On October 9, 2025, in Sydney, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh signed a bilateral security agreement, building on the 2020 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The deal included three key defence pacts: an Agreement on Information Sharing; a Memorandum of Understanding on Submarine Search and Rescue Cooperation; and Terms of Reference for Joint Staff Talks. These measures aim to boost operational coordination, collaboration, and interoperability between the Indian and Australian armed forces, particularly in maritime domains.
From India’s security perspective, the Indo-Pacific region is a critical theatre where strategic recalibrations are reshaping its approach to regional stability and national security. This agreement between India and Australia is a cornerstone in New Delhi’s efforts to strengthen maritime security and diversify partnerships amid a weakening Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and shifting dynamics with Washington and Beijing. The agreement enhances India’s operational capabilities in the Indian Ocean, facilitates technology transfers, and provides a hedge against over-reliance on an increasingly unpredictable United States. For India, this pact is not merely a bilateral arrangement but a strategic pivot to secure its maritime interests and maintain autonomy in a region marked by great-power competition.
The broader context of this agreement is India’s delicate navigation of the Indo-Pacific’s evolving security architecture. On October 6, 2025, Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed the Pukpuk Treaty, a mutual defence pact that bolsters Australia’s role as a regional security hub. While this treaty primarily strengthens Australia-PNG ties, it indirectly supports India’s interests by fostering a network of resilient partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. The treaty’s provisions for mutual defence, joint military exercises, and access to PNG’s facilities enhance regional stability, which aligns with India’s goal of securing maritime trade routes and countering coercive influences, particularly by China. However, Beijing’s criticism of the treaty as an encirclement tactic underscores the challenges India faces in balancing its outreach to like-minded partners, while managing tensions with China.
The QUAD, comprising India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, has been a key pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, but its unity is fragmenting. The July 1, 2025, QUAD ministerial meeting in Washington DC exposed US reluctance to commit to binding frameworks, driven by the Trump administration’s “America First” policy. This retreat, coupled with the US imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports in steel, pharmaceuticals, and technology in August 2025, sparked a USD 50 billion trade crisis and eroded trust in Washington. For India, this has weakened the QUAD’s credibility as a collective deterrent against Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and beyond. The resulting strategic vacuum has pushed New Delhi to explore alternative partnerships and bilateral frameworks, such as the India-Australia pact, to safeguard its interests.
Simultaneously, India’s relations with Beijing have seen a cautious reset. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Delhi in August 2025, followed by the Modi-Xi agreement at the September 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin, facilitated troop disengagements in Ladakh, easing Himalayan border tensions. While this thaw offers temporary relief, India remains wary of China’s long-term ambitions, particularly in the South China Sea and along its borders. The scars of the 1962 war and ongoing disputes keep strategic mistrust alive. For India, the Australia pact serves as a critical counterbalance, enhancing maritime domain awareness and interoperability to deter potential Chinese aggression in the Indian Ocean.
The Indo-Pacific region is vital for India’s growth both economically and strategically, from a maritime perspective. The India-Australia agreement enhances India’s ability to safeguard significant maritime trade routes essential for energy imports, and reinforces its position as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region. Strengthening relations with Australia also grants India access to advanced defence technologies and operational knowledge. This agreement thus aligns with the shared India-Australia vision of maintaining a free, open, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
India’s strategic manoeuvres in 2025 reflect a pragmatic response to a fractured Indo-Pacific security landscape. By strengthening bilateral ties with Australia and cautiously engaging with China, India is carving out a multipolar approach that prioritises autonomy, secure trade routes, and regional stability. The India-Australia security pact empowers India to counter Chinese assertiveness and navigate U.S. unpredictability. If sustained, this strategy could position India as a pivotal player in a balanced Indo-Pacific order, defined by collaborative partnerships and resilient sovereignty, rather than divisive polarisation.
