(AseanAll)  — On October 21st, 2026, at the Ministry of Defence of Timor-Leste in Dili, Timor-Leste Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Defence Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles signed a new Defence Cooperation Framework between Timor-Leste and Australia to deepen bilateral cooperation in this field. During the visit, an Australian support package of AU$62 million (approximately US$43.6 million) was also announced for the next five years to strengthen national security capabilities.

The new Defence Cooperation Framework provides a basis for deepening coordination between the defence forces of both countries, particularly in military training, education, and joint exercises.

Following the signing, Richard Marles stated that “the Defence Cooperation Framework will provide the basis for us to move forward in terms of military coordination, training, and education, and, above all, in conducting joint defence exercises,” adding that it will enable “much deeper engagement between the defence forces of our two countries.”

The Prime Minister highlighted ongoing cooperation with Australia to strengthen the capabilities of FALINTIL – Defence Forces of Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) through training, education, and technical assistance, emphasising the application of these capabilities to disaster response and maritime security, including combating illegal fishing and other illicit activities.

Operational cooperation between the forces of both countries has included joint exercises such as Hari’i Hamutuk (Building Together), which brings together personnel from the F-FDTL and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for training and instruction.

The signing of the new Framework builds on discussions held during Richard Marles’s visit to Timor-Leste in May this year, when both parties addressed deepening bilateral defence cooperation and the establishment of a new instrument to guide it.

In the broader security field, planned cooperation spans cybersecurity, maritime security, digital forensics, and disaster preparedness and response.

The support package provides for the delivery of three new vessels to the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) and for specialised training to strengthen its maritime surveillance and security capabilities, including search and rescue operations and responses to transnational crime.

Plans are also in place to strengthen the digital forensics capabilities of national authorities to support the investigation and prevention of cybercrime, as well as to provide specialised technical assistance in cybersecurity and cyber incident response.

In this regard, the Prime Minister stated that “in the area of cybersecurity, we must continue to learn and improve our capacity to respond to international organised crime and many other challenges.”

The package also includes support for disaster preparedness and response, as well as deepening police cooperation through the Timor-Leste Police Development Program (TLPDP).

These initiatives fall under the Parseria Foun ba Era Foun (New Partnership for a New Era) framework, established by Prime Ministers Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Anthony Albanese in Dili in January this year. The Joint Declaration calls for deeper bilateral cooperation across regional peace and integration, prosperity and resilience, and people-to-people and institutional ties, including specific commitments on defence, maritime security, police cooperation, and cybersecurity.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for Australia’s support for Timor-Leste’s regional integration process and highlighted bilateral cooperation within ASEAN. The Parseria Foun ba Era Foun provides for continued Australian support for Timor-Leste’s priorities as a Member State of the organisation and reaffirms both countries’ commitment to ASEAN centrality and the regional architecture led by the organisation.

Xanana Gusmão also referenced the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, highlighting the employment opportunities, skills development, and professional experience it offers Timorese workers.

Richard Marles’s visit to Timor-Leste is his second since the establishment of the Parseria Foun ba Era Foun, continuing bilateral defence and security cooperation within the framework of the partnership between the two countries.