Missile Defence

The US pursuit of missile defence in order to counter and/or hedge against Iran's ballistic missile capabilities coupled with concerns generated by its nuclear programme has had significant strategic consequences. Iran on its part has pursued these capabilities as part of its asymmetric strategy to overcome its strategic vulnerabilities flowing from US encirclement, short-comings in force levels vis-a-vis neighbours and resource constraints in building effective conventional forces.

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv
• Monograph

A tactical new missile in Tibet may be a good thing for China’s defence industry, but it is definitely not a good thing for India-China relations or for regional security.

• Bijoy Das
• July 30, 2012
• IDSA Comments

A decision to conduct an ASAT test has to be a nuanced one considering the strategic advantages such a test could offer and the diplomatic elbow room that it would give during negotiations on a space arms control mechanism.

• Ajey Lele
• July 11, 2012
• IDSA Comments

German V-1 rockets raining over London and Russian self-propelled Katyusha rockets pulverising German forces on the eastern front are enduring images of the Second World War. After 1945, it seemed the rudimentary technologies embodied in these projectiles were poised to take off. Instead, it would take several decades for these rockets to transform into smart and lethal battlefield weapons. Cruise Missiles: Evolution, Proliferation and Future traces the emergence and evolution of this unsung weapon system, and makes a timely and useful contribution to contemporary security literature.

• Zorawar Daulet Singh
• July 2012
• Journal of Defence Studies

The Agni-V launch is a significant milestone for the Indian scientific community as this is the first missile with a strike-range covering major Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

• Abhijit Singh
• April 23, 2012
• IDSA Comments

After assessing the weaknesses and gaps in Chinese capabilities and highlighting the positions of advantage that India enjoys, this essay proposes a strategy for a strong riposte against any Chinese adventurism.

• Lalit Kumar
• January 17, 2012
• Policy Brief

It makes little sense whether a strategic or tactical nuclear weapon is used by Pakistan, since India’s general response would be to carry out a punitive attack on the adversary.

• Reshmi Kazi
• August 19, 2011
• IDSA Comments

The commentary addresses the pros and cons of Pakistan’s development of Nasr and concludes that it can be neutralised by India through innovative measures.

• Ali Ahmed
• August 17, 2011
• IDSA Comments

The impasse over missile defence, CFE and NATO expansion has led to a stalemate in talks to reduce tactical nuclear weapons.

• Joyce Sabina Lobo
• March 17, 2011
• IDSA Comments

The durability of the New START will depend largely on how both sides value it as a means towards disarmament rather than for strategic competition.

• A. Vinod Kumar
• January 07, 2011
• IDSA Comments