India and Australia on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles co-chairing the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi.
The high-level meeting, held at the Manekshaw Centre, focused on enhancing maritime security cooperation, defence industrial collaboration, interoperability between the armed forces, and joint efforts to maintain a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
The two ministers welcomed the significant progress made in bilateral defence relations since the inaugural dialogue held in October 2025 and advanced the long-term vision outlined by the leaders of both countries to bolster collective security and regional stability.
A key outcome of the dialogue was the decision to begin work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the provision of defence articles and defence services, aimed at deepening defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. The ministers also emphasized the importance of expanding collaboration in emerging technologies and defence research, including sensor technologies.
The discussions covered maritime security cooperation, with both sides reviewing progress towards finalising a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. India and Australia agreed to enhance maritime domain awareness activities, including collaboration through maritime patrol aircraft and efforts to strengthen undersea domain awareness.
The two countries also pledged to deepen cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command and continue working together to address evolving maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Reaffirming their shared vision for the region, the ministers underscored the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded lawful trade in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
As co-leads of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security, India and Australia announced plans to jointly host a Search and Rescue and Tabletop Exercise at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai later this month. The initiative aims to strengthen maritime safety and cooperation across the Indian Ocean Region.
The two sides also agreed to build on the 2020 Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement by exploring measures to improve procedural interoperability during joint exercises and operations. They will continue aircraft deployments from each other’s territories to enhance operational familiarity.
Highlighting growing defence industry engagement, the ministers welcomed Australia’s first defence trade mission to India and the Australia-India Defence Industry Roundtable held in October 2025. Both countries agreed to pursue further exchanges through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel.
The dialogue also focused on strengthening military-to-military cooperation. The ministers appreciated increasing engagement between their armed forces and looked forward to India’s enhanced participation in Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre 2027. They also welcomed Australia’s participation in Exercise Milan 2026 and India’s participation in Exercise Kakadu 2026.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over expanding military cooperation into new domains. Australia welcomed India’s inaugural participation in Operation Render Safe 2026, while India welcomed Australia’s invitation to participate in the submarine rescue exercise Black Carillon.
The ministers also reviewed progress in information sharing between operational headquarters and welcomed plans for the inaugural Joint Staff Talks later this year. They stressed the importance of secure communications at strategic, operational and tactical levels and agreed to continue cooperation in this area.
On training and professional military education, the two leaders encouraged officials to finalise arrangements for the deployment of an Indian visiting instructor at the Australian Defence College during 2028-29, aimed at strengthening knowledge exchange and strategic alignment.
The dialogue also highlighted cooperation under the Quad framework. India and Australia, along with Japan and the United States, reiterated their commitment to enhancing maritime domain awareness and interoperability across the Indo-Pacific. The ministers expressed strong support for the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration initiative and welcomed India’s operationalisation of the Indian Ocean Region programme under the Quad Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness through the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram.
Both countries agreed to work towards developing a common operational picture across the Indo-Pacific by leveraging existing maritime domain awareness initiatives.
