With Scott Morrison’s lawyers attempting to have Cabinet documents declassified prior to his appearance at the RoboDebt Royal Commission, we take a good hard look at what Cabinet documents really are and why they’re so protected. Why is it so controversial that Scomo is calling for their release? How often do they find their way into the public domain? And how did one of the biggest Cabinet breaches in Australian history give David’s comedy career a boost? The Chatham House Rule applies to every...
Dec 11, 2022•28 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast With the Wagner Group, the paramilitary outfit run by "Putin's Chef", making headlines over its role in the Ukraine conflict, this week we take a look at the world of mercenaries. The commodification of war is a growth industry and it turns out hiring armies is more the historical norm. What does this mean for national militaries moving forward? Who are the big players and where can they be found? And why didn't David ever get recruited into the world of corporate espionage? Make sure you're loc...
Dec 04, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we are joined by the AFR's Ukraine correspondent Misha Zelinsky (no relation) to talk about his time in Ukraine. What is the mood on the ground? Where does the incredible resolve of the Ukrainian people stem from? And what can you expect to happen when you walk into the home town of your presidential namesake and ask in Australian-accented Russian "Can anyone tell me about Volodimir Zelensky?" A fascinating interview with someone who has truly been there and done that in the hottest sp...
Nov 27, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast After the announcement that the recent hack of Medibank's database was most likely Russian cyber criminals, we take a look at Russia's cyber capability. How interlinked are Russian cyber intelligence assets and the criminal fraternity? Just how good is the Russian cyber warfare machine? And what is Australia doing to counter this growing threat? Make sure your firewall is fully up to date for this weeks ep! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 20, 2022•28 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast The typical spy is non-descript, discrete and stays out of the limelight, so it’s surprising how many celebrities spent their time in the shadows working in the seedy world of espionage. International chefs, sports stars, criminals, crooners and more than a few actors played a part in many an intelligence operation that changed the course of history, and some very nearly paid with their lives. Who knew Hollywood could really be so bad ass? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 13, 2022•35 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast So where did the coronavirus come from? With Vanity Fair and Pro Publica publishing the clinching proof that Covid likely came from a lab, only to have the article debunked within minutes of publication, we thought it's time to truly discuss it. Was it a badly run lab or an unhygienic wet market that spawned Covid? Is there any chance that we will ever know the truth? And just how difficult is it to remain completely impartial when your podcast co-host believes you to be a radical bolshevik with...
Nov 06, 2022•38 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast With the 20th National Congress of the China Communist Party over and Xi Jin Ping now locked in (possibly for life) as President, we take a deep dive into a dark and threatening Xi. In a life that started as a feted prince of Mao’s revolution, to the harsh punishment he had to bear after his father’s fall from favour, to his dogged rise through the CCP ranks, Xi’s life seems to follow a single-minded path of service to the party and a ruthless rise to the top. What does it mean for the world? Ho...
Oct 30, 2022•33 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Since the days of pirate ships “false flags”have been used to justify military operations, coups and suppression of the citizenry, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the current conflagration in Ukraine. With gas pipelines bursting and bridges burning, and everyone pointing fingers at everyone else, we take a look at what constitutes a false flag, how they have been used throughout history, and just which flags are doing what in Eastern Europe. Be prepared to hoist your colours this week ...
