India, Australia Unveil Roadmap To Deepen Defence And Maritime Cooperation

India and Australia have agreed to further strengthen their defence partnership, with both sides outlining a broad roadmap for deeper military, maritime and industrial cooperation during the second India–Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue held in New Delhi, according to a joint statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles for the talks. The two leaders reviewed progress made since the inaugural Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in October 2025 and discussed ways to expand cooperation across multiple sectors.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the long-term vision set out by the Prime Ministers of both countries. They welcomed efforts to renew and strengthen

the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and agreed to continue working towards greater regional security and stability.

Focus On Maritime Security And Indo-Pacific Stability

Maritime security featured prominently in the discussions. Both sides reviewed progress on a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and agreed to advance maritime domain awareness activities involving patrol aircraft. They also decided to explore opportunities to strengthen undersea domain awareness and encourage greater cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command.

Had an excellent meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mr. Richard Marles in New Delhi. Together we reviewed the full range of bilateral defence cooperation and discussed ways and means to enhance it further.

The India-Australia Defence Partnership… pic.twitter.com/tls1ErDR9R

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 1, 2026

The two countries reiterated their support for a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. They underscored the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as uninterrupted trade and lawful use of the seas 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’s Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security, India and Australia will jointly host a Search and Rescue and tabletop exercise at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai later this month.

Enhancing Military Interoperability

The ministers agreed to explore measures to improve interoperability during military exercises and operations. Building on the 2020 Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement, they decided to continue aircraft deployments from each other’s territories to strengthen operational familiarity.

Both sides also welcomed increasing engagement between their armed forces and looked forward to greater participation in each other’s military exercises. They noted India’s enhanced role in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2027 and welcomed recent participation in Exercises Milan and Kakadu. The two countries also aim to operationalise the bilateral air-to-air refuelling arrangement during Exercise Pitch Black.

Defence Industry And Technology Cooperation

In a significant step towards defence industry cooperation, India and Australia announced plans to begin work on a Memorandum of Understanding for the provision of defence articles and defence services. Both sides highlighted the growing importance of defence industrial collaboration and agreed to expand engagement through existing bilateral mechanisms.

The two countries also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in defence science and technology, particularly in emerging fields such as sensor technologies. Australia invited India to participate in the Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit in 2026.

Cooperation Expands Into New Areas

The ministers welcomed the expansion of military cooperation into newer areas. They noted the evolution of Exercise Austrahind to include amphibious combat and littoral manoeuvre operations. Australia welcomed India’s participation in Operation Render Safe 2026, while India welcomed Australia’s invitation to take part in submarine rescue exercise Black Carillon.

Both sides also praised the growing exchange of information between operational headquarters and looked forward to holding the inaugural Joint Staff Talks later this year. They stressed the need for secure communication channels at strategic, operational and tactical levels.

The ministers encouraged officials to finalise arrangements for the deployment of an Indian visiting instructor to the Australian Defence College in 2028–29 as part of efforts to strengthen professional military education and strategic engagement.

Quad Cooperation And Maritime Domain Awareness

India and Australia reaffirmed their support for cooperation through the Quad alongside Japan and the United States. They backed initiatives aimed at enhancing maritime domain awareness and interoperability, including the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration and the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness.

The ministers welcomed India’s operationalisation of the Indian Ocean Region programme under the Quad’s maritime domain awareness initiative through the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram. They also agreed to work towards developing a Common Operational Picture across the Indo-Pacific by building on existing maritime surveillance efforts.