Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (3-Sep-2026) unveiled ‘Raksha’, a strategic blueprint on defence diplomacy that sets out India’s vision for the next decade.

The document provides a comprehensive framework for global partnerships and positions India as an anchor of peace, stability, and rule-based order in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

The defence ministry emphasised that defence diplomacy is a core pillar of India’s foreign policy. The blueprint offers a clear and actionable roadmap for the next ten years, aligning national security objectives with proactive global cooperation. It seeks to foster long-term stability and mutual growth while strengthening India’s role as a responsible global actor.

The release of the ‘Raksha’ document marks a significant shift in India’s strategic engagement. It reflects a deliberate effort to integrate defence diplomacy into broader foreign policy goals, ensuring that India’s military and industrial strengths are leveraged to build enduring partnerships across regions.

The document identifies four key pillars. The first is strategic partnerships, which aim to deepen bilateral and multilateral security cooperation.

This includes expanding defence dialogues, joint initiatives, and collaborative frameworks with friendly nations.

The second pillar is capacity building. India intends to enhance joint military exercises, training programs, and the exchange of best practices. This approach is designed to strengthen interoperability and build confidence among partner nations.

The third pillar is indigenous exports. The blueprint highlights the importance of promoting Make-in-India defence platforms, thereby positioning India as a reliable global hub for defence manufacturing. This aligns with the government’s broader push for self-reliance and the export of advanced systems to friendly countries.

The fourth pillar is maritime security. India seeks to reinforce its role as a net-security provider and first responder in the Indian Ocean Region. This includes safeguarding sea lanes, ensuring uninterrupted maritime commerce, and responding swiftly to crises in the wider Indo-Pacific.

Senior leadership was present at the release event in New Delhi. Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Rudrendra Tandon, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Marshal Tejinder Singh attended alongside officials from the National Security Council Secretariat.

The blueprint also underscores India’s ambition to expand its defence exports, which have already reached record levels in recent years. With defence products now being exported to nearly 100 countries, India is steadily building credibility as a global security partner. The government has set a target of achieving ₹3 lakh crore in defence production by 2029, supported by indigenous innovation and industrial growth.

The maritime pillar is particularly significant given India’s strategic geography. With increasing challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific, India’s role as a stabilising force is expected to grow. 

The blueprint envisions India taking the lead in cooperative frameworks to counter piracy, terrorism, and the weaponisation of trade routes.

The release of ‘Raksha’ comes at a time when India is also advancing indigenous technologies such as glide bombs, missile systems, and naval platforms. These developments complement the blueprint’s emphasis on self-reliance and export-driven growth, ensuring that India’s defence diplomacy is backed by credible capabilities.

The strategic document reflects continuity with India’s broader foreign policy stance of supporting dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful resolution of conflicts. At the same time, it signals a proactive approach to shaping the security environment in Asia and beyond, with India emerging as a trusted partner in collective security.

India’s defence diplomacy blueprint is expected to serve as a guiding framework for the next decade, ensuring that the country’s military strength, industrial capacity, and diplomatic outreach are harmonised to achieve national and global objectives.

PTI