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In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by returning guest, Australian Army Corporal (Ret’d) and Afghan veteran Matthew “Willy” Williams OAM, to discuss the fall of Avdiivka in Ukraine, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the emerging discussion around conscription in Australia.
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Corporal Williams was deployed as a private to Afghanistan with the Australian Army and left as a corporal in 2020, undertaking a radical career change to operate the 167,000-subscriber “Willy OAM” independent journalism YouTube channel.
He now acts as a travelling civilian conflict reporter following a terminal brain cancer diagnosis on his 22nd birthday and after being awarded an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List.
The pair discuss the recent withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from Avdiivka and the changing landscape of the battlefield in Ukraine.
They then discuss the controversial topic of war crimes in the conflict, as well as tackling issues regarding the donation of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters and M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine.
They also discuss Williams’ travels on the ground in Israel following the October attacks last year and use of drones in the conflict.
Finally, the pair discuss the public discourse around the possible conscription in Australia and the comparative effectiveness of called-up troops in Ukraine.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:
Episode 492: CONTESTED GROUND: Where does the misinformation bill leave free speech?
Episode 491: SPOTLIGHT: Engaging the national innovation ecosystem, with DSTG’s Dr Robert Hunjet
Episode 490: SPOTLIGHT: Protecting your data as Australia moves to an AI future, with Hrvoje Hančević-Grabić from IT Strategy Hub
Episode 489: SPOTLIGHT: Scaling advanced manufacturing, with Anduril’s Brian Schimpf and David Goodrich
Episode 488: SPOTLIGHT: How quantum will revolutionise PNT and RF sensing, with DSTG’s Andrew Seedhouse and QuantX’s Andre Luiten
Episode 487: DEFENCE PROPERTY PODCAST: Investing in property from post to post
Episode 486: SPOTLIGHT: Quantum – revolutionising Defence, health and energy – with Dr Cathy Foley, Australia’s chief scientist
Episode 485: CONTESTED GROUND: Unpacking resource and food security, with Senator Matt Canavan
Episode 484: SPOTLIGHT: Commercialising academic and industry research, with Defence Trailblazer’s Dr Sanjay Mazumdar
Episode 483: SPOTLIGHT: Pitching to Defence, with Professor Emily Hilder and Dan Bennett
