Australian Defence Magazine Podcast

In this Global Outlook episode, we touch briefly on the Brazilian election, Russian developments in Africa, and El Nino impacting crop yields in India & UK, but the big ticket items are Alberta staying in Canada, and Australia's inability to consider the USA as a potential threat.

The recent referendum in Alberta where the majority of citizens confirmed their intention to remain in Canada has implications for Australia. Republican operatives from the USA were working in Alberta to help the separatist movement, leaders of that movement travelled to Washington to discuss offering resources in return for assistance, and...

This is our first compilation episode featuring updates we recorded at Land Forces 2026 in Perth. First up are Geoff Knox and Bede Gavin talk about their new contract with the New Zealand Defence Force, their neutrally bouyant, body contoured armour, and the tethered drone on display. Next up, Jack Walker from Shield AI discusses their updated V-BAT UAS, its use with organisations around the world, developments with Hivemind and its use with Innovaero's OWL loitering munitions, and the team's expansion in Australia.

During the event, Grant had a chance to sit down with Al Clements, CEO of...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Kendy Hau, the Head of Defence for Fujitsu Oceania, and Troy Warke, the company's Chief Technology Officer for Defence, and we’re looking at the technology trends that will shape the future of Defence.

We begin our discussion by reviewing quantum technology and its applications in defence, after which we move on to look at AI convergence alongside other technologies like robotics and autonomous systems. Our discussion also assesses the impact of technology on warfare through the ages, as well as the funding challenges for defence in constrained environments.

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In this Global Outlook episode, we ask why the National Preparedness discussion is missing the elephant in the room, while covering Trump's purchase of diesel from Russia, the US sanctioning the ICC, and its willingness to livestream an execution.

We look at Trump's purchase of diesel from Russia which does nothing to help US prices but instead helps to fund a war that the USA claims to oppose. Given the Starlink throttling and other recent moves, it should be clear to all that the Trump administration will never help Ukraine. The discussion then turns to the US...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Ben Westgarth, CEO of Department 13, about detecting and countering uncrewed aerial systems and the importance of sovereign capability.

We begin our discussion by exploring Department 13’s origins in the USA where it was focused on UAS detection, tracking, and electronic warfare capabilities before subsequently relocating to Australia. We then delve into the company's role in developing Counter-UAS technology for civilian and defence uses, and the company's involvement with Land 156 working with Leidos as system integrator to bring its DART system to the program.

The conversation covers how Department 13 co...

In this Global Outlook episode, we look at Ukraine halting the Russian advances on Donbas just in time for Putin's 74th birthday, Pakistan attacking the Houthis to help Saudi Arabia, and South Korea selling fuel to Russia while also helping Ukraine.

We start with a look at Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi which has halted Russian plans to take key cities in the Donbas region, which included large UAVs delivering UGVs to cause havoc behind Russian lines. This has effectively defeated the Russian incursions and pushed them back just as the weather changes to reduce ground war options as...

In this episode, Grant McHerron visits BAE Systems Australia to meet with Stuart Bryden, Business Development & Strategy Manager, and Farid Hasan, Program Manager - Autonomy, to discuss the state of autonomous systems.

We begin our discussion by exploring the company's long-standing involvement in autonomous systems, dating back nearly 40 years from programs like Nulka and ESSM. This history laid the groundwork for modern autonomy capabilities now seen on platforms such as Boeing's Ghost Bat and the Atlas UGV, via BAE Systems Australia’s Vehicle Management System.

Next, we delve into the specifics of these systems, including th...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Brett Hill, CEO and founder of Praetorian Aeronautics about scaling up counter uncrewed aerial systems capabilities and their partnership with Rheinmetall Defence Australia.

We begin our discussion by exploring the inspiration behind Praetorian's name, which stems from Brett’s fascination with ancient Roman history, specifically the Praetorian Guard who were seen as protectors of democracy during the Republic. We delve into Praetorian's core mission of building counter-UAS capabilities to neutralise enemy drones and protect both military personnel and civil society from threats that would target military bases, power plants, or ho...

Grant McHerron asks Nigel Pittaway, Kylie Leonard, and Kirra Davey for their views on Day 1 of Land Forces 2026 which is being held in Perth. Lots of people, lots of buzz, and multiple announcements. Go to our Land Forces Day One website page for details: https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/land-forces-2026-day-1-coverage

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Kim Katheklakis, Managing Director at Amentum Australia, about the support services they provide the Australian Defence Force.

