In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by former deputy secretary strategy in the Department of Defence and secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Michael Pezzullo, to discuss the “long arc” of Australia’s defence policy.

The pair begin their discussion focusing on the early days of Australia’s “sovereign” defence policy, beginning in the aftermath of the Second World War, and our double-edged sword fear of “entrapment” and “abandonment”.

They also discuss:

• The evolution of Australia’s defence policy and posture during the Cold War, culminating in the 1986 Dibb Report and 1987 Defence White Paper which continues to influence the nation’s posture and policy to this day.
• The 2009 Defence White Paper whose development was led by Pezzullo and the Force 2030 concept which marks the first time China’s regional ambitions are highlighted and accounted for in Australian planning.
• The current predicament Australia finds itself facing in light of mounting great power tension and competition in the Indo-Pacific and our need to rapidly prepare.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect Team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Liam Garman, Steve Kuper, and Robert Dougherty address confusion surrounding the government’s recent recruitment announcement and examine why governments in the West remain complacent despite the continued rise of authoritarian powers.

• Dougherty unpacks the federal government’s recent announcement to open ADF recruitment to permanent residents from New Zealand, the UK, the US, and Canada and what this will mean for Defence.
• The trio then examine the West’s continued complacency regarding national security and America’s waning geopolitical hegemony, discussing whether we are looking at the end of the “end of history”.
• The podcast wraps up analysing the recent Collins Class life-of-type extension and the extent of Australia’s deterrence gap.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Tim Napper, federal principal at HDR, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how the Australian Defence Force can unlock the best from its soldiers, sailors, and aviators through estate design.

• The pair begin by discussing how the Commonwealth needs to review how it thinks about infrastructure – and how human-centric estate design can improve the wellbeing, morale, and performance of its teams.
• Napper then touches on examples from the health and education sectors where data-driven design is used to improve recovery and learning.
• They wrap up the podcast examining how Defence can make design and build more efficient, which will ensure that more businesses stay in Defence industry.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team