India, Brunei hold inaugural defence JWG meet

The inaugural meeting of the India-Brunei Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence Cooperation was held in New Delhi on Tuesday (, marking a significant step forward in strengthening the bilateral defence partnership between the two countries.

According to Ministry of Defence, key areas of discussion included the expansion of military-to-military exchanges and joint training, enhanced maritime security cooperation with emphasis on safety of sea lanes and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR), capacity building, and opportunities for industry collaboration and technology cooperation.

The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, and Poh Kui Choon, Deputy Permanent Secretary in Brunei’s Ministry of Defence. Before the meeting, both sides signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) to formally establish the JWG on Defence Cooperation.

The Ministry further added that the signing of the ToR marks the start of a new phase of structured defence engagement. The JWG will serve as an institutional platform to review ongoing initiatives and identify new avenues for collaboration. Both sides welcomed the growing momentum in their defence ties and agreed to pursue a structured roadmap under the JWG framework. They also reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

As part of her two-day visit, Ms. Choon also called on Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi. She further visited the newly inaugurated DPSU Bhawan–an advanced facility developed as a central hub for all 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings to enhance collaboration, innovation, and showcase India’s defence manufacturing capabilities globally.