Even in the event of a nuclear strike by a hostile neighbour, the Indian Army has developed the ability to march through contaminated areas and strike back at the enemy. This is significant given that Pakistan has been trying to build more nuclear warheads to negate the Indian Army’s traditional edge in conventional forces.
This also means a nuclear attack will not cripple the Indian Army or stop it launching retaliatory operations.
In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, Gen. V.K. Singh, Chief of Army Staff, said: “Even if there is a (nuclear) strike in a particular area, we have developed a capability to move a certain force level ... which will not get affected (even if) the area is contaminated.” Pakistan has recently been trying to accumulate more nuclear warheads to give it a military edge. It is resisting pressure from the Americans, who are alarmed that the Pakistani arsenal could fall into the hands of terror groups like the Taliban.
Pakistan feels its nuclear arsenal prevented a no-holds-barred war with India following its 1999 Kargil intrusions and the Indian Army’s Operation Parakram in 2001-02.
But Gen. Singh said India was supremely confident of its own nuclear deterrence capabilities. “No country in the world will use it (nuclear arsenal) immediately despite whatever they say. They (Pakistan) can keep accumulating what they want to. I’m sure, as our policy goes, you have enough retaliatory triad (ability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air and sea) to cater for such an attack.” Gen. Singh doesn’t believe Pakistan will ever launch a nuclear attack. “Are they going to start a war with a nuclear strike? I don’t think so,” he said, adding: “If somebody throws something at you, I’m quite sure we are capable enough to retaliate in equal measure.”
Subject to clearance from the political leadership, the tri-services Strategic Forces Command has to operationalise India’s nuclear weapons. India already has a declared “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons, thus it will only launch a strike in retaliation. It can already launch nuclear weapons from land and air, and is on the threshold of developing the capability to launch these from sea as well.