Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will be on Australia tour till 9‑10 October. He is the first Indian Defense Minister to visit Australia since 2014. The purpose of this tour is to further strengthen defense cooperation between India and Australia. Rajnath will also meet Australia’s Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
Rajnath has reached Sydney on Wednesday itself. He was welcomed at Sydney Airport by Indian High Commissioner to Australia Gopal Bagley and senior Australian officials. This visit is taking place at a time when 5 years of ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ between India and Australia is being completed.
Meeting with representatives of defense industry
Rajnath will participate in the Business Round Table in Sydney. Representatives from the defense industry of both the countries will participate in this program. There will be talks about finding opportunities for technology sharing between the two countries. Apart from this, Rajnath will also meet senior leaders of Australia. Another important thing is that after this tour, there will be a joint military exercise named AustraHind 2025 in Australia, in which the armies of both the countries will participate.
3 new defense agreements to be signed during Rajnath’s Australia tour…
1. Information Sharing Agreement: A system will be made to share intelligence information between the two countries. This means that both the countries will share important information with each other related to intelligence, cyber security, terrorism and China’s activities. This is necessary for security in the Indo-Pacific region.
2. Maritime Security Agreement: Cooperation will be increased in security and monitoring of maritime areas.
Under this, naval cooperation, joint patrolling and monitoring of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean will be included. This agreement is important in view of China’s aggressive attitude in the South China Sea.
3. Joint Military Activities Agreement: There will be arrangements for military exercises, staff talks and joint missions. This includes joint military exercises, training programs, cooperation in weapons and defense technology. The Army, Air Force and Navy of both the countries will exercise together regularly.
