Canberra, Oct 24 (IANS) The recent visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Australia – the first by an Indian Defence Minister in 12 years – has elevated the Australia–India relationship from strategic alignment to operational depth, a report highlighted on Friday.

It added that the timing of the visit aligned with Exercise AUSTRAHIND, a bilateral land exercise conducted in the Australian city of Perth from October 13 to 26, emphasising company-level operations in urban and semi-urban settings.

“India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s October 9-10 visit to Australia marked a watershed in Indo-Australian relations. The visit delivered concrete, future-oriented defence and security cooperation outcomes that align closely with the Indo-Pacific strategies of both countries,” a report in the Australian Institute of International Affairs highlighted.

“Coming amid the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, this visit highlighted how Canberra and New Delhi view each other as security partners, and how operationalisation of strategic alignment across maritime security, industry, logistics, defence technology and intelligence sharing defines this partnership,” it stressed.

According to the report, Singh’s visit centred on the inaugural Australia–India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, resulting in a detailed joint statement. The most significant outcome was the Australia–India Implementing Arrangement on Mutual Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation.

“This arrangement will not only deepen undersea trust and coordination between both countries but also help counter China’s power projection in the Indian Ocean, often framed as a two-oceans strategy. The establishment of Joint Staff Talks is another key development, providing a robust forum for joint exercises, operations and interoperability across domains,” the report detailed

Emphasising the strategic significance of defence-industrial cooperation, the report said, Australia and India agreed to collaborate on contemporary defence technology, including Joint Working Groups on defence industry, research and materiel.

“India will continue to offer maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Royal Australian Navy ships in Indian shipyards while deployed in the Indian Ocean, thus providing another concrete step that shortens the sustainment period,” it stated

The report highlighted that the Defence Minister Singh’s visit yielded impressive outcomes on three fronts.

“Firstly, they turn political and strategic alignment between Canberra and New Delhi into operational mechanisms, such as submarine rescue, MRO, staff talks and refuelling. Secondly, they advance industrial reciprocity that lowers sustainment risk on both sides while accelerating capability development and innovation. Thirdly, they expand the bilateral partnership into a wider regional role, without forcing either party into treaty commitments, consistent with their strategic preferences,” the report noted.

–IANS

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