The Hon Richard Marles MP
28 May 26
Release details
Release type
Related ministers and contacts
The Hon Richard Marles MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Defence
Media contact
Release content
28 May 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, will travel to Singapore this week to attend the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue.
Convened by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the annual Shangri-La Dialogue is the region’s pre-eminent defence and security forum. It brings together leaders from across the Indo-Pacific and the world to discuss shared international security challenges and responses.
During the Dialogue, the Deputy Prime Minister will address regional maritime security issues during the third plenary session on Asia’s Maritime Security Disorder. He will also meet with a range of global and regional defence counterparts.
The Deputy Prime Minister will then travel to India, where he will meet with Indian Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh for the 2nd Australia-India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue. First held in Australia last October, this meeting reflects unprecedented progress in the bilateral defence partnership and a shared ambition to enhance cooperation.
Quotes attributable to Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles:
“In a deteriorating strategic environment, the Shangri-La Dialogue provides an important forum to engage with partners on shared challenges.
“We remain committed to deepening diplomatic and defence relationships to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
“Australia and India are top-tier security partners. I look forward meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to further strengthen our defence partnership following the strong progress we made during his visit to Australia last year.”
MEDIA NOTE:
Media will be able to access imagery at:
https://images.defence.gov.au/S20261328 - Singapore