India and Australia Deepen Defence and Maritime Ties

The report by 'The Australia Today' stated that the two countries reviewed the progress of bilateral defence ties during the 10th Defence Policy Talks held in New Delhi on May 8.

The discussions were led by Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, in the Defence Ministry, Amitabh Prasad and Australia's First Assistant Secretary for International Policy Bernard Philip.

According to The Australia Today report, the meeting reviewed developments under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as both nations seek to strengthen defence and security coordination in the Indo-Pacific region.

Officials from both countries "welcomed the expansion of bilateral defence cooperation, including the establishment of the annual India-Australia Defence Ministers' Dialogue in 2025", the report said, adding that the initiative reflected "increasing trust and strategic alignment between Canberra and New Delhi".

The report further noted that discussions focused on "enhancing interoperability across military domains, increasing the scale and complexity of joint exercises, and advancing maritime security cooperation amid growing regional strategic competition."

Both sides also reviewed progress on commitments made during the 2024 India-Australia Annual Leaders' Summit, including efforts to renew the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and formulate a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.

The Australia Today reported that India and Australia confirmed plans to hold the first India-Australia Joint Staff Talks later this year, describing it as another significant step toward expanding institutional defence engagement between the two nations.

Training and officer exchange programmes also featured prominently during the talks. The report highlighted initiatives such as the Gen Bipin Rawat Memorial Young Officers Exchange Programme and military academy exchanges between the Indian Military Academy and Australia's Royal Military College, Duntroon.

Officials said these initiatives were helping in "building mutual trust, people-to-people links and shared strategic understanding", according to the report.

Defence industry cooperation emerged as another major area of focus. The report pointed to several recent initiatives, including the first India-Australia Defence Industry Roundtable held in Sydney in 2025, Australia's first defence trade mission to India, and a strategic defence industry roundtable conducted during the Raisina Dialogue earlier this year.

The developments come as India and Australia continue expanding collaboration across defence, trade and regional security under their broader strategic partnership framework, The Australia Today noted.

- IANS