Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Attend ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Jakarta

November 15, 2023

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark on an official visit to Jakarta on November 16 and 17. His visit is in connection with the 10th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). During his visit, he will address the forum on regional and international security matters.

Indonesia as Host

Indonesia, currently serving as the chair of ADMM-Plus, is hosting the meeting. This significant gathering comes at a time when Myanmar is experiencing escalated conflicts between its Army and insurgent groups, leading to the influx of Myanmar refugees into Mizoram, India.

Bilateral Meetings and Defence Cooperation

On the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will engage in bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of participating countries. These meetings will focus on strengthening defence cooperation between India and these nations, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships.

Overview of ADMM and ADMM-Plus

The ADMM (Association of South East Asian Nations Defence Ministers’ Meeting) serves as the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism within ASEAN.
The ADMM-Plus, on the other hand, is a platform that includes ASEAN member-states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners (India, U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand).
The primary objective is to strengthen security and defence cooperation.

India’s Involvement

India became a dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992.
The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010.
Since 2017, ADMM-Plus Ministers have met annually to enhance cooperation among ASEAN and its Plus countries.

Areas of Cooperation

The ADMM-Plus advances practical cooperation among member countries through seven Experts Working Groups (EWGs).
These groups focus on various aspects, including maritime security, military medicine, cyber security, peacekeeping operations, counter-terrorism, humanitarian mine action, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
During the 10th ADMM-Plus, the next set of co-chairs for the 2024-2027 cycle will be announced, building on the collaborative efforts in the current cycle from 2021-2024, where India is co-chairing the EWG on HADR along with Indonesia.

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