The ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Retreat (hereinafter referred to as 'ADMM Retreat') was convened in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR on 5 March 2024;

REAFFIRMING the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 to realise a rules-based, people-oriented, and people-centred ASEAN of One Vision, One Identity, One Community with enhanced capacity to respond effectively to challenges and ASEAN as an outward-looking region within a global community of nations, while maintaining ASEAN Centrality and Unity;

NOTING the steady progress of the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint as the current ASEAN Community Vision nears its completion in 2025. While efforts are underway towards realising all the action lines contained in the APSC Blueprint 2025, activities continue to be pursued in connection with the action lines that have been acted upon;

RECOGNISING the ASEAN Member States' (AMS) commitment to realising the APSC Blueprint 2025 through the strengthening of the ADMM, while enhancing ASEAN Centrality in the ADMM-Plus process, which has significantly contributed to the promotion of practical cooperation among AMS as well as the engagements with ASEAN's friends and dialogue partners;

INSPIRED by the call for AMS to rise above the challenges and remain united by a common desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security and stability by maintaining and strengthening unity and defence cooperation towards fulfilling the APSC Blueprint 2025 objectives;

ENCOURAGED by the notable achievements of the defence sector in promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation, as well as in upholding ASEAN Centrality amidst its expanding external engagement, as aspired in the APSC Blueprint 2025;

RECOGNISING the defence sector's increasing involvement in cross-sectoral issues, including but not limited to the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, counter-terrorism and border management, which contributes to addressing other critical action lines of the APSC Blueprint 2025, relevant to the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus;

RECOGNISING the importance of the ADMM and ADMM-Plus as key platforms in the regional security architecture, which facilitate strategic dialogue and practical cooperation for the defence sector with ASEAN at the centre;

COMMENDING the continued progress of the existing practical cooperation under ADMM and ADMM-Plus frameworks, which have fundamentally promoted not only mutual trust and confidence, but also capacity building and interoperability among AMS and ADMM-Plus member countries in responding to common security challenges, contributing to the regional peace, security and resilience;

APPLAUDING ADMM's timely response to emerging security threats and challenges as in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic that witnessed the collective efforts made by ASEAN defence and military establishments in addressing such an emergency through sharing of information and best practices, mutual assistance for medicines and medical equipment, seminars and table-top exercises;

COMMENDING the ADMM for its assertive efforts vis-à-vis emerging issues, such as but not limited to cyber security, Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth Peace and Security, as well as the commitment in the implementation of ASEAN Outlook in Indo-Pacific (AOIP), thereby contributing to efforts in ensuring the APSC community building remain responsive to the changing regional architecture as mandated by APSC council;

ACKNOWLEDGING the on-going work by the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) in developing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans and LOOKING FORWARD to the Vision's and the Strategic Plans' adoption in 2025.

WE HEREBY REMAIN COMMITTED TO:

MAINTAIN the ADMM and ADMM-Plus' roles as the highest ministerial defence and security cooperation platforms for AMS and the Plus countries; and ACKNOWLEDGE the interest of ASEAN's friends and Dialogue Partners who contribute to regional security and stability;

FURTHER STRENGTHEN defence and military cooperation through the existing ADMM and ADMM-Plus mechanisms in order to enhance capacity, resilience and interoperability among member countries, in view of fully implementing the APSC Blueprint 2025;

CONTRIBUTE to the development of the strategic plan for the APSC of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 for the defence sector to address emerging and future security issues in a more timely and effective manner, and reinforce ASEAN Centrality; and

LOOK FORWARD to the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, including through the defence sector's enhanced contribution in promoting regional peace, stability and security.