The eastern Indian Ocean connects India and Australia and ties their security together, Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green said during a visit to Exercise AUSTRAHIND 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

He described India as a key security partner for Australia, and one whose importance is growing, according to the Indian Army.

Philip Green calls for closer defence cooperation

Green called for closer defence cooperation between the two countries to meet emerging multi-domain security challenges. He linked that cooperation to a free and open Indo-Pacific, a goal both governments have backed in their joint statements over the past few years.

He also praised joint exercises such as AUSTRAHIND. According to the Army, he said these exercises build strategic trust, operational interoperability and military-to-military cooperation between India and Australia.

Green has been High Commissioner since July 2023 and is also accredited as Ambassador to Bhutan. He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his role in the response to the 2002 Bali bombings, according to the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. He also met the Australian contingent at the training area.

Eastern Indian Ocean joins the two coastlines

India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Australia's western seaboard both face the eastern Indian Ocean. Shipping between the Malacca Strait and the wider Indian Ocean passes through these waters.

Exercise AUSTRAHIND 2026 trains for island and coastal operations

The fifth edition of the exercise opened on 19 October at the Foreign Training Node in Thiruvananthapuram and runs until 1 November. Around 120 personnel from each army are taking part. The Indian side is led by troops of the Garhwal Rifles, and the Australian side comes from the 13th Infantry Brigade. The theme is Joint Sub-Conventional Operations in Island and Coastal Environment under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate. An observer delegation from New Zealand is attending for the first time, as announced when the exercise began.

Combat swimming and drones on the training card

Troops are training across jungle, island and coastal terrain, with counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism drills, combat swimming and drone manoeuvring.

Defence Ministers set the amphibious direction

The joint statement from the second India-Australia Defence Ministers' Dialogue in June noted that AUSTRAHIND has moved towards amphibious combat and littoral manoeuvre. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese renewed the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation in Melbourne in July.

The June statement also provided for wider Indian participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre, the biennial Australia-United States exercise, in 2027.