NEW DELHI – Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today delivered a strong message for India’s defence sector, asserting that the nation must shift from being a technology consumer to a creator by building “systems and ecosystems to make creation and adoption of new tech seamless, swift and self-sustaining.”
Delivering the inaugural address at the Delhi Defence Dialogue (DDD), organised by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), the Minister emphasized the necessity of a “soldier-scientist-startup-strategist synergy” to drive India’s technological leap. The theme of the two-day DDD 2025 conference is ‘Harnessing New Age Technology for Defence Capability Development.’
Rajnath Singh called for expanding the Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) mission beyond indigenous hardware manufacturing to achieve “digital sovereignty,” which he defined as control over the algorithms, data, and chips that power platforms.
“True strategic autonomy will come only when our code is as indigenous as our hardware,” the Minister stated, urging the push for secure, indigenous software stacks, trusted semiconductor supply chains, and home-grown AI models.
He added that harnessing new-age technology—such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Computing, and Swarm Tech—is not just about acquiring new tools but about making defence institutions more “agile, anticipatory, and adaptive.”
The Minister also outlined a key reform in the capital procurement process by mandating a focus on long-term costs.
He noted that the “concept of life-cycle cost is deeply woven into procurement frameworks of many advanced nations.” He has therefore directed officials to begin assessing these sustenance costs right at the inception stage of every procurement proposal to ensure optimal resource utilization.
The Defence Minister began his address by extending heartfelt condolences to those affected by the tragic car explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi on Monday evening.
Reiterating the government’s firm stance, he assured the nation that the country’s leading investigative agencies are conducting a swift inquiry. “Those responsible for this tragedy will be brought to justice and will not be spared under any circumstances,” he declared.
The dialogue was attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, DG MP-IDSA Ambassador Sujan Chinoy, and other civil, military, and international dignitaries.