Delhi, 29 October (H.S.): India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is set to attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting - Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, signaling a continued commitment to strengthening regional security cooperation. The high-level defence summit will convene on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
During the forum, the Defence Minister will deliver an address titled ‘Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting the Way Forward’. This speech is anticipated to outline India's perspective on the evolution of the defence platform and its future direction.
Ahead of the main summit, on Friday, October 31, Singh will participate in the second edition of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting. Chaired by Malaysia, this gathering aims to enhance defence and security collaboration between ASEAN member states and India, further advancing New Delhi's ‘Act East Policy’.
Throughout his two-day visit, the Defence Minister is also scheduled to conduct a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other participating ADMM-Plus nations and engage with senior leadership in Malaysia.The ADMM serves as the primary defence consultative mechanism for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The ADMM-Plus extends this platform to include ASEAN's eight Dialogue Partners: India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Since its inaugural meeting in 2010, the platform has become an annual event to foster robust defence cooperation.
India, a dialogue partner since 1992, currently co-chairs the Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle. Additionally, the second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is slated for 2026.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
