NEW DELHI: India stands firmly for peace and dialogue but will never “compromise” on national sovereignty and security, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
Speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, Singh asserted that India’s growing economic strength, technological progress, and principled foreign policy have positioned it as “a voice of balance and responsibility” in a rapidly shifting global environment. Nations across the Indo-Pacific and the Global South now view India as a dependable partner, he said.
Singh stressed that a stable India contributes to global stability. Through Atmanirbharta, the government is developing a defence industrial ecosystem that promotes innovation, empowers industry, and reduces external dependence. India, he added, is contributing to global conversations with responsibility, strategic autonomy, and confidence anchored in its civilisational ethos.
Highlighting India’s global credibility, he noted that the country has earned trust through major reforms and its consistent support for sovereignty and a rules-based international order. “We are strengthening border and maritime infrastructure to bolster security and connectivity. We are modernising our forces with new platforms, technologies, and structures,” he said.
The defence minister said procurement processes are being overhauled to ensure greater speed, transparency, and accountability. India is also investing in start-ups, deep-tech, and R&D to develop technologies that will define future battlefields.
He underscored that the current geopolitical landscape—marked by terrorism, cross-border extremism, attempts to change the status quo, maritime pressures, and information warfare—demands constant vigilance and strategic clarity. In this context, he said, reforms are not optional but essential: “Reforms improve institutional adaptability, enhance the agility of our armed forces, and give the nation confidence to shape its own destiny.”
Singh praised the armed forces for contributions that extend far beyond border security. “Our armed forces bring stability where it is needed most. They support civil authorities during disasters, safeguard maritime interests, strengthen international partnerships through exercises and peacekeeping, and inspire confidence within India and abroad. That is why modernisation and reform are investments in India’s long-term future,” he said.
At the event, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan noted that emerging domains such as cyberspace, space, and cognitive warfare are blurring traditional borders, making them increasingly “porous.” Citing Operation Sindoor as an example, he explained how modern warfare can target an adversary’s natural, economic, information, and network systems simultaneously. These evolving trends, he said, are already evident in conflicts in Eastern Europe and West Asia, where the notion of sovereignty itself is being reshaped — even invoking disputes such as claims over Greenland to illustrate this shift.
