Publication - 1 May, 2003
Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University
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Executive summary: Since the 1998 nuclear tests, India and Pakistan have engaged in a slow but steady arms race, graduallyconsolidating their nuclear weapon infrastructure. In the case of India, there have been three noteworthydevelopments, all aimed at operationalizing its nuclear arsenal for prompt use. The first is the official announcementof a formal nuclear doctrine and a command and control structure to manage nuclear decisions. The second is theincreasing role played by the military and the preliminary efforts at making detailed operational nuclear plans. Thethird is the continued development of ballistic missiles and acquisition of aircraft to deliver nuclear weapons andpreparations to deploy them with nuclear weapons on a regular basis. Such deployment would considerably worsenthe already tense security situation, which has been marked by repeated military crises between Pakistan and India,all prominently featuring nuclear threats.
Num. pages: 4