India's defence exports crossed record Rs 21,000 cr over decade: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that India's defence exports have crossed a record Rs 21,000 crore from Rs 2,000 crore a decade ago.

Addressing officers at the Army War College (AWC) in more than two-centuries-old Mhow Cantonment, Singh said a target has been set to achieve defence exports of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029. 

He said mastering frontier technologies is the need of the hour in the constantly evolving times, noting that military training centres are playing a crucial role in equipping and readying soldiers to deal with future challenges.

"Our defence exports, which were around Rs 2,000 crore a decade ago, have crossed the record figure of Rs 21,000 crore today. We have set an export target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," Singh said.

He said Made-in-India equipment is being exported to other countries. 

Singh mentioned radical changes in warfare in his speech, saying that unconventional methods like information warfare, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based warfare, proxy warfare, electromagnetic warfare, space warfare, and cyber-attacks are posing a big challenge.

He stressed the need for the military to be well-trained and equipped to fight off such attacks and lauded training centres in Mhow for their valuable contributions.

Singh commended the training centres for constantly improving their training curriculum as per changing times, and striving to make the personnel fighting fit for every kind of challenge.

The defence minister said the Modi government is committed to strengthening integration and jointness among the three services.

"In the times to come, the armed forces will be able to face challenges together in a better and more efficient way," he added.

Singh said high-level training is provided to officers of all wings in the Mhow Cantonment.

He appealed to officers to explore the possibility of promoting integration through training in areas such as weapons training in Infantry School; AI and communication technology in Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), and leadership - junior and senior command in AWC.

Singh said that some officers will work as defence attaches in the future, and they should strive to secure national interests at the global level.

"When you take up this post of defence attaches, you should imbibe the government's vision of 'aatmanirbhar Bharat'. Only through self-reliance can India strengthen its defence capabilities and gain more respect on the world stage," he added.

The defence minister is on a two-day visit to MP since Sunday.

He said the government is committed to making India one of the strongest economic and military powers in the world.

"Economic prosperity is possible only when full attention is paid to security. Similarly, the security system will be robust only when the economy is strong. Both complement each other," he added.

Singh hailed the role of armed forces in securing the borders and being the first responders during natural disasters.

"This dedication to protect the nation and this spirit to keep ourselves updated in a constantly changing world can take us ahead of others," he added.

At AWC, Singh was briefed by commandant Lt Gen HS Sahi on the role and significance of the institute towards training and empowering military leaders for war-fighting across the spectrum of conflict.

The defence minister was also briefed upon the significant steps in training methodology through jointness in multi-domain operations, infusion of technology in training curriculum and exchange programmes being undertaken with academia, universities and industries along with training of CAPF officers, a release stated.

He was also apprised about the global footprints of the institute achieved through training the officers from friendly countries and contributing immensely towards military diplomacy.

Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and other senior officials of the Army were present on the occasion.

The defence minister laid a wreath and paid homage to brave-hearts at the Infantry Memorial.

Earlier in the day, Singh and General Dwivedi offered prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain city.