The Cove Podcast
The Cove
The Cove Podcast brings you candid, unfiltered conversations with the leaders, soldiers, and scholars shaping the Australian Army today. Each week, our host CAPT Todd Lempa sits down with uniformed officers and soldiers leading the change in the Australian Army as well as academics and international partners to unpack what modern warfare demands.
From redefining leadership and resilience in the modern Army to exploring lessons from combat operations, command culture, human performance, and the future of land power, The Cove Podcast reveals how the Australian Army thinks, learns, and fights. Whether it’s a Regimental Sergeant Major reflecting on combat, a general discussing Warrior Culture, or a psychologist unpacking mental readiness—each episode delivers a grounded look at the people and ideas driving the Australian Army forward.
Insightful, grounded, and authentic — this is where the Australian Army thinks out loud.
From redefining leadership and resilience in the modern Army to exploring lessons from combat operations, command culture, human performance, and the future of land power, The Cove Podcast reveals how the Australian Army thinks, learns, and fights. Whether it’s a Regimental Sergeant Major reflecting on combat, a general discussing Warrior Culture, or a psychologist unpacking mental readiness—each episode delivers a grounded look at the people and ideas driving the Australian Army forward.
Insightful, grounded, and authentic — this is where the Australian Army thinks out loud.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 9, 2017 • 11min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 9 - The Taji Gardener
ADF on operations - In episode nine, we meet a NZ Army soldier who provides force protection for the Task Group and has built a garden at Taji. He also talks about his Anzac heritage.
Oct 9, 2017 • 9min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 8 - Anzac Reunion At Taji
ADF on operations - In episode eight, we hear the story of two former school friends – one Australian and one New Zealander – who were unexpectedly reunited on deployment with Task Group Taji IV.
Oct 9, 2017 • 10min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 7 - Corporal Levi Stripp by The Cove
ADF on operations - In episode seven, Corporal Levi Stripp tells us about the medical training delivered to Iraqi Security Forces as part of the mission.
Oct 9, 2017 • 11min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 6 - Colonel Richard Vagg
ADF on operations - In episode six, Colonel Richard Vagg explains how the mission is progressing as the Task Group reaches the halfway point of its deployment.
Oct 8, 2017 • 11min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 5 - Lance Corporal Dylan Hart
ADF on operations - In episode five, we meet Lance Corporal Dylan Hart who has set himself the challenge of learning five new Arabic words each day as part of his mission to train Iraqi Security Forces.
Oct 8, 2017 • 14min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 4 - Private Saatchi Siri
ADF on operations. In episode four we meet Private Saatchi Siri who shares her experiences as an evacuation medic at the Taji Military Complex just north of Baghdad.
Oct 8, 2017 • 16min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 3 - Warrant Officer Class Two Adam Krongold
ADF on operations - In episode three, we meet Warrant Officer Class Two Adam Krongold who tells us how training is delivered to Iraqi Security Forces at the Taji Military Complex just north of Baghdad
Oct 8, 2017 • 11min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 2: Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gardiner
ADF on operations - In series two, we follow the members of Task Group Taji IV as they complete their six-month deployment in Iraq. In episode two, we meet Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gardiner, the Commanding Officer of the Training Task Unit, Task Group Taji IV.
Oct 8, 2017 • 9min
Our Stories: Series 2 Episode 1 - Captain Tom Wickham
ADF on operations - Task Group Taji is a combined force of Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel that first deployed to Iraq in May 2015 at the request of the Iraqi Government. In series two, we follow the members of Task Group Taji IV as they complete their six-month deployment in Iraq. In this first episode, we meet Captain Tom Wickham who tells us about the training delivered to Iraqi Security Forces at the Taji Military Complex just north of Baghdad.
Oct 5, 2017 • 10min
Our Stories: Series 1 Episode 7 - Warrant Officer Class One Jae Robinson & The Farewell Parade
ADF on operations - In episode seven, the final interview before Task Group Taji IV’s arrival in Iraq, we learn about the Farewell Parade that took place at Robertson Barracks in Darwin on 11 November 2017. The Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Armoured Regiment, Warrant Officer Class One Jae Robinson, shares his thoughts as Task Group members prepare to leave Australia.
