Contested Ground
Momentum Media
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Top 10 Contested Ground Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Contested Ground episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Contested Ground for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Contested Ground episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Iran’s collapsing sphere of influence
Contested Ground
01/02/25 • 23 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman discuss the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.
- They begin the podcast debating whether the unfolding Israel–Hamas conflict will have the same level of strategic significance for Israel as the Yom Kippur War or the Six-Day War.
- Tarrant, Thompson and Garman then discuss how the conflict has altered the balance of power in the Middle East, severing Iran’s crescent of influence by weakening Hamas and Hezbollah, coupled with the fall of Assad.
- They wrap up the podcast examining what nations, if any, might assume the role of a security benefactor in the Middle East with a weakened Iran, and emerging open-source intelligence (OSINT) collection vectors.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
Where does the misinformation bill leave free speech?
Contested Ground
11/20/24 • 36 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, shadow minister for communications and federal member for Banks David Coleman joins host Liam Garman to discuss the recent misinformation bill that will leave free speech and political discourse in Australia.
- They begin the podcast with a recap of what’s in the bill, including how the government will determine what constitutes misinformation or disinformation.
- Coleman and Garman then unpack some unforeseen consequences of the bill, including how it may impact religious freedoms and genuine political discourse.
- The podcast wraps up discussing the government’s push to remove under-16s from social media.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
Cyber war, global politics and the power of truth: Unpacking conflict in the Information Age
Contested Ground
04/25/25 • 31 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman discuss the application of cyber and information in the modern threat environment, and how the White House is changing voting behaviours across the West.
They begin the podcast by unpacking Thomas Rid's Cyber War Will Not Take Place, discussing the intricacies of cyber operations and how cyber continues to adhere to the Clausewitzian principles describing the political and physical dimensions of conflict.
The conversation then moves across the cyber spectrum to information operations and how cyber is a carriage of information that can be used to destabilise populations.
MAJGEN (Ret'd) Dr Thompson and Tarrant unpack Australia’s response to global political uncertainty and the threat of tariffs, and how the White House administration is impacting elections across the globe.
The podcast wraps up looking at how democracies can use truth as a competitive advantage in the information space.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
The expanding world of state-sponsored cyber warfare
Contested Ground
02/19/25 • 38 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, host Liam Garman welcomes Cyber Daily’s David Hollingworth, a cyber security expert and Cyber Uncut podcast host, to unpack the latest in hacking and cyber security in the new era of grey-zone warfare and nation-state cyber attacks. They begin the podcast examining real world examples of warfare-motivated hacking, threat actors for hire, the impact of cyber threats and incidents for nations around the world.
They then discuss the differences between “smash-and-grab” ransomware attacks with persistent and embedded state-sponsored cyber attacks.
The podcast wraps up examining the increasing speed, accuracy and impact of cyber attacks on industry and government infrastructure across international lines.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
The enduring opportunities of the Australia–US relationship, with former ambassador Joe Hockey
Contested Ground
09/18/24 • 32 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Joe Hockey, former Australian ambassador to the United States, joins hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson and Steve Kuper to discuss the continued importance of the Australia–US relationship.
- The trio begin by discussing the fallout of the latest presidential debate between contenders, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, touching on the implications for the bilateral relationship.
- They also discuss the role of grey zone warfare and information warfare efforts in the upcoming election and how they may shape the outcome.
- Finally, they discuss the importance of the partnership in helping Australia reindustrialise and build a truly sovereign defence industrial base, with a pathway forward to establishing an integrated Australian prime.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
09/13/24 • 22 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Andrew Hastie MP, shadow minister for defence and shadow minister for defence industry, joins hosts Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman to discuss how Australia must develop sovereign capability amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
- The trio begin the podcast discussing how Australia needs to support Defence SMEs to deliver sovereign capability amid rising political uncertainty before looking into additional uses of Australia’s special forces capabilities.
- The shadow minister then discusses how decision makers must clearly articulate the grey zone and kinetic risks that Australia faces, and outlines what some of his key objectives would be in government.
- The podcast wraps up discussing Ukraine’s continued fight for freedom.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
UK riots, Australia’s terror threat, and policing speech
Contested Ground
08/26/24 • 29 min
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Contested Ground podcast, where hosts Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack how nations vie for influence below the threshold of armed conflict.
- In this episode, the hosts unpack how foreign actors sought to stoke tensions during the recent English riots and how social media echo chambers have caused a deep division in society.
- The hosts then look closer to home and how the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) recently raised Australia’s terror threat level, analysing a range of factors that have contributed to this, including how communities responded to the 7 October attacks in Israel.
- They wrap up the podcast debating whether the government and police should monitor speech online, and to what extent.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
Irregular operations in Afghanistan and grey zone warfare in the APAC region, with MAJGEN (Ret’d) Gus McLachlan
Contested Ground
09/09/24 • 28 min
- The podcast begins by analysing what grey zone warfare looks like in the modern geopolitical environment, from resource competition to militarisation of civilian capabilities to compel an adversary beneath the threshold of armed conflict.
- The trio then discuss lessons from the Taliban in Afghanistan, including the utilisation of information to seize control of the narrative.
- They then examine the need to seize freedom of manoeuvre in the online domain, and the risks of forfeiting social media.
Long-range strike, Iran v the GOP and warfighting in the EMS
Contested Ground
08/29/24 • 30 min
- MAJGEN (Ret’d) Thompson begins unpacking the benefits of establishing the ADF’s Cyber Command, drawing together the cyber capabilities of each of the services and enhancing the integrated force’s warfighting effects.
- They then examine Iran’s cyber operations against the Republican Party in the US, and whether Australia and the US should consider expanding ANZUS.
- The trio then discuss the acquisition of the B21 to provide redundancy as Australia procures nuclear-powered submarines and the need to develop clear doctrine across the electromagnetic spectrum.
A sit down with Tim Knight, author of Gallipoli Soup
Contested Ground
05/12/25 • 43 min
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, host Liam Garman is joined by Tim Knight, author of the recently released book Gallipoli Soup, to discuss the Gallipoli campaign and how Knight used narrative to bring to life the challenges faced by both Australian and Turkish soldiers in World War I.
- The pair begin the podcast unpacking Knight’s research methodology, and how a passion for understanding led him to write Gallipoli Soup.
- They discuss how the book was written in a narrative format, with some fictional characters based heavily on memoirs and diary entries from soldiers, to shine a light on the conditions in Gallipoli.
- Knight shares some of his key lessons of the campaign, including the geopolitical and political events that led to Gallipoli.
Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
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FAQ
How many episodes does Contested Ground have?
Contested Ground currently has 28 episodes available.
What topics does Contested Ground cover?
The podcast is about Security, Resilience, Power, Podcasts, Cyber, Business, Politics and Government.
What is the most popular episode on Contested Ground?
The episode title 'The enduring opportunities of the Australia–US relationship, with former ambassador Joe Hockey' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Contested Ground?
The average episode length on Contested Ground is 32 minutes.
How often are episodes of Contested Ground released?
Episodes of Contested Ground are typically released every 7 days, 18 hours.
When was the first episode of Contested Ground?
The first episode of Contested Ground was released on Aug 26, 2024.
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