The Cove Podcast

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, CAPT Alex Jack shares his experience at the ADF School of Languages, from sitting the Language Aptitude Test and being selected for Mandarin through to the relentless pace of full-time language training. He discusses weekly assessments, learning thousands of new words and characters, developing speaking and translation skills, and the personal discipline required to keep up.

Alex also reflects on the cultural knowledge that comes with learning another language, the difference between simply knowing words and communicating intent, and why language capability remains an important skill for...

LTCOL Paul Middleton from Headquarters 2nd Division joins The Cove to discuss the integration of counter-uncrewed aerial systems during Exercise Austral Shield 2026. The exercise saw JTF 629 take newly issued LAND 156 equipment and trained operators into a collective tactical environment, moving beyond classroom training to test the equipment, tactics and soldiers against a realistic UAS threat. The conversation explores what was learned, how quickly soldiers adapted, and why counter-UAS is increasingly about fieldcraft, dispersion, detection and tactical decision-making—not simply defeating drones with technology.

Captain Andrew Dunn-Lobban from the Land Combat College’s Remote and Autonomous Systems Cell joins The Cove to explore how drones and robotic systems are changing land warfare. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine and Army’s own experimentation, we discuss the emerging Drone Combat System, new training pathways, how drone teams may operate across the force, and what soldiers and junior commanders need to understand about fighting in an increasingly RAS-enabled battlespace.

Lieutenant Oliver Douglas talks with John Hardgrave on The Cove Podcast to discuss his experience serving with the Oxford University Officers’ Training Corps while studying as a Rhodes Scholar. Drawing on his time inside both the Australian and British Army systems, he explores the cultural differences between the two forces and explains how the British UOTC model gives young people a rapid, low-commitment introduction to military service. The episode considers whether a similar approach could strengthen Army recruitment, officer development and public understanding of service in Australia

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave talks with Dr Aaron Pegram and Major Craig Foreman from Unrecovered War Casualties – Army explain the painstaking work involved in locating, recovering and identifying Australia’s missing service personnel. They discuss the historical research, forensic science and investigative expertise behind each case, before taking listeners inside the recent search in Korea for Corporal William Murphy, who has remained missing since the Battle of Kapyong in 1951.

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave sits down with Jonathan Lane—a veteran, psychiatrist, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ first Chief Psychiatrist—to unpack the powerful intersection of military culture, identity, and mental health. Jon shares his unconventional journey from infantry soldier to senior clinician, including operational deployments and frontline experience in military psychiatry.

The conversation explores how cultural conditioning in Defence shapes behaviour, identity, and purpose—and why this becomes critical during transition to civilian life. Drawing on both clinical expertise and lived experience, Jon highlights the gaps in traditional mental health app...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave is joined by the Deputy Chief of Army to examine the return of positional warfare through the lens of Ukraine. The discussion explores reconnaissance-strike systems, drones, elastic defence, contested movement, sustainment, and the enduring requirement for soldiers to seize and hold ground. It also considers how these lessons may apply beyond Europe, including the implications for land, sea and littoral operations in Australia’s region.

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave brings together AFL premiership player Alastair Lynch and Jonathan Lane for a powerful conversation on high performance, leadership, and life after structured environments.

Drawing on Lynch’s experience with the Brisbane Lions and Lane’s clinical and military background, the discussion explores the shared DNA between elite sport and Defence.

The episode examines what makes teams truly high-performing—clarity of roles, trust, accountability, and continuous feedback—while also unpacking how leadership has evolved from rigid, fear-based models to more adaptive, human-centred approaches. Together, they highlight the crit...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave is joined by the Deputy Chief of Army to discuss The Soldier, Army’s new publication on the purpose and identity of the Australian soldier. The conversation examines why the publication was written now, what it says about Army’s core purpose, and why soldiers must be prepared honestly for the realities of war, violence, lawful killing, fear, fatigue, discipline and service. It also explores the distinction between being a soldier and a warrior, and the enduring importance of identity and belonging.

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave speaks with an Australian Army officer Mark Vele about his 12-month deployment on Operation ASLAN with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. The discussion explores the realities of preparing for a UN peacekeeping mission, working in a multinational headquarters, living and operating in Juba, and the personal and professional challenges of serving in a complex security environment far from home.

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, we unpack a recent Reginal Combat Team (previously known as Rifle Company Butterworth) rotation through the perspectives of a soldier and an officer. They discuss how they were selected, the lead-up training and integration between reserve and full-time soldiers, and what it’s really like operating and living in Malaysia. It’s a practical look at the challenges, adaptations, and experiences that make RCT a unique and valuable Army deployment.

