In a decisive move to strengthen India’s preparedness for future warfare, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), in collaboration with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), is set to host Brainstorming Session 2.0 on Friday (November 14, 2025) at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi.
The high-level session underscores the Indian Armed Forces’ growing emphasis on leveraging technology, innovation, and industry collaboration to stay ahead in rapidly evolving battlefields. In the recent past, the Indian Armed Forces have increased their focus on gearing up for future warfare.
Whether its drone usage or next-gen tech, the armed forces are working in every direction to prepare themselves for any kind of threat, from on ground to cyber.
Focus on futuristic warfare domains
The event will be addressed by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, and Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar. Their participation highlights the government’s commitment to strengthening synergy between the military, defence industry, and academia in shaping India’s future combat capabilities.
The day-long session will feature multiple expert panels and discussions focusing on key areas crucial to next-generation warfare, including ammunition and explosives; modernisation; autonomous and unmanned systems.
Several high-level sessions will be chaired by senior officials from Defence Ministry, senior officials of HQ IDS, Service HQs, Department of Defence Production, DRDO, academia and key manufacturing industries.
Cutting-edge R&D in emerging technologies
By bringing together senior officials from HQ IDS, Service HQs, DRDO, academia, and leading defence manufacturers, the event aims to generate actionable strategies to address critical capability gaps and explore opportunities in indigenous defence production.
Further, the event will provide a forum to address priority challenges, identify growth opportunities and facilitate clear actionable plans. The outcomes of the session will help advance Aatmanirbharta, empower India’s leadership in future warfare domains and further strengthen operational preparedness & industry capabilities in the defence sector.
Driving Aatmanirbharta in defence
The outcomes of Brainstorming Session 2.0 are expected to chart the roadmap for Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in defence manufacturing. In FY 2023-24, India’s domestic defence production reached Rs 1.27 lakh crore, marking a record high, with an impressive increase of approximately 174% from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15.