Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, held bilateral talks with Czech Republic Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek in New Delhi, with both sides conducting a comprehensive review of defence industrial cooperation and agreeing to deepen joint ventures between Indian and Czech entities.

What Was Discussed

The two leaders reviewed the progress achieved under existing bilateral defence frameworks and expressed satisfaction over the performance of ongoing joint ventures. Singh confirmed that both sides agreed to further expand collaboration under the aegis of the India-Czech Joint Defence Committee.

'We were pleased to note the progress and success of various Joint Ventures. We also agreed to further expand this collaboration under the aegis of India-Czech Joint Defence Committee, to promote Atmanirbhar Bharat,' Singh said in a post on X.

Atmanirbhar Bharat at the Centre

The meeting took place against the backdrop of India's sustained effort to strengthen domestic defence manufacturing under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative — a policy framework that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has institutionalised as a national security priority. Singh underscored that India has adopted self-reliance in defence as a guiding national policy, while simultaneously deepening partnerships with trusted international partners such as Czech Republic.

Notably, the Czech Republic has emerged as an increasingly relevant partner for India in niche defence manufacturing segments, and the joint ventures being reviewed represent a maturing bilateral relationship that goes beyond arms procurement into co-production.

Singh on the Future of Warfare

Separately, Singh elaborated on the evolving nature of modern warfare, noting that conflict has extended well beyond traditional domains of land, sea, and air to encompass space, cyber, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the information domain. He pointed to the growing influence of unmanned systems, drones, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, and long-range precision weapons in shaping contemporary operations.

'Future military power will be defined less by number of platforms we possess. It will be determined by speed of sensing, understanding, deciding, and acting,' Singh said, highlighting that speed, precision, information, and integration have emerged as defining attributes of modern military capability.

Strategic Context

This bilateral engagement comes as India accelerates its defence diplomacy across Europe, seeking technology transfers and co-development arrangements that align with domestic manufacturing goals. The India-Czech Joint Defence Committee provides the institutional mechanism through which both sides formalise and monitor these agreements. With geopolitical uncertainty rising globally, India's approach of combining self-reliance with select international partnerships represents a calibrated strategic posture. Further details on expanded joint venture frameworks are expected to follow consultations within the committee structure.