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PODCAST

The Grumpy Strategists

Strategic Analysis Australia

The Grumpy Strategists chat about defence and security issues, from an Australian perspective. We say simple things about complicated issues that help cut through the politics and careful bureaucratic talking points. Critical but constructive conversations about the big security and technology issues affecting our world. RSSVERIFY

government politics

All Episodes

34:48

Episode 35: Australian 'wombat resistance' to Trump...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2025/03/22

Marcus and Michael explore the Government's confused position on disaster relief and the military. They assess the nuances in wombat-based pushback on US policies & set out the merits of the Government's emerging masterplan for tariff immunity. They outline various 'Plan B's for dealing with an unreliable or a more demanding America, canvass F-35 kill switches and the likely path for Defence in the March Budget.

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57:57

Walk This Way: Grumpies & ADM cover Defence hit...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2025/03/11

Like Run DMC & Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" collaboration, except on.....defence stuff....Marcus & Michael join the AustDefMagazine crew to assess Defence officials' patient explanations of why everything they touch takes 10 years, minimum. Marcus reveals his previous career in standover work & organised crime as we assess Trump 2.0 6 weeks in. And we look at AUKUS' health and reason for living in the new world.With thanks to Pres Trump & the 3 PLA warships for highlighting the

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29:03

Episode 33 - Grumpy Strategists live at the...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2025/02/27

Recorded at the 2025 Australian Defence Magazine Congress, the Grumpies look at the world & ask so what? Oz is facing a national crisis due to events in the US, with Russia & Europe, & given disturbing scenarios for next steps here in the Indo Pacific. Damage to fundamental underpinnings of the decades long AUKUS project & the core of the Oz-US alliance are serious enough that alternative measures like hedging with others & increasing our own capacity are essential. But

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42:14

When Karens take power; building a hedge of frigates,...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2025/02/14

The Grumpy Strategists apply science to the Australian government's early engagement with the Trump Administration. Insights from prey species threatened by a predator help. They look at Japan's approach to hedging against US risks and how this connects to the new frigate program & Australia. The episode ends going through the numbers on US Navy missile use in the Red Sea, and celebrating the ridiculous - ludicrous even - success that the latest numbers from Defence on exports indicate.

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42:46

Episiode 31- Biden valedictory, Trump 2.0 prelude &...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2025/01/21

Marcus and Michael are back after a luxurious break to assess what Joe Biden ever did for us, what Trump 2.0 looks like as the rollercoaster starts, and what the unsleeping Australian Govt elves got up to over the Christmas period (these elves seem to be Bad Santa's little helpers). & we cover the Varghese review's approach to anyone providing alternative ideas to Canberra's Public Service mandarins - they'll be looked after as well as the Soviets cared for the Czar's children.

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36:35

Defence's disappointing Annual Report & Hypersonic...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/12/01

In Episode 30, Marcus and Michael look at what the numbers in Defence's Annual Report tell us about Defence's 'fasttracked' work on missiles, helicopters & ships. The numbers show systemic underachievement, not the generational, transformational change we hear so often from ministers & officials. Parents would be very unhappy with this report on their Defence child. But Houthi progress is impressive, as is the historic growth in senior Defence positions.

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41:47

Episode 29: Washington cyber hygiene. Military...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/11/13

The Grumpy Strategists answer the call from Australia's Embassy in Washington. They search for meaning in Defence's new religious texts - the Strategic Review and Defence Strategy - amongst the snowstorm of other reviews, strategies & plans. The new Workforce Plan gets a makeover - it's now beige. A Senate Estimates satellite highlight gets airtime, while the Chief of Navy and Deputy Prime Minister Marles show their mettle.

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26:06

Episode 28: Sub schedules on fire, Deterrence by...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/11/04

With a fire in the UK's sub construction facility & US sub production slowing, the only good news is that predictions of delay are apparently ahead of schedule....Meanwhile, a new Guided Weapons plan establishes two things: 1. Deterrence by Documentation, given the heavy weight of paper Australia can now bring to bear on itself & its adversaries - and 2. a shed CAN take 8 years to announce & build,

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38:13

Episode 27 - Gullible Goldfish, Ghost Fleets & a...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/10/23

The Grumpy Strategists analyse two big announcements - the $20bn Henderson shipbuilding precinct & a $7bn deal on missiles apparently wrangled by Delivery Minister Pat Conroy. They also get close to the bottom of the mysterious Offshore Patrol Vessel mystery, and come to terms with the digital world's new term of art: 'enshittification' and what lessons it holds about Australian Defence organisation outcomes. With thanks to The Little Black Book of Scams.

