India, Australia hold bilateral defence policy talks in Delhi: (Photo: MoD)
New Delhi: India and Australia on Friday concluded the 10th edition of their bilateral defence policy talks in New Delhi, with both sides reaffirming the depth and breadth of their comprehensive strategic partnership and charting a forward-looking course for defence cooperation across all domains.
The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad, while Australia was represented by First Assistant Secretary for International Policy, Bernard Philip.
The talks covered a wide range of issues, from joint military exercises and maritime security to defence industrial collaboration and training exchanges.
A Partnership That Has Come a Long Way
The talks are the latest chapter in a defence relationship that has grown dramatically over the past six years.
India and Australia elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) in 2020, a landmark that also saw the signing of a mutual logistics support arrangement (MLSA), enabling sophisticated logistical cooperation and greater responsiveness to regional challenges.
Since then, cooperation has expanded swiftly. In 2024, the two countries signed an Implementing Arrangement on Air-to-Air Refuelling, further boosting interoperability between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force and extending India's operational reach across the Indo-Pacific.
A watershed moment came in October 2025, when Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Canberra for the inaugural Australia–India Defence Ministers' Dialogue, the first visit by an Indian defence minister to Australia in over a decade.
The visit produced three landmark pacts covering classified information sharing, mutual submarine rescue cooperation, and the formal establishment of Joint Staff Talks.
What Was Discussed
At Friday's talks, the two sides reviewed the implementation of outcomes from the 2024 Annual Leaders' Summit, which had tasked both countries to renew their Joint Declaration on Defence & Security Cooperation and develop a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.
Both delegations welcomed the operationalisation of the annual India-Australia Defence Ministers' Dialogue – established in 2025 – as a key pillar of consultation.
They also looked forward to holding the first India-Australia Joint Staff Talks later this year, which will serve as a formal forum for advancing joint exercises, operations, and interoperability across all domains.
Maritime cooperation featured prominently in the discussions, with both sides expressing commitment to deepen collaboration and foster a shared approach to regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Exercises, Training, and People-to-People Ties
Both delegations noted the increased frequency and complexity of joint military exercises between the two countries. On the training front, the talks highlighted exchanges such as the Gen Bipin Rawat Memorial Young Officers Exchange Programme, which brings together officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force of both countries, and visits between the Indian Military Academy and Australia's Royal Military College, Duntroon.
Such programmes, officials noted, serve to build mutual trust and deepen each nation's understanding of the other's regional and global perspectives.
Defence Industry: A Growing Frontier
One of the most significant areas of focus was defence industrial collaboration.
Both sides acknowledged the strategic importance of building deeper industrial ties, and welcomed a series of milestones in this space:
The Bigger Picture
Friday's talks take place against a rapidly shifting strategic landscape. China's growing military assertiveness, including a high-profile circumnavigation of Australia by a PLA Navy task group in early 2025 – has accelerated Canberra's push to deepen ties with regional partners like India.
Australia is simultaneously undertaking its largest military build-up in decades, guided by a strategy of deterrence and regional engagement.
For India, Australia is increasingly seen as a reliable partner in sustaining the Indo-Pacific security order, complementing its engagements within the Quad – the four-nation grouping that also includes the United States and Japan.
With the 10th Defence Policy Talks now concluded, both nations agreed on next steps to deepen interoperability across all domains and to continue enhancing cooperation with regional partners – signalling that the momentum in this partnership shows no sign of slowing.
Bilateral merchandise trade between India and Australia stood at $24.1 billion in FY 2024–25, with over 120,000 Indian students enrolled in Australian institutions.
