The National Security Podcast

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr Nathan Attrill and Dr Liz Buchanan join Dr Will Stoltz to unpack the evolving relationship between China and Russia and its potential impact on Australia.Just before the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting came as Russian forces amassed on the border of Ukraine, creating a standoff with NATO. To explore what can be drawn from this leaders meeting — and the broader China-Russia relationship – Dr Nathan Attrill from The Australian National University and Dr Liz Buchanan from the Australian War College join Dr Will Stoltz on the National Security Podcast.The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants, and not of any organisation with which they are affiliated.Dr Nathan Attrill is a China scholar with The Australian National University and was previously a Researcher with The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Ce

In the first episode of the National Security Podcast for 2022, Head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf is joined by Royal United Services Institute Senior Research Fellow Veerle Nouwens to explore how the relationship between these two nations could adapt to an increasingly dynamic Indo-Pacific.With ‘AUKMIN’ – the meeting of the Australian and United Kingdom Defence and Foreign Affairs ministers – anticipated soon, how might the partnership between the two countries be revitalised to meet new and emerging security challenges? Professor Rory Medcalf and Veerle Nouwens discuss how Australia and the United Kingdom could increase the impact of their ongoing collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, exploring ideas drawn from their recent Policy Options Paper, Australia and the United Kingdom: an Indo-Pacific security agenda for a revitalised partnership.Veerle Nouwens is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Security Studies Department of the Royal United Services Institute, focusi

In this special final episode of 2021 – the 100th National Security Podcast – a team of experts from ANU National Security College examine the security dimensions of the year that was and, looking forward to 2022, explore what might be in store in the year ahead.As a turbulent year for Australia and its region ends, looking back at how 2021 unfolded has much to reveal about where national security policymakers can go from here. In the 100th episode of National Security Podcast, host Chris Farnham is joined by national security experts Katherine Mansted, Will Stoltz, and Rory Medcalf to explore the big events from the last 12 months and analyse how they might shape the security landscape in 2022.Katherine Mansted is Senior Fellow in the Practice of National Security at the ANU National Security College. She is also the Director of Cyber Intelligence at Australia’s largest independent cyber security services company, CyberCX.Dr William Stoltz is the Senior Adviser for Public Policy at A

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Nadège Rolland, Jude Blanchette, and Charles Edel join Chris Farnham to explore how China views its place in the world.In the latest episode of the National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham speaks with Nadège Rolland of the National Bureau of Asian Research and Jude Blanchette and Charles Edel of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies on how the Chinese Communist Party thinks about itself and China’s place in the world. The discussion also covers how Chinese strategic thinking differs from traditional Western concepts, the challenges for outsiders in understanding China, and the direction the country is likely to take in the years ahead. Nadège Rolland is Senior Fellow for Political and Security Affairs at NBR, the National Bureau of Asian Research, and a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute.Jude Blanchette holds the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Charles Edel is the inaugural Australia

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers joins Head of ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf in conversation.In the latest instalment of the Security Summit series on the National Security Podcast, Professor Rory Medcalf and Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers discuss the national security implications of electoral integrity, maintaining Australia’s democratic architecture, and how the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is responding to challenges like disinformation and foreign interference. They also explore the role of elections and the Commission in national security, how the AEC are taking a more active role in countering false narratives regarding elections, and the obstacles to delivering an election in an increasingly contested democratic environment.Tom Rogers is the Australian Electoral Commissioner, a role he has held since 2014. Previously, he was the Deputy Electoral Commissioner, and State Manager and Australian Ele

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, The Hon Paul Fletcher MP – Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities, and the Arts, Member for Bradfield, and previously Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Optus – joins Professor Rory Medcalf in conversation.In the latest instalment of the Security Summit series on the National Security Podcast – Professor Rory Medcalf and The Hon Paul Fletcher MP discuss the role of government in Internet regulation, challenges and threats posed by the internet to everyday citizens, and how the Australian Government is legislating an ever-evolving cyberspace. They explore the Morrison government’s recent dealings with Facebook and Google, the eSafety Commissioner’s role in ensuring online safety, how disinformation and deepfakes may play a role in the future political landscape, and Minister Fletcher’s new book, Governing in the Internet Age. The Hon Paul Fletcher MP is Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts,

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator The Hon Penny Wong delivers an address to the ANU National Security College entitled “Expanding Australia’s Power and Influence”. Following her remarks, she is joined in conversation by Professor Rory Medcalf.In this special event recording, Senator Penny Wong discusses Australia’s regional role and responsibilities, the clash between short-term political interests and long-term national interests in foreign policy, and Labor’s proposed approach to navigating increasingly turbulent strategic circumstances. Senator Wong is also joined by Professor Rory Medcalf for a Q and A with the audience, discussing Taiwan, economic coercion, technology, and the shaping of our region in light of strategic competition between great powers and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.Senator The Hon Penny Wong is Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. She has previously served as Leader of Gov

