The Cove Podcast

'Black Dagger is our activity that gives JTACs the exposure they need to drop live ordinance in close proximity to friendlies.' In the first joint podcast between The Cove Podcast and Hangar 46, we host CAPT Craig Hogendyk (OC JTAC Troop) and Pete (a Fighter Combat Instructor at 1 Squadron, RAAF) to discuss all things Close Air Support (CAS). We discuss how to become a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO)...

‘It is really important to look at our defeats’. LTCOL Young explains that Rabaul is potentially one of the most shameful episodes of Australian marshal history. In 1942 The Australian War Cabinet decided not to provide any further reinforcements to the Malayan barrier, leaving the garrisons at Ambon, Timor and Rabaul totally alone with no evacuation plan. This set the conditions for command. COL...

‘We need to have the ability [and] confidence in ourselves … that we are making ethical decisions’. Today’s episode is on Ethical Decision Making, and with this quote, WO2 Campbell explains that the decisions that our officers and leaders often must make are so far beyond the immediate realm and have the potential for far reaching consequences. CHAP Bouzanquet deftly provides an explanation for th...

‘Change is never easy’. Today’s episode is on Recruiting, and this quote underpins the challenges we all face when transitioning into the ADF workforce. Meaningful change takes time, patience and commitment to achieve. Recruitment is a ‘human-to-human endeavour’. While there are systems in place to support it, it boils down to a real person talking to a prospective recruit, making them feel valued...

‘They call it trading steel for blood’. Welcome back to the 2025 season of The Cove Podcast. Our first episode this year is on Project Convergence. Project Convergence is not a command post exercise, it is also not a training exercise. It is a large-scale experiment without the constraints of training levels that allows the US Military, its allies and Defence industry to have at it testing future...

LTCOL Brian Hickey is the current Commanding Officer of the Royal Military College - Duntroon (RMC-D) and he is in-charge of the current 12-month Officer Commissioning Program trial. Royal Military College - Duntroon (RMC-D) has recently shifted from the traditional 18-month program to a more intense 12-month course. In this episode, LTCOL Brian Hickey provides valuable insights into what has chan...

‘History offers us examples of when deterrence has failed but there is still a requirement to deny’. In this week’s episode, we delve into Australia's National Defence Strategy and explore how the concept of Deterrence through Denial has been employed in history. Joined by our regular co-host LTCOL Steve Young, we examine the strategic significance of the Forward Observation Line during World War...

Serving in Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) is an aspiration for many and attainable for some. It is a popular choice for ADF members seeking to take their career to the next level and civilians wanting more out of life than a trade or corporate job can offer.  Recruiting is underway to identify the next generation of Special Forces Operators, Engineers, Signallers, Medics and Enablers. Dependi...

Serving in Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) is an aspiration for many and attainable for some. It is a popular choice for ADF members seeking to take their career to the next level and civilians wanting more out of life than a trade or corporate job can offer. Recruiting is underway to identify the next generation of Special Forces Operators, Engineers, Signallers, Medics and Enablers. Dependin...

In this thought-provoking episode of The Cove Podcast, we sit down with Deputy Chief of Army, MAJGEN Chris Smith, to discuss what war would look like and the vital role of human decision-making in military operations. MAJGEN Chris Smith challenges the notion that technology and machine learning will replace the instincts and experiences of commanders. Drawing on historical examples like the Battle...

In this week's episode, we sit down with our regular co-host LTCOL Steve Young to explore the challenging realities of age in war. Drawing on historical context, we delve into the physical and psychological toll large-scale combat takes on the human body, particularly during intense missions like those in the Pacific theatre during World War II. The average age of commanding officers pre-WWII was...

In this episode we sit down with BRIG James Davis, an exceptional leader known for his unwavering commitment to physical fitness and his ability to set high standards for himself and others. He shares his insights on maintaining rigorous fitness standards, how important our job really is, and balances this by talking about the potential pitfalls of running on “red-line” for decades. He candidly di...

