Deepening their military ties, India and Australia on Monday announced to collaborate on maritime surveillance and explore opportunities on having better awareness about developments under the sea.Also, the two sides are working out arrangements for deployment of an Indian visiting instructor at the Australian Defence College in 2028-2029, a joint statement said on Monday. This will strengthen professional military engagement, knowledge exchange and strategic alignment, the statement added.The statement was the outcome of the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.The two welcomed the progress in the bilateral relationship, and reflected on the enhanced consultation and cooperation, since the inaugural Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in October last year.The ministers wanted progress on the ‘collaborative maritime domain awareness activities by maritime patrol aircraft’. The two countries operate a common US origin plane the Boeing P8-I to conduct long range surveillance. The existing systems allow for seamless sharing of information.A long-term vision for collaboration between the two countries can enhance collective strength, contribute to both countries’ security, and make an important contribution to regional peace and security, the statement said.The two sides are working to have a bilateral maritime security cooperation and efforts to finalise the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.The two countries — that are partners in the Quad alongwith the US and Japan — today affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation with regional partners to help maintain a free, open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. “Ministers underscored the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, and their strong support for unimpeded trade in the region and other lawful uses of the sea consistent with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” the statement said.The phrase ‘freedom of navigation and free and an open Indo-Pacific’ is euphasim in the strategic circles to counter Chinese hegemony.Building on the 2020 signed Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement, the two sides also agreed to continue aircraft deployment from each other’s territories to build operational familiarity.The ministers announced Australia and India would begin developing a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Provision of Defence Articles and Defence Services as the next step in deepening defence industrial collaboration.The two ministers underscored the strategic importance of defence industrial collaboration and engagement. “They agreed to explore further exchanges including through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel,” the joint statement said.Militaries of the two countries would be holding their inaugural Joint Staff Talks later this year.Ministers acknowledged the importance of secure bilateral communications at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels and welcomed progressing these efforts through subject matter exchanges.The New Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, the Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, the new Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and the Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh were present at the meeting.