India Offers Counter-Terrorism Expertise to ASEAN Partners at the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu
India's Defence Minister spoke at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), held on 29 October 2026 in Cebu, the Philippines. The Philippines chairs ASEAN in 2026, and the meeting's theme was "Navigating Our Future, Together".
India offered to share its practical counter-terrorism experience with ADMM-Plus partners in three ways: joint military exercises, capacity-building (training) programmes and intelligence sharing. India cited Operation Sindoor (2025), in which it struck terrorist infrastructure, as an example of this experience.
India and Malaysia co-chair the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group (EWG) on Counter-Terrorism for the 2024-2027 cycle.
India proposed a dedicated defence "Youth Bridge" with ASEAN countries. It is meant to build people-to-people links, promote digital innovation and build skills, in line with the ADMM-Plus focus on "Youth, Peace and Security".
On the sea, India noted that 2026 is the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation, that a second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is being held, and that the Indian Navy has been present in the Gulf of Aden without a break since 2008 to fight piracy. India also restated its support for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), freedom of navigation and overflight, and ASEAN centrality.
ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus): Asia's Defence Diplomacy Platform
The ADMM-Plus is a meeting where the defence ministers of the ASEAN countries sit down with the defence ministers of eight major partner countries. India is one of these eight partners. The forum lets these countries talk about shared security problems and run practical joint activities, like exercises and training. It is chaired by whichever country chairs ASEAN that year.
At the 13th ADMM-Plus, India used its role as co-chair of the counter-terrorism working group to offer joint exercises, training and intelligence sharing. Its "Youth Bridge" idea is also meant to fit into the ADMM-Plus work on youth and security.
Act East Policy
The Act East Policy is India's plan to build strong ties with the countries to its east: Southeast Asia (especially ASEAN), East Asia (like Japan and South Korea) and the wider Indo-Pacific. It covers trade, connectivity, culture, people-to-people links and security. It grew out of the older Look East Policy and was announced in November 2014.
India described the ADMM-Plus as an important part of its Act East Policy. Offering counter-terrorism training, proposing a youth link and holding maritime exercises are the security side of Act East in practice.
Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)
The Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, or CCIT, is a proposed United Nations treaty. It would make all forms of international terrorism a crime under one single global law. Countries that join would have to punish terrorists, or hand them over to a country that will, and deny them money and safe havens. India first proposed it in 1996, but it has still not been adopted.
India's push at the ADMM-Plus for joint action against cross-border and state-sponsored terrorism comes from the same goal as the CCIT: a common global stand against terrorism. Regional cooperation, like training and intelligence sharing, fills part of the gap while the global treaty remains stuck.
- 13th ADMM-Plus: 29 October 2026, Cebu, the Philippines; theme "Navigating Our Future, Together"
- ADMM-Plus: first held 12 October 2010, Hanoi; annual since 2017; 11 ASEAN members + 8 Plus countries
- 7 Experts' Working Groups; India and Malaysia co-chair the EWG on Counter-Terrorism (2024-2027)
- India's offer: joint exercises, capacity-building programmes, intelligence sharing; proposal of a defence "Youth Bridge"
- 2026: ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation; second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise held
- Indian Navy anti-piracy presence in the Gulf of Aden: continuous since 2008
- ASEAN-India Plan of Action: 2026-2030
- Act East Policy: announced 2014; Look East Policy: early 1990s; ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: 2022
- CCIT: proposed by India in 1996; UNGA Resolution 51/210 (17 December 1996)