BORDERS TO BUSINESS:
THE STRENGTH OF BHARAT
28ᵗʰ June 2025 | 3PM
OVERVIEW
CNN-News18 Town Hall 2025: The Defence Edition returns as the channel’s flagship forum spotlighting national priorities. This special edition, themed "Borders to Business – The Strength of Bharat," will feature top defence experts, policymakers, and strategists delving into India’s evolving security landscape—from the frontline of the India-Pakistan conflict and Operation Sindoor to the broader defence of trade, technology, and economic sovereignty.
SPEAKERS
Rajesh Kumar Singh
Defence Secretary of India
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff of India
Lt General Vinod G. Khandare (Retd.)
Former Principal Adviser to Ministry of Defence
Dr Sudhir Kumar Mishra
DRDO Chair, Former Director General, DRDO Ex - CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace
Dr B.K. Das
Director General (Electronics & Communication System), DRDO
Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan
Director General Border Roads, Border Roads Organisation
Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari
Border Security Force
Constable Manjeet Kaur
Border Security Force
Constable Malkeet Kaur
Border Security Force
Constable Swapna Rath
Border Security Force
Smit Shah
President Drone Federation of India
Maj Vishal Saxena (Retd.)
Vice President, Business Development, ideaForge
Maj Gen Maniyil Indrabalan (Retd.)
Military Technology Advisor, Amber Wings and The ePlane Company
AGENDA
THE AGE OF MODERN WARFARE:
Air Marshal Ashutosh DixitChief of Integrated Defence Staff of IndiaFORGING INDIA'S DEFENCE INDEPENDENCE:
Rajesh Kumar Singh Defence Secretary of IndiaDEFENCE AATMANIRBHARTA: OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD:
Dr B.K. Das Director General (Electronics & Communication System), DRDODETERRENCE THROUGH DEVELOPMENT :
Lt Gen Raghu SrinivasanDirector General Border Roads, Border Roads Organisation
MADE IN INDIA, MADE FOR WORLD:
Lt General Vinod G. KhandareFormer Principal Adviser to Ministry of Defence Sudhir Kumar Mishra CEO & MD, BrahMos AerospaceFROM 'SINDOOR' TO 'SEEMA':
Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari and Constables Malkeet Kaur, Manjit Kaur and Swapna Rath Border Security ForceCATALYSING INDIGENOUS DRONE INDUSTRY:
Maj Vishal Saxena (Retd.) VP, Business Development, ideaForge Maj Gen Maniyil Indrabalan (Retd.) Military Technology Advisor, Amber Wings & The ePlane Company Smit Shah President Drone Federation of India
VIDEOS
The Defence Secretary laid bare India’s tactical brilliance and shared details behind Operation Sindoor how India selected strategic targets deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit outlines India’s evolving approach to modern-day warfare.
In this exclusive CNN-News18 Defence Townhall, Dr. B.K. Das, DG (ECS), DRDO, explains how India’s push for Defence Aatmanirbharta is driving indigenous innovation in missiles, radars, electronic warfare, and AI.
In this powerful segment of CNN-News18’s Defence Townhall, the BSF team — Neha, Malkit, Manjit & Shampa — bring you on-ground voices of BSF jawans who executed high-stakes missions with unshakeable resolve.
In a candid discussion, Sudhir Mishra and Lt Gen Vinod G Khandare (Retd.) raised critical doubts about the reliability of Chinese military hardware and exposed how perception and propaganda often mask the true combat credibility.
GALLERY
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