India’s security landscape necessitates a robust and self-reliant defence sector, said Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan even as he hailed self-reliance and indigenous defence capabilities as the foundations to enduring peace even as India marches ahead on the path of progress and prosperity. He was addressing the inaugural session of the 'Defence Partnership Days', organised jointly by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies and Indian Military Review, on Thursday.
He said in order to ensure self-reliance in the defence sector, it is important to focus on four 'I's—“innovative, inventive, indigenous and imaginative”—and batted for the formulation of defence policies in emerging technologies like space, AI, quantum and autonomous systems.
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Gen Anil Chauhan pointed out that a common thread that binds all stakeholders in the sector is the national interest, and added that the whole enterprise of indigenisation would not succeed if this common thread does not bind all the elements.
Talking about various reforms and initiatives by the government in the sector, he said, “India has opened up its defence industry through reforms. It has opened it up for private industry, joint ventures, FDI, etc. But, we are yet to fully open up our minds. To really succeed, we will have to imbibe the ‘4I’s and be – innovative, inventive, indigenous and imaginative.”
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He noted that investments in defence manufacturing take time to accrue returns, and the time gap in defence R&D is even longer, and the outcome can be uncertain. The CDS suggested that the Defence Bank with earlier loan terms can be one option, in addition to funding in projects like iDEX and TDF.
Over 200 companies and 100 officers from the ministry of defence and armed forces, dealing with technology and procurement are participating in the two-day event, designed to bring together government and business stakeholders and to facilitate strategic engagements through a series of targeted business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) meetings. As many as 75 companies are exhibiting their products on the sidelines of the event.
