At Rs 21,000 Crore, Defence Exports Rise 10-Fold In Ten Years: Rajnath Singh

India's aim to become a global manufacturing hub for defence has taken a leap in the last decade with a ten-fold rise in defence exports, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Sharing the numbers, he said India's exports have crossed a record Rs 21,000 crore, up from Rs. 2,000 crore ten years ago.

Mr Singh went on to say that India has set a target for annual defence exports to cross Rs. 50,000 crore within the next five years. He was addressing officers at the Army War College in Mhow Cantonment in Madhya Pradesh.

"Our defence exports, which were around Rs 2,000 crore a decade ago, have crossed the record figure of Rs 21,000 crore today. We have set an export target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," Mr Singh said.

The defence minister's speech focused on the evolving nature of warfare globally. He emphasised on how the mastering of frontier technologies is essential in today's era of technology.

Elaborating on his statement, Mr Singh said "Unconventional methods of warfare - like information warfare, Artificial Intelligence or AI-based warfare, proxy warfare, electromagnetic warfare, space warfare, and cyber-attacks are posing a big challenge." He stressed on the need for the military to be well-trained and equipped to fend off such attacks.

Speaking about challenges at a global level, Mr Singh said that some officers will in future be sent s defence attaches. They must ensure that national interests are secure at the global level. "When you take up this post of defence attaches, you should imbibe the government's vision of 'aatmanirbhar Bharat'. Only through self-reliance can India strengthen its defence capabilities and gain more respect on the world stage," he said.

Stressing on the importance of a strong economy and a robust national security, the defence minister said "Economic prosperity is possible only when full attention is paid to security. Similarly, the security system will be robust only when the economy is strong. Both complement each other."

Upon his arrival at Mhow Contonment, Rajnath Singh was briefed about significance of the Army War College in training and empowering military leaders for war-fighting across the entire spectrum of warfare.

Mr Singh was also apprised about the global footprint that the institute achieved via training of officers from friendly countries and contributing immensely towards military diplomacy.

(Inputs from PTI)