The Cove Podcast

Odcinki

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  Counter-UAS: Adapting to the Drone Threat with LTCOL Paul Middleton, Deputy Director Force Modernisation HQ2 DIV 04.10.2026 1godz 14min

  LTCOL Paul Middleton from Headquarters 2nd Division joins The Cove to discuss the integration of counter-uncrewed aerial systems during Exercise Austral Shield 2026. The exercise saw JTF 629 take newly issued LAND 156 equipment and trained operators into a collective tactical environment, moving beyond classroom training to test the equipment, tactics and soldiers against a realistic UAS threat. The conversation explores what was learned, how quickly soldiers adapted, and why counter-UAS is increasingly about fieldcraft, dispersion, detection and tactical decision-making—not simply defeating drones with technology.
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  The Drone-Enabled Battlefield: Army’s RAS Revolution with CAPT Andy Dunn-Lobban, Remote and Autonomous Systems Cell 20.09.2026 1godz 4min

  Captain Andrew Dunn-Lobban from the Land Combat College’s Remote and Autonomous Systems Cell joins The Cove to explore how drones and robotic systems are changing land warfare. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine and Army’s own experimentation, we discuss the emerging Drone Combat System, new training pathways, how drone teams may operate across the force, and what soldiers and junior commanders need to understand about fighting in an increasingly RAS-enabled battlespace.
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  From Oxford to the Australian Army: Rethinking Officer Recruitment with LT Oliver Douglas 06.09.2026 50min

  Lieutenant Oliver Douglas talks with John Hardgrave on The Cove Podcast to discuss his experience serving with the Oxford University Officers’ Training Corps while studying as a Rhodes Scholar. Drawing on his time inside both the Australian and British Army systems, he explores the cultural differences between the two forces and explains how the British UOTC model gives young people a rapid, low-commitment introduction to military service. The episode considers whether a similar approach could strengthen Army recruitment, officer development and public understanding of service in Australia
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  Bringing Them Home: The Search for Australia’s Missing Soldiers with Dr Aaron Pegram and Maj Craig Foreman 23.08.2026 1godz 4min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave talks with Dr Aaron Pegram and Major Craig Foreman from Unrecovered War Casualties – Army explain the painstaking work involved in locating, recovering and identifying Australia’s missing service personnel. They discuss the historical research, forensic science and investigative expertise behind each case, before taking listeners inside the recent search in Korea for Corporal William Murphy, who has remained missing since the Battle of Kapyong in 1951.
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  From Soldier to Psychiatrist: Military Identity, Culture, and Transition with DR Jon Lane 09.08.2026 1godz 11min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave sits down with Jonathan Lane—a veteran, psychiatrist, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ first Chief Psychiatrist—to unpack the powerful intersection of military culture, identity, and mental health. Jon shares his unconventional journey from infantry soldier to senior clinician, including operational deployments and frontline experience in military psychiatry. The conversation explores how cultural conditioning in Defence shapes behaviour, identity, and purpose—and why this becomes critical during transition to civilian life. Drawing on both clinical expertise and lived experience, Jon highlights the gaps in traditional mental health approaches for veterans, the importance of peer-led models, and the role of shared experience in recovery. This episode offers a grounded, insider perspective on why understanding military culture is essential to supporting those who serve, both during and after their time in uniform.
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  Army Adaptation to Modern Warfare - MAJGEN Chris Smith 26.07.2026 56min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave is joined by the Deputy Chief of Army to examine the return of positional warfare through the lens of Ukraine. The discussion explores reconnaissance-strike systems, drones, elastic defence, contested movement, sustainment, and the enduring requirement for soldiers to seize and hold ground. It also considers how these lessons may apply beyond Europe, including the implications for land, sea and littoral operations in Australia’s region.
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  Train Smarter, Lead Better, Be Well - Lessons from AFL and Defence with Alastair Lynch and Dr Jon Lane 12.07.2026 1godz 19min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave brings together AFL premiership player Alastair Lynch and Jonathan Lane for a powerful conversation on high performance, leadership, and life after structured environments. Drawing on Lynch’s experience with the Brisbane Lions and Lane’s clinical and military background, the discussion explores the shared DNA between elite sport and Defence. The episode examines what makes teams truly high-performing—clarity of roles, trust, accountability, and continuous feedback—while also unpacking how leadership has evolved from rigid, fear-based models to more adaptive, human-centred approaches. Together, they highlight the critical importance of understanding the individual behind the role to unlock collective success. A key focus is transition: the loss of structure, identity, and purpose when leaving sport or service. Lynch and Lane provide complementary perspectives on how these challenges manifest and how individuals can rebuild meaning and direction. This episode delivers practical insights for leaders, veterans, and anyone operating in high-performance environments.
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  The Soldier: Purpose, Profession and the Reality of War with MAJGEN Chris Smith, DCA 28.06.2026 53min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, host John Hardgrave is joined by the Deputy Chief of Army to discuss The Soldier, Army’s new publication on the purpose and identity of the Australian soldier. The conversation examines why the publication was written now, what it says about Army’s core purpose, and why soldiers must be prepared honestly for the realities of war, violence, lawful killing, fear, fatigue, discipline and service. It also explores the distinction between being a soldier and a warrior, and the enduring importance of identity and belonging.
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  Peacekeeping, Protection and Perspective: Lessons from Operation ASLAN with Maj Mark Vele 14.06.2026 1godz 3min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave speaks with an Australian Army officer Mark Vele about his 12-month deployment on Operation ASLAN with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. The discussion explores the realities of preparing for a UN peacekeeping mission, working in a multinational headquarters, living and operating in Juba, and the personal and professional challenges of serving in a complex security environment far from home.
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  Training, Culture, and Cohesion: A Rifle Company in Malaysia with Maj San-Joe Tan and Private Tom Lefevre 31.05.2026 1godz 2min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, we unpack a recent Reginal Combat Team (previously known as Rifle Company Butterworth) rotation through the perspectives of a soldier and an officer. They discuss how they were selected, the lead-up training and integration between reserve and full-time soldiers, and what it’s really like operating and living in Malaysia. It’s a practical look at the challenges, adaptations, and experiences that make RCT a unique and valuable Army deployment.
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  On Call to War, Inside the Mind of an Army Surgeon with Brigadier Andrew Higgs, Director General Health Reserves Army 17.05.2026 1godz 15min