This episode of The Cove Podcast explores the unique career of an Army Reserve surgeon, tracing his journey from medical school to operational deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. He unpacks the realities of balancing a demanding civilian surgical career with military service, and the long pathway to becoming a specialist in both worlds.

The conversation dives into the role of Defence health professionals beyond the operating theatre, highlighting leadership, teamwork, and decision-making in high-pressure environments. Listeners gain insight into trauma care on deployment, the importance of values and character in selection, and how the...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave speaks with Sean O’Gorman, founder of the Strong Life Project and a former police dog handler who spent more than a decade on the front line of policing. After leaving the force while battling PTSD and depression, Sean rebuilt his life through hard-earned lessons in resilience, ownership, and purpose.

Drawing on experiences from policing, the corporate world, and years working with military units and first responders, Sean discusses the dangers of victim identity, the importance of personal responsibility, and why purpose is critical for those operating or...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, we unpack the reality of a posting to the Defence Cooperation Programme in Papua New Guinea. Joined by Warrant Officer Dathan Rolfe, we explore what it means to operate in an environment where influence matters more than authority and relationships outweigh rank.

From competing for the position and preparing family for an accompanied move to Port Moresby, through to the professional demands of advising the PNG Defence Force, this conversation highlights a side of service many soldiers never see. It’s not a warfighting deployment, but it is operationally significant, sh...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave sits down with a former Canadian Army Colonel who traded snow boots for a slouch hat and brought 26 years of coalition experience with him.

From early service in the reserves as a bagpiper to deployments in Bosnia and Afghanistan, and later leading multinational warfighting seminars within Australia’s 1st Division, this conversation explores what happens when two professional armies—shaped by different histories, geographies, and cultures—collide in the best possible way.

They unpack the Canadian Army’s identity forged at Vimy Ridge, its bilingual and multicul...

In this episode, we sit down with Sergeant John Welfare, winner of the 2025 Chief of Army Essay Competition and Chauvel Prize, to unpack his argument that the Australian Army must undergo a professional transformation if it is to remain relevant within the integrated force. Drawing on the story of Ignaz Semmelweis and the medical revolution of the 19th century, John challenges the Army to confront its institutional blind spots, rethink its expertise, and align its culture with external necessity rather than internal tradition. This is a conversation about jurisdiction, professional mastery, self-regulation and what it truly means to be...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave is joined by Major General Stephen Day, DSC AM, author of the ADF Leadership Doctrine, to explore leadership as a matter of character, not just competence. The conversation examines why moral courage, judgement, and self-awareness sit at the centre of leadership in the profession of arms, and how these principles apply whether leading ten people or ten thousand. Drawing on operational experience from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as national crisis leadership during Australia’s drought response, Major General Day reflects on command, followership, decision-making under pressure, and what the do...

In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hargrave explores the fast-growing world of drone racing and uncrewed systems, focusing on the people, skills, and pathways behind the technology. Joined by Lance Corporal Chris Quayle and Captain Tom Gash from the ADF Drone Racing Association, the conversation examines how drone racing builds technical mastery, decision-making under pressure, and community across kids, cadets, serving members, and veterans. The discussion connects this emerging sport to modern Defence capabilities, highlights the crossover between hobbyist skills and military applications, and looks ahead to where drone racing and uncrewed systems are heading more broadly.  

“One foot in the snow, here we go.”

In this week’s episode, the host sits down with WO2 Will McGovern (2/14 Light Horse Regiment) and SGT Nathan Groen (1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment) to explore their recent deployment to Alaska as Observer-Trainers with the 11th Airborne Division’s “Arctic Angels.” SGT Groen is the Direct Fire Support Weapon’s Platoon Sergeant at 1 RAR and WO2 Will McGovern is a Squadron Sergeant Major at 2/14 LHR. In January 2025, they supported the 11th Airborne Division’s rotation through the U.S. Army’s newest Arctic combat training centre, Joint Pacific Multinatio...

‘[W]hat we're trying to do is restore what has been a loss of trust for a number of reasons over the recent decade or so between generals and rank and file to be frank ...’

In this week’s episode, CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with Major General Chris Smith, the Deputy Chief of the Australian Army, to discuss command responsibility and the uncomfortable question of how armies — including our own — hold senior leaders to account. Building on his earlier episode on Warrior Culture, MAJGEN Smith reflects on the Australian Army’s struggle, common across many...

‘It was grinding on me day in, day out—patrolling, heat, and loads I wasn’t built for.’

In this week’s episode, CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with WO2 Tavis Nicholson, the Warrant Officer Physical Training Instructor (PTI) at the Royal Military College – Duntroon (RMC-D), for a follow-on conversation expanding on his earlier episode, ⁠Beyond Snake Bites: The Evolution of Army Physical Training⁠. This time, we move past concepts and dig into the practical reality of how to programme physical training intelligently across Army — not by guesswork, but by understanding the science and applying it tactically.

