Best Australian Defence Magazine Podcasts (2024)

1
The path towards Australia’s nuclear submarine capability 36:12

1h ago36:12

36:12

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ben Felton talk with Giles Evans who is the Director of Nuclear Consulting at ADCG and Co-Founding CTO of Australian Nuclear Power. We discuss the steps that need to be taken for Australia to acquire nuclear capable submarines. We start by getting an overview of Giles’ extensive naval career, then move into discu…

1
Henderson gets a study, Missiles ahoy, Korean connections and other news 28:56

3d ago28:56

28:56

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Ben Felton review and discuss some of the recent news of interest published on the ADM site. We start with a discussion about the big announcement of the Henderson consolidation which was reported as involving billions but actually only committed a relatively small amount for breakwater e…

1
The flexibility and scalability of Non-Intrusive Flight Test Instrumentation Systems (NIFTI) 31:01

8d ago31:01

31:01

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Pieter Penhall, Defence Systems Engineering Specialist, and Sam Mancarella, Systems Engineering Director, from MEMKO about their Non-Intrusive Flight Test Instrumentation (NIFTI) system. We start the discussion by getting an overview of how MEMKO was founded, the engineering and digital aerospace ecosystem…

1
The use of LEO SatComs in the military, for humanitarian aid and as a tool for diplomacy 32:20

21d ago32:20

32:20

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ben Felton talk with Dr Matthew Ilich, National Solutions Specialist for Defence at Vocus, about Low Earth Orbit Satellite Communications as a tool for diplomacy and humanitarian aid. We kick off the discussion by getting a background of Mathew’s path into communications and his experiences in the Army. We review…

1
More AARGM-ERs, Stingrays on P-8As, STRIX updates, and Lasers 16:11

25d ago16:11

16:11

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Nigel Pittaway and Ben Felton review and discuss some of the recent news of interest published on the ADM site. We start by discussing the United States approving another 100 AGM-88G AARGM-ER missiles for sale to Australia, noting that it's in addition to the 63 approved last year and that exact numbers …

1
Land Forces 2024: Kongsberg missiles update & BlackBerry for secure comms 29:51

27d ago29:51

29:51

In this episode, we present the last of the interviews we recorded at Land Forces 2024. John Fry, Managing Director of Kongsberg Defence Australia: John updates us on the delivery of Kongsberg Defence Australia's components of the NASAMS Air Defence system to Army, the StrikeMaster launcher for the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence System that e…

1
Land Forces 2024: T&E for long range fires, AIDN, SYPAQ, & Ascent AeroSystems' coaxial drone 38:20

1M ago38:20

38:20

In this episode, we present four of the interviews we recorded at Land Forces 2024. The first is with Cathy O'Carroll, Campaign Director, and Graeme Bick, Chief Solution Architect, Global Test and Evaluation Campaign from QinetiQ: We discuss QinetiQ's background in both Australia and the UK, then get an insight into the lifecycle of developing, tes…

1
Land Forces 2024: The increased pace of Electronic Warfare and a New Water Recycling System 36:27

1M ago36:27

36:27

In this episode, we present two of the interviews we recorded at Land Forces 2024. The first interview is with Phil Guy, Executive Director, and David Devine, GM, at Mellori Solutions: They give us an update on Mellori’s work over the last year and their views on the increased pace of innovation seen in the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts. We als…

1
The logistics of achieving minimum viable capability 27:53

1M ago27:53

27:53

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ben Felton talk with Ron Parrello, the founder of Blue Opal Advisory, about Minimum Viable Logistics (MVL) as an enabler for the ADF’s Minimum Viable Capability (MVC) approach. We start the discussion by getting an overview of how MVC is utilised to adapt existing technologies to reduce the need to develop new el…

1
Land Forces 2024: Day 3 Review with supply chains, funding & a lack of littoral discussion 12:39

2M ago12:39

12:39

In this episode, Grant McHerron chats with Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway, Julian Kerr and Ben Felton about their experiences and observations on the final day of the Land Forces 2024 event. We kick off with the observation that the theme of the show has been Australian industry's involvement in supply chains with many announcements about contribution…

