Contested Ground

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, special host Steve Kuper is joined by Jennifer Parker, expert associate at the National Security College, Australian National University and a former Navy officer, to discuss the growing need for an Australian Coast Guard. The pair discuss the mounting level of hybrid and grey zone warfare in the maritime commons and economic exclusion zones across...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson, Liam Garman and Phil Tarrant unpack findings from the Australian Signals Directorate's (ASD)  Annual Cyber Threat Report 2023-2024  and the challenge of building a governance framework that disrupts the purveyors of disinformation.  The trio unpack findings from the ASD, in particular the ongoing risk Austra...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, shadow minister for communications and federal member for Banks David Coleman joins host Liam Garman to discuss the recent misinformation bill that will leave free speech and political discourse in Australia. They begin the podcast with a recap of what's in the bill, including how the government will determine what constitutes misinformation or disi...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Liam Garman is joined by senator for Queensland Matthew Canavan to discuss resource and food security, international politics and Australian domestic policy. The pair begin the podcast discussing voting trends in Australia and the results of the recent Queensland election. They then examine the need for a robust policy platform that supports Austral...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, interviewer Defence Connect senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. Morrison, non-executive vice chairman of American Global Strategies, has recently announced a new role as chairman of Space Centre Australia, a planned spaceport in far north Queensland. He has also recently concluded a lectur...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, co-host Liam Garman is joined by Steve Kuper, senior analyst and government relations manager at Defence Connect, to unpack deepening social tensions in the United States ahead of the US election. The pair begin the podcast discussing whether modern journalism, with a focus on opinion over reporting, has worsened the political divide in the US. Kupe...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson are joined by Dr David Kilcullen, former diplomat and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency senior research scientist, to discuss the moving evolution of conflict, tactics and military technology. The trio begin by discussing elements of complex warfare, how predictions change over time a...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman unpack the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and how state actors disrupt their non-state adversaries. The podcast begins with an analysis into the fragility of supply chains, examining the pager attack, and how adversaries can conduct espionage throug...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman invite Major General (Ret'd) Gus McLachlan back for a follow-up podcast, unpacking irregular warfare, information operations and military modernisation.  They begin the podcast discussing Russia's "little green men" during the invasion of 2014, and how Russian units were able to take ove...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Joe Hockey, former Australian ambassador to the United States, joins hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson and Steve Kuper to discuss the continued importance of the Australia–US relationship. The trio begin by discussing the fallout of the latest presidential debate between contenders, former president Donald Trump and Vice Pres...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Andrew Hastie MP, shadow minister for defence and shadow minister for defence industry, joins hosts Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman to discuss how Australia must develop sovereign capability amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. The trio begin the podcast discussing how Australia needs to support Defence SMEs to deliver sovereign capability amid risin...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Major General (Ret'd) Gus McLachlan, former Commander Forces Command, joins hosts Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman to unpack modern asymmetrical warfare: from the Taliban in Afghanistan to Chinese Coast Guard vessels in the Philippine Sea, and even how social media is spurring political divisions.    The podcast begins by ana...

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson, inaugural head of the ADF's Information Warfare Division, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack the importance of long-range strike as a deterrent and how Australia is uplifting its cyber and information warfare capabilities.  MAJGEN (Ret'd) Thompson begins unpacking the benefits of establishing the ADF'...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Contested Ground podcast, where hosts Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack how nations vie for influence below the threshold of armed conflict. In this episode, the hosts unpack how foreign actors sought to stoke tensions during the recent English riots and how social media echo chambers have caused a deep division in so...