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As part of the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, two landmark Defence arrangements between Australia and India have been established.
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The Australia-India Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and the Defence Science and Technology Implementing Arrangement provide a framework to deepen defence co-operation between the two countries.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said India is a significant security partner for Australia.
“We have a strong shared interest in working together to support a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Minister Reynolds said.
The Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement will enhance military interoperability, enabling increasingly complex military engagement, and greater combined responsiveness to regional humanitarian disasters.
“We now have a solid framework for Indian and Australian defence organisations to enhance our research collaboration and develop defence capabilities that help maintain our technological edge in this era of rapid change and increasing threats,” Minister Reynolds said.
This arrangement paves the way for greater cross-service military activity, building on the success of our most complex exercise to date, AUSINDEX 2019, which focused on anti-submarine warfare.
The Science and Technology Implementing Arrangement will facilitate improved collaboration between our defence science and technology research organisations, both of which have made important contributions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Reynolds added, “These arrangements reflect India and Australia’s strong commitment to practical global co-operation. We look forward to being able to recommence engagement in person as soon as circumstances permit.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison released an updated statement about the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (AICSP), stating, “The CSP takes our bilateral relationship to a new level of co-operation, based on mutual understanding, trust, common interests and the shared values of democracy and the rule of law.
“It reflects Australia and India’s strong commitment to working together at a time of unprecedented global challenges, such as COVID-19.
“Our Partnership is in line with India's increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region through her Indo-Pacific vision and Australia's Indo-Pacific approach and its Pacific Step-Up for the south Pacific.
“Our foreign and defence ministers will meet in a ‘2+2’ format at least every two years to discuss strategic issues and take forward our partnership.
“By further strengthening our partnership, we also contribute to a more secure, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
