The National Security Podcast

How has AI fundamentally changed Australia’s cyber security landscape, and are our traditional ways of managing cyber risk still fit-for-purpose? What does sovereignty mean for Australia when the most powerful AI companies, infrastructure and models are largely based overseas? As AI agents become more autonomous, who should be responsible when they cause harm? In this episode, Rory Medcalf is join...

How concerned should Australia be about the UK’s ability to deliver its side of AUKUS? What role can middle powers play as the international order becomes more fragmented? How should Australia and its partners balance alliances with their own national interests in a more contested world? In part two of our geopolitical update, Sharryn Parker is joined by Charles Edel, Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva and Euan...

How much strategic bandwidth does the United States have as it manages the Iran war, Ukraine and its wider global commitments? How are conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East changing the nature and cost of modern warfare? What does China’s growing military power and activity in the Indo-Pacific mean for Australian security?   In this episode, Sharryn Parker is joined by Charles Edel, Dilnoz...

How do we balance effective national security laws with protecting individual rights and democratic freedoms? Where is the line between legitimate foreign influence and foreign interference? How well do Australia’s espionage laws protect journalism and political discourse? How should Australia’s terrorism laws respond to a threat environment increasingly involving children and different forms of v...

How do ports sustain Australia’s economy, border security and defence preparedness? What are the biggest strategic challenges facing Australian ports? What role do ports play in combating organised crime and protecting Australia’s borders? What partnership, policy or capability would most improve Australia’s port security now?   In this episode, Sharryn Parker speaks with Mike Gallacher and M...

Can Australia reframe water as a national security issue, rather than only an environmental or social policy concern?    Can Australia realistically pursue both AI leadership and sustainable water management?   What happens when drought, climate change, food insecurity, ageing infrastructure and economic pressure combine?    Who should be at the table for a national water...

How is health connected to national security? What role should the military play in health security – and where are the limits? How can Australia improve coordination across agencies before the next crisis arrives?   In this episode, Sharryn Parker speaks with Esperanza Martinez and Nicholas Thomson about why pathogen preparedness, human security and health need to be understood as part of Au...

What is the future trajectory for Plan ANZAC? How does a small nation like New Zealand (NZ) contribute to collective security in the Indo-Pacific? How does NZ’s strategic identity differ from Australia’s? What should the future social contract between NZ and its Defence Force look like? What does effective leadership and stewardship look like?   In this episode, Sharryn Parker is joined by Ma...

Does the flare up in recent AUKUS debates represent the perspectives of the broader Australian public? Does Australia have a credible Plan B if part of AUKUS falters? Can Australia sustain the political will and strategic patience needed for a multi-decade defence project?   In this episode, Justin Burke speaks with Jennifer Parker and Peter Dean about what the latest developments mean for AU...

Can national security be fully understood through hard power alone? Is it time for Australia to have a broader national security strategy – one that goes beyond defence and brings in federal, state and community perspectives? How can women’s experiences be integrated into a more traditional understanding of national security?   In this episode, Sharryn Parker speaks with Professor Valerie Hud...

Why is the Strait of Hormuz crisis about more than crude oil, and what does it reveal about Australia’s hidden supply-chain vulnerabilities?   What should investment in supply chain resilience look like for Australia?   Does the green transition reduce Australia’s energy security risks, or does it shift our dependence to new materials, technologies and supply chains?   How can Austr...

How should government balance national preparedness with cost-of-living pressures?   Can Australia strengthen fuel security, defence capability and supply chain resilience without undermining productivity and living standards?   How do economic pressures, housing stress and inequality shape public trust – and what does that mean for national security?   In this episode, Aruna Sathan...

What are the real differences between the 2024 and 2026 National Defence Strategy – and why is this an evolution, not a revolution? How is Australia thinking about national resilience, and what does a ‘whole-of-nation’ approach to security look like in practice? Are we investing in the right capabilities – and at the right speed – to meet the challenges ahead? How do global conflicts, from Ukraine...

How are everyday Australians experiencing misinformation in their daily lives, and why does it feel increasingly overwhelming? How are platforms and algorithms shaping what we see? What impact is this having on trust in institutions, political decision-making and social cohesion? What does a healthy democratic information space look like?   In this episode, Tanya Notley and Ika Trijsburg join...

Why do Australians place peaceful and safe communities above more traditional security priorities? Why are AI-enabled attacks, economic crises, supply chain shocks and disinformation rising above more conventional threats in public concern? Why do many Australians want more transparency and information from trusted agencies, while also feeling overwhelmed by the information environment? Why do so...

Why did the United States and Israel choose to strike Iran now – and what are the strategic consequences of that decision? What lessons have been learnt from Iran’s asymmetric response? Can Iran’s protesters realistically leverage the current crisis for meaningful political change, or has the aerial campaign by US and Israel undermined their momentum? How can Australia and other US allies balance...

Is there a strategic through line or an explanatory logic behind the Trump Administration’s actions in Venezuela, Greenland and Iran? What is the current state of the Transatlantic Alliance? What are the implications of cross-theatre linkages for the idea that Europe and the Indo-Pacific are separate security arenas? With rising tensions in the Middle East, what factors will most strongly influenc...

Why do Australia’s borders require a fundamental rethink? How can Australian governments build on the vision of Australia’s borders as a national strategic asset?  How can new forms of border governance, such as the use of AI and advanced data analytics, be introduced without undermining public trust? What should the border look like for industry, travellers, the pubic, international partners...

Why has serious and organised crime – estimated to cost Australia $82.3 billion each year – become a national security issue? How is the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) responding to this? What are the linkages between state actors and transnational and serious organised crime in Australia? What is the role of ACIC and other intelligence organisations in combating transnational...

How integrated is Australia’s approach to statecraft across defence, diplomacy, development and industry – and how visible is that integration to the public? What is the strategic logic behind Australia’s expanding network of Pacific partnerships and treaties? What are the details of the reforms to defence acquisition and how will this impact the future of Australia’s defence industry?   In t...

What is intergenerational security and how does it intersect with traditional concepts of national security? How do intergenerational dynamics and differing interactions with technology, social media and AI impact security and resilience? What are the security issues that young Australians care about and how do these differ from the concerns of older Australians?   In this episode Sally Bulke...

How is the Australian Defence Force preparing for the challenges of a changing world?   Does the appointment of a naval officer as the Chief of the Defence Force signal a shift in focus to the maritime domain?   What does a career in the Australian Defence Force mean in the 21st century?     In this episode, Admiral David Johnston joins Rory Medcalf to discuss the insights he h...

What are the origins of the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO), and how has the organisation developed within the National Intelligence Community?   How does AGO contribute to the broader remit of Australian statecraft, the work done by other NIC agencies, and the Five Eyes partnership?   What makes innov...

What is democratic resilience and why is it a national security issue?  Why is it important to preserve public trust and participation in the electoral process and what are some of the challenges to this?   Apart from voting, what are some other ways that Australians can engage in the democratic process?   What challenges do big tech companies, mis- and disinformation, and AI presen...

Do the US and other Western allies still maintain an edge over China in defence industry and innovation?   How are partnerships between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea reshaping the global balance of power?   How do Australia and other US partners contribute to strengthening deterrence and industrial resilience?   What are the key supply chain vulnerabilities we might face in a...