Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to Singapore this week to attend the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue before heading to India for key defence discussions aimed at deepening security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
At the Singapore summit, Marles is expected to speak on maritime security issues and the growing strategic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific, describing the regional environment as increasingly complex and unstable.
After the conference, Marles will visit India for the second Australia–India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, where he is scheduled to meet Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Marles said Australia and India have developed into “top-tier security partners” and noted the significant progress made in defence ties since the first dialogue was held in Australia last year.
The upcoming talks are expected to focus on strengthening maritime cooperation, improving military interoperability, and expanding broader strategic collaboration across the Indo-Pacific.
The annual Shangri-La Dialogue, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, is regarded as one of the region’s most important defence and security forums, bringing together ministers, military leaders, and senior officials from across the world to discuss regional and global security concerns.