India’s defence prowess has grown exponentially under the Modi government, and the nation is firmly on course to become not just a developed country, but the world’s leading military power, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted. He outlined a bold and strategic vision of a powerful, self-reliant India, rapidly transforming into a defence heavyweight through sweeping policy shifts and aggressive indigenisation.
Addressing THE WEEK’s first Defence Conclave, Force of the Future, at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, Singh stated: “India’s defence capabilities are like a credible deterrent, whose aim is to maintain peace and tranquillity. We also know that if we want to maintain this peace, then it is very important to keep increasing our strength continuously. Peace is possible only when we remain strong, for which we are always working to strengthen the Indian forces as a future-ready force.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh | PTI
Sounding a note of caution, Singh warned that future conflicts would be “more violent and unpredictable”, with non-state actors playing an increasingly destabilising role through terrorism. The evolving nature of warfare, fuelled by rapid technological advancements, means the battles of tomorrow will be fought not just on land and sea, but in cyberspace and outer space. “Today, cyber and space domains are emerging as new battlefields, alongside a global battle over narrative and perception,” Singh said, underlining the urgency with which India is preparing its forces to meet multi-domain threats through comprehensive reforms and modernisation.
Addressing an audience of military officers, defence experts, entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Singh noted that India’s military readiness has undergone a fundamental overhaul. From the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) position to the establishment of theatre commands, the country’s armed forces are now more integrated and strategically aligned than ever. “The integration that is being seen today between the three wings of the forces is unprecedented,” he said.
Indian soldiers, Singh affirmed, are now equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. He said the Agniveer recruitment has “infused youthful enthusiasm among the ranks” and praised the increasing involvement of women across the armed forces―“from the depths of the Indian Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas”.
The minister assured that India is fully capable of meeting any security challenge thrown up by the evolving geopolitical order. He credited the Modi government for a decisive shift in defence priorities since 2014. “At that time, people did not even dare to think about ‘force for the future’ because no preparations were visible even for ‘force for the present’.”
Rejecting the old dependency on foreign suppliers, Singh said: “We changed the mindset that India could only rely on foreign defence equipment when needed... We worked on the defence sector with a perspective that India will reduce its dependency on imports, create a defence industrial complex that will not only meet domestic needs, but will also strengthen defence exports.”
Taking stock: File picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh.Following the Pahalgam attacks, Singh met Modi on April 28 to review the situation | PTI
Key reforms include the corporatisation of ordnance factories―turning loss-making arms units into profit-makers―and the issuance of indigenisation lists by the armed forces and PSUs, covering 509 major items and over 5,000 components. “The government has reserved 75 per cent of the defence budget for defence capital procurement from domestic companies,” Singh added.
Showcasing India’s industrial surge, he stated: “The domestic defence production which was around Rs40,000 crore in 2014 has crossed the record figure of about Rs1.27 lakh crore. This year, our target is that defence production should cross Rs1.60 lakh crore. Our target is Rs3 lakh crore by 2029.”
Peace through strength: Rajnath Singh with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Singh chaired an all-party meeting to discuss the Pahalgam attacks in which Shah briefed opposition leaders about the situation | PTI
To fuel technological innovation, the Technology Development Fund has backed 29 high-risk, futuristic projects. “This scheme is being run by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and so far 29 such projects have been approved. Forty per cent of these projects are related to high-risk, futuristic and cutting-edge technology development.”
Initiatives like Make in India and Defence Industrial Corridors have scaled up the production of advanced weapon systems―not just for India’s use, but also for export. Singh underscored India’s rising competitiveness: “Defence exports, which stood at a meagre Rs686 crore in 2013-14, have surged to Rs23,622 crore in 2024-25, and hit the Rs30,000 crore mark this year and will reach an ambitious target of Rs50,000 crore by 2029. Defence products made in India are being exported to about 100 countries.”
India now competes globally in missile technology (Agni, BrahMos), nuclear submarines (INS Arihant), aircraft carriers (INS Vikrant) and emerging sectors like artificial intelligence, drones, cyber warfare and hypersonic weapons. Singh acknowledged challenges in aero engine production but highlighted major strides under the Kaveri project: “We are in talks with several companies (such as Safran, General Electric and Rolls-Royce) to develop the capability to manufacture aero engines in India, including transfer of technology with GE to manufacture engines for the Tejas fighter plane. Work is also under way to make engines for fifth-generation fighter jets.”
India’s naval ambitions have also accelerated, with over 90 warships built indigenously and exports reaching nations such as Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Maldives. “More than 97 per cent of the warships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are now being built in Indian shipyards.”
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Singh declared that India is firmly transitioning “from ‘Make in India’ to ‘Make for the World’―to make India a country that not only meets its own defence needs, but can also meet the needs of the world.”
He also pointed to a broader shift in global defence supply models, moving from ‘Just-in-Time’ to ‘Just-in-Case’, as nations rethink supply chains in response to global disruption. “Today, while India’s defence sector is moving ahead on the path of self-reliance, it is also ready to play a very important role in making the global supply chains resilient.”
Singh concluded by reinforcing India’s global ambition: to become a defence manufacturing powerhouse, secure against disruption and vital to the world’s security architecture. Under the Modi government’s strategic direction, India’s defence sector is not just growing―it is asserting power on a global scale. This was the resounding message that emerged from the power-packed discussions during the Defence Conclave.