ADMM-Plus Counter Terrorism Meet Begins in New Delhi

The 16th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism and the Final Planning Conference for the Table Top Exercise will be held in New Delhi from January 14 to 16, 2026. The meeting marks a key milestone in India’s expanding multilateral defence engagement within the ASEAN-led security architecture.

India–Malaysia Co-chair Counter Terrorism Group

India and Malaysia will jointly co-chair the 16th Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism under the ADMM-Plus framework. Delegations from 11 ASEAN member states, including Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, will participate alongside seven dialogue partners—Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, the United States, Russia and the Republic of Korea. Representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat will also attend the meeting.

Focus on Three-Year Cooperation Plan

This will be the third meeting of the ongoing 2024–2027 EWG cycle. The deliberations will focus on reviewing progress since the previous session and advancing the three-year work plan aimed at strengthening multilateral cooperation on counter-terrorism. Discussions will cover information sharing, operational coordination, capacity building and best practices to address emerging and evolving terrorist threats across the Indo-Pacific region.

Exercises to Test Practical Cooperation

The Final Planning Conference for the Table Top Exercise will be conducted on January 14. Malaysia will host the Table Top Exercise during the next EWG meeting later in 2026, while India will conduct the Field Training Exercise in 2027. These exercises are designed to assess preparedness, interoperability and coordination among participating defence forces, translating policy intent into operational outcomes.

Imporatnt Facts for Exams

• ADMM-Plus is a defence cooperation framework involving ASEAN and eight dialogue partners.
• Experts Working Groups operate on three-year cycles.
• Counter-terrorism is one of seven priority cooperation areas under ADMM-Plus.
• Exercises such as TTX and FTX are mandatory in the third year of each cycle.

Broader Role of the ADMM-Plus Framework

The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus serves as a platform for practical cooperation among defence establishments in areas including maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, humanitarian mine action and cyber security. Through the Experts Working Groups, co-chairs set objectives, policy direction and activity schedules, ensuring sustained and results-oriented defence collaboration across the Indo-Pacific.