In the midst of global competitive populism and economic protectionism, India needs to focus its hard power as well as its strong soft power, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Friday.
Singh spoke at the Southern Command Defence Tech 2025 seminar (STRIDE 2025).
In his speech, Singh pointed out that the pace of globalization and free trade has been disrupted by geopolitical tensions fueled by the persistent wars in the Middle East and Europe and the rise of populist leadership around the globe.
"These trends are causing competitive populism and economic protectionism around the world, accompanied by economic fragmentation, the decline of multilateral institutions, and a growing tide of nationalism.
"As a result, the need to back a soft power with hard power is becoming more and more critical at a time when strategic deal-making requires you to be able to project hard power as well," said Singh.
