UNITED STATES Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday evening to attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), which begins today.
Hegseth landed at Subang Air Base at 9pm, where he was received by senior officials from Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence and the Malaysian Armed Forces. This marks his first official visit to Malaysia since assuming the post of US Defence Secretary in January.
He is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Malaysia’s Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, on the sidelines of the regional summit.
The 19th ADMM and 12th ADMM-Plus, taking place from 30 October to 2 November at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), will bring together ASEAN defence ministers to deliberate on key regional defence and security issues.
All eleven ASEAN member states, including Timor-Leste which was recently admitted as a full member, have confirmed their participation. The eight Plus dialogue partners – the United States, Russia, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand – have also confirmed attendance. - October 30, 2025
