Overview
Smt. Sitharaman was Raksha Mantri from 2017 to 2019, India’s first full-time woman Defence Minister, and only the second woman overall to hold the post. During her time in office, she prioritized modernisation of the armed forces, boosting defence production under the “Make in India” initiative, and welfare of military personnel and their families. She also pushed for faster decision-making in defence procurement and promoted private sector participation in large strategic partnerships to manufacture defence platforms (e.g. fighter aircraft, submarines) in India.
Notable reforms included setting up of two Defence Industrial Corridors (in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) for promoting defence manufacturing under 'Make in India' initiative; launching the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative; instituting the ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ framework to boost to the IPR culture in indigenous defence industry; and establishing the Defence Planning Committee to better coordinate long-term security strategy. The National War Memorial was built during her tenure and dedicated to the Nation by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in February 2019. The Indian Air Force also conducted the surgical strike on Balakot, Pakistan, in response to the Pulwama attack, under her watch.
