Prioritise minerals as strategic shield

The capacity to domestically source and process key strategic minerals like aluminium will define pace & credibility of Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision in defence

- DEBA MOHANTY

INDIA, WITHIN ITS national security framework, has taken a series of recent initiatives to improve military capabilities across domains — personnel, higher institutions, equipment profile, military-industrial/scientific and resource rationalisation. Most of all, its indigenisation efforts merit consideration.

The success of indigenous platforms recently in Operation Sindoor is being talked about as a primer to India's contemporary military capabilities. The operation, in many ways, has cast a spotlight on the importance of defence readiness, not just in terms of boots on the ground or missiles in the arsenal but also the foundational elements that make up our defence ecosystem. Now is the time for India to re-examine true aatmanirbharta (self-sufficiency) in defence — the central element of military power. While we contemplate how to enhance military-industrial capacities, we should start with how best to integrate our critical mineral resources in the production of high-tech military systems. The availability, extraction, and use of such minerals, and getting them ready for high-end military production pose key challenges and offer opportunities. How we navigate this best will be key to our self-sufficiency efforts.

India has the world's fifth-largest bauxite reserves, the ore used to produce aluminium. Nearly 60% of its bauxite reserves are concentrated in Odisha. These resources, harnessed strategically, can not only secure our mineral independence but also significantly bolster Make in India in general and defence manufacturing capabilities in particular.