Rajnath Singh to lead Indian team at ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Philippines

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses a press conference. FIle

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, from October 28 to 29, where he is scheduled to address the forum on regional and international security issues.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Mr. Singh is expected to hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts from participating countries to review ongoing defence cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening strategic partnerships, the Defence Ministry said.

The ADMM-Plus is a key regional platform for dialogue and cooperation on defence and security issues, bringing together the 11 ASEAN member-states and eight Dialogue Partners — India, the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for participating countries to exchange views on the evolving regional and international security environment and discuss ways to strengthen defence cooperation.

The Philippines is chairing the ADMM-Plus in 2026. India, meanwhile, is co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle.

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, the Defence Ministers of the participating countries have been meeting annually to deepen defence cooperation.

India’s participation in the forum is part of its broader defence diplomacy and engagement with Southeast Asian countries under the Act East policy, with a focus on promoting peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.