The Department of National Defense (DND) has convened a working group meeting to prepare for major ASEAN defense engagements in 2026, with discussions centered on regional security cooperation and the role of young people in peacebuilding.
The Ad Hoc ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting-Plus Working Group met through video conference on May 20, with Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Marita Yoro presiding as chair.
The DND said the meeting focused on commitments to regional defense and security, including efforts to strengthen the participation of young women and men in the defense sector’s peacebuilding initiatives.
Officials also discussed the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Experts’ Working Groups co-chairship for the 2027 to 2030 cycle, as well as the next steps for ASEAN defense engagements scheduled in 2026.
The meeting was attended by representatives from ASEAN member-states, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the bloc’s dialogue partners under the ADMM-Plus framework: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States.
The working group meeting underscored ASEAN’s continuing push to deepen regional security cooperation, strengthen defense partnerships, and sustain dialogue among member-states and partner countries amid evolving security challenges in the region.