The National Security Podcast

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Greg Moriarty — Secretary of the Department of Defence — joins Rory Medcalf to discuss Australia’s Defence agenda in a contested Indo-Pacific.With Australia’s regional superiority eroding, defence modernisation and effective strategies are imperative for Australia’s defence forces. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of the National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf speaks with Secretary Greg Moriarty on Australia’s efforts to develop and maintain a cutting edge military, defending Australia’s interests whilst maintaining good relations with Indo-Pacific nations, and how the Australian Defence Force retains its social license at a time when its integrity is being questioned.Greg Moriarty has served as the Secretary of Defence since 2017. Prior to his role with Defence, Greg has served as the International and National Security Advisor and the Chief of Staff to an Australian PrimeMinister, as Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia and Iraq

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Frances Adamson — Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade— joins Rory Medcalf to discuss the national security challenges facing Australia in an age of disruption.With the destructive impact of COVID-19 reverberating around the world, exacerbating the disruptive forces of great power competition, Australian efforts to support its own national interests have rarely been more important. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of the National Security College Rory Medcalf speaks with Secretary Frances Adamson on Australia’s tense relationship with China, how Australia perceives its interests and what Australia’s diplomatic community is doing to secure Australia in an age of disruption.Frances Adamson has led Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as Secretary since 2016 and in her time as a public official has served as International Adviser to a Prime Minister, Ambassador to China, and High Commissioner to Great Brit

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Dr Vasabjit Banerjee — specialist in comparative politics, electoral competition and political violence — joins Chris Farnham to discuss the current situation in the United States and the future of American democracy.  With the sitting president refusing to accept the election result and claiming mass-voter fraud, whilst his supporters take to the streets and threaten violence, the United States stands at a political crossroads. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr Vasabjit Banerjee – Assistant Professor and Coordinator of International Studies at Mississippi State University – talks with Chris Farnham about why President Trump has been such a shock to American democracy, why he is leveraging social unrest and what his lasting impact on American politics is likely to be.Vasabjit Banerjee is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of International Studies at Mississippi State University where he specialises in comparative politics, ele

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Caroline Millar — Deputy Secretary, National Security at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet — joins Rory Medcalf to discuss the role of the national security professional in an age of disruption. With the COVID-19 pandemic super-charging Australia’s threat landscape, issues such as great power competition, technological disruption and challenges to the rules-based order are weighing heavily on the desks of national security policymakers. In this episode of National Security Podcast, Caroline Millar — Australia’s Deputy Secretary, National Security at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet — talks with Rory Medcalf about the national security challenges Australia faces going into the 2020s. They also explore the evolution of the national security community from the Cold War, through the post-9/11 period to the present moment.Caroline Millar is Deputy Secretary, National Security at Australia’s Department of the Prime Minister and Cabine

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs Michael Pezzullo AO joins Head of the National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf to discuss security in an age of disruption. In the latest instalment of the National Security College’s 10th Anniversary Conversation Series — which explores insights from leaders of the Australian national security community — the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs shares his philosophical and practical perspectives on national security, how we think about national security in an increasingly complex and interconnected world, and how we can work together across government, the private sector, and in our communities to maintain a prosperous, secure, and united Australia. Michael Pezzullo AO is the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs. Michael has also served as the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and CEO of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, as well as Deputy

In this episode of National Security Podcast, expert on information warfare Molly McKew joins Chris Farnham to discuss the influence of disinformation on the United States presidential election. With less than one month until the US election - and the president testing positive for COVID-19 - the whirlwind of conspiracy theories and disinformation attacks has gone into overdrive. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Molly McKew dissects disinformation campaigns from conspiracy theories - and foreign from domestic narratives. She outlines how the US elections might be influenced, the likelihood of post-election violence, and why elected US representatives have become some of the greatest super-spreaders of false information.Molly McKew is a writer and an expert on information warfare. Molly served as adviser to the former president of Georgia and is CEO of Fianna Strategies, a consulting firm that advises governments, political parties, and non-government organisations on foreign po

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham is joined by Glenn Keys and Dr Geetha Isaac-Toua to discuss Australia’s response to COVID-19 and the role of the private sector in national security.With Australia likely to have avoided a nation-wide second wave of COVID-19, this episode of National Security Podcast considers some of the broader aspects of the national pandemic response. Did Australia grasp the challenge accurately from the outset, are we expecting too much from a potential vaccine, and should Australia be a regional leader in health security? The panel also discuss what Australia needs so that it doesn't have to compete internationally for life-sustaining resources. In our second episode on the role private industry plays in national security, we speak to Founder and Executive Chairman of Aspen Medical Glenn Keys AO and Medical Director Dr Geetha Isaac-Toua about the leading role the health industry is playing in supporting the Australian government’s pandemic response.&n

