News: The 12th ADMM-Plus will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 1, 2025. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will represent India at the meeting.
About ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus (ADMM-Plus) 2025
- Held at: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- It is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism within ASEAN.
- The first ADMM-Plus was held on October 12, 2010 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
- Since 2017, ADMM-Plus has been held annually to reinforce defence cooperation.
- India’s Role in ADMM-Plus: India is the co-chair (with Malaysia) of the Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism for the 2024–2027 cycle.
- Strategic Importance:
- The meeting underscores India’s commitment to regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation, maritime stability, and the Indo-Pacific vision aligned with ASEAN centrality.
- It also reflects India’s proactive engagement in multilateral defence diplomacy and regional peacebuilding under the ‘Act East Policy’.
About ADMM-Plus
- The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) serves as a key platform to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development across the region.
- Established: 12 October 2010
- ADMM-Plus includes ASEAN’s 10 member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) plus 8 dialogue partners — India, USA, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Chairmanship: Rotates every year and is chaired by the host of ASEAN Summit.
- Objectives: The ADMM-Plus seeks to:
- Build ASEAN’s capacity to address shared security challenges.
- Promote mutual trust and transparency among defence establishments.
- Enhance regional peace and stability through defence cooperation.
- Support the ASEAN Security Community’s vision of peace, stability, and prosperity.
- Advance the Vientiane Action Programme for a secure and outward-looking ASEAN.
- Focus areas: It currently focuses on seven areas of practical cooperation – Counter-Terrorism, Maritime Security, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management, Peacekeeping Operations, Military Medicine, Humanitarian Mine Action and Cyber Security.
