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National Security Doctrine for Global Reach continues....
We had a strong tradition of sea faring, of ship-building and port-construction going back to antiquity. India’s sea-borne trade was a significant cause of Hindu India’s famed prosperity and wealth.
The Mauryan and Gupta empires maintained sizeable navies and merchant fleets. After the disintegration of the Gupta empire, the southern kingdoms—the Satavahanas of Andhra, the Cheras of Kerala and the imperial Cholas – safeguarded and strengthened that sea-faring tradition for close to a thousand years.
Sea-power has exerted enormous influence on history in the last 600 years. It is likely to play an even more formative role in shaping the future. No great nation can play its due role in the world without the mobilisation of its maritime potential.
As already explained earlier, India has a number of the vital attributes that go into the making of a great maritime power – a strategic location stretching deep into the heart of a large ocean, a long and varied sea board with good harbours and easy access by rail, road and river, to a vast hinterland, a national aptitude for peaceful commercial pursuits, and a large population coupled with a diaspora of Indians stretching from Fiji to Guyana.
Thus far, India has long crossed technological and financial barriers to acquiring nuclear weapons. The only technological constraint now may be the lack of an adequate delivery system. The increasing expenditure on India’s space programme during the last two years may be attributed to the development of intermediate range missiles capable of carrying nuclear bombs and thus remove the last technological hitch. India has already sent rockets into space and put satellites into orbit, acquiring valuable knowledge and experience which would bring India closer to the stage of having a medium range missile which could deliver a nuclear warhead. The launchers used for satellite launching could easily be converted into intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM). And once the Brahmos and Surya missile are fully operational, India will have its ICBM.
to be continued....
( This account is maintained by Har Anand Publication)