Australia, Japan, and the United States reaffirmed their commitment on Sunday to bolstering India’s maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing the need for enhanced collaboration in this strategically vital region.
The pledge came during the fourteenth Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting (TDMM), held in Darwin, Australia. The discussions were led by Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin III, who highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts to ensure regional security and stability.
In Darwin, I participated in the 14th Trilateral Defense Ministers Meeting with Australia and Japan. Today, we continue to build on the significant progress our three countries made over the last four years. Our trilateral cooperation has never been stronger. pic.twitter.com/G5j8MPxrLb
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 17, 2024
“We commit to enhancing Australia-Japan-India-United States maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific from 2025, acknowledging India’s leadership role in conceptualizing the idea of closer collaboration in maritime surveillance,” a joint statement issued after the meeting stated.
India’s maritime surveillance efforts in the Indo-Pacific region aim to strengthen naval security and advance a robust Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) framework to address evolving regional challenges.
The trilateral leaders expressed satisfaction with recent joint initiatives, noting, “We welcome the success of our maritime patrol aircraft collaboration activity with India on the sidelines of Exercise KAKADU in September 2024”. This partnership underscores the commitment to fostering deeper operational coordination and enhancing shared security capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.
“🇯🇵🇦🇺🇺🇸Defence Ministers met in Darwin, a very strategically important city, to discuss further defence cooperation to enhance regional security. The trilateral partnership plays a critical role in upholding regional stability. 🇯🇵🇦🇺🇺🇸's commitment is solid.” -Amb Suzuki https://t.co/vw1rTtuu1A
— 🇯🇵Embassy of Japan in Australia🇦🇺 (@JPEmbassyAU) November 17, 2024
In September, the Wilmington Declaration, issued after the Quad leaders’ summit in Delaware, underscored India’s pivotal role in finalizing the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP). The meeting, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, highlighted the importance of this strategic framework. The Quad leaders also reaffirmed their support for its implementation, emphasizing its significance in promoting stability and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
The trilateral joint statement reaffirmed a shared commitment to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo‑Pacific region. It emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law, respecting sovereignty, and ensuring that all nations can make decisions free from coercion or the threat of force.
We reaffirm our steadfast support for ASEAN centrality and unity and the ASEAN-led regional architecture. We look forward to successfully convening the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Lao PDR this week. Additionally, we remain committed to deepening collaboration with partners—including Canada, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom—to enhance engagement with Southeast Asian nations and effectively address the region’s security priorities, the statement further added.
Team BharatShakti
