India Weighs Strategic Reserve of Critical Defense Minerals

India is exploring creation of a strategic reserve of critical minerals and metals to support defense manufacturing in emergencies, a senior Ministry of Defence official said.

Rajesh Kumar Singh told a New Delhi media event that the reserve would be tapped to "tide over immediate requirement" when supply disruptions threaten production lines. The plan responds to growing global efforts to shorten and secure supply chains for inputs such as specialty metals and rare-earth elements used in guided weapons, sensors and other military systems.

Officials framed the reserve as a stopgap — not a substitute for expanding domestic mining and processing capacity — and part of a broader push to build resilient, onshore supply chains. Details on storage size, composition, procurement routes and financing have yet to be disclosed, and officials indicated further policy work will follow as part of coordination between defence and industry stakeholders.