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India: New Strategic Command Needs Several Months to Prepare India is expected to need several months to establish its new strategic forces command — part of the newly formalized command-and-control structure for its nuclear arsenal, the Economic Times reported today (see GSN, Jan. 6). The groundwork for the command, which will be mainly based in central India, will begin once its first commander in chief is chosen in the next few days, Indian defense officials said. Air Marshal T.M. Asthana is expected to be chosen for the position, the Economic Times reported. The new command is expected to consist mainly of the Army’s two operational missile units — the 33rd Missile Group, which handles the 150 kilometer-range Prithvi missile, and the Agni Missile Group. The command will also employ civilian experts from agencies such as the Atomic Energy Department and the Defense Research and Development Organization, an official said. The new command will also need several years to develop an effective nuclear triad utilizing land-, air- and sea-based weapons delivery systems, the Economic Times reported (see GSN, Dec. 3, 2002). While experts consider nuclear-capable ballistic submarines to be the most effective delivery system, India’s attempts to domestically develop a nuclear submarine — the Advanced Technology Vessel project — and the naval Sagarika ballistic missile, have stalled, according to the Economic Times. “They are still years away from completion,” an Indian defense official said (Rajat Pandit, Economic Times, Jan. 7).
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