We begin our discussion by exploring Amentum's global services and history as a top 20 defence company. We delve into their specific support for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), covering areas like engineering, project management, logistics, cyber, and sustainment of platforms including the F-35, patrol boats and the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN). The conversation also highlights their expeditionary medical capabilities and building Australia's contested logistics expertise with experience the company has obtained working...

In our latest Global Outlook, we revisit the bond market, look at the aftermath of Xi's visit to Washington, consider the implications of the war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, and what the US deal on Greenland could mean for Australia's Antarctic holdings.

Yields increasing on the US bond markets increases cost of their borrowing which makes it hard to spend as much as they want on their military and other discretionary spending. As has been seen many times, the bond markets have the power to make leaders hesitate and, in some cases, to end their careers. Following...

Ewen Levick and Nigel Pittaway discuss program Land 8710 which is covering the build of Medium and Heavy Landing Craft plus an amphibious vehicle.

We start with an overview of the two classes of landing craft vessels, the small amphibious vehicle, and the programs indicated time frames, covering how the two landing craft compliment each other in their operational use cases given areas they're intended to work in and ranges they can cover. Next we look at Army's structure changes as documented in the 2024 and 2026 National Defence Strategy documents, changes that started as far back as 2023. These cover...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Sean MacKirdy, Elastic's Area VP of National Security, about the rapid extraction of intelligence from oceans of information.

We begin our discussion by exploring Elastic’s role in powering everyday technologies like Uber and Netflix and delve into Sean MacKirdy's career journey from Silicon Graphics and Cisco to Elastic. We get an insight into Elastic’s search capabilities for rapid intelligence extraction and how it uses AI to process diverse data sources. This leads to a discussion on navigating secured storage environments, including air-gapped systems, and ensuring critical information can be a...

This is another of our Global Outlook series where we discuss the latest global geopolitical developments that we're keeping an eye on.

We start with the developing story of RAAF F-35 parts being shipped to USA for servicing being diverted to Hong Kong and winding up in Chinese hands, including a canopy which could provide China with classified information. We also look at Xi Jinping's visit to the USA for a summit with President Trump, including whether trade will be impacted, the US$14bn arms sale to Taiwan that Trump is delaying, and the continuing mutual deterrence...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey discuss a few recent news items of interest.

We open with the news that DroneShield are working with AIM Defence to include their Fractl laser based C-UAS product in DroneShield's ecosystem of detectors, jammers and C2 products. We also note their DroneSentry-X Mk2 product is being used in the USA. The discussion then moves on to news relating to AUKUS, including the US GAO's report showing that, to the end of 2025, US nuclear submarines had a very large number of "inactive" days across...

This is another of our Global Outlook series where we discuss the latest global geopolitical developments that we're keeping an eye on.

We start by quickly noting that Canada is seeking to become an associate member of the EU in order to balance against threats from the United States, while there are rumours of Xi Jinping's possible health issues which, true or not, highlight the impacts to China's leadership if he should pass without an heir. A situation which would also apply to Russia should Putin's health give out.

Moving on we look at Kevin...

This is the first of our new Global Outlook series where we discuss the latest global geopolitical developments that we're keeping an eye on.

We start with the situation between the UK, Argentina and the USA over the contentious issue of the Falkland Islands where oil reserves have been discovered. While Argentina's capabilities have reduced and the UK has increased its protection of the islands, Argentina continues to claim the islands and the USA is willing to use this dispute against its own ally. If they're willing to do this against the UK, along with their approach...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey discuss a few recent news items of interest.

We start with the news that Defence Minister Marles has met with the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss increasing US military presence in Australia, with more details expected after the next AUSMIN meetings expected before the end of 2026. The discussion moves on to the news that the StrikeMaster has been involved in NATO exercises in Europe, with Kongsberg and Thales referring to the capability as ready to go now, thanks to the NSM and Bushmaster...

In this episode we present the audio from ADM's Women In Defence Network and Women in Defence UK webinar held on the 24th of June. The panelists were Kelly Hopkins, Director of Defence at Hays, Natalie Desty, the founder and director of STEM Returners, Hayley Boswell, founder of Defence Kids, and Helen Callis, director of Recruit for Spouses. The moderator was Kathryn Essex, Head of Defence and Security Industry or Australia and New Zealand at the British High Commission in Canberra.

The episode commences with an overview of the issue from Kylie Leonard, ADM's Associate Publisher, who...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick discuss a couple of topical subjects and their implications for Australia.

