Rajnath Singh, Australian Deputy PM discuss enhancing military interoperability

Cebu (Philippines): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on the sidelines of the 13th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines on Wednesday to review defence cooperation, boost military interoperability, and address regional security challenges.

Singh emphasised the importance India places on its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.

In a post on X, Singh stated, "Delighted to meet Australia’s Deputy PM and Defence Minister, Mr. Richard Marles, on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus meeting today. We had productive discussions on reviewing our bilateral defence cooperation, enhancing military interoperability, and addressing regional security challenges. India places great value on its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific."

Singh is on an official visit to the Philippines to attend the 13th ADMM-Plus on October 28-29 and hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

Sharing details regarding his visit to the Philippines on X, Rajnath Singh earlier said that India remained committed to strengthening regional security cooperation, promoting ASEAN centrality and ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region under its Act East Policy.

“During my visit, I will also be holding several bilateral meetings with my counterparts from participating nations. These interactions will be a great opportunity to review our ongoing defence ties and explore new avenues to strengthen our strategic partnerships,” Rajnath Singh posted on X.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism within ASEAN. The ADMM-Plus brings together the 11 ASEAN member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the 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 a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1992, while the inaugural ADMM-Plus meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, the defence ministers participating in the forum have been meeting annually to strengthen defence cooperation between ASEAN member states and the eight partner countries.

The Philippines is chairing the ADMM-Plus in 2026. India is also co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle.

India’s participation in the forum reflects its continued engagement with Southeast Asian countries on defence and strategic issues, as well as its efforts to deepen regional partnerships under the Act East Policy.

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