Singapore: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has said Vietnam has already signed a deal to procure the BrahMos missile system from India, although the agreement may not yet have been publicly announced. He also said a similar agreement with Indonesia was in its final stages.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, Singh was asked about potential buyers of the BrahMos missile system.

"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages that in fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it's already been signed," Singh said.

The Philippines became the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos missile system after signing a contract worth nearly USD 375 million in 2022.

Indonesia announced in March that it had entered into an agreement with India to procure the BrahMos missile system. Earlier this month, media reports suggested Vietnam was close to signing a similar deal with India.

However, Singh's remarks on Saturday marked the first official public indication that the Vietnam agreement had been signed.

The value of the proposed deals with Vietnam and Indonesia has not been officially disclosed.

India highlights defence cooperation with ASEAN

Addressing the wider issue of sharing advanced defence technology, Singh said countries generally exported sophisticated weapons systems to nations they considered trusted partners.

"Obviously you share technology with people you trust," he said.

He added that India remained committed to countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"And we treat all of you as "friendly foreign countries" with whom we can share advanced defence technologies," Singh said.

ASEAN comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Several ASEAN member states, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have overlapping maritime claims with China in the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes. India's BrahMos exports to countries in the region have attracted attention as New Delhi expands defence ties with Southeast Asian nations.

Defence resilience and manufacturing focus

At the dialogue, Singh said India was ready to work with partners across the region and beyond to strengthen supply chains, defence partnerships, maritime security and innovation.

"Today, resilience has become one of the defining strategic requirements of our time."

Referring to geopolitical uncertainty, conflicts in Europe and West Asia, disruptions to maritime trade routes, supply chain vulnerabilities, technological disruptions and growing strategic competition, he said these developments were reshaping the global security environment.

"The lessons from recent years are clear. Defence preparedness cannot depend upon fragile or overly concentrated supply chains. Nations today require resilient, trusted, diversified, and technologically adaptive defence industrial ecosystems," he said during a session titled Building Defence Industrial Resilience.

For India, resilience was not only about self-reliance but also about building trusted partnerships, diversified manufacturing networks, innovation ecosystems and secure supply chains that contribute to regional and global stability, he added.

Singh said India had introduced major reforms in defence production, innovation and exports over the past decade. According to him, the country had expanded private-sector participation, encouraged start-ups and small industries, strengthened indigenous design and manufacturing capabilities, and increased collaboration with international partners.

India was not only modernising its armed forces but was also emerging as a dependable defence manufacturing and maintenance hub, he said.

Singh said government-owned companies accounted for nearly 72 per cent of India's defence production, while the private sector contributed the remainder. He added that three Indian state-owned defence companies were among the world's top 100 arms-producing firms.

The Indian defence industry had developed capabilities in areas including missile systems, fighter aircraft and main battle tanks. Efforts were also under way to address gaps in propulsion technologies across land, air and sea domains.

"Our objective is not to create exclusive blocs, but inclusive and reliable partnerships that strengthen collective security and reduce strategic vulnerabilities."