India and Australia Deepen Defence Ties at 10th Defence Policy Talks in New Delhi

India and Australia have reviewed the growing momentum in their defence partnership during the 10th edition of the India-Australia Defence Policy Talks held in New Delhi on May 8, 2026. The meeting reaffirmed the strength of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and underlined the expanding role of defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific security architecture.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad, while the Australian side was headed by Bernard Philip, First Assistant Secretary, International Policy. The talks focused on strengthening military-to-military engagement, maritime cooperation, defence industry collaboration, training exchanges and interoperability across domains.

One of the important points noted during the meeting was the establishment of the annual India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in 2025. This new institutional mechanism has added greater structure to defence consultations between the two countries and reflects the growing strategic trust between New Delhi and Canberra.

The two sides also acknowledged the finalisation of key implementing arrangements and the continued momentum of first-time milestones in bilateral defence cooperation. India and Australia are now looking forward to holding the first India-Australia Joint Staff Talks later this year, a move that could further improve coordination between the armed forces of both countries.

A major focus of the discussions was the follow-up to the 2024 India-Australia Annual Leaders’ Summit. Both sides reviewed the implementation of outcomes from the summit, including efforts to renew and strengthen the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and to develop a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. The 2024 summit statement had already identified defence and security as a major pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Maritime cooperation remains central to India-Australia defence ties. Both countries are major Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific stakeholders, and their strategic convergence has grown in areas such as maritime domain awareness, naval exercises, submarine rescue cooperation, information sharing and regional stability. The two sides welcomed the increasing frequency and complexity of joint exercises and agreed to deepen maritime collaboration further.

The talks also reflected a broader push toward interoperability. India and Australia agreed to take next steps to improve operational coordination across all domains, including maritime, air, land and emerging technology areas. Interoperability is important because it enables the armed forces of both countries to operate more effectively during exercises, humanitarian missions, maritime security operations and wider regional contingencies.

Training exchanges formed another important part of the review. Both sides discussed initiatives such as the General Bipin Rawat Memorial Young Officers Exchange Programme and institutional visits between the Indian Military Academy and the Royal Military College, Duntroon. These exchanges help build trust at the officer level and create long-term familiarity between the military cultures of the two countries.

Defence industrial cooperation is also becoming a key pillar of the relationship. The two sides welcomed efforts to integrate defence industries, including the first India-Australia Defence Industry Roundtable held in Sydney in 2025, Australia’s first defence trade mission to India in 2025, and the defence industry strategic roundtable at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in 2026.

This industrial dimension is significant because India is expanding its defence manufacturing base under Atmanirbhar Bharat, while Australia is strengthening its own defence industrial ecosystem under its long-term security and capability plans. Cooperation between the two countries could open opportunities in ship maintenance, maritime systems, defence technology, logistics, critical minerals-linked defence supply chains and advanced manufacturing.

The 2025 Defence Ministers’ Dialogue had already marked a major step forward, with both countries agreeing to deepen maritime security and defence industrial cooperation. Reports at the time noted that the two sides signed a mutual submarine rescue cooperation arrangement and discussed expanding operational engagement, intelligence sharing and defence technology collaboration.

The latest Defence Policy Talks show that India-Australia defence ties are moving from broad strategic alignment to more practical cooperation. Regular dialogues, joint staff-level mechanisms, industrial roundtables, maritime roadmaps and military exchanges are turning the partnership into a more operational and institutionally connected relationship.

For India, Australia is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific, especially as both countries seek a stable, secure and rules-based maritime order. For Australia, India’s growing naval, industrial and strategic role makes it a key partner in shaping regional security outcomes. The 10th Defence Policy Talks therefore mark another step in building a more mature, multidimensional and action-oriented defence partnership between the two countries.

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Reference:

Sources:
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2259170&reg=3&lang=1
https://www1.defence.gov.au/news-events/releases/2026-05-09/10th-australia-india-defence-policy-talks
https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/38547/Joint+Statement+2nd+IndiaAustralia+Annual+Summit
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2176670
https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/statements/2025-10-09/joint-statement-2025-australia-india-defence-ministers-dialogue
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-india-boost-submarine-rescue-defence-industry-cooperation-2025-10-09/

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