WO2 Nicholso...

‘If an adversary is operating in a highly enabled headquarters and we’re not, we will fall behind instantly ...’

In this week’s episode, the host sits down with MAJ Tom Berry, a Signals Officer posted to Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC), to unpack the realities of jamming, machine learning, and the future of command-and-control on the modern battlefield. Building on a recent episode titled Tactical Communications with CAPT Jack Virtue, this conversation shifts from line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications to the complex world of electronic warfare, adaptation, and decision-making advantage.

We break down the assumptions many of...

‘'[T]here were .50 cal rounds coming off of Technicals that were ripping through the accommodation buildings…’

In this week’s episode, CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with Warrant Officer Class One Chris Sharp, Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Armoured Regiment, to talk about Operation ASLAN, getting selected as the RSM of the Army’s first Combat Experimentation regiment and training soldiers in Africa to transforming an armoured regiment at home, WO1 Sharp’s story is one of challenge, adaptation, and belief in people over platforms.

He reflects on his deployment to South Sudan on Operation...

‘Nothing narrows the focus more than being properly shot at ...’

In this week’s episode, the host sits down with Brigadier David McCammon, the Commander of the Australian Army Cadets and Head of Corps – Infantry, to explore what it truly means to prepare for combat, be in combat, and return from it. Few senior officers have deployed so frequently at the tactical level. From commanding platoons and companies to leading a battalion and a brigade on operations, BRIG McCammon’s operational experience stretches from East Timor and Kosovo to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East.

“It would be so much easier to say, ‘hey, I was riding on my white horse on the road to Damascus and I got struck down by lightning... but that’s definitely not what occurred.’”

In this week’s episode, the host sits down with Chaplain Gav Keating, whose journey through the Australian Army spans from the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, to the Special Air Service Regiment, to commanding the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment and leading Task Group Taji 6 as a Colonel on Operation OKRA—before making the shift to study theology and become an Army...

'These people aren’t ghosts, as much as they attempt to be or seem like it ...’

In this week’s episode, we sit down with MAJ Paul Patty, an Intelligence Officer in the Australian Army, to unpack counterintelligence (CI) in modern conflict. MAJ Patty is an expert in counterintelligence, and his skills have been relied upon in both the private and government sectors. We open with two stark contrasts: a contemporary case study on Ukraine’s operational planning and the consequences when CI is poorly conducted, set against the UK’s Double-Cross system in the Second World War—a succ...

‘Everyone wants the view, but nobody wants the climb.’

In this week’s episode, we sit down with WO1 Scott Krum, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, to revisit the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the Kabul Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) and to ask, plainly, what we demand of soldiers and officers in 2025 and beyond. From 14–30 August 2021, a US-led, coalition-supported NEO moved approximately 124,000 civilians through Hamid Karzai International Airport; Australia evacuated over 4,200 people on 32 flights. WO1 Krum takes us onto the ground with the Ready Battle Group—through the North Gate and Abbey Gate—t...

‘The problem is if society becomes accustomed to or reliant on using the army to solve problems or to address failures of civilian capacity.’

In this week’s episode, we sit down with Dr Risa Brooks PhD, a Professor of Political Science at Marquette University and a leading scholar on civil-military relations, to unpack the enduring tension between military effectiveness and democratic control. Drawing on Peter Feaver’s concept of the “problematique,” Dr Brooks examines how this dilemma plays out in democracies like Australia and the United States today.

We explore t...

‘Our boss at the time [was] very experienced in [Air Mobile Operations] and really raised us... [to be] tuned into the detail in terms of planning chalks and serials and bump plans ...’

On this episode of The Cove Podcast, we sit down with CAPT Jimmy Wilson, a Small Group Instructor at the Royal Military College – Duntroon (RMC-D), to unpack the Australian Defence Force’s new Decision Making and Planning Process (DMPP). An Infantry Officer with service in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment; the Combat Training Centre; and the 8/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, CAPT Wilson now teaches...

‘Again, you’re talking to someone who used to shave and drink out of the same cup ...’

In this week’s episode, we welcome back LTCOL Gordon Wing MBBS, the Senior Medical Officer in the Directorate of Army Health. An infantry Combat Team Commander turned Medical Doctor, LTCOL Wing brings his expertise in military medicine and prevention. His first appearance on the podcast covered the Military Employment Classification System; this time, we explore a topic with immediate, practical consequences for every soldier — field hygiene.

From the campaigns at Milne Bay and the Huon Peninsula to the more r...

‘We are at the cutting edge of making what we have work.’

