RAKSHA Document on Defence Diplomacy:
The Defence Minister officially released the ‘RAKSHA’ document on defence diplomacy. This comprehensive policy blueprint outlines India’s strategic roadmap and vision for forging global defence partnerships over the next decade.
- Defence diplomacy refers to the use of defence resources and military cooperation as instruments of foreign policy to build trust, strengthen partnerships, enhance interoperability and promote regional stability without resorting to force.
- It is a 10-year policy framework that formally codifies defence diplomacy as a central pillar of India’s foreign policy.
- The RAKSHA document transitions India from a historically cautious and non-aligned defence posture to an assertive and proactive global strategic role, positioning India as an anchor of regional stability while maintaining strategic autonomy through diversified partnerships based on converging interests.
- It serves as a coordinated, actionable vision integrating the objectives of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
- Key Pillars of the Blueprint:
- Strategic Partnerships: Deepening bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with friendly, like-minded nations to counter shared geopolitical threats and ensure collective regional security.
- Capacity Building: Enhancing joint military exercises, targeted training programmes, and sharing operational best practices with allied nations, particularly focusing on the Global South.
- Indigenous Exports: Actively promotes ‘Make in India’ and Atmanirbharata in defence by shifting from a traditional buyer-seller model towards co-development, co-production and technology partnerships.
- The RAKSHA document aims to transform India from a net arms importer into an exporter of advanced strategic technologies.
- Solidifying India’s established role as a Net Security Provider and the First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It focuses on protecting critical sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) and ensuring freedom of navigation.
- Aligns with India’s Indo-Pacific vision of a free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order, consistent with the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.
