The Hindu : Nuclear command system credible: India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 08, 2003

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Nuclear command system credible: India

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI Jan. 7. India has effective command and control over its atomic arsenal but to ensure effective deterrence of adversaries, it will not reveal additional details on how the system would respond in the event of a nuclear attack, authoritative sources here have said.

Reacting to the criticism that there may be less than meets the eye in the nature of India's nuclear control system unveiled over the weekend by the Government, the sources say credible alternative lines of command at the political and military levels have been fully worked out.

If there is a nuclear attack that targets the nation's leadership, "the alternative nuclear command authority will be in a position to take charge'' and ensure massive retaliation against the adversary, the sources say.

They added that "there could be more than one alternative command structure'' to make certain that an Indian nuclear riposte would inevitably follow an atomic attack on the nation.

When pressed for more information on the command and control system, the sources said that there must be an "effective balance between considerations of secrecy and transparency''. If the adversary "knows there are alternative arrangements but not where'' he would be deterred from launching the attack, the sources insisted.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Government had said that a Political Council headed by the Prime Minister "is the sole body which can authorise the use of nuclear weapons''. The sources suggested that the Political Council would in essence be the present Cabinet Committee on Security.

The Executive Council, which will provide inputs to the Political Council and carry out its orders, is the pivot of the nuclear command and control system.

Headed by the National Security Adviser, it will consist of both senior civil servants and top representatives from the military. It will meet frequently and apprise the political leadership, the sources say.

Orders have gone out for the appointment of a Commander in Chief of the Strategic Forces Command which will control the nuclear systems. The command will be a mixed one with representation from the three military services.

Sources say that in the present scheme of things, a political decision on nuclear weapons will go through the Executive Council to the Strategic Forces Command. The C-in-C of the Command will report to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee.

"We believe we have a good structure in place'', the sources declared. "As always, there will be a process of evolution. As we gain experience, we could consider a few changes in the nuclear command and control system,'' they added.

Indicating that a basic system had already been in place for a while, the sources said "both during the Kargil crisis in the summer of 1999 and the recent military confrontation with Pakistan, India was in a position to retaliate with nuclear weapons if the need arose.''

But the sources rushed to add, "we were fairly sure that Pakistan would not go down that road''. They also dismissed the reported remarks of the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, that India was deterred by the nuclear threat from Pakistan.

No such threat was conveyed to India through the crisis by interlocutors from the United States and Great Britain, as claimed by Gen. Musharraf, the sources claimed.

Asked about the potential of an accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons in the Indian arsenal, the sources insisted that "on both the security and safety aspects of nuclear weapons, we have fool-proof mechanisms''.

When questioned about the security of nuclear weapons in Pakistan, the assessment here is that the U.S. might be involved in ensuring that these dangerous weapons do not fall into the hands of jehadis.

Rejecting the charge that there were gaping holes in India's nuclear weapons programme, the sources say both Pakistan and the world know that there is "methodical progress'' in building up India's nuclear capabilities and there is no pressure from any international quarter to pare it down.

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