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39:45

Episode 26: Acceleration - that word doesn't mean...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/09/25

The Grumpy Strategists discuss what Acceleration means inside the walls of Australia's Defence organisation. Defence Science 'accelerates' - with a bold plan to deliver by 2034 what it had committed to deliver by 2030. Blackhawk helicopter deliveries accelerate by slowing down. And submarine & Hunter frigate cost spirals keep on keeping on. Good news - US consultancy spend is up on subs, our Aussie cash is helping out. Oh, & there's some Army chat too.

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30:48

Episode 25 -the Army gets wet. An empty AUKUS sub...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/09/12

On the Grumpy Strategists' 1st birthday, Marcus and Michael assess the Army's new plan to get wet & find that the Army's focus is on its exquisite small force, with no plans for expansion during a war and with its new maritime strike mission yet to shift thinking from the traditional land battle role. And the Australian Sub Agency's new Corporate Plan is disturbingly full of circular logic but content free. That's bad for growing trust in the Agency to deliver, particularly when contrasted with

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25:00

Makin' missiles, a business insurgency & schedule as...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/08/29

Marcus and Michael catch up on news about makin' missiles, assess whether the secret to change in Defence is a cashed up billionaire, andare bemused by the new 'Schedule is King' for everyone but Defence itself. They wrap up with F-35Bs, now that the Army is taking itself littorally.

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27:38

Disappearing tanks, million dollar missiles, SNAUKUS...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/08/14

SAA's Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge cover the Australian Army's tank gap, the Navy's celebration of missile test firings, and the fact free Frankenstein imagery on AUKUS subs out of Navy officials lately. The episode ends with animal-based analysis of the US elections and what the Trump-Vance or Harris-Walz options might mean for Australia.

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37:03

The Great Debates: a civil nuclear debate

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/07/26

Episode 1 of the Great Debates -on topics in Australia that need discussion but are reduced to shouting matches from inside closed bubbles. Green shirted Marcus is Mr Renewables and black suited Michael is the pro-nuclear Darth Vader of the episode. Listen to hear if a civil chat about radioactive waste, windfarms and Australia's energy mix is possible.

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35:40

Post-shot US election update, Ukrainian & Ozzie...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/07/18

In Episode 22, Marcus and Michael discuss the US election & the alliance post debate and failed assassination, before covering Ukraine military assistance and the alternative realities in Australia's contribution to Ukraine and our own defence. The episode ends with the strange case of the alleged Russian signaller spy and the failed $160m vetting project that might have helped catch them earlier.....

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25:29

Grumpy Strategist Makers' Series - the workforce...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/07/03

SAA's Marcus Hellyer talks with Rob Kremer, Kinexus' Director and Defence Sector lead about defence industry prospects and pressures. Rob puts the workforce demands by Defence into a wider economic and societal perspective to set out effective strategies for government and companies. Australian cities have quite different skills concentrations and demographics that flavour the necessary approaches.

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28:20

Consequences, consequences: budget settings starve...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/06/29

The Grumpy Strategists outline the structural consequences for the Air Force from the new permanent spend on ships & subs in the Defence budget. They cover another structural issue damaging Australia's security - the growing secrecy and lack of accountability of the Defence bureaucracy at a time of record spending. Disturbingly, a new Parliamentary committee that should help seems set to result in more secrecy & less public knowledge.

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35:44

Episode 20: Cringers, crawlers, walkers & runners...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/06/18

The Grumpy Strategists look at the emerging cult of AUKUS & its faith-based arrangements. They also set out who is going to win the US election using very dubious 'psycho social analysis' from Michael, and end discussing crawling, walking & running when it comes to human development & the comparatively stunted speed of development of Australia's domestic guided weapons enterprise.

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36:36

Episode 19 - Collins subs life extension realities &...

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/06/06

The Grumpy Strategists set out practical ways that the plans for keeping Australia's Collins class subs operating might need to change to enable the AUKUS Virginia class subs to be brought into Australian service. They also set out the deep flaws in the new 'Safeguarding Australia's Military Secrets' law - a badly crafted bureaucrat's dream, but a disaster for anyone wanting a career after the military or service in Defence. We may have needed a permit for this episode to avoid jail. Under the new

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22:55

The Grumpy Strategist Makers' Series Episode - Austal

The Grumpy Strategists ·

2024/05/29

Michael Shoebridge talks with Paddy Gregg, CEO of Austal, about the company's history as a builder of commercial and military vessels for decades now. We discuss its stocked up order book both here & in the US, and the future, including Australia's general purpose frigates. Austal USA is making command modules for US Virginia Class submarines and is the biggest revenue earner for Austal, while at Henderson, Austal is ramping up fast with landing craft orders. Hanwha's bid is covered, with Paddy

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60 results

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