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr William Stoltz and Jennifer Jackett are joined by Dr Dirk van der Kley to discuss Shaping the Quad’s DNA, a paper he’s written for the Quad Tech Network’s QTN Series. In the years ahead, biotechnology will be one of the most economically lucrative emerging technologies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, three ‘Quad’ governments – Japan, India, and the United States – have all recognised the need for dedicated bioeconomy or biotechnology strategies. In this special event recording, Dr William Stoltz and Jennifer Jackett are joined by Dr Dirk van der Kley from the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance to discuss his recent paper, Shaping the Quad’s DNA: How can Quad countries manage biotech’s opportunities and risks?. In the piece, Dirk argues that the Quad countries should work together on biotechnology standards, ethics, and joint research infrastructure initially, and that the Quad can play a role in shaping security discussions on biotechnology. 

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf is joined in conversation by James Renwick, Senior Counsel, Honorary Professor at ANU College of Law, and former Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, to discuss the future of national security oversight.In this National Security Podcast, Professor Rory Medcalf and Honorary Professor James Renwick explore the role of the judiciary in overseeing and authorising the powers of Australia’s national security agencies and how this might evolve. They discuss James’ experiences as the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM) and as a reservist in the Royal Australian Navy, and talk about his important INSLM report ‘Trust but Verify’ which examined the ability of intelligence and security agencies to access communications data.Honorary Professor James Renwick CSC SC is a member of the NSW Bar, Deputy Judge Advocate General in the Royal Australian Navy, and was the third Indep

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Director of ANU Tech Policy Design Centre Johanna Weaver and Sir Roland Wilson Scholar Jennifer Jackett join Andreas Kuehn from the Observer Research Foundation America to discuss a recent paper, This Connection is Secure: A 5G Risk and Resilience Framework for the Quad.In this special event recording, Johanna Weaver and Jennifer Jackett are joined by Andreas Kuehn from the Observer Research Foundation America to discuss a recent paper, This Connection is Secure: A 5G Risk and Resilience Framework for the Quad. In the piece, Andreas and his colleague Trisha Ray argue that the Quad countries need to devise effective ways to jointly manage risk and strengthen resilience of 5G components, domestic and foreign networks, and global supply chains. They recommend a common framework for 5G risk and resilience which could help Quad countries allocate their efforts and resources to sustain 5G networks and protect supply chains.Andreas Kuehn is Senior Fellow with the Cyb

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf and Director of ANU Tech Policy Design Centre Johanna Weaver join Lisa Curtis and Martijn Rasser from the Center for New American Security to discuss their recent paper, A Techno-Diplomacy Strategy for Telecommunications in the Indo-Pacific.In this special event recording, Professor Rory Medcalf and Johanna Weaver are joined by Lisa Curtis and Martijn Rasser from the Center for New American Security to discuss their recent paper, A Techno-Diplomacy Strategy for Telecommunications in the Indo-Pacific. They argue that the Quad has an opportunity to shape the telecommunications ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific so that key 5G and undersea cable infrastructure are more secure, resilient, and open. Lisa and Martijn recommend that a concrete techno-diplomatic strategy – developed in partnership between Australia, the United States, India, and Japan – will be key to ensuring that the future of the Indo-Pacific

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf is joined in conversation by Senator Jenny McAllister, in her first interview since being appointed as Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.Professor Rory Medcalf and Senator Jenny McAllister discuss her work as the Deputy Chair of the powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, her pursuit of new intelligence oversight powers for the committee, and its inquiry into critical infrastructure. In the discussion, Senator McAllister reflects on the security of the upcoming federal election, the role of state governments in Australia’s national security, and the need for intelligence and security agencies to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Professor Medcalf and Senator McAllister also talk about Dr William Stoltz’s recent argument for a Minister for Intelligence and important research on Women in International

In this special event recording, Jeffrey Wilson joins Rory Medcalf and Jennifer Jackett to explore the ideas put forward in his recent paper from the Quad Tech Network’s QTN series. Batteries are a critical technology to support the energy transition necessary for adapting to climate change. However, the global value chains that produce them are insecure. The ‘Quad’ governments – Australia, Japan, India, and the United States – all recognise the need for secure battery value chains but have yet to align their battery strategies. Dr Jeffrey Wilson, Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre, suggests that a Quad battery partnership should be developed to secure this critical twenty-first century technology. In this special event recording, he is joined in conversation by Head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf and Sir Roland Wilson Scholar Jennifer Jackett to expand upon the analysis and recommendations put forward in his recent paper from the Quad Tech Network’s QTN series

