India and ASEAN launch defence think tank forum to deepen security ties

Sources

• Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses · Forum 14–15 October 2026, venue, participants, prior announcement · 14 October 2026
• Press Information Bureau — Ministry of Defence · Rajnath Singh address; security and maritime cooperation, joint technology and industrial collaboration · 14 October 2026
• ASEAN Secretariat · Admission of Timor-Leste as the eleventh member · 26 October 2025
• ASEAN Secretariat · Founding states and member accession dates; official living page, exact update day not stated · 20 October 2026
• ASEAN Secretariat · Designation of 2026 as the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation · 26 October 2025
• The Indian Express · Opinion: India and ASEAN need to talk more; forum should yield sustained practical engagement · 19 October 2026

Syllabus

Topics

Related previous-year questions

Asked in earlier UPSC Prelims papers on this topic. Answer, then check.

1. UPSC Prelims 2018 · International Relations and Current Affairs

   Consider the following countries: 1. Australia 2. Canada 3. China 4. India 5. Japan 6. USA Which of the above are among the 'free-trade partners' of ASEAN?

   1. 1, 2, 4 and 5
   2. 3, 4, 5 and 6
   3. 1, 3, 4 and 5
   4. 2, 3, 4 and 6
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Australia, China, India and Japan are ASEAN free trade partners, so the answer is (c) 1, 3, 4 and 5. ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It has existing free trade agreements with Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Canada and the USA do not appear on that list, which is what eliminates every other option. Option (b) is the closest distractor because it correctly includes China, India and Japan but adds the USA, and option (a) is plausible until Canada is checked. SOURCE: ASEAN Economic Community page on free trade agreements with dialogue partners. HOW TO CRACK IT: The reliable move is to know the exclusion rather than the whole list. ASEAN's free trade partners are its Asia Pacific neighbours plus Australia and New Zealand, and North America is absent, so striking out Canada and the USA leaves exactly one option. In grouping questions, look for the single item that does not belong to the region or bloc, because UPSC usually builds the distractors around one intruder.

   Difficulty: medium · statement

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2. UPSC Prelims 2026 · International Relations and Current Affairs

   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:

   1. 1 and 2
   2. 2 and 3
   3. 1 and 3
   4. 2 only
   Show answer

   Answer: A. India's Act East Policy focuses on improving connectivity with ASEAN countries through road, rail, sea, and multimodal transport networks. Myanmar serves as India's key land bridge to Southeast Asia, making several connectivity projects strategically important for India-ASEAN cooperation. Project 1 is correct: The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connects Kolkata port with Sittwe port in Myanmar and further links India's northeastern region with Myanmar, an ASEAN member country. Project 2 is correct: The India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway connects India with Myanmar and Thailand through a road network, strengthening connectivity with ASEAN member countries. Project 3 is not correct: The Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line connects India with Bangladesh. Since Bangladesh is not a member of ASEAN, this project is not part of India-ASEAN connectivity cooperation. Only projects 1 and 2 are part of India-ASEAN cooperation, so the answer is Option (a).

   Difficulty: easy · statement

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3. UPSC Prelims 2017 · International Relations and Current Affairs · Current Affairs

   With reference to ‘Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD)’, consider the following statements: 1. The first APMCHUD was held in India in 2006 on the theme ‘Emerging Urban Forms – Policy Responses and Governance Structure’. 2. India hosts all the Annual Ministerial Conferences in partnership with ADB, APEC and ASEAN. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. 1 only
   2. 2 only
   3. Both 1 and 2
   4. Neither 1 nor 2
   Show answer

