India, Australia Deepen Defence Cooperation as Rajnath Singh and Richard Marles Co-Chair Key Defence Dialogue

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles on Monday (June 01) co-chaired the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi, reaffirming their commitment to expanding defence and security cooperation amid growing strategic convergence in the Indo-Pacific.

Addressing the meeting, Singh said that defence ties between the two countries have strengthened considerably since the launch of the annual ministerial mechanism last year, with military engagements witnessing notable progress.

“I am pleased to know that since the establishment of the annual Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, we have witnessed an increase in our defence engagements, with many promising milestones achieved since October 2025,” Singh said.

Recalling the inaugural dialogue held in Australia last year, Singh described the annual meeting as a platform to review progress and chart the future course of bilateral defence cooperation.

The Defence Minister also congratulated the Australian government on recent appointments in its defence establishment, including the appointment of the country’s first woman Defence Secretary and its first female Army Chief.

Singh further praised Australia’s 2026 National Defence Strategy and the 2026 Integrated Investment Program, expressing interest in exploring new opportunities for defence collaboration arising from these policy initiatives.

“I look forward to gaining your insights on these deep policy documents and exploring potential opportunities for growth in India-Australia defence relations,” he added.

Marles, who paid tributes at the National War Memorial earlier in the day, highlighted the unprecedented level of strategic alignment between the two nations.

“We have never been more strategically aligned. And that alignment is underpinned by deep trust,” Marles said, adding that bilateral defence ties were currently “at a high-water mark.”

He pointed to concrete achievements since the inaugural dialogue, including the implementation of a bilateral information-sharing arrangement signed in October 2025, expanded military exercises, enhanced maritime cooperation, and growing defence industry engagement, ANI reported.

“We’re doing more in exercises, we’re certainly doing more in the maritime domain, and we’re doing more in defence industry,” Marles noted.

The ministers reviewed ongoing defence cooperation and discussed ways to enhance military interoperability, strengthen defence industrial collaboration through co-development and co-production initiatives, and address regional and global security challenges.

Ministry of the Defence stated, “Australia is a key partner in India’s vision of a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific” and that Richard Marles’ visit reflects the growing depth, maturity and strategic importance of the bilateral defence partnership.