India–Australia Defence Agreement 2025: Strengthening Strategic Ties in the Indo-Pacific

In a major milestone for bilateral defence cooperation, India and Australia have signed three key defence agreements during the inaugural Australia–India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue (AIDMD) held on October 9, 2025.

The meeting between India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister & Defence Minister Richard Marles marked a new phase in strategic collaboration, focusing on joint defence operations, maritime security, and military technology cooperation.

Both nations agreed to institutionalize the Defence Ministers’ Dialogue as an annual event, underscoring their long-term commitment to strengthening security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Background

India and Australia elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020. Since then, the defence and security ties have deepened across all domains — Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defence Ministries — supported by frameworks like the Quad Alliance (India, Australia, Japan, USA) and multiple joint exercises such as AUSINDEX, Pitch Black, and Malabar.

The 2025 meeting comes amid increasing geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific, making India and Australia’s partnership crucial for maintaining regional stability, freedom of navigation, and a rules-based international order.

Key India–Australia Defence Agreements 2025

During the bilateral meeting, both sides signed three major agreements and discussed a roadmap for future cooperation.

1. Agreement on Defence Information Sharing

• Aims to enhance real-time intelligence and operational data exchange between both militaries.

• Strengthens Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and strategic coordination in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

• Enables joint monitoring of regional threats and maritime security incidents.

2. MoU on Submarine Search and Rescue Cooperation

• Promotes collaboration in submarine rescue and safety operations.

• Facilitates the sharing of expertise, rescue technologies, and joint drills to improve underwater emergency response.

• Marks a step forward in India’s participation in Australia’s Black Carillon Submarine Rescue Exercise.

3. Terms of Reference (ToR) for Joint Staff Talks

• Establishes formal military-to-military dialogue mechanisms between the two nations.

• Focuses on training programs, operational planning, and personnel exchanges.

• Enhances interoperability and long-term defence planning.

Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap

Both sides also unveiled a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap, focusing on:

• Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) cooperation,

• Maritime surveillance and patrol coordination,

• Defence technology innovation,

• Strengthening the blue economy and maritime resource security.

This roadmap will deepen operational synergy between the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the Indo-Pacific.

Defence Cooperation Highlights

• Air-to-Air Refuelling Collaboration:
  The 2024 Implementing Arrangement on Air-to-Air Refuelling was further operationalized. During the visit, Rajnath Singh witnessed a live refuelling demonstration onboard Australia’s KC-30A MRTT aircraft refuelling an F-35 fighter jet — showcasing enhanced interoperability between IAF and RAAF.

• Maintenance and Repair Support:
  India offered Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services for Royal Australian Navy ships at Indian shipyards during their deployments in the Indian Ocean Region.

• Joint Exercises and Training:
  India welcomed Australia’s offer to train Indian defence students at the Australian Defence College (2026) and a position at the Australian Defence Force Academy (2027).

• Tri-Nation Cooperation:
  Both ministers welcomed the ongoing cooperation under the India–Australia–Indonesia Trilateral Framework, focusing on maritime security and regional resilience.

Strategic and Regional Significance

1. Strengthening the Indo-Pacific Vision

Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, aligned with the Quad framework and the principles of UNCLOS (1982) — ensuring freedom of navigation, unimpeded trade, and respect for international maritime laws.

2. Enhancing Defence Industrial Cooperation

Through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research, and Materiel, India and Australia agreed to collaborate on emerging defence technologies, joint R&D projects, and manufacturing partnerships — boosting ‘Make in India’ and defence indigenisation.

3. Reinforcing Maritime Security

With increasing challenges in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean Region, the two nations aim to coordinate maritime patrols, share surveillance data, and enhance submarine rescue operations to counter regional threats effectively.

Significance for India

• Enhances interoperability between the Indian Armed Forces and their Australian counterparts.

• Strengthens India’s position as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.

• Expands India’s defence production, research, and shipbuilding ecosystem through international collaboration.

• Aligns with India’s Act East Policy and its strategic vision for a secure Indo-Pacific.

India–Australia Defence Cooperation: A Quick Summary Table

Conclusion

The India–Australia Defence Agreement 2025 symbolizes a deepening of trust and strategic synergy between two key Indo-Pacific democracies. By signing critical pacts on information sharing, submarine rescue, and military dialogue, both countries have paved the way for a long-term, institutionalized defence partnership.

This cooperation will not only boost operational readiness and defence technology sharing but also reinforce the collective resolve to ensure peace, stability, and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.

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