It is no secret that Australia finds itself in an increasingly contested regional and global environment; rising powers and non-state, asymmetric actors are serving as major factors in the nation’s strategic calculus. In this podcast, former Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice Admiral (Ret’d) Paul Maddison, CMM, MSM, CD, turned inaugural director of the UNSW Defence Research Institute, joins host Phil Tarrant to discuss the commonalities between Australia and Canada, growing interoperability, defence innovation and the future direction of both countries.
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As part of the conversation, Vice Admiral (Ret'd) Paul Maddison joins host Phil Tarrant to discuss the commonalities between Australia and Canada and the role both nations will play in navigating an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific.
Maddison explains how his experience as the Canadian high commissioner to Australia during the lead up to the 2016 Australian Defence White Paper and how it has not only shaped Australia's long-term defence capability development, but also the government’s focus on developing and sustaining a competitive, long-term defence industrial base.
As part of this, Maddison will speak to the inherent links between the Australian Defence Force and Defence organisation and the Canadian Armed Forces and their respective Defence organisation. Building on this, Maddison will highlight the growing levels of interoperability between the two nations as a result of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship selection and the role both nations play within the broader US-led global order and the Five Eyes.
Shifting towards his new role as the inaugural head of the University of New South Wales Defence Research Institute, Maddison will discuss one of the primary focuses of the freshly minted UNSW Defence Research Institute, which is to nurture and strengthen international relationships, particularly within the Five Eyes network, mainly the US, UK, New Zealand and Canada.
Finally, Maddison will speak to the role of defence innovation in the Australian industry and defence ecosystems, and the role the nation’s entrepreneurial spirit will play in providing capability enhancements for the ADF and broader alliance network – as part of this, Maddison will discuss the collaborative nature of contemporary research and development within Australia and UNSW in particular, and the role it plays in supporting Australia’s defence industry.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:
Episode 494: DEFENCE PROPERTY PODCAST: 10 common property mistakes and how you can avoid them
Episode 493: PODCAST: How geopolitics must influence Australia’s force posture, with Mike Pezzullo
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