Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Tuesday underscored the growing strategic importance of critical minerals for India’s national security, defence preparedness and technological sovereignty.
Speaking at a high-level, closed-door roundtable discussion titled “Minerals That Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty & Value Chains”, organised by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) in collaboration with IP Bazzaar, Air Marshal Dixit said assured access to critical minerals has emerged as a key enabler for modern defence capabilities.
He noted that advanced defence platforms such as jet engines, missiles, precision-guided munitions, radars, satellites, batteries and semiconductors are intrinsically dependent on secure and uninterrupted supply of critical minerals.
Highlighting global challenges, the CISC pointed out that 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 emphasised that self-reliant defence manufacturing and operational readiness cannot be achieved without resilient and secure mineral supply chains, aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Referring to recent policy initiatives, Air Marshal Dixit highlighted India’s efforts towards identifying critical minerals, setting up the National Critical Mineral Mission, and strengthening the entire value chain — from extraction and processing to manufacturing and recycling. He said these steps are essential to translate policy intent into tangible outcomes.
As part of the event, the Air Marshal also inaugurated a collection of 30 technical reports on critical minerals, presenting detailed intellectual property landscape studies and market analyses.
The invitation-only forum brought together senior policymakers, defence experts, industry leaders, technology innovators, academics and intellectual property professionals to deliberate on India’s strategic approach to critical minerals in a rapidly evolving global geopolitical environment. The event received best wishes from Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy.
