Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapon: Conflict Redux

Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapon: Conflict Redux
Author: Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal
Publisher: KW Publishers Pvt Ltd
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9385714678

Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs), often referred to as “battlefield”, “sub-strategic”, or “non-strategic” nuclear weapons, usually have a plutonium core and are typically distinct from strategic nuclear weapons. Therefore, they warrant a separate consideration in the realm of nuclear security. The yield of such weapons is generally lower than that of strategic nuclear weapons and may range from the relatively low 0.1 kiloton to a few kilotons. Pakistan’s quest to acquire tactical nuclear weapons has added a dangerous dimension to the already precarious strategic equation in South Asia. The security discourse in the subcontinent revolves around the perennial apprehension of a conventional or sub-conventional conflict triggering a chain reaction, eventually paving the way for a potential nuclear crisis haunting peace and stability in the region. Pakistan believes that the successful testing of the 60-km nuclear-capable short-range m issile Hatf-9 (Nasr) “adds deterrence value to Pakistan’s strategic weapons development programme at shorter ranges.” In paradox, the fact remains that this step has further lowered Pakistan’s nuclear threshold through the likely use of TNWs. The introduction of TNWs into the tactical battle area further exacerbates credibility of their control. Pakistan has not formally declared a nuclear doctrine, but it is well known that nuclear weapons are its first line of defence. The use of TNWs in the India-Pakistan case will alter the strategic scenario completely as Pakistan would threaten India with the use of TNWs in the event of New Delhi responding against Islamabad with a conventional strike in reaction to a 26/11-style terrorist attack. Pakistan forgets that given its offensive strategic posture and continuing involvement in terror strikes in India, it is New Delhi which is confronted with the problem of developing a strategy to counter Pakistan’s “first-strike” and proxy war in the light of its declared “no-first-use” policy. This edited volume attempts to address and decipher complex issues, including aspects such as China’s WMD collaboration with Pakistan, nuclear command and control dynamics within Pakistan, overall rationale and implications of TNWs, safety and security of nuclear weapons, scenarios for nuclear usage, India’s potential response options and, more specifically, the technical aspects of the Nasr delivery system.

Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapons
Author: Gurmeet Kanwal
Publisher: K W Publishers Pvt Limited
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2014
Genre: India
ISBN: 9789381904763

Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs), often referred to as "battlefield," "sub-strategic," or "non-strategic" nuclear weapons, usually have a plutonium core and are typically distinct from strategic nuclear weapons. Therefore, they warrant a separate consideration in the realm of nuclear security. The yield of such weapons is generally lower than that of strategic nuclear weapons and may range from the relatively low 0.1 kiloton to a few kilotons. Pakistan's quest to acquire tactical nuclear weapons has added a dangerous dimension to the already precarious strategic equation in South Asia. The security discourse in the subcontinent revolves around the perennial apprehension of a conventional or sub-conventional conflict triggering a chain reaction, eventually paving the way for a potential nuclear crisis haunting peace and stability in the region. Pakistan believes that the successful testing of the 60-km nuclear-capable short-range missile Hatf-9 (Nasr) "adds deterrence value to Pakistan's strategic weapons development programme at shorter ranges." In paradox, the fact remains that this step has further lowered Pakistan's nuclear threshold through the likely use of TNWs. The introduction of TNWs into the tactical battle area further exacerbates credibility of their control. Pakistan has not formally declared a nuclear doctrine, but it is well known that nuclear weapons are its first line of defence. The use of TNWs in the India-Pakistan case will alter the strategic scenario completely as Pakistan would threaten India with the use of TNWs in the event of New Delhi responding against Islamabad with a conventional strike in reaction to a 26/11-style terrorist attack. Pakistan forgets that given its offensive strategic posture and continuing involvement in terror strikes in India, it is New Delhi which is confronted with the problem of developing a strategy to counter Pakistan's "first-strike" and proxy war in the light of its declared "no-first-use" policy. This edited volume attempts to address and decipher complex issues, including aspects such as China's WMD collaboration with Pakistan, nuclear command and control dynamics within Pakistan, overall rationale and implications of TNWs, safety and security of nuclear weapons, scenarios for nuclear usage, India's potential response options and, more specifically, the technical aspects of the Nasr delivery system.

