Overview
- The two ministers met in New Delhi on Monday, June 1, 2026, for the second annual Defence Ministers’ Dialogue and agreed concrete next steps to deepen bilateral defence cooperation.
- They will start developing a Memorandum of Understanding on the provision of defence articles and defence services to expand defence‑industrial links and supply‑chain integration.
- Both sides agreed to progress a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and to boost maritime domain awareness by coordinating maritime patrol aircraft and exploring enhanced undersea surveillance.
- The joint statement endorsed Quad maritime surveillance work and a Common Operational Picture for the Indo‑Pacific, and set out more staff talks, exercises and a visiting Indian instructor at the Australian Defence College in 2028–29.
- The steps build on the 2020 Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and last October’s inaugural dialogue, and aim to protect sea lanes, reduce risks to trade and energy routes, and raise interoperability between the two navies and coast guards.