New Delhi: In a significant move to bolster the nation's defense apparatus and military modernization, the central government has granted a one-year service extension to Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. A senior 1989-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, Singh has steered the Ministry of Defence and DRDO toward major milestones in self-reliance and indigenization over the past few years. With a strong background in economics, Singh took charge as India's 40th Defense Secretary on November 1, 2024, following the retirement of Giridhar Aramane, after previously serving as OSD (Defense Secretary-Designate) starting in August 2024.
Administrative Experience and Expanding Make in India
Before stepping into the role of Defense Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh held several key administrative positions, including Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Finance Secretary for the Government of Kerala. A defining hallmark of his tenure as Defense Secretary has been the aggressive expansion of domestic defense manufacturing under the Make in India initiative. He opened up massive market opportunities to integrate private sector enterprises into the Indian defense ecosystem. Under his leadership, national defense exports reached record highs, while his involvement proved instrumental in advancing strategic initiatives like Mission Sudarshan Chakra, aimed at integrating national air defense and offensive capabilities.
Restructuring DRDO and Focusing on 10 Flagship Projects
In addition to his core administrative responsibilities, Rajesh Kumar Singh held the additional charge of Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Secretary of Defence R&D. During this dual tenure, he established unprecedented synergy between research laboratories and industry stakeholders. Singh implemented a major institutional overhaul of DRDO's project pipeline. To prevent the dispersion of resources and manpower, he took the bold step of narrowing DRDO's focus from roughly 37 active projects down to just 10 flagship and cutting-edge strategic programs.
Opening Missile Tech to Private Sector and Reforming Procurement
During Rajesh Kumar Singh's tenure, DRDO opened up traditional missile system technologies, strategic weapons programs, and system integration to private industries through the new Development-cum-Production Partner framework. Furthermore, he spearheaded regulatory reforms for defense acquisition procedures, specifically DFP-2026 and DAP-2026, which made weapon exportability mandatory from the very initial stages of military procurement requirements. This service extension is expected to further accelerate strategic defense reforms and indigenous missile manufacturing programs.
