Canberra, Nov 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The growing strategic alignment between India and Australia in the security and defence sector marks a significant development, shaped by shared concerns over China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and the possibility of a more unpredictable US policy towards the region, a report has stated.
During his July 2026 visit to Australia, his third in 12 years as India's Prime Minister, PM Narendra Modi signed a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Beyond the joint declaration, the two leaders agreed on several initiatives, including a classified maritime security collaboration roadmap and the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS), with a defence pillar, a report by the Australian think tank ‘Lowy Institute’ highlighted.
They also decided to formalise cooperation between Australia's Maritime Border Command and the Indian Coast Guard through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The development came a month after the defence ministers of both countries agreed to work towards an MoU on the Provision of Defence Articles and Defence Services, the report mentioned.
It noted that migration and commerce have emerged as key pillars of India-Australia relations in recent years, with around one million people of Indian origin now living in Australia and bilateral trade crossing the $50-billion mark following the conclusion of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022.
Highlighting the expanding security dimension of India-Australia ties, the report said, “Their defence engagement now encompasses structured political-military dialogues; regular ground, air, and naval military exercises; intelligence and technological cooperation; and regular military-to-military exchanges and training programmes.”
“Within the Quad — along with the United States and Japan — the two countries are involved in expanding maritime domain awareness (MDA) in the Indo-Pacific, improving shared logistics capabilities, coordinating on economic and technological security, and collaborating on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts,” it added.
According to the report, military engagement between the two countries has also expanded, with their armed forces participating in 14 bilateral and 64 trilateral or multilateral exercises between January 2020 and July 2026.
It added that the India-Australia defence partnership now spans a broad range of political and military engagements, with the two militaries increasingly cooperating in intelligence, professional education and training, hydrography and logistics.
Such collaboration has facilitated Australian vessels' operations in the Middle East and Indian military operations in the South Pacific. These ties have also extended to previously sensitive areas, including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), air-to-air refuelling, submarine rescue and replenishment at sea, the report stated.
Furthermore, India and Australia recently successfully concluded the 5th edition of their joint military exercise, AUSTRAHIND 2026, with a closing ceremony held at the Foreign Training Node in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
According to the Indian Army, the 14-day joint exercise, which concluded on November 2, brought together the Indian Army and the Australian Army for intensive training aimed at enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual trust and reinforcing their shared commitment to regional security.
Source: IANS
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