Title: India: nuclear strategy and emerging challenges

Authors: Ashutosh Singh; Anurag Singh; Nitesh Kumar Adhichwal

Addresses: Amity School of Liberal Arts, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303002, India ' School of Business, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun 248013, Uttrakhand, India ' School of Business, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun 248013, Uttrakhand, India

Abstract: It is the hypothesis of this article that India's present officially declared nuclear doctrine of 'No First Use' is not viable in face of the military and strategic challenges the country faces and that a revision of the same is in order. This article will examine the various aspects of India's doctrine including 'Massive Nuclear Retaliation' and its viability in face of the present and emerging strategic threats. The article seeks to examine this in context of the evolution of the nuclear postures of various major nuclear powers since the dawn of the bomb and compare it with India's nuclear posture. A nuclear policy viability assessment will thus be carried out in this article, assessing various emerging threats to objectively gauge the credibility of the present doctrine to cope with such threats. Based on the comprehensive and analytical evaluation changes in India's nuclear doctrine will be recommended in the conclusion of this article.

Keywords: nuclear weapons and non-proliferation; strategy; threat assessment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGEI.2021.117034

International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2021 Vol.43 No.4, pp.419 - 429

Received: 18 Oct 2020
Accepted: 19 Feb 2021
Published online: 12 Aug 2021 *

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