India, Australia Deepen Defence Ties at Key Dialogue

• India and Australia deepen defence and maritime cooperation efforts
• Both nations expand interoperability through exercises and strategic coordination
• Defence industry collaboration gains momentum under strategic partnership framework

India and Australia have strengthened their growing strategic partnership by holding the 10th edition of the Defence Policy Talks in New Delhi, reaffirming their commitment to deeper military cooperation, maritime security, and regional stability in the Indo-Pacific. The high-level dialogue reflects the increasing convergence between the two countries as they expand defence coordination under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.

The discussions were led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad from the Indian side and Bernard Philip, Australia’s First Assistant Secretary for International Policy. Both countries reviewed recent progress in bilateral defence cooperation and welcomed the institutionalisation of the annual India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, introduced in 2025 to strengthen strategic consultations and defence coordination.

A key focus of the talks was enhancing interoperability between the armed forces of both nations across multiple domains. India and Australia agreed on further steps to deepen operational cooperation through joint military exercises, training programmes, and maritime engagements. Officials highlighted the increasing complexity and frequency of bilateral exercises, including India’s participation in Australia-hosted military drills and naval collaborations between the Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.

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The two sides also reviewed outcomes from the 2024 India-Australia Annual Leaders’ Summit, particularly efforts to renew and strengthen the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation. Discussions included plans to develop a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap aimed at improving coordination in the Indo-Pacific region amid evolving geopolitical and security challenges.

Defence industrial collaboration emerged as another important area of engagement. Both nations acknowledged the strategic importance of defence industry integration and welcomed initiatives such as the India-Australia Defence Industry Roundtable held in Sydney in 2025, Australia’s first defence trade mission to India, and defence-focused discussions during the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi earlier this year.

Training exchanges and people-to-people military interactions were also discussed during the meeting. Programmes such as the Gen Bipin Rawat Memorial Young Officers Exchange Programme and exchanges between military academies of both countries are expected to strengthen mutual understanding and operational cooperation.