Army Chief General Manoj Pande visiting Australia to discuss stronger defence cooperation between the two countries

India’s Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande is on a four-day visit to Australia for a series of meetings with the country’s top military leadership aimed at boosting defence cooperation between the Armed Forces of the two nations.

The visit from March 3-6 is significant as it comes barely a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi described defence cooperation as an important pillar of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Modi made the remarks after meeting his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in New Delhi on March 3, 2023.

During the visit, General Pande will call on the Chief of the Defence Force of Australia, the senior most Defence Officer of the nation. Besides a discussion with his counterpart, the Chief of the Australian Army, he will also interact with the Chief of the Australian Air Force, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

The Indian Army Chief is scheduled to meet a host of other senior dignitaries wherein he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-Australia defence relations, the ministry added.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Australia-India defence cooperation has been on an upward trajectory with a series of diverse engagements at different levels, in various domains. These include bilateral visits by senior officers, reciprocal courses of instructions and training exercises, among others.

“The ever-expanding defence cooperation engagements encompassing a broad spectrum of activities have established a strong bonhomie between the two Armed Forces. The visit of the COAS to Australia will further strengthen the bonds of trust and understanding between the two armies,” the Ministry of Defence said.

It may be recalled that the inaugural joint exercise between army contingents of the two countries, Austra-Hind 23, was held in Rajasthan in November 2022. This saw the participation of all arms and services from contingents of both the armies. The bilateral exercise will be an annual event that alternates between Australia and India.