Private sector's role in defence 'now vital' says Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit

New Delhi [India], November 12 (ANI): Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), addressed the CAPSS-IMR Seminar, saying defence companies have stepped up at every turn, designing resilient communication networks, advanced electronic warfare (EW) suits, and even satellites for real-time command and control, adding that the private sector's role is now vital.
Speaking at the event, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit highlighted the growing contributions of defence companies in building critical military infrastructure, saying, "Defence companies have stepped up at every turn, designing resilient communication networks, advanced EW suits, and even satellites for real-time command and control. The private sector role is now vital."
Emphasising the private sector's pivotal role in developing futuristic warfare technologies, the Air Marshal added, "They are building the next generation of AI-driven weapons, modular battle management systems, high-risk surveillance drones, and indigenous cyber defence tools."
Stressing that collaboration between the government and industry is ushering in a new phase of indigenous defence capabilities, he stated, "This public-private synergy is powering a new era of Aatmanirbhar military innovation. Operation Sindoor has also taught us the value of electronic warfare and cyber resilience..."

Underlining the need for seamless integration across all operational domains in modern warfare, Air Marshal Dixit further said, "In our future network-centric operations, every domain will count. Land, air, sea, space, cyber, electronic and cognitive. We must integrate them all, and we are working towards that..."
The seminar was attended by Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Dr. Manoj Kumar Dhaka, DS & DG DEAL, DRDO, as well as several serving and retired officers. (ANI)