Nukes protect India from blackmail by other powers, NSA Shivshankar Menon says

[LalTopi]

It was an explicit threat in 71, he tweeted.

Well, like you I assume then that Brahma must have access to some privilged information.
Worrying that a nuclear superpower threatens a non-nuclear state with nuclear weapons - and in support of Pakistan of all places. In fact its sickening.
Fully justifies India's nuclear and ABM weapons programmes.

 

[vishwaprasad]

It will not be same with US once we get nuclear submarines of our own and SLBMs and SLCMs.

As for Pakistan, its all bluff and bluster. No responsible nuclear state talks the way Pakistan does.

I do not think that our nuclear subs will scare US. Be it Akula or our Arihant class they are no where close to Sea Wolf or Virginia class of USN. Our SLBM's will be no way comparable to US Tridents. P8I's will fly on their mercy if we try to use it against at least US. My point is US is not stupid to take a toll on big country like India but in my honest opinion our leaders have no ball either. If push comes to shove like sending 7th USN fleet in bay of bengal, most likely our weak leadership will be succumbed to the US pressure. I feel really bad when I have to say this.

 

[Yusuf]

Well, like you I assume then that Brahma must have access to some privilged information.
Worrying that a nuclear superpower threatens a non-nuclear state with nuclear weapons - and in support of Pakistan of all places. In fact its sickening.
Fully justifies India's nuclear and ABM weapons programmes.

It was in 71 when india was in the "opposite" camp. No issues now

 

[Bhadra]

The only explicit threat came in 1971. It was not from Soviet Union off course.

The threat to use nukes came many times...
In 1987 during EX BRASSTACKS
During Rubia Sayed kidnap when VP Singh was the PM
During EX PARAKRAM
During KARGIL

 

[The Messiah]

It was in 71 when india was in the "opposite" camp. No issues now

Al-qaeda is also in "opposite" camp but they still seem to get support from the yanks.

camps can change anytime!

 

[Yusuf]

The threat to use nukes came many times...
In 1987 during EX BRASSTACKS
During Rubia Sayed kidnap when VP Singh was the PM
During EX PARAKRAM
During KARGIL

Chellany says that the explicit threat was in 71.

Yeah the rest of the threats were pretty much there. But the Americans are use to saying bomb you to stone age and that is what may have happened in 71. Pakis wont dare say that, rather sneak up on us.

 

[agentperry]

It takes a lot more than that to dent delhi

5 MT is more than sufficient to take away delhi ncr and not just lutyen delhi

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Yeah but Pakis doesn't have ICBMs and BMD against an MIRVed ICBM would be a tough job to be done.

So far as blackmail from developed countries is concerned yes! nukes+accurate delivery platforms like Agni series have protected us from being blackmailed.

Only from Pakistanis not the world.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

US has got more ways to play with India than to threaten with Nuclear Weapons.

There has been asymetric warfare going on against India for decades that has
been unaddressed by Indian Govt . I don't see nukes being helpful
against this asymetric warfare that still exists today.

 

[roma]

There has been asymetric warfare going on against India for decades that has
been unaddressed by Indian Govt . I don't see nukes being helpful
against this asymetric warfare that still exists today.

HI There LF - good to see you around !

the assymetry you wrote above is the rather sad way i used to feel in the 70's and 80's , but dont you think that since the 90's it has since changed - and quite radically too ?

personally i seem to feel that the economic growth in india plus radicalization in other parts of the world ( read as jihadism ) both pre and of course post september 11 has totally and i mean TOTALLY reversed the scenario now in favour of india

mind you all this is happening quite apart from any influence from the goi

merely india keeping a steady head in the midst of all the radicalism has earned them these new attitudes from the "west"

i thought that you being iin the usa would have felt it too

here in europe , india is preferred ( from a strategic point of view, including nukes ) head over heels over pakistan or any other middle-eastern country

would be glad to hear your take on that - cheers !

 

[LETHALFORCE]

HI There LF - good to see you around !

the assymetry you wrote above is the rather sad way i used to feel in the 70's and 80's , but dont you think that since the 90's it has since changed - and quite radically too ?