With the Strait of Hormuz becoming a forever war, there's not much new to mention there so we start with a discussion about Donald Trump dramatically scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea and other countries, incuding Australia, due to cost and not wanting to appear hostile to North Korea. Meanwhile, North Korea is sending troops to Russia to help with Ukraine while Russia is sending them their latest military technology, disrupting the balance of...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Geoff Knox, Executive Chairman and Group CEO from HighCom Group, and Bede Galvin, the President of HighCom Technology.

We begin our discussion by reviewing the roles of Geoff Knox and Bede Galvin and they explain how HighCom Armour, Technology, and Defence work together to support frontline personnel. The conversation then explores their global business operations with both men travelling extensively recently to stay current with technology trends and client needs across the US and Europe, helping them provide timely solutions for defence and first responders.

We also examine...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Peter Anusas, the General Manager for Empower Advisory AUS/UK, Gary Meaney, Lendlease’s Defence Construction Director, and Scott Olsen, the Chief Executive Officer of Fredon Group. The topic for the episode is building Australia's defence future with a focus on AUKUS.

We begin our discussion by exploring the foundations required for AUKUS success, including political alignment and workforce training needs. The guests then delve into the challenges surrounding security clearances and ensuring Australia has the skilled personnel to sustain nuclear submarines. They also discuss the importance of early prime co...

In this episode, Grant McHerron visits BAE Systems Australia (BAESA) at Edinburgh Parks to talk with Ashley Searl, Director of Strategic Surveillance, and Nathan Herrmann, HF Sensing Program Director, about the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) and the recently confirmed sale of Over The Horizon Radar (OTHR) technology to Canada.

We begin our discussion by reviewing the history of JORN, starting from early experiments in the 1950s with high-frequency signals and progressing to the current three sites in WA, NT and QLD being controlled from RAAF Base Edinburgh. We then cover the current activities on JORN, including...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We open with a discussion of the Hormuz Strait being closed once again which leads to the topic of Uncrewed Surface Vessels being used as weapons, indicating a new phase of naval warfare is beginning. This segways into a discussion about Saronic's Corsair USV which is currently being pitched to our Navy. The Corsair has recently been in the news as one was used to rescue the crew...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron talks with Frederico Lemos, Chief Commercial Officer, Embraer Defence & Security, about the KC-390 Millenium multi-mission airlifter and tanker prior to its appearance at the Farnborough International Airshow.

We begin by exploring the KC-390 Millennium's capabilities, including its design for multiple missions such as airlift and aerial refuelling. We then delve into how it can rapidly reconfigure its cargo space between seating, stretchers, or basic cargo configurations, along with the flight management system, load management, and modular multi-mission capabilities.

Frederico discusses Embraer's development of a flying boom system alongside...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We open with a discussion of the new Defence Delivery Group that started on 1st July and will transition to being the Defence Delivery Agency on 1st July 2027. There are many ways that this could become another failed attempt at changing Defence but there is hope and only time will tell.

After that, we look at the sale of the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) Over...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Christopher Rule, the General Manager for Defence, Security and Resilience at GME, about navigating the defence industry landscape and the government's push for support sovereign capability .

We begin our discussion by exploring GME’s products, services, and clients, including their three-pillar business model of engineering and advanced manufacturing services, partnerships with US-based cybersecurity firms, and acquisition of Eylex for defence capabilities. We examine the sourcing of their components, noting that strict requirements often necessitate international suppliers despite Australia's sovereign manufacturing focus. Our discussion also explores government initiatives supporting this goal, su...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Nick Floyd and James Eling of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC) regarding the RAAHC and the Firepower seminars being conducted this year around Australia.

We begin our discussion by exploring the history and purpose of RAAHC, including its formation in 1981 as a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving Australian artillery heritage . We then delve into the Firepower seminar series, which has previously examined World War I and II artillery experiences, and the topics for this year's presentations which are reviewing Australia's mobilization challenges during the buildup to WWII and...

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Neill Morgan, the partner for maritime sustainment at Coras, discuss the importance of sustainment for Defence.

Our discussion starts by exploring the importance of including sustainment in defence acquisition processes early on. We delve into blind spots such as industry's tendency to treat sustainment as an afterthought, often overlooking risks like poor technical documentation or unclear data rights that stem from this delay and how predictable risks (e.g., obsolescence and funding gaps) which are frequently underestimated due to inadequate upfront planning.

We conclude with the necessity of proper...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start the episode discussing Boeing's MQ-28A Ghost Bat which is being displayed at the ILA Berlin Air Show as it's in consideration for Germany's Collaborative Combat Aircraft role. Boeing announced at the event a series of upgraded capabilities for the MQ-28 along with the addition of Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz to the Ghost Bat industry team. From there we move on to the announcement that...

