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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Defence in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
During the meeting, he emphasised the need to modernise the Armed Forces and briefed members on the governments initiatives, including addressing the militarys financial requirements and advanced technologies. Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, the Vice Chiefs of the three Services, senior Armed Forces officials, and Members of Parliament from various political parties, including Tarun Chugh, Sandeep Pathak, Pawan Khera, Tiruchi Siva, Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, Sougata Roy and Naveen Jindal, also attended the meeting. In his opening remarks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that the role of drones, missiles, and air defence systems is rapidly growing in the changing global security landscape. The focus of todays meeting is the modernisation of the Armed Forces. The changing global landscape has made our security priorities increasingly significant. The role of drones, missiles and air defence systems is growing, and our Armed Forces must be prepared to meet future challenges, said Singh. Highlighting three key pillars of modernisation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that The biggest requirement is the availability of financial resources. Keeping this in mind, we have consistently increased the modernisation budget year after year and ensured its effective utilisation. For the financial year 2026-27, Indias total defence budget has increased to Rs 7.85 lakh crore, with a capital outlay of Rs 2.19 lakh crore earmarked for modernisation and capital procurement. This reflects our approach of not only meeting the requirements of the Armed Forces but also promoting Indian industries and domestic manufacturing. Our progress towards self-reliance in the defence sector is also reflected in defence production and exports. Indias defence production, which stood at Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15, has increased to a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26, the Defence Minister added. He further noted that defence exports from India, which stood at less than Rupees 2,000 crore in 2014, have now increased to nearly Rupees 40,000 crore. Our defence exports, which were less than Rs 2,000 crore in 2014, have now increased to nearly Rs 40,000 crore. Our target is to take defence production to Rs 3 lakh crore and defence exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029, added Singh. Highlighting technology as another key pillar of modernisation, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that technology has become an integral part of warfare. In todays changing environment, technology has become an integral part of warfare. DRDO is launching new schemes, while new weapons, missiles and systems are being tested. At the same time, we have encouraged the private sector by providing it with a level playing field. From MSMEs to large corporations, Indian companies are now contributing to the defence sector. This is a whole-of-the-nation approach. Keeping this requirement in mind, all three Services have continuously worked towards improving and restructuring their organisational structures and formations. For instance, new formations in the Army, such as Asni, Bhairav and Shaktibaan platoons, are proving highly useful in addressing present-day operational requirements and the changing nature of warfare, Rajnath Singh further said. The Defence Minister also identified human resources in the Armed Forces as another important pillar of modernisation. He said, Our human resources are our greatest strength in achieving success in warfare. The rapid changes taking place across the world in warfare and war-fighting systems are compelling us to rethink how our Armed Forces and their formations can be aligned with the evolving requirements of modern warfare. He asserted that strategic autonomy and indigenous technological capabilities are essential requirements for national security. Modernisation does not simply mean procuring new weapons and equipment. It means strengthening the operational preparedness of our forces, equipping them with modern technology and developing capabilities within the country that we can rely on over the long term. Strategic autonomy and indigenous technological capabilities are essential requirements for national security, said Singh. Concluding his remarks, Rajnath Singh said, Our objective is not merely to acquire modern equipment but to build a defence ecosystem in which technology is developed in line with the requirements of our Armed Forces, participation of Indian industries is enhanced, and the countrys strategic dependence is reduced. (ANI)
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