Dr Jack Watling wrote a book in the back of an armoured vehicle in Ukraine while watching technology be employed for the first time on the front-line. Starting life as a journalist and now an academic, his book titled The Arms of The Future is centred on the future of land warfare. In this week’s episode of The Cove Podcast, Jack argues that we are shifting from mechanised to informatised warfare,...

On this week's episode of The Cove Podcast, our new host CAPT Todd Lempa invites LTCOL Steve Young to discuss the difficulty of mobilisation in large scale combat. We discuss the need for reinforcement, the importance of leaving your best soldiers out-of-battle and the conditions that led to the Australian Army to peak at 476,000 personnel in 1943. LTCOL Young uses his passion for history to expla...

Since 6 May 2024, Part IXAA of the Defence Act 1903 Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets (SAMS) requires certain individuals, notably former Defence personnel, to obtain foreign work authorisation (FWA) before working for a foreign military or foreign government body or providing training to a foreign military or government body that is related to Part 1 of the Defence and Strategic Goods Lis...

Trust is foundation of everything we do in the profession of arms. Trust within teams, trust up and down the chain of command, and importantly the trust placed in us by the Australian people. In this episode, listen as SO1 Cove LTCOL Johnson interviews four leaders - Commander 3rd Brigade BRIG Dave McCammon, Health Officer CAPT Rachael O'Sullivan, and 3 Bde JNCOs CPL Connor Dawson and LCPL Che Mor...

The Defence Strategic Review was released on 24 April 2023. The DSR recommended far reaching changes to the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) strategic posture and capability in response to what it termed ‘radically different’ strategic circumstances.  The DSR focuses on three things: (1) a specific threat, being the threat posed to Australia’s interests; (2) an integrated all-domain force with an...

In this special edition episode, WO1 Mark Grigg speaks with MAJ Mark Beretta: Australia’s most watched sports presenter! From the outskirts of Geelong to the Channel 7 newsroom, Mark has had a career filled with highlights and fulfilled his lifelong desire to join the Australian Army later a few years ago. On top of early mornings working on Sunrise, he does three reserve days for Australian Army’...

In this episode, WO1 Mark Grigg speaks with the current Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army, Warrant Officer Kim Felmingham, NSC, OAM, and five past RSM-A's, including: Warrant Officer Grant McFarlane, AM; Mr Don Spinks, AM; Warrant Officer David Ashley, AM; Mr Kevin Woods, CSC, OAM; and, Mr Peter Rosemond, CSC, OAM. At the Home of the Soldier, this was the first time since 1983 – when the first...

In this 'Leaders and Legends' episode, WO1 Mark Grigg speaks with CPL Taylah Gentzen about her military career and being an elite sportswoman. From starting as a rifleman to being a PTI at the School of Infantry, she has done things she never thought were possible. She has a passion for combat-sports and has competed at an elite level for 12 years. Taylah is the number one professional boxing ligh...

In this episode, WO1 Mark Grigg speaks with CPL Amy Kowski. From joining the Army as a gap-year as a caterer, to a psych assistant, and now studying a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) at the moment. Hear how CPL Amy Kowski is managing full-time work and full-time study, with some tips on how to balance her time and the changes to her priorities. She also explains her experience with Army Sports p...

In this episode of Body, Mind & Soul, we discuss what an Army Chaplain does. Who do they support? What is a Chaplains role in providing pastoral care? How is their role different out field or on operations? Series 3 – Soul is presented by Chaplain Kerri Frizzwell, COORD Chaplain at RMC-D.

In this 'Leaders and Legends' episode, WO1 Mark Grigg speaks with LT John Limbert about his time as the 2018 Forces Command Soldier of the year and his commissioning.

In this episode of Body, Mind & Soul, we discuss moral injury. What is moral injury? How do people recover from Moral Injury? Can it be prevented? Series 3 – Soul is presented by Colonel Mark Francis (Retd.) who is the Moral Injury Project Director for Joint Health Command.

In this 'Leaders and Legends' episode, WO1 Mark Grigg speaks with WO2 James Debono about his involvement with the Army Secondment Program and – in particular – his time with the AFL.