Overview
- India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh is leading the Indian delegation at the 13th ADMM‑Plus and held bilateral talks with U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to review progress under the one‑year‑old 10‑year India‑US Defence Framework on Wednesday.
- U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly proposed creating a US‑ASEAN Framework for Defence Cooperation to formalize partnerships on maritime domain awareness, joint training, and information sharing.
- China downgraded its representation to its defence attache for the Cebu meetings, removing the prospect of high‑level face‑to‑face talks between Beijing’s defence chief and other top ministers at the summit.
- Ministers used the forum to discuss rising South China Sea tensions and the Iran war’s secondary effects on shipping and energy supplies, while the Philippine chair has framed public statements cautiously to balance diplomacy with security concerns.
- Participants signalled a push for concrete measures such as interoperability, co‑production and stronger naval coordination, a shift that could raise regional defence capacity and alter how Southeast Asian states manage pressure from both Washington and Beijing.