Rajnath Singh highlights global defence transformation, calls India-South Korea partnership crucial
Seoul, May 20
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that India and South Korea are well-positioned to strengthen cooperation in the defence sector amid a rapidly changing global environment.
Addressing the India-Republic of Korea Defence Industry Roundtable, Singh said defence industrial systems around the world are undergoing major transformation due to emerging technologies, which are changing the nature of warfare.
He said India and South Korea can work closely together in this evolving global defence landscape.
"Defence industrial ecosystems are undergoing rapid transformation around the world today. Emerging technologies are redefining the character of warfare. Manufacturing is becoming increasingly technology-intensive. Supply chains are being reconfigured and innovation cycles are becoming shorter than ever before," Singh said.
"The current technological dynamism in defence is both the cause and effect of the recent geostrategic changes...In such an environment, trusted partnership between technologically capable nations acquires immense strategic importance. India and Republic of Korea are positioned to work together in this changing global landscape," he said.
The Defence Minister said that the Republic of Korea has emerged as one of the world's premier manufacturing economies and a leading industrial power.
Singh said Korean companies have established global leadership in sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, shipbuilding, automotive manufacturing, advanced batteries, petrochemicals and defence production.
"...Today, Republic of Korea stands as one of the world's premier manufacturing economies and ranks among the leading industrial powers globally. Korean companies have established global leadership in semiconductors, electronics, shipbuilding, automotive manufacturing, advanced batteries, petrochemicals and defence production. Korean shipyards are among the most advanced and efficient in the world," he further said.
"It is my privilege to join this distinguished gathering of industry leaders, innovators, technology experts, policymakers and strategic partners from India and Republic of Korea here today. I extend my warm greetings to all participants of the India-Republic of Korea Defence Industry Roundtable," Singh added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Rajnath Singh is right about supply chains being reconfigured. The world has changed after COVID and Ukraine war. India should partner with reliable countries like South Korea instead of always depending on Russia or USA.
South Korea's K9 howitzers are already serving India well. This partnership makes perfect sense - we need their tech, they need our market. Win-win situation 🇮🇳🇰🇷
While this sounds promising, I hope the government ensures technology transfer happens properly. We shouldn't just be assembling Korean systems, we need to develop our own R&D capabilities through these partnerships.
Excellent move! South Korea has amazing defence technology. Hope this leads to joint production of next-gen submarines and fighter jets. Time to reduce our defence import dependence! 🚀
All this talk about partnerships is good, but we need to see actual results on ground. How many joint ventures have actually materialized? Let's hope this roundtable leads to concrete projects, not just photo ops.
As someone who follows global defence trends, I think India is making smart choices. South Korea's defence industry is incredibly innovative and their partnership model with other nations has been very successful. Good timing by the minister.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.