The North News
New Delhi, July 7
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called for a paradigm shift in how military expenditure is perceived, urging policymakers to treat defence investment as a core element of economic planning rather than a routine cost of governance. Speaking in New Delhi on Monday, Rajnath Singh said the country—like much of the world—is entering a new era of re-armament that requires robust financial and strategic planning. “Today, significant capital-intensive investments are being made in defence. Until recently, these were seen merely as necessary expenditure with no economic assessment,” he remarked.
“Most major powers, including the US and European nations, are now increasing their defence budgets rapidly,” he said. “In such a scenario, the relevance of defence economics—the intersection of military preparedness and fiscal sustainability—has become even more urgent,” he further said.
Illustrating the gap in planning, Rajnath Singh posed a hypothetical scenario: “Suppose we can produce a specific type of ammunition in a limited quantity annually. What happens if, suddenly, we need much more? How do we ramp up capacity? These questions must be addressed during peacetime, not after a crisis strikes.”
Rajnath Singh also extended the principle to financial management across sectors. “Peacetime operations follow routine processes, but emergencies demand innovation. Do we have systems in place that allow us to respond quickly and effectively when the unexpected happens?”
His remarks signal a policy shift towards institutionalising long-term defence preparedness—not just through military upgrades but by embedding security into broader economic frameworks. It also comes amid an ongoing global recalibration of security strategies in light of new geopolitical threats and technological disruption.
