Fifteen officers from the Australian Defence Forces are visiting India fromMarch 1 under the inaugural General Rawat India-Australia Young Defence Officers’ Exchange Programme that was announced in 2022.
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“During the Exchange Program the Australian officers will be hosted by fifteen officers from the Indian armed forces of similar rank and skillset, and will visit various Indian defence establishments across four cities,” the Australian High Commission said in a statement on Thursday. The tri-Service contingent includes four female officers, it stated.
The programme aims to expose young officers from Australia and India to each other’s training philosophies and capabilities.
“This is an excellent opportunity for India and Australia to introduce their young defence officers to each other’s operational environments and strengthen our bilateral relationship. In 2022, in recognition of the contributions of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and the importance of deepening our defence relationship, the Australian and Indian governments announced an Australia-India Young Defence Officers’ Exchange Programme named in his honour,” Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell said.
The exchange programme is the latest in a series of military to military exchanges between the two countries. It includes visits to the Air Force Academy, the College of Defence Management, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Naval facilities in Goa, and other key defence installations.