India to Host ADMM-Plus Counter Terrorism Experts Meeting in New Delhi

New Delhi to Host ADMM-Plus Counter Terrorism Experts Meeting in January 2026

India will host the 16th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group (EWG) on Counter Terrorism , along with the Final Planning Conference for the Table Top Exercise , in New Delhi from January 14 to 16, 2026 . The event reflects India’s growing role in ASEAN-led defence and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

India–Malaysia to Jointly Lead Counter-Terrorism Deliberations

India and Malaysia will co-chair the Counter Terrorism EWG under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus framework. The meeting will bring together delegations from all 11 ASEAN member states , including Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, along with the eight ADMM-Plus dialogue partners—Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, the United States, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and India. Officials from the ASEAN Secretariat will also be present.

Advancing the 2024–2027 Cooperation Agenda

This will be the third meeting of the current 2024–2027 EWG cycle . Participants will review progress made since the last session and push forward the agreed three-year work plan on counter-terrorism. Key focus areas include intelligence and information sharing, operational coordination, capacity building, and exchange of best practices to respond to evolving terrorist threats in the region.

The discussions aim to enhance collective preparedness and strengthen trust among defence establishments across ASEAN and partner countries.

Planning Multilateral Counter-Terror Exercises

The Final Planning Conference for the Table Top Exercise (TTX) will be held on January 14. Malaysia is scheduled to host the TTX during the next EWG meeting later in 2026, while India will host the Field Training Exercise (FTX) in 2027 . These exercises are designed to test real-world coordination, interoperability, and decision-making, ensuring that strategic dialogue translates into practical operational cooperation.

ADMM-Plus as a Pillar of Regional Security

The ADMM-Plus mechanism serves as a crucial platform for defence cooperation across the Indo-Pacific, covering areas such as maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, humanitarian mine action, cyber security, and counter-terrorism. Experts Working Groups play a central role by setting objectives, defining activity calendars, and ensuring continuity in collaboration.

Key Exam-Focused Points

• ADMM-Plus is a defence cooperation framework linking ASEAN with eight dialogue partners.

• Experts Working Groups function in three-year cycles (current cycle: 2024–2027).

• Counter-terrorism is one of the seven priority cooperation areas under ADMM-Plus.

• Table Top Exercises (TTX) and Field Training Exercises (FTX) are mandatory components of each cycle.

• India will host the FTX in 2027 , while Malaysia will host the TTX in 2026.