New Delhi: India’s rapid economic rise, expanding technological strength and principled foreign policy have positioned it as a “voice of balance and responsibility” in an increasingly turbulent global landscape, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
Speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2025 in the capital, Rajnath stressed that nations across the Indo-Pacific and the Global South now view India as a trusted and reliable partner.
The minister asserted that India today shapes global discussions with confidence rooted in civilizational values and strategic autonomy. “The global trust India has earned is the result of path-breaking reforms and our consistent stand for sovereignty and a rules-based international order,” he said.
Against the backdrop of rising geopolitical uncertainty, terrorism, cross-border extremism, attempts to alter the status quo, maritime contestation and sophisticated information warfare, Singh said reforms were no longer optional. “They are a strategic necessity,” he noted, adding that reform enhances institutional resilience, sharpens the agility of the armed forces and gives the nation the confidence to determine its own destiny.
Tech Upgrade
Listing the government’s initiatives to build a “Sashakt, Surakshit and Viksit Bharat”, the Defence Minister pointed to strengthened border and maritime infrastructure, modernisation of forces through new platforms and technologies, and major reforms in procurement aimed at speed, transparency and accountability. He said the Aatmanirbharta drive was shaping a domestic defence industrial ecosystem that promotes innovation, supports local industry and reduces dependence on foreign suppliers.
“We are investing in startups, deep-tech capabilities and R&D that will shape the battlefields of the future. And throughout this transformation, the interests and welfare of soldiers, veterans and their families remain central to our decision-making,” he added.
Calling resilience as critical as capability, Singh described the armed forces as the strongest pillar of national endurance. “India believes in peace and dialogue, but when it comes to the sovereignty and security of our people, we do not compromise,” he said. Beyond protecting borders, he said, the forces contribute to stability through disaster relief, maritime security, joint exercises and peacekeeping duties. Their professionalism, he emphasised, inspires confidence both at home and abroad.
Singh stressed that the government’s reforms were contributing to global peace and human well-being. A stronger and more secure India, he said, benefits the world by supporting economic stability, offering a model of inclusive digital governance, setting ethical benchmarks in emerging technologies such as AI, cyber and space, and adding moral weight to climate action and humanitarian initiatives.
New Initiatives
The event also saw the launch of major digital and green initiatives for the defence sector. These included Project EKAM – AI as a Service, aimed at developing indigenous AI solutions for the armed forces with full control over data and model security; Prakshepan, a military climatology application providing predictions for landslides, floods and avalanches; the AI Handbook for Military Leaders; and Digitalisation 3.0 – From Boots to Bytes, a book chronicling the Army’s transition to a technology-empowered force.
A green milestone was marked with the e-inauguration of the Green Hydrogen Microgrid Project in Chushul, Ladakh, designed to replace diesel generators and cut carbon emissions by around 1,500 tonnes annually.
The event was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, senior defence officials, diplomats, scholars and industry leaders. Organised by the Indian Army in collaboration with the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), the two-day Chanakya Defence Dialogue brought together global experts to discuss India’s security challenges and technological frontiers in an increasingly contested world.