Indo-Russian Strategic Partnership and Indian Military&apos;s Cold Start Doctrine

Summar Iqbal Babar, null; Masood Ur Rehman Khattak, null; Mujahid Hussain Sargana, null

doi:10.13169/polipers.15.2.0071

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Policy Perspectives: The Journal of the Institute of Policy Studies

Volume 15, Issue 2

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Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Indo-Russian Strategic Partnership and Indian Military's Cold Start Doctrine

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research-article

Author(s): Summar Iqbal Babar , Masood Ur Rehman Khattak , Mujahid Hussain Sargana

Publication date (Print): 2018

Journal: Policy Perspectives: The Journal of the Institute of Policy Studies

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: India, Russian, Strategic Partnership, Cold Start Doctrine (CSD)

Abstract

The South Asian strategic stability is at risk because of the Indian military's doctrinal shift, massive military modernization and operationalization of the Cold Start Doctrine-(CSD) against a nuclear weapon state, Pakistan. This study is divided in two parts. The first part would emphasize on the strategic stability of South Asia and the Indian military's efforts to execute Cold Start Doctrine against Pakistan. Second part would highlight the Indo-Russian defense collaboration and its likely impact on regional security. The Russian T-90 MBTs, SU-30 MKI Air aircraft along with S-400 Air defense system, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities would be the backbone of any aggressive action against Pakistan. In addition, the Russian assistance in the nuclear submarines would provide India with assured second-strike capability and confidence to go for any misadventure against Pakistan under CSD. The Russian weapon and equipment would revamp the Indian military's overall warfighting capabilities, fill the operational gaps and enable India to operationalize the CSD against Pakistan. Limited war envisaged by the Indian military may not remain limited for Pakistan. Pakistan's quid pro quo response may push India to escalate the conflict which may endanger the deterrence stability in south Asia. Therefore, the Indian CSD is a threat to the regional peace and stability. India needs to consider shunning such types of strategies and resort to peaceful negotiations with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues for long term peace and stability in south Asia.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): polipers

Title: Policy Perspectives: The Journal of the Institute of Policy Studies

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 18121829

ISSN (Electronic): 18127347

Publication date (Print): 2018

Volume: 15

Issue: 2

Pages: 71-83

Affiliations

Summar Iqbal Babar, Lecturer, School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad; Masood Ur Rehman Khattak, Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, International Islamic University Islamabad; Mujahid Hussain Sargana, Senior Lecturer, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bahria University Islamabad.

Article

Publisher ID: polipers.15.2.0071

DOI: 10.13169/polipers.15.2.0071

SO-VID: a3ee01fc-0740-4c01-9d56-a1b4ca4f10c1

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

ScienceOpen disciplines: Education,Religious studies & Theology,Social & Behavioral Sciences,Law,Economics

