Is Australia ready for drone warfare?

Is Australia ready for drone warfare?

From Ukraine to Iran, the rapid advancement of cheap and mass-produced drones is reshaping battlefields around the world. Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, only four militaries around the world were using small drones. Now, according to today's guest on Global Roaming, there are more than 40. Host Hamish Macdonald visits a counter-drone technology factory in an undisclosed location in Sydney to find out more. Guest: Terry Van Haren, vice president of DroneShield, an Australian military technology company Mentions: Global Roaming with Peter Pomerantsev: Is Russia's time as a dominant power coming to an end? [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/global-roaming/russia-global-superpower-for-how-much-longer/106569712] Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

Is the Iran war supercharging the energy transition?

The war with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil and gas prices through the roof. As countries scramble to secure energy supplies, sales of rooftop solar and electric vehicle sales are soaring. Is the war forcing the world to break its fossil fuel addiction? And how viable are alternative low-emissions fuels?    Guest: Dani Alexander, the chief executive of the University of New South Wales Energy Institute Get in touch:We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

'If you're weak you'll get invaded': Poland prepares for war with Russia

On the frontline with Russia, Poland is now spending a massive $90 billion on defence, bolstered by a loan from the EU and multinational forces from Europe and the US stationed in the country. In Warsaw, the view is that the only way to stop Russia is deterrence. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has condemned what he calls the disintegration of NATO from within, declaring the greatest threat is not its external enemies.  And asked whether Poland can rely on US President Donald Trump to intervene if Russia attacks, Poland's deputy foreign minister suggests the answer lies closer to home. Guest: Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland Get in touch:We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

Is Russia's time as a dominant power coming to an end?

Russia has crossed the threshold of losing more soldiers than it's able to mobilise [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-25/russia-military-reputation-economy-after-ukraine-war-years/106382378?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf280037827&utm_campaign=abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com]. Some troops are paying their commanders [https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/04/01/on-the-front-lines-russian-soldiers-pay-officers-to-stay-alive?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=21228634515&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21228661560&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh-HPBhCIARIsAC0p3cfvWGR_13ZG6h-TQnUE7l3qBRp423lInXMWondOKs91RwPCcDvxdcQaArZ9EALw_wcB] to get a spot at the back of the Russian forces. Others are deserting entirely [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/4/how-to-escape-russias-army-soldiers-serving-in-ukraine-seek-a-way-out]. And when soldiers do return home, they often bring the violence with them [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e7vl01gngo]. President Putin controls a powerful pro-war narrative [https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260417-russia-trains-teenage-influencers-to-churn-out-pro-war-content], which helped rationalise this war of choice to his people. But are the effects of this propaganda beginning to wane? And after a harsh winter, what has changed within Ukraine? As Russia fails to bring this war to a close, and the world moves to phase out fossil fuels, Russia's main export [https://www.iea.org/countries/russia], how much longer can Russia hold on to the pretence of global superpower status? Guest: Peter Pomerantsev -- Kiev-born writer; political analyst; senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute [https://snfagora.jhu.edu/] at Johns Hopkins University; co-director of the Arena Initiative; co-founder of The Reckoning Project [https://www.thereckoningproject.com/]; author of Nothing is True and Everything is Possible [https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Peter-Pomerantsev-Nothing-is-True-and-Everything-is-Possible-9780571338528] and This Is Not Propaganda [https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Peter-Pomerantsev-This-Is-Not-Propaganda-9780571338641]. Geraldine's further reading recommendations: * The Closing of the Russian Mind: How Putin's Ideology Took the Nation Hostage [https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-closing-of-the-russian-mind-how-putins-ideology-took-the-nation-hostage--9781509568154], by Andrei Kolesnikov. * Inside the belly of the beast [https://www.thetablet.co.uk/books/inside-the-belly-of-the-beast/], by Noonie Minogue. * Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire [https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/russia-starts-here-9781472991379/], by Howard Amos. Get in touch:We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

Indonesia Rising: The struggle to reclaim history

Indonesia declared independence from Dutch rule in 1945, sparking a violent revolution. It was the first country to do so in the wake of World War II and a move that quietly shaped the Global South into what it is today.  How did the revolution start? What effect did it have internationally? And why is it not marked as a significant moment of global history? Guest: David Van Reybrouck, Belgian historian and author of Revolusi [https://www.penguin.com.au/books/revolusi-9781529931525]. Mentioned: Geraldine and Hamish spoke about the Indonesia Calling (1946) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGb3XipJ2AE] documentary, at the end of the episode. It's a part of Australia's and Indonesia's shared history: Trade union seamen and waterside workers refused to service Dutch ships that contained weapons destined for use against Indonesia's independence movement. Get in touch:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [global.roaming@abc.net.au] Find all episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. *Hamish is in Indonesia as the winner of the 2024 Elizabeth O’Neill Journalism Award.