Atmanirbharta must be understood as a quest for technological sovereignty: Rajnath Singh
Text of RM’s speech at the ‘Delhi Defence Dialogue’ -2026 in New Delhi.
It gives me immense pleasure to be amidst this august gathering at the third edition of the Delhi Defence Dialogue. I welcome all the participants, who have come from various parts of India and the world to share their expertise and experience at the Delhi Defence Dialogue 2026.
I commend the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and its Director General, Ambassador Sujan Chinoy for sustaining and elevating the tradition of this flagship dialogue. In a short span of time, this dialogue has grown into a leading forum for deliberating upon the multifaceted challenges of defence and security.
Friends, when I first looked at the theme of this year’s Delhi Defence Dialogue, I must confess that it took me a little time to understand the relationship between its four elements – Defence Reforms, Atmanirbharta, Collaborations and Exports. It almost seemed that the organisers were trying to address everything that matters in the defence sector in one go. However, on closer reflection, I realised that they are not four separate subjects, but four interconnected dimensions of the same national ambition.
If I may put it simply as I understand it, Reforms represent our willingness to change. Atmanirbharta represents our determination to create. Collaborations represent our confidence to partner with the world. And exports represent our readiness to compete with the world.
Indeed, self-reliance without reforms may not deliver its full potential; self-reliance without collaboration may limit our technological horizons; and self-reliance without exports may not achieve the scale and competitiveness that a modern defence industry requires. Together, these four elements define the transformation we seek in India’s defence ecosystem.
Friends, recent conflicts across the world have demonstrated that the character of warfare is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The battlefield is no longer confined to land, sea and air. It extends into space, cyberspace and the digital domain. The distinction between conventional and unconventional warfare is becoming increasingly blurred.
We are also witnessing a transformation in the economics of warfare. Relatively inexpensive drones and autonomous systems can challenge sophisticated and costly military platforms. The ability to innovate rapidly, manufacture at scale and replenish capabilities have become as important as possessing advanced weapon systems.
These developments underline an important reality: military preparedness in the 21st century cannot be separated from technological and industrial preparedness. A nation’s defence strength must increasingly rest on its ability to develop technologies, manufacture critical equipment and sustain its capabilities independently.
But such capabilities do not emerge merely through investments in technology or manufacturing. They require the right institutional environment, enabling policies and responsive processes. This is where reforms in defence sector become critical.
Friends, the purpose of reforms is to create and improve institutions, processes and capabilities that are responsive to the requirements of the nation. Over the past decade, India has made considerable progress in strengthening its domestic defence industrial base through reforms.
The Government has established Defence Industrial Corridors to expand domestic manufacturing capabilities. The corporatisation of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board into seven Defence Public Sector Undertakings was intended to improve autonomy, efficiency and competitiveness in defence manufacturing.
We are also encouraging greater participation of private industry in the development and manufacturing of advanced defence platforms and systems. Opportunities for private participation in programmes such as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, propulsion systems, ATAGS, artillery ammunition and shipbuilding, will accelerate indigenous development, expand manufacturing capacity and strengthen India’s position in the global defence market. These initiatives are creating opportunities for wider participation by private industry, MSMEs, start-ups and academia.
Building on these efforts, 2025 was observed as the Year of Reforms in the Ministry of Defence, with particular emphasis on jointness, integration, Emerging Technologies, innovation and strengthening our domestic defence industrial ecosystem. We have initiated reforms across policies, institutional structures, technology development, acquisition procedures and ease of doing business.
These sustained efforts are beginning to yield results. Defence production reached a record level of approximately Rs 1.78 lakh crore in 2025–26, while defence exports rose to Rs.38,424 crore. Our defence products are now reaching more than 80 countries. These achievements reflect the growing contribution of our public sector enterprises, private industry, MSMEs and start-ups.
However, we must recognise that the journey towards technological self-reliance, is far from complete. We have made significant progress, but there is still much to learn from global experiences and best practices. I hope the Delhi Defence Dialogue will provide a valuable platform for sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas and learning from one another.
Reforms, therefore, must not merely change the way we do things; they must expand what the nation is capable of doing. In defence, the cost of institutional inertia can be particularly high. A technology that takes years to move from the laboratory to the battlefield may already be outdated by the time it is inducted. We must create an ecosystem in which ideas move swiftly from conceptualisation to experimentation, development and operational deployment.
