Blitz Bureau
AUSTRALIA, Japan, and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to support India’s maritime surveillance efforts in the Indo-Pacific region while recognising the importance of closer collaboration in the field. Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin III convened the fourteenth Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting (TDMM) on November 17 in Darwin, Australia.
“We commit to enhancing AustraliaJapan-India-United States maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific from 2025, acknowledging India’s leadership role in conceptualising the idea of closer collaboration in maritime surveillance,” a joint statement issued after the meeting stated. India’s maritime surveillance in the Indo-Pacific region focuses on bolstering its naval and maritime security while developing a comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) framework.
The trilateral leaders also expressed satisfaction over recent joint initiatives, stating, “We welcome the success of our maritime patrol aircraft collaboration activity with India on the sidelines of Exercise KAKADU in September 2024.”
Earlier in September, the Wilmington Declaration — released following the Quad leaders’ meeting involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Delaware — highlighted India’s leadership in finalising the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP). The Quad expressed its support for the implementation of this framework.
The Quad, comprising the US, Japan, India, and Australia, has committed to implementing the ‘Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific’ (MAITRI) to enhance monitoring, law enforcement, and deterrence of unlawful activities in the region. Meanwhile, the joint statement from the trilateral defence meeting of Australia, Japan, and the US reiterated their consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity. The leaders also expressed anticipation for a successful ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Lao PDR this week.
