India Introduces Proposed Nuclear Strike Policy

Indian officials Tuesday made public a proposal for a national nuclear doctrine under which only the elected prime minister would have the power to authorize a nuclear strike and India would use such weapons only if attacked by another nuclear power.

The six-page proposal by the National Security Advisory Board, released 15 months after India and regional rival Pakistan staged successive nuclear weapons tests, also proposed that India will develop a “triad” system in which nuclear weapons could be delivered by missiles based on land, planes and submarines.

The muscular language and unexpected timing of the announcement seemed aimed in part at warning Pakistan that a nuclear strike on India would trigger nuclear retaliation. While officials emphasized that the statement was not aimed at any specific country, it came after months of clashes with Pakistan.

The proposal, which has not yet been approved by the 27-member advisory board and would not take effect until a new government is formed after next month’s elections, was the Indian government’s first formal declaration on the subject of nuclear weapons policy.

The United States reacted coolly to Tuesday’s announcement. State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said the United States was not consulted on the document.