ASEAN Defence Ministers Pivot to Cyber Cooperation at 19th ADMM

ASEAN Defence Ministers Signal Major Shift to Cyber Cooperation at 19th ADMM

Mohd Hanif Ismail - : Oct 31, 2025 - : 3:29 pm

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The 19th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) concluded in Malaysia on 31 October 2025, marking a significant strategic pivot for the bloc. Defence leaders endorsed a record number of new initiatives and issued a strong call for regional unity, while explicitly identifying non-traditional threats, particularly in the cyber domain, as a paramount security challenge.

The ADMM is the highest defence and security cooperative mechanism within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This year's meeting, held in Kuala Lumpur under Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, was staged against a complex geopolitical backdrop of increasing great-power rivalry. The meeting's conclusions set a unified agenda for the bloc ahead of the 12th ADMM-Plus, where ASEAN ministers will engage with their eight "Plus" dialogue partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States.

In his opening and closing remarks, Malaysia’s Minister of Defence, YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, framed the discussions around the central theme of "ASEAN First". He stressed that unity is the bloc's "shield against uncertainty" and that through solidarity, ASEAN will "not be divided, nor dictated by others". This push for strategic autonomy was coupled with a stark warning that regional security threats are evolving rapidly.

The Malaysian minister urged the ADMM to "evolve with the times" and move "beyond traditional military cooperation". While acknowledging ongoing challenges in the South China Sea, he declared that the digital realm is "equally at risk". He noted that "powerful non-state actors wield technology as their weapon" through cyberattacks and misinformation, warning that these invisible threats are "just as dangerous as those threatening our maritime zones". This focus on cybersecurity aligns with rising defence spending across the Asia-Pacific, where regional governments are increasingly prioritising investment in cyber-warfare systems to protect their rapidly digitalising economies.

This strategic shift from traditional domains to include cyber-defence signals new priorities for regional procurement and capability development. Minister Khaled Nordin explicitly called for the ADMM to advance into "technological foresight, cybersecurity collaboration, and shared innovation". This opens new opportunities for the defence and aerospace industry in C4ISTAR, artificial intelligence, and cyber-defence platforms as ASEAN nations seek to build resilience against these emerging threats. The meeting also marked a historic milestone by formally welcoming Timor-Leste as the newest member of the ASEAN family.

The minister lauded the 19th ADMM as one of the "most productive, ambitious, and inspiring years in ADMM's history", culminating in the approval of the "largest number of initiatives ever achieved in a single year". This progress was solidified in two key documents: the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration on ASEAN Unity for Security and Prosperity and the Joint Statement on the Implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Strategic Plan under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. These documents, he stated, prove the ADMM is a "vibrant community of purpose and progress", not just a "forum of formality".