The National Security Podcast

Espionage, foreign interference and Australia’s national security laws

How do we balance effective national security laws with protecting individual rights and democratic freedoms? Where is the line between legitimate foreign influence and

The maritime gateway: ports and border security

How do ports sustain Australia’s economy, border security and defence preparedness? What are the biggest strategic challenges facing Australian ports? What role do port

How thirsty is AI? Competing for Australia's most strategic resource

Can Australia reframe water as a national security issue, rather than only an environmental or social policy concern?   Can Australia realistically pursue both AI leader

Is Australia ready for the next pathogen threat?

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

NZ Chief of Army on Plan ANZAC and the future of land power

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 strat

AUKUS at five: facts and fears

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?

Security, power and the perspectives we miss

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

Beyond oil: what the Hormuz crisis means for Australia

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 s

“The future is expensive” – managing cost-of-living while investing in security

How should government balance national preparedness with cost-of-living pressures?  Can Australia strengthen fuel security, defence capability and supply chain resilienc

2026 National Defence Strategy: evolution, not revolution

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 nati

Truth, trust and the algorithm: can democracy keep up?

How are everyday Australians experiencing misinformation in their daily lives, and why does it feel increasingly overwhelming? How are platforms and algorithms shaping

No worries? What Australians think about security, risk and resilience

Why do Australians place peaceful and safe communities above more traditional security priorities? Why are AI-enabled attacks, economic crises, supply chain shocks and

What is driving the war in Iran – and what comes next?

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 asymm

Plotting a through line: February 2026 geopolitics update

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 Tr

Modernising Australia's border security

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 c

Why organised crime is now a national security threat

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

Pat Conroy on defence reform, industry and the Pacific

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 th

The future will thank us: an intergenerational approach to security

What is intergenerational security and how does it intersect with traditional concepts of national security? How do intergenerational dynamics and differing interactions

Australia’s Chief of the Defence Force: reflections on half a century of service

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

Seeing the unseen: why geospatial intelligence is important

What are the origins of the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO), and how has the organisation developed within the National Intelligence Community?  Ho