Draft Report of
         National Security Advisory Board on Indian Nuclear Doctrine

August 17, 1999

1. Preamble
2. Objectives
3. Nuclear Forces
4. Credibility and Survivability
5. Command and Control
6. Security and Safety
7. Research and Development
8. Disarmament and Arms Control

Preamble
1.1. The use of nuclear weapons in particular as well as other weapons
of mass destruction constitutes the gravest threat to humanity and to
peace and stability in the international system. Unlike the other two
categories of weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical
weapons which have been outlawed by international treaties, nuclear
weapons remain instruments for national and collective security, the
possession of which on a selective basis has been sought to be
legitimised through permanent extension of the Nuclear.
Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) in May 1995. Nuclear weapon states have
asserted that they will continue to rely on nuclear weapons with some
of them adopting policies to use them even in a non-nuclear context.
These developments amount to virtual abandonment of nuclear
disarmament. This is a serious setback to the struggle of the
international community to abolish weapons of mass destruction. 

1.2. India's primary objective is to achieve economic, political, 
social, scientific and technological development within a peaceful 
and democratic framework. This requires an environment of durable 
peace and insurance against potential risks to peace and stability. 
It will be India's endeavour to proceed towards this overall 
objective in cooperation with the global democratic trends and to 
play a constructive role in advancing the international system toward 
a just, peaceful and equitable order. 

1.3. Autonomy of decision making in the developmental process and in 
strategic matters is an inalienable democratic right of the Indian 
people. India will strenuously guard this right in a world where 
nuclear weapons for a select few are sought to be legitimised for an 
indefinite future, and where there is growing complexity and 
frequency in the use of force for political purposes. 

1.4. India's security is an integral component of its development 
process. India continuously aims at promoting an ever-expanding area 
of peace and stability around it so that developmental priorities can 
be pursued without disruption. 

1.5. However, the very existence of offensive doctrine pertaining to 
the first use of nuclear weapons and the insistence of some nuclear 
weapons states on the legitimacy of their use even against 
non-nuclear weapon countries constitute a threat to peace, stability 
and 

1.6. This document outlines the broad principles for the 
development, deployment and employment of India's nuclear forces. 
Details of policy and strategy concerning force structures, 
deployment and employment of nuclear forces will flow from this 
framework and will be laid down separately and kept under constant 
review.


2. Objectives
2.1. In the absence of global nuclear disarmament India's strategic
interests require effective, credible nuclear deterrence and adequate
retaliatory capability should deterrence fail. This is consistent with
the UN Charter, which sanctions the right of self-defence. 

2.2. The requirements of deterrence should be carefully weighed in 
the design of Indian nuclear forces and in the strategy to provide 
for a level of capability consistent with maximum credibility, 
survivability, effectiveness, safety and security. 

2.3. India shall pursue a doctrine of credible minimum nuclear 
deterrence. In this policy of "retaliation only", the survivability 
of our arsenal is critical. This is a dynamic concept related to the 
strategic environment, technological imperatives and the needs of 
national security. The actual size components, deployment and 
employment of nuclear forces will be decided in the light of these 
factors. India's peacetime posture aims at convincing any potential 
aggressor that :

(a) any threat of use of nuclear weapons against India shall invoke
measures to counter the threat: and 

(b) any nuclear attack on India and its forces shall result in 
punitive retaliation with nuclear weapons to inflict damage 
unacceptable to the aggressor. 

2.4. The fundamental purpose of Indian nuclear weapons is to deter 
the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons by any State or entity 
against India and its forces. India will not be the first to initiate 
a nuclear strike, but will respond with punitive retaliation should 
deterrence fail. 

2.5. India will not resort to the use or threat of use of nuclear 
weapons against States which do not possess nuclear weapons, or are 
not aligned with nuclear weapon powers. 

2.6. Deterrence requires that India maintain: 

(a) Sufficient, survivable and operationally prepared nuclear forces, 

(b) a robust command and control system, 

(c) effective intelligence and early warning capabilities, and 

(d) comprehensive planning and training for operations in line with 
the strategy, and 

(e) the will to employ nuclear forces and weapons 

2.7. Highly effective conventional military capabilities shall be 
maintained to raise the threshold of outbreak both of conventional 
military conflict as well as that of threat or use of nuclear 
weapons.


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 deterrence. These forces will be based on
a triad of aircraft, mobile land-based missiles and sea-based assets
in keeping with the objectives outlined above.

Survivability of the forces will be enhanced by a combination of 
multiple redundant systems, mobility, dispersion 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 deterrent be 
maximised through synergy among all elements 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 delivery systems shall be 
ensured. 

5.4. The survivability of the nuclear arsenal and effective 
command, control, communications, computing, intelligence and 
information (C4I2) systems shall be assured. 

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/detonation assessment.


6. Security and Safety
6.1. Security: Extraordinary precautions shall be taken to ensure that
nuclear weapons, their manufacture, transportation 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 appropriate 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 development to keep
up with technological advances in this field. 

7.2. While India is committed to maintain the deployment 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 persuade other States 
possessing nuclear weapons to join an international treaty banning 
first use. 

8.3. Having provided unqualified negative security assurances, India 
shall work for internationally binding unconditional 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, negotiated and instituted.