🔆 ‘RAKSHA’ — India’s 10-Year Defence Diplomacy Roadmap 📍 Why in News? 🟢 India has released RAKSHA (Roadmap for Advancing Kinship, Security and Harmony Abroad), a 10-year defence diplomacy framework (2026–2036) to align security partnerships with foreign policy objectives. 📍 Four Pillars of RAKSHA 🟢 Strategic Partnerships: Long-term bilateral and multilateral security cooperation. 🟢 Capacity Building: Joint exercises, military training and sharing of best practices. 🟢 Indigenous Exports: Promoting India as a reliable global defence manufacturing hub. 🟢 Maritime Security: Strengthening India’s role as a Net Security Provider and First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region. 📍 Why is it Significant? 🟢 Shifts India’s defence diplomacy from ad-hoc engagements to a structured strategic framework. 🟢 Supports the Make in India and defence export agenda. 🟢 Builds on initiatives such as SAGAR, Mission Sagar, HADR operations and 2+2 dialogues. 🟢 Strengthens India’s engagement with the Global South and Indo-Pacific partners. 📍 Challenges 🟢 Turning ambitious targets into effective implementation. 🟢 Balancing strategic autonomy with engagements involving QUAD, SCO and Russia. 🟢 Ensuring competitive pricing, reliable after-sales support and export credibility. 🟢 Managing perceptions of India’s expanding security role in the IOR. 📍 Prelims Fact 🟢 SAGAR: Security and Growth for All in the Region 🟢 HADR: Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief 🟢 iDEX: Innovations for Defence Excellence #internationalrelations
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