Keywords: India,Russian,Cold Start Doctrine (CSD),Strategic Partnership

References

T. V. Paul, The India-Pakistan Conflict: An Enduring Rivalry (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p 8.
Jo Inge Bekkevold, Ian Bowers and Michael Raska, Security, Strategy and Military Change in the 21st Century: Cross-Regional Perspectives (New York: Routledge, 2015), p 101.
S. Paul Kapur, Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia (Singapore: NUS Press, 2009), p 86.
Peter René Lavoy, Scott Douglas Sagan and James J. Wirtz, Planning the Unthinkable: How New Powers Will Use Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons (New York: Cornell University Press, 2000), p 138.
Anthony Hyman, Muhammed Ghayur, Naresh Kaushik, Pakistan, Zia and After (New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1989), p 63.
P.R. Chari, “Nuclear Signaling in South Asia: Revisiting A. Q. Khan's 1987 Threat” Carnegie Endowment , November 14, 2013. http://ceip.org/2GukJFv.
Gen (Retd) V P Malik, “Fighting limited wars: A major challenge for the military” Centre for Land Warfare , July 03, 2010. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2NGonkc.
General (retd) V.P. Malik, “Fighting limited wars A major challenge for the military” The Tribune , July 03, 2010. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2IwBwO4.
“Rare light shone on full spectrum deterrence policy” The Dawn , December 07, 2017.
Brigadier (retd) Feroz Hassan Khan, (Research Professor at the Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Post Graduate School, USA), in an interview with the Author in Islamabad on October 16, 2017.
Ali Ahmed, India's Doctrine Puzzle: Limiting War in South Asia (New Delhi: Routledge, 2014), p 57.
“Possibility of Limited War in S Asia: Indian Army Chief”, The News , November 24, 2009.
Subhash Kapila, “India's New “Cold Start” War Doctrine Strategically Reviewed”, South Asian Analysis Group , May 04, 2004. https://bit.ly/2rUIwJu.
Rahul Singh, “Army chief Rawat warns Pak of more surgical strikes if it rejects peace overtures” Hindustan Times , January 14, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2xkM4tA.
Sandeep Unnithan “We will cross again” India Today . January 4, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2xW0pd8.
Vipin Narang and Walter C. Ladwig III, “Taking ‘Cold Start’ out of the freezer?” January 11, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2vVsfsm.
Ibid.
“T-72BU / T-90 (Obiekt 188) Tank” Global Security org . March 19, 2017. https://bit.ly/2t9hm0a.
Franz-Stefan Gady, “Cold Start: India to Deploy Massive Tank Army Along Border With Pakistanz”, The Diplomat , January 20, 2017. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2KMJZhk.
Amrita Nair Ghaswalla, Catherine cameras an integral part of Army's T-90 main battle tanks, The Hindu Business Line , October 24, 2017. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2NIW0lE.
“Indian Air Force” Global Security, March 24, 2017 . https://bit.ly/2saT1ds.
“400 more fighter jets in Indian Air Force's vision 2030” Hindustan Times , May 26, 2016. https://bit.ly/2rexTnj.
Ibid.
Ibid. p 10
“Su-30MKI Multirole Fighter Aircraft, India”. Airforce-Technology . https://bit.ly/2r7Gm7v.
Ibid.
Lt General retd Zahid Latif Mirza, (Former Commander of Pakistan army Air Defense Corps) in an interview with the author on April 26, 2018.
“India to buy S-400 missiles from Russia” The Hindu , October 16, 2016. http://bit.ly/2owN6Li.
“India to buy game changer S-400 air Defence system from Russia”, The Economic Times , October 15, 2016. http://bit.ly/2nwkilt.
Pranab Dhal Samanta, “Russian S-400 Triumf gives India an edge against Pakistan, China” The Economics Time , October 17, 2016. http://bit.ly/2owIBk7.
Naveed Ahmad, “Analysis: Will India's S-400 missiles checkmate Pakistan?” The Express Tribune , April 29, 2016. http://bit.ly/2ntghxe.
Petr Topychkanov, “Where Does Pakistan Fit in Russia's South Asia Strategy?” Carnegie Endowment , January 16, 2017. http://ceip.org/2opgYN5.
Pauline Eadie and Wyn Rees, The Evolution of Military Power in the West and Asia: Security Policy in the post-cold war era (New York; Routledge), p 173.
Chietigj Bajpaee, “Naval buildup reflects India's ‘ambition to project power” Deutsche Welle , February 23, 2015. https://bit.ly/2rTCA4d.
Harsh V. Pant, The Rise of the Indian Navy: Internal Vulnerabilities, External Challenges . (London; Routledge, 2016). p 134.
Israr Khan, “Pakistan suffers $123.1 bn losses in terror war” The News , May 26, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2jddoDT.
“Pak economy improving, challenges persist in energy, finance: IMF” The News , April 06, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2wikrw4.
Duncan McLeod. (Ed). India and Pakistan: Friends, Rivals or Enemies? (England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2008), p 69.
Dr Bhumitra Chakma (Ed). The Politics of Nuclear Weapons in South Asia (England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2011), p 189.
Daniel S. Markey, No Exit from Pakistan: America's Tortured Relationship with Islamabad (New York: Cambridge University Press), p 45.
“Press Release: No PR-94/2011-ISPR” ISPR , April 19, 2011. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2gVTkkO.
Baqir Sajjad Syed, “Nasr pours cold water on India's Cold Start Doctrine: Bajwa” Dawn News , July 06, 2017.
Ibid.
“A conversation with Gen. Khalid Kidwai” Carnegie Endowment , March 23, 2015. Retrieved from http://ceip.org/2wSJ4lb.
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam AVSM, “Basic Doctrine of the Indian Air Force 2012” (New Delhi: Directorate of Operations, 2012), p 105. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2uxrGo9.

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] T. V. Paul, The India-Pakistan Conflict: An Enduring Rivalry (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p 8.

[2] Jo Inge Bekkevold, Ian Bowers and Michael Raska, Security, Strategy and Military Change in the 21st Century: Cross-Regional Perspectives (New York: Routledge, 2015), p 101.

[3] S. Paul Kapur, Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia (Singapore: NUS Press, 2009), p 86.

[4] Peter René Lavoy, Scott Douglas Sagan and James J. Wirtz, Planning the Unthinkable: How New Powers Will Use Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons (New York: Cornell University Press, 2000), p 138.

[5] Anthony Hyman, Muhammed Ghayur, Naresh Kaushik, Pakistan, Zia and After (New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1989), p 63.

[6] P.R. Chari, “Nuclear Signaling in South Asia: Revisiting A. Q. Khan's 1987 Threat” Carnegie Endowment , November 14, 2013. http://ceip.org/2GukJFv.

[7] Gen (Retd) V P Malik, “Fighting limited wars: A major challenge for the military” Centre for Land Warfare , July 03, 2010. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2NGonkc.

