Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that self-reliance and jointness are must to secure strategic autonomy and remain future-ready for emerging security challenges. Mr Singh said this in a video message during the inaugural session of the third edition of Kalam and Kavach in New Delhi. The Minister described self-reliance as not only an economic goal, but also a strategic necessity, asserting that a nation that depends excessively on others for critical defence capability remains vulnerable in times of crisis. Mr Singh said that India must design, develop, produce, maintain, and upgrade key systems within its own national ecosystem to secure strategic autonomy. He remarked that the success of modern warfare will depend on how efficiently the forces across land, sea, air, cyber, and space are brought together. The Defence Minister said that a nation’s strength will increasingly depend on how quickly its defence forces, laboratories, and industries think and act as one.
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth today described Operation Sindoor as a landmark success that demonstrated India’s capability to conduct swift, coordinated operations using indigenous weapons and systems. Addressing the inaugural session of the third edition of Kalam and Kavach in New Delhi, he said that modern India is blending scientific excellence with military strength to safeguard national interests in an era of evolving threats, including cyber and space domains. He emphasised that true security now stems not only from traditional military power but from technological superiority and self-reliance.
The event serve as a premier strategic platform bringing together senior policy makers, military leadership, defence industry stakeholders, diplomats, strategic experts and others to deliberate on India’s evolving defence transformation and indigenous capability development. The event is centred around the strategic vision of Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation-JAI, along with emphasis on Indigenisation and International Collaboration- I2. It seeks to advance discussions on integrated military capability development, technological innovation, and strategic partnerships in line with the national security objectives and the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
