Defence & Security Podcast Network

How is Australia's naval shipbuilding sector preparing for a new generation of landing craft, autonomous maritime systems and general purpose frigates?

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by Paddy Gregg, chief executive officer of Austal, speaking directly from the Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference in Perth.
Austal is one of Australia's leading naval shipbuilders and is currently progressing the Landing Craft Medium and Landing Craft Heavy programs under the federal government's Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement alongside continued production of Evolved Cape Class patrol vessels for the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Border Force.
Gregg discusses the timeline for construction of the new landing craft fleet, developments in sovereign supply chains and workforce growth, and Austal's preparation for future involvement in the general purpose frigate program based on the Japanese Mogami Class design.

The podcast conversation includes the following topics:
Construction timelines and design progress for the Landing Craft Medium and Landing Craft Heavy programs.
Development of Australian supply chains and workforce expansion to support continuous naval shipbuilding.
Austal's role in the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement and preparations for future frigate construction in Western Australia.
The ongoing production and operational success of the Evolved Cape Class patrol vessel fleet.
Hanwha's increased shareholding in Austal and the potential for future industrial and technology collaboration.
Austal's growing experience in autonomous and uncrewed maritime systems, including projects conducted in both Australia and the United States.
Finally, the discussion explores the growing importance of autonomous vessels and uncrewed systems in future naval warfare and Australia's evolving maritime capability requirements.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

When the leaders of the world's two major powers meet, the world stops to take notice and nowhere is this clearer than in the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
There is no escaping the fact that the US–China relationship will be the defining factor of the 21st century, for good or for ill.
Join Contested Ground hosts, Steve Kuper and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson, as they deep dive into the real-world ramifications and fallout following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
The pair discuss the shared US–China interest in preventing a renewed trade war and keeping the fragile trade truce intact.
Strategically, Taiwan remains the most sensitive and unresolved issue. Xi Jinping frames it as the central risk in the bilateral relationship and warns of the consequences of mismanagement, while Trump largely avoids escalation during formal engagements, later suggesting continued engagement on the issue without committing to a clear stance.
Across the wider strategic agenda, the pair cover discussions on military posture, technology restrictions, sanctions and third-party conflicts such as Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East.
The pair also discuss the state mutual preference to avoid escalation amid broader global instability, including energy security concerns and supply chain fragility.
Finally, they discuss Xi's messaging, which emphasises long-term great-power coexistence, multipolar stability and opposition to bloc confrontation. This presents China as a steady global actor advocating managed competition alongside the traditional Trump approach of more transactional realpolitik, centred on trade, investment flows and market stability, with an emphasis on maintaining flexibility and direct leader-to-leader communication.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

Daniel Croft and David Hollingworth tackle the challenges of linking your finances to an AI agent, break down the Qilin ransomware group's Aussie rampage, the ransom payment dilemma, and round up a week of wins for fighting cyber crime.

Australians may soon be able to link their banking details directly with platforms like OpenAI, but is that wise? Croft has recently uncovered a stellar example of why you may want to think twice before clicking "Yes".
The pair have been investigating a trio of Qilin ransomware attacks this week, and the victims are all investigating the hackers' claims – but Qilin is acting very strange and not sharing any details of the hacks themselves. Hollingworth and Croft have some suspicions, making this a threat intelligence assessment not to miss.
The podcast closes out with a week of law enforcement wins, with cyber criminals both abroad and at home getting their just deserts. You love to see it.
Just another week in cyber security.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

Can Australia's defence industrial base and military modernisation efforts keep pace with growing strategic pressures and capability demands?
In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, journalist Bethany Alvaro and senior journalist Robert Dougherty discuss Kongsberg's missile manufacturing facility in Newcastle and plans to produce Naval Strike Missiles and Joint Strike Missiles in Australia.
The discussion also explores the federal government's launch of the Collins Class life of type extension program, designed to sustain Australia's submarine capability during the transition towards the future AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
Attention then turns to the delivery of additional AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the Australian Army.
The podcast also examines reports identifying Port Kembla as the preferred east coast base for Australia's future nuclear submarine fleet, as well as Operator XR securing its first European defence contract with the Swedish Armed Forces for virtual reality tactical training systems.
Rounding out the episode, the team analyses Russia's recent Victory Day parade, including the reduced display of military hardware and the growing influence of drone warfare.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

Daniel Croft and David Hollingworth analyse the Albanese government's budget, the Instructure breach and ransom payments, and Dan Marks from Austrade chats with SailPoint's federal chief technology officer.

Jim Chalmers has handed down another Labor budget, and while it seems like not a lot for cyber security, Hollingworth thinks the heavy lifting has already been done – do you agree?
Then it's on to a massive issue – do you pay a ransom to cyber criminals? That is possibly what learning platform provider Instructure may have done. The pair break that down, from the morality to the fact that sometimes, that may be the best choice. But can you trust a criminal? The jury, as they say, is out.
And once again, we are joined by Dan Marks, investment director and cyber security lead for Austrade, who sat down with Frank Briguglio, federal chief technology officer at SailPoint, at the recent RSA Conference.
Just another week in cyber security.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team