Five Eyes Connectivity Shephard Studio

The Five Eyes partnership is best known as an intelligence-sharing arrangement. 

But it also has a crucial military dimension, binding together five western militaries and acting as a force enabler for coalition operations.  

Today, with the rise of China as a global power and an increasingly belligerent Russia flexing its muscles, the Five Eyes partnership is perhaps more relevant than ever. 

Welcome to Series 3 of Shephard Studio’s Five Eyes Connectivity podcast, sponsored by our partner Viasat.

In the previous two series, we looked at connectivity issues facing the Five Eyes nations and heard how their militaries are harnessing new technologies.

For this series, we’ll look at the origins of the Five Eyes arrangement, consider what it means for military interoperability, and hear how the unique partnership can and should evolve for the future. 

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the threat of peer warfare is suddenly very real. 

Multi-domain operations will be central to any future conflict for Five Eyes nations, with communications and connectivity a crucial technological focus. 

Welcome to Series Three of Shephard Studio’s Five Eyes Connectivity podcast, sponsored by our partner Viasat. For this series, we look at the origins of the Five Eyes arrangement, consider what it means for military interoperability, and hear how the unique partnership can and should evolve for the future.

In this episode, we dive deeper into military connectivity and hear how the Five Eyes partners are developing new CONOPS based on the model of multi-domain operations.

The US and its allies must adapt to this new character of warfare because they will not have control over every domain of the battlespace on the battlefields of tomorrow.

But as the battlespace becomes more complex, what will it mean for future warfare? 

Although the Five Eyes partnership is traditionally an intelligence-gathering arrangement, it also plays a crucial role in linking together the militaries of its member nations. 

Therefore, the evolving threats and technologies of modern warfare are a vital focus for the Five Eyes nations. 

These advances are taking place against a rapidly-evolving geopolitical backdrop, as shown by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Welcome to series three of Shephard Studio’s Five Eyes Connectivity podcast, sponsored by our partner Viasat.

For this series, we look at the origins of the Five Eyes arrangement, consider what it means for military interoperability, and hear how the unique partnership can and should evolve for the future.

In this episode, we take a deeper dive into the new technologies that will define the future battlefield, from AI to 5G to cyber.

We’ll look at the next generation of communications, asking how the Five Eyes can best harness technological advantages, while protecting themselves against emerging threats.

The Five Eyes partnership is best known as an intelligence-sharing arrangement. 

But it also has a crucial military dimension, binding together five western militaries and acting as a force enabler for coalition operations.  

Today, with the rise of China as a global power and an increasingly belligerent Russia flexing its muscles, the Five Eyes partnership is perhaps more relevant than ever. 

This is Shephard Studio’s Five Eyes Connectivity podcast, sponsored by our partner Viasat.

In the previous two series, we looked at connectivity issues facing the Five Eyes nations and heard how their militaries are harnessing new technologies.

For Series 3, we’ll look at the origins of the Five Eyes arrangement, consider what it means for military interoperability, and hear how the unique partnership can and should evolve for the future. 

Series 3 of the Five Eyes Connectivity podcast is coming soon.

In the chaos of combat, warfighters need fast, secure communications and instant access to information. 
However, the digital information age we know today has changed the nature of warfare across all domains.
Military commanders are acutely aware that new networks, systems and technologies are needed to ensure timely and effective communications.
This is Shephard Studio’s podcast series on Five Eyes Connectivity, sponsored by our partner Viasat.
In Series One, we looked at connectivity issues facing the Five Eyes grouping of countries - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US - through the prism of three key technology areas.
For this second series, we are diving further into these issues, speaking to senior military leaders about the work underway to ensure military communication networks can withstand the expected threats of tomorrow.
In this opening episode, we dive into the connectivity issues facing the US military and its further development of the Multi-Domain Operations concept (also now known as Joint All Domain Operations and Joint All-Domain Command and Control).
This episode was produced by Tony Skinner with research support by Jack Austin, scriptwriting by Gerrard Cowan, and audio editing and mastering by Kevin Stokes.
A big thanks to everyone who gave their time to support the project.
This episode was based on open-source information and all participants were expressing their own opinions, not necessarily those of the organisations they represent.

The UK and its allies are operating in a rapidly changing world. 

While a focus on counter-insurgency operations may have dominated the early years of the century, attention has now shifted to the threat posed by China and Russia. 

This is Shephard Studio’s podcast series on Five Eyes Connectivity, sponsored by our partner Viasat.

In this second series, we are exploring the military connectivity issues facing the Five Eyes nations and looking at the work underway to ensure communication networks can withstand the expected threats of tomorrow.
 Last time we discovered how a new focus on Joint All Domain Operations is dominating future thinking on warfare for the US military and its allies.
 In this episode, we focus on the UK, and hear how a rapidly shifting threat environment is driving a transformation of British military capabilities.

This evolving threat presents new challenges for the UK. Pervasive information and new technologies have enabled new tools and techniques that undermine cohesion while remaining below traditional detection and response thresholds. 
 In response, more of the same will not be enough.