ADMM-PLUS MARITIME SECURITY JOINT COOPERATION
Why in News?
The Indian Navy participated in the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security Joint Cooperative Activity (JCA) held at Subic Bay, Philippines, from 20–26 September 2026.
Highlights of the 2026 Exercise
- Harbour and Sea Phases: The drills included professional shore interactions, tabletop training, and a high-tempo sea phase featuring complex tactical manoeuvres.
- Drills Practised: Operations spanned search and rescue (SAR), helicopter deck landings, cross-deck operations, hydrographic surveys, and simulating medical evacuations.
- Security Protocols: Navies actively rehearsed the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and refined cross-border information-sharing protocols to monitor vessels-of-interest.
- Future Leaders' Program: Alongside the hardware deployment, the event embedded a dedicated program aimed at building interpersonal trust and networking among younger military officers.
What is ADMM-Plus?
- The Platform: It is the highest-level defence dialogue framework for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN Official Site) to cooperate with external partners.
- Composition: It comprises 18 nations in total—the 10 ASEAN member countries and 8 dialogue partners (referred to as the "Plus" countries: India, USA, Japan, Australia, China, New Zealand, Russia, and South Korea).
- Seven Areas of Practical Cooperation:
- Maritime Security
- Counter-Terrorism
- Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
- Peacekeeping Operations
- Military Medicine
- Humanitarian Mine Action
- Cyber Security
Strategic Relevance for India
- Act East Policy: Active engagement aligns directly with India’s proactive foreign policy towards Southeast Asian alignment.
- MAHASAGAR Vision: India's participation promotes its security doctrine of "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions" in the Indian Ocean and adjacent waters.
- Bilateral Ties: The deployment specifically amplified the burgeoning defence and security relationship between India and the Philippines.
