India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called on the Armed Forces to move beyond conventional notions of warfare and remain vigilant against “invisible challenges” such as information, ideological, ecological, and biological warfare.
Addressing the Combined Commanders’ Conference 2025 in Kolkata on September 16, 2025, he stressed the urgent need for constant assessment of the shifting global order, regional instability, and emerging threats.
“The nature of warfare is evolving rapidly. Wars today are sudden, unpredictable, and their duration uncertain — two months, a year, or even five years. We must be prepared and ensure our surge capacity remains sufficient,” Singh cautioned, underscoring the necessity of a technology-friendly military in light of recent global conflicts.
What did Rajnath Singh assure the armed forces?
Singh reiterated the government’s focus on Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence, describing it as a necessity rather than a slogan. He emphasised that defence indigenisation not only strengthens strategic autonomy but also fuels economic growth, generates employment, and builds national capacity through shipyards, aerospace clusters, and defence corridors.
“Operation Sindoor has demonstrated that Strength, Strategy, and Self-reliance are the three pillars that will give India the power it needs in the 21st century,” he said, commending the forces’ professionalism in the mission.
What is the Modi government’s focus for defence?
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of “JAI” (Jointness, Aatmanirbharta, and Innovation), the minister urged deeper collaboration between the Armed Forces, industry, and academia to build future-ready technologies.
He also reaffirmed the government’s intent to expand private sector participation in defence innovation, to make India’s domestic industry among the strongest in the world.
Calling for synergy and integration, Singh pointed to initiatives such as the establishment of Tri-Service Logistics Nodes and a Tri-Service Logistics Management Application, along with increased civil-military fusion, to ensure readiness for future challenges.
How is the Indian defence planning shaping up?
He pressed the commanders to proactively plan for both medium-term (5-year) and long-term (10-year) defence goals, particularly in shaping the “Sudarshan Chakra” vision championed by Modi.
On procurement reforms, Singh announced the approval of the Defence Procurement Manual 2025, designed to streamline acquisition processes. He added that the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 is under revision to cut delays and ensure quick delivery of operational strength to the forces.
The conference was attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, senior officials from DRDO, the Ministry of Defence, and financial advisors, underscoring the high-level deliberations on India’s evolving security strategy.