New Delhi: The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, offered on Thursday to share India’s operational experience in counterterrorism with Southeast Asian and other regional partners. He described Operation Sindoor as proof of New Delhi's resolve against state-sponsored terrorism.
Singh was speaking at the 13th Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. The session was titled “Exchange of Views on Regional and International Security Issues”. He called for more joint exercises, intelligence exchanges and training to counter threats that cross national borders.
Expertise ‘not theoretical’
Singh said India’s methods had been shaped over decades of dealing with cross-border security challenges and refined in actual operations. He called this “not theoretical classroom knowledge”. The proposed cooperation would include joint military exercises, capacity-building programmes and wider intelligence sharing.
He said the destruction of terrorist infrastructure during Operation Sindoor had also made India's position on state-sponsored terrorism clear. India launched the operation on May 7, 2025, after the Pahalgam attack, which killed 25 Indians and a Nepali citizen. The defence ministry said the first strikes hit nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that it described as terrorist infrastructure.
The directors general of military operations of both countries agreed to halt firing and military action on land, in the air and at sea from 5pm on May 10, 2025.
Singh placed his offer within an existing framework. India and Malaysia co-chair the ADMM-Plus experts' working group on counterterrorism for the 2024-27 cycle. He also reiterated India's support for an open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
Terrorism is a recurring theme in his ADMM-Plus speeches. At the 2022 meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, he called cross-border terrorism the gravest threat to regional and global security.
Maritime security
Singh pointed to the Navy’s anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden, which began in 2008. He said Indian warships had protected thousands of merchant vessels and foiled several hijacking attempts, regardless of a ship’s flag or nationality.
According to the defence ministry, he said India’s support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight was meant to protect countries that depend on open sea lanes. He said these positions were not aimed at any country.
He named maritime safety, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, professional exchanges and capacity building as areas for closer work with Asean.
He noted that 2026 is the Asean-India Year of Maritime Cooperation and cited the second Asean-India Maritime Exercise.
The discussions took place against continuing friction between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea. Beijing was represented at Cebu by a military attaché.
Reports said the defence minister, Dong Jun, who attended the previous two editions, stayed away as the Communist Party’s fifth plenum met in China. China’s defence ministry said an unnamed Philippine politician had obstructed its participation. Manila said it had invited the Chinese side to attend.
A defence ‘youth bridge’
Singh proposed a defence "youth bridge" to promote institutional exchanges, digital innovation and capacity building between India and Asean. He tied the idea to the young populations of both sides and to the meeting's focus on youth, peace and security.
He recalled the second Asean-India defence ministers' informal meeting in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025, which reaffirmed the security dimension of the comprehensive strategic partnership. The Asean-India Plan of Action for 2026–2030 also guides the engagement.
He opened his address with condolences over an October 23 aircraft accident that killed four Philippine Air Force pilots, and expressed India's solidarity with the Philippine armed forces and the families.
Sideline talks
On Wednesday, Singh met the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth. The defence ministry said Singh sought zero tolerance for countries that support, train or finance terrorist groups, and that Hegseth reaffirmed US backing for India against cross-border terrorism. They reviewed progress under the 10-year India–US defence framework, including operational readiness, technology sharing, defence industrial cooperation and supply chains.
Singh also met the South Korean defence minister, Kang Shin-chul. They discussed co-development of military technologies, industry partnerships and maritime security.
The Philippines chairs the ADMM-Plus this year, under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together”, and is due to hand the chair to Singapore. The forum brings Asean members together with eight dialogue partners: India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States. It first met in Hanoi on October 12, 2010, and ministers have met every year since 2017.
