Overview
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh extended Aatmanirbharta to digital sovereignty with a push for secure Indian software stacks, trusted semiconductor supply chains and home‑grown AI models trained on local data.
- Singh directed that procurement proposals begin with life‑cycle cost assessments to capture long‑term sustainment needs and improve resource use.
- CDS General Anil Chauhan cited Operation Sindoor as a compelling example of modern, multi‑domain warfare using precision strikes, networked operations and digitised intelligence under tight timelines.
- Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said the Ukraine war is a living lab for drones, electronic warfare, long‑range precision fires and information campaigns, framing the ‘three Ds’—democratisation, diffusion and demography—as drivers of change.
- Dwivedi highlighted concrete steps under way, including SAMBHAV secure communications upgrades, trials of ‘AI in the box’, an in‑house ‘Jigyasa’ chatbot, and heavier use of open‑source and predictive analysis aided by volunteers, while industry support will be scaled through iDEX and the TDF for startups and MSMEs.