Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has offered India's counter-terrorism experience to Southeast Asian and other partner nations, telling the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, that India is ready to share it through joint exercises, training and intelligence sharing.
Singh spoke on 29 October. He said India's expertise is "not theoretical classroom knowledge" but was earned on the ground over decades of confronting cross-border security challenges, and cited Operation Sindoor as a demonstration of that approach.
Terrorism and regional security
Singh said counter-terrorism is an important area of cooperation under ADMM-Plus. India and Malaysia co-chair the Experts' Working Group on Counter-Terrorism for the 2024–2027 cycle. He reaffirmed support for ASEAN centrality and a "secure, open, inclusive, resilient and rule-based Indo-Pacific".
Maritime security
He called maritime cooperation crucial to India's engagement with ASEAN in 2026, which India has designated the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation, and noted the second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.
Singh said the Indian Navy has maintained an uninterrupted presence in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 and, by deploying warships, has escorted thousands of merchant vessels and thwarted dozens of hijackings, irrespective of flag or nationality. "India will continue serving as a reliable net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region and the wider Indo-Pacific," he said.
He added that India's emphasis on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and freedom of navigation is "not directed against any country".
A 'Youth Bridge'
Singh proposed a dedicated defence "Youth Bridge" to connect India and ASEAN institutions, promote digital innovation and build capacity, in line with the meeting's 'Youth, Peace and Security' theme.
Source: official release by the Ministry of Defence, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (29 OCT 2026 11:25AM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: India committed to collective regional security & eradication of terrorism, ready to share battle-tested expertise with ADMM-Plus partners to strengthen joint capabilities: Raksha Mantri.
How we verified this
VerifiedEvery fact, figure and quotation is taken from the official PIB release (Release ID 2329874) issued by the Ministry of Defence on 29 OCT 2026 11:25AM by PIB Delhi; checked against the source on publication. Story written by BDT from that release; no outside facts added.
Sources
- 1.India committed to collective regional security & eradication of terrorism, ready to share battle-tested expertise with ADMM-Plus partners to strengthen joint c — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
