Australia and India can expand and deepen their defence cooperation, as both countries look to respond to a more assertive China and a less predictable United States.
In a new Lowy Institute Policy Brief, entitled India–Australia defence ties: Advancing a vital Indo-Pacific partnership, 2026 Dr Ram Sethi Fellow Dhruva Jaishankar (Opens in new window) reflects on how the India–Australia partnership has advanced considerably in recent years.
He describes how the partnership now includes high-level political consultations, sophisticated military exercises, and intelligence and technological cooperation.
Between January 2020 and July 2026, Indian and Australian armed forces took part in 14 bilateral and 64 trilateral or multilateral exercises.
“The growing convergence on security and defence between India and Australia represents an important strategic development,” writes Jaishankar. “It is being driven by similar concerns about China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and the prospect of more mercurial US policy towards the region.”
Jaishankar says there are obstacles to closer defence ties between the two countries, but these can be overcome.
He argues Australia and India can accelerate defence cooperation by agreeing a framework for supplying each other’s military equipment and services, finding a secure way for their armed forces to communicate, and letting each other’s maritime patrol aircraft operate from their island territories.
He also says they should work with the United States to ease the arms export rules that restrict spare parts and maintenance, and pick specific defence projects to develop jointly, such as counter-drone systems, underwater sensors and defence-related critical minerals.
“While challenges persist,” writes Jaishankar, “there is today scope for more ambitious cooperation between Canberra and New Delhi.”
KEY FINDINGS
- The India–Australia defence partnership has advanced considerably since 2020 in response to their threat environments, and now involves high-level political consultations, sophisticated military exercises, and intelligence and technological cooperation.
- Challenges remain, including a lack of compatible secure communications systems, export control restrictions, and different defence industrial requirements and capabilities.
- The two countries can take steps to overcome these obstacles, increase access and support for maritime patrol aircraft and naval vessels in each other’s territories, and prioritise defence co-production projects that meet both their requirements.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dhruva Jaishankar is the 2026 Dr Ram Sethi Fellow, hosted by the Lowy Institute as part of its India Program. He is also the Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation America, a public policy think tank in Washington, DC, which he helped establish in 2020.
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