Australia’s Chief of the Defence Force: reflections on half a century of service

How is the Australian Defence Force preparing for the challenges of a changing world? Does the appointment of a naval officer as the Chief of the Defence Force signal a shift in focus to the maritime domain? What does a career in the Australian Defence Force mean in the 21st century? In this episode, Admiral David Johnston joins Rory Medcalf to discuss the insights he has gained through his career in the Royal Australian Navy, and how he sees the future of Australia’s defence. Admiral David Johnston AC RAN was appointed Chief of the Defence Force on 10 July 2024. He has extensive experience across a range of leadership, maritime and joint operations, training and capability management appointments in Australia and overseas. Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of NSC. 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 CDF Speaking at the ASPI 2025 Defence Conference: National preparedness and national support for defence CDF Podcast on Australia’s defence strategy in the indo-pacific We'd love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to

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Australia’s Chief of the Defence Force: reflections on half a century of service is an episode from The National Security Podcast by ANU National Security College.

This episode is 44:02 long.

This episode was published on Nov 20, 2025.

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