In Episode 52 of Bogan Intelligentsia, we sit down with Major Cameron Leckie — retired ADF officer, strategic analyst, and outspoken critic of Australia's overseas military entanglements — for a no-holds-barred critique of Australia's decision to deploy the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft (with ~85 personnel) to the Gulf amid the escalating Iran conflict. The discussion explores diplomatic limits this creates, echoes of Suez-style imperial overreach, Australia's place in an "end of empire" world as a US junior partner, and medium-to-long-term economic hits: oil price spikes, supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, inflation pressures, trade vulnerabilities, and risks to energy security for a fuel-import-dependent nation. 

Podcast Details: Duration: ~74m | Release Date: Monday, March 16, 2026 | Major Cameron Leckie – Retired ADF Officer, Strategic Analyst & Defence Critic 

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