On 12 February 2024, for the first time ever, the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&CF) conducted command and control (C2) operations on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, with an all-female aircrew composition. I spoke to two of the amazing women who took part in this mission to discuss why they decided to organise it, what their takeaways we…

The US Marine Corps opened up attack helicopter pilot positions to women when Jeannette was training to become a USMC - she became one of the first women to hold that position. In this episode we talk about what it was like, her inspirations and the obstacles she faced, and how all her experiences led her to do a PhD to make sense of it all and be …

At the Sea Air Space defence trade show I had the opportunity to speak with Dale Sisson, Technical Director of the Naval Surface Warfare Centre Dahlgren Division, about their recruitment practices. It was really interesting to discuss their outreach in secondary schools, but also to talk about diversity, what it means and what it can bring to team …

As a woman defence journalist I get asked that question all the time. How does it feel like to often be the only woman in the room? Have you been victim of prejudice, or harassment? Do you feel people treat you differently? 9 years into this field, I decided to take all these questions and turn them into a new focus for the podcast: women in defenc…

Jon Pentreath is back on the microphone of the D-Fence podcast to discuss with me DSEI 2023, its key themes (impact of the war in Ukraine, unmanned systems, issues with procurement) and the incredible attendance this year!By Dr Alix Valenti

In this episode, Ken Miller, from the Association of Old Crows, and myself delve into what it is like to make a podcast, what technologies are emerging in the defence sector, and defence start-ups' difficulties in getting access to government and inter government programmes. We also talk about what are upcoming season will discuss so... stay tuned!…

Join Sonia Purnell, the author of "A Woman of No Importance", Thomas Withington, electronic warfare, and myself as we discuss: part 1, how Sonia did her research, the incredible achievements of a disabled woman who became a spy in WWII against all odds, and her legacy at the CIA; part 2, how radio was used to transmit and how morse is making a come…

In this episode I speak with Maja Kuzel, from the European Defence Agency, about the agency's consultation forum on sustainable energy. We discuss how it brings together military and civilians from 30 different countries to develop ideas for a more resilient defence sector.By Dr Alix Valenti

Discussing UDT2023 key topics with Jon Pentreath, from AI and data analytics, to autonomous systems and climate change. All under one roof.By Dr Alix Valenti

Joan Curran never wrote or published anything. Yet she helped save thousands of fighter pilots' lives by contributing to the development of chaffs (or 'window' as it was originally called). In this episode, Thomas Withington tells us about radars and chaffs, and how Joan Curan's research contributed.…

Join Thomas Withington and myself as we discuss Liza Mundy's book Code Girls and talk about deciphering, the patience and dedication these women showed for a job they were very briefly trained to do, and how their hard work helped turning WWII around for the US and their allies.By Dr Alix Valenti

In this episode, Joshua Henry explains how messaging on sustainability (at national, European or international level) can be problematic for private investment in defence startups. Find out also how investors networks like Défense Angels can help businesses working tirelessly on defence innovation for a more sustainable (i.e. ESG 16 🕊 ) sovereign f…

Hedy Lamarr was far more than just a beautiful actress. During World War II she invented and patented, with George Antheil, frequency hopping - a technology protecting against communication jamming. The US Navy didn't use the technology until the Cuban missile crises (reportedly they used it to protected against jamming when carrying out anti-subma…

For this first episode of the upcoming sustainability series, I sat down with Eva Axelsson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Saab, to discuss with her how Saab is planning to integrate sustainability throughout its whole value chain. We talked about NATO's and Sweden's commitments to net zero, about the importance of partnerships and about how criti…

Defence often gets a bad reputation, with many people unfamiliar with the field often arguing that it gets too big a share of the budget compared to other "more pressing" areas of government. In this episode, Dr Thomas Withington and myself discuss how defence priorities are constantly changing and expanding, and why D-Fence is the right space for …

A little teaser for you all, dear listeners, to get a glimpse of why I chose to create the D-Fence podcast and get a sense of its tone. I already look forward to releasing the first episode... I hope you'll look forward to listening in after this teaser! (Jingle music created and produced by Laurent Malavergne)…