New Delhi: Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh strengthened bilateral defence ties with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles during a meeting held in New Delhi on November 20, 2023. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering the defence relationship between the two nations.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing military cooperation, including joint exercises, exchanges, and institutional dialogue. Minister Singh congratulated Minister Marles on Australia’s successful conduct of the multilateral exercise ‘Malabar’ in August of the same year.
Emphasizing the need for increased collaboration in information exchange and maritime domain awareness, the ministers discussed advancing discussions on implementing arrangements for Hydrography Cooperation and air-to-air refueling.
Minister Singh highlighted the importance of cooperation in niche training areas such as Artificial Intelligence, anti-submarine and anti-drone warfare, and the cyber domain. The leaders agreed that deepening cooperation in defence industry and research would further strengthen the relationship.
Areas of potential collaboration, including shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance, and aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO), were suggested by Minister Singh. The ministers also discussed joint research in underwater technologies and collaboration between defence start-ups to address common challenges.
Both leaders concurred that a robust India-Australia defence partnership is not only beneficial for the two nations but also contributes significantly to the overall security of the Indo-Pacific.