"The ministers agreed to elevate the Malaysia-Australia defence partnership and establish, as a first step, a Strategic Planning Committee, with the Committee to convene at the earliest opportunity to drive priority areas of practical defence cooperation and oversee their implementation," the statement read.

Both ministers welcomed growing defence collaboration under the Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Programme (MAJDP), including Exercise Keris Strike 2026 in Sabah, expanded maritime and special forces cooperation, as well as increased opportunities for professional military education and personnel exchanges.

They reaffirmed the continued value of Operation Gateway in supporting regional security and stability through enhanced maritime domain awareness.

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They also agreed to explore ways to strengthen it further through greater interoperability and integration between the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Australian Defence Force.

Additionally, both nations announced the signing of the renewed Malaysia-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA), to strengthen practical defence cooperation and support a wider range of bilateral, regional and multilateral activities.

The renewed arrangement will improve the ability of both defence forces to work together, strengthen logistical support and interoperability, as well as facilitate future exercises, operations and engagements.

On infrastructure, the ministers noted significant progress on upgrades and runway remediation at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Butterworth Air Base, with the works expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

It was also agreed to mark the completion with a joint ceremony and reiterated the importance of RMAF Butterworth as a key platform for bilateral defence cooperation, regional engagement and Five Power Defence Arrangements activities.

Meanwhile, Malaysia and Australia will explore the establishment of a Defence Science, Technology and Industry Working Group to identify specific defence industry projects that can deliver mutual benefits.

The ministers also looked forward to a forthcoming Australian defence industry trade mission to Malaysia. The mission would allow government, industry and defence stakeholders to explore practical areas of cooperation, support capability development priorities and build stronger long-term defence industry ties.

On cybersecurity, they welcomed greater practical engagement between the two countries to counter evolving cyber threats, and committed to boosting cooperation on cybersecurity and cyber resilience.

"The ministers expressed grave concern over ongoing malicious cyber activities, including large-scale theft targeting banks and other financial institutions across the Indo-Pacific carried out by state-backed actors to fund unlawful weapons programs," the statement read.

Furthermore, the ministers reaffirmed their shared vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is open, stable, prosperous, inclusive and resilient, as well as their support for ASEAN centrality and an ASEAN-led, open, inclusive, transparent, resilient and rules-based regional architecture.

They also welcomed continued collaboration under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific from a defence perspective.

This includes practical cooperation in maritime security, cybersecurity and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, while recognising the role of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) and its Experts' Working Groups in promoting regional stability.

The sixth HLC meeting marked the culmination of Mohamed Khaled’s three-day working visit to Australia, which focused on reviewing progress in defence cooperation and charting the future direction of bilateral defence relations, following the fifth HLC held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 21, 2025.

-- BERNAMA