Eye on China: PM Modi’s Australia visit cements defence axis; P‑8s, logistics pacts and joint drills ready Indo‑Pacific response
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia has deepened the strategic ties between New Delhi and Canberra, giving both countries a bigger role in maintaining stability and security in the Indo-Pacific at a time of growing regional security challenges.Over the past few years, India and Australia have transformed their ties into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, backed by the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), both signed in 2020. The agreements allow reciprocal access to military facilities, improve logistics interoperability and facilitate joint operations across the maritime, air and land domains.The growing defence partnership reflects the shared objective of maintaining a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific, with maritime security emerging as a key pillar of cooperation.Both countries are also finalising a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap aimed at strengthening maritime domain awareness through coordinated patrols, undersea surveillance and information sharing.India and Australia also operate the American-origin P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, significantly enhancing their anti-submarine warfare capabilities and surveillance across the Indian Ocean.Bilateral and multilateral military exercisesIndia will participate in Australia’s Exercise Kakadu in 2026 and Exercise Talisman Sabre in 2027, while Australia is set to join India’s flagship naval exercise, Milan.A bilateral air-to-air refuelling arrangement is expected to be operationalised during Exercise Pitch Black, Australia’s premier multinational air combat exercise.Pitch Black 2026 is expected to bring together more than 100 aircraft and thousands of personnel from 20 countries, with the Indian Air Force participating in complex combat missions and night-flying operations across Australia’s Northern Territory.Army-to-army cooperation is also gaining momentum through Exercise AustraHind, India’s participation in Operation Render Safe, and Australia’s involvement in submarine rescue drills such as Exercise Black Carillon.Cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command has also intensified. As co-leads of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security, the two countries recently conducted a joint search-and-rescue exercise at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai, underscoring their shared commitment to securing Sea Lines of Communication and strengthening humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities.Key India-Australia military exercisesExercise Pitch BlackExercise MilanExercise MalabarExercise Talisman SabreExercise Tarang ShaktiExercise AustraHindBeyond bilateral engagements, India and Australia are increasingly positioning themselves as regional security providers.India has expanded its naval outreach into the Pacific, with INS Kadmatt visiting Papua New Guinea alongside Australian naval assets. The two countries have steadily enhanced interoperability through exercises such as AusIndEx, AustraHind, Pitch Black, Milan and Malabar. India’s participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre alongside 18 other nations further highlights its growing integration with Australia’s defence architecture.Defence cooperation is also extending beyond military exercises. Secure communications, intelligence sharing and professional military education are being strengthened, including the deployment of an Indian instructor to the Australian Defence College.The defence industrial partnership is also gathering pace. Australia’s first defence trade mission to India and the Defence Industry Roundtable in 2025 marked important milestones in expanding collaboration between the two countries’ defence industries. Future cooperation is expected to include joint research in sensor technologies and India’s participation in the 2026 Australian Defence Science Summit.As Prime Minister Modi engages with Australian leaders, defence and security cooperation is expected to remain one of the defining pillars of the India-Australia relationship, reflecting the strategic convergence between the two democracies in the Indo-Pacific.
