MALAYSIA HOSTS BACK-TO-BACK ASEAN DEFENCE SENIOR OFFICIALS' MEETINGS

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia hosted two back-to-back senior defence officials’ meetings in Desaru, Johor, underscoring ASEAN’s unity and centrality as the cornerstone of regional cooperation, while paving the way for the upcoming ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus.

The Defence Ministry said the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM) 2025 was convened on Sept 24, followed by the ADSOM-Plus 2025 yesterday, with both meetings chaired by the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali.

According to the ministry, ADSOM 2025, themed “ASEAN Unity for Security and Prosperity,” reaffirmed ASEAN’s collective determination to safeguard peace, security, and prosperity in the region.

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“Delegates considered a comprehensive agenda, including new initiatives that will be submitted for consideration and approval by the Defence Ministers at the 19th ADMM scheduled for October 2025.

“These cover three broad areas, namely enhancing cooperation, improving operational readiness, and addressing complex security challenges,” it said in a statement today.

Defence Ministry said ADSOM 2025 concluded with three key outcomes, the first being a reaffirmation of ASEAN’s unity and centrality as the cornerstone of cooperation.

Second, the meeting endorsed 10 important initiatives to further strengthen defence collaboration and collective resilience among ASEAN member states.

“Third, the meeting paved the way for the forthcoming ADMM and ADMM-Plus, where these outcomes will be advanced at the ministerial level, ensuring that ASEAN remains prepared to address current and future security challenges, as well as to construct and enhance a favourable and conducive environment for the future growth of member states,” it said.

The meeting involved the participation of defence senior officials from all ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat, with Timor-Leste joining as observer.

In a separate statement, the ministry said ADSOM-Plus 2025 brought together defence senior officials from all ASEAN member states and eight Plus Countries which are Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States, along with Timor-Leste as an observer.

According to the statement, the ADSOM-Plus reviewed the progress of all seven Expert Working Groups (EWGs) for the 2024-2027 cycle in areas of maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-terrorism, military medicine, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian mine action and cyber security.

The meeting was also highly significant as part of the preparations for the ADMM-Plus, to be held on Nov 1, 2025.

“The 15-year journey of the ADMM-Plus since its establishment once again underscores the principle of ASEAN Centrality as the foundation and platform for regional defence cooperation,” the ministry said.

The Defence Ministry stated that Malaysia also reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with ASEAN member states and the plus countries to emphasise the importance of strategic dialogue in complementing and completing practical cooperation under the ADMM-Plus framework, in line with the spirit of unity, inclusivity, and sustainability for the peace, security, and prosperity of the region.

-- BERNAMA