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Indiaisnowenmeshedinthedeterrencegame— activelywithitstraditionaladversaryPakistan, andpotentiallywithChina.Atthesametimeit strategictechnologies.Inordertodealwith thesedevelopmentssafelyandwisely,thenation needsamuchmoresophisticatedandmultidisciplinary understandingofthestrategic, technological,operational,andcostissues involvedinnuclearmatters. Inthisimportantbook,Indianstrategicanalyst VergheseKoitharaexplainsandevaluatesIndia’s nuclearforcemanagement,encouragingabroad publicconversationthatmayactasacatalystfor positivechangebeforethesubcontinentexperiences unthinkablecarnage. Thedefensemanagementsystemofanuclearpower absolutelyneedstobesoundandthorough.In additiontotheconsiderabledemandsofmanaging itsnuclearforces,italsomustcontrolconventional forcesinamannerthatforestallsnuclearescalation nuclearforceswithoutenhancingdeterrenceis dangerousandshouldbeavoided.India’snuclear forcemanagementsystemisgraftedontoawoefully inadequateoverallsystemofdefensemanagement. Koitharadissectsalloftheseissuesandsuggestsa wayforward,drawingonrecentdevelopmentsin deterrencetheoryaroundtheworld. VergheseKoitharaisanindependentstrategic analystwhosepreviousbooksincludeCraftingPeace inKashmir:ThroughaRealistLensandSociety,State andSecurity:TheIndianExperience.Heretiredfrom theIndianNavyasaViceAdmiralin1998. Washington,D.C. www.brookings.edu JacketdesignbySilikaMohapatra ManagingIndia’sNuclearForces VergheseKoitharadiscussesindepth,withexpertiseandinsight,theextremelydemand ing andcomplexissuesinvolvedinowninganucleararsenalandinprojectingdeterrence. Theseissuescanbeignored,asisbeingdonetoday,onlyatseriousperiltothecountry.The bookshouldbecompulsoryreadingforcurrentandfuturemembersofparliament;allthose whoaspiretopoliticalleadership;middleandseniorlevelgovernmentfunctionariesincivil, ion ”;and,importantly,citizenswhoareinterestedintheirownsecurityandwellbeing. —ArunSingh,FormerMinisterofStateforDefenceofIndia Thisbookisabrilliantcontributiontotheliteratureonhowstatesmanageweaponsof massdestructioninsuchawayastomaximisesecurityandminimisetheriskthattheywill beusedinadvertentlyorinerror.Indianowlacksacredibletheoryofhownuclearweapons mightbeusedotherthanasaninstrumentofnationalprideandpropaganda.Admiral KoitharashowshowIndiashouldmovefrombeingadeclaredNuclearWeaponsState,to becomingastatewithaseriousnuclearstrategyandorganisationalcapacity.Thisbookis requiredreadingforIndia’sstrategiccommunity,andthosewhoseektounderstandthe directionofIndia’snuclearprogrammeforthenextseveraldecades. —StephenP.Cohen,SeniorFellow,BrookingsInstitution,Washington,D.C. Inhisbook,VergheseKoitharacastsalaser-sharpbeamtoilluminatetheStygiandarkof India’sstrategicdomain.Withanunerringinstincthenotonlypicksoutthedebilitating thatguideIndia’snationalsecuritydecisionmaking.Koithara’sspotlightonthe“barren” andmistrustfulrelationshipbetweenIndia’spoliticalleadershipandthearmedforces,and thetotalexclusionofthelatterfromnationalsecurityplanningcouldnothavebeenbetter timed.HiscompellingexplorationofIndia’snucleardeterrentmercilesslyholdsupamirror beforetheemperor. —AdmiralArunPrakash,FormerChiefofNavalStaffofIndia DespiteIndia’s1998declarationthatitwasnowaNuclearWeaponsState,itslongmarch ManagingIndia’s NuclearForcesshowswhy.Itarguespersuasivelythatpossessingnuclearweaponsmayactu ally subvertdeterrenceifthatpossessionisnotaccompaniedbyarangeofcomplementary procedural,institutional,andideationalinvestmentsinanenvironmentwherebothChina andPakistanaredevelopingsophisticatednucleararsenals.Whilestudentsofnucleardeter all ,mandatoryreadingforallpolicy-makersinNewDelhi. —AshleyJ.Tellis,SeniorAssociate, CarnegieEndowmentforInternationalPeace,Washington,D.C. Thisisexcellentresearchbyanoutstandingpractitioner intheintricateworldofnuclearpoliciesinSouthAsia.It becomesmoreimportantasitcomesfromtheperspective ofIndia,anewnuclearweaponpowerwithallthe challengesoflearninganewaboutdeterrence.Ithighlights thechallengesandthestructuresneededtostabilisethe balance.Itexposestheissuesthathavebeensweptunder thecarpetintheinitialeuphoriaofbreakingthenuclear embargo,providingintheprocessapracticalguideto wise decision making in an increasingly difficult trilateral strategicequation.Amust-readforallstrategicthinkers and...