Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, from 28–29 October 2026, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Monday. Singh is expected to address the forum on 'Exchange of Views on Regional and International Security Issues' and hold bilateral talks with counterparts from participating nations on the sidelines.

Agenda and Key Engagements

At the meeting, Rajnath Singh will review existing defence ties with member and dialogue-partner nations while exploring avenues to deepen strategic partnerships. The visit comes as the Philippines holds the chair of ADMM-Plus for 2026, lending added weight to India's engagement with Manila at this edition.

Beyond the plenary, Singh's bilateral meetings on the sidelines are expected to reinforce India's positioning as a reliable security partner across the Indo-Pacific — a message consistent with the government's Act East Policy.

What the ADMM-Plus Is

The ADMM-Plus is widely regarded as the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. It brings together the 10 ASEAN member states — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam — and eight Dialogue Partners: India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

India became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1992. The first ADMM-Plus ministerial was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2010. Since 2017, the format has shifted to annual ministerial-level meetings to accelerate defence cooperation among the grouping's members.

India's Role Within the Framework

Under the current ADMM-Plus cycle, India is co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the period 2024–2027 — a role that underlines New Delhi's growing operational stake in regional security architecture.

This comes amid a broader deepening of India's defence diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Last month, Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Kulish arrived at Subic Bay in the Philippines to participate in the ADMM-Plus Joint Cooperation Activity (JCA), an exercise designed to enhance maritime interoperability among ASEAN member states and Dialogue Partners.

MAHASAGAR and the Act East Vision

The naval deployment and Singh's upcoming visit are both framed under India's MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) doctrine, which positions New Delhi as a net security provider across the wider maritime region. The Ministry of Defence described the engagements as reflecting India's 'continued commitment to multilateral maritime cooperation and constructive engagement with regional partners.'

With tensions in the South China Sea remaining elevated and ASEAN nations actively seeking diversified security partnerships, India's presence at Cebu carries significance beyond the routine. Singh's meetings and the positions India stakes out at the forum will be watched closely by both regional capitals and major powers present at the table.