Raksha Mantri & his French counterpart co-chair 6th Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru

• Ministerial-level structured bilateral between India and France to review and guide defence & security cooperation; 6th edition held in Bengaluru, Karnataka on 17 Feb 2026.
• Co-chaired by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and French Minister of Armed Forces & Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin.
• Outcomes — renewal of Defence Cooperation Agreement for 10 years, BEL-Safran JV MoU for Hammer missile manufacture in India, and reciprocal deployment of officers between Indian Army and French Land Forces.
• Anchor topic for UPSC GS-II/III: India-France Strategic Partnership (since 1998) and Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence.