Australia, Japan, US reaffirm commitment to support India's maritime surveillance in Indo-Pacific

Darwin (Australia): Australia, Japan, and the United States on Sunday 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 Sunday in Darwin, Australia.

“We commit to enhancing Australia-Japan-India-United States maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific from 2025, acknowledging India’s leadership role in conceptualizing 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. In addition to maritime security, the Quad launched a ‘Quad Cancer Moonshot’ initiative focused on combating cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific, aiming to reduce the number of lives lost to the disease. Another initiative, the ‘Quad Ports of the Future Partnership,’ was announced to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad had also raised concerns over coercive actions in the South China Sea and had emphasised the importance of adhering to international laws, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to uphold the global maritime rules-based order. The statement noted, “We are united in commitment to upholding a stable and open international system, with strong support for human rights, freedom, the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and the peaceful settlement of disputes without the threat or use of force in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter.”

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.

The statement further emphasised collaboration with partners such as Canada, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to enhance engagement with Southeast Asian nations and address regional security priorities.