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham is joined by Jacob Shapiro to discuss some of the important geopolitical issues flying below the media radar.With the COVID-19 pandemic, China's rise fuelling tensions across the region, and unfolding chaos in the United States, this year could not be more action-packed for national security policymakers. Still, there are a number of other enormously important issues and trends in the world that barely get a mention. In this episode of National Security Podcast, we chat with Jacob Shapiro about the geopolitical issues that are changing the world. We discuss the breakdown of the global food supply, examine why previously tight relations between Latin American countries are breaking down, tackle whether peace is really breaking out in the Middle East, and ask what is Open-RAN?Jacob Shapiro is the Founder and Chief Strategist at Perch Perspectives Geopolitical Consulting. Prior to that, Jacob was a Senior Analyst at Geopolitical Futures and the Head of

On this National Security Podcast, Head of National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf speaks with Ms Rachel Noble PSM, Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), about the history of signals intelligence in Australia, who ASD spies on and why, and adapting to new security threats.Signals intelligence has been an element of national security operations for as long as there has been warfare and competition. But how does an agency raised out of the Second World War adapt to the modern national security landscape? Has cybersecurity fundamentally altered the nature of Australian Signals Directorate (ASD)'s focus on intelligence collection and information protection? And with threats to Australia’s security emanating not only from international actors but also from Australians, at home and abroad, what role does ASD play in conducting surveillance on Australian citizens and where are the oversights to ensure that laws and personal privacies are not breached? As the second instalment in

On this National Security Podcast, Head of National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf speaks with Major General Duncan Lewis, former Director-General of Security at ASIO, about securing Australia in an age of disruption.Since 9/11, it has become clear to Australia’s leaders that developing a national security pedigree in the Australian Public Service was imperative to meeting the challenges of an age of deep strategic disruption. To open the National Security College’s 10th Anniversary Conversation Series, Professor Rory Medcalf talks with recently retired Major General Duncan Lewis, former Director-General of Security at the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and National Security Adviser under the Rudd government, about the decision to create the National Security College. They also cover the daunting tasks of national security policymakers as Australia faces a grim strategic environment, and some valuable lessons from a lifetime of service in Australia’s national security commun

In this special episode of the National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted is joined by Alastair MacGibbon, Gai Brodtmann and Rory Medcalf to discuss Australia's recently released national Cyber Security Strategy.Released on 6 August, the Australian government released the 2020 Cyber Security Strategy. Citing the increased interconnectivity and reliance on the Internet as we transition to a digital society, a process supercharged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the document paints a daunting picture of a riskier and more uncertain landscape for national security. But does this strategy go far enough? In this National Security Podcast, the panel consider how the Strategy divides threats from nation states and criminal actors, and whether it communicates in a way that will speak to Australian society as a whole. We also ask whether the time has passed for refraining from naming those actors that threaten Australia’s cybersecurity. Gai Brodtmann is convenor of the National Security College’s Women In Nation

In this episode of National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted is joined by AustCyber CEO Michelle Price to talk about the risks of putting blind faith in the digital devices we use to run our lives and businesses.What would happen if we lost our digital connections, or access to our data? Now that people and businesses rely on digital devices for all facets of modern life, can such a disruption be quantified in dollar terms? On this National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted is joined by AustCyber CEO Michelle Price tackle these questions and explore whether traditional modes of policy-making will continue to work in the digital age.  Michelle Price is AustCyber’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer, and was the first Senior Adviser for Cyber Security at the National Security College.Katherine Mansted is a senior adviser at the National Security College and non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously, she was a commercial

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted speaks to Ali Wyne about why great powers compete, how China, Russia, and the United States are shaping the global system, and whether their behaviour is making the post-COVID-19 world more dangerous.Is competition between great powers destined to be fraught with the risk of conflict, or can it be a positive driver of global development? And how do middle powers view the future of their respective regions as the United States and China size each other up in the era of COVID-19? Katherine Mansted is joined by Ali Wyne to answer these questions and more on this episode of National Security Podcast.Ali Wyne is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute.Katherine Mansted is a senior adviser at the National Security College and non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously,

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we are joined by former Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence Gai Brodtmann, Head of the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Brendan Sargeant, and Rory Medcalf, Head of the National Security College, to examine the details and meaning of Australia's recently unveiled 2020 Defence Strategy Update and Force Structure Plan.On 1 July, Australia officially updated its defence strategy with the 2020 Defence Strategy Update and Force Structure Plan. Citing the deterioration of its regional security environment and enhanced offensive capabilities among its potential adversaries, it calls for an upgrading of Australia's defence hardware. So, is offensive deterrence a new strategy for Australia, and could increased war-fighting capabilities drive an arms race in the region? The panel also ask which states may be the intended audience for this strategy update, and how likely the countries of the region may be to see increased Austra

