New Delhi: Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, CISC, on Tuesday called critical minerals "strategic enablers" for national security, underscoring their role in jet engines, missiles, radars and more amid concentrated global supply chains vulnerable to export curbs. Delivering his keynote address in a a high-level, closed-door roundtable discussion he highlighted that critical minerals have emerged as a strategic enabler for national security, defence capability development, and technological sovereignty.
The event was Tech Talk, hosted jointly by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) and IP Bazzaar. The theme for the high-level roundtable discussion was "Minerals That Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty and Value Chains".
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In his speech Dixit 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.
National Initiatives Spotlighted
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.
Diverse Stakeholder Forum
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.
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