Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said India’s push for self-reliance in defence was entering its second phase, with the focus shifting to state-of-the-art technology, globally competitive equipment and capabilities that meet the operational requirements of the armed forces.According to news agency PTI, Rajnath Singh made the remarks while addressing the plenary session of the Indian Navy’s annual seminar, Swavlamban 2026, at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, where he said innovators would play the role of “impact players” in the next phase.Singh said the defence sector had performed well in the first phase of the self-reliance drive and was now entering its next stage.“The sector, in its bid to achieve self-reliance, has ‘earned good marks’ in its phase one, and now it is entering its second phase,” he said.Outlining the priorities for the next phase, Singh said the focus should be on delivering advanced capabilities while ensuring cost-effectiveness, quality and global competitiveness.In this next phase of ‘atmanirbharta’ in defence, focus should be on delivering outcomes which are of ‘top end’ and of the ‘state-of-the-art’ level,” he said.“Efforts in the second phase should also aim to achieve cost-effectiveness, global competitiveness, high quality, and output which meet the operational requirements in a larger way,” he added.Navy chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan called for faster conversion of innovation into operational capabilities, highlighting the potential of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems to strengthen naval power.Vice chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar urged stakeholders to shorten the “innovation to integration” cycle.Citing the Ukraine conflict, he said rapid advances in AI, autonomous systems and cyber capabilities were reshaping warfare and could make technological advantages short-lived.
