# The Alliance | Your questions answered

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/global-roaming-with-geraldine-doogue-and-hamish-macdonald-6755533/the-alliance-your-questions-answered.md
Podcast: [Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald](https://stenobird.com/podcast/global-roaming-with-geraldine-doogue-and-hamish-macdonald-6755533)
Published: 2026-09-18T01:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/global-roaming/the-alliance-your-questions-answered/107094488
Audio file: https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/oj/Z/s2.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1746

## Resource

After The Alliance mini-series drew a flood of listener mail, Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue open the mailbag and bring in Guardian Australia's Ben Doherty to answer the hardest question listeners asked: how much control does Australia actually have over the US military presence on its own soil? Doherty's investigation found the US has access to roughly 110 of Australia's 150 defence installations, including Pine Gap, permanently commanded by a US soldier, and bases used by nuclear-capable bombers. From 2032, we could also see nuclear-armed submarines through HMAS Stirling in Perth. Doherty reveals that, under the US policy of "strategic ambiguity," Washington won't say whether nuclear weapons are on board, and Canberra wont ask.Plus, what are the "shared values" our alliance is based upon and what are the alternatives?Guest: Ben Doherty, senior reporter with Guardian Australia. You can read Ben's full investigation here. 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

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## Transcript

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