INDIAN NAVAL SHIPS SAHYADRI AND KULISH CONCLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ADMM-PLUS MARITIME SECURITY JOINT COOPERATION ACTIVITY

1. At a Glance

• The Indian Navy sent two ships, INS Sahyadri (stealth frigate) and INS Kulish (missile corvette), to the 23rd ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Maritime Security Joint Cooperation Activity (EWG-MS JCA) at Subic Bay, Philippines [1].
• ADMM-Plus is the ASEAN-led defence forum. It brings together 10 ASEAN states + 8 Dialogue Partners, and India is one of the partners [2].
• For UPSC, this ties together Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR, Indo-Pacific maritime security, the South China Sea, and India–ASEAN defence ties [1].

2. Why in the News

• 21–25 Sep 2026: The 23rd EWG-MS JCA ran at Subic Bay. It was hosted by the Philippine Navy and co-chaired by Japan, with the Closing Ceremony on 25 Sep 2026 [1].
• 27 Sep 2026: PIB (Ministry of Defence) reported that the two ships had completed their participation [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• 1992: India became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner [2].
• 12 Oct 2010: The inaugural ADMM-Plus met in Hanoi, Vietnam [2].
• ADMM-Plus works through Experts' Working Groups (EWGs) in seven areas: maritime security, counter-terrorism, HADR, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, humanitarian mine action and cyber security [3].
• 10th ADMM-Plus was held in Indonesia. There, the Raksha Mantri stressed freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce [10].
• 11th ADMM-Plus was held in Lao PDR [2].
• At a later ADMM-Plus, the Raksha Mantri said India's stress on rule of law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific is "not against any country" [9].
• India co-chairs the EWG on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024–2027 cycle [3][4].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
Event	23rd ADMM-Plus EWG-MS Joint Cooperation Activity [1]
Venue	Naval Operating Base Subic, Subic Bay, Philippines [1]
Dates	21 Sep (Opening) – 25 Sep 2026 (Closing) [1]
Host / co-chair	Philippine Navy (host); Japan (co-chair) [1]
Indian assets	INS Sahyadri (stealth frigate), INS Kulish (missile corvette) [1]
INS Sahyadri	3rd Shivalik-class guided-missile stealth frigate; indigenously designed; built at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai; commissioned 2012 [5]
INS Kulish	Kora-class missile corvette [6]
Harbour Phase	Subject-matter expert exchanges on Peace & Security, ANCM-GMI (ASEAN Navy Chiefs' Meeting – Guidelines for Maritime Interaction), Senior Enlisted Leadership, Marine Environmental Protection; also sports and a cultural show [1]
22 Sep 2026	Operational Synchronisation, Tabletop Exercise, Pre-Sail Conference [1]
Sea Phase	Search and Rescue, Hydrographic Survey, Casualty/Medical Evacuation, Deck Landing Qualification, assistance to vessels aground [1]
Outreach	Community engagement at Shepherds of the Hill Center, Zambales [1]
ADMM-Plus members	ASEAN-10: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. Plus-8: India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand [2]
Policy framing	Act East Policy; MAHASAGAR = Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions [1]
Nodal ministry	Ministry of Defence, via the Indian Navy (release issued by PIB Delhi) [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Geopolitical / Strategic

• The activity was held at Subic Bay on the South China Sea littoral, and India sent frontline ships there. This reinforces India's presence in the Indo-Pacific under Act East [1].
• ADMM-Plus includes the US, China and Russia alongside India. That makes it one of the few defence platforms where these rival powers work together in practice [2].
• India's line that freedom of navigation is "not against any country" lets it balance its partners while staying ASEAN-centric [9].
• Japan co-chaired this activity, which fits the growing India–Japan–Philippines convergence at sea [1]. (analytical inference)

Operational / Military

• The Sea Phase drills (SAR, CASEVAC/MEDEVAC, deck landings, hydrographic survey) are non-traditional security tasks. They build interoperability without looking like combat drills [1].
• The steps from Tabletop Exercise → Pre-Sail Conference → Sea Phase follow standard multinational exercise planning [1].

Scientific / Technological (Aatmanirbharta)

• INS Sahyadri was designed and built in India at MDL Mumbai. Sending it abroad shows off Indian shipbuilding [5].

Environmental

• Marine Environmental Protection was a Harbour Phase topic, reflecting maritime security's wider remit (pollution, ocean health) [1].