I will give you some examples why I think it is worst today especially with India increasing Economic
clout the asymetric warfare maybe more active here are some fairly recent examples:

Godhra
Mumbai Jihad
Northeast panic
600 million+ blackout largest blackout in human history
Cyberattacks at many Indian govt and military institutions
Counterfit currency

Things may have settled down in Kashmir but the targets and routes of asymettry have
just changed.

 

[trackwhack]

I will give you some examples why I think it is worst today especially with India increasing Economic
clout the asymetric warfare maybe more active here are some fairly recent examples:

Godhra
Mumbai Jihad
Northeast panic
600 million+ blackout largest blackout in human history
Cyberattacks at many Indian govt and military institutions
Counterfit currency

Things may have settled down in Kashmir but the targets and routes of asymettry have
just changed.

True, importantly though, I feel, cohesiveness of the nation has only increased and so has awareness.

 

[A chauhan]

Only from Pakistanis not the world.

What about China ?

I am sure Agni 5 can force China to think twice as now both the sides will suffer damages.

 

[sam919]

What A5 aims cannot satisfy india's appetite. We are the country with global influence and our interest extends all over the world. All I can say is that the range of our missle should match the extension of our interest.

 

[A chauhan]

Fortunately unfortunate things like terrorism are giving a chance to the world to unite against it, next 50 years will see a war between radical Islam and rest of the world.

 

[sayareakd]

NSA, knows better that USA can and has issued threats in past and will do it in future, same is case with Pak, but i dont think they have much of any future threat, China too had been and in future wont think twice to issue any threat. We need to continue building our capabilities.

 

[Ganesh2691]

Revealed: Pakistan, US blackmailed India with nukes

Although National Security Advisor Shiv Shanker Menon shied away from naming the countries that tried thrice to nuclear blackmail New Delhi, the nuclear establishment here has revealed that Pakistan twice explicitly threatened to use nuclear devices against India while the American threat was

Menon talked about nuclear blackmail at a global disarmament seminar on Tuesday.

Top government sources said Pakistan threatened to nuke India in 1987 during large scale Indian Army mobilisation under then General K Sundarji for war game 'Operation Brasstacks' in the Rajasthan deserts. The war game conducted from November 1986 to March 1987, saw Pakistan Army and Air Force mobilisation in response by then President Zia-ul-Haq.

In an interview to journalist Kuldip Nayar in January 1987, Pak nuke scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan said, "Nobody can undo Pakistan... We are here to stay. Be clear that we shall use the bomb if our existence is threatened." The threat, Indian officials say, was conveyed through diplomatic and other channels.

The second time India was subjected to N-blackmail when then Pak PM Benazir Bhutto sent her foreign minister Lt Gen Sahabzada Yaqub Khan to India on January 21, 1990 to pressurise New Delhi on Kashmir issues.

With Kashmir separatist movement at its peak, Khan told his Indian counterpart IK Gujral that "war clouds would hover over the sub-continent if timely action was not taken."

While these two threats were direct, the US under Richard Nixon administration gave India an implicit threat by moving the USS Enterprise, world's first nuclear- powered carrier, into Bay of Bengal on December 11, 1971 during India-Pakistan war with collapse of Dhaka being imminent. India, however, did not budge and the war ended with a decisive victory for New Delhi on December 16, 1971.

Though the West was carried away with Pak nuke flashpoint theory during 1999 Kargil war, Indian establishment is firm that such a situation never arose.

Revealed: Pakistan, US blackmailed India with nukes - Hindustan Times

 

[sayareakd]

what NSA didnt said is the fact that few agnis and prithvis were kept ready with nukes, just in case Pak acted stupidly at the time of Kargil war.

 

[Iamanidiot]

what NSA didnt said is the fact that few agnis and prithvis were kept ready with nukes, just in case Pak acted stupidly at the time of Kargil war.

Sayare I do not think he said that anywhere

 

[sob]

There has been asymetric warfare going on against India for decades that has
been unaddressed by Indian Govt . I don't see nukes being helpful
against this asymetric warfare that still exists today.

LF, the level of influence of the US over the Indian Bureaucracy is unprecedented. Hint : check out the number of children of senior IAS and IFS officers studying in the US.

Regarding the recent blackout being part of the asymmetric warfare, I did not understand, could you please elaborate on that.