India ready to share ‘battle-tested’ anti-terror expertise with ASEAN, its dialogue partners: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh offered to share India’s battle-tested counter-terrorism expertise with ASEAN partners, citing Operation Sindoor as a firm response to state-sponsored terrorism. He also stressed maritime security, UNCLOS, freedom of navigation and collective efforts to ensure Indo-Pacific peace and stability

New Delhi: India is ready to share its “battle-tested” counter-terror expertise with ASEAN and its dialogue partners, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday as he described Operation Sindoor as a declaration of New Delhi’s clear approach against state-sponsored terrorist activities.

The defence minister also said that India supports an Indo-Pacific that is secure and resilient — one where peace and stability are not merely aspirations, but the outcome of collective efforts.

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In an address at a conclave of defence ministers of ASEAN member states and the bloc’s dialogue partners in Cebu in the Philippines, he flagged concerns over disruptions in certain maritime trade routes and asserted that India will continue to act as a “trusted net security provider” in the Indian Ocean region and the wider Indo-Pacific.

“Today, when global trade routes are facing new types of international threats, merely issuing statements on maritime security is not enough,” he said at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) conclave.

However, what drew more attention was Singh’s call for concerted efforts to combat terrorism.

“India is fully prepared to share its practical and battle-tested counter-terrorism expertise with ADMM-Plus partners,” he said.

“Through joint military exercises, capacity-building programmes, and robust intelligence sharing, we can further strengthen our collective capabilities,” he added.

The defence minister said that a major example of India’s approach against terrorism was last year’s Operation Sindoor when a large number of terrorist infrastructures were destroyed.

“This was also a declaration of India’s clear approach against state-sponsored terror,” he said.

India’s experience in the field of counter-terrorism is not just classroom or theoretical knowledge, but rather an experience gained over decades while confronting cross-border security challenges, he said, referring to Pakistan’s use of terrorism against India.

“Every strategy of ours against terrorism has been tested and proven in actual operations and has demonstrated its success,” he said.

The defence minister also outlined India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific.

“We support an Indo-Pacific that is secure and resilient — one where peace and stability are not merely aspirations, but the outcome of our collective efforts,” he said.

Singh said India considers maritime security to be an issue connected to peace, security, and prosperity in the region.

“India’s emphasis on the rule of law, and particularly on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as its advocacy for freedom of navigation and overflight, is not against any country. Rather, its purpose is to protect the collective interests of all regional stakeholders,” he said.

His remarks came amid consistent demands by several ASEAN member states as well as democratic nations for adherence to UNCLOS in the face of Beijing’s increasing military muscle flexing in the contested South China Sea.