   Answer: D. The correct answer is Neither 1 nor 2. Core Conceptual Framework This question tests your ability to detect specific structural errors—specifically, mismatched themes, altered operational frequencies, and extreme qualifiers regarding host nations—within international bodies related to urban governance. • What is APMCHUD? The Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) is an intergovernmental mechanism established under the structural aegis and support of UN-Habitat. Its core objective is to promote sustainable housing and human settlement developments across the Asia-Pacific region. Statement-by-Statement Examination • Statement 1: The first APMCHUD was held in India in 2006 on the theme ‘Emerging Urban Forms – Policy Responses and Governance Structure’. (Incorrect) • The Fact: While the first-ever inaugural conference was indeed hosted by India in New Delhi in December 2006, its actual theme was "A Vision for Sustainable Urbanization in the Asia-Pacific by 2020". • The Catch: The theme mentioned in the statement ("Emerging Urban Forms – Policy Responses and Governance Structure") was actually the designated theme for the 6th APMCHUD conference, which India hosted much later in New Delhi in 2016. • Statement 2: India hosts all the Annual Ministerial Conferences in partnership with ADB, APEC and ASEAN. (Incorrect) • The Frequency & Host: APMCHUD is not an annual conference; it is a biennial event (held once every two years). India does not host all of them. The venue rotates dynamically based on offers extended by consenting member nations (e.g., the second conference was held in Tehran, Iran; others followed in Indonesia, Jordan, and South Korea). • The Institutional Partner: The primary institutional anchor and partner is UN-Habitat, not a combined coalition of financial or economic regional trade blocs like ADB, APEC, or ASEAN. How to Solve This in the Exam (UPSC Elimination Strategy) When navigating multi-statement international grouping questions in the Prelims, look closely for institutional mismatches and extreme operational parameters: 1. Attack the Absolute Qualifier: Statement 2 states that India hosts "all" the conferences. In the context of multilateral, inter-governmental bodies spanning an entire geographic zone (like Asia-Pacific), it is a major bureaucratic anomaly for one single member nation to monopolize every high-level ministerial summit. This structural exaggeration should cause immediate skepticism. 2. Verify the Institutional Mandate: Identify the core focus area—Housing and Urban Development. Organizations like APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and ASEAN are primarily focused on regional security, macro-trade, and economic integration, while ADB handles developmental finance. The dedicated global agency that governs human settlements is UN-Habitat. Spotting this institutional misalignment invalidates Statement 2 instantly. 3. Recognize the Fact-Swapping Trap: Statement 1 presents a classic UPSC trap where a historically true event (First Conference in New Delhi, 2006) is combined with a completely different year's data point (the 2016 theme). If you remember that "Vision 2020" was a dominant policy buzzword during the mid-2000s, you can easily identify that a theme about "Emerging Urban Forms" belongs to a much later period of complex urban expansion. 4. Confirm the Code: Since Statement 1 contains an intentional factual mismatch and Statement 2 relies on an impossible extreme qualifier, both fall apart, locking in Neither 1 nor 2.

   Difficulty: hard · statement

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4. UPSC Prelims 2011 · International Relations and Current Affairs

   With reference to “Look East Policy” of India, consider the following statements: 1. India wants to establish itself as an important regional player in the East Asian affairs. 2. India wants to plug the vacuum created by the termination of Cold War. 3. India wants to restore the historical and cultural ties with its neighbours in Southeast and East Asia. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. 1 only
   2. 1 and 3 only
   3. 3 only
   4. 1, 2 and 3
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Correct Answer: 1 and 3 only India’s Look East Policy was launched in 1991 under the P.V. Narasimha Rao government. It aimed to strengthen India’s economic, strategic and cultural engagement with East and Southeast Asia. Statement-wise Explanation 1. India wants to establish itself as an important regional player in East Asian affairs — Correct This was a major objective of the Look East Policy. India wanted to deepen its engagement with ASEAN and East Asian institutions and become an important regional actor in economic and strategic affairs. 2. India wants to plug the vacuum created by the termination of Cold War — Incorrect The end of the Cold War influenced India’s foreign policy, but Look East was not meant to replace any superpower or fill a global vacuum. It was mainly driven by economic liberalisation, search for new markets and stronger regional engagement. 3. India wants to restore historical and cultural ties with its neighbours — Correct India has old cultural links with Southeast Asia through Buddhism, Hindu traditions, maritime trade and historical contacts. Look East Policy used these civilisational links as soft power to strengthen relations with neighbouring regions. Extra UPSC Info * Look East Policy was launched in 1991 during India’s economic liberalisation. * Its initial focus was economic engagement with ASEAN. * Later, it expanded to strategic and security cooperation with East Asian countries. * In 2014, it was upgraded into the Act East Policy. * Act East Policy gives greater focus to connectivity, security, Indo-Pacific cooperation and India’s North-East. * Important projects include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project. Final Takeaway Look East Policy aimed to make India an important regional player in East Asia and revive historical-cultural ties, but it was not meant to plug a Cold War vacuum.

   Difficulty: medium · statement

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Practice questions

1. Which country became the 11th member of ASEAN in October 2025?

   1. Papua New Guinea
   2. Timor-Leste
   3. Sri Lanka
   4. Bangladesh
   Show answer

   Answer: B. It was admitted at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

   Difficulty: easy · statement

2. Consider the following statements: 1. ASEAN was founded in 1967 by five countries. 2. Cambodia was the last country to join ASEAN before 2025. Which is/are correct?

   1. 1 only
   2. 2 only
   3. Both
   4. Neither
   Show answer

   Answer: C. The five founders signed the Bangkok Declaration in 1967; Cambodia joined in 1999.

   Difficulty: medium · statement

3. India's Look East Policy was upgraded to the Act East Policy in:

   1. 1991
   2. 2004
   3. 2014
   4. 2019
   Show answer

   Answer: C. The upgrade added a stronger security and strategic dimension.

   Difficulty: easy · statement

Mains practice

Answer-writing practice on this article. Attempt it first, then open the hints.

1. GS2 · 250 words

   "India's Act East Policy must move from summitry to sustained security cooperation." Discuss with reference to recent India–ASEAN defence engagement.

   Show hints

   1. ASEAN centrality
   2. maritime domain awareness
   3. ADMM-Plus, defence industry ties
   4. differing threat perceptions
   5. HADR.