Friends, Atmanirbharta must be understood as a quest for technological sovereignty. It does not mean producing everything ourselves, irrespective of cost or capability. It means ensuring that our critical defence requirements are not held hostage to external dependencies. True self-reliance is not achieved merely when a defence platform is assembled within the country. It is achieved when we possess the knowledge to design it, the technology to manufacture it, the intellectual property to improve it and the capability to sustain it throughout its lifecycle.
We must also strengthen our research and development ecosystem. DRDO has made significant contributions to India’s defence capabilities. However, technological leadership cannot be the responsibility of one institution alone. Our academic institutions, research laboratories, DPSUs, private companies and start-ups must work together to create a vibrant and collaborative innovation ecosystem.
The Armed Forces must, of course, remain an important stakeholder in this ecosystem. Their operational experience and understanding of the battlefield are invaluable in informing our research priorities and assessing the relevance of emerging technologies. However, we must also look beyond the end-user in research process. If research is driven too closely by the immediate perceptions, it may end up addressing only problems that are already recognised, rather than exploring possibilities that may not yet have been imagined. Research and development must have the freedom to question established assumptions, pursue unconventional ideas and discover technologies whose applications may not be immediately apparent. Some of the most transformative innovations are precisely those that surprise us by making possible what we had not previously thought possible.
Our endeavour, therefore, must be to strike the right balance: allowing operational requirements to inform research, while preserving the independence and intellectual space necessary for innovation. We must encourage research that not only meets the requirements of the future, but also expands our understanding of what may be possible on the battlefield.
Our approach to innovation must also encourage experimentation. Not every experiment will succeed, but every experiment must generate learning. Equally important, successful innovations must not remain confined to laboratories or prototypes. We must ensure that they move towards production and operational induction. The objective must be to create an ecosystem in which innovation is encouraged, investment is sustained and successful ideas are translated into capabilities.
Friends, India’s pursuit of self-reliance is not a retreat from the world. On the contrary, a confident and technologically capable India is better positioned to engage with the world. Our defence partnerships have traditionally involved procurement, licensed manufacturing and transfer of technology. While these arrangements have contributed to our industrial capabilities, the requirements of the future call for a more ambitious approach. We must move beyond conventional buyer-seller relationships towards partnerships based on co-development, co-production and shared innovation.
Such partnerships should involve meaningful Indian participation in design and development, access to critical technologies, appropriate sharing of intellectual property and opportunities for Indian companies to participate in global supply chains. India has a large domestic market, a growing industrial base and a strong pool of scientific and engineering talent. These strengths provide considerable opportunities for international companies to partner with Indian industry.
Friends, final dimension of theme of this year’s Dialogue is defence exports, which is not merely a commercial activity. Exports represent the maturity of our industrial ecosystem, the competitiveness of our technologies and the confidence that international partners place in our capabilities. India’s defence exports have increased from approximately Rs 686 crore in 2013–14 to Rs. 38,424 crore in 2025–26. This growth reflects the increasing acceptance of Indian defence products in international markets.
All this has been achieved through a sustained policy liberalisation, simplification and standardization. These measures have enabled Indian manufacturers, particularly MSMEs, to respond more effectively to international opportunities.
I believe that defence exports must increasingly encompass maintenance, repair, training, logistics and technology cooperation. In this way, every successful export can become the foundation of an enduring strategic partnership. We have set ourselves the target of achieving Rs 3 lakh crore in annual defence production and Rs. 50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029. These targets must inspire our industry to expand manufacturing capacity, improve quality and strengthen global competitiveness.
Friends, as we look towards 2047, the centenary of our Independence, we must have an ambitious vision for India’s defence sector. Our aspiration should be to emerge as a leading global centre for defence design, development, manufacturing and innovation. This requires a comprehensive transformation of our defence ecosystem. Reforms must create an enabling institutional environment. Atmanirbharta must strengthen indigenous technological capabilities. Collaborations must accelerate access to advanced technologies and facilitate co-development. Exports must provide the scale, competitiveness and global partnerships necessary for a sustainable industrial ecosystem. As I mentioned in the beginning, these are not four separate objectives. They are mutually reinforcing pillars of India’s quest for strategic autonomy.
The journey ahead requires the collective commitment of our Armed Forces, bureaucrats, scientists, industry, academia and international partners. Our ambition must be to build an India that does not merely procure defence technologies, but creates them; does not merely manufacture for its own requirements, but competes in global markets; and does not merely participate in international defence partnerships, but contributes meaningfully to shaping the future of global defence technology.
I am confident that the deliberations at the Delhi Defence Dialogue will generate valuable ideas and actionable recommendations towards achieving this vision. With these words, I wish the third Delhi Defence Dialogue every success.
Thank you.
Jai Hind!