Rajnath Singh undertook a visit to the historic and strategic naval facility HMAS Kuttabul in Sydney, Australia, on Friday. Accompanied by Australia’s Assistant Minister of Defence, Peter Khalil, Singh was briefed on the state-of-the-art facilities at Sydney Harbour and taken on a tour on board Admiral Hudson.
The visit underscored the growing synergy between the two nations’ maritime forces, with both leaders emphasising that India and Australia stand to gain significantly from deeper naval collaboration and enhanced cooperation in Maritime Domain Awareness across the Indo-Pacific region.
Later, the Defence Minister co-chaired the maiden India-Australia Defence Industry Business Roundtable with Khalil to advance industrial partnerships and capability development between the two nations. The discussions focused on exploring opportunities in defence technology, manufacturing and innovation, particularly within the frameworks of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
In the evening, the Raksha Mantri addressed members of the Indian community at a special event hosted by the Consulate General of India in Sydney, acknowledging their contribution to strengthening the cultural and economic bridge between the two nations.