Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, Chief of the Australian Army, will visit India from August 10 to 14, in a move that underscores the growing strategic and defence partnership between the two Indo-Pacific powers. During his visit, he is scheduled to hold high-level talks with Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and senior officials from the Ministry of Defence.
The visit follows closely on the heels of India’s Chief of Defence Staff's April tour to Australia, where he engaged with Admiral David Johnston, Australia’s Chief of Defence Force, and members of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. That visit focused on enhancing military cooperation, especially in the areas of maritime security, joint exercises, capacity building, technology exchange, and the launch of new bilateral initiatives.
Sources within the Indian Army have described Stuart’s upcoming visit as strategically significant, highlighting its role in reaffirming the depth of the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership—particularly in defence cooperation aimed at ensuring a stable, rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.
This high-level exchange builds upon recent key dialogues, including the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in New Delhi in November 2023, with the next edition scheduled for Australia in 2025. The Defence Policy Talks held in July 2023 in Australia also played a pivotal role in reviewing ongoing projects and mapping out new areas for collaboration. These, along with multiple working groups and staff-level engagements, continue to advance joint efforts in capability development, logistics, interoperability, and regional posturing.
A senior officer noted that “the Indian Army–Australian Army relationship has become a vital component of the broader defence partnership, with increasing focus on real-time cooperation and joint preparedness.”
A major pillar of this engagement is Exercise AUSTRAHIND, launched in 2016. This bilateral field training exercise focuses on counter-terrorism, close-quarter battle, and tactical joint operations. It has seen active participation from India’s Army and Australia’s 1st Brigade. The next edition is scheduled in Australia for November 2025.
The Indian Army has also contributed to Exercise Talisman Sabre, a large-scale multinational drill hosted by Australia, and actively participated in Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE-22), which facilitated field-level collaboration in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief (HADR), jungle warfare, and counter-terrorism.
Training and institutional cooperation continue to flourish, with regular exchanges of officers for premier military courses. Indian officers attend the Australian Defence and Strategic Studies Course, Army Command and Staff Course, and the Combined Defence Intelligence and Research Analysis Course. Conversely, Australian officers are regularly nominated to Indian institutions such as the National Defence College (NDC), Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), and the Higher Defence Orientation Course (HDOC).
The Instructor Exchange Programme at the Indian Army’s Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare (CIJW) School in Vairengte and frequent Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) have strengthened tactical knowledge sharing and doctrinal alignment between the two forces.
Among the newer initiatives is the India–Australia Young Officers Exchange Programme, conceptualised by the late General Bipin Rawat and launched during the 2022 Prime Minister-level virtual summit. This programme allows young officers to train together, experience one another’s field operations, and build lasting connections to ensure leadership synergy in the future.
Meanwhile, the Army-to-Army Staff Talks, which began in 2010 and became annual in 2016, have grown into a crucial platform for strategic discussions on regional and global security dynamics.
Adding to the defence partnership, Indian firms have exported key military platforms to Australia, especially in tactical ISR, mobility, and protected systems. Collaboration between India’s Army Design Bureau and Australia’s Digger Works is also being explored to co-develop cost-effective, combat-ready technologies for modern battlefield needs.
An Indian Army source concluded, “Lieutenant General Stuart’s visit reflects India’s growing stature as a key military partner in the Indo-Pacific. It’s a step towards deepening operational synergy, strategic trust, and long-term cooperation between the two nations’ armies.”