Sovereignty by Design: Assessing the Strategic Transformation of India’s Defence Industrial Base (DIB) Towards a G3 Order

This article examines India’s Defence Industrial Base (DIB), tracing its shift from post-independence State monopolies to a contemporary ‘Sovereignty by Design’ framework. Analysing the emerging Public–Private–Foreign Consortium structure, the study evaluates how the Atmanirbhar Bharat paradigm facilitates India’s rise as a distinct global pole. It argues that in the evolving G3 narrative (USA-China-India), India is actively designing a multipolar order to balance the US–China duopoly and protect its strategic behaviour. The article concludes that true strategic autonomy in a fractured, globalised world depends on transitioning from licenced assembly to mastering deep-tech Intellectual Property (IP).