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India hosts first ASEAN-India Defence Think Tank Forum in New Delhi

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: PIB (Ministry of Defence), Hindustan Times

India hosts first ASEAN-India Defence Think Tank Forum in New Delhi
Illustration (AI-generated)

The first ASEAN-India Defence Think Tank Forum opened in New Delhi on 14 October 2026, with participants from all eleven ASEAN member states. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India is ready to explore cooperation with ASEAN partners on patrol vessels, radars, air-defence systems, helicopters and drones, according to each country's needs.

Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS2 · Groupings & Agreements; GS2 · International Institutions

Why this matters for UPSC

GS2 international relations: India and ASEAN, regional groupings and India's Indo-Pacific policy. Prelims can ask ADMM-Plus membership, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, Act East and iDEX; Mains, defence diplomacy as a tool of Act East.

Why it matters

Fishermen, sailors and traders who use the seas between India and Southeast Asia face piracy, illegal fishing and cyclones that cross every border. When navies and coast guards share ship-tracking information and rehearse disaster response together, rescues come faster and trade routes stay open. For Indian defence firms, partners who want equipment built, repaired and supported locally offer steadier business than a single sale. For smaller Southeast Asian states, the forum is a way to deepen security ties without being pushed to pick a side between big powers, a choice the region has long tried to avoid.

Prelims pointers

  • ADMM-Plus members: 11 ASEAN states plus India, the US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand; first met in Hanoi, 12 October 2010; annual since 2017.
  • ASEAN: founded on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the ASEAN Declaration; Timor-Leste is among its 11 members.
  • ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific: adopted at the 34th ASEAN Summit, Bangkok, June 2019; areas include maritime cooperation and connectivity; creates no new mechanism.
  • ASEAN-India milestones: sectoral partner 1992, dialogue partner 1996, summit-level partner 2002, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership 2022.
  • SAGAR (2015) and MAHASAGAR (2025): both announced by the Prime Minister in Mauritius; MAHASAGAR widens the vision towards the Global South.
  • iDEX: launched April 2018 under the Department of Defence Production; implemented by the Defence Innovation Organisation, founded by HAL and BEL.
  • Technology Development Fund: a Ministry of Defence scheme executed by DRDO; grants to industry for defence technologies, up to Rs 50 crore a project since 2022.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), consider the following statements:

1. The first ADMM-Plus meeting was convened in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2010.

2. ADMM-Plus has been held every year since 2017.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 only

Answer: (b) 2 only. The first ADMM-Plus met in Hanoi, not Jakarta, and the meeting has been annual since 2017.

Statement 1: incorrect. The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, on 12 October 2010, per the Ministry of Defence.

Statement 2: correct. ADMM-Plus has met every year since 2017; earlier it met less often.

Eliminate: Statement 1 places the first meeting in Jakarta, but Hanoi hosted it. Out: (a), (c).

Eliminate: Statement 2 is correct, as ADMM-Plus has been annual since 2017. Out: (d).

Trap: Swapped attribution. A true event, the first ADMM-Plus of 2010, is pinned on the wrong host city; Jakarta sounds plausible for an ASEAN meeting, but Vietnam hosted it.

Remember: ADMM-Plus: first met in Hanoi in 2010; annual since 2017.

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