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In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by Australian Army Corporal (Ret’d) and Afghan veteran Matthew “ Willy” Williams (Order of Australia Medal) to discuss citizen conflict reporting and his coverage of the ongoing Ukraine War.
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Corporal Williams was previously deployed as a private to Afghanistan with the Australian Army, leaving as a corporal in 2020 and undertaking a radical career change to operate the 130,000-subscriber Willy OAM independent journalism YouTube channel.
The pair discuss Willy’s experiences as a veteran, the support he received after leaving the Army, and his sideways career choice to become a travelling civilian conflict reporter.
They then discuss the impact of a terminal brain cancer diagnosis on his 22nd birthday, his efforts to promote brain cancer awareness initiatives, and receiving an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List.
They also discuss his ongoing daily analysis of the Ukraine War through public crowd-sourced maps and how to split fact from fiction in the modern world of military propaganda.
They then detail Willy’s own interactions and interviews with military volunteers – from Australia, the US, and Russia – their motivations, and concerns.
Finally, the pair take stock of the conflict, discussing worst-case scenarios, what it’s like on the ground, and how it’s likely to end.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:
Episode 510: CONTESTED GROUND: Iran’s collapsing sphere of influence
Episode 509: DEFENCE PROPERTY PODCAST: Understanding the ever-changing landscape of regional property investment
Episode 508: PODCAST: A proud history of providing debate and connecting sailors, with Mark Schweikert, federal president, Navy League of Australia
Episode 507: SPOTLIGHT: GWEO – protecting Australian sovereignty, with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control’s James Heading
Episode 506: CONTESTED GROUND: Ukraine’s freedom of manoeuvre in the information domain
Episode 505: SPOTLIGHT: AUKUS Pillar II – how technology sharing is strengthening our national security, with FAS Stephen Moore and Dr Nigel McGinty
Episode 504: PODCAST: Unleashing Australian know-how to grow military power fast, with John Storey, Institute of Public Affairs
Episode 503: CONTESTED GROUND: The intersection of national security and Australia’s declining economic performance
Episode 502: SPOTLIGHT: Developing risk frameworks for Defence, with Atturra’s Andrew Balmaks
Episode 501: CONTESTED GROUND: Maritime competition drives need for an Australian Coast Guard, with Jennifer Parker
