For the first time after Operation Sindoor, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth may come face to face. It is the occasion of the 12th summit of defense ministers of ASEAN-Plus countries, in which both Rajnath and Hegseth are participating.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has reached Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia on Thursday (October 30, 2025) to participate in the meeting of Defense Ministers of ASEAN Plus countries. On Saturday (November 1, 2025), Rajnath Singh himself will address the forum organized on the topic Reflection on 15 years of ADMM (ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting)-Plus and outline for the future.
12th meeting of ADMM-Plus
The special thing is that US Defense Secretary (Minister) Pete Hegseth is also participating in ADMM-Plus. However, it is not clear that any meeting between Rajnath Singh and Hegseth is possible. Relations between India and America have soured since Operation Sindoor. India has been continuously opposing US President Donald Trump’s statement regarding ceasefire with Pakistan.
This is the 12th meeting of ADMM-Plus, which is being organized in a member country of ASEAN organization. Along with this, on Friday (October 31, 2025), the second informal meeting of ASEAN-India Defense Ministers has also been organized under the chairmanship of Malaysia, in which Defense Ministers of all ASEAN member countries are participating.
These countries included in ADMM-Plus meeting
The objective of this meeting is to further strengthen the defense and security cooperation between ASEAN countries and India and to take forward the ‘Act East Policy’. During the three-day (October 30-November 1) visit, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from ADMM-plus countries and the senior leadership of Malaysia.
ADMM is the highest defense advisory and cooperative organization of ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations). ADMM-Plus is an important platform for ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners (India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) to strengthen security and defense cooperation.
Important meeting to promote defense cooperation
India became a dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and its first ADMM-Plus was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus is organized annually to promote defense cooperation between ASEAN and Plus countries.
Under the ADMM-Plus, India co-chairs the Expert Working Group on Counterterrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle. The second edition of the ASEAN-India maritime exercise is also scheduled for 2026.
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