Diplomatic / Soft Power

• Community engagement at Zambales, the International Day and the cultural show all served naval diplomacy with the host nation [1].
• Sahyadri has also made port calls in the region, for example Manila and Kemaman (Malaysia) during a South China Sea / Indo-Pacific deployment [5][7].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 14–16 Jan 2026: The 16th ADMM-Plus EWG on Counter-Terrorism and the Final Planning Conference for a Tabletop Exercise, in New Delhi, co-chaired by India and Malaysia [4].
• INS Sahyadri deployed to the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific, with a port call at Kemaman, Malaysia [5]. It also called at Manila, Philippines [7]. (Exact dates not verified.)
• 21–25 Sep 2026: The 23rd EWG-MS JCA at Subic Bay [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• The 23rd ADMM-Plus EWG-MS JCA was held at Subic Bay, Philippines, 21–25 Sep 2026 [1].
• Host: Philippine Navy. Co-chair: Japan [1].
• INS Sahyadri is the third Shivalik-class stealth frigate, commissioned in 2012 [5].
• INS Sahyadri was built at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai [5].
• INS Kulish is a Kora-class missile corvette [6].
• MAHASAGAR = Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions [1].
• The first ADMM-Plus met in Hanoi on 12 Oct 2010 [2].
• ADMM-Plus = 10 ASEAN + 8 Dialogue Partners, so 18 countries [2].
• ADMM-Plus has seven areas of practical cooperation, each run by an EWG [3].
• India became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1992 [2].
• India and Malaysia co-chair the EWG on Counter-Terrorism for 2024–2027 [3][4].
• ANCM-GMI = ASEAN Navy Chiefs' Meeting – Guidelines for Maritime Interaction [1].
• Community engagement took place in Zambales, the province around Subic Bay [1].
• Sahyadri took part in the maiden India–Indonesia–Australia trilateral maritime exercise [8].

8. Why the Drill Avoids the Real Dispute Next Door

• The sea being drilled on is disputed, but the dispute is not on the agenda
• Subic Bay sits on the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have competing maritime claims. In 2016 an arbitral tribunal set up under Annex VII of UNCLOS (the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the main treaty on who controls which waters) gave its award in that dispute, and India issued a formal statement on it [11].

• Yet every Sea Phase task was a rescue, medical, survey or grounded-ship task. None was about patrolling contested waters [1].

• The reason is who sits at the table

• ADMM-Plus has 18 members, and China is one of them [2].
• An activity that every member accepts cannot practise against any one member. So the agenda moves to tasks nobody objects to, like saving lives at sea.

• This is our reading of how the forum works. The release does not say it [1][2].

• What this means for an answer

• ADMM-Plus builds interoperability (navies learning to work together using shared signals and procedures) [1].
• It is not a tool to stop coercion at sea. Do not write that India's ships at Subic 'countered China'. The format itself rules that out.

9. Is Two Ships for Five Days Just Symbolic?

• The strongest objection
• Two ships took part in one five-day activity (21–25 Sep) [1]. Most of the programme was expert talks, sports, a cultural show and community work [1].

• A critic would say this is a photo opportunity. It does not change any country's behaviour at sea, and the same forum has not settled the South China Sea question since it began in 2010 [2].

• What the critic gets right

• Nothing agreed here binds anyone. The one set of rules discussed, ANCM-GMI, is a set of guidelines (advice on how navies should behave when they meet at sea), not a treaty [1].

• If the question is 'does this solve the dispute?', the answer is no.

• Why it still matters

• It costs little, and many countries accept it. India sends ships it already has deployed in the region. Sahyadri had already made calls at Manila and Kemaman on an Indo-Pacific deployment [5][7]. The same ships serve many purposes.
• It is ASEAN's forum, not India's. When India acts here, it acts inside a group that ASEAN leads. That makes it harder to call India's presence a bloc against anyone. This fits the Raksha Mantri's line that India's position is 'not against any country' [9].

• Habits matter when things go wrong. Deck landings and joint rescue drills mean crews already know each other's procedures before any real accident or close encounter at sea [1].

• Fair verdict: low stakes, low cost, slow gains. Write it that way in Mains. Do not overclaim.

10. Where India's Words and Its Partnerships Pull Apart

• India says one thing at the forum

• At ADMM-Plus, the Raksha Mantri framed freedom of navigation (the right of all ships to sail through international waters) and rule of law as 'not against any country' [9][10].

• India's other ties point one way

• This activity was hosted by the Philippines and co-chaired by Japan [1]. Both have their own maritime disputes with China.