  This episode of The Cove Podcast explores the unique career of an Army Reserve surgeon, tracing his journey from medical school to operational deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. He unpacks the realities of balancing a demanding civilian surgical career with military service, and the long pathway to becoming a specialist in both worlds. The conversation dives into the role of Defence health professionals beyond the operating theatre, highlighting leadership, teamwork, and decision-making in high-pressure environments. Listeners gain insight into trauma care on deployment, the importance of values and character in selection, and how the Army attracts and retains highly skilled medical personnel. It’s a candid look at service, sacrifice, and the pursuit of excellence that shows how medicine and soldiering intersect in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable.
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  Advising, Not Commanding: Inside ADFs PNG Defence Cooperation Programme with WO2 Dathan Rolfe 19.04.2026 1godz 12min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, we unpack the reality of a posting to the Defence Cooperation Programme in Papua New Guinea. Joined by Warrant Officer Dathan Rolfe, we explore what it means to operate in an environment where influence matters more than authority and relationships outweigh rank. From competing for the position and preparing family for an accompanied move to Port Moresby, through to the professional demands of advising the PNG Defence Force, this conversation highlights a side of service many soldiers never see. It’s not a warfighting deployment, but it is operationally significant, shaping regional stability, strengthening partnerships, and reinforcing Australia’s strategic interests in our near region. This episode is about career risk, professional growth, family commitment, and why PNG matters far more to Australian security than most realise.
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  From Snow to Slouch Hat, Transitioning Between Two Armies with LTCOL Devon Matsalla 05.04.2026 55min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave sits down with a former Canadian Army Colonel who traded snow boots for a slouch hat and brought 26 years of coalition experience with him. From early service in the reserves as a bagpiper to deployments in Bosnia and Afghanistan, and later leading multinational warfighting seminars within Australia’s 1st Division, this conversation explores what happens when two professional armies—shaped by different histories, geographies, and cultures—collide in the best possible way. They unpack the Canadian Army’s identity forged at Vimy Ridge, its bilingual and multicultural foundations, Arctic operations and the Canadian Rangers, and how a “do more with less” mindset contrasts with Australia’s operational focus in the Indo-Pacific. Along the way, they discuss coalition warfare, sustainment, capability development, and the subtle but telling differences between militaries—from equipment procurement to wearing the slouch hat correctly. This episode is a practical and candid look at professional military culture, adaptability, and what junior and senior leaders alike can learn from operating across nations.
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  Mission Culture: Rethinking Army as a Profession with SGT John Wellfare 22.03.2026 1godz 4min

