Rajnath Singh said the difference between conventional and unconventional warfare is becoming increasingly blurred
He told the Delhi Defence Dialogue that military preparedness in the 21st century cannot be separated from technological preparedness
Singh described Aatmanirbharta in defence production as a quest for technology sovereignty
Rajnath Singh Says Blurred War Lines Make Technology Key To India’s Defence Readiness
Rajnath Singh also underlined self-reliance in defence production. “Aatmanirbharta must be understood as a quest for technology sovereignty,” he said
Summary
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the gap between conventional and unconventional warfare is narrowing fast. At the Delhi Defence Dialogue, he said 21st century military readiness cannot be separated from technological readiness.
He also underlined self-reliance in defence production. “Aatmanirbharta must be understood as a quest for technology sovereignty,” Singh said at the dialogue.
Jaisalmer Meeting
Earlier on Tuesday, he 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 government’s initiatives, including addressing the military’s 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.
Modernisation Push
In his opening remarks, Singh said, “The focus of today’s 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.”
“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, India’s 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,” Singh added.
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