India and Fiji Hold Second Defence Joint Working Group Meet

The second India-Fiji Bilateral Joint Working Group (JWG) on defence met in New Delhi on 28 September 2026. The two sides reviewed a wide span of subjects and agreed to keep up regular engagement so that the defence partnership deepens further.

Who led the two delegations

On the sidelines of the meeting, Mason Smith also called on Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. That conversation turned on strengthening bilateral defence and maritime cooperation, including scope for greater work together in the defence industry.

What the two sides discussed

The agenda covered military training and capacity building, engagement between the respective services, maritime security, cyber training, collaboration in the defence industry, and closer institutional links between the armed forces of the two countries. India restated the importance it attaches to Fiji and to the Pacific Island Countries within its vision of a free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific. Both delegations recorded their satisfaction at the growth of bilateral defence engagement.

A visit to Kochi

To carry the training cooperation forward, the Fijian delegation is to travel to Kochi on 29 and 30 September 2026. It will inspect facilities of the Southern Naval Command with the object of formalising advanced naval training cooperation and professional aviation training modules, which is expected to lift technical proficiency and operational synergy between the two maritime forces.

Wreath-laying and the industry visit

Before the official talks opened, Mason Smith paid tribute to India's fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. The delegation then went to DPSU Bhavan at the World Trade Centre in the capital, where it was briefed on India's indigenous defence manufacturing capability. The briefing highlighted progress under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, with exhibition displays and advanced augmented reality and virtual reality simulation facilities that reproduce real battlefield conditions.

The background

India and Fiji share close and friendly relations resting on historical, cultural and people-to-people ties. The meeting was used to consolidate the existing defence partnership and to identify fresh areas where the two countries can work together.