The 19th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 12th ADMM-Plus, to be held from October 30 to November 2, are expected to advance 20 joint initiatives, setting a new record in the history of regional defense forums.
Dato' Mohamad Amir Haron, Secretary of the Ministry of Defense's Strategic Planning and Policy Division, pointed out that these initiatives include 10 concept papers, guidelines, and protocols to strengthen strategic cooperation among member states, implement four ASEAN joint maritime exercises and one additional exercise, and issue joint statements and declarations.
“The initiative for the ASEAN Defense Industry Cooperation Meeting will add a special session, focusing on the development of the regional defense industry. Meanwhile, this session will also launch an observer program, with Turkey and Germany participating as observer countries, further expanding ASEAN's global influence in defense diplomacy.”
He told Bernama that these initiatives reflect Malaysia’s commitment as the 2025 ASEAN rotating chair, namely to strengthen trust, transparency, and security cooperation in Southeast Asia, which aligns with ASEAN’s principles of rejecting confrontation and valuing dialogue and consensus.
Therefore, he said, this ADMM and ADMM-Plus will be the most significant session since their inception in 2006.
He added that all 11 ASEAN member states, including Timor-Leste who was recently accepted as a full member, have confirmed attendance at the meeting held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
In addition, the eight dialogue partner countries – the United States, Russia, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand – have also confirmed their attendance.
“ASEAN, especially Malaysia’s strength, lies in providing a safe and reliable environment that enables major powers to engage in dialogue without being subjected to geopolitical pressures, while Malaysia always adheres to the principle of neutrality.
“We do not favor any major power, but on humanitarian issues such as Gaza, our position is firm. Malaysia’s hedging policy also allows us to maintain good relations with all parties, including in security or economic sectors, without having to pick sides.”
Additionally, Amir pointed out that Malaysia began preparations as the rotating chair at the start of the year, coordinating according to the “whole-of-government, whole-of-society” (WOGOS) philosophy laid out in the Defense White Paper.
He said the Ministry of Defense led and chaired a series of meetings with ASEAN and partner countries, with close cooperation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Health.
Discussing the key topics of this year’s ADMM, he said, they will focus on cybersecurity, maritime security, and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the defense sector — areas expected to reshape the regional security landscape in the near future.
“Cyberattacks occur almost every day, and the issue of submarine critical infrastructure, such as undersea cables, is also worrying, as cable damage incidents are enough to affect the operational stability of the national digital economy.
“In the field of AI, Malaysia and the ten ASEAN countries have agreed to formulate a regional policy on AI ethics in the defense sector, to ensure related technologies are used responsibly and follow the principle of human-machine collaboration, with final decision-making power remaining in human hands rather than machines.”
He emphasized that security and stability are prerequisites for the country’s economic prosperity, especially as the government is formulating a Blue Economy Action Plan.
“Without strong security guarantees, economic cooperation cannot develop. ADMM and ADMM-Plus are not only diplomatic forums, but also platforms to ensure that this region remains peaceful, stable, and prosperous.”