In this week’s episode, we sit down with BRIG Nick Wilson, Commander of the Australian Army’s newest brigade, the 10th Fires Brigade. Having just returned from Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, BRIG Wilson talks us through putting his brigade through the ultimate test providing short-range, ground-based air defence, long-range multi-domain strike and specialist targeting effects to the 1st Division, the 2nd Division and the Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC).

We start by discussing the current state of play in Army Fires and the role his...

‘[W]e're not like a professional sporting team that our whole week is designed around that gameday on Saturday, [our] people are required to do their job day in, day out ...’

In this week’s episode, we sit down with WO2 Tavis Nicholson, the Warrant Officer Physical Training Instructor (WOPTI) at the Royal Military College – Duntroon, to explore how physical preparation underpins preparing for and winning wars in the Australian Army. Drawing on his experience training across conventional units and with Special Forces candidates, WO2 Nicholson outlines how physical fitness translates directly into a soldiers’ resilience, availability, and durabi...

‘[T]hat’s a brigade-sized amphibious operation planned and executed in a week …’

In this week’s episode, we dive into the Huon Peninsula Campaign of 1943–44 and examine how the Australian 9th Division used littoral operations to outpace and outfight the Japanese. Our guest this week – Dr Tom Richardson PhD – is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales – Canberra. He specialises in military history and amongst his many publications is an article called Small Boats and Brave Men, published in the Australian Army Journal.

Following the fall of Lae in September 1943, the Australians turned...

‘[T]he best piece of advice I've had in years past is that if it hurts a little ... there's probably a fair element of truth to it...’

In this week’s episode, we explore how to seek feedback and turn it into actionable advice for commanders. Our guest, WOFF Ken Robertson, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Force (SEAC), is the Australian Defence Force’s most senior enlisted leader. As the first person appointed to the role, he has advised GEN Angus Campbell and ADM David Johnston while representing the soldiers, sailors, and aviators...

‘The scale of Talisman Sabre from a geographic perspective is difficult to comprehend and, in some cases, it can be quite difficult to describe.’

In this week’s episode, we talk through all things Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest Australian Defence Force Exercise this year. Our guest this week – SQNLDR Zac Smit – is an Operations Officer in the Exercise Control on Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 and has lived and breathed this exercise since January this year. We record on-the-road from the Combined Joint Information Bureau at Gallipoli Barracks in South-East Queensland.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 included 43...

‘The way that we designed the Battle Group was on platform and systems of uncrewed and crewed variants that are theoretically attainable within the next two years ...’

In this week’s episode, we talk through combat experimentation in the Australian Army, getting after emerging technology, learning fast and developing the latest TTPs. Our guest this week – LTCOL Jake Penley – is the Commanding Officer of the 1st Armoured Regiment in Adelaide SA and has been tasked with shifting the unit from an Armoured Cavalry Regiment to the Army’s combat experimentation unit. From participating in Project Convergence Capstone 5, a large-scal...

‘[On] basic para-course… you must be consciously competent … because you're the only person who is going to pull the reserve handle if there is a malfunction at that stage.’ This week’s episode is centred on how we can improve the training that we deliver in units, making the most of the resource that we have to develop creative training from the individual to the collective. Our guests this week are WO1 Brad Doyle and WO1 Mick Reyne. WO1 Brad Doyle is the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of Forces Command and WO1 Mick Reyne is the Training Warrant Officer - Army. <...

'Watching those aircraft take off ... and knowing that you are part of that success, part of that story, there's not many better feelings.’ In this week’s episode, we talk about the challenges and opportunities of keeping the CH47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters in the air. Our guests are CAPT Shannon McGee and FSGT Jason Smart from the Army’s new 16 Aviation Support Battalion in Townsville, Queensland. CAPT Shannon McGee is a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer on the CH47 Chinook and FSGT Jason Smart is an Aircraft Technician who has seen the introduction-into-service of the MRH90 Taipan and has de...

‘We are never going to be combat ineffective because of atmospherics... we can work in the rain, we can work in the mud, and we can work in the jungle.’ In this week’s episode, we talk all things infantry reconnaissance and how reconnaissance patrols enable the fight. Our guest this week - CPL Andrew Noseda - is currently the acting Platoon Sergeant for the Reconnaissance Platoon at the 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment. He was the Section Commander for the battalion’s Duke of Gloucester Cup team and his team took out second place out of all the team...

‘There are a number of things to [jamming] and I don’t think we necessarily train it well because it’s a very complex concept.’ In this week’s episode, we talk all things tactical communications or more specifically the options available to communicate within a combat brigade. Our guest this week – CAPT Jack Virtue – has been the signals officer for a combat signals regiment, a combat engineer regiment and an artillery regiment all within a combat brigade. He has also been a communications planner for rotary wing attack aviation and has just finished a posting to the Joint Data Network Un...