3. Nuclear Forces

3.1. India’s nuclear forces will be effective, enduring,
diverse, flexible, and responsive to the requirements in
accordance with the concept of credible minimum deter-
rence. These forces will be based on a triad of aircraft,
mobile land-based missiles and sea-based assets in keep-
ing with the objectives outlined above.

Survivability of the forces will be enhanced by a combi-
nation of multiple redundant systems, mobility, disper-
sion and deception.

3.2. The doctrine envisages assured capability to shift
from peacetime deployment to fully employable forces in
the shortest possible time, and the ability to retaliate
effectively even in a case of significant degradation by
hostile strikes.

4. Credibility and Survivability

The following principles are central to India’s nuclear
deterrent

4.1. Credibility: Any adversary must know that India
can and will retaliate with sufficient nuclear weapons to
inflict destruction and punishment that the aggressor will
find unacceptable if nuclear weapons are used against
India and its forces.

4.2. Effectiveness: The efficacy of India’s nuclear de-
terrent be maximised through synergy among all ele-
ments involving reliability, timeliness, accuracy and weight
of the attack.

4.3 Survivability:

(i) India’s nuclear forces and their command and control
shall be organised for very high survivability against
surprise attacks and for rapid punitive response. They
shall be designed and deployed to ensure survival
against a first strike and to endure repetitive attrition
attempts with adequate retaliatory capabilities for a
punishing strike which would be unacceptable to the
aggressor.

(ii) Procedures for the continuity of nuclear command
and control shall ensure a continuing capability to
effectively employ nuclear weapons.

5. Command and Control

5.1. Nuclear weapons shall be tightly controlled and
released for use at the highest political level. the authority
to release nuclear weapons for use resides in the person
of the Prime Minister of India, or the designated
successor(s).

5.2. An effective and survivable command and control
system with requisite flexibility and responsiveness shall
be in place. An integrated operational plan, or a series of
sequential plans, predicated on strategic objectives and a
targetting policy shall form part of the system.

5.3. For effective employment the unity of command
and control of nuclear forces including dual capable de-
livery systems shall be ensured.

5.4. The survivability of the nuclear arsenal and effec-
tive command, control, communications, computing, in-

telligence and information (C412) systems shall be as-
sured,

5.5. The Indian defence forces shall be in a position to,
execute operations in an NBC environment with minimal
degradation;

5.6. Space based and other assets shall be created to
provide early warning, communications, damage/deto-
nation assessment.

6. Security and Safety

6.1. Security: Extraordinary precautions shall be taken
to ensure that nuclear weapons, their manufacture, trans-
portation and storage are fully guarded against possible
theft, loss, sabotage, damage or unauthorised access or
use.

6.2. Safety is an absolute requirement and tamper proof
procedures and systems shall be instituted to ensure that
unauthorised or inadvertent activation/use of nuclear
weapons does not take place and risks of accident are
avoided.

6.3. Disaster control: India shall develop an appropri-
ate disaster control system capable of handling the unique
requirements of potential incidents involving nuclear
weapons and materials;

7. Research and Development

7.1. India should step up efforts in research and devel-
opment to keep up with technological advances in this
field.

7.2. While India is committed to maintain the deploy-
ment of a deterrent which is both minimum and credible,
it will not accept any restraints on building its R&D
capability.

8. Disarmament and Arms Control

8.1. Global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear
disarmament is a national security objective. India shall
continue its efforts to achieve the goal of a nuclear
weapon-free world at an early date.

8.2. Since no-first use of nuclear weapons is India’s
basic commitment, every effort shall be made to per-
suade other States possessing nuclear weapons to join
an international treaty banning first use.

8.3. Having provided unqualified negative security as-
surances, India shall work for internationally binding un-
conditional negative security assurances by nuclear
weapon states to non-nuclear weapon states.

8.4. Nuclear arms control measures shall be sought as
part of national security policy to reduce potential threats
and to protect our own capability and its effectiveness.

8.5. In view of the very high destructive potential of
nuclear weapons, appropriate nuclear risk reduction and
confidence building measures shall be sought, negoti-
ated and instituted.

INDIA NEWS © October 1,1999 3