Bushmaster PMV funding, long-range strike expansion and cyber defence

About this episode

The episode discusses Australia's defence landscape, focusing on funding for military capabilities and cyber defence strategies.

Questions remain around sovereign manufacturing. Can Australia continue scaling its land and cyber capabilities while balancing industrial capacity and long-term strategic priorities? In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, Stephen Kuper, Robert Dougherty and Bethany Alvaro discuss a significant week across Australia's defence landscape, in particular the $750 million investment to expand the Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle fleet (PMV). The discussion explores the platform's operational performance, lessons learnt from deployment in Ukraine, and emerging considerations around counter-drone technologies, including the potential integration of directed-energy systems. The team also assesses news about the broader land capability developments, including a $2.3 billion push to enhance the Army's long-range strike capacity through systems such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. Attention then turns to domestic industrial capacity, with a closer look at Australia's ability to manufacture key components locally, such as vehicle engines. On leadership, the team discusses the appointment of a new defence secretary, marking a historic milestone and signalling a…

People in this episode

Host: Stephen Kuper

Guests: Robert Dougherty, Bethany Alvaro

Topics covered

• defence funding
• cyber defence
• land capabilities
• industrial capacity
• long-range strike
• military technology

Keywords

• Bushmaster PMV
• long-range strike
• cyber defence
• defence strategy
• industrial capacity
• military technology
• directed-energy systems
• counter-drone technologies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Australia, Army, national cyber reserve force, defence secretary

Products: Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System

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