Australia and India are set to strengthen their defence ties, including a new roadmap for joint maritime security, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Australia.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that defence cooperation will be a key part of the visit, with a focus on maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
Marles noted that Australia perceives India as its "principal partner" in the region due to their shared strategic alignment and "complete trust."
The two countries have made significant progress in defence cooperation in recent years, including the launch of a 2+2 dialogue and the signing of a logistics support agreement.
A joint statement said that both sides welcomed progress towards strengthening the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and discussed the finalisation of a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.
Marles added that the two sides are exploring opportunities to enhance collaborative maritime domain awareness activities and undersea domain awareness.
The complexity of joint exercises by the two sides has increased, with the Indian Army joining Australia's Exercise Talisman Sabre for the first time last year.
Marles said that Australia values its defence relationship with India and is doing more with India in terms of maritime security collaboration in the Indian Ocean than any other country.
