India extends Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh’s tenure

Rajesh Kumar Singh defence indigenisation military AI national security DRDO

The Indian government has granted a one-year service extension to Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, extending his tenure until October 31, 2027. The decision by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet aims to ensure administrative continuity within the national security apparatus.

Singh is currently overseeing significant transformations in India’s defence architecture. This includes the development of an indigenous military Artificial Intelligence (AI) layer designed for decision support, target acquisition, and data fusion. The initiative seeks to create a sovereign AI ecosystem to protect sensitive military data and enhance the sensor-to-shooter loop.

In addition to AI development, Singh is driving efforts to expand domestic missile production and modernize air defence networks. He has also advocated for streamlining the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) workload by focusing on approximately 10 flagship programmes rather than a broader range of projects.