India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement

India and Australia moved closer to closing in on the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), as the Foreign and Defence Secretaries from both countries met in New Delhi in 2019.

• The ongoing negotiations over MLSA are in consonance with India’s recent maritime foreign policy maneuvers. In the recent past, the country has concluded several logistics agreements with various countries including France, Oman, the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea.
• A logistics support agreement between India and Australia will be integral to the community of law-abiding nations working to uphold the prevailing order in the Indo-Pacific.
• The MLSA is a bilateral agreement between the countries that allows reciprocal access to military facilities in terms of logistics support which generally include food, water, petroleum (fuel), spare parts and other components. The agreement will be useful during joint military exercises, peacekeeping operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations, scheduled deployments of military platforms, and any other exigent situations that may arise. It will help in improving interoperability between the involved parties.