India and Nuclear Asia

India and Nuclear Asia
Author: Yogesh Joshi
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2018-11-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1626166188

India's nuclear profile, doctrine, and practices have evolved rapidly since the country’s nuclear breakout in 1998. However, the outside world's understanding of India's doctrinal debates, forward-looking strategy, and technical developments are still two decades behind the present. India and Nuclear Asia will fill that gap in our knowledge by focusing on the post-1998 evolution of Indian nuclear thought, its arsenal, the triangular rivalry with Pakistan and China, and New Delhi's nonproliferation policy approaches. Yogesh Joshi and Frank O'Donnell show how India's nuclear trajectory has evolved in response to domestic, regional, and global drivers. The authors argue that emerging trends in all three states are elevating risks of regional inadvertent and accidental escalation. These include the forthcoming launch of naval nuclear forces within an environment of contested maritime boundaries; the growing employment of dual-use delivery vehicles; and the emerging preferences of all three states to employ missiles early in a conflict. These dangers are amplified by the near-absence of substantive nuclear dialogue between these states, and the growing ambiguity of regional strategic intentions. Based on primary-source research and interviews, this book will be important reading for scholars and students of nuclear deterrence and India's international relations, as well as for military, defense contractor, and policy audiences both within and outside South Asia.

India-Pakistan Strategic Relations

India-Pakistan Strategic Relations
Author: Christoph Mumtaz, Uzma Bluth
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2020-05-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3838214137

India and Pakistan have been in a state of persistent conflict that goes back to the very creation of these states after decolonization. This conflict has resulted in several wars and continuing armed clashes. After both states became nuclear powers, one would have expected a fundamental change in the way they wage war, since it is a fundamental principle of International Relations theory that nuclear-armed states do not go to war with each other. But the situation in South Asia seems to defy this principle. India’s conventional superiority should be neutralized by Pakistan’s nuclear capability, while Pakistan’s risk-taking behavior should be reduced. But as a matter of fact, the situation has turned out quite differently: Although large-scale conventional wars have not occurred, the nuclear status seems to have encouraged conflict and risk-taking. The number of armed clashes rose. Bluth and Mumtaz scrutinize the atypical and seemingly paradoxical impact of nuclearization on the conflict between India and Pakistan, paying extra attention on the question of how stable this paradoxical strategic relationship is. They demonstrate that the dominant paradigm used in the International Relations literature is by far not adequate to explain the strategic relations between India and Pakistan and set to work on developing a more coherent explanation. A must-read for everyone interested in International Relations and conflict resolution research.

Pakistan

Pakistan
Author: Musa Khan Jalalzai
Publisher: Vij Books India Pvt Ltd
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2018-07-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 938645792X

"Pakistan is teetering on the brink. The country's staggering and lurching foreign policy has failed to evolve with changing political and geopolitical developments. The army and ISI lack coherent and long-term national security approach. The prolixity of the Afghan war and participation of Pakistan's jihadist black-water in it has blighted its social and political stratification. Its domestic policies are in a grief-stricken state. The two states (Islamic Republic and Military Establishment) have adopted different foreign, domestic and economic policies, and view neighbouring states with different glasses. The gradual radicalization of Pakistan army and its links with worldwide terrorist organizations over the last 70 years, poses a grave danger to the country's nuclear installations in terms of insider attacks. The spectrum of rogue and radicalized elements range from military officers to employees of Strategic Planning Division and officers of nuclear force. These aspects have been elaborated by the author in this book. The book can be an essential reading for every reader interested in Pakistan’s nuclear program and its threat of falling into hands of rogue elements."

CLAWS Journal

CLAWS Journal
Author: Raj Shukla
Publisher: IndraStra Global e-Journal Hosting Services
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2022-12-31
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

The CLAWS Journal Winter 2022 is focussed on strategic, conceptual and technological aspects of development of military capabilities. We need to examine security makeover and a road map for securing rise of India as a developed nation in near future. With assertive China on our northern borders, there is a need to visualise the context and contours of India’s future wars. Nuclear deterrence remains relevant for India to maintain strategic stability especially against assertive China. At the same time Indian military should incorporate non-contact warfare as a strategy to fight multi-domain wars.

