Overview
The second India‑Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue was co‑chaired by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister & Defence Minister Mr Richard Marles at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on 1 June 2026. The meeting built on the inaugural dialogue of 9 October 2025 and aimed to deepen defence‑industrial ties, enhance maritime security cooperation and reinforce the strategic partnership within the Indo‑Pacific region.
Key Developments
- Both sides pledged to renew and strengthen the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation.
- Progress was made on the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap, including joint maritime domain awareness using patrol aircraft.
- India and Australia agreed to draft a Memorandum of Understanding for the provision of defence articles and services, signalling deeper defence‑industrial collaboration.
- Both countries will host a Search & Rescue tabletop exercise in Chennai in June 2026, building on the 2020 Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement.
- Plans were announced for increased participation in each other's major air‑exercise programmes, including operationalising the bilateral Implementing Arrangement on Air‑to‑Air Refuelling at Exercise Pitch Black.
- The dialogue reaffirmed support for the Quad Indo‑Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration, starting with the Indian Ocean Region.
- Both sides highlighted the importance of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).