Cebu, October 29: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that India will share its ‘battle tested’ counter terrorism know-how at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, Philippines. Singh stressed that the operational mechanism India has already demonstrated in Operation Sindoor, where ground-level operations were effective in knocking out terror infrastructure, can assist in eliminating the terror menace in Indo-Pacific region.
In his speech to the regional defence leaders, the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has demonstrated India’s willingness to share practical security knowledge areas like joint military exercises, capacity building programs, exchange of information, etc. He quoted Operation Sindoor as a shining example of India’s attitude, in which the Indian forces had successfully demolished the infrastructure of the terrorists and set a “red line” against state sponsored cross-border terrorism.
Apart from the operational security measures, Singh suggested development of an “India-ASEAN Youth Bridge” for promoting digital innovation, capacity building and people-to-people connectivity among the young youth of the region. Highlighting India’s role as a trusted net security provider in the Indian Ocean, he underscored the critical need to keep vital maritime trade routes open and secure under a rules-based international order.
Addressing the forum, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh explained the genesis of India’s security capabilities, saying the government would not be able to run a secure country without them.
India’s expertise in counter-terrorism is not gained in the classroom or from theoretical study alone but through years of field experience in facing cross-border security threats. All our counter-terrorism strategies have been tested and proven in the real world.
Singh has called for greater commitment to ASEAN centrality, which he said is the core of India’s Act East policy and a vision to make the Indo Pacific region a free, open and inclusive trade union. In the 2024-2027 term, India is chairing the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (EWG-CT) alongside Malaysia and is a formal forum to push for practical cooperation in the region on counter-terrorism.
