# Episode 137 Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/asia-pacific-defence-reporter-6383527/episode-137 Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/asia-pacific-defence-reporter-6383527/episode-137.md Podcast: [Asia Pacific Defence Reporter](https://stenobird.com/podcast/asia-pacific-defence-reporter-6383527) Published: 2026-05-05T00:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6461aa4dcd2b40001119e5eb/e/69f830d61bc494509e40e8fe/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/asia-pacific-defence-reporter-6383527/episodes/episode-137 Duration seconds: 1175 ## Resource The stalemate in the Middle East continues with neither the US or Iran backing down. US President Donald Trump continues to do the bidding of Russia by withdrawing some troops from Germany.  On the local scene, Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson addressed the National Press Club and outlined a vision noticeably different from the government's - particularly regarding the US alliance. He stated the obvious that under Trump the US is no longer the reliable, predictable ally it once was.  He remains enthusiastic about the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines but is less certain about their delivery schedule. He said that AUKUS Pillar One needs to be examined in detail and if it looks like the schedule is slipping, Australia should consider alternatives such as the purchase of B-21 long range bombers. We conclude with some wise words from former foreign minister Gareth Evans and DFAT head Peter Varghese. Both believe Australia could be doing a lot more to strengthen our security without being totally dependent on the US. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/asia-pacific-defence-reporter-6383527/episodes/episode-137/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/asia-pacific-defence-reporter-6383527/episode-137.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.