India's defence exports jumped from Rs 2,000 to Rs 21,000 crore in 10 years: Rajanth Singh

Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), Dec 31 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India's defence exports have surpassed a record level of Rs 21,000 crore from a mere Rs 2,000 crore a decade ago.

Addressing officers at the Army War College (AWC) here on Monday, he said the government has set a Rs 50,000 crore target for defence exports crore by 2029.

He highlighted the radical changes in warfare with unconventional methods like information warfare, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based warfare, proxy warfare, electromagnetic warfare, space warfare, and cyber-attacks presenting a big challenge.

He stressed the need for the military to be well-trained and equipped to fight off such attacks and praised the training centres in Mhow for their valuable contribution.

Defence Minister Singh commended the training centres for constantly improving their training curriculum as per changing times, and striving to make the personnel fighting fit to take up every kind of challenge.

He urged the officers to explore the possibility of promoting integration through areas such as weapons training in Infantry School; AI and communication technology in the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), and leadership - junior and senior command in AWC.

He further stated that the Modi government is committed to strengthening integration and jointness among the three defence services.

"In the times to come, the armed forces will be able to face challenges together in a better and more efficient way," the defence minister said.

He pointed out that some officers would work as defence attaches in the future, and they should strive to secure national interests 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 explained.

Defence Minister Singh said the government is committed to making India one of the strongest economic and military powers in the world.

"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," he observed.

Defence Minister Singh hailed the role of armed forces in securing the borders and being the first responders during natural disasters.

He was briefed by AWC commandant Lt Gen HS Sahi on the role and significance of the institute in training and empowering military leaders for warfighting across the spectrum of conflict.

The defence minister was also briefed on the significant steps in training methodology through jointness in multi-domain operations, infusion of technology in training curriculum and exchange programmes being undertaken with academia, universities and industries along with training of CAPF officers, a release stated.

He was also apprised about the global footprints of the institute achieved through training officers from friendly countries and contributing immensely towards military diplomacy.

The defence minister laid a wreath and paid homage to brave-hearts at the Infantry Memorial.

Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and other senior officials of the Army were present on the occasion.

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