Authors : Abhishek Sharma | Shreya Mishra
Published on: Feb 19, 2026
Under Act East, India is institutionalising defence diplomacy through agreements, exercises, attachés, and defence exports to emerge as a credible security partner in Southeast Asia, amid wider Indo-Pacific uncertainties
On 7 February, the Indian Prime Minister visited Malaysia, marking his first foreign visit this year. This was an effort to make up for India’s absence from the East Asia Summit, which Malaysia chaired last year. Despite its short duration, the visit furthered a long-brewing trend: India’s expanding and deepening defence diplomacy with Southeast Asia. It marked a step towards strengthening India’s defence cooperation with Southeast Asian countries and complementing existing economic relations, driven by India’s Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision. Although India’s defence diplomacy has become more structured and institutionalised in recent years, it still has a long way to go. India’s expanding defence diplomacy merits closer examination, assessing its various strands and exploring ways to institutionalise engagement with Southeast Asia better.
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