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India and Australia on Monday agreed to deepen defence industrial cooperation, expand maritime security collaboration and explore joint research in emerging technologies, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles held the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi.
The meeting, held at the Manekshaw Centre, reviewed the steady expansion of defence ties over the past year and outlined an ambitious agenda to strengthen military interoperability, defence industry partnerships, and cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
According to the Defence Ministry, the two ministers took stock of progress since the inaugural dialogue held in October 2025. They reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the long-term strategic vision set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“The ministers welcomed the significant progress in the bilateral relationship and reflected on the enhanced consultation and cooperation between the two countries,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
A major outcome of the dialogue was the decision to begin work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Provision of Defence Articles and Defence Services, a move expected to provide fresh momentum to defence industrial cooperation between the two countries.
Both sides underscored the strategic importance of defence manufacturing partnerships and agreed to expand engagement through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel. The ministers also welcomed Australia’s first defence trade mission to India and the Australia-India Defence Industry Roundtable held last year, describing them as indicators of growing industry-to-industry engagement.
The two countries also agreed to explore cooperation in futuristic technologies, including defence science and technology research in areas such as sensor technologies. Marles invited India to participate in the Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit in 2026.
Maritime security featured prominently during the discussions, with both sides reviewing progress on a proposed Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. India and Australia agreed to enhance maritime domain awareness cooperation, including coordinated activities involving maritime patrol aircraft and efforts to improve undersea domain awareness.
The ministers also called for stronger cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command.
Maritime security featured prominently during the discussions, with both sides reviewing progress on a proposed Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. India and Australia agreed to enhance maritime domain awareness cooperation, including coordinated activities involving maritime patrol aircraft and efforts to improve undersea domain awareness.
The ministers also called for stronger cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command.
Both countries also welcomed increased information-sharing between operational headquarters and looked forward to the inaugural Joint Staff Talks scheduled later this year. Discussions were also held on strengthening secure communications across strategic, operational and tactical levels.
The meeting also reviewed cooperation within the Quad framework. The two ministers welcomed growing strategic convergence among India, Australia, Japan and the United States and reaffirmed support for the Quad’s Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration initiative.
They noted the operationalisation of the Indian Ocean Region component of the Quad Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness through the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram and agreed to work towards developing a common operational picture across the Indo-Pacific.
The dialogue reflected the rapidly expanding strategic partnership between India and Australia, with both countries increasingly aligning their defence and security priorities amid evolving regional security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Team BharatShakti
