India Does Not Seek to Occupy Any Country's Land, But Will Not Compromise on Security: Rajnath Singh

Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed a defense conference held in New Delhi on September 27, 2026. On this occasion, he clarified that India believes in peace and does not wish to occupy the land of any country. He warned that peace should not be mistaken for weakness and that India does not seek global stability at the cost of its strategic autonomy. He asserted that whenever there is a threat to the country's security and strategic autonomy, India will remain fully committed to defending them.

Taking a firm stand on the issue of terrorism, the Defense Minister stated that there is no room for dialogue with any country that promotes terrorism against India. He remarked that countries using terrorism as a state policy or providing sanctuary to terrorists must remember that terrorism cannot be a strategic asset for any nation. Referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks during an SCO meeting, he stated that if neighboring countries continue to support terrorism, India has every right to take all necessary steps against it.

Discussing national security, Mr. Singh identified national unity as its primary foundation. He stated that the security of the country is not solely the responsibility of the armed forces but is the collective duty of every citizen. He appealed to citizens to rise above differences of religion, caste, creed, and language to prioritize national interest.

Emphasizing self-reliance in the defense sector, he noted that India is progressing from being a defense importer to becoming a global defense supplier. He provided data showing that India's defense exports were 686 crore rupees in 2013-14, which increased to 38,424 crore rupees in 2025-26. India has set a target to take defense exports to 50,000 crore rupees by 2029.

Regarding budget and infrastructure, the Defense Minister informed that the defense budget has increased from 2.53 lakh crore rupees in 2013-14 to 7.85 lakh crore rupees in 2026-27. Approximately 75 percent of the capital acquisition budget (1.39 lakh crore rupees) has been earmarked for procurement from the domestic defense industry.

Speaking on technological developments, he mentioned that the nature of warfare is changing and has now expanded to include cyber, space, Artificial Intelligence, quantum technology, and hypersonic systems. He stated that the five positive indigenization lists of the armed forces include 509 items of equipment, while the DPSU lists include 5,417 items, of which approximately 3,300 have already been indigenized.

The Defense Minister also announced that the technology of conventional missile systems developed by DRDO will now be transferred to eligible Indian private industries. This will allow private companies to produce these systems, thereby strengthening the operational readiness of the armed forces and enabling DRDO to focus entirely on Research and Development (R&D).