Oct 23, 2022•26 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast With a population with nearly 40% of its population under the age of 25, we should probably now more about Islamic Republic of Iran than we do, so this week, we're heading off the Middle East to see what we can learn. How did Iran wind up where it is? What is fuelling the growing protests in its urban centres? And what is the future for its authoritarian Islamic government? Keep your head covered for this ep. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 16, 2022•33 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast Part 2 of our interview with CIA veteran Marc Polymeropoulos, where we dive into his life living with Havana Syndrome, the mysterious illness/injury that US spies and diplomats have been suffering. Is it an attack or just a coincidence? Marc gives us his theory and we also have chat about Ukraine, Putin and where that whole sorry mess might end. Be sure to stand well back if you're microwaving popcorn this week! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 09, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we are joined by former CIA clandestine ops head and one of the most decorated officers in US intelligence, Marc Polymeropoulos. In this first ep we look at Marc's career from analyst to field officer in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond, the state of US intelligence and this die-hard Red Sox fan's inability to understand cricket. Batter up! This is a cracker of an episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 02, 2022•33 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast With the passing of Elizabeth II, we take a bite-size look at the relationship between Her Maj and British intelligence, as well as that of her namesake 400 years ago. How close were both Elizabeths to the world of espionage, how was the Royal art collection an intelligence nightmare, and was Elizabeth II the only regent to have a James Bond working for her? A right royal episode indeed! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 28, 2022•12 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast With the Ukrainian counter-offensive bloodying the Russian nose and Putin losing serious face into the bargain, everyone's favourite former KGB officer responded with a chilling ultimatum - back off or The Bombs drop. Mobilising 300K Russian reservists, holding referenda in the occupied regions of Ukraine and threatening to go nuclear, it appears Putin is going all-in in a desperate ploy to maintain his authority at home. So should we be reinforcing our blanket forts and stockpiling water? Or is...
Sep 25, 2022•29 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast Inspired by a listener’s question into why governments are so keen to show off their latest weapons (considering those things are meant to be secrets), this week we blow the ballast and plunge into the depths of military spending. How much are we spending, what are we spending it on, and why are these billion dollar purchases often such bad deals? And just what does Tom Cruise have against Canada? If you’re asking how much this weeks ep cost, you can’t afford it. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
Sep 18, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Not since the Cold War has the Russian intelligence community been so clandestinely active abroad, and the sudden uptick in activity from Russian sleepers or illegals has the governments of Europe scrambling to find Reds under any number of beds. So, how does this most arcane of tradecrafts work? What goes into creating a sleeper? And how come the West is finding it so easy to find them? Check your passport number and lock up your meta data for this ep! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...
Sep 11, 2022•25 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast With a spate of suicides, murder-suicides and just plain murders, it appears that some of Russia's biggest companies are radically downsizing their executive cohorts with some terminal and involuntary redundancy packages. Who would have thought that then position of oligarch was suddenly the most dangerous job in the world? Does this signify a sudden rapid increase in executive depression? Or is Vladimir Putin enacting a ruthless restructuring of his corporate cronies? Don't stand to close to an...
Sep 04, 2022•28 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast With the eviction of the Russian government from the site of their new embassy in Canberra, and the ACT government putting the land up for diplomatic tender, we thought this week would be the perfect time to look at the frontline of Cold War combat - Embassies. To what lengths have governments gone to compromise foreign missions in their countries, what steps do diplomats and spies take to protect themselves, and what is David‘s opinion on the architectural worthiness of the Chinese embassy to A...
Aug 28, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's not every day an ex-president gets raided, or an ex-PM gets caught giving himself jobs on the sly, but as the Chinese curse goes "May you live in interesting times". This week we have a look at the intelligence implications of Don's cache of classified documents and Scotty's secret cabinet of one. What were these two reprobates' plans? What does it mean for the US and Oz ICs? And what might happen next? This episode has been declassified. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 21, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all know how difficult senior citizens can make life, but no-one would have dreamed that a visit by an octogenarian could cause so much trouble. But that's what happened when Nancy Pelosi dropped in on Taiwan. The furious action in the South China sea over the last few weeks is of concern, but it also poses an interesting intelligence opportunity. With everyone moving pieces on the board, this is the perfect time to take a step back and have a good hard look at just what everyone is doing, ho...
Aug 14, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast As promised in our Assassination ep, this bite-size looks at the "Study in Assassination", the 1953 CIA file on the who, why, where, and how of extralegal killing centred on the CIA operations to overthrow the Guatemalan government. We also take a peek at the growing relationship between the CIA and JSOC - the US special operations group - and how that is causing headaches for the US Congress. And what is the personnel cost of the US drone strike program? All this in a tiny strike package! See o...
