CISC Highlights Critical Minerals as Strategic Pillar for Defence Preparedness and Viksit Bharat 2047

· Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, CISC, underscored critical minerals as essential to national security, defence capability development, and technological sovereignty.

· Modern defence systems—jet engines, missiles, radars, satellites, batteries, and semiconductors—depend heavily on secure access to these minerals.

· Concentrated global supply chains and geopolitical controls pose strategic risks, making self-reliance in minerals vital for defence manufacturing and readiness.

· India’s initiatives, including identification of critical minerals and the National Critical Mineral Mission, aim to strengthen the entire value chain from mining to recycling.

· The CENJOWS–IP Bazzaar closed-door roundtable brought together policymakers, defence experts, industry, and academia, and featured the release of 30 technical reports on critical minerals, with best wishes from Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.

[ABS News Service/23.12.2025]

The Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), in collaboration with IP Bazzaar, hosted Tech Talk, a high-level, closed-door roundtable discussion on the theme “Minerals That Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty & Value Chains” on 17 December 2025 in New Delhi. In his keynote address, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) highlighted that critical minerals have emerged as a strategic enabler for national security, defence capability development, and technological sovereignty. He noted that modern defence systems including jet engines, missiles, precision munitions, radars, satellites, batteries, and semiconductors are intrinsically dependent on assured access to these minerals.

Air Marshal Dixit emphasised that global supply chains for critical minerals are highly concentrated and increasingly subject to export controls and geopolitical pressures, making excessive import dependence a strategic vulnerability. He observed that self-reliant defence manufacturing and operational readiness are inseparable from secure and resilient mineral supply chains, aligned with India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Addressing recent national efforts, the Air Marshal drew attention to India’s initiatives such as the identification of critical minerals, the establishment of the National Critical Mineral Mission, and the government’s push to enhance the entire value chain - from extraction to processing, manufacturing, and recycling. These efforts, he noted, are crucial for translating India’s policy intentions into concrete outcomes. As part of the event, he also inaugurated a collection of 30 technical reports on critical minerals, showcasing in-depth IP landscape studies and market analyses.

The invitation-only forum convened senior policymakers, defence experts, industry leaders, technology innovators, academia, and intellectual property (IP) professionals to explore India’s strategic approach to critical minerals in the context of a rapidly evolving global environment. The event received the gracious best wishes of G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of Coal and Mines, Government of India.