MentedThe 13th ADMM-Plus meets in Cebu on 28–29 Oct 2026. All 19 participating countries, India's role and what UPSC can ask.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is leading the Indian delegation to the 13th ADMM-Plus, being held at Cebu in the Philippines on 28–29 October 2026. ADMM-Plus is a regular name in UPSC questions on ASEAN-led groupings, so this is a good moment to lock in its basics.
Key facts
- ADMM, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting, is ASEAN’s apex forum for defence consultation and cooperation.
- ADMM-Plus adds eight Dialogue Partners to ASEAN’s 11 member states: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.
- The first ADMM-Plus met in Hanoi on 12 October 2010. Since 2017, the ministers have met every year.
- The Philippines holds the chair for 2026.
- India has been an ASEAN dialogue partner since 1992. For the 2024–27 cycle, it shares the chair of the counter-terrorism experts’ group with Malaysia.
What UPSC can ask
- Membership: which countries take part. Remember that Timor Leste is counted among the ASEAN members, and that the eight partners are a closed list, so countries such as Pakistan or Sri Lanka are not in it.
- ADMM vs ADMM-Plus: the first is ASEAN-only; the second is ASEAN plus the eight partners.
- India’s angle: this defence diplomacy sits under India’s Act East Policy, and the counter-terrorism co-chair role is a ready example for Mains answers.
Revision tip: learn the eight partners as two groups of four. Group one is the US, China, Russia and Japan. Group two is India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Syllabus link: GS2 – International relations: regional groupings; India and its neighbourhood. See getmented.com/upsc-syllabus
Full list: ADMM-Plus participants (19)
| # | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunei | ASEAN member |
| 2 | Cambodia | ASEAN member |
| 3 | Indonesia | ASEAN member |
| 4 | Lao PDR | ASEAN member |
| 5 | Malaysia | ASEAN member |
| 6 | Myanmar | ASEAN member |
| 7 | Philippines | ASEAN member (2026 chair) |
| 8 | Singapore | ASEAN member |
| 9 | Thailand | ASEAN member |
| 10 | Timor Leste | ASEAN member |
| 11 | Vietnam | ASEAN member |
| 12 | India | Dialogue Partner |
| 13 | United States | Dialogue Partner |
| 14 | China | Dialogue Partner |
| 15 | Russia | Dialogue Partner |
| 16 | Japan | Dialogue Partner |
| 17 | South Korea | Dialogue Partner |
| 18 | Australia | Dialogue Partner |
| 19 | New Zealand | Dialogue Partner |
Source: PIB (Ministry of Defence), 26 October 2026.
In the syllabus: Mains GS Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements Involving India
Past UPSC questions on this topic
UPSC Prelims 2026
Which one of the following statements with regard to the Moidams, built by the Tai-Ahom kingdom and inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is/are correct?
1. They acted as army fortresses.
2. They were recreation centres of the Royals and Nobles.
3. They were burial grounds of the Royals and Nobles.
4. They were battle drill centres of the Royals and Nobles.
Select the answer using the code given below:UPSC Prelims 2026
Which of the following connectivity projects is/are a part of cooperation between India and the ASEAN member countries?
1. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
2. IMT Trilateral Highway
3. Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line
Select the answer using the code given below:UPSC Prelims 2026
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| | List I (Project Supported by India) | | List II (Country) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. | Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project | 1. | Maldives |
| B. | Restoration of Stor Palace | 2. | Afghanistan |
| C. | District Hospital at Dickoya | 3. | Bhutan |
| D. | Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies | 4. | Sri Lanka |
Code:
| | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| (b) | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| (c) | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| (d) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |UPSC Prelims 2026
Consider the following UN organisations/agencies:
1. World Food Programme
2. United Nations Children's Fund
3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
4. International Labour Organisation
How many of the above has/have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice?UPSC Prelims 2026
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| | List I (UN Peacekeeping Operation) | | List II (Period of Operation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. | UNMIL | 1. | 2007 - 2010 |
| B. | MINURCAT | 2. | 2002 - 2005 |
| C. | MINUSTAH | 3. | 2003 - 2018 |
| D. | UNMISET | 4. | 2004 - 2017 |
Code:
| | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| (b) | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| (c) | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| (d) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 |