The Defence Research and Development Organisation is poised to receive a full‑time Chairman within days, with the government’s selection process now in its final phase after more than a month of vacancy at the top. The post has remained unoccupied since the retirement of Dr Samir V. Kamat on 31 May, with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh holding additional charge as interim Chairman.

Senior Defence Ministry sources have confirmed that the recommendation of the Search‑cum‑Selection Committee has already been forwarded to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for final approval. The appointment is expected to be announced after the Prime Minister returns from his three‑nation visit on 12 July.

Officials emphasised that the government is carefully evaluating leadership requirements for DRDO’s next phase of technological transformation, particularly in domains such as missiles, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and advanced weapon technologies.

The high‑powered Search‑cum‑Selection Committee, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Dr T.V. Somanathan and comprising Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and a former ISRO Chairman, interviewed five distinguished scientists on 3 July.

These were shortlisted from a pool of 15 Distinguished Scientists recommended by the Defence Ministry. The committee retains the authority to recommend candidates beyond those interviewed if deemed appropriate.

The five scientists interviewed included B.K. Das, Director General of the Electronics and Communication Systems Cluster; Prateek Kishore, Director General of the Armament and Combat Engineering Cluster; Dr Jagannath Nayak, Director General of Missiles and Strategic Systems; Dr Anupam Sharma, head of the Systems and Platforms Segment; and Dr Anindya Biswas, Director of Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad. Officials indicated that B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore have emerged as the leading contenders, though no final decision has yet been conveyed.

B.K. Das, the senior‑most scientist among the contenders, is currently serving on a one‑year extension granted on 30 April. He has spent over three decades in DRDO, leading institutions such as the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur and the Instruments Research and Development Establishment in Dehradun.

Under his leadership, the Electronics and Communication Systems Cluster has expanded work on indigenous electronic warfare systems, AI‑enabled defence technologies and long‑term collaboration with industry and start‑ups.

Prateek Kishore heads the Armament and Combat Engineering Cluster in Pune, which has spearheaded several flagship indigenous weapon programmes.

These include the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System, the Pinaka multi‑barrel rocket launcher, the Project Zorawar light tank and next‑generation armoured combat platforms. His longer remaining service tenure is also seen as a factor that the government may weigh in its decision.

The race narrowed earlier this month after directed‑energy weapons expert Dr Jagannath Nayak assumed charge as Director General of Missiles and Strategic Systems on 1 July. Widely regarded as one of the architects of DRDO’s fibre‑optic gyro guidance technology and anti‑drone directed‑energy weapon programme, Nayak had been considered a strong contender before his elevation to the strategic systems portfolio.

The appointment comes at a crucial juncture for DRDO as it accelerates indigenous development of next‑generation missile systems, hypersonic technologies, combat aircraft, electronic warfare capabilities and autonomous military platforms.

The government’s push for defence self‑reliance has placed DRDO at the centre of India’s strategic modernisation, with the new Chairman expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s trajectory in partnership with industry, MSMEs and start‑ups under initiatives such as the Technology Development Fund and Defence Innovation Organisation.

Agencies