New Delhi: India and Australia have decided to begin work on a new defence cooperation agreement covering the provision of defence articles and services, as the two countries moved to deepen strategic and military ties during the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi on Monday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles co-chaired the dialogue, reviewing progress in bilateral defence cooperation since the inaugural meeting held in October 2025, according to an official statement.
The two sides announced that they would start developing a Memorandum of Understanding on the provision of defence articles and defence services, describing it as the next step in expanding defence industrial collaboration.
They also agreed to explore further cooperation through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel.
Maritime security emerged as a major focus of the talks. India and Australia reviewed progress on a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and agreed to advance maritime domain awareness activities, including cooperation involving maritime patrol aircraft.
The two countries will also explore opportunities to strengthen undersea domain awareness and expand engagement between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific and underscored the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight, and lawful use of the seas in accordance with international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
India and Australia, which co-lead the Maritime Safety and Security Working Group of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, will jointly host a Search and Rescue and tabletop exercise at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai later this month.
The two countries also agreed to continue aircraft deployments from each other’s territories and explore measures to improve operational interoperability under the 2020 Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement.
The dialogue also highlighted growing cooperation in defence science and technology. Both sides expressed interest in future research partnerships in emerging areas such as sensor technologies, while Australia invited India to participate in the 2026 Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit.
The ministers welcomed expanding military engagement between their armed forces. They looked forward to India’s enhanced participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2027 and noted recent cooperation through Exercise Milan 2026 and Exercise Kakadu 2026. The two countries also plan to operationalise their bilateral air-to-air refuelling arrangement during Exercise Pitch Black.
