Malaysia - Australia joint intention on information sharing

Malaysia and Australia share a strong and long-standing defence partnership, based on history, trust, and mutual respect. We also share an interest in maintaining the peace and stability of the region, where ASEAN is central to its security architecture and international law is respected.

Both Malaysia and Australia recognise that strategic circumstances are changing. These include increasing strategic competition, more frequent climate change events, grey-zone activities, and technological advancements.

Being able to follow and understand developments is key to navigating these changes, including to improve the effectiveness of our efforts to build our shared vision for the region.

Accordingly, we express our intention to grow information sharing between our respective defence ministries and armed forces by having our officials undertake the following.

First, our officials should seek to enhance information sharing within each countries’ existing information security frameworks. We acknowledge and commend the ongoing exchange of information on key areas such as maritime domain awareness and regional trends, which contributes significantly to our shared security objectives. Building on this strong foundation, our officials will explore opportunities to expand the scope of information shared, ensuring they remain within the boundaries of our respective information security frameworks and are guided by areas of mutual interest.

Second, our officials should explore opportunities to support the effectiveness of our information-sharing efforts. Our officials may identify practical steps to refine existing practices and explore new frameworks that are aligned with the principles of mutual respect, trust, countries’ priorities and sensitivities, with an emphasis on fostering personnel exchanges and cooperation through established mechanisms such as the Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Program (MAJDP).

We look forward to reviewing progress at each High-Level Committee meeting.

Signed on December 2024