The Quad has stepped up its focus on maritime and transnational security, economic security and critical technologies, with senior officials from the US, India, Japan and Australia reviewing ongoing initiatives and pushing for more concrete cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.The discussions took place at a meeting of Quad sherpas hosted by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi, with the four countries seeking to carry forward the outcomes of their Foreign Ministers’ meeting in May and prepare the ground for the next ministerial-level talks.The meeting was attended by Australian Deputy Secretary, Strategic Planning and Coordination Group, Elly Lawson; Japan’s Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hiroyuki Namazu; and US Special Envoy to South and Central Asia and Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.The meeting followed the May 26 Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, which brought together External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.The latest Sherpas’ meeting comes as the four countries seek to translate the Quad’s growing strategic convergence into practical initiatives across security, technology, economic resilience and disaster response in the Indo-Pacific.According to the officials, the sherpas reviewed progress on existing Quad initiatives and discussed ways to strengthen practical cooperation, reaffirming their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.Maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response figured prominently in the discussions.The four sides also exchanged views on developments in the Indo-Pacific and the wider regional and global situation, signalling the Quad’s expanding focus beyond traditional maritime cooperation to economic and technological resilience.The Sherpas stressed the need to concentrate on concrete, action-oriented initiatives, while agreeing to maintain consultations ahead of the next Quad foreign ministers’ meeting.