Irregular warfare in Ukraine and Russian information operations, with MAJGEN (Ret’d) Gus McLachlan

09/25/24 • 32 min

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman invite Major General (Ret’d) Gus McLachlan back for a follow-up podcast, unpacking irregular warfare, information operations and military modernisation.

They begin the podcast discussing Russia’s “little green men” during the invasion of 2014, and how Russian units were able to take over swathes of Eastern Ukraine.
MAJGEN (Ret’d) McLachlan then unpacks his priorities in uniform in modernising the Australian Defence Force.
The podcast then examines how two Russian nations were charged with laundering money to spread disinformation ahead of the US presidential election.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

They begin the podcast discussing Russia’s “little green men” during the invasion of 2014, and how Russian units were able to take over swathes of Eastern Ukraine.
MAJGEN (Ret’d) McLachlan then unpacks his priorities in uniform in modernising the Australian Defence Force.
The podcast then examines how two Russian nations were charged with laundering money to spread disinformation ahead of the US presidential election.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

Previous Episode

The enduring opportunities of the Australia–US relationship, with former ambassador Joe Hockey

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

Next Episode

Espionage and disrupting non-state adversaries

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson and Liam Garman unpack the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and how state actors disrupt their non-state adversaries.

The podcast begins with an analysis into the fragility of supply chains, examining the pager attack, and how adversaries can conduct espionage through acquisition.
They then discuss strategies at disrupting non-state adversaries, including whether a decapitation strategy would work for Hezbollah in spite of its failure to disrupt irregular forces elsewhere.
The podcast also examines the division that this represents in Australia, with announcements that the Australian Federal Police will go after those waving Hezbollah flags.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team