India, Australia Deepen Defence and Maritime Cooperation

The two countries agreed to enhance military interoperability through increased participation in joint and multinational exercises.

India and Australia have agreed to further strengthen their defence partnership, maritime security cooperation and defence industry collaboration following the second India-Australia Defence Ministers' Dialogue held in New Delhi.

The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, who reviewed progress made since the inaugural dialogue in October 2025 and outlined new areas of cooperation to enhance regional security and stability.

Focus on Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific

A major focus of the discussions was expanding maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The two countries reviewed progress towards finalising a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and agreed to strengthen maritime domain awareness initiatives.

Both sides are committed to advancing cooperation through maritime patrol aircraft activities and exploring opportunities to improve undersea domain awareness. They also encouraged greater collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia's Maritime Border Command.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, while underscoring the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded trade in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Defence Industry Partnership Set for Expansion

India and Australia announced plans to begin developing a Memorandum of Understanding on the Provision of Defence Articles and Defence Services, marking a significant step towards deeper defence industrial cooperation.

The ministers highlighted the strategic importance of defence industry engagement and welcomed the growing interaction between companies from both countries. They also agreed to pursue further exchanges through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel.

Future collaboration in defence science and technology was also discussed, particularly in emerging fields such as sensor technologies. Australia invited India to participate in the 2026 Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit.

Military Exercises and Operational Cooperation to Increase

The two countries agreed to enhance military interoperability through increased participation in joint and multinational exercises.

The ministers welcomed Australia's participation in Exercise Milan 2026 and India's involvement in Exercise Kakadu 2026. They also expressed support for India's enhanced participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2027 and the operationalisation of the bilateral Air-to-Air Refuelling arrangement during Exercise Pitch Black.

Australia welcomed India's participation in Operation Render Safe 2026, while India accepted an invitation to join the submarine rescue exercise Black Carillon. The ministers also noted the evolution of Exercise Austrahind to include amphibious combat and littoral manoeuvre operations.

Quad Cooperation and Maritime Awareness Strengthened

The ministers welcomed the growing strategic convergence between Australia, India, Japan and the United States through the Quad framework.

Both countries reaffirmed support for the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration initiative and committed to enhancing cooperation on maritime domain awareness. They also 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.

The two sides agreed to work towards developing a Common Operational Picture across the Indo-Pacific, helping improve coordination, interoperability and maritime security among regional partners.

The dialogue reflected the growing strategic partnership between India and Australia as both nations seek to strengthen defence ties, enhance regional security cooperation and contribute to peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.