Australia and India have signed a groundbreaking mutual submarine rescue agreement during the inaugural Australia-India Defense Ministers’ Dialogue in Canberra, marking unprecedented progress in bilateral defense partnership. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s historic visit represents the first by an Indian defense minister to Australia in over a decade, establishing annual ministerial dialogues and comprehensive maritime security cooperation.
Key Highlights:
- Australia and India signed three major defense agreements including mutual submarine rescue support and information sharing arrangements
- India offered to maintain and repair Royal Australian Navy ships at Indian shipyards during Indian Ocean deployments
- Both nations committed to conducting annual Defense Ministers’ Dialogues to expand bilateral defense architecture
Growing Strategic Partnership Framework
The Australia India defense cooperation agreement represents a significant milestone in the comprehensive strategic partnership established between both nations in 2020. Defense Minister Richard Marles welcomed Rajnath Singh for discussions that reflected unprecedented bilateral defense partnership progress, following four previous ministerial meetings since the strategic partnership elevation. The agreement encompasses multiple domains including maritime security, cyber defense, defense technology collaboration, and regional stability initiatives.
Australia India defense cooperation now extends across all operational domains, with both countries establishing Joint Staff Talks as a forum to progress joint exercises, operations, and interoperability. The bilateral trade relationship supports this defense partnership, with total trade between Australia and India reaching USD 24.1 billion in FY25, including Australia’s cumulative FDI equity inflows of USD 1.52 billion from India. This economic foundation strengthens the Australia India defense cooperation framework through enhanced industrial collaboration and technology transfer initiatives.
India and Australia took another major step towards strengthening their #defencepartnership with the signing of three key agreements – Agreement on Information Sharing, MoU on Submarine Search & Rescue Cooperation, and Terms of Reference for establishing Joint Staff Talks.
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) October 9, 2025
These… pic.twitter.com/edZodn51oe
Maritime Security and Submarine Rescue Capabilities
The Australia-India Implementing Arrangement on Mutual Submarine Rescue Support represents a cornerstone achievement in Australia India defense cooperation, providing critical underwater emergency response capabilities. This agreement enables both navies to conduct joint submarine rescue operations throughout the Indian Ocean region, enhancing operational safety and strategic deterrence. Australia will benefit from India’s submarine rescue expertise while providing technological capabilities to support joint maritime security operations.
Maritime domain awareness forms a critical component of Australia India defense cooperation, with both nations developing a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap to advance cooperative initiatives. The partnership leverages Australia’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific and India’s growing naval capabilities to create comprehensive maritime security coverage. Australia India defense cooperation includes information sharing protocols that enable real-time intelligence exchange for enhanced situational awareness across critical sea lanes.
India’s offer to maintain and repair Royal Australian Navy ships at Indian shipyards demonstrates the practical implementation of Australia India defense cooperation in supporting extended naval deployments. This arrangement reduces operational costs while extending Australian naval presence in the Indian Ocean region, supporting broader strategic objectives. The submarine rescue cooperation and naval maintenance agreements create operational synergies that strengthen both nations’ maritime capabilities.
Defense Industrial Collaboration and Technology Transfer
Australia India defense cooperation encompasses significant defense industrial partnerships, with India’s defense manufacturing sector experiencing rapid growth as a credible global technology supplier. The first Australian defense trade mission to India focuses on connecting firms in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber-defense, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance sectors. Australia India defense cooperation promotes joint research and development initiatives, co-production opportunities, and export collaborations in third countries.
The Defense Industry Business Round Table in Sydney highlighted untapped potential in Australia India defense cooperation, particularly in joint R&D, innovation, co-creation, and co-production partnerships. Australian defense firms are invited to participate in India’s Make in India initiative and Defense Corridors, creating mutual investment opportunities in aerospace and naval systems. Australia India defense cooperation includes technology transfer arrangements that support both nations’ defense industrial capabilities and export competitiveness.
Progress toward operationalizing the Australia-India Implementing Arrangement on Air-to-Air Refueling, signed in 2024, demonstrates expanding Australia India defense cooperation in aviation support capabilities. This agreement enables Royal Australian Air Force aircraft to refuel Indian military aircraft, extending operational range and mission duration. Australia India defense cooperation in defense technology spans multiple domains, creating comprehensive industrial partnerships that support both nations’ strategic objectives.
Quad Alliance and Indo-Pacific Security Architecture
Australia India defense cooperation operates within the broader Quad alliance framework, including the United States and Japan in comprehensive Indo-Pacific security cooperation. The Quad partnership has grown increasingly prominent, positioning itself as the preeminent cooperative security framework in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia India defense cooperation through Quad initiatives includes maritime domain awareness programs, joint military exercises, and coordinated responses to regional security challenges.
The Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness provides Australia India defense cooperation with cutting-edge radio frequency data for monitoring territorial waters and countering illegal activities. Over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data through Quad initiatives, enabling better monitoring of exclusive economic zones. Australia India defense cooperation benefits from the Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific, with India hosting the inaugural workshop in 2025.
India’s participation in Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre in 2025 and 2027 demonstrates operational Australia India defense cooperation in large-scale multinational military exercises. This biennial exercise has expanded from a bilateral US-Australia exercise in 2005 to include over 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, highlighting growing international cooperation. Australia India defense cooperation through Quad exercises enhances interoperability and joint operational capabilities across all defense domains.
Closing Assessment
The Australia India defense cooperation agreement represents a transformative development in Indo-Pacific security architecture, establishing comprehensive partnerships across maritime, industrial, and technological domains. This historic defense ministers’ dialogue creates sustained cooperation mechanisms through annual ministerial meetings, joint staff talks, and operational agreements spanning submarine rescue, naval maintenance, and information sharing. Australia India defense cooperation strengthens both nations’ strategic capabilities while contributing to broader regional stability through Quad alliance frameworks and multilateral security initiatives.
The agreement’s emphasis on defense industrial collaboration positions Australia India defense cooperation as a driver of technological innovation and economic partnership, supporting both nations’ defense export capabilities. As Australia advances its AUKUS nuclear submarine program and India expands its maritime presence, this bilateral defense partnership creates essential operational synergies for sustained Indo-Pacific security cooperation.
