India's quest for space weaponisation

Abstract

The dawn of 21 st century is along with the unprecedented challenges for states and its policy makers. The modern states have not only to deal with the traditional aspects of security, but it has to devise .effectively mechanism to ward off non-traditional challenges of securiti es. The world has witnessed the protracted episodes of conflicts over land, sea, and air. This competition has always been on rise in the all years passing by. The scientific inventions and revolution in military affairs have compelled states and its policy makers to move ahead with such an approach where security on any dimension can be ensured. Reaching out for space was once surge of super powers during the cold war era. But as the world is witnessing rise of multiple spheres of power in military and economic sense, exploration of space is becoming attractive adventure. The ultimate high ground of contests of international force offers lucrative incentives of dual technology use. Ever since its inception, the present century is verifying rise of Asia. India's claim to have an international and regional status is approved by double digit GDP economic rise. India's quests for space weaponisation is compelled by both push and pull factors. The systematic compulsion to prove its global outreach and regional constraint to equalize China's military might compels India to think about one of the costly military adventures. So far, space is heavily militarized and the next step is its weaponi sation. The ground realities of the region are war wary. The hard past of Sino-Indian and Indo-Pak war episodes does not let any state to stay oblivious of the fact to try the match the potential of adversary. Experts of security studies have more concern over the maturity of high tech weapons rather than their infanticide. As a matter of fact, the upcoming era of Network Centric Warfare will not only use space as signals, imagery, and intelligence purposes, but it will also give way states to use space for nuclear pay loads and enhancement of delivery capabiliti es. Keeping in the mind the dynamics of stability instability paradox of the region in mind, it is incumbent to assume that India's quest for space weaponisation will make the stability of the region fragile.