1
Land Forces 2024: Day 2 Review with sovereign build & Army's transition to autonomous systems 14:39

2M ago14:39

14:39

In this episode, Grant McHerron chats with Ewen Levick, Ben Felton, Julian Kerr, and Michael Flanagan about their experiences and observations on day two of the Land Forces 2024 event. We start with Julian giving us his views on the event before heading off to yet another interview, Next up is Lockheed Martin Australia's contract with Morand to ass…

1
Land Forces 2024: Day 1 Review with Atlas, GMLRS & more 11:10

2M ago11:10

11:10

In this episode, Grant McHerron chats with Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Ben Felton about their experiences and observations on day one of the Land Forces 2024 event. We start the discussion with views on BAE Systems' unveiling of their Atlas Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), an 8x8 autonomous armoured vehicle. We then move on to the manufactur…

1
Regional Support Centre providing truly resilient communications in Australia 24:44

2M ago24:44

24:44

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ben Felton talk with Samir Mehta, President of the Communication Systems segment for L3Harris Technologies, about L3Harris’ support for Australia and resilient communications. We begin the discussion by getting an overview of L3Harris broad range of support services, its long standing presence in Australia, and d…

1
The role of energy security in ensuring national security 28:37

2M ago28:37

28:37

In this episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Ben Felton talk with Lena Parker, General Manager Energy Solutions at Ventia, about energy security and its importance for national security. We start off the discussion by getting an overview of why energy and national security are intertwined, with a focus on moving away from coal to renewables, th…

1
Sovereign Missiles, AUKUS Updates, ITAR Exemptions and other news 21:01

2M ago21:01

21:01

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Ben Felton review and discuss some of the recent news of interest from Australia, the USA and the Asia / Pacific region. We start by discussing the announcement that Kongsberg has received $850m from the Australian Government to build a new factory at Newcastle Airport for production of m…

1
Ministerial Reshuffle, Triton Delivered and other news 23:06

3M ago23:06

23:06

In this episode, we’re changing the format a little as Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Ben Felton review and discuss some of the recent news of interest from Australia, the USA and the Asia / Pacific region. We start the discussion with the big news that the Prime Minister has reshuffled his ministers with Pat Conroy being promoted to Cabinet, Matt…

1
A Defence ecosystem for Robotics and Autonomous Systems 34:23

4M ago34:23

34:23

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick talk with Rob Sutton, Managing Director of Mirragin, about a Defence ecosystem for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS). We kick off the discussion by getting an overview of how Defence is currently engaging with and expanding on RAS, with insights into what is needed to build a functioning sovereign…

1
Insights on the future of AI in Defence and tender responses 54:52

5M ago54:52

54:52

In this episode we're featuring audio recorded at the AutogenAI Executive Exchange luncheon event held recently in Canberra, which was live streamed to the ADM YouTube channel. Sean Williams, the founder and global CEO of AutogenAI, takes centre stage, sharing his journey to founding AutogenAI and his career evolution from writing tender responses …

1
Periscope Capital Partners to deploy $1 billion of private capital into Defence in the next decade 29:22

7M ago29:22

29:22

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick talk with Mark Stevens, Managing Partner of Periscope Capital Partners and Managing Director of Arican, about Periscope and private capital for Defence industry. We kick off the discussion by reviewing the difficulties the industry faces when trying to access private capital, and Mark gives us an over…

1
No place for the 'small, smart, and many' in the Surface Fleet Review 40:42

8M ago40:42

40:42

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick talk with Michael Shoebridge, Founder and Director of Strategic Analysis Australia, about the government’s recently released response to the Surface Fleet Review and other topics. We start off with Michael’s first impressions on the Surface Fleet Review, with concerns surrounding its lack of funding, …

1
The ADF's adoption of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations amidst lessons from Ukraine 32:15

9M ago32:15

32:15

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Phil Guy, Managing Director of Alkath Group, and David Devine, General Manager of Mellori Solutions, about Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations, or EMSO. We get an overview of how the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is used to transmit data for communication and navigations across multiple domains. We also ge…

