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Counter-Terrorism a Shared Societal Duty, Not Just Military: Major General

Major General Kulvir Singh emphasized that counter-terrorism is a broad societal challenge, not just a military one, at the 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus. He revealed alarming statistics, noting terrorism has claimed over 400,000 lives worldwide in two decades, with only 64 countries untouched. The meeting, co-chaired by India and Malaysia, is planning a Table Top Exercise in Malaysia and a subsequent Field Training Exercise in Mizoram, India next year. The goal is to compile best practices and establish a common ASEAN counter-terrorism protocol.

Key Points: ASEAN Defence Meeting: Counter-Terrorism Needs Collective Action

  • Terrorism claimed over 4 lakh lives globally in 20 years
  • Only 64 countries remain free from terrorism's impact
  • Table Top Exercise planned for Malaysia, Field Exercise for India
  • Working towards a common ASEAN Counter-Terrorism framework
3 min read

"Counter-terrorism not merely a technical or military issue": Major General Kulvir Singh at 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus

Major General Kulvir Singh at ASEAN meeting says terrorism has claimed 400,000+ lives, calls for shared protocols and joint exercises.

"Counter-terrorism is not merely a technical or military issue. - Major General Kulvir Singh"

New Delhi, January 14

Emphasising the growing need for collective global action against terrorism, Major General Kulvir Singh, Commander of Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, on Wednesday said the ADMM-Plus framework has emerged as a strong pillar of multilateral cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking at the 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus Experts Working Group on counter terrorism co-chaired by India and Malaysia on Wednesday, he said the forum reflects the seriousness with which participating nations approach the challenge of terrorism.

Addressing delegates, Major General Singh noted, "Counter-terrorism is not merely a technical or military issue. It is a matter that touches the lives of every citizen, the stability of our societies, and the future of our region. We have gathered here today with a shared purpose to strengthen our collective capacity to prevent, to respond and to recover from the acts of terrorism."

"Terrorism remains one of the most persistent and most adaptive threats of international peace and security. In the past two decades, we have witnessed its evolution across multiple dimensions, and the statistics are alarming. In the last two decades, terrorism has claimed over four lakh lives worldwide," he said, adding that only 64 countries worldwide remain free from the impact of terrorism.

Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, Major General Singh said this was the second Experts Working Group meeting being held in Delhi, following an earlier one last year. He said the final planning conference for a Table Top Exercise (TTX) would be conducted later this year in Malaysia, where participating delegations would study counter-terrorism procedures and operational practices followed by ASEAN member nations.

"The outcome of the entire TTX, which will be there, will be put into place by the FTX exercise, which is the field training exercise, likely to be held next year in India itself. We will draw our lessons from this TTX exercise, and then whatever has been the framework when we work on this will be then thereafter implemented on the ground when we go to the FTX exercise next year in Mizoram, in the counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school," he said.

He added that a comprehensive document compiling best practices from all participating countries would be released at the conclusion of the ADMM-plus meeting. The booklet, he said, would help nations learn from each other's operational experiences and move towards a common ASEAN Counter-Terrorism framework. "And thereafter, we move forward in this direction by having a common protocol that is ACTT of the ASEAN, so that we abide by those frameworks, and then we progress forward for the counter-terrorism exercise, which we are intending to do," he added.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
The statistic about only 64 countries being free from terrorism's impact is truly sobering. It underscores why this kind of multilateral cooperation is not optional, but essential. Sharing best practices and creating common protocols is the only way forward.
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Ananya R
Proud that India is co-chairing this and that the field exercise will be in Mizoram. Our forces have unparalleled experience in CIJW (Counter-Insurgency & Jungle Warfare). Hope the framework addresses the root causes like radicalization and online propaganda, not just the symptoms.
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Rohit P
All this talk is good, but will it lead to concrete action? We've seen many such meetings and frameworks. The real test is whether countries will genuinely share intelligence and cut off funding to terror groups, even when it's politically inconvenient. Hope this ACTT protocol has teeth.
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Karthik V
The focus on "prevent, respond, and recover" is key. Often the rehabilitation of affected communities and deradicalization programs are overlooked. India's experience in these areas, especially in the Northeast, can be a valuable lesson for the ASEAN booklet.
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Michael C
As someone from outside the region, it's encouraging to see India taking a leadership role in Asia-Pacific security. Terrorism is a global network, and breaking it requires strong regional hubs of cooperation like this ADMM-Plus initiative.

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