The Cove Podcast

• Survival Starts with Hygiene: How to Thrive in the Field - LTCOL Gordon Wing MBBS

  ‘Again, you’re talking to someone who used to shave and drink out of the same cup ...’ In this week’s episode, we welcome back LTCOL Gordon Wing MBBS, the Senior Medical Officer in the Directorate of Army Health. An infantry Combat Team Commander turned Medical Doctor, LTCOL Wing brings his expertise in military medicine and prevention. His first appearance on the podcast covered the Military Employment Classification System; this time, we explore a topic with immediate, practical consequences for every soldier — field hygiene. From the campaigns at Milne Bay and the Huon Peninsula to the more recent deployment of Australian forces to INTEFET in East Timor, history reminds us that disease and poor sanitation can cripple armies just as easily as the enemy. General Douglas MacArthur is famously quoted as saying ‘[t]his will be a long war if, for every division I have facing the enemy, I must count on a second division in hospital with malaria and a third division convalescing from this debilitating disease.’ In this conversation, LTCOL Wing explains why hygiene remains a commander’s responsibility, and how discipline in the basics — cleanliness, waste management, water control, and illness prevention — is a combat multiplier. He breaks down what good hygiene looks like in austere environments, from simple routines every soldier can maintain without showers, to wider practices like dipping cams and medication. We discuss common illnesses in the field, how quickly poor hygiene can degrade operational effectiveness, and what leaders at every level can do to prevent infections before they spread, particular by enforcing strict routines and checks. Drawing on his medical expertise combined with his time in command in-the-field, LTCOL Wing offers practical, evidence-based advice: how antimicrobial wipes stack up against soap and water, how bacteria is passed through the urinary tract, and the role of medications like doxycycline in prevention. He also shares some essential hygiene rules every soldier should follow during high-tempo operations to remain healthy and combat effective. This episode is a timely reminder that maintaining health in the field is as much about discipline and leadership as it is about medicine — prevention against illness or injury in our potential operating environment will sustain a large fighting force to win. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned. Leading source: The Battle Lab’s article on Field Hygiene published on The Cove.

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• Targeting the Future: the Army's Newest Brigade - BRIG Nick Wilson

  ‘We are at the cutting edge of making what we have work.’ In this week’s episode, we sit down with BRIG Nick Wilson, Commander of the Australian Army’s newest brigade, the 10th Fires Brigade. Having just returned from Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, BRIG Wilson talks us through putting his brigade through the ultimate test providing short-range, ground-based air defence, long-range multi-domain strike and specialist targeting effects to the 1st Division, the 2nd Division and the Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC). We start by discussing the current state of play in Army Fires and the role his brigade plays within the Australian Army and the wider ADF, seeing the introduction of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) and the vast array of munitions that can be fired from each to enable the joint fight. The brigade now comprises of the 54th Siege Battery (soon to become the 14th Regiment), the 16th Regiment and the 9th Regiment and is enabled by the 1st Intelligence Battalion and the 7th Signals Regiment. We explore the brigade’s unique command and control relationships, the sensor-to-shooter link that underpins its effectiveness, and the way the 10th Fires Brigade integrates both offensive strike and air defence effects across Australia and abroad. BRIG Wilson also highlights what the brigade achieved on Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, including the first-ever Australian Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) launch from a HIMARS from Mount Bundey Training Area to Bradshaw Training Area, a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) launch in Shoalwater Bay and a simulated HIMARS Rapid Infiltration (HIRAIN) mission onto Christmas Island with coalition partners. This is joint targeting and how the Australian Army’s fires enable the combined joint fight. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned

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• Beyond Snake Bites: The Evolution of Army Physical Training - WO2 Tavis Nicholson

