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Emboldened by all out support to its nuclear ambitions by the US, India has signaled its intentions to back out from its long adopted policy on use of nuclear arms. No first use policy has apparently been ditched. While addressing a select audience at the Indian National Defence College as part of its golden jubilee celebrations in October last, the Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon heralded a change in Indian nuclear doctrine that pledges that there will be no first use against non-nuclear weapon states.
This collocation indicates a mordant departure from Indias official 2003 doctrine. This rendition means that India no longer adheres to a similar pledge against nuclear weapons states like China and Pakistan and that India has made a doctrinal shift towards its nuclear war fighting doctrine that had earlier vied for only retaliatory posture. As far as India is concerned its declared policy of no first use has always been for diplomatic consumption as it truly meant nothing.
It may have taken few countries for a ride as it allowed India the time to build up on its nuclear ambitions. Since hatching of the nuclear agreement with the United States India continues to try to fit in the US boots and tend to act like one. The United States has also never committed to the policy of NFU (No First Use) of nuclear weapons.
Coming from none other than the Indian national Security Advisor himself at the prestigious forum of Indian National Defence College, the revelation has sprung alarm amongst the regional nuclear powers on this doctrinal shift. The statement in fact means, henceforth, the conventional conflicts, with the nuclear-armed adversaries, will be deterred with the first use of nuclear weapons. Although there have been efforts to quell the fears of Indian doctrinal shift on first use of nuclear weapons yet, the idea that came in the open must have its roots somewhere in the Indian hierarchy of ever changing military doctrines. Various writers have tried to bury the matter as being reading too much into it with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao also negating the NSAs overtures on first use of nuclear weapons by saying on 11 January 2011 that India continues to maintain its policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.
Strange as it may sound Shiv Shankar Menons rendition is more and more being attributed to an innocuous typographical error on such important aspects by a budding regional power. Why this thought was aired at the highest national forum in the first place? One! To flex its muscles to provoke China that has constantly stood for NFU policy to react to the US like behavior by India and two! That India intends to follow suit on American perception on adoption of NFU (No First Use) policy on nuclear weapons.
Even thinking about the first use or no first use especially in the backdrop of recent Japanese traumatic nuclear crises is just unfortunate. Japans nuclear catastrophe post 8.8 magnitude earthquake has forced thousands to flee to safer places as radiation from the affected reactors has spread over large areas. India is hell bent to spread its nuclear energy infrastructure especially after America chose India as an exception to arm it with nuclear technology. Former US President George W. Bush had signed the deal into a US law in 2008. Since then, France, Russia and private US and Japanese firms have been locked in fierce competition to sell new reactors to India.
French company Areva has signed a $9.3 billion framework deal to supply the first two of Jaitapurs third generation pressurized water reactors, with the plant scheduled to begin production in 2018. The Jaitapurs project in the state of Maharashtra would be one of the biggest nuclear plants in the world with a total of six reactors providing 9,600 megawatts of power. If one has to learn from Japans nuclear crises, clustering of nuclear reactors especially in the coastal areas, India has to burn its mid night oil to ensure accident free operations of these reactors. Would India still persist on its nuclear expansion over hydro and wind resources, which it has many if properly exploited, to avoid possibilities of nuclear disasters, like the one in Japan on its soil, remains to be seen.
This collocation indicates a mordant departure from Indias official 2003 doctrine. This rendition means that India no longer adheres to a similar pledge against nuclear weapons states like China and Pakistan and that India has made a doctrinal shift towards its nuclear war fighting doctrine that had earlier vied for only retaliatory posture. As far as India is concerned its declared policy of no first use has always been for diplomatic consumption as it truly meant nothing.
It may have taken few countries for a ride as it allowed India the time to build up on its nuclear ambitions. Since hatching of the nuclear agreement with the United States India continues to try to fit in the US boots and tend to act like one. The United States has also never committed to the policy of NFU (No First Use) of nuclear weapons.
Coming from none other than the Indian national Security Advisor himself at the prestigious forum of Indian National Defence College, the revelation has sprung alarm amongst the regional nuclear powers on this doctrinal shift. The statement in fact means, henceforth, the conventional conflicts, with the nuclear-armed adversaries, will be deterred with the first use of nuclear weapons. Although there have been efforts to quell the fears of Indian doctrinal shift on first use of nuclear weapons yet, the idea that came in the open must have its roots somewhere in the Indian hierarchy of ever changing military doctrines. Various writers have tried to bury the matter as being reading too much into it with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao also negating the NSAs overtures on first use of nuclear weapons by saying on 11 January 2011 that India continues to maintain its policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.
Strange as it may sound Shiv Shankar Menons rendition is more and more being attributed to an innocuous typographical error on such important aspects by a budding regional power. Why this thought was aired at the highest national forum in the first place? One! To flex its muscles to provoke China that has constantly stood for NFU policy to react to the US like behavior by India and two! That India intends to follow suit on American perception on adoption of NFU (No First Use) policy on nuclear weapons.
Even thinking about the first use or no first use especially in the backdrop of recent Japanese traumatic nuclear crises is just unfortunate. Japans nuclear catastrophe post 8.8 magnitude earthquake has forced thousands to flee to safer places as radiation from the affected reactors has spread over large areas. India is hell bent to spread its nuclear energy infrastructure especially after America chose India as an exception to arm it with nuclear technology. Former US President George W. Bush had signed the deal into a US law in 2008. Since then, France, Russia and private US and Japanese firms have been locked in fierce competition to sell new reactors to India.
French company Areva has signed a $9.3 billion framework deal to supply the first two of Jaitapurs third generation pressurized water reactors, with the plant scheduled to begin production in 2018. The Jaitapurs project in the state of Maharashtra would be one of the biggest nuclear plants in the world with a total of six reactors providing 9,600 megawatts of power. If one has to learn from Japans nuclear crises, clustering of nuclear reactors especially in the coastal areas, India has to burn its mid night oil to ensure accident free operations of these reactors. Would India still persist on its nuclear expansion over hydro and wind resources, which it has many if properly exploited, to avoid possibilities of nuclear disasters, like the one in Japan on its soil, remains to be seen.
