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Rajnath Singh
An ambitious vision document broadly outlining a series of strategic reforms, capability enhancements and organisational changes required to bolster the Indian military was unveiled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday. The release of the document came eight months after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. Following the May 7 to 10 conflict, all three forces were asked to work on the lessons learnt from it. The 'Defence Forces Vision 2047: A Roadmap for a Future-Ready Indian Military' envisages the transformation of the military into an integrated, multi-domain and agile force capable of deterring adversaries and effectively responding to any conflict. A central pillar of the vision is the emphasis on jointness and synergy among the services, promoting greater coordination in planning, operations and capability development, according to the defence ministry.
In this era of changing geopolitics, oceans have once again come to the centre of the world's power balance and it is India's responsibility to provide leadership with confidence and capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday, referring to the escalating conflict in West Asia. The unfolding developments in West Asia are "highly unusual" and the situation in the region could adversely impact the global economy, he said addressing an event here. "What is happening in West Asia is highly unusual. It is difficult to make any firm comment at this stage on the direction in which conditions in West Asia might proceed going forward," he said. "If we look at the Strait of Hormuz or the entire Persian Gulf region, it is an extremely important area for the world's energy security. When there is disturbance or disruption in this region, it directly impacts the supply of oil and gas," he said. "Not only that, today we are witnessing supply chain disruptions not just in the energy
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has urged the international community to work collectively to address the increasingly complex and interconnected challenges in the maritime domain, guided by mutual respect and a spirit of cooperation. Addressing Navy Chiefs and Heads of Delegations from 74 countries during the inaugural ceremony of Exercise MILAN here on Thursday Singh asserted that traditional threats now coexist with emerging challenges such as piracy, maritime terrorism, illegal fishing, trafficking, cyber vulnerabilities, and disruptions to critical supply chains. He added that climate change is intensifying natural disasters, making humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations more frequent and demanding. "The role of navies in international peacemaking has only increased over time. There has been an exponential economic growth during the last few decades leading to massive increase in international trade and transport. There has also been a rise in contests for ...
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called for expediting the development of next-generation aero engines, saying the country was running short of time. Noting that even developed nations typically take 25-30 years to develop next-generation engines, he urged Indian scientists to compress timelines in view of the nation's strategic needs. "We must assume that 20 years have already passed and we now have only 5-7 years left," Singh said, describing it as a call to action aligned with national aspirations. According to an official statement, the Union Minister visited Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bengaluru, and reviewed the status of ongoing projects relating to indigenous military gas turbine engine development. He was briefed on the establishment's projects on the anvil, interactions with the Indian Industry, academia and R&D institutes, and the support provided to the defence forces. He also visited the .
India's space missions like Chandrayaan and Aditya-L1 are not just technological achievements but a modern expression that ancient scientific spirit has always been a part of our cultural identity, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Sunday. At the inauguration of the Maha Shivaratri celebrations organised at the Isha Yoga Center, headed by Sadhguru, here, he said Sun and the Moon are not just celestial bodies, but form the basis of our calendar and festivals. "Our fasts, festivals and auspicious timings are determined through precise scientific calculations. Today, missions like Chandrayaan and other space programmes are modern expressions of our ancient scientific heritage, where tradition and technology move forward together" he said. "When India launches missions like Chandrayaan (Moon mission), Mangalyaan (Mars) and Aditya-L1 (Sun), it is not just a technological achievement, it is also modern expression of that ancient spirit which has always been part of our cultural
India and Greece on Monday signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on strengthening defence industrial cooperation between the countries, which marks a starting point for developing a five-year roadmap for boosting the partnership. The agreement was inked after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Minister of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic, Nikolaos-Georgios Dendias, at the Manekshaw Centre here. Later in a post on X, Singh also welcomed the announcement from the Greek side that an International Liaison Officer from that country will be positioned at the Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), Gurugram, to enhance maritime cooperation between both seafaring nations. "Delighted to meet the Minister National Defence of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Nikolaos-Georgios Dendias in New Delhi today. India and Greece signed the Joint Declaration of Intent on Strengthening the Bilateral Defence Industrial Cooperation and exchanged the Bilateral Milita
India and European Union on Tuesday explored ways to integrate their defence supply chains under a broader goal of deepening bilateral strategic ties. The issue figured prominently at a meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held with European Union's chief of foreign and security affairs Kaja Kallas. "Discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues including opportunities for integrating supply chains for building trusted defence ecosystems and future-ready capabilities," Singh said on X. "Looking forward to greater cooperation between India and the EU countries," he said. The meeting took place ahead of the India-EU summit talks.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a major hub of defence manufacturing, with investments of over Rs 34,000 crore already made across six nodes of the state's defence corridor, marking a decisive shift towards India's self-reliance in weapons and ammunition production. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating Ashok Leyland's state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plant here, Singh said India is no longer dependent on other countries for weapons, missiles or defence equipment, as these are now being manufactured domestically, including in Uttar Pradesh. He said the defence corridor, spread across Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh and Chitrakoot, is producing arms, ammunition and equipment related to fighter aircraft, with large companies setting up manufacturing units in the state. "I have been told that investments worth around Rs 34,000 crore have been made in these defence corridor nodes," Singh said. Referring to the Ut
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard's (ICG) first indigenously designed and built pollution control vessel 'Samudra Pratap' in Goa on Monday. The 114.5-metre vessel, built by the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), has over 60 per cent of indigenous content. The 4,200-tonne vessel boasts a speed of more than 22 knots and an endurance of 6,000 nautical miles, officials said. It will serve as a critical platform for enforcing marine pollution control regulations, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue operations, and safeguarding India's Exclusive Economic Zone. The vessel was formally delivered in December to the Coast Guard at GSL. Defence Minister Singh on Monday commissioned the ship at GSL, Vasco, in South Goa. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani were present on the occasion. Singh said this occasion is connected to India's great maritime vision. "India believes tha
India on Wednesday successfully test-fired two Pralay missiles in quick succession off the coast of Odisha, paving way for its induction into the military. Pralay is a short-range surface-to-surface missile with a payload capacity of 500-1,000 kg. It is capable of carrying multiple conventional warheads and has a range of 150 to 500 kms. It is an indigenously developed weapon system featuring state-of-the-art navigation system to ensure high precision. The test-firing of the missiles was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). "The flight-test was conducted as part of user evaluation trials. Both the missiles followed the intended trajectory meeting all flight objectives as confirmed by tracking sensors," the defence ministry said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, the defence public sector undertakings and the industry on the successful launch of the missiles. The successful completion of