India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh offered to share the country’s counterterrorism experience with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their dialogue partners through ADMM-Plus.
At the Oct. 29 meeting in Cebu, Philippines, Singh named joint military exercises, capacity-building programs and intelligence sharing as possible channels. India’s Ministry of Defence said the aim was to strengthen collective capabilities.
The ministry statement set no timetable for new activities. It did not announce a new agreement or budget, or detail rules for intelligence sharing.
The ministry described ADMM-Plus as a security and defense cooperation platform for ASEAN’s 11 member states and eight dialogue partners. The Philippines chaired the forum in 2026. India and Malaysia co-chair its Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism for the 2024–2027 cycle, according to the ministry.
Malaysia’s Defence Ministry said in August 2026 that preparations were underway for a counterterrorism field training exercise in India in 2027 under the working group. Its announcement did not link the exercise to Singh’s offer.
Singh cited Operation Sindoor as an example of India’s counterterrorism approach. India’s Ministry of Defence said the operation began May 7, 2025, and targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
