An uncertain world, with MAJGEN (Ret’d) Mick Ryan

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, Major General (Ret’d) Mick Ryan joins hosts Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson and Phil Tarrant to discuss the recent conflict in Ukraine, modern security and the worsening geopolitical situation. Ryan begins the podcast by providing an analysis into the ongoing War in Ukraine, drawing two conclusions that the recent conflict has reaffirmed: the importance of realistic strategy, and that strategies must be based on tested assumptions. He then explains that Russia cannot win the conflict, meaning that their best outcome is to bring the war to an end in the medium term. Both Ryan and Thompson then analyse the marriage between information and warfare, and how the Ukrainians have seemingly implemented Gerasimov’s notion of hybrid warfare better than the Russian military. The conversation continues, with Ryan outlining the essential takeaways for Western governments from the recent conflict, including the importance of the integration of military and national power and the reaffirmed importance of joint domain capabilities including cyber. The trio wraps up the podcast by analysing the recent geopolitical vicissitudes in the Asia-Pacific – including an analysis on China’s Taiwan ambitions and the impact of China’s arrangements with the Solomon Islands. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team