India has already signed similar agreements with the United States, France and Singapore. The agreement allows Indian and Australian military ships and aircraft to refuel and access maintenance facilities on each other`s bases. Military-military contacts have also intensified. Senior Australian Army officers participate in the National Defence College in New Delhi, as well as the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Tamil Nadu and the National Institute of Hydrography of the National Navy over the course of a year. The number of Indian participants at the Australian Command and Staff College in Canberra was increased from two to three, as was an Indian student at the Australian Defence College in Canberra. The National Security College of Australia has also made a concerted offer to attract Indian officials to courses. The exchange of cadets has become a routine. Planning and dialogue on defence policy are conducted at the highest level, represented by regular meetings of defence ministers from both countries and annual meetings of foreign ministers. Discussions on defence policy, which a senior Australian defence official said had been “difficult in the past,” had become easier. In addition, the 2-2 dialogue, launched in 2017 with the participation of the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries, has been re-enhanced at the ministerial level. This reflects a format that India and Australia have with both the United States and Japan.

As part of the military dialogue, regular interviews with staff are held, with the participation of the three services. A maritime security operations working group has also been set up. On a more tactical level, improvements have been made in the maritime field (MDA) as a result of the white maritime agreement between the two countries. This led to inputs being brought into India`s “Information Fusion Centre” for merchant ships six times a day. India and Australia have sealed an agreement to gain access to each other`s military bases, according to India`s Foreign Ministry – a pact that would pave the way for more trade and military exercises in the Indo-Pacific area. India is also considering Australia`s participation in annual naval exercises with the United States and Japan in the Indian and Pacific Oceans to strengthen security relations between the four countries, military officials said.