Nuclear Command Authority (India)

2022-12-03T07:04:11Z

2001:16A2:CD5E:8F00:710B:3142:984C:2EB2:

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{{Infobox government agency
|agency_name = Nuclear Command Authority
|logo = Emblem of India.svg
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|formed ={{start date|2003}}
|preceding1 =
|jurisdiction = [[Government of India]]
|headquarters = [[New Delhi]]
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|employees =
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|chief1_name = [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
|chief1_position =
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The '''Nuclear Command Authority''' ('''NCA''') of India is the authority responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India's nuclear weapons programme]].<ref name=zn28j13>{{cite news|title=Indian Army wants sole right over post of Strategic Forces Commander|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/indian-army-wants-sole-right-over-post-of-strategic-forces-commander_865310.html|access-date=30 July 2013|newspaper=Zee News|date=29 July 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904170231/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-and-pakistan-to-have-nuclear-hotline-732980.html|archive-date=4 September 2011}}</ref> It comprises a Political Council headed by the [[Prime Minister of India]] and an Executive Council headed by the [[National Security Advisor (India)|National Security Advisor]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=PIB Press Releases|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/releases98/lyr2003/rjan2003/04012003/r040120033.html|access-date=2021-09-02|website=archive.pib.gov.in}}</ref>

== Introduction ==
{{see also|Nuclear power in India}}

India's first Nuclear test was conducted on 18 May 1974 with the code name [[Smiling Buddha]]. Since then India has conducted another series of tests at the [[Pokhran]] test range in the state of [[Rajasthan]] in 1998, which included a thermonuclear test, code named [[Pokhran-II|Operation Shakti]]. India has an extensive civil and military nuclear program, which includes at least 10 [[nuclear reactor]]s, [[uranium]] mining and milling sites, [[heavy water]] production facilities, a [[uranium enrichment]] plant, fuel fabrication facilities, and extensive nuclear research capabilities.

Though India has not made any official statements about the size of its nuclear arsenal, different country estimates indicate that India has anywhere between 150 and 300 nuclear weapons.<ref>Norris, Robert S. and [[Hans M. Kristensen]]. "[http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/147052n7g76v4733/fulltext.pdf India's nuclear forces, 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119091018/http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/147052n7g76v4733/fulltext.pdf |date=2008-11-19 }}," ''[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]'' 61:5 (September/October 2005): 73–75.</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>[http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/India/IndiaArsenal.html India's Nuclear Weapons Program - Present Capabilities] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610210923/http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/India/IndiaArsenal.html |date=10 June 2012 }}</ref>

On 4 January 2003, the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]] (CCS) constituted the ''Political Council'' and the ''Executive Council'' of the NCA. The Executive Council gives its opinion to the Political Council, which authorises a nuclear attack when deemed necessary. While the Executive Council is chaired by the [[National Security Advisor (India)|National Security Advisor]] (NSA), the Political Council is chaired by the [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]. This mechanism was implemented to ensure that [[Indian nukes]] remain firmly in [[Civilian control over the military|civilian control]] and that there exists a sophisticated [[Command and Control]] (C2) mechanism to prevent their accidental or unauthorised use.<ref name="Nuke command set up, button in PM's hand">{{cite news|title=Nuke command set up, button in PM's hand|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-01-04/india/27281139_1_nuclear-command-and-control-nuclear-arsenal-nuclear-retaliation|access-date=27 June 2012|date=4 Jan 2003|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904170231/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-and-pakistan-to-have-nuclear-hotline-732980.html|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|archive-date=4 September 2011}}</ref>

==Strategic Forces Command==
{{main|Strategic Forces Command}}

The directives of the NCA are to be operationalised by the [[Strategic Forces Command]] under the control of a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of either
of the three tri-service high ranks in charge of the management and administration of the tactical and strategic nuclear forces.<ref name="Nuke command set up, button in PM's hand"/><ref name=zn28j13/>

The NCA may be seen as the first stage in the development of an effective and robust [[Command and Control]] (C2) and Indications-and-Warning (I&W) systems and infrastructure for its strategic nuclear forces.

