Wary of China, Australia wants new deal with India for long-term reciprocal access to military bases

Australia on Wednesday proposed to work out an arrangement with India to make sure that the armed forces of the two nations get long-term access to each other’s military bases – further expanding bilateral defence cooperation in response to China’s military build-up in the Indo-Pacific region.

The proposal was discussed as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in New Delhi.

India and Australia had in June 2020 signed the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA) to expand military-to-military cooperation, enhance interoperability of the armed forces of the two nations and augment joint efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in case of disasters in the Indo-Pacific region.

Marles conveyed to Singh that the new Australian government led by Prime Minister Antony Albanese was now keen to build on the June 2020 agreement and work out an arrangement for long-term reciprocal access for the armies, navies and air forces of the two nations to each other’s military bases.

“As we continue to lift our defence and security cooperation, exploring longer-term reciprocal access arrangements is the logical next step,” Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister of the new Australian Government, later said, delivering a speech at the National Defence College in New Delhi.

He expressed concern over China’s military build-up and its aggression against India.

“China’s military build-up is now the largest and most ambitious we have seen by any country since the end of the Second World War,” he said, adding: “It is critical that China’s neighbours do not see this build-up as a risk for them. Because without that reassurance, it is inevitable that countries will seek to upgrade their own military capabilities in response.”

“Insecurity is what drives an arms race,” he said.

He also referred to the continuing military stand-off between India and China in eastern Ladakh, particularly the June 15, 2020 clash in Galwan Valley. The Indian Army lost 20 of its soldiers in the violent face-off with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which so far acknowledged four casualties on its side.

“The assault on Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 was a warning we should all heed. Australia stood up for India’s sovereignty then and continues to do so now. It is vital that China commits to resolving this dispute through a process of dialogue consistent with international law,” said the deputy prime minister and defence minister of Australia. “The global rules based order matters everywhere, including in the highest place on earth.”

Singh and Marles reviewed strategic challenges and the regional security situation and reaffirmed their shared objective of an open, free, inclusive, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, according to a joint press-release issued after the meeting.

India-Australia MLSA signed in June 2020 was the second such agreement New Delhi signed with another member of the Quad. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between India and the United States was signed in August 2016. India later also signed a similar military logistics sharing pact – formally known as Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) – with Japan.

Tokyo and Canberra earlier this year signed an agreement for reciprocal access of the armed forces to each other’s military bases – similar to the one Australia is now keen to ink with India.