Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), scheduled to be held in Cebu, Philippines, on October 28–29, 2026. The meeting will provide India with an important platform to engage regional and international partners on security challenges and strengthen defence cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
The Defence Minister will address the forum on ‘Exchange of Views on Regional and International Security Issues’. On the sidelines of the meeting, he is also scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts from participating countries to review existing defence ties and explore avenues for strengthening strategic partnerships.
Strengthening India’s Defence Engagement in Southeast Asia:
ADMM-Plus is a key multilateral platform that brings together the defence ministers of the 11 ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners—India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
The forum aims to strengthen practical defence cooperation, promote strategic dialogue and support regional peace and stability. The ADMM serves as ASEAN’s highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism.
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 participating defence ministers have met annually to advance cooperation on shared security concerns.
Act East Policy and Regional Security:
The Philippines is chairing ADMM-Plus in 2026. India is also co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024–2027 cycle under the ADMM-Plus framework.
India’s participation reflects its continuing engagement with Southeast Asian countries through the Act East policy, with a focus on defence diplomacy, counter-terrorism cooperation and regional stability.
The upcoming meeting in Cebu will provide an opportunity for India to deepen dialogue with ASEAN members and other participating nations, strengthen bilateral defence partnerships and contribute to discussions on evolving regional and international security challenges.
