India and Australia announced that both countries will begin developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision of defence articles and services as the next step in deepening defence-industrial collaboration, marking a significant step toward co-production and co-development of military hardware. The decisions were announced after the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, held in India. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed progress since the inaugural dialogue on 9 October 2025 and explored further ways to deepen strategic and defence cooperation.
In the Joint Statement, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence ties and advancing the long-term vision outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
They welcomed progress toward renewing and strengthening the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation.
India and Australia also agreed to expand collaboration through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research, and Material, including greater exchanges in these areas.
A major outcome of the dialogue was the advancement of bilateral maritime security cooperation, with both sides working toward finalising the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.
They agreed to enhance maritime domain awareness through maritime patrol aircraft deployments and to explore opportunities for greater undersea domain awareness.
The ministers also encouraged closer cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command.
The two sides reaffirmed the importance of working with regional partners to maintain a free, open, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. They underscored their strong commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful trade, and adherence to international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
As co-leaders of the Indian Ocean Rim Association’s (IORA) Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security, India and Australia will jointly host a Search and Rescue (SAR) and tabletop exercise at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai in June 2026.
The exercise aims to bolster maritime safety and security across the Indian Ocean Region.
Both the Defence ministers also agreed to explore new avenues for defence science and technology cooperation, particularly in emerging areas such as sensor technologies.
Deputy Prime Minister Marles invited India to participate in the 2026 Australian Defence Science, Technology, and Research Summit.
Additionally, the two sides committed to enhancing procedural interoperability for exercises and operations, building on the 2020 Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement. They further agreed to continue mutual aircraft deployments from each other’s territories to build greater operational familiarity.
