Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is departing for Malaysia today, where he will represent India at the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM-Plus). This meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur on November 1.
New Delhi: India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh departed today, Thursday, for a two-day visit to Malaysia. He will participate in the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), which is scheduled to be held there on November 1. This visit is considered a significant step towards further strengthening India's “Act East Policy” and deepening defense and security cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.
Rajnath Singh Shared the Information Himself
The Defense Minister shared details of this visit through his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) post. He wrote, "I am departing from New Delhi for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 30. There, I will participate in this year's ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), which is being held on November 1." He stated that he would deliver an address on the theme “15 Years of ADMM-Plus: Reflecting and Charting the Way Forward” at the forum held in Malaysia.
Additionally, he will also attend the second ASEAN-India Defense Ministers' Informal Meeting on October 31, which will be chaired by Malaysia. Defense ministers from all 10 ASEAN member states will participate in this meeting.
Focus on India-ASEAN Defense Cooperation
Rajnath Singh's visit is strategically very important. The main objective of this meeting is to strengthen defense and security cooperation between India and ASEAN countries. Under India's “Act East Policy,” Southeast Asia is a crucial pillar of India's foreign policy. According to the Ministry of Defense, Rajnath Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with defense ministers of ADMM-Plus member countries during this period.
Furthermore, he will also meet with Malaysia's senior leadership to discuss deepening partnerships in areas such as security, defense industry, maritime cooperation, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity. "I look forward to enhancing defense cooperation with my counterparts from participating ADMM-Plus countries,” — Rajnath Singh said in his message.
What is ADMM-Plus?
The ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) is the highest defense consultation and cooperation platform of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Its “Plus” format, ADMM-Plus, also includes eight dialogue partner countries that share security and strategic ties with ASEAN.
- The 10 ASEAN member countries are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
- The eight dialogue partners of ADMM-Plus are: India, USA, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
This platform provides an opportunity to strengthen defense cooperation, joint exercises, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance among these countries.
30 Years of Partnership Between India and ASEAN
Relations between India and ASEAN are more than three decades old. In 1992, India became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN. Since then, trade, connectivity, maritime cooperation, and strategic partnership have continuously expanded between both sides. The first ADMM-Plus meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2010. Since then, this platform has become a focal point for member countries to review defense cooperation and discuss new proposals every year.
India is currently co-chair of the Expert Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle. This group focuses on tackling security challenges and sharing information in the region. Additionally, the second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIMEA) is scheduled to be held in 2026, which will further strengthen maritime security partnership between both sides.
