India Establishes Formal Nuclear Command Structure
For the first time since declaring itself a nuclear-weapon state
in 1998, India publicly announced a formal nuclear command structure
under civilian control January 4. It had previously been assumed
that India’s nuclear arsenal was under civilian control, but
little was known about the country’s chain of command.
India has been in the process of developing a formal command structure
for some time, and it is unclear whether the newly announced command
structure existed secretly before and is now being publicly announced
or whether it is newly established.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India has established
a Nuclear Command Authority that includes a Political Council and
an Executive Council. India’s prime minister chairs the Political
Council, and it is the only body with authority to order a nuclear
strike. The national security adviser chairs the Executive Council,
which advises the Nuclear Command Authority and carries out orders
from the Political Council.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which approved
the announcement of the new command structure, also approved on
January 4 the appointment of a commander-in-chief of the Strategic
Forces Command to take charge of the nuclear arsenal. It is expected
that a senior Air Force officer will be nominated for the position.
India’s announcement reiterates several established elements
of India’s nuclear weapons policy, including its goal of a
“credible minimum deterrent” and its “no first use”
policy, which states that India will only use nuclear weapons in
retaliation for a nuclear attack on Indian territory or forces.
The announcement included a new caveat to that policy, however:
India now says it “will retain the option” of using nuclear
weapons to retaliate against a biological or chemical weapons attack
against India.
Although the announcement provides a clear public picture of India’s
basic nuclear command structure, some questions remain. The Ministry
of External Affairs indicated that the CCS “approved the arrangements
for alternate chains of command for retaliatory nuclear strikes
in all eventualities”—possibly referring to a case in
which the prime minister might be incapacitated during a nuclear
crisis. It is unclear what the alternate chains of command might
be and whether they are civilian or military.
Aziz Ahmad Khan, spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign office,
said January 6 that India’s establishment of a command and
control system is long overdue, Pakistan’s Daily Times
reported. Pakistan has a formal, military command structure with
President General Pervez Musharraf as the final authority. Musharraf
took power in an October 1999 coup.
Last spring, as tensions intensified, the international community
became concerned that a months-long military standoff between India
and Pakistan could escalate to a nuclear confrontation. India and
Pakistan first announced that they had conducted nuclear weapons
tests in 1998, although India conducted what it called a “peaceful
nuclear explosion” in 1974.
