by Syed Zain Jaffery 28 February 2020
Indian military modernization, especially in space and missile sectors, has prompted the country’s leadership to articulate hawkish and aggressive posture against its neighbours. India is on a course to militarizes space technologies and this development would threaten South Asia’s delicate strategic balance. Militarizing space requires the use of cooperative space systems to use arms more effectively on the ground and in the outer space. India adopted a dubious doctrinarian strategy for peaceful space defense for a long time, emphasizing the cooperative uses of outer space and rejected physical weaponization and militarization. India had therefore been opposing the application of the US Strategic Defense Initiative and other ballistic missile defense proposals, or to even ASAT systems.
Indian Premier Narendra Modi on March 27, 2019 confirmed his nation has successfully completed an anti-satellite (ASAT) project from a launch site on Bay of Bengal’s Abdul Kalam Island. The current administration of India has also wanted to set up the Defense Space Agency (DSA) to manage the army’s, Navy’s and Air Force’s space facilities. A Defense Space Research Organization (DSRO) is to help the newly established DSA, and to develop arms that will deny, weaken, impede, disrupt or mislead the space potential of the competitors. India is therefore in the process of militarizing and weaponizing space.
In August 2013, India successfully launched the first GSAT-7 military satellite to carry out wide-ranging network-centric operations and detection of marine fields. The seventh and final satellite was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 2016 to complete its own Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), named Indian Constellation Navigation (Navic). Different Indian sources have confirmed that offensive military uilization is the primary goal of these projects, and the Indian army will be the sole beneficiary of this program. The guidance system provides the Indian military and organizations with an automated operation. India has been collaborating with Navic on strategic geostationary satellites, the fourth generation of GSAT. These navigation systems will bind three parts of the sea related assets (warships, nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers), ground (troop organization, conventional war weapons, ballistic and cruise missiles), and air force (combat aircraft). Indian advancement in space is strengthening New Delhi political belief that it will take advantage of its conventional power to carry out sub conventional operations against Pakistan, such as the Cold Start doctrine.
India has accelerated space modernization in the past decade, and the Indo-US nuclear deal of 2005 is the main driver. When the United States and India built closer relationships in exploration of space and navigation systems in 2005, Indian scientists, according to reliable reports, trying to develop an ICBM. The deal began to provide India with new ways of transferring technology. The growing partnership between India and the United States relating to space has begun to further improve the efficiency of former’s missiles. Furthermore, the inclusion of India in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) has allowed the development of technology with significant military consequences.
India’s status with the MTCR has already brought significant advantages for India, especially when it comes to manufacturing a BrahMos cruise missile system. With the MTCR, it has become straightforward for India to simply buy “high-end dual-use technology” from other MTCR members. MTCR membership has lowered the Indian space scrutiny standard since MTCR protocols do not prevent national space programs or international cooperation for advancement in dual use technology.
India has already demonstrated reckless attitudes on several instances and is now taking this offence in outer space. At international level, there is an absence of outer space governance. International agreements and provisions for using outer space for civilian purposes alone are not as efficient as possible. Failure to govern outer space under international law leads to a disturbing scenario. Initiatives like the Outer Space Treaty (OST) restrict nuclear weapons being put in space and prevent the public procurement of celestials or the creation of military facilities. Nonetheless, military operations in orbit, strategic space-based systems or the use of offensive weapons in space are not banned. Nonetheless, military operations in orbit, strategic space-based systems or the use of offensive weapons in space are not banned. A call has been issued by Pakistan against outer space military menaces already. Space is humanity’s common heritage and it is up to each nation to prevent acts that can result in militarization.