Rajnath Singh underscores India's extensive experience in counter-terrorism and shares practical strategies with ADMM-Plus partners. He also highlights the importance of maritime cooperation and youth engagement.
In his address to the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) – Plus on October 29, 2026, India's Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh, emphasized India's commitment to collective regional security and the eradication of terrorism in all its forms. He asserted that New Delhi's extensive expertise in counter-terrorism is not theoretical but an experience hard-earned on the ground through decades of directly confronting complex, cross-border security challenges. Mr. Singh pointed out that this proactive, battle-tested doctrine was decisively demonstrated during Operation Sindoor when India dismantled terrorist infrastructure and enforced a non-negotiable red line against state-sponsored terror.
Mr. Singh underlined that terrorism knows no borders and India stands fully prepared to share its practical, battle-tested experience with ADMM-Plus partners through joint exercises, capacity-building programs, and robust intelligence sharing to strengthen collective capabilities. He stressed that counter-terrorism remains an important area of cooperation under the ADMM-Plus framework, and India & Malaysia are co-chairing the Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism for the 2024 to 2027 cycle.
Shri Rajnath Singh also reiterated India's importance of ASEAN centrality and a secure, open, inclusive, resilient, and rule-based Indo-Pacific. He stated that its strategic engagement with ASEAN is long-term and rooted in shared interests, mutual respect, and practical cooperation.
On maritime cooperation, Mr. Singh described it as crucial to India’s engagement with ASEAN during 2026, highlighting New Delhi’s designation of 2026 as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation and the conduct of the second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise. He emphasized that India does not merely preach the tenets of international maritime law; it is a steadfast practitioner of global laws concerning maritime security.
Underlining the importance of youth engagement, Mr. Singh proposed the establishment of a dedicated defence ‘Youth Bridge’ to enhance institutional people-to-people connectivity, promote digital innovation, and facilitate capacity building in line with ADMM-Plus initiatives.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
