Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit at Tech Talk (Photo: CENJOWS)
New Delhi: Underscoring the strategic importance of critical minerals for defence preparedness, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said that modern defence systems, including jet engines, missiles, precision munitions, radars, satellites, batteries, and semiconductors are intrinsically dependent on assured access to these minerals.
He was speaking at a closed-door roundtable discussion on the theme “Minerals That Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty & Value Chains” organized by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), in collaboration with IP Bazzaar.
In his keynote address, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit emphasized 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 further stated 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 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.
