The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) serves as a platform for practical cooperation amongst the participating countries’ defence establishments
The 14th meeting of ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (EWG on CT) held in New Delhi during the week saw extensive discussions on a comprehensive strategy to tackle the evolving threat of terrorism and extremism.  

The EWG meeting held on March 19-20, 2025, was aimed to share the on-ground experience of the Defence Forces of ASEAN countries and its dialogue partners. The meeting laid a foundation for the activities/exercises/meetings/ workshops planned for the current cycle, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday (March 21, 2025).

Co-chairs India and Malaysia unveiled the work plan for the activities planned for the cycle 2024-2027. This includes the conduct of Table-Top Exercise for EWG on CT in Malaysia in 2026 and Field Training Exercise in India in 2027.

Earlier, Myanmar and Russia, co-chairs for EWG on CT during the previous cycle for 2021-2024, handed over the co-chairmanship to India and Malaysia for the present cycle (2024-2027). India is hosting the maiden EWG meeting for the current cycle.

In his keynote address, India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stated that terrorism remains a dynamic and evolving challenge with threats increasingly transcending borders. 

He termed India’s relationship with ASEAN as a key pillar of its foreign policy, which is at the heart of Act East Policy. The Defence Secretary reiterated India’s strong support to a stable and unified ASEAN which serves as an institutional anchor of an important region. 

Delegations from 10 ASEAN members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand - and eight dialogue partners - Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Japan, China, USA and Russia in addition to hosts India - along with Timor Leste and the ASEAN Secretariat participated 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.