India, Australia Reinforce Defence Partnership in New Delhi Talks
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles met in New Delhi on Monday (June 1, 2026) for the second Australia-India Defence Ministers' Dialogue, reaffirming their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and announcing steps to deepen defence industrial collaboration.
The two ministers underscored the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight, and unimpeded maritime trade, amid disruptions in energy supply chains following the West Asia crisis and concerns over China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, according to a joint statement.
Key Outcomes of the Dialogue
Following the talks, Singh and Marles announced that the two countries would begin developing a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the provision of defence articles and defence services, as the next step in deepening defence industrial collaboration. The ministers also discussed advancements in bilateral maritime security cooperation and efforts to finalise the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.
According to the joint statement, the ministers agreed to progress collaborative maritime domain awareness activities by maritime patrol aircraft and explore opportunities to enhance undersea domain awareness. They also affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation with regional partners to help maintain a free, open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
"The Ministers underscored the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, and their strong support for unimpeded trade in the region and other lawful uses of the sea consistent with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," the statement said.
Background and Context
The visit comes after Marles attended the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, an annual defence and security forum organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). In a statement ahead of the visit, the Australian Government said Marles and Singh were expected to review bilateral defence cooperation and discuss ways to further strengthen strategic and military ties between the two countries.
The dialogue follows the first edition held in Australia last October and reflects growing momentum in the India-Australia defence partnership. Marles had earlier emphasised the significance of the dialogue, saying, "In a deteriorating strategic environment, the Shangri-La Dialogue provides an important forum to engage with partners on shared challenges." He added, "Australia and India are top-tier security partners. I look forward to meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to further strengthen our defence partnership following the strong progress we made during his visit to Australia last year."
At the Shangri-La Dialogue, Marles also addressed regional maritime security issues during a plenary session on Asia's maritime security challenges and held meetings with several global and regional defence leaders.