Page 38 - May 2019

Defence
AUSINDEX 2019 commences in India

A Royal Australian Navy (RAN) maritime submarine warfare capabilities in pleased that our bilateral defence
task group has commenced AUSINDEX, support of a stable and secure Indian relationship continues to go from
a major bienial bilateral exercise, with Ocean. strength to strength. We have gone from
the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam, “By 2035, the Indo-Pacific region 11 defence exercises, meetings and
India. will see around half of the world’s activities in 2014 to 38 in 2018.”
The exercise was first held in India submarines operating in its waters,” Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral
in 2015 with this year’s third iteration Minister Pyne said. Jonathan Mead, AM, RAN, said
to focus on anti-submarine warfare, “India is a significant security partner AUSINDEX 2019 saw Indian and
incorporating maritime patrol and for Australia in the Indian Ocean and Australian navies working through a
reconnaissance aircraft, and more than in the broader Indo-Pacific region. We set of increasingly complex activities
1,200 Australian personnel. share a strong commitment to an open, and scenarios involving command and
Minister for Defence, the Hon secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific and control, communications and maritime
Christopher Pyne MP said AUSINDEX to a resilient rules-based global order. manoeuvre.
2019 provides an opportunity for “Australia is committed to deepening “The ultimate aim of the activity
Australia and India to hone their anti- our engagement with India and I’m is to practice maintaining sea lines
of communications in a complex
submarine environment,” Rear Admiral
Mead said.
“AUSINDEX 2019 is far more
complex than the previous two iterations
and by enhancing our interoperability,
including with allocated air assets,
Australia and India will be better
prepared to work together to address
future threats to the regional order.
“This year we have drawn upon
capabilities from our Indo-Pacific
Endeavour Joint Task Force to
demonstrate the importance of a fully
integrated force to meet these future
challenges.”
HMA Ships Canberra, Success,
Newcastle and Parramatta, supported
by the submarine HMAS Collins
and a Royal Australian Air Force
P8-A Poseidon maritime patrol and
reconnaissance aircraft participated in
AUSINDEX 2019.
Engagement with India through
AUSINDEX is the cornerstone of
Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavor
series this year. Indo-Pacific Endeavour
19 is the Australian Defence Force’s
major regional engagement activity
and delivers on the promise of
the 2016 Defence White Paper to
strengthen Australia’s engagement
and partnerships with regional security
forces.
https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/
A Royal Australian Air Force P8-A
Poseidon maritime patrol and
reconnaissance aircraft participated in
AUSINDEX 2019. CPL Kylie Gibson.

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