This is the first time that India will co-chair the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism
The 14th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group (EWG) on Counter-Terrorism will be held in New Delhi on March 19-20, 2025. India and Malaysia will co-chair the meeting.

Discussions during the EWG will focus on evolving a robust and comprehensive strategy designed to tackle the evolving threat of terrorism and extremism, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday (March 16, 2025).

This is the first time that India will co-chair the EWG on Counter-Terrorism. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh will deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony on March 19, 2025. 

According to the ministry, the meeting aims to share the on-ground experience of the Defence Forces of ASEAN and its dialogue partners. It will lay the foundation for the activities, exercises, seminars, and workshops planned for the cycle 2024-2027.

Delegations from 10 ASEAN members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand - and eight dialogue partners - Australia, New Zealand, RoK, Japan, China, USA and Russia in addition to India - along with Timor Leste and the ASEAN Secretariat will be participating in the meeting. 
The ADMM-Plus serves as a platform for practical cooperation amongst the participating countries’ defence establishments. 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
  • Cyber Security
EWGs have been established to facilitate cooperation in these areas. The EWGs are each co-chaired by one ASEAN member state and one dialogue partner following a three-year cycle.