DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat, speaking on December 14, 2025, called for a significant increase in India’s defense R&D spending, currently at about 5.5% of the defense budget, which is much lower than the 10-15% allocated by the US and China. He highlighted the need for greater investment in innovation to meet evolving warfare challenges across land, air, sea, space, cyber, and information domains. Kamat emphasized that boosting R&D is essential for India to achieve self-reliance under Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, and advocated for stronger collaboration between the defense sector, industry, startups, and academia. The government has increased the DRDO budget to ₹26,816.82 crore for FY 2025-26, with nearly half dedicated to R&D, signaling a commitment to developing cutting-edge defense technologies and modernizing infrastructure. Kamat stressed that only by increasing defense R&D can India remain competitive and secure its strategic autonomy in defense technology on the global stage.