Threat Asymmetry and Transition in Deterrence
Technical Assessment of India’s Ballistic Missile Defense Shield
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22096178 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Furqan Khan (0000-0001-9965-3711, National Defence University), Khadijah Saeed (National Defence University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 13-24 |
| Publication date | 2021-04-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of South Asian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2307-4000 • E-ISSN: 2308-7846 |
| Publisher | EScience Press Inc (Publications) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.33687/jsas.008.01.3319 |
| OpenAlex | W3153203921 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
The global change in perception following the Cold War from deterrence by punishment in the form of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) to deterrence by denial has multiplied the utility of the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD). India’s willingness to acquire and develop the advanced BMD shield is inspired, especially by Reagan’s Star Wars and the global shift in using it as an instrument of deterrence by denial. But as the application of its offensive-defensive paradox, India is raising a multi-layer air defense system to enhance its freedom of action and to acquire impunity in carrying out what New Delhi believes as its ‘limited war’ strategy against Pakistan. However, despite having a number of air defense systems in place including the recently acquired advanced S-400 air defense system, India is unable to shield itself completely from the counter-force or counter-value strikes by Pakistan as evident by the Balakot debacle. This is not only because India lags behind in BMD technology but also because of its inability to afford a comprehensive pan-national BMD shield. Therefore, the paper argues that, India’s attempt to build a multi-layer air defense system, rather than ensuring balance of power, destabilizes it and the delicate deterrence in place. This is because the threat asymmetry allows Pakistan to develop advanced nuclear capabilities including BMD evading delivery vehicles like MIRV as the offensive firepower to communicate the threat as an effective deterrence. Resultantly, the employment of BMD in South Asia disturbs strategic parity, fractures deterrence, drags down nuclear threshold and hence raises the cost of conflict between Pakistan and India with an elevated threat of annihilation
Ballistic missile · Computer security · Denial · Deterrence theory · Development economics · Economics · Law and economics · Management · Missile · Missile Defense · Offensive · Political economy · Political science · Terrorism · Computer Science · Engineering · Law · Military History and Strategy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Psychology · South Asian Studies and Conflicts · Aerospace Engineering
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |