ADMM-Plus, Countries, Members, Highlights

ADMM-Plus Meetings took place in New Delhi from 19 March to 20 March 2025 with India and Malaysia taking up the chairmanship. ADMM-Plus covers ASEAN Nations and eight dialogue partners including: United States, India, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and South Korea. In this article, we are going to learn about the ADMM-Plus organisation and its objectives and achievements. 

ADMM-Plus Full Form 

ADMM-Plus Full Form is the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus. It is an important meeting that discusses defence and security between ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners. ADMM-Plus was established in 2010 and promoted collaboration on regional security problems. This ensures peace is maintained in the Asia-Pacific region and defence ties are strengthened. 

ADMM-Plus Overview 

ADMM-Plus is an organisation of defense ministers of ten ASEAN countries and eight partner countries- Australia, India, China, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States. Here is an overview of ADMM-Plus Organisation:

ADMM-Plus 14th Meeting Highlights

The 14th Meeting of the ADMM-Plus took place from 19 March to 20 March 2025. The Experts Working Group(EWG) will be discussing matters on counter-terrorism. The meetings were co-chaired by Malaysia and India and was attended by 10 ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners along with Timor Leste and ASEAN Secretariat. The highlights of the ADMM-Plus EWG Meeting were: 

• Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, the Defence Secretary delivered the keynote address. 
• This meeting laid down the grounds of 2024-2027 counter-terrorism initiatives. 
• Focus has been on evolving terrorist threats and extremist activities. 
• On -ground defence experiences were discussed to strengthen strategies. 
• The meeting laid down the foundation of seminars, exercises and workshops of upcoming years. 

ADMM-Plus Objectives

ADMM-Plus objectives aim to foster defence cooperation among member nations. These objectives include security, resilience, stability in Asia-Pacific region:

• Improve defence cooperation between ASEAN and partner countries. 
• Combat emerging threats and strengthen regional security frameworks. 
• Promote transparency and confidence building measures between defence establishments.
•  Motivate organisations to participate in intelligence sharing and counter terrorism efforts. 
• Strengthen maritime security cooperation and counter terrorism efforts. 
• Create better interoperability by conducting joint military exercises. 
• Creating cybersecurity strategies against cyber threats and warfare. 
• Creating frameworks for disaster relief and humanitarian aid. 
• Improve military and diplomatic ties for regional stability. 

ADMM-Plus Achievements

Over the years, ADMM-Plus has made significant progress in addressing security challenges through collaborative efforts. Some of its key achievements include:

• Joint Military Exercises: Regular multilateral defence drills to enhance coordination and readiness.
• Maritime Security Enhancement: Strengthened naval cooperation to safeguard critical trade routes.
• Cybersecurity Initiatives: Implemented measures to counter cyber threats and strengthen digital defences.
• Disaster Response Operations: Improved regional coordination for effective disaster relief efforts.
• Counter-Terrorism Strategies: Strengthened frameworks to prevent and combat terrorist activities.
• Defence Technology Exchange: Promoted joint research and innovation for advanced security solutions.
• Diplomatic and Defence Engagement: Fostered strong diplomatic ties among member nations.
• Policy Standardization: Encouraged harmonization of defence policies across the region.
• Regional Stability and Peace: Contributed to maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific.

In summary, ADMM-Plus continues to play a vital role in regional security cooperation. Its 14th meeting is expected to reinforce commitments to counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and military collaboration, further strengthening the security framework of the Asia-Pacific region.