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Katherine Mansted is joined by Major General Marcus Thompson to discuss the nature of information warfare in the 21st century, and how it fits within Australia's broader defence mission.In 2017, Australia formed its first Information Warfare Division (IWD) in the Department of Defence. Tasked with achieving information superiority over Australia’s adversaries and gaining an advantage which can be exploited in the traditional air, land, and sea domains, the IWD is headed up by Major General Marcus Thompson. Three years into its life, the IWD has overcome many challenges, but what threats and opportunities are on the horizon? Have COVID-19 and the recent bushfires changed public expectations about the role of the Australian Defence Force in helping with unconventional security threats at home? In this National Security Podcast, we will tackle these questions, and discuss whether there is a need for wider public discussion and awareness of the thre

On 16 June, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne delivered a policy address to the National Security College on Australia and the world in the time of COVID-19. Her remarks, and the following discussion of Australia's future in the region, make up this special episode of National Security Podcast.Is China using the COVID-19 crisis as a reason to spread disinformation about Australia, and how can international institutions, such as the World Health Organization, be safeguarded so that they can do their work without outside interference? In this episode, we host the foreign minister's speech on Australia's place in the world and COVID-19 and her discussion with Professor Rory Medcalf, Head of the National Security College. Senator the Hon Marise Payne is Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women in the Commonwealth Government. A Senator for New South Wales since 1997, she has more than two decades’ parliamentary experience including 12 years’ membership of the Joint Standing Committ

In this episode of National Security Podcast, we speak with the Perth USAsia Centre's Dr Jeffrey Wilson about Australia's new investment measures and a shift toward caution in the face of foreign purchasing power.In recent years, many developed economies have been enhancing their foreign investment laws with a heightened focus on national security. On Friday 5 June, Australia announced that it would be following suit, introducing new screening measures to ensure foreign nationals and organisations would not endanger Australia by buying controlling stakes in sensitive areas of the economy. But what is driving this shift in the way countries view foreign investment, and why has Australia chosen now to readjust the way it understands its vulnerabilities and risks?Dr Jeffrey Wilson is Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre. He provides leadership and strategic direction in developing the Centre’s research program across its publications, policy and dialogue activities. Jeffrey specialises in the region

On this special episode of the National Security Podcast, we speak to three leading Indonesia experts about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the country's national security.How has Indonesia been impacted by COVID-19 and what are the implications for its national security? Has the pandemic offered terrorist organisations opportunities or new challenges? How will this health crisis influence the increased intensity of the conflict in West Papua? And how will the spread of the virus, which first emerged in China, impact the Chinese diaspora in Indonesia? In this episode of National Security Podcast we speak to Sidney Jones, Dr Quinton Temby, and Dr Charlotte Setijadi about the implications of COVID-19 for Indonesia’s national security. This episode is an edited version of a live podcast that was recorded on 21 May 2020. Sidney Jones is the Director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict. She has previously held leadership roles at the International Crisis Group and worked with the F

In this National Security Podcast, we speak to Professor Tom Nichols about international and domestic national security influences on the United States' 2020 elections. As the United States moves toward an election in the midst of a pandemic and increasing tensions with China, and in the shadow of Russian interference, national security is going to be central to its 2020 presidential and congressional elections. Should we expect more Russian interference and could they be successful a second time? Can America’s alliance network survive a second term of President Trump? Why are there armed civilians raiding state capitals, and what does this mean for domestic security? And what would happen if President Trump refused to accept the result of an election that ended his time in office? We tackle these questions and more in this National Security Podcast.Tom Nichols is Professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College, an Adjunct Professor at the Harvard Extension School, a former a

In this episode, we talk to the former head of Emergency Management Australia Mark Crosweller about national resilience in an era of climate change and COVID-19.How has Australia’s recent bushfire disaster impacted the way policymakers consider climate change and its impact on national security? Has COVID-19 illuminated the fragility of an interdependent society? What is it that keeps a former Director General of Emergency Management Australia awake at night? In this National Security Podcast, Mark Crosweller talks about our vulnerability to the increased severity of climate change-driven natural disasters, the impacts of national crises like COVID-19, and how we need to change the way we look at developing national resilience in the face of a dangerous future.Mark Crosweller was the Director General of Emergency Management Australia and led the National Resilience Taskforce for the Commonwealth Government of Australia. Mark’s professional life has seen him serve in leadership roles for state and territory, a