Aug 10, 2022•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast With the recent drone strike on Al Qaeda head Ayman al Zawahiri and the very public shooting of former Japanese PM Shinzo Ade, it seems the darkest tool of the intelligence world is coming out of the shadows. Assassination is seen by many as an act of morally repugnant barbarism, but regarded by others as the ultimate precision weapon. This week we focus our cross hairs on the application of extra-judicial killing: what actually constitutes an assassination; how and why is it used; and how is it...
Aug 07, 2022•30 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast After a combination of a listener asking if we were enjoying Channel Ten's Hunted and David talking at length with a contact about the 1984 levels of public surveillance growing in China, this week we're looking at how difficult (or easy) it is to make a getaway. From the confected CCTV footage of Hunted, to the frighteningly real combination of facial recognition and AI analysis combined with experiments in social credit in the Peoples Republic, what lengths would you have to go to to avoid cap...
Jul 31, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sex. We all enjoy it but even today it is surprising how much trouble it can get us into. With reports of honey traps, the use of clandestine sexual encounters, on the rise in the intelligence world, we take a look at how people can still find themselves in the stickiest of situations. We also take a peep at some of the more infamous cases, including one extraordinary tale involving an opera singer, a French diplomat, and a very dark room. Prepare for a cold shower after this ep! See omnystudio....
Jul 24, 2022•26 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast In part two of our dive into at possibly the greatest intelligence heist in history, we look at what Edward Snowdon got and what it means for the US and its allies. What does it mean for the US intelligence community, what effects has it had on the US' enemies and what might it mean for Five Eyes members like Australia? And with Snowdon now living in Moscow has it helped or hindered Putin in his bid to recreate the glory of the Russian Empire? Who knew a thumb drive could cause so much damage? S...
Jul 17, 2022•24 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast Who would have known that social occasions like dinners, soirees and cocktail parties were a prime place to find spies. But that's where so many initial contacts are made between the professional intelligence officer and potential agents. In this bite size we have a look at the process of recruiting an agent, as per the CIA Handbook of Recruitment. From lavish dinners to free tickets, if a diplomat is trying very hard to be your friend, chances are you have something they want. Be sure to check ...
Jul 13, 2022•10 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast Described by a CIA co-worker as a "genius among geniuses", Edward Snowdon managed to pull off the greatest intelligence heist in history. He absconded with literally millions of classified documents, and left the US and allies still unsure of exactly what secrets he took. In this first part of a two part examination we look at how Snowdon found himself at the heart of the intelligence beast, how he managed to walk out the door with a treasure trove of intel, and how that dumb terminal you're use...
Jul 10, 2022•29 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast With European governments booting Russian diplomats and intelligence assets from their countries, the question has to be asked: Where are they all going? The answer: Switzerland. Home of chocolate, cheese and almost every large international organisation, Switzerland is a spy's paradise, and the gateway to the rest of Europe. Keep your Swiss Army knife handy as we yodel our way through the Alps in this bite-size! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 07, 2022•7 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast The recent attempted hacking of an undersea communications cable off Hawaii gives us the perfect chance to look beneath the surface of telecommunications security, particularly that of ocean-spanning cables. Starting with the legendary Operation Ivy Bells, we examine the how, who and why these trunk lines are hacked, how common it is, and just what it might mean for an island like Australia. Take a deep breath, this episode is going deep. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 03, 2022•27 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast Another listener request, this week about surveillance, how to spot it and how to avoid it. In the age of CCTV, internet tracking and electronic chicanery, the old trade craft of foot, vehicle and static surveillance is still going strong (although if you think you're being followed it probably says more about you than it does about the police state). Then again, as the old saying goes: Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. And if you're looking in a shop window a...
Jun 29, 2022•9 min•Ep 99•Transcript available on Metacast Further damning revelations from the January 6 Committee paint a picture of a United States in crisis. From the Proud Boys running the January 6 storming of the Capitol building as an incognito military assault, to the GOP gaming the US electoral system, to Trumpist Senators, Congressmen and lawyers queueing up for pardons, could we be watching the fall of an empire in real time? And what does this mean for the security community in the US and beyond? Seriously, who would have thought a dodgy re...
Jun 26, 2022•27 min•Ep 98•Transcript available on Metacast 