  In this episode, we sit down with Sergeant John Welfare, winner of the 2025 Chief of Army Essay Competition and Chauvel Prize, to unpack his argument that the Australian Army must undergo a professional transformation if it is to remain relevant within the integrated force. Drawing on the story of Ignaz Semmelweis and the medical revolution of the 19th century, John challenges the Army to confront its institutional blind spots, rethink its expertise, and align its culture with external necessity rather than internal tradition. This is a conversation about jurisdiction, professional mastery, self-regulation and what it truly means to be a modern professional soldier.
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  Principles of leadership for 10 or 10,000 with MAJ GEN Stephen Day DSC AM 08.03.2026 50min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hardgrave is joined by Major General Stephen Day, DSC AM, author of the ADF Leadership Doctrine, to explore leadership as a matter of character, not just competence. The conversation examines why moral courage, judgement, and self-awareness sit at the centre of leadership in the profession of arms, and how these principles apply whether leading ten people or ten thousand. Drawing on operational experience from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as national crisis leadership during Australia’s drought response, Major General Day reflects on command, followership, decision-making under pressure, and what the doctrine demands of leaders when it matters most.
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  The Rise of Drone Racing in Defence - CAPT Tom Gash and LCPL Chris Quaill 22.02.2026 40min

  In this episode of The Cove Podcast, John Hargrave explores the fast-growing world of drone racing and uncrewed systems, focusing on the people, skills, and pathways behind the technology. Joined by Lance Corporal Chris Quayle and Captain Tom Gash from the ADF Drone Racing Association, the conversation examines how drone racing builds technical mastery, decision-making under pressure, and community across kids, cadets, serving members, and veterans. The discussion connects this emerging sport to modern Defence capabilities, highlights the crossover between hobbyist skills and military applications, and looks ahead to where drone racing and uncrewed systems are heading more broadly.  
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  Fighting in the Arctic: America's Arctic Angels - WO2 William McGovern and SGT Nathan Groen 07.12.2025 46min

  “One foot in the snow, here we go.” In this week’s episode, the host sits down with WO2 Will McGovern (2/14 Light Horse Regiment) and SGT Nathan Groen (1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment) to explore their recent deployment to Alaska as Observer-Trainers with the 11th Airborne Division’s “Arctic Angels.” SGT Groen is the Direct Fire Support Weapon’s Platoon Sergeant at 1 RAR and WO2 Will McGovern is a Squadron Sergeant Major at 2/14 LHR. In January 2025, they supported the 11th Airborne Division’s rotation through the U.S. Army’s newest Arctic combat training centre, Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC), designed to test war-fighting capability in one of the harshest environments on Earth. H-hour was at 0001 on 23 January 2025 with a large-scale airborne insertion: paratroopers from the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) jumped from C-130s and C-17s into Army Allen Airfield and Drop Zone Buffalo. Their mission: seize and secure the airfield, establish a foothold against not just an opposing force but one of the most unforgiving climates imaginable. Temperatures plunged below –35 °C as soldiers fought to gain positions, build defensive works, and operate under deep snow and arctic winds. WO2 McGovern and SGT Groen explain how they were selected for this rotation, how they integrated with an allied formation and contributed as Observer-Trainers, and where they as the two Australian on the exercise tried to add insight in the joint, multinational context. They reflect on the logistical challenge of sustaining operations in sub-zero conditions, the physical and mental strain on troops, and the adjustments required in tactics, movement, and sustainment to remain effective when the environment is as lethal as the enemy. Beyond the drop and snow-covered patrols, we dive into what Arctic warfare demands: from cold-weather equipment and sleep systems, through mobility on snow and skis/ahkios, to the scale of U.S warfighting. JPMRC 25-02 isn’t just a rotation — it’s part of a broader push by the U.S. Army and its allies to re-learn Arctic warfighting skills lost in two decades focused on counterinsurgency. This episode offers a rare window into modern Arctic combat training — combining parachute assaults, joint multinational forces, and the brutal test of sub-zero environments. For planners and leaders in Australia’s Army, it’s a prompt to ask: are we ready to fight in the world’s harshest environments? ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure you do not miss out on any of the heavy-hitting content we have planned.
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  Command Responsibility: Holding Senior Leaders to Account - MAJGEN Chris Smith 30.11.2025 45min

