The National Security Podcast

Why is President Trump espousing his love for dictators? How will new technologies and citizen investigations change the way intelligence collection is carried out? Are conspiracy theories a bit of fun or are they a serious challenge for trust in government? Does James Clapper watch spy movies? On this episode of the National Security Podcast Chris Farnham has a wide ranging discussion with the former US Director of National Intelligence and visiting Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor, hosted by the ANU National Security College. James Clapper was the US Director of National Intelligence from 2010 to January 2017. In this position, he led the United States Intelligence Community and served as the principal intelligence advisor to President Barak Obama. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years

As the Indian Ocean Region becomes enmeshed in the greater Indo-Pacific architecture, how is India adjusting the way it interacts with regional actors? How is India responding to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and how has talk of receding US power impacted Indian strategic thinking? Chris Farnham talks to Darshana Baruah from Carnegie India to discuss how India sees the changing Indo-Pacific region. Darshana Baruah is an associate director with Carnegie India. Her primary research focuses on maritime security in Asia with a focus on the Indian Navy and its role in a new security architecture. She was a 2016 national parliamentary fellow, Australia, where she was associated in the office of the Hon. Ms. Teresa Gambaro MP, chair, Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and

Why are Japan and Britain conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea? What would an enduring peace in those contested waters look like? How is Trump affecting the US-China alliance? From navigating vessels through crowded sea-lanes to understanding the naval dimensions of the rules-based order, this week’s National Security Pod is all about maritime security. First, host Chris Farnham chats to Commodore Michele Miller from the Royal Australian Navy about the legal and operational issues surrounding maritime security in the South China Sea. Then, we hear from Euan Graham from the Lowy Institute about the recent Kakadu exercise in Australia’s Northern Territory and how the changing balance of power between China and the US is upsetting the regional order. Michele Miller has served in the Royal Australian Navy for over 30 years as a maritime warfare officer, and amongst an array of roles, has been a maritime exercise planner and commanded two ships. In 2018 she has been on secondment with

It’s been two years since the Russian government’s alleged interference in the US presidential election. Since then, it’s not just the US who has had to grapple with this new form of statecraft – countries in Europe have also taken steps to secure their democratic processes against fake news and cyber-attacks. On this Natsec Pod, Chris Farnham chats to Tim Maurer about the brave new battleground of cyber interference, the blurred lines between state and non-state actors in cyberspace, and how far the US has gone in protecting the integrity of the 2018 mid-term elections. Listen here: Tim Maurer is the co-director of the Cyber Policy Initiative and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He recently co-authored a paper, “Russian Election Interference: Europe’s Counter to Fake News and Cyber Attacks”. He was visiting Australia undertaking a Special Visits Program through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Macquarie University. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Secur

In this National Security Podcast, Anooshe Mushtaq talks to Chris Farnham about how social exclusion led her down the path of radicalisation, and what policymakers can do to help others avoid the same fate. Out of all the Muslims in Australia, only a very small number become radicalised. What sets those individuals apart from the rest of Australia’s Islamic community, and puts them on a path toward extremism and potential violence? In this fortnight’s National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham talks to the founder and Director of Raqib Taskforce about her experiences and path towards radicalisation. Anooshe Mushtaq is a consultant, a social commentator, and the founder and chairperson of Raqib Taskforce – a Muslim-led organisation that builds social inclusion through engagement across the Australian community, dispelling extremist messages in the public domain. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His

State-on-State cyber-attacks occur with semi-regularity, while the world suffers from cybercrime on a daily basis. But what about cyberterrorism? How do terror groups use the internet to cause harm? And where is the line between cyber-sabotage and cyberwarfare? Dr Adam Henschke discusses these issues and related ethical concerns with Chris Farnham in this fortnight’s National Security Podcast. Dr Adam Henschke is a Senior Lecturer and Graduate Convenor at the ANU National Security College and a research fellow with Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum

The world has become accustomed to the disruptive presidency of Donald Trump, but few could have imagined the extraordinary press conference between Trump and Putin this week in Finland. Standing next to the Russian President, Trump cast doubt on his own intelligence community in favour of the word of a former KGB officer that Russia did not covertly swing the 2016 election in his favour. In this special National Security Pod Extra, Chris Farnham hears from Russian foreign policy expert Matt Sussex about what might really be behind Trump’s apparent bromance with Putin. Associate Professor Matthew Sussex is the Academic Director at the National Security College. His main research specialisation is on Russian foreign and security policy. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in

Propaganda has been with us since time immemorial, but the rise of digital media has changed the dynamic. Today, propaganda has evolved into something new and more threatening, attacking new targets and with new aims. Chris Zappone talks to Chris Farnham about how political and social narratives have been weaponised and designed to undermine and divide democratic societies. Chris Zappone is a foreign editor at The Age where he covers the intersection of politics, propaganda and social media. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia. Show notes: The following podcasts are discussed: National Security Podcast: Terrorism 2.0 | Simplecast We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for futu

Bruce Hoffman and Sidney Jones, two of the world’s foremost terrorism experts, discuss the shifting strategies and tactics of jihadi groups in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. As ISIS is put on the run in the Middle East, what can be expected from al-Qaeda? Is it a spent force or are its fighters preparing to rise again? What of Southeast Asia in the wake of the Marawi siege – will we see more large-scale insurgency attacks? And why is the Indonesian military now a counter-terror force? In this National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham puts these vexed and alarming questions to Professor Bruce Hoffman and Dr Sidney Jones. Listen here: Professor Bruce Hoffman the Director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University’s Edmund A.Walsh School of Foreign Service, in Washington. He also lectures at St Andrew’s University and has previously held the Corporate Chair in Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation. Professor Hoffman was appointed by the U.S. Congress in 2013 to serve

This week on the National Security Podcast, Chris Farnham talks to Zack Cooper about Trump’s diplomacy, from the recent G7 Summit to US grand strategy in the Indo-Pacific. Could trade disagreements with allies lead to fractures in America’s security partnerships? How does Trump square US strategic goals in Asia with his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership? And what advice for Australian policymakers seeking to get the most out of the US alliance? Zack Cooper is a Research Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He focuses on US defence strategy in Asia, US alliances and partnerships in Asia, US-China strategic competition, and Chinese economic statecraft and coercion. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia. We’d love to hear your

Brought to you by Policy Forum with the support of the ANU National Security College, the National Security Podcast is a new fortnightly series tackling Australia and the region’s national security challenges. On this special Pod Extra, Chris Farnham chats with Michael Cohen about the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore. They discuss whether international legitimacy matters for the North Korean regime, how the longevity of Trump’s presidency could bear on the nuclear negotiations, and what leaders in China, Japan and South Korea might be thinking in the wake of the summit. Michael Cohen is a Senior Lecturer in the ANU National Security College. His expertise covers nuclear weapons proliferation, the Korean Peninsula, South Asia, deterrence and coercion, leaders, foreign policy decision-making and the US-Australia alliance. He regularly provides media commentary on these issues. Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events

Brought to you by Policy Forum with the support of the ANU National Security College, the National Security Podcast is a new fortnightly series tackling Australia and the region’s national security challenges. On the first episode, Rory Medcalf chats with Chris Farnham about the rise of the Indo-Pacific concept and its implications for Australia. The Indo-Pacific is a mental map of Asia that has taken flight among policymakers the world over. Most recently, at last weekend’s Shangri-La Dialogue, countries as diverse as Australia, India and Indonesia all used the language of the Indo-Pacific concept and demonstrated that they are adopting the term into their strategic thinking. On the podcast, we take a look at where we draw the boundaries of the Indo-Pacific region, whether the term is anti-China, its significance for rising powers like India, and why extra-regional powers like France and the United States are taking a particular interest in the concept. Rory Medcalf is the head of the National Security Colle