Two Indian Navy warships will be participating in a multi-nation maritime exercise in Philippines conducted under the frame work of the ‘ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-plus’ grouping.As part of the Navy’s operational deployment, Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Kulish arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines, for the Joint Cooperation Activity (JCA), which has an operational sea phase.The JCA brings together maritime forces from the 10 ASEAN nations — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The other eight countries part of ADMM-plus bloc are Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the US.The JCA focuses on maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, humanitarian mine action and cybersecurity.It includes field training exercise, table-top exercise, seminar, or simulation exercise that brings together military and defence personnel from countries to practice interoperability, build trust and develop common standard operating procedures for responding to real-world security challenges.The Navy said the participation of Indian naval ships in the JCA ahead of the ADMM-Plus was in consonance with the Centre’s Act East Policy, underscoring India’s continued commitment to multilateral maritime cooperation and constructive engagement with regional partners. The deployment will provide opportunities for the Indian Navy to interact with participating maritime forces through professional and operational engagements, contributing to greater understanding of shared maritime challenges.The port call at Subic bay also reflects the growing maritime engagement between India and the Philippines. Building upon recent bilateral engagements and the establishment of the India–Philippines Strategic Partnership in August 2025, the deployment provides an opportunity to further strengthen professional linkages and maritime cooperation between the two countries.