Army Chiefs of India, Australia Hold Talks on Security, Training, and Strategic Challenges

Indian and Australian Army chiefs discussed Operation Sindoor, China-Pakistan strategic fusion, Quad, and reciprocal faculty exchanges. The Australian Army chief's visit aims to address Indo-Pacific security challenges.

Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and his Australian counterpart Lieutenant General Simon Stuart on Monday, wherein the two military leaders discussed a range of issues, including Operation Sindoor, growing China-Pakistan strategic fusion, Quad, think tank collaboration and reciprocal faculty exchanges at the training institutes.

The Australian Army chief, who arrived in India on August 10 on a 5-day visit, seeks to strengthen strategic cooperation, boost military-to-military cooperation, and discuss key Indo-Pacific security challenges.

During his stay in the country, he will be meeting top defence leadership, and visits to major military and academic institutions.

During his meeting with his Indian counterpart, Stuart was informed of evidence pertaining to involvement of Pakistan in carrying out a terror attack in Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. He was also apprised of the “Operation Sindoor” – Indian Armed Forces’ action against 9 terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the sources, the two military leaders also discussed the Pakistan-China strategic fusion, which the entire world has seen during the Operation Sindoor.

They further deliberated on joint ventures in indigenous defence production, particularly in advanced technologies, including radars, missile systems, electronic warfare capabilities, unmanned platforms, and stealth systems.

Indo-Pacific Region

The two military leaders reiterated for a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, amidst China’s belligerent behaviour in the region. Dwivedi and Staurt also discussed ways to strengthen maritime security, supply chain resilience, and humanitarian assistance capacities.

They also held talks on AUKUS and QUAD, which include challenges, opportunities, and the way forward.

On emerging technologies, they discussed the integration of Artificial Intelligence and quantum technologies into battlefield applications.

In an effort to deepen policy dialogue on the shifting geopolitical and geostrategic landscape, the two sides discussed increasing interaction between the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and Australian strategic research institutions.