1
Indo-Pacific 2023 - Autonomous naval capabilities from Sentinel Boats and L3Harris 20:15

12M ago20:15

20:15

During Indo Pacific 2023, Grant McHerron talked with George McGuire, CEO of Sentinel Boats. We get an update following their recent delivery of their Sentinels to the NZ Navy equipped with a robust recyclable HDPE hull, which is highly durable, capable, and adaptable in emergency, industrial, and military environments. The discussion also explores …

1
Indo-Pacific 2023 - Anduril's Ghost Shark and an Aegis Update from Lockheed Martin 39:50

12M ago39:50

39:50

During Indo Pacific 2023, Grant McHerron was able to meet with David Goodrich OAM, Executive Chairman & Chief Executive at Anduril Australia & Asia Pacific, and Dr Shane Arnott, Senior Vice President Engineering at Anduril Industries. We discuss their Ghost Shark program that is utilising a number of local suppliers to deliver Australian developed …

1
Indo-Pacific 2023 - Adjusting to the post DSR environment, with Schiebel Pacific and SYPAQ 26:47

12M ago26:47

26:47

During Indo Pacific 2023, Grant McHerron met with Fabian Knechtl, Managing Director of Schiebel Pacific, to discuss the impacts of the current government's delays to Project Sea 129 Phase 5 Block 1, and Schiebel Pacific's civilian work with their Camcopter system. We discuss how Schiebel is responding to the delay of Phase 5, their work with other …

1
Indo-Pacific 2023 - More VLS cells for Hunter & Navantia’s Tasman Class Corvette 24:01

12M ago24:01

24:01

During Indo Pacific 2023, Grant McHerron met with Chris Muskett, Maritime Engineering Director at BAE Systems, regarding the modified Hunter class frigate design they unveiled at the event, featuring 96 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells instead of the current design’s 32. Chris gives us an insight into their prioritisation of missiles and long ran…

1
The strategic costs of government indecisiveness in Defence programs, with Mark Stevens 40:22

12M ago40:22

40:22

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick talk with Mark Stevens, founder of Arican Advisory Capital, regarding the struggles faced by Defence industry from on-going governmental delays in decisions and funding. Mark gives us his views on the widespread disruption to providers caused by lack of funding, growing gaps in capability, and delays …

1
Indo Pacific 2023, It's not all bad news... 11:25

12M ago11:25

11:25

In this episode, Grant McHerron catches up with Ewen Levick, Publisher of ADM, and Nigel Pittaway, Editor of ADM, to discuss what they've seen at the Indo Pacific 2023 event and the general mood they're getting from exhibitors as delays in decisions and funding from government are causing issues for Primes and SMEs alike. LINKS: Indo Pacific 2023 E…

1
Indo Pacific 2023 Opening Ministerial Press Conference 25:03

12M ago25:03

25:03

In this episode, Grant McHerron was at the Indo Pacific 2023 event opening's ministerial press conference, recording the full Q&A with the Acting Prime Minister & Minister for Defence, the Honorable Richard Marles MP, and the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark D. Hammond. This includes questions from the reporters present on topics such as China's la…

1
The future of naval design: Serco’s No Mariners Required Ship program (NOMARS) 31:25

1y ago31:25

31:25

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Rob Slaven, Defence Business Development Director at Serco Asia-Pacific, and Ryan Maatta, Marine Engineering Manager at Serco North America, about their involvement with DARPA's No Mariners Required Ship (NOMARS) program. We get an insight into how the NOMARS program is adapting available off the shelf tec…

1
Australia’s role and capabilities in a conflict with China 35:01

1y ago35:01

35:01

In this episode, Grant McHerron & Ewen Levick talk with Marcus Hellyer, Defence and strategic policy analyst with Strategic Analysis Australia, about his views on China’s military buildup, its push into the South China Sea, the Taiwan situation and the potential for war. We discuss China’s current power and status, with perspectives surrounding bal…

