Pat Conroy on defence reform, industry and the Pacific

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 cost blowouts - ABC News · Papua New Guinea – Australia Mutual Defence Treaty 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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Pat Conroy on defence reform, industry and the Pacific is an episode from The National Security Podcast by ANU National Security College.

This episode is 41:33 long.

This episode was published on Jan 22, 2026.

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