting the government’s initiative of a “free and open” Indo-Pacific.

CAPT Hay and Tarrant also discuss the complexities of managing and conducting the world’s largest maritime warfare exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic and the agility with which all partners improvised, adapted and overcame the challenges.

Enjoy the podcast,

The Defence Connect team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: THE PROGRESS REPORT: Leadership, mentorship and life at sea – Commander Melanie Lennard on 17 years in the Royal Australian Navy
Episode 10: PODCAST: Australia’s munitions manufacturing push at Land Forces 2026, with NIOA Group’s Robert Nioa
Episode 9: PODCAST: EOS showcases new interceptor and layered drone defence at Land Forces 2026, with Lee Kormany
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 7: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 6: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 5: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: When AI goes rogue – the emerging threat Australia isn’t ready for
Episode 3: PODCAST: Frontier AI, cyber warfare, and defending Australia’s military networks, with Wendi Whitmore and Tom Scully
Episode 2: PODCAST: Australia’s 2026 Intergenerational Report and national security implications, with Phillip Tarrant and Robert Dougherty