• India's naval ships keep visiting the Philippines, for example Sahyadri's port call at Manila [7]. India also runs a separate Joint Commission with the Philippines [12].

• Why this is a balancing act, not a contradiction

• India wants ASEAN to see it as a steady partner. It also does not want an open break with China, which sits in the same forum [2].
• So India speaks in terms of principles (UNCLOS, freedom of navigation) and avoids naming countries [9][11].
• The risk: if the Philippines–China dispute gets worse, 'not against any country' becomes harder to hold. Manila may then expect clearer support than general statements.

11. What India Should Push For in the Next Cycle

• Ministry of Defence: bid to co-chair the maritime security EWG, not only counter-terrorism
• India already co-chairs the counter-terrorism EWG with Malaysia for 2024–2027 [3][4]. That shows ADMM-Plus gives co-chair roles cycle by cycle, and that India can do the job.
• India hosted the 16th counter-terrorism EWG meeting and a planning conference in New Delhi in January 2026 [4]. A co-chair decides what the group works on. Japan has that role at sea right now [1].

• Co-chairing the maritime security group would let India shape the sea agenda, for example towards hydrographic survey (mapping the seabed and coastline) and marine pollution response.

• Indian Navy: use the drill as a base for bilateral work

• The ADMM-Plus agenda stays limited because every member must accept it (see above) [2].
• Deeper work, like survey help or coordinated patrols, happens bilaterally. India already runs a coordinated patrol (CORPAT) with Indonesia [6], and Sahyadri took part in the first India–Indonesia–Australia trilateral exercise [8].
• The sensible model: ADMM-Plus for trust with everyone; bilateral and small-group formats for real capacity.

12. Anchors for Answers

• Data: ADMM-Plus = 18 countries (ASEAN-10 + 8 partners, including US, China, Russia) [2]; seven Experts' Working Groups [3]
• Law/Case: UNCLOS 1982; 2016 South China Sea arbitral award under Annex VII of UNCLOS, on which India issued a statement [11]
• Comparison: Japan co-chairs the maritime security EWG, while India co-chairs counter-terrorism with Malaysia (2024–2027) [1][3]
• Scheme: Act East Policy and MAHASAGAR, both named in the release as the policy frame [1]; IND-INDO CORPAT as the bilateral model that goes further than ADMM-Plus can [6]

13. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: India and its neighbourhood; bilateral, regional and global groupings affecting India's interests (ASEAN, ADMM-Plus, Act East).
• GS-III: Security challenges and their management; security in the maritime domain.
• Question stems: 1. ASEAN-led defence mechanisms like ADMM-Plus offer India a low-cost, high-legitimacy platform for Indo-Pacific engagement. Discuss with reference to recent naval engagements. (15 marks) 2. How does the vision of MAHASAGAR build on India's earlier maritime outreach frameworks? Assess its relevance for India–ASEAN maritime cooperation. (10 marks) 3. Non-traditional maritime security cooperation (SAR, HADR, hydrography) has become a cornerstone of naval diplomacy. Examine India's role in the South China Sea region. (15 marks)

14. Related Topics to Study Next

• Act East Policy & ASEAN–India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: the policy anchor named in the release.
• MAHASAGAR vs SAGAR: how the maritime vision has evolved.
• ADMM-Plus EWG on Counter-Terrorism (India–Malaysia co-chair): India's leadership role inside the same forum.
• South China Sea disputes & UNCLOS: the strategic setting of Subic Bay.
• India–Philippines defence ties (BrahMos export): the growing partnership with the host nation.
• Shivalik-class / Project-17 and Project-17A frigates: indigenous warship building.
• CORPATs & trilateral exercises (India–Indonesia–Australia): India's wider ASEAN naval engagement [6][8].
• Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI): India's framework for Indo-Pacific cooperation.

15. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• ADMM vs ADMM-Plus: ADMM is ASEAN-10 only. ADMM-Plus adds 8 partners, so 18 in all, and was first held in 2010 in Hanoi [2].
• The EWG is not a ministerial meeting: the Subic Bay event was an experts'-level practical activity, not the ADMM-Plus ministers' meeting [1].
• Co-chair confusion: Japan co-chaired this maritime security activity. India's co-chairship (with Malaysia) is of the counter-terrorism EWG [1][3].
• Ship classes: Sahyadri is a Shivalik-class frigate, not a Kolkata-class destroyer. Kulish is a Kora-class corvette, not a Kamorta-class [5][6].
• "23rd" refers to the EWG-MS activity edition, not the ADMM-Plus ministerial edition [1].