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#1
The 'RAKSHA' document is a ten-year comprehensive defence diplomacy policy framework (2026–2036) released by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 3, 2026.
#2
The document establishes a long-term strategic roadmap formalizing defence diplomacy as a proactive instrument of Indian foreign policy and national security statecraft.
#3
Formulated through apex inter-agency collaboration, the framework is coordinated by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
#4
The strategy marks a transition from India's traditional non-aligned, reactive posture to an assertive role as a net security provider and preferred security partner in the Indo-Pacific and Global South.
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The framework is structured across four foundational pillars: Strategic Partnerships, Capacity Building, Indigenous Defence Exports, and Maritime Security.
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Under the Strategic Partnerships pillar, India seeks to deepen bilateral and multilateral military ties with friendly foreign countries through shared intelligence, logistics sharing pacts, and joint security dialogues.
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The Capacity Building pillar emphasizes expanding joint military exercises, customized training curricula in Indian military academies, and institutional knowledge sharing.
#8
Over fifty foreign armed forces regularly send officers for professional military education to Indian institutions such as the National Defence College (NDC) and Defence Services Staff College (DSSC).
#9
Under the Indigenous Defence Exports pillar, the policy promotes Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India by transitioning from transactional buyer-seller ties to joint research, co-development, and co-production.
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India targets substantial growth in annual defence exports, promoting indigenous systems such as the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, Akash air defence system, and Tejas light combat aircraft.
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The Maritime Security pillar reinforces India's commitment to a free, open, and rules-based maritime order across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and broader Indo-Pacific.
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The document operationalizes India's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), positioning the Indian Navy as a First Responder during humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
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India's Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram acts as a multilateral maritime domain awareness hub hosting international liaison officers.
#14
The framework expands defence lines of credit (LoCs) and grant assistance to partner nations in Africa, Southeast Asia, and island nations to finance Indian military hardware acquisitions.
#15
The policy establishes dedicated Defence Attache (DA) footprints in previously unrepresented regions, including Central Asia, the African continent, and Latin America.
#16
High-level bilateral 2+2 Ministerial Dialogues (Defence and External Affairs) with key partners—including the United States, Japan, Australia, and Russia—are reinforced as primary consultative forums.
#17
The document outlines joint cyber defence and space security collaboration mechanisms to confront emerging fifth-generation and hybrid warfare challenges.
#18
Defense industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are integrated into global supply chains through international offset partnerships and co-manufacturing agreements.
#19
The policy prioritizes regular ocean surveillance deployments, coordinated maritime patrols (CORPAT), and bilateral naval exercises like SIMBEX, Varuna, and Malabar.
#20
The RAKSHA framework aligns military capabilities with diplomatic priorities, ensuring India shapes regional security dynamics while upholding international law and national sovereignty.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
The RAKSHA framework is a ten-year defence diplomacy roadmap (2026–2036) introduced by India's Ministry of Defence alongside the Ministry of External Affairs. It marks an active shift from reactive diplomacy toward positioning India as a reliable net security provider and preferred partner across the Indo-Pacific and Global South. The policy formalizes military cooperation, joint training exercises, defence lines of credit, and indigenous equipment exports as key foreign policy tools.
For UPSC Mains GS-2 and GS-3 papers, master the framework's four main pillars: strategic partnerships, capacity building, indigenous defence exports, and maritime security. Remember how this policy operationalizes Prime Minister Modi's SAGAR initiative through the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram. In prelims questions, watch out for traps confusing RAKSHA with purely internal border security schemes; it is explicitly a defence diplomacy strategy guiding international partnerships and hardware exports.
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