  ‘[W]e're not like a professional sporting team that our whole week is designed around that gameday on Saturday, [our] people are required to do their job day in, day out ...’ In this week’s episode, we sit down with WO2 Tavis Nicholson, the Warrant Officer Physical Training Instructor (WOPTI) at the Royal Military College – Duntroon, to explore how physical preparation underpins preparing for and winning wars in the Australian Army. Drawing on his experience training across conventional units and with Special Forces candidates, WO2 Nicholson outlines how physical fitness translates directly into a soldiers’ resilience, availability, and durability on combat and in war. He discusses his philosophy of programming — know the demands, know the baseline, train the gap — and how this approach ensures soldiers are fit for purpose rather than following passing fitness fads. Drawing lessons from his time with elite sporting teams, he highlights how careful programming, minimum effective dose training, and a focus on longevity can help extend soldiers’ careers and minimise injury. At the same time, he cautions against lowering standards to match societal norms, arguing instead for holding the line on the physical requirements that military service demands. This conversation is a deep dive into the art and science of physical training, balancing strength, endurance, and recovery with the unique occupational requirements of Army. Every physical training session must be balanced against the high physical demands of our day-to-day jobs. It’s about being intentional, adaptable, and consistent — ensuring every soldier is combat effective when it counts and to prevent injury. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned and WO2 Nicholson’s second episode on the practical elements of becoming and staying fighting fit.

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• Small Boats and Brave Men – Dr Tom Richardson PhD

  ‘[T]hat’s a brigade-sized amphibious operation planned and executed in a week …’ In this week’s episode, we dive into the Huon Peninsula Campaign of 1943–44 and examine how the Australian 9th Division used littoral operations to outpace and outfight the Japanese. Our guest this week – Dr Tom Richardson PhD – is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales – Canberra. He specialises in military history and amongst his many publications is an article called Small Boats and Brave Men, published in the Australian Army Journal. Following the fall of Lae in September 1943, the Australians turned their focus to securing Finschhafen, a vital harbour on the Huon Peninsula. Using small landing craft to bring tanks, artillery, and supplies forward along the coast, the 9th Division overcame difficult jungle terrain and fierce resistance to seize the town. From there, the campaign culminated in the dramatic combined-arms assault on Sattelberg Ridge, where infantry, armour, artillery, and engineers worked together to dislodge entrenched Japanese defenders. These actions highlight how littoral mobility and a coalition force enabled the Australians to fight heavy and manoeuvre decisively in some of the most demanding conditions of the Second World War. ————————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned Leading Sources: Richardson, T. (2023). Small Boats and Brave Men: The 9th Division and the use of the Littoral in the Huon Peninsula Campaign, September 1943 – January 1944. Australian Army Journal, Vol. 19, No. 2. Available at: Army Research Centre Dean, P. J. (Ed.). (2013). Australia 1943: The Liberation of New Guinea. Cambridge University Press.

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• Getting Real: Learning from Feedback and Failure - WOFF Ken Robertson

  ‘[T]he best piece of advice I've had in years past is that if it hurts a little ... there's probably a fair element of truth to it...’ In this week’s episode, we explore how to seek feedback and turn it into actionable advice for commanders. Our guest, WOFF Ken Robertson, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Force (SEAC), is the Australian Defence Force’s most senior enlisted leader. As the first person appointed to the role, he has advised GEN Angus Campbell and ADM David Johnston while representing the soldiers, sailors, and aviators of the ADF. WOFF Robertson shares his journey from being a fiercely competitive junior aviator and sportsman to recognising the power of deliberate reflection and embracing honest feedback over decades of personal growth. He outlines his approach to gathering insights from tens of thousands of ADF members, uncovering the real value in spending time with those he represents. He also explains how he distils this feedback into clear, meaningful advice for the CDF and senior leaders. Today, he actively seeks feedback from people who challenge his perspective, a habit that has helped him become confident in his identity as both a leader and a person. He deliberately immerses himself in the ADF squadrons, ships, and battalions to witness and celebrate their achievements firsthand. In doing so, he strengthens trust, stays connected to the lived experiences of the force, and ensures the advice he provides to the nation’s top commanders is grounded in the reality of those achieving amazing things for our organisation. ————————————————————— Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have planned

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