Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday (November 1, 2025) described the ADMM-Plus as a key component of India’s ‘Act East Policy’ while once again stressing on the spirit of MAHASAGAR. He made the comments while addressing the forum on ‘Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting a Way Forward’.
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) is the “cornerstone of peace, stability and cooperation” in the Indo-Pacific as the 18-nation platform completed 15 years, underlining India’s commitment to an open, inclusive and rules-based regional order, defence minister Singh underlined.
With this, he went on to note that India’s strategic engagement with ASEAN is not transactional but long-term & principle-driven, and it rests on a shared belief that the Indo-Pacific should remain open, inclusive, and free from coercion. Singh met with the Defence Ministers of ASEAN during the second India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday (October 31, 2025).
Rajnath Singh at ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus
During the meeting, the ministers appreciated India’s key role in peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and sought to deepen defence cooperation with New Delhi at the regional level, with Malaysian Defence Minister, as ADMM chair, describing India as a superpower.
In his address at the event, Singh highlighted that the second India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting represents a strategic opportunity to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of India with ASEAN, particularly the defence and security components of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action for 2026–2030.
Singh also announced two forward-looking initiatives namely ASEAN-India Initiative on Women in UN Peacekeeping Operations and ASEAN-India Defence Think-Tank Interaction.
How ADMM-Plus is key to Act East Policy?
The defence minister explained that the forum is an essential component of India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and broader Indo-Pacific vision, adding that the elevation of ASEAN-India ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 reflected “growing alignment of regional priorities”.
India has trust in a rules-based order, Singh pointed out further noting that adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and freedom of navigation and overflight, saying these principles “are not directed against any country but meant to safeguard collective interests”.
As the ADMM-Plus enters its 16th year, India stands ready to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest to promote dialogue over discord, and to strengthen regional mechanisms that ensure peace and stability. The experience of the past fifteen years offers clear lessons: inclusive cooperation works, regional ownership builds legitimacy, and collective security strengthens individual sovereignty, Singh stated.
How India’s engagement with ASEAN has offered a structured defence platform
In his address, Defence Minister Singh suggested that India’s engagement with ASEAN predates the ADMM-Plus, but the mechanism has provided a structured defence platform that complements the diplomatic and economic aspects of its outreach. Further, ASEAN-India partnership’s elevation to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 also reflected a growing alignment of regional priorities.
“The ADMM-Plus has also helped align India’s initiatives with ASEAN’s strategic outlook, ensuring that India’s engagements reinforce, rather than compete with, ASEAN mechanisms,” he stated. The Defence Minister called for reaffirming the ASEAN-led, inclusive security architecture to ensure the Indo-Pacific remains “a region of peace, stability and shared prosperity for generations to come”.