
Pat Conroy on defence reform, industry and the Pacific
From The National Security Podcast by ANU National Security College
January 22, 2026 · 42 min
About this episode
Pat Conroy discusses Australia's defence reform, strategic partnerships in the Pacific, and the future of defence acquisition.
How integrated is Australia’s approach to statecraft across defence, diplomacy, development and industry – and how visible is that integration to the public? What is the strategic logic behind Australia’s expanding network of Pacific partnerships and treaties? What are the details of the reforms to defence acquisition and how will this impact the future of Australia’s defence industry? In this episode, Pat Conroy joins Rory Medcalf to discuss Australia’s strategic outlook, defence reform, regional engagement and the future of defence acquisition. The Hon Pat Conroy MP is the Minister for Defence Industry, Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, and the Federal Member for Shortland. Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of the ANU National Security College. His professional experience spans more than three decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, journalism and academia. TRANSCRIPT Show Notes · NSC academic programs – find out more · Press Conference, Parliament House | Defence Ministers · Government unveils Department of Defence overhaul amid delays and…
People in this episode
Host: Rory Medcalf
Guest: Pat Conroy
Topics covered
- defence reform
- Australia's strategic outlook
- Pacific partnerships
- defence acquisition
- regional engagement
- statecraft integration
Keywords
- defence
- Australia
- Pacific
- reform
- industry
- statecraft
- diplomacy
- development
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ANU National Security College, Department of Defence, ABC News
Places: Australia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea
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