NEW DELHI, Nov 3: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on November 3, 2026, asserted that India’s military preparedness in the 21st century is intrinsically tied to its indigenous technological and industrial capabilities, emphasizing the critical need for self-reliance in producing and sustaining essential defence equipment.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Singh was addressing the third edition of the Delhi Defence Dialogue at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). He articulated that ‘Aatmanirbharta,’ or self-reliance, must be understood as a pursuit of technological sovereignty, ensuring that the nation’s defence requirements are not subject to external dependencies. True self-reliance, he explained, encompasses the entire lifecycle of defence platforms – from design and technology to intellectual property and independent sustainment.
The Defence Minister outlined the interconnectedness of four key elements in India’s objective to achieve ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047: Defence Reforms, Aatmanirbharta, Collaborations, and Exports. He stated that reforms are necessary to foster an enabling institutional environment, Aatmanirbharta strengthens indigenous technological prowess, collaborations accelerate access to advanced technologies and facilitate co-development, and exports provide the necessary scale and global partnerships for a sustainable industrial ecosystem. These four pillars, he noted, are mutually reinforcing components of India’s quest for strategic autonomy.
Singh further elaborated that reforms signify the nation’s willingness to adapt, Aatmanirbharta its determination to create, collaborations its confidence to partner globally, and exports its readiness to compete. He stressed that progress must be simultaneous across all four areas, as self-reliance alone, without reforms, international engagement, and export capabilities, would limit India’s technological ambitions and global competitiveness.
Highlighting the evolving nature of warfare, the Defence Minister pointed to recent global conflicts that have demonstrated battlefields extending into space, cyberspace, and the digital domain. He observed the blurring lines between conventional and unconventional warfare, with drones and autonomous systems challenging traditional military platforms. In this evolving landscape, the ability to innovate rapidly, manufacture at scale, and replenish capabilities has become as crucial as possessing advanced weaponry.
Rajnath Singh underscored that technological and manufacturing capabilities are underpinned by an enabling institutional framework, progressive policies, and responsive processes. He detailed various initiatives implemented over the past decade to bolster India’s domestic defence industrial base. These include the establishment of Defence Industrial Corridors and the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), aimed at enhancing efficiency and competitiveness in defence manufacturing.
The government’s commitment to greater private sector involvement in the development and manufacturing of advanced defence platforms was reiterated. Singh mentioned opportunities for private participation in programmes such as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, propulsion systems, ATAGS, artillery ammunition, and shipbuilding, anticipating that these initiatives would accelerate indigenous development and expand manufacturing capacity.
The year 2025 was observed as the Year of Reforms within the Ministry of Defence, with a focus on jointness, integration, emerging technologies, innovation, and strengthening the domestic defence industrial ecosystem. Singh reported that these reforms are yielding positive outcomes, with defence production reaching approximately ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26 and defence exports soaring to ₹38,424 crore. Indian defence products are now supplied to over 80 countries, a testament to the growing contributions of public sector enterprises, private industry, MSMEs, and start-ups.
Defence exports, he stated, are a vital component of India’s self-reliance strategy, reflecting the maturity of the domestic industrial ecosystem and the competitiveness of indigenous technologies. He attributed this growth to sustained policy liberalisation, simplification, and standardization, which have enabled Indian manufacturers, particularly MSMEs, to capitalize on international opportunities more effectively.
Singh called for an expansion of defence exports to encompass maintenance, repair, training, logistics, and technology cooperation, advocating that each successful export should serve as a foundation for enduring strategic partnerships. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving targets of ₹3 lakh crore in defence production and ₹50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029, stressing the need for the domestic defence industry to expand manufacturing capacity, improve quality, and enhance global competitiveness.
He emphasized that the Defence Forces must remain integral stakeholders in the Research and Development (R&D) process, providing invaluable operational experience to guide research priorities and assess the relevance of emerging technologies. Simultaneously, he urged looking beyond immediate end-user requirements in research, cautioning that an over-reliance on immediate operational perceptions could limit exploration of unimagined possibilities. R&D, he stated, requires the freedom to question assumptions and pursue unconventional ideas.
Rajnath Singh advocated for a balanced approach, where operational requirements inform research while preserving the independence and intellectual space necessary for innovation. He stressed the importance of fostering experimentation and ensuring that successful innovations transition from laboratories and prototypes to production and operational deployment. The objective, he concluded, is to cultivate an ecosystem that encourages innovation, sustains investment, and translates ideas into tangible capabilities.
Regarding international defence collaborations, Singh asserted that India’s pursuit of self-reliance does not imply isolation but signifies a confident and technologically capable nation better positioned for global engagement. He noted that while traditional partnerships have contributed significantly, future requirements necessitate a more ambitious approach centered on co-development, co-production, and shared innovation. Such partnerships, he stated, should ensure meaningful Indian participation in design and development, access to critical technologies, appropriate intellectual property sharing, and integration into global supply chains. India’s substantial domestic market, expanding industrial base, and skilled scientific talent offer significant opportunities for international companies to collaborate with Indian industry.
In his concluding remarks, the Defence Minister called for a collective commitment from the Defence Forces, civil servants, scientists, industry, academia, and international partners to realize India’s defence ambitions. The aspiration, he articulated, is to transition from procuring defence technologies to creating them, from manufacturing for domestic needs to competing globally, and from participating in international defence partnerships to actively shaping the future of global defence technology. He expressed confidence that the discussions at the Delhi Defence Dialogue would yield valuable insights and actionable recommendations towards achieving this vision.
Ambassador Sujan R Chinoy, Director General of MP-IDSA, in his welcome address, highlighted the dialogue’s role as a platform for exchanging perspectives on defence reforms, indigenous capabilities, international collaborations, and defence exports. He also referenced preparatory roundtables and the ASEAN-India Defence Think Tank Forum as further strengthening the institute’s international engagement.
Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, CISC, and Smt Dipti Mohil Chawla, Additional Secretary, along with other senior officials and foreign dignitaries, were present at the event. The two-day Delhi Defence Dialogue, organized by MP-IDSA on November 3 and 4, 2026, convenes policymakers, defence representatives, industry leaders, academics, and think tanks to deliberate on India’s defence priorities and international cooperation opportunities, aiming to generate policy recommendations for strengthening defence preparedness and promoting indigenous capabilities.
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