In this episode we present the audio from the recent online event organised by ADM Women in Defence and National Security and the Women in Defence UK organisation. The event commenced with an introduction from the Hon Pat Conroy MP, Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs.

The event's MC was Angela Owen OBE, founder of Women in Defence UK, and the discussion panel consisted of Karin Vosmansky, Executive Director at Mack Valves Pty Ltd, Kisa Christensen, Director for Integrated Defence and Autonomy Systems (IDAS) at BAE, Donna Sinnick, Chief Delivery Officer at Babcock...

This episode is a compilation of interviews we recorded at the Indian Ocean Defence and Security 2026 event held in Perth in May. During the show, Kirra and Grant were able to catch up with Senator James Paterson, then Grant recorded a number of interviews with Ocius, Greenroom Robotics, Hyperion, Ausco Group, GlenAir, and Quantum Systems Australia. We hope you enjoy this compilation of content from IODS 2026.

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Senator James Paterson confirms his advocacy for AUKUS and recommends that a supplementary capability be established in place of Collins LOTE to bridge the gap to obtaining nuclear su...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Dino Mavrookas, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saronic Technologies about its approach to autonomous surface vessels.

We begin our discussion by getting into Dino’s background as a former US Navy SEAL, evaluating the rapid growth in shipbuilding in China, and how Saronic Technologies is using a vertically integrated approach in their design and manufacturing. We review its flagship vessel models, the rapid uptake of contracts since the company was launched in 2022, and its ability to upscale across multiple services.

We wrap up by looking at Sa...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start by welcoming back Ewen and noting that in the eight weeks or so that he's been away the Strait of Hormuz remains closed with the US Navy unable to re-open it. We look at what this means for military engagements going forward, and the issues associated with keeping the very important sea lanes open in the straits to our North. The Middle East situation and the...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Dean Rosenfield, CEO of Nova Systems, about the company’s provision of sovereign services in support of the National Defence Strategy (NDS).

Our discussion gives us an insight into Dean’s experience holding the role of CEO for the last two years, how Nova in collaboration with SMEs across all domains is growing into a sovereign prime, and how this ensures Defence can manage risk effectively throughout design to sustainment. We explore Nova's significant contributions to Australia's self-reliance, its ability to deliver interoperability during crises, and enhance communication between agencies.

For this episode, Grant McHerron went to Arkeus' office in Melbourne to meet with Simon Owen, the company's co-founder and CEO. Their discussion covers Arkeus, their technology, their contracts here and abroad, and their latest news regarding funding and expansion.

We start with a discussion of the inspiration behind Arkeus and the company's history to date, which then leads into a description of their "Hyperspectral optical radar systems," their method of operation, their size, weight and power, and the drones the systems are currently operating with. We also learn how much of these systems is being produced...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Matt Kirk, the Director of Trusted Workforce at Worksec, and we’ll be discussing the importance of a trusted workforce.

We begin our discussion by exploring the current workforce issue in defence and government sectors, focusing on the bottleneck caused by trust concerns rather than technological limitations. We examine how projects can be delayed due to personnel clearance issues, with companies often finding themselves unable to proceed because they lack cleared staff at critical stages like tendering. The conversation delves into why this issue hasn't been fixed yet, highlighting factors su...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with traffic still not clearing the Hormuz Strait and the implications it has for farmers, fuel reserves and Defence capability. Fortunately the NDS & IIP are calling out improvements to our on-shore fuel storage.

Next up we congratulate SYPAQ Sustems' Corvo X small UAS entering into service, including on-going innovation and updates being included in the sustainment agreement. From there we look at the Land 8113 Phase 2 announcement...

This episode presents a set of interviews with representatives from three organisations that provide assistance to Australian Defence Force veterans and their families. All three rely heavily on donations and volunteers to ensure those in need are supported. We hope this episode will help increase awareness of their efforts and perhaps inspire people and companies to contribute to a worthy cause.

We open the episode with Graham Boyd from Legacy, next is Martin Shaw from Wounded Heroes, then we close with Paul Singer from Soldier On.

Links:

Legacy

https...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Singapore Airshow 2026 during February. The episode starts with Bob Gibbs, Vice President of Global Sales and Strategy at Textron Aviation, who discusses their multi-mission aircraft lineup, how they support military clients with upgrades, sensor integration and mission-specific modifications, and also an update on the SkyCourier.

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Next up is Terry van Haren from DroneShield who shares his background as a retired Air Commodore with extensive experience in counter-drone technology development. We discuss how DroneShield is expanding rapidly into the Asia-Pacific market, including Singapore and Southeast As...