India pushes indigenous defence production, exports; diplomats key, says Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: The Government of India reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the country’s indigenous defence industry and expanding its global footprint in defence manufacturing and exports, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.

Addressing the 2025 batch of Indian Foreign Service trainee officers at South Block, Shri Singh emphasised that Indian diplomats will play a crucial role in realising India’s vision of self-reliance in defence production under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat framework.

The interaction, held on February 25, underscored the government’s strategic approach toward defence production – shifting from dependence on imports to becoming a global supplier of defence platforms and technologies.

Transitioning from importer to global supplier

Singh highlighted the significant strides India has made in recent years in defence technology and manufacturing. He noted that the country has “traversed a long distance from being a major importer of defence equipment to a manufacturer and exporter of platforms in all domains.” While outlining steps taken so far, he said niche technologies are increasingly being absorbed into the domestic defence industrial ecosystem.

The minister pointed to India’s growing credentials as a defence partner internationally and said that the global comity of nations is closely following India’s growth story and “looking up to its leadership role.”

Diplomacy’s role in advancing defence priorities

Stressing the importance of diplomacy in advancing India’s strategic interests, Singh urged the trainee officers to act with “honesty and integrity” and to carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians in their work abroad. He said they must embrace new ideas, people and perspectives, while representing the nation’s civilisational wisdom and values.

He congratulated the batch of officers for earning their place in the coveted service and called on them to contribute proactively to strengthening India’s external partnerships, particularly in areas like defence cooperation, technology exchange and security cooperation.

Defence diplomacy briefings

Prior to the minister’s address, the trainee officers were briefed by senior officials from the Ministry of Defence on a range of topics including defence diplomacy initiatives, the defence budget, tri-service integration and the process of defence acquisition. The detailed brief aimed to familiarise the future diplomats with India’s defence priorities and the evolving global security landscape.

The 2025 IFS batch comprised 55 trainee officers – 53 Indian trainees and 2 officers from Bhutan.