Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation to the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) – Plus in Cebu, Philippines, on October 28 and 29, where he will address regional and international security issues.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from participating countries to review defence ties and explore ways to strengthen strategic partnerships.
The Philippines is chairing ADMM-Plus in 2026. The forum brings together ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners—India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand—to strengthen security and defence cooperation.
The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting is the grouping’s highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism. Its expanded format, ADMM-Plus, was first convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010. Defence ministers have met annually under the framework since 2017.
India, which became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1992, is co-chairing the ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024–2027 cycle.
The Ministry said that India’s participation reflects its growing defence engagement with Southeast Asia under the Act East policy, aimed at promoting peace, stability and collective growth in the region.
