India, Australia deepen defence ties with maritime, industrial and Quad-focused agenda

By Aroonim Bhuyan

New Delhi, June 1. India and Australia have taken another significant step in expanding their strategic and defence partnership, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles outlining an ambitious roadmap covering maritime security, defence industry collaboration, military interoperability, emerging technologies and Indo-Pacific stability during the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi on June 1.

The dialogue, held at the Manekshaw Centre, reflected the growing strategic convergence between the two countries at a time when both nations are seeking to strengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific amid evolving geopolitical and security challenges.

A defence partnership on a steady upward trajectory

India-Australia defence relations have undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade. Once limited in scope, the partnership has expanded into a comprehensive strategic engagement encompassing military exercises, logistics cooperation, intelligence sharing, maritime security and defence industry collaboration.

The relationship received a major boost in 2020 when the two countries elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. One of the key outcomes of that summit was the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA), enabling reciprocal access to military bases and logistical support for each other’s armed forces.

Since then, bilateral military engagement has intensified. Australia rejoined the naval exercise Exercise Malabar in 2020 after a gap of more than a decade, while bilateral exercises such as Exercise Austrahind have steadily expanded in complexity and scale.

The inaugural India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue held in October 2025 created a structured mechanism to guide defence cooperation. The second edition built upon that momentum, with both sides reviewing progress and identifying new areas for collaboration.

Renewing defence and security cooperation

During the dialogue, the two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the long-term vision articulated by their respective prime ministers for a closer security partnership.

A major focus was the ongoing effort to renew and strengthen the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation, a foundational framework that guides bilateral defence engagement. The ministers welcomed progress in this process, signalling the intention of both governments to further institutionalise defence ties.

Maritime security takes centre stage

Maritime cooperation emerged as one of the most important pillars of the discussions.

Recognising the strategic significance of the Indian Ocean and broader Indo-Pacific maritime space, the two countries reviewed progress in developing a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.

The ministers agreed to advance collaborative maritime domain awareness initiatives, including cooperation involving maritime patrol aircraft. They also discussed opportunities to enhance undersea domain awareness, an area of increasing importance amid growing submarine activity across the Indo-Pacific.

Cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command is also expected to increase, reflecting a broader effort to strengthen maritime governance and security.

Both ministers reiterated their commitment to maintaining a free, open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. They underlined support for freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce and adherence to international law, particularly the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Expanding cooperation in the Indian Ocean

India and Australia currently serve as co-leads of the Maritime Safety and Security Working Group under the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

As part of that responsibility, the two countries will jointly host a Search and Rescue and tabletop exercise at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai later this month. The exercise is expected to improve coordination and preparedness for maritime contingencies across the Indian Ocean Region.

The ministers also agreed to explore mechanisms to improve procedural interoperability during joint exercises and operations. These efforts build upon the 2020 logistics pact, which has enabled greater operational interaction between the two militaries.

Both sides further agreed to continue deployments of military aircraft from each other’s territories, helping personnel develop operational familiarity and increasing practical cooperation.

Defence industry cooperation moves forward

One of the most significant outcomes of the dialogue was the decision to begin work on a memorandum of understanding concerning the provision of defence articles and defence services.

The proposed agreement is expected to create a framework for deeper defence-industrial engagement and facilitate collaboration between companies in both countries.

Defence industrial cooperation has gained increasing prominence in recent years as India seeks to expand indigenous defence manufacturing under its self-reliance initiatives and Australia aims to diversify defence partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.

The ministers welcomed Australia’s first defence trade mission to India and the Australia-India Defence Industry Roundtable held in October 2025, describing them as important milestones in strengthening industry-to-industry engagement.

Future cooperation will also be pursued through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel.

Emerging technologies and defence innovation

The dialogue highlighted the growing importance of defence science and technology cooperation.

The two countries agreed to explore collaborative research in emerging technology domains, including sensor technologies and other advanced capabilities relevant to future military operations.

Marles also invited India to participate in the 2026 Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit, providing another avenue for scientific collaboration between defence establishments.

Military exercises reach new levels

The expanding scope of military exercises reflects the increasing maturity of bilateral defence ties.

The ministers expressed satisfaction over growing engagement among the armed forces and looked ahead to enhanced Indian participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre in 2027.

They also welcomed Australia’s participation in Exercise Milan 2026 and India’s involvement in Exercise Kakadu 2026 earlier this year.

The two countries plan to participate in each other’s multinational air exercises during 2026. An important development will be the operationalisation of the bilateral air-to-air refuelling arrangement during Exercise Pitch Black, enhancing interoperability between their air forces.

Military cooperation is also expanding into specialised operational areas. The latest edition of Exercise Austrahind evolved beyond traditional training to focus on amphibious combat operations and littoral manoeuvre, reflecting the maritime orientation of contemporary Indo-Pacific security challenges.

Australia welcomed India’s participation in Operation Render Safe 2026, while India accepted Australia’s invitation to participate in the submarine rescue exercise Exercise Black Carillon.

Strengthening institutional linkages

The two ministers noted increased information sharing between operational headquarters and welcomed the growing habit of strategic consultation.

The inaugural Joint Staff Talks scheduled later this year are expected to provide another mechanism for enhancing coordination between the defence establishments.

The ministers also recognised the importance of secure communications across strategic, operational and tactical levels and supported continued exchanges among subject matter experts to advance this objective.

In the field of military education and training, both sides encouraged officials to finalise arrangements for deploying an Indian instructor to the Australian Defence College during 2028-29. The initiative is expected to deepen professional military education cooperation and strengthen strategic understanding between future military leaders.

Quad and Indo-Pacific convergence

The dialogue underscored the growing alignment among the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – India, Australia, Japan and the United States.

The ministers reaffirmed support for the Quad’s maritime domain awareness initiatives, particularly the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration programme.

They also welcomed India’s operationalisation of the Indian Ocean component of the Quad’s Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness through the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region.

Looking ahead, the two countries agreed to work toward developing a common operational picture across the Indo-Pacific by leveraging existing maritime domain awareness initiatives under the Quad framework.

Strategic significance

The outcomes of the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue highlight the rapid evolution of a partnership that has become a central pillar of both countries’ Indo-Pacific strategies.

From logistics cooperation and maritime surveillance to defence industry collaboration, emerging technologies and multilateral security initiatives, New Delhi and Canberra are steadily broadening the scope of their engagement. As geopolitical competition intensifies across the Indo-Pacific, the dialogue demonstrated a shared determination to strengthen military interoperability, enhance regional maritime security and contribute to a rules-based regional order.

The meeting also reinforced the view that India and Australia increasingly regard each other not merely as partners, but as key strategic stakeholders in shaping the future security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region.