New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- India is focusing on building a robust domestic defence ecosystem as strategic autonomy and indigenous military capabilities are essential to effectively deal with national security challenges, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.
In an address at a meeting of the Consultative Committee of the defence ministry in Jaisalmer, Singh said the government has been boosting the domestic defence industry as part of efforts to reduce the country's strategic dependence on foreign sources.
"Strategic autonomy and indigenous technological capabilities are essential to safeguarding national security," he said.
The meeting witnessed comprehensive deliberations on emerging security challenges, warfare paradigms, technological advancements and the imperative of building a future-ready, technologically empowered and operationally agile military.
The key focus areas that emerged during the deliberations included accelerating the induction of next-generation platforms and weapon systems and strengthening the tri-service integration, joint operational planning and synergised application of capabilities.
In his remarks, the defence minister emphasised the need for the military to remain prepared to combat emerging challenges and listed the steps taken by the government across key dimensions such as "budget and capital acquisition" and "technology and human capital" to equip the military to meet the evolving demands of technology-driven modern warfare.
He highlighted the government's sustained focus on budgetary support and capital acquisition to meet the modernisation requirements,
stressing that adequate financial resources, coupled with effective utilisation and prioritisation of critical needs of the services.
Singh said the defence budget for financial year 2026-27 was increased to a record Rs 7.85 lakh crore, including a capital outlay of Rs 2.19 lakh crore.
On the vision of self-reliance in defence, he said that defence production has risen from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15 to a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26.
The defence exports, which stood at less than Rs 2,000 crore in 2014, increased to approximately Rs 40,000 crore.
"We aim to achieve defence production worth Rs 3 lakh crore and defence exports worth
Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," he added.
Singh underlined the transformative role of technology in modern warfare, stating that technological advancements are integral to the changing character of conflicts.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.