Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald Is it time to ditch Australia's 'good doggy' diplomacy?
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Mar 27, 2026 David Kilcullen, former Australian Army lieutenant colonel and strategic thinker, lays out how modern warfare and geopolitics demand tougher choices. He discusses drones and small networked systems, risks in the Strait of Hormuz, threats to economic chokepoints, AUKUS tech priorities, and why Australia should craft clearer, more transactional national-interest policies.
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Cheap Networked Systems Outpace Big Platforms
- Modern warfare favours many small, cheap, networked systems over single-use expensive platforms.
- Kilcullen contrasts aircraft carriers like the USS Ford with cheap anti-ship missiles and drones that can negate them rapidly and affordably.
Political Decision Making Can Ignore Military Warning
- Political leaders can override military advice for political reasons, increasing strategic risk.
- Kilcullen recounts routine Pentagon war-gaming on Iran and finds Trump's claimed surprise about outcomes implausible given prior warnings.
Iran Targets Maritime Transit And The Petrodollar
- Iran is weaponising maritime transit and the petrodollar to gain leverage.
- Kilcullen explains Iran charges transit fees in yuan and targets the dollar-denominated oil system, affecting global trade flows with minor per-barrel cost impacts.