New Delhi: Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Kulish arrived at Subic Bay in the Philippines on Sunday to participate in the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-plus Joint Cooperation Activity (JCA), as part of the Indian Navy’s ongoing operational deployment. The multilateral activity brings Indian sailors together with regional maritime forces for professional exchanges and exercises aimed at improving cooperation and interoperability.
The ADMM-Plus is a defence cooperation platform linking Asean with eight partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States. The current maritime security JCA is co-hosted by Japan and the Philippines.
US 7th Fleet said maritime forces actively participating this year include Australia, Brunei, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States. The shore phase at Subic includes a disaster response tabletop exercise, subject-matter expert exchanges, ship visits and cultural engagements, followed by a sea phase focused on maritime skills and interoperability.
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force said the activity would include search-and-rescue procedures, boarding inspection procedures and exchanges between participating naval units.
INS Sahyadri is a Shivalik-class guided missile stealth frigate, while INS Kulish is a Kora-class missile corvette. Kulish reached Subic after a port call at Cambodia’s Ream Naval base on September 12 during the Eastern Fleet’s operational deployment.
The deployment comes amid expanding India-Philippines defence ties. As part of their strategic partnership established in August 2025, the two countries agreed to institutionalize navy-to-navy talks and deepen defence and maritime cooperation. Speaking at the Indian council of world affairs on September 15, the Philippines ambassador to India, Josel F Ignacio, described India as a “preferred security partner” and said the two countries had a clear alignment of interests in the maritime domain.
The defence ministry said India’s participation is aligned with its Act East Policy and the Mahasagar vision.
The deployment will allow the Indian Navy to engage participating maritime forces through professional and operational exchanges, strengthening understanding of shared maritime challenges and supporting multilateral cooperation in the region.