Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is set to depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, October 30, 2025, to bolster India's defense ties with ASEAN member states. He will be participating in the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) on November 1, 2025.
Singh's visit underscores India's commitment to its "Act East" policy and its focus on strengthening security cooperation with Southeast Asian nations. The ADMM-Plus serves as a crucial platform for defense and security cooperation between ASEAN member states and its eight dialogue partners, which include India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
During the ADMM-Plus meeting, Singh is scheduled to address the forum on the theme "Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting the Way Forward". His address will likely highlight India's perspective on regional defense cooperation, maritime security, and its vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
Prior to the ADMM-Plus, on October 31, Malaysia will host the second ASEAN-India Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting. This meeting, chaired by Malaysia, will provide an opportunity for defense ministers from all ASEAN countries and India to discuss ways to enhance their collaboration. The meeting aims to strengthen defense and security cooperation among ASEAN member states and India and advance the 'Act East Policy'.
On the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus, Rajnath Singh is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other participating ADMM-Plus nations, as well as with senior Malaysian officials. These discussions will likely focus on areas of mutual interest, strategic cooperation, and emerging security challenges.
India became a full dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992. The inaugural ADMM-Plus was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in October 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus has been held annually to bolster the defence cooperation among ASEAN and plus countries. India is also the co-chair of the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the cycle 2024–2027. Furthermore, the second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is scheduled for 2026.
The ADMM is the highest defense consultative and cooperative mechanism within ASEAN. The ADMM-Plus extends this framework to include the eight Dialogue Partners. The ten ASEAN member states are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.
