Michelle is on the mend so this week we're bringing in a guest. Former Australian diplomat Jeremy Dicker joins us to give us a view of what life is like as a player on the international stage. What is expected of an Australian diplomat? What is it like to find yourself rubbing shoulders with the world's most powerful political players? And why would you go to a Trump rally in Vegas? And we unpack Joe Biden rainchecking his four-way date with Albo and the QUAD in Sydney. In diplomacy, true love rarely runs smooth! Produced by DM PodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our apologies but Michelle has a nasty head cold and David’s irrational fear of nasal blockage meant he wouldn’t stay in the studio after a particularly explosive sneeze. So we have to rerun an old ep, and what could be better than the tale of of an out-of-luck ASIO tech getting stuck in a roof? Enjoy and we’ll be back to normal service next week. Produced by DM PodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three different stories from three different parts of the world allow a very candid look at the modern intelligence world and how it operates. First the execution of an Iranian hardliner accused of being an agent of the UK; then the seemingly oafish drone attack on the Kremlin; and finally ASIO's legal hot water over luring an ex-US Marine pilot back to Australia for arms dealing. It all gives us a glimpse at the machinations of the intelligence community, the global politics it serves, and the good, the bad and the downright ugly aspects of the never-ending shadow war that is boiling just out of sight. Produced by DM PodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Defence Strategic Review is the biggest examination of Australia's capability to wage war in nearly 30 years, and the findings have had chins wagging. So what is the state of Australia's Defence Force? Who are the big winners and losers, and what changes can our fighting men and women expect to see? And what has David's fascination with pocket knives got to do with it? Lock and load for this weeks ep! Produced by DM PodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just as we were taking a well-earned and all-too-brief break, the intelligence community was rocked by two spy dramas: First, a US Airman dumped a trove of Top Secret documents on Discord; while in Australia a businessman was arrested and charged under our Foreign Interference laws for cooperating with suspected Chinese spies. So who are these guys? What would posses a 21 year old intelligence clerk to dump classified documents into an online chatroom (and why would he have access to that sort of material anyway)? Why would the Chinese MSS be interested in a seemingly innocuous Australian businessman? What sort of future do both of these men face? And what does Minecraft have to do with all of this?!Be on the look out for creepers this week! Produced by DM PodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.