ASEAN‑India Defence Forum Highlights Joint Sea‑Based Initiatives

The minister outlined concrete steps for improving maritime information sharing, enhancing cooperation between naval and coast‑guard forces, and building joint response capabilities for emergencies. He urged coordinated action against piracy, smuggling, illegal fishing and other maritime threats in line with international law. Declaring 2026 as the ASEAN‑India Maritime Cooperation Year, Singh said the initiative should turn shared goals into tangible actions, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as regular items on the defence dialogue agenda.