General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), delivered an inspiring address at the inaugural ‘Defence Partnership Days’ event, setting the tone for a collaborative and innovation-driven future for the Indian Defence Industry. The event brought together over 300 stakeholders, including domain experts from the Indian Armed Forces, startups, MSMEs, R&D institutions, academia, and global leaders in defence production.
In his address, the CDS emphasized that “India is the beacon of global optimism” and highlighted that “National Interest is the single binding force for numerous stakeholders in the Defence Industry.” General Chauhan outlined the 4Is—Inventive, Innovative, Imaginative, and Indigenous—as the pillars to propel India toward becoming a global leader in defence R&D and production.
Acknowledging the challenges of innovation, he remarked, “Ideas are easy; it’s their implementation that is difficult,” and proposed actionable strategies to overcome these barriers. Key suggestions included:
- Creative Destruction: Adopting an unlearning-learning cycle to generate new ideas.
- Trust Development: Building confidence through long-term assurances between stakeholders.
- Enhanced Risk-Taking: Encouraging greater experimentation and innovation in R&D.
- Streamlined Field Trials: Accelerating processes for faster validation of equipment.
- Simplified Guidelines: Expanding beyond TPCR to ensure efficiency in decision-making.
The event also saw the release of a paper titled ‘Doing Business in Defence’, prepared by IMR in collaboration with KPMG, providing a roadmap for simplifying processes and fostering growth in the sector.
General Chauhan toured the Defence Equipment Exhibition, where he interacted with Defence Innovators and industry partners, encouraging them to persist in their R&D efforts and to embrace bold ideas that align with the nation’s strategic vision.
The unique B2B and B2G platform facilitated discussions between stakeholders, promoting collaboration and aligning efforts to enhance India’s defence capabilities. The CDS’s address reinforced the Armed Forces’ commitment to leveraging innovation, fostering trust, and driving forward the mission of making India a global hub for defence manufacturing and research.
