Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence of India is the government department tasked with formulating and executing the country's defence policy. It exercises administrative and operational control over the three branches of the Indian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The ministry oversees defence procurement, ensuring the acquisition of equipment, technology, and services required by the services. It also directs defence production through public sector undertakings and coordinates with the Defence Research and Development Organisation for indigenous technology development. In addition, the ministry handles defence diplomacy, including bilateral and multilateral engagements with foreign defence establishments. It is responsible for the welfare, training, and readiness of defence personnel under its purview.

The Ministry of Defence functions as a central government department under the Government of India, headed by the Cabinet Minister for Defence who is a member of the national Cabinet. Its headquarters are situated in New Delhi, the capital city of India. The department manages a substantial portion of the nation's security infrastructure, overseeing one of the largest armed forces in the world. It works in conjunction with other ministries, such as External Affairs and Home Affairs, to align defence objectives with broader national security strategy. The ministry's digital presence has been subject to cyber incidents, notably the website defacement on 6 April 2018 that displayed Mandarin characters and prompted investigation. Such events underscore the ongoing challenges of protecting government information systems amid a broader pattern of cyber threats targeting Indian governmental portals.