Securing India's Rise

Securing India's Rise
Author: Kamal Davar
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2021-06-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9354350542

Currently, the world, and more so the South Asian region, is unquestionably, gravely stressed geopolitically. As India confronts myriad and formidable challenges to its economic well-being and security, it has to synergise its genius and resources not only for its survival and sustenance but to be counted in the comity of nations where, by any standards, it deserves a seat on the global high table. Securing India's Rise, edited by one of India's leading military experts, Lt General Kamal Davar, is a labour of love and dedication to the glory of India in its march towards self-realisation as a nation not only for itself but to contribute towards global peace and harmony. Nineteen eminent Indians from diverse fields have contributed to this volume focusing on their areas of expertise-the lessons from each, if implemented, will contribute to ensuring India's inevitable rise. A path-breaking anthology, this is a must-read for intellectuals and those in the establishment, citizens, especially the youth, and all those who believe that India's rise has to be secured for itself and the good of the region and the world.

Diplomatic Strategies of Nations in the Global South

Diplomatic Strategies of Nations in the Global South
Author: Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 456
Release: 2016-10-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1137452269

At a time of change in the international system, this book examines how non-traditional leading nations from the Global South have fared to date and what the chances are of their rise to continue. In the second decade of the twenty-first century, the enthusiasm of observers of the international scene about the “rise of the rest” is waning as many countries that were expected to lead the evolving multipolar order are experiencing economic contraction and governance problems. In order to predict further developments, the contributors to this volume focus on the types and sources of the diplomatic strategies that must be executed by rising states if they are to preserve domestic advances as well as gain influence regionally and internationally. Through a comprehensive examination of case studies from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, they show that while there are commonalities among these rising states, unique domestic conditions, values, and traditions impact and predict diplomatic strategizing and the ability for sustained projection on the international scene.

China, Japan, and Senkaku Islands

China, Japan, and Senkaku Islands
Author: Monika Chansoria
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2018-02-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 135101143X

Tracing the genesis of the Senkaku Islands in the memoirs of history, and its potential future, in the backdrop of the East China Sea’s brewing dispute, this book chronicles the journey of Sino-Japanese relations in the explicit context of the Senkaku Islands. The evolving power transition dynamics in East Asia render Washington the lynchpin of Tokyo’s diplomatic and security strategy, and vice versa. Conversely, China is abrasively displaying an almost predictable geo-strategic pattern and strategy of enforcing territorial claims across Asia, keeping it just below the threshold of provoking conflict, whilst testing the tenacity of existential status quoist norms. Consequentially, the need to steer Asia towards a regional order that maintains stability in the power equilibrium, thereby challenging a visibly coercive Sino-centric vision of the future Asia, especially within the Indo-Pacific, has become far more manifest than ever before. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The Prospect of Nuclear Jihad in South Asia

The Prospect of Nuclear Jihad in South Asia
Author: Musa Khan Jalalzai
Publisher: Algora Publishing
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2015-10-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1628941677

When we talk about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, armed forces and civilian governments, then controversies and uninvited misperceptions swirl in our minds. If we take in the broad picture, we inevitably conclude that not all is going in the right direction in the country; and that is because the army, politicians and the establishment perceive jihadism as a profitable business. They run this business of killings and torture through their proxies. While we study the militarized mind of Pakistani generals and recognize their resentment towards civilian governments, we find more controversies about the role of armed forces and their relationship with worldwide terrorist organizations. International journalist Musa Khan Jalalzai is ideally positioned to present us with a picture of what is actually afoot and what it means for the future. When we study the militarized mind of Pakistani generals and recognize their resentment towards civilian institutions, we find more controversies about the role of armed forces and their relationship with worldwide terrorist organizations. The Pakistan military controls the financial market, stock exchange, real estate business, banking sector, and smuggling of narcotics. Ethnic representation within the armed forces raises serious concerns. Some experts say this is not a national army but view it as the club of Pashtun and Punjabi generals. The army has failed to develop a true ethnic representation process or motivate Baloch and Sindhis to join the armed forces; but they certainly have gained experience in killing innocent civilians. Then there is the question of the Saudi investment in Pakistan's "Islamic" nuclear bomb. Saudi Arabia's link with Pakistan's nuclear and missile program has long been the source of speculation that Pakistan might either station nuclear forces on Saudi sand or provide a nuclear umbrella to the Wahabi state, in return for oil supply; or that the Saudis would purchase nuclear weapons from Pakistan. International journalist Musa Khan Jalalzai is ideally positioned to present us with a picture of what is actually afoot and what it means for the future.