== Delivery of weapons ==
{{main article|India and weapons of mass destruction#Delivery systems}}
The current status of delivery systems for Indian [[nuclear weapons]] is unclear and highly classified. India has developed and tested nuclear weapons that could be delivered on the [[Prithvi missile|Prithvi]] and [[Agni missile|Agni]] missiles, although its extent and operational preparedness in this respect remains unclear.

India first tested the 150 km range Prithvi-1 in 1988, and the 250 km range Prithvi-2 in 1996, and the Prithvi missiles were inducted into the Indian armed forces by the early to mid 1990s. India was slow to develop the Agni missiles. It first tested the Agni technology demonstrator in 1989, the two-stage 2000 km range Agni-2 in 1999, single-stage 700 km range Agni-1 in 2001, the 3,000 km range three-stage Agni-3 in 2006, Agni-4 with a range of 4,000 km in 2011 and Agni-5 with a estimated range between 5,000 and 8,000 in the year 2012. The successor, Agni-6 is said to be under development with an speculated range of 10,000 km.

Since India had a few nuclear weapons prior to the availability of these missiles, especially the Agni, it is probable that the current Indian nuclear weapons inventory includes weapons designed for delivery using airplanes. The [[Indian Armed Forces]] operates the [[Dassault Rafale]] which is capable of carrying out nuclear attacks. There are no open-source reports suggesting which if any of these planes have been equipped to deliver air-dropped atomic weapons. One or more of the following aircraft types might be used for this purpose. The [[MiG-27]] and the [[SEPECAT Jaguar|Jaguar]] were originally designed to perform ground attack missions, and would require only modest modification to deliver nuclear weapons. The [[Indian Air Force]] also operates several other older and less capable types of ground-attack aircraft which would seem rather less likely candidates for delivering nuclear weapons. The [[MiG-29]], [[Sukhoi Su-30 MKI]] and [[Mirage 2000]] were originally designed to perform air-to-air combat missions, though they could potentially be modified to deliver air-dropped nuclear weapons. Plans are also on for the delivery of nuclear weapons via the [[Arihant class submarine]] using the [[SLBM]]/[[SLCM]] [[Sagarika (missile)|Sagarika]].

==New Delhi-Islamabad nuclear hotline==
{{Main|Islamabad–New Delhi hotline}}
[[India]] and [[Pakistan]] set up their own [[Moscow–Washington hotline|nuclear hotline]] on Sunday, 20 June 2004.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-and-pakistan-to-have-nuclear-hotline-732980.html ''The Independent''—Monday, June 21, 2004--"India and Pakistan to Have Nuclear Hotline":] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904170231/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-and-pakistan-to-have-nuclear-hotline-732980.html |date=4 September 2011 }}</ref>

== See also ==
; Integrated entities
* [[Defence Planning Committee]], tri-services command at policy level with NSA as its chief
* [[Defence Cyber Agency]], tri-services command
* [[Integrated Defence Staff]], tri-services command at strategic level composed of MoD, MEA and tri-services staff
* [[Armed Forces Special Operations Division]], tri-services command at operational level
* [[Defence Space Agency]], draws staff from all 3 services of Indian Armed Forces
* [[Strategic Forces Command]], nuclear command of India
** Indian Nuclear Command Authority, Strategic Forces Command
** [[Special Forces of India]], tri-services, RAW and internal Security each has own units
* [[Andaman and Nicobar Command]], first operational tri-services command

; Assets
* [[Integrated_Space_Cell#Military|Indian military satellites]]
* [[List of Indian Air Force stations]]
* [[List of Indian Navy bases]]
* [[List of active Indian Navy ships]]
* [[List of countries with overseas military bases#India|India's overseas military bases]]

; Other nations
* [[Special Operations Forces (Russia)|Special Operations Forces Command (KSSO)]] - Russian equivalent command
* [[Joint Special Operations Command|Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)]] - U.S. equivalent command

; General concepts
* [[Joint warfare]], general concept
* [[Minimum Credible Deterrence]]
* [[List of cyber warfare forces]] of other nations

== References ==
<references />

{{Military of India}}

[[Category:Military of India]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons programme of India]]
[[Category:Vajpayee administration]]
[[Category:2003 in India]]
[[Category:Nuclear command and control]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 2003]]

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Nuclear Command Authority (India)