PODCAST: Aerobatics, military aviation and Australian air shows, with Paul Bennet
What drives the passion behind flying and preserving some of the world’s most iconic military aircraft?
May 15 2026
CONTESTED GROUND: Australia and the West must ask themselves new questions in the face of the modern world, with Robbin Laird
Each and every day, the world is becoming more unpredictable, yet Australia continues with the post-Cold War status quo. As things continue to deteriorate, we’re going to...
May 11 2026
PODCAST: Black Hawk capability, B-21 bomber debate, and upcoming budget
Questions remain around Australia’s defence modernisation efforts. Can the nation continue expanding advanced capabilities while balancing cost, readiness, and strategic...
May 11 2026
PODCAST: Supermarine Spitfire, warbird aviation and modern aerial innovation, with Keith Russell
How close can a modern reproduction come to the legendary Supermarine Spitfire from World War II? And what does preserving and flying these aircraft reveal about aviation...
May 07 2026
PODCAST: Bushmaster PMV funding, long-range strike expansion and cyber defence
Questions remain around sovereign manufacturing. Can Australia continue scaling its land and cyber capabilities while balancing industrial capacity and long-term strategic...
May 01 2026
PODCAST: Space Command workforce expansion and operationalising the domain, with Major General Gregory Novak AM
How is Australia building a specialised space workforce while balancing sovereign capability, allied integration and the operational demands of a contested domain?
April 30 2026
CONTESTED GROUND: The Defence budget, inflationary pressures and domestic information warfare
The release and messaging surrounding the 2026 National Defence Strategy and 2026 Integrated Investment Program is just the latest salvo in the government’s effort to...
April 29 2026
SPOTLIGHT: Maritime sustainment, mission-ready maintenance and resilient fleet capability, with Serco’s David Astbury
The world of maritime operations is built on a bedrock foundation of modern naval sustainment.
April 28 2026
PODCAST: Anzac Day reflections, veteran support reform and ADF workforce trends, with Minister Matt Keogh
How can Australia improve veteran support while strengthening recruitment, retention and workforce pathways in the Australian Defence Force?
April 23 2026
SPOTLIGHT: Open-source growth across defence and national security, with SUSE CMO Margaret Dawson
Welcome to the world of resilient, mission-ready defence systems – welcome to open source.
April 21 2026
CONTESTED GROUND: Shipping, supply chains and Australia’s exposure to a volatile system, with UNSW’s Professor Douglas Guilfoyle and Associate Professor Daniel Prior
We are consistently reminded that Australia is a maritime trading nation and, as such, is exposed to all the vulnerabilities. So why haven’t we prepared accordingly?
April 20 2026
PODCAST: Military drone racing, FPV integration and warfare trends, with Wing Commander Keirin Joyce
How is drone racing shaping the future of military capability? And can Australia harness these skills to strengthen its uncrewed systems and workforce?
April 17 2026
PODCAST: ADF promotions, Middle East aftershocks and dreaded Defence budget cuts
Can Australia balance the cost of expanding its drone-based attack and defence capabilities on a shoestring budget? Industry is rightly worried about possible cost cuts.
April 16 2026
CONTESTED GROUND: Successive governments have failed to prepare Australia for the era of polycrisis, with Marc Ablong PSM, Geostrategic Risk Partners
The war in the Middle East has served to reveal the now metastising vulnerabilities that permeate Australia’s economic, political and strategic ecosystems, leaving the...
April 15 2026
SPOTLIGHT: Crewed, uncrewed, mass and increasing contemporary maritime combat capabilities, with Kevin ‘Q’ Quarderer of Leidos Australia and MAJGEN (Ret’d) Mick Ryan
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Ukraine’s masterful use of autonomous and uncrewed systems have demonstrated the need for a structural rethink about how Australia...
April 14 2026
PODCAST: Fleet readiness, future warfare and Australia’s naval strategy, with Commodore Antony Pisani
What does it take to lead the Royal Australian Navy in an increasingly uncertain world?
April 09 2026
THE PROGRESS REPORT: Direct hit over Baghdad – the pilot who outflew a surface-to-air missile
How do you stay composed when your aircraft is struck by a surface-to-air missile over enemy territory, your hydraulics fail, and you’re staring down at the city of...
April 03 2026
SPOTLIGHT: Subs may be the centrepiece – but infrastructure, workforce and sovereign capability will decide the outcome, with Stantec’s Chris Waywell, Rob Sansbury and Robert Fogel
The AUKUS partnership represents one of the most ambitious defence industrial undertakings in modern history, and in this episode, host Steve Kuper is joined by Chris Waywell...
April 02 2026
CONTESTED GROUND: Apathy, complacency and the ‘Lucky Country’, Australia’s predicament is entirely self-inflicted, with Ben Dullroy
Australia has long prided itself on being the “Lucky Country”, celebrating a culture of “she’ll be right” now that a national culture of apathy is biting at home as...
March 31 2026
SPECIAL EDITION PODCAST: 125 years of the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army
In this special episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Robert Dougherty leads an expert panel marking the 125th anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy and Australian...
March 26 2026