India-Australia Defence Ties: Strengthening Indo-Pacific Synergy

Context: On March 17, 2025, India and Australia held their 9th Defence Policy Talks in New Delhi, a significant step in their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific, this meeting underscored their commitment to deepen military and strategic cooperation, aligning with India’s broader foreign policy and security goals.

• 9th Defence Policy Talks: Conducted in New Delhi on March 17, 2025, reinforcing the India-Australia strategic partnership.
• Focus Areas: Emphasis on enhancing interoperability in maritime, land, and air domains, alongside maritime domain awareness and reciprocal information sharing.
• Multilateral Collaboration: Agreement to work with trilateral (e.g., India-Australia-Japan) and quadrilateral (Quad) partners to strengthen regional stability.
• Technology and Industry: Commitment to deepen defence industry ties, science and technology collaboration, and explore deployments from each other’s territories.
• Exercise Momentum: Noted a strong tempo of bilateral military exercises (e.g., maritime, land, air), reflecting growing operational coordination.
• Strategic Context: Builds on prior engagements, like the Indian CDS’s visit to Australia (March 6, 2025), and aligns with shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific.
• Regional Security: Australia’s Vice Chief of Defence Force emphasised enhancing people-to-people links and interoperability to promote stability amid geopolitical shifts.

Link To The Original Article – https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-australia-agree-to-deepen-interoperability-across-maritime-land-and-air-domains/article69341509.ece