ASEAN-India Defence Ministers to Meet in Malaysia to Bolster Strategic Ties and Regional Security Cooperation
KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYSIA): India’s Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister) Shri Rajnath Singh is scheduled to attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 01, 2025, underscoring India’s commitment to its ‘Act East Policy’ and strategic engagement with the Southeast Asian region.
The Defence Minister will address the ADMM-Plus forum on the theme: ‘Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting the Way Forward’.
Ahead of the main ADMM-Plus summit, the Minister will participate in the second edition of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting on October 31. Chaired by Malaysia, this meeting will see the participation of Defence Ministers from all ASEAN member countries and is aimed at further strengthening defence and security cooperation while advancing India’s ‘Act East Policy’.
During his two-day visit, Shri Singh is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the participating ADMM-Plus nations and senior Malaysian leadership.
The ADMM-Plus serves as a key platform for ASEAN member states and its eight Dialogue Partners—including India, the US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand—to enhance regional security and defence cooperation.
India became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1992, with the inaugural ADMM-Plus being held in 2010. Notably, under the ADMM-Plus framework for the current 2024-2027 cycle, India is co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism with Malaysia. Furthermore, the second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is scheduled for 2026, pointing to a deepening level of maritime security cooperation between India and the bloc.