1
The importance of ADM's 30 Under 30 Initiative 30:35

1y ago30:35

30:35

In this episode, we discuss ADM’s new 30 Under 30 initiative, which seeks to recognise Australia’s best and brightest and also showcase the rewarding careers available in the Australian Defence Force and Defence Industry. We’ve brought together some sponsor representatives and winners of the Women in Defence Rising Star category to discuss the impo…

1
Evaluating the Ukrainian counter offensive, with Mick Ryan 26:25

1y ago26:25

26:25

In this episode, Grant McHerron & Ewen Levick talk with Mick Ryan, retired Australian Army Major General & military strategist, about his views on the Ukrainian counter offensive that’s currently underway. Mick’s experience as a military strategist gives us insights into President Zelensky's decision to defend Bakhmut, their breach into Russia’s ma…

1
Army’s adjustments to accommodate the Defence Strategic Review 29:40

1y ago29:40

29:40

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Mark Stevens, Managing Director at Arican, about his views on a number of topics relating to the Army as it adjusts following the Defence Strategic Review. We kick off the discussion by reviewing Hanwa’s contract to build their Redback IFV’s, the Army’s progress in restructuring, and the factors surroundin…

1
Unpacking the moratorium against Defence staff moving to Above the Line contractor roles 33:27

1y ago33:27

33:27

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Brent Clark, CEO of the Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN), about the recently introduced moratorium on hiring Above the Line contractors immediately from Defence ranks or APS staff. We start off by reviewing the role of AIDN in Defence and the differences between Above and Below the Line contrac…

1
Protecting defence systems through behavioural security solutions, with Graham Wallace of Senetas 24:47

1+ y ago24:47

24:47

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Graham Wallace, Managing Director for Europe at Senetas, about their Project Orthos and securing data within and between vessels. We discuss Senetas’s encryption solutions and get an insight into Project Orthos, which learns a network's standard operations and provides protection to global systems by block…

1
The implications of the federal budget on Defence capabilities 40:58

1+ y ago40:58

40:58

In this episode, Grant McHerron & Ewen Levick talk with Marcus Hellyer about the recent federal government budget and its impacts on Defence. Marcus gives us an insight into key details of the budget, with discussions surrounding the challenges and future of sustainment, the relationship between capability and cost, and projection of whether the bu…

1
How the DSR will change Army & its impacts, with AUKUS, on Defence Industry 32:21

1+ y ago32:21

32:21

In this episode, Grant McHerron & Ewen Levick talk with Brigadier (Retd) Ian Langford, formerly Head of Land Capability with Army, about his views on the Defence Strategic Review and AUKUS. We discuss the DSR's implications for Army’s role and a rebalancing with fewer IFVs but more long range strike. The discussion explores whether Defence can recr…

1
Unpacking the Defence Strategic Review’s impact on Australian Defence Industries 1:03:15

1+ y ago1:03:15

1:03:15

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick talk with Mark Stevens, founder of Arican Advisory Capital, regarding the Defence Strategic Review’s impacts on Australian Defence Industry. This in depth discussion assesses the impacts of the reduction in Army's new vehicles, the response from Army, and the challenges surrounding increasing sovereig…

1
How SMEs can engage with Defence to improve sovereign capability 28:45

1+ y ago28:45

28:45

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Mark Fortugno, Chief Financial Officer at WithYouWithMe, regarding small to medium businesses engaging with Defence and skilling the workforce. We discuss how SMEs can collaborate with Primes for Defence contracts, as well as improve their acquisition cycles and foster innovation. We also review our sovere…

1
Orchestrating the delivery of Australia's nuclear submarines, with Sir Nick Hine of Babcock 29:06

1+ y ago29:06

29:06

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Sir Nick Hine, Managing Director of Babcock’s new AUKUS & International division, about creating and supporting a nuclear submarine capability in Australia. We discuss the role that Babcock plays in supporting Australian nuclear submarines, and their goal to expand our sovereign capability through their ne…

