Reference:

• The 10th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting (QFMM) was held on 1 July 2025 in Washington, D.C., USA.

Key Highlights:

Participating Foreign Ministers:

• Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister of the United States
• Dr. Subhash Chandramani Jaishankar, Foreign Minister of India
• Iwaya Takeshi, Foreign Minister of Japan
• Penny Wong, Foreign Minister of Australia
• Host: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Major Initiatives Launched During the Meeting:

• Quad Critical Minerals Initiative
• A major step toward promoting economic opportunities and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Objectives:

• To secure, diversify, and sustain the supply chain of critical minerals
• Recovery and re-processing of minerals from electronic waste (e-waste)
• Encouraging private sector investment and strengthening the supply chain

“Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission”

• Launched on 30 June 2025 by the coast guards of India, the U.S., Japan, and Australia as a historic initiative to enhance maritime security and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
• This mission aligns with the Wilmington Declaration (September 2024), reflecting the leaders’ vision for a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

Objectives:

• Maritime Security & Surveillance:

• • Enhance domain awareness, operational coordination, and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific.
  • Focus on curbing illegal activities like piracy, drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and border violations.
• Capacity Building:

Strengthen cooperation and trust among the coast guards of:

• • Indian Coast Guard (ICG)
  • Japan Coast Guard (JCG)
  • U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
  • Australian Border Force (ABF)

Structure:

• Two officers from each country (including at least one female officer) embarked on the USCGC Stratton heading to Guam.
• The second Maritime Legal Dialogue will be held in July 2025.
• This is the first time coast guard officers from Quad nations are serving together on the same vessel in a joint maritime mission.
• This initiative operates under the name "Quad Coast Guard Handshake" to promote operational coordination.

India’s Role:

• Through this mission, India reinforces its maritime doctrines like:

• • SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)
  • Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)

          Both focus on maritime conservation and collective regional governance.

Other Meeting Outcomes:

• Under IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness), the Quad nations will enhance cooperation in data collection, analysis, training, and capability building.
• A special workshop called ‘MAITRI’ will be organized in 2025 to review and strengthen maritime capabilities with regional partners.
• Quad nations emphasized:

• • Energy security
  • Supply chain resilience
  • Transparent and secure infrastructure development
• In October 2025, the ‘Quad Ports of the Future Partnership’ Conference will be held in Mumbai, focusing on port and logistics practices and attracting investments.
• India and the U.S. will co-host an Undersea Cables Forum in 2025 to:

• • Enhance digital infrastructure cooperation
  • Harmonize regulations among Quad nations

What is Quad?

Core Objectives:

• Promote a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific
• Focus on maritime security, disaster relief, climate, infrastructure, and technology
• Strategically counter the growing influence of China in the region