Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), in collaboration with IP Bazzaar, hosted a high-level, closed-door Tech Talk roundtable on “Minerals That Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty & Value Chains” on December 17, 2025, in New Delhi, underscoring the growing strategic importance of critical minerals for India’s national security and long-term development goals.

In his keynote address, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), said that critical minerals have emerged as a key strategic enabler for defence capability development, technological sovereignty, and national security. He noted that modern defence platforms—ranging from jet engines, missiles, precision-guided munitions, radars, satellites, batteries to semiconductors—are intrinsically dependent on reliable access to these minerals.

Air Marshal Dixit cautioned that global supply chains for critical minerals are highly concentrated and increasingly influenced by export controls and geopolitical pressures, making excessive import dependence a serious strategic vulnerability. He stressed that self-reliant defence manufacturing and operational readiness are inseparable from secure and resilient mineral supply chains, aligning closely with India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Highlighting recent national initiatives, he pointed to India’s efforts such as the identification of critical minerals, the establishment of the National Critical Mineral Mission, and the government’s push to strengthen the entire value chain—from extraction and processing to manufacturing and recycling. These measures, he said, are essential to convert policy intent into tangible outcomes.

As part of the event, Air Marshal Dixit also inaugurated a compendium of 30 technical reports on critical minerals, featuring in-depth intellectual property landscape studies and market analyses.

The invitation-only forum brought together senior policymakers, defence experts, industry leaders, technology innovators, academia, and IP professionals to deliberate on India’s strategic approach to critical minerals amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. The event was held with the best wishes of G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Coal and Mines, Government of India.