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Lizzie O’Shea and Dominique Dalla-Pozza join Will Stoltz to discuss the state of electronic surveillance in Australia – with a focus on two new powerful pieces of legislation.Large parts of our lives are now conducted online, so naturally this domain has become an import source of intelligence and evidence for national security agencies. Parliament recently passed two important pieces of legislation that expand the powers of Australia’s security agencies to spy digitally. What impact will these laws have on the average citizen? And how will they help security agencies do their jobs? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Will Stoltz chats to Lizzie O’Shea and Dominique Dalla-Pozza about these new laws and what impact they might have.Lizzie O’Shea is a human rights lawyer specialising in public interest litigation. She is a founding member and Chair of Digital Rights Watch and the author of Future Histories.Dr Dominique Dalla

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Chair of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat joins Rory Medcalf to unpack what the AUKUS arrangement could mean for the future of the Indo-Pacific.It’s not quite an alliance, it’s not formally a treaty, but AUKUS is certainly a striking alignment of nations. The question is: what impact will it have beyond the initial nuclear submarines arrangement? And can the damage done to Australia’s standing with France – a key Indo-Pacific partner – be repaired? Tom Tugendhat MP joins Professor Rory Medcalf to share a UK perspective on these questions and more. This discussion builds on a recent publication by Mr Tugendhat on Australia-United Kingdom security ties.Tom Tugendhat is the Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling in the United Kingdom and has been Chair of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. Before becoming an MP, Tom was in the British Army and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.Professor Rory Me

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, joins two of the ANU National Security College’s resident historians — Dr William Stoltz and Associate Professor Sue Thompson – to talk about the vital role played by the National Archives.Are the collections of the National Archives of Australia national security infrastructure? After almost a decade of leading the organisation, Director-General David Fricker certainly believes so. If they were destroyed, made inaccessible or manipulated, it would severely undermine faith in Australia’s national values, he argues on the National Security Podcast. In this episode, the Director-General — along with Dr William Stoltz and Associate Professor Sue Thompson — explore the vital role the National Archives plays in Australian life, what makes it unique amongst its international peers, the challenge of balancing secrecy with transparency, and much more.Dr William Stoltz is the Senior Adviser for

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, the third instalment of our special three-part Indo-Pacific Futures series, we explore two key geoeconomics trends in the region.In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we look at the rise of geoeconomics and what it means for the future of regional security. In particular, the program explores supply chain security and economic decoupling as two key geoeconomic trends in the Indo-Pacific and consider how they might play out in coming decades. Economists, strategic thinkers, researchers, and people with policy-making experience join us to define these issues, help us think about what they look like today, and discuss where they may go in years to come.Dr Jeffrey Wilson is the Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre.Dr Xue Gong is Assistant Professor in the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.Helen Mitchell is a Sir Roland Wilson PhD Scholar at The Australian Nati

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, India’s High Commissioner to Australia — His Excellency Manpreet Vohra — sits down with Professor Rory Medcalf in the latest instalment of the Security Summit series.As the world’s largest democracy and one of the fastest growing major economies, what does the future hold for India in an age of great power competition? And with pre-pandemic migration making the Indian diaspora Australia’s fastest growing migrant community, how will the relationship evolve in years to come? On the eve of India’s Independence Day, Professor Rory Medcalf interviews His Excellency Manpreet Vohra, India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Australia, to explore India’s role in the Indo-Pacific, the growing India-Australia relationship, and how closer strategic collaboration between the two nations can be achieved. His Excellency Manpreet Vohra commenced as India’s High Commissioner to Australia in April 2021. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988 and since then has be

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, the second instalment of our special three-part series looking at key trends influencing the future strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific, we consider the technologies that have become critical to national security and how they’re going to shape the region over the coming decades.Technology has been part of human life since shale was shaped to cut animal hide. Things have come a long way since stone was the leading edge of innovation. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we speak to a number of scientists, researchers, strategic thinkers and analysts to find out what technologies they are working on and the ones that they think could plausibly influence the future strategic landscape.Jennifer Jackett is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar in the National Security College at The Australian National University.Professor Claudia Vickers is leads the Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisatio

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Tim Watts, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Communications, joins Rory Medcalf for the latest instalment of our Security Summit series.With cyber-enabled threats on the rise, including ransomware attacks, cyber espionage, and disinformation campaigns, how can Australia increase its cyber resilience and literacy? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we host federal Labor Member for Gellibrand and Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Communications Tim Watts MP to discuss the benefits of a strong sense of national identity to sustaining social cohesion and resilience, Australia’s cyber security literacy, and the unique ways change can be achieved while working from opposition.Tim Watts MP is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Communications and the Federal Labor Member of Parliament representing the seat of Gellibrand. Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of the National Security College at The Australian