1
Delivering test and evaluation solutions globally, with Greg Barsby of QinetiQ 28:20

1+ y ago28:20

28:20

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Greg Barsby, Managing Director at QinetiQ, about flight test ranges, facilities and test & evaluation in general. We start off by discussing the wide range of services that QinetiQ provides throughout Australia, the UK, and the USA. We explore how QinetiQ performs research and maintains facilities for test…

1
Avalon 23 - Day 4: Drone Racing & an inexpensive sovereign ISR drone 29:25

1+ y ago29:25

29:25

Grant McHerron has been with the ADM team at the Australian International Airshow 2023 (aka Avalon) on the fourth day which combined trade with general public access. During the event, Grant spent some time at the drone racing tent, recording the following content: 1. WGCDR Keirin Joyce steps us through the benefits and opportunities that drone rac…

1
Avalon 23 - Day 3: AVS with Land Simulation Core 2.0 and Kongsberg's NASAMS 28:22

1+ y ago28:22

28:22

Grant McHerron has been with the ADM team at the Australian International Airshow 2023 (aka Avalon) on the third trade day, recording content for future episodes along with short discussions for daily release. This episode features the following content: 1. Applied Virtual Simulations (AVS) and the Land Simulation Core 2.0 project. 2. Kongsberg Def…

1
Avalon 23 - Day 2: Frequentis' virtual control tower and Lockheed Martin's Steven Over on the F-35 Programme 22:34

1+ y ago22:34

22:34

Grant McHerron has been with the ADM team at the Australian International Airshow 2023 (aka Avalon) on the second trade day, recording content for future episodes along with short discussions for daily release. This episode features the following content: An excerpt of our discussion with Fequentis regarding their virtual air traffic control tower …

1
Avalon 23 - Day 1: Hexagon/Luciad mission planning, CEA's Mobile Radars & C4I's secure comms 20:51

1+ y ago20:51

20:51

Grant McHerron has been with the ADM team at the Australian International Airshow 2023 (aka Avalon) on the first trade day, recording content for future episodes along with short discussions for daily release. This episode features the following content: 1. Hexagon/Luciad regarding their geospatial and mission planning systems, including their onbo…

1
The role of information in warfare, with Tony Howell 37:02

1+ y ago37:02

37:02

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Tony Howell, Global Chief Architect, Defence and Intelligence at archTIS, about the role information is playing in warfare with our multinational coalitions, and the challenges of sorting and sharing classified information globally. Tony gives us his perspective on the JADC2 project in the US, the role of …

1
Secure, sovereign cloud computing for Defence, with Jason Van der Schyff of SoftIron 39:11

1+ y ago39:11

39:11

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Jason Van der Schyff, Chief Operating Officer at SoftIron, about building sovereign infrastructure for cloud computing. Jason gives us an overview of cloud computing, how sovereign capability and data security is ensured, and the use cases for edge and centralised processing. We also get an insight into ho…

1
Simplifying, optimising and modernising businesses in the Defence industry with Noetic Group 31:13

2y ago31:13

31:13

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Andrew Balmaks, CEO, and Noel Derwort, GM Defence, at Noetic Group about simplifying, optimising and modernising businesses in the Defence industry. We discuss how industry partnerships can support Defence, the continued push to move work below the line, and the importance of recruiting veterans. We also g…

1
Tackling industry challenges and the importance of collaboration, with DTC and their award winners Norsta Maritime, Elexon Electronics, and CBG Systems 37:15

2y ago37:15

37:15

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Audra McCarthy, CEO of the Defence Teaming Centre, Maurie McNarn, Chair of the Board at Norsta Maritime, Sandra Simpson, Marketing & Strategic Development for Elexon Electronics and Esther Pither, Finance & Administration Manager at CBG Systems. We discuss how DTC brings organisations together to develop a…

1
Avalon Airshow 2023 with Justin Giddings, CEO of the AMDA Foundation 25:18

2y ago25:18

25:18

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Justin Giddings, CEO of AMDA Foundation about the Avalon Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition which will be held at the end of February 2023. We discuss the gargantuan task of preparing for the Avalon Airshow in 2023, with a focus on building permanent infrastructure, collabo…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Australian Defence Magazine Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide