Stories
News18 DEFCON 2026 Decodes India’s Next Defence Transition
- •News18 DEFCON 2026, in association with The Chanakya Dialogues, focused on India's evolution toward technological ownership, industrial depth, and operational readiness in defence.
- •Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh emphasized that true national security relies on self-reliance through the vision to design, develop, and manufacture in India.
- •Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani highlighted the challenge of adapting to the rapid evolution in the character of war.
- •Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh stressed the importance of jointness across capability planning, acquisitions, and the application of power.
- •Discussions also expanded preparedness to include sustainment, information warfare, military diplomacy, and the crucial role of regional industrial ecosystems.
Key Questions Answered
News18 DEFCON 2026 focused on moving beyond import reduction toward technological ownership, industrial depth, operational readiness, and scaling capabilities. Discussions highlighted that the character of modern conflict is evolving rapidly, requiring industrial acquisitions and operational systems to absorb and deploy new technologies quickly. Leaders also emphasized jointness across military planning and acquisitions, alongside crisis sustainment for platforms like ships and submarines.
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.) examined the growing role of narratives and perception in contemporary conflict through information warfare. Additionally, General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.) highlighted military diplomacy, emphasizing how security relationships increasingly extend far beyond traditional battlefields.
Regional ecosystems are vital for expanding India’s manufacturing base by integrating aerospace, defence, and space capabilities into long-term industrial visions, as highlighted by state officials like Telangana Chief Secretary Shri Sanjay Jaju and state defence advisor Dr G Satheesh Reddy.
