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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday demanded that the allies put forward "clear, concrete and credible plans" to reach the organisation's spending targets at its annual summit in Ankara. The 32 nations agreed last year to invest 5 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence - 3.5 per cent on their defence budgets and 1.5 per cent on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict. Spain endorsed the goal but said that it could fulfill NATO's security requirements without spending so much. Some countries are still struggling to meet the alliance's old target of 2 per cent of GDP. On spending among European allies and Canada, Rutte said that "the evidence we see so far is impressive." He said that NATO estimates that they will invest a combined USD 258 billion more in defense in 2025 and this year than they have in previous years. But the numbers might not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has .
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that after Operation Sindoor, the trust in "made-in-India" defence platforms has received a boost. In his address at an event here, he also reiterated that "today, our defence production has reached over Rs 1.78 lakh crore, and about 8-9 years ago, it stood at approximately Rs 46,000 crore". The Union minister asserted that after Operation Sindoor, "trust in made-in-India defence platforms has got enhanced". Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military action conducted in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Several defence platforms built in India had played a key role in it. Singh said, "Defence exports too have reached a record over Rs 38,000 crore, and in 2013-14, it stood at just Rs 686 crore, and it has grown today 57 times. And, I have not sought the full report, but, currently it should be hovering around Rs 40,000 crore, is my estimate." In his address, he also spoke of India's journey in various sectors i
India's annual defence production touched an all-time high of Rs 1.78 lakh crore in the financial year 2025-26, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. The milestone represents a 15.6 per cent growth over the previous fiscal year's output of Rs 1.54 lakh crore and a staggering 110 per cent increase since 2020-21 when the figure was Rs 84,643 crore, it said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the "remarkable rise" in India's defence production in recent years is the result of the collective efforts of the Department of Defence Production and all other stakeholders. "This upward trajectory is a clear indicator of the country's expanding defence industrial base," he said. "With sustained policy support, several new initiatives, increased private sector participation, and growing export capabilities, the defence production sector is poised for continued acceleration in the years ahead," he said.
Gen NS Raja Subramani on Sunday took charge as India's new Chief of Defence Staff and his primary mandate will be to implement the ambitious military theaterisation plan and bolster tri-services synergy. He succeeded Gen Anil Chauhan, who signed off after completing his tenure as the country's senior-most military commander on Saturday. Gen Subramani, widely known as an expert on Pakistan and China, was serving as the Military Advisor at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). He retired as the Vice Chief of Army Staff on July 31 last year. As Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Subramani's primary task will be to implement the theaterisation model by rolling out integrated military commands. In his illustrious career spanning over 40 years, Gen Subramani served across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles and held numerous Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. He served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025 and was General ..
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said no power can stop India, once considered an importer of weapons, from being the biggest exporter in 25-30 years. After inaugurating an ammunition manufacturing unit at Shirdi, Singh said the target is to take the private sector role in defence production to 50 per cent. "The private sector is not just a supplier of nuts and bolts in defence, but also a producer of state-of-the-art weapons systems," he added. Singh said that when the government's vision and the private sector's innovation align, then the country reaches new heights. "All have to work together to make India the hub of munitions and automation," he added.
In a major leap for India's hypersonic missile programme, the DRDO on Saturday announced the successful long-duration test of an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor. The "extensive" long-duration test of the "actively cooled full scale scramjet combustor" has put India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities, the defence ministry said. For any hypersonic missile programme, this technology is considered extremely crucial as active cooling allows the weapon to travel hundreds of miles at incredible speed. The test, conducted at the Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), achieved a continuous run-time of over 1,200 seconds (20 minutes), validating the engine's ability to sustain extreme thermal loads required for hypersonic cruise missiles. The DRDL achieved a "path-breaking milestone in the development of hypersonic missiles by successfully conducting an "extensive long-duration test of its actively cooled full scale scramjet ...