Manila: With the Philippines hosting this year's ASEAN Summit, the Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday announced that it has "virtually" convened a meeting with its Southeast Asian counterparts aimed at developing safe, secure and interoperable communications among the defense establishments of member states of the organization.

According to Philippines News Agency, the 3rd Meeting of the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure (ADI) Integrated Project Team (IPT) Phase 2 took place on Thursday. ADI Phase 2 seeks to strengthen trusted communication mechanisms that support coordination during routine operations, as well as in times of crisis and emergency.

The DND co-chaired this vital meeting with its counterparts in Brunei Darussalam. "The meeting gathered policy and technical representatives from ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat, with the new inclusion of Timor-Leste, to advance the development of a secure, reliable, and interoperable communications framework among ASEAN defense establishments," it added.

Discussions focused on finalizing and consolidating consensus on the Terms of Reference and Technical Specifications, addressing remaining technical and governance considerations, and aligning next steps toward implementation.

The outcome of the meeting will serve as a key deliverable and reference point for the in-person 8th ADI Ad Hoc Working Group Meeting scheduled in April 2026. The ADI initiative forms part of ASEAN's broader efforts to enhance defense cooperation, build trust, and strengthen regional resilience through secure and dependable communication infrastructure.