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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, Philippines, on October 28 and 29, with a focus on regional and international security challenges and strengthening defence partnerships.
Singh is scheduled to address the forum on “Exchange of Views on Regional and International Security Issues”. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with defence ministers of participating countries to review ongoing defence cooperation and explore avenues for deepening strategic partnerships.
The ADMM-Plus is a key platform for defence and security cooperation between the 11 ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners – India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The ADMM serves as ASEAN’s highest-level defence consultative and cooperative mechanism.
The Philippines, which holds the chair of ADMM-Plus for 2026, will host the meeting against the backdrop of evolving regional and international security concerns.
India became a dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992, while the inaugural ADMM-Plus meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, defence ministers of the participating countries have met annually to advance cooperation on shared security challenges.
India is also co-chairing the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle. New Delhi’s engagement with the forum forms an important part of its Act East policy, which seeks to deepen strategic and defence ties with Southeast Asian countries and contribute to peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Team BharatShakti
