Building interoperability amid adversity – Captain Phillipa Hay, Royal Australian Navy

COVID-19 has reshaped the world and RIMPAC '20 wasn't immune, but it did in some ways enhance the way the participants conducted the operations. On this Defence Connect podcast, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Captain Phillipa Hay, RAN, to discuss the ongoing transformation of the Royal Australian Navy and the role interoperability plays in enhancing collective security in the Indo-Pacific. CAPT Hay and Tarrant discuss the latest round of RIMPAC exercises, of which CAPT Hay was the first Australian woman appointed to command a task force in the 49-year history of Exercise Rim of the Pacific. The two discuss the growing levels of interoperability and capability aggregation developing between Australia and its Indo-Pacific partners and the role they play in supporting the government's initiative of a "free and open" Indo-Pacific. CAPT Hay and Tarrant also discuss the complexities of managing and conducting the world's largest maritime warfare exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic and the agility with which all partners improvised, adapted and overcame the challenges. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team