Australia and India have taken significant steps to strengthen their defence partnership, with both nations committing to an expanded framework of cooperation across land, air, maritime, and industrial domains.
The announcements came after the inaugural Australia–India Defence Ministers’ dialogue, co-chaired by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Canberra on Thursday (October 9, 2025).
The statement issued by Australian government reads that the Dialogue underscored the growing strategic convergence between the two Indo-Pacific democracies and reflected their shared vision for regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Both Ministers welcomed the signing of the Implementing Arrangement on Mutual Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation, marking a major milestone in maritime collaboration. Progress on operationalising the Air-to-Air Refuelling Agreement, signed in 2024, was also reviewed.
Mr. Singh is on a two-day official visit to Australia. The meeting marked five years of the India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.
The Defence Ministry in a statement stated that in the meeting, Mr. Singh highlighted the rapid growth of defence engagement in recent years. The discussions culminated in the signing of three key agreements — an agreement on information sharing, an MoU on submarine search and rescue cooperation, and terms of reference for establishing joint staff talks.
It further reads that the two sides discussed a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap, aimed at enhancing maritime domain awareness and operational interoperability. Australia acknowledged India’s role in fostering maritime stability in the Indian Ocean Region and invited participation in submarine rescue exercise Black Carillon. India, in turn, welcomed Australia’s continued participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises including Talisman Sabre, Austrahind, and Puk Puk.
Recognising the importance of defence industrial cooperation, the Ministers announced Australia’s first defence trade mission to India (7–10 October 2025) and confirmed the upcoming Australia–India Defence Industry Roundtable in Sydney. They also reaffirmed commitment to collaboration in emerging technologies such as AI, unmanned systems, and secure communications, under the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel. Australia thanked India for offering maintenance and repair facilities for Royal Australian Navy ships in Indian shipyards, it reads further.
Education and personnel exchanges will also deepen, with additional Indian students joining the Australian Defence College in 2026 and a slot opening at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2027, it says.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific, upholding freedom of navigation and adherence to international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also discussed enhanced cooperation through multilateral formats such as the Australia–India–Indonesia trilateral and the Quad.
Minister Marles accepted Minister Singh’s invitation to visit India for the next Annual Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in 2026.
