India and Australia have begun the fifth edition of their joint army exercise AUSTRAHIND at the Foreign Training Node in Thiruvananthapuram, as the two countries widen cooperation in maritime security, interoperability and defence industry. The exercise started on Monday, October 19th to November 1st. About 120 personnel from each army are taking part, with the Indian contingent drawn from the Garhwal Rifles along with other arms and services and the Australian side from its 13 Brigade. A New Zealand observer delegation is attending for the first time. The previous edition was held at Irwin Barracks in Perth from October 2025.The theme is joint sub-conventional operations in island and coastal environments under Chapter VII of the UN mandate. Troops will carry out joint planning, tactical drills and combat-oriented training with aerial and maritime elements, covering surveillance and reconnaissance, protection of vital installations and disaster relief contingencies. The Ministry of Defence says the aim is better interoperability and a shared understanding of tactics and procedures in island and coastal terrain.The army exercise sits within a wider set of engagements. AUSINDEX is the bilateral naval exercise, Malabar brings in Japan and the United States, and Australia hosts the Pitch Black air exercise and Talisman Sabre, in which India took part for the first time in 2025. At the second Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, the two sides said they looked forward to India’s enhanced participation in Talisman Sabre 2027.Practical arrangements have kept pace. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was announced in June 2020 along with the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement. In November 2024, the two air forces signed an arrangement at Air Staff Talks in New Delhi that lets Australian KC-30 tankers refuel Indian military aircraft, a first step towards refuelling the Navy’s P-8I aircraft.The dialogue between the two governments has also become regular. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles held the first Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in Canberra on October 9, 2025, where they signed an agreement on information sharing, a memorandum on submarine search and rescue cooperation, and terms of reference for Joint Staff Talks. The 10th Defence Policy Talks followed in New Delhi on May 8, 2026, led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad and Australia’s First Assistant Secretary Bernard Philip, and reviewed maritime cooperation, interoperability and defence industry links. The two ministers met again at the second dialogue in New Delhi on June 1, 2026, reviewing progress on a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap, agreeing to begin work on a memorandum on defence articles and services, and committing to continued aircraft deployments from each other’s territory. The first Joint Staff Talks are still expected later this year.