  ‘[W]hat we're trying to do is restore what has been a loss of trust for a number of reasons over the recent decade or so between generals and rank and file to be frank ...’ In this week’s episode, CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with Major General Chris Smith, the Deputy Chief of the Australian Army, to discuss command responsibility and the uncomfortable question of how armies — including our own — hold senior leaders to account. Building on his earlier episode on Warrior Culture, MAJGEN Smith reflects on the Australian Army’s struggle, common across many militaries, to recognise and act on professional failure or a lack of success at senior levels. Drawing inspiration from Thomas Ricks’ The Generals, he explores how accountability in command has eroded over time and what that means for trust and confidence in the profession of arms. We examine the 2012 Camp Bastion attack in Helmand Province, where Taliban fighters infiltrated the perimeter, killing two US Marines, wounding several others, and destroying or damaging eight USMC AV-8B Harrier aircraft — one of the most significant single-day losses of American airpower since Vietnam. The breach occurred after elements of the UK-led security force thinned out perimeter manning to support operations elsewhere. While no British officers were held to account, the United States Marine Corps relieved two generals of command following the attack. MAJGEN Smith uses this event to frame a discussion on vicarious responsibility, arguing that senior leaders sometimes need to step aside — not because of personal culpability, but to restore trust and confidence in their institution. He acknowledges that the Brereton Inquiry put a lot of attention on the NCOs and troops, but that no senior leaders were held to account. In his view, this reveals a broader failure to uphold the principles of command responsibility that underpin the trust soldiers place in their leaders. Across the episode, MAJGEN Smith challenges senior leaders to confront a hard truth: that leadership accountability cannot stop at the tactical level if the profession is to maintain legitimacy, trust, and moral authority. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned.
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  One Size Does Not Fit All – WO2 Tavis Nicholson 23.11.2025 52min

  ‘It was grinding on me day in, day out—patrolling, heat, and loads I wasn’t built for.’ In this week’s episode, CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with WO2 Tavis Nicholson, the Warrant Officer Physical Training Instructor (PTI) at the Royal Military College – Duntroon (RMC-D), for a follow-on conversation expanding on his earlier episode, ⁠Beyond Snake Bites: The Evolution of Army Physical Training⁠. This time, we move past concepts and dig into the practical reality of how to programme physical training intelligently across Army — not by guesswork, but by understanding the science and applying it tactically. WO2 Nicholson starts by breaking down the foundational physical qualities soldiers actually need to perform: strength as the base of load carriage and durability; aerobic capacity as the silent engine behind every long patrol and recovery cycle; and the role of strength endurance, anaerobic capacity, and power layered on top. Drawing on Bondarchuk’s exercise classifications and years of coaching experience, he explains how units can move away from ‘one size fits all PT’ and instead build training around what soldiers actually lack — using ability-based grouping to tailor strength, aerobic, and endurance work without losing cohesion or tempo. We explore why methods like Repetitions in Reserve (RIR), Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM) lifting, Maximal Aerobic Speed intervals, threshold running, and Zone 2 work differently for different soldiers, and why sequencing sessions correctly matters more than any individual exercise. WO2 Nicholson then talks to what he calls Avatars, scientifically backed Employment Classification profiles that describe where each trade in Army should dedicate their time at PT, contrasting a Rifleman with a Vehicle Mechanic. Whether you’re a section commander looking to better understand your unit PT program, a platoon sergeant trying to reduce injuries, or an officer wanting to understand how to get the most out of your teams in-the-field and on operations, this episode provides the practical tools needed to build soldiers who can perform under pressure, recover quickly, and stay in the fight. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned. Resources: ⁠Little Black Book of Accessory Methods & Workouts⁠
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  The Double-Edged Sword: Jamming and Machine Learning - MAJ Tom Berry 16.11.2025 42min

  ‘If an adversary is operating in a highly enabled headquarters and we’re not, we will fall behind instantly ...’ In this week’s episode, the host sits down with MAJ Tom Berry, a Signals Officer posted to Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC), to unpack the realities of jamming, machine learning, and the future of command-and-control on the modern battlefield. Building on a recent episode titled Tactical Communications with CAPT Jack Virtue, this conversation shifts from line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications to the complex world of electronic warfare, adaptation, and decision-making advantage. We break down the assumptions many of us still hold about jamming — including the belief that enemy EW will simply “switch off” our command posts and force us back to maps and talcs. MAJ Berry explains why jamming rarely works like that, how most systems retain offline data even when real-time feeds are denied, and why jamming is a double-edged sword that exposes the emitter as much as the target. From GPS and SATCOM spoofing to tactical-level EW effects and A2/AD systems, he outlines the conditions, power requirements, and vulnerabilities that determine how and when jamming is actually effective. The episode then explores mesh networks, distributed architectures, and what resilient, reconfigurable communications webs can offer a formation — and their limits. We discuss why mesh networks reduce bandwidth stress on BLOS communications, how they support tempo, and why even the best mesh still depends on a reliable BLOS hop. Finally, we dive into machine learning and its role in enabling commanders and staff. MAJ Berry explains how ML helps find “needles in haystacks,” reduces the staff effort required to decypher useful information, and gives command post staff and commanders the space to create shock, surprise, and decision advantage. We also examine the tension between a commander’s information requirements and the creeping “1000-mile screwdriver” — what leaders need to see versus what they want to see. This episode challenges long-held assumptions about jamming and machine learning — and argues that if we consistently drop to map-and-compass we will be left behind by those armies embracing machine learning to accelerate their decision-making speed. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned.