India's government adds a year to Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh's term

The Centre announced that Union Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh will serve an extra year, with his tenure now set to end on October 31 2027, a week before his original two-year term was due to finish. Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, took over as the 40th defence secretary on November 1 2024, succeeding Giridhar Aramane, and was previously secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade from April 2023 to August 2024.

Recognised for advancing the "Aarmanirghar Bharat" agenda and reforming the DRDO, he has accelerated decision-making and facilitated private sector entry into conventional missile manufacturing. Since May 31 this year, Singh has also been the secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and chair of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, roles he is expected to retain. The extension marks an unprecedented length of service compared with his predecessors under one outlet government.