[8] General (retd) V.P. Malik, “Fighting limited wars A major challenge for the military” The Tribune , July 03, 2010. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2IwBwO4.

[9] “Rare light shone on full spectrum deterrence policy” The Dawn , December 07, 2017.

[10] Brigadier (retd) Feroz Hassan Khan, (Research Professor at the Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Post Graduate School, USA), in an interview with the Author in Islamabad on October 16, 2017.

[11] Ali Ahmed, India's Doctrine Puzzle: Limiting War in South Asia (New Delhi: Routledge, 2014), p 57.

[12] “Possibility of Limited War in S Asia: Indian Army Chief”, The News , November 24, 2009.

[13] Subhash Kapila, “India's New “Cold Start” War Doctrine Strategically Reviewed”, South Asian Analysis Group , May 04, 2004. https://bit.ly/2rUIwJu.

[14] Rahul Singh, “Army chief Rawat warns Pak of more surgical strikes if it rejects peace overtures” Hindustan Times , January 14, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2xkM4tA.

[15] Sandeep Unnithan “We will cross again” India Today . January 4, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2xW0pd8.

[16] Vipin Narang and Walter C. Ladwig III, “Taking ‘Cold Start’ out of the freezer?” January 11, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2vVsfsm.

[17] Ibid.

[18] “T-72BU / T-90 (Obiekt 188) Tank” Global Security org . March 19, 2017. https://bit.ly/2t9hm0a.

[19] Franz-Stefan Gady, “Cold Start: India to Deploy Massive Tank Army Along Border With Pakistanz”, The Diplomat , January 20, 2017. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2KMJZhk.

[20] Amrita Nair Ghaswalla, Catherine cameras an integral part of Army's T-90 main battle tanks, The Hindu Business Line , October 24, 2017. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2NIW0lE.

[21] “Indian Air Force” Global Security, March 24, 2017 . https://bit.ly/2saT1ds.

[22] “400 more fighter jets in Indian Air Force's vision 2030” Hindustan Times , May 26, 2016. https://bit.ly/2rexTnj.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid. p 10

[25] “Su-30MKI Multirole Fighter Aircraft, India”. Airforce-Technology . https://bit.ly/2r7Gm7v.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Lt General retd Zahid Latif Mirza, (Former Commander of Pakistan army Air Defense Corps) in an interview with the author on April 26, 2018.

[28] “India to buy S-400 missiles from Russia” The Hindu , October 16, 2016. http://bit.ly/2owN6Li.

[29] “India to buy game changer S-400 air Defence system from Russia”, The Economic Times , October 15, 2016. http://bit.ly/2nwkilt.

[30] Pranab Dhal Samanta, “Russian S-400 Triumf gives India an edge against Pakistan, China” The Economics Time , October 17, 2016. http://bit.ly/2owIBk7.

[31] Naveed Ahmad, “Analysis: Will India's S-400 missiles checkmate Pakistan?” The Express Tribune , April 29, 2016. http://bit.ly/2ntghxe.

[32] Petr Topychkanov, “Where Does Pakistan Fit in Russia's South Asia Strategy?” Carnegie Endowment , January 16, 2017. http://ceip.org/2opgYN5.

[33] Pauline Eadie and Wyn Rees, The Evolution of Military Power in the West and Asia: Security Policy in the post-cold war era (New York; Routledge), p 173.

[34] Chietigj Bajpaee, “Naval buildup reflects India's ‘ambition to project power” Deutsche Welle , February 23, 2015. https://bit.ly/2rTCA4d.

[35] Harsh V. Pant, The Rise of the Indian Navy: Internal Vulnerabilities, External Challenges . (London; Routledge, 2016). p 134.

[36] Israr Khan, “Pakistan suffers $123.1 bn losses in terror war” The News , May 26, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2jddoDT.

[37] “Pak economy improving, challenges persist in energy, finance: IMF” The News , April 06, 2017. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2wikrw4.

[38] Duncan McLeod. (Ed). India and Pakistan: Friends, Rivals or Enemies? (England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2008), p 69.

[39] Dr Bhumitra Chakma (Ed). The Politics of Nuclear Weapons in South Asia (England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2011), p 189.

[40] Daniel S. Markey, No Exit from Pakistan: America's Tortured Relationship with Islamabad (New York: Cambridge University Press), p 45.

[41] “Press Release: No PR-94/2011-ISPR” ISPR , April 19, 2011. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2gVTkkO.

[42] Baqir Sajjad Syed, “Nasr pours cold water on India's Cold Start Doctrine: Bajwa” Dawn News , July 06, 2017.

[43] Ibid.

[44] “A conversation with Gen. Khalid Kidwai” Carnegie Endowment , March 23, 2015. Retrieved from http://ceip.org/2wSJ4lb.

[45] Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam AVSM, “Basic Doctrine of the Indian Air Force 2012” (New Delhi: Directorate of Operations, 2012), p 105. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2uxrGo9.