Critical minerals are important for nationalist security, defence capableness development, and technological sovereignty, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, said connected Tuesday (December 23, 2025).

Speaking astatine a treatment titled ‘Minerals that Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty and Value Chains’, Air Marshal Dixit underscored the relation of captious minerals successful modern defence systems. “Modern defence systems including pitchy engines, missiles, precision munitions, radars, satellites, batteries and semiconductors are intrinsically babelike connected assured entree to these minerals,” helium said.
Highlighting the geopolitical dimensions of mineral proviso chains, the Air Marshal said that planetary proviso networks for captious minerals are highly concentrated and progressively taxable to export controls and geopolitical pressures. Excessive import dependence, helium said, is simply a large strategical vulnerability.
Also Read | ‘India endowed with 95 minerals, but yet to found a footprint successful captious minerals’
He emphasised that self-reliant defence manufacturing and sustained operational readiness are inseparable from unafraid and resilient mineral proviso chains.
Referring to caller initiatives, Air Marshal Dixit highlighted the recognition of captious minerals, the motorboat of the National Critical Mineral Mission, and authorities efforts to fortify the worth concatenation — from extraction and processing to manufacturing and recycling. These measures, helium said, are captious for translating argumentation intent into tangible outcomes.
The Air Marshal, who was speaking astatine the lawsuit organised by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies and IP Bazzaar, inaugurated a compilation of 30 method reports connected captious minerals, featuring elaborate intelligence spot scenery studies and marketplace analyses.

4 months ago
1





