Indian Navy Subic Bay participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Joint Cooperation Activity (JCA) began on Sunday, when INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish arrived at the Philippine port as part of the Navy's operational deployment.

The JCA brings together maritime forces from ASEAN member states and eight Plus countries, according to the Indian Navy.

The Indian Navy Subic Bay call and the JCA programme

The activity runs under the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Maritime Security, co-hosted by Japan and the Philippines. Material issued by participating forces shows it opened on Sunday, the day the Indian ships arrived.

Shore phase first, sea phase after

The shore phase at Subic Bay carries a disaster-response tabletop exercise, subject matter expert exchanges, an open house aboard participating ships and cultural exchanges. A sea phase follows.

The engagements are professional and operational in nature, the Navy said, aimed at interoperability, mutual understanding and stronger cooperation in the maritime domain. Indian participation is meant to build a better understanding of shared maritime challenges with the other forces present.

INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish on deployment

INS Sahyadri is a Shivalik class stealth frigate built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. INS Kulish, pennant P63, is a Kora class guided missile corvette of 91.16 metres, displacing 1,449 tonnes.

Kulish was at Ream Naval Base in Cambodia earlier this month, the first Indian Navy ship to call there.

Act East and MAHASAGAR framing

The Navy said the participation is in consonance with the Government of India's Act East Policy and the MAHASAGAR vision, short for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. The same vision framed INS Mysore's arrival at Lumut for Samudra Laksamana with the Royal Malaysian Navy on 9 September.

India and the Philippines at sea

The Navy links the Indian Navy Subic Bay port call to growing maritime engagement between the two countries, building on recent bilateral engagements and the India-Philippines Strategic Partnership of August 2025. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the partnership during Marcos's state visit to New Delhi, and a Plan of Action for 2025 to 2029 was adopted with it.

That visit also produced Terms of Reference for Service-to-Service Staff Talks between the Army, Navy and Air Force of the two countries.

The Philippines is also the first foreign customer for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, having signed a contract in 2022 for shore-based anti-ship batteries, which India began delivering in 2024.