NEWS OF INDIAN NUCLEAR PLAN

INDIAN NUCLEAR POSTURE

Indian nuclear weapons programme was originally motivated more by the prestige factor than as a necessary means to meet real security threats a gradual shift in India’s nuclear posture over the past few years has been viewed as worrisome by the community of strategic thinkers. The statements of Indian policymakers and military generals  suggest a significant departure in its declaratory, if not its operational variation, from the official nuclear doctrine as revised in 203.

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT NO NUCLEAR STATE IN THE WORLD IS TOTALLY IMMUNE TO SECURITY THREATS TO ITS NUCLEAR ASSETS, OR TO THE SIMPLE RISK OF SAFETY RELATED ACCIDENT. 

Influenced by a strong scientific community, India is moving away from its unequivocal policies of no first use (NFU) and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent, India’s development of its nuclear delivery capabilities can further play a destabilizing role by triggering a nuclear arms race in the region. Because of its geopolitical weight, New Delhi’s choices will have significant implications both for deterrence stability in the region and the future of the evolving world nuclear order.

The Indian nuclear establishment has also ditched its long-held claim of maintaining a credible minimum deterrent. Although much confusion surrounds what minimum means  in numbers credible minimum deterrence is no longer the driving aim of India’s nuclear doctrine. Achieving a credible minimum deterrent towards both of its primary strategic adversaries, China and Pakistan means substantially different levels of capability. What is credible toward China will not be minimum toward Pakistan and what is minimum toward Pakistan cannot be credible toward China. The probability of a major war with China is not very high so India’s nuclear posture should be framed keeping in view its primary deterrent adversary which is Pakistan and against whom they initially wanted to build a credible minimum deterrent. In addition, China is so advanced in nuclear capability that perhaps India will never be able to match China’s nuclear arsenal or delivery capability. But the prevailing attitudes toward nuclear weaponry among Indian nuclear security managers betray an over-obsession with China. such attitude will achieve nothing and start an unending nuclear arms race in South Asia. India’s conventional superiority could easily deter Pakistan from any attack against India, so India’s nuclear capability never had a strategic justification but was a desire for prestige.

There is no gainsaying the fact that India’s nuclear establishment is going down this potentially dangerous path due to the overriding influence of nuclear Scientifics and technical bureaucracies. Like Pakistan, the Civilian  political leadership due to complications of domestic politics, is not in a position to exercise authority over India’s vast  nuclear establishment.

On the other hand, the security of Pakistan’s nuclear programme has always received attention in the international media due to domestic political instability and growing international militant threats. There is little public discussion about  threats to the security of India’s huge civilian and military nuclear infrastructure. Instead, an overriding assumption exists that relevant agencies in India provide enough security to nuclear infrastructure. The fact of the matter is that no nuclear state in the world is totally immune to security threats to its nuclear assets, or to the simple risk of safety-related accidents. Giving the rapid growth of India’s nuclear arsenal over the past few years, different homegrown insurgents and militants have the potential to compromise India’s nuclear security. But there is no public information available about practical measures taken by New Delhi to counter internal threats to its nuclear weapons.

The current changes in India’s strategic posture and deployment patterns, whether politically sanctioned or not will surely force China and Pakistan to respond in ways that will likely prove determinate to  Indian and global security. India has been modernizing and expanding its forces both vertically and horizontally. Despite the world attention focused India’s nuclear doctrine may convert the terrorism. The mad pursuit of research Defense is totally inconsistent with anodic ability and uncertainty. Both India and Pakistan should halt expansion of their nuclear arsenals in order to enhance regional security.