Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Context: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Canberra and Sydney marked the first India–Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in over a decade.
Recent Developments
- Major outcomes include:
- Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap for maritime cooperation.
- Renewal of the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation.
- Implementing Arrangement on Mutual Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation.
- Progress in Air-to-Air Refuelling Arrangement (2024).
- Expansion of information-sharing frameworks.
- Operational and Industrial Content
- Focus shifted from symbolic gestures to practical cooperation.
- Submarine rescue and joint talks improve maritime contingency planning.
- Refuelling and interoperability enhance combined air operations.
- Indian shipyards to assist Australian fleet maintenance, indicating a logistics-oriented partnership.
- Enables regular coordination across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.
- Evolution of the Partnership
- Strategic Convergence: Shared concerns over China and commitment to a rules-based Indo-Pacific through the Quad.
- Operational Deepening: Growing joint exercises and logistics talks (e.g., Talisman Sabre).
- Industrial Convergence: Collaboration in maintenance, defence production, and supply chains, moving toward sustained maritime cooperation.
- Key Drivers of Cooperation
- Structural: China’s coercive behaviour and shifting maritime power balance.
- Pragmatic: Reduced faith in single security providers; need for self-reliant mechanisms.
- AUKUS Impact: Australia’s advanced platforms demand interoperability where India’s shipbuilding capacity adds value.
Complementary Strengths
- India’s Advantages:
- Defence production at ₹1.5 lakh crore (FY 2024–25) via Make in India and iDEX.
- Strategic location and strong domain awareness and logistics.
- Australia’s Advantages:
- Advanced maritime and undersea systems like P-8A Poseidon, MQ-4C Triton, and Ghost Shark.
- Strong R&D ecosystem and alliance-based expertise.
- Combined Strength:
- India’s scale complements Australia’s innovation, enabling co-development, sustainment, and maritime stability.
Political & Institutional Foundations
- Partnership elevated from Strategic (2009) to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2020).
- Rooted in shared democratic values and economic linkages.
- For Australia: Diversifies Indo-Pacific security partnerships.
- For India: Extends southern Indo-Pacific reach and industrial cooperation.
- Annual dialogues and joint staff mechanisms ensure continuity beyond politics.
Future Outlook
- Cooperation remains incremental and flexible, focusing on interoperability and crisis response.
- Key areas to track:
- Implementation of logistics and repair arrangements.
- Information-sharing depth.
- Defence-industrial projects execution.
- Integration with Quad frameworks.
- Sustained progress can make ties routine, operationally robust, and vital for Indo-Pacific stability.
Q- Critically analyze the factors that have made the Indo-Pacific a focus of India’s strategic partnerships, with particular reference to India-Australia defence ties. (15 Marks, 250 words)
