First CDS visit to Australia advances cooperation on ‘shared priorities and interoperability’

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan with Commander of Australian Defence College Rear Admiral James Lybrand during his visit to the Australian Defence College on March 5, 2025
| Photo Credit: PTI

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s visit to Australia has advanced cooperation on “shared priorities and interoperability, including in maritime domain awareness, reciprocal information sharing, and deployments from each other’s territories,” the Australian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday (March 6, 2025).

This is the first visit to Australia by an Indian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Gen Chauhan was hosted in Canberra by Admiral David Johnston, the Chief of the Defence Force of Australia.

“Discussions focused on practical ideas to realise both nations’ long-term vision of a defence and security collaboration that enhances collective strength and contributes to both countries’ security,” the Australian statement said.

Top-tier security partner

India is a top-tier security partner for Australia, with both countries committed to working together to promote a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, the statement said. The two countries have established a strong tempo of exercises and activities across maritime, land and air domains, working through the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and as trilateral and quadrilateral partners, it added.

The visit underlines the value of Australia’s defence partnership with India, Adm Johnston said in the statement. “We are committed to working closely with our Indian partners to enhance our interoperability, strengthen people-to-people links, and further cooperation with key partners to promote regional stability and security,” he said.

Defence and strategic cooperation between the two countries has seen a major transformation in the last eight to ten years. The two nations signed a mutual logistics support agreement in 2020 and their navies signed a document on ‘Joint Guidance for the India-Australia Navy to Navy Relationship’ in August 2021. Australia also has a liaison officer at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean region. In addition, the two sides are at an advanced stage of talks on hydrography cooperation and cooperation for air-to-air refueling.