Greater Noida (Defence Correspondent): Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor of the United States, in his recent address in New Delhi, said the US wants a deep relationship with India and plans to spur up nuclear cooperation between India and the US. He also hinted towards the need to strengthen the ways so that dual use technology is not transferred.
Significantly, in his address, the US attorney said they are finalizing necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India’s leading nuclear entities and US Companies and formal paperwork will be done soon.
This event and the address by the US NSA had the world’s ears to it. Not only has it left India’s rivals in a mode of caution but also at the same time has sent out a strong message on India’s global stance.
But India’s progress towards advancing its nuclear capabilities has not been an easy road.
India is not a signatory to the international Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). This is largely because India also is not a member to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a group of 48 nuclear supplier countries that contributes to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology.
But India had applied to join the NSG in May 2016, and was denied.
But over the years India’s nuclear arsenal has grown exponentially strong, with an estimated 172 nuclear warheads as of 2024. Along with that, India is believed to be developing new nuclear delivery systems and longer-range weapons.
Also, India’s nuclear weapons have an estimated average yield of 10 to 40 kilotons and the country has enough weapons-grade plutonium to produce up to 200 nuclear weapons.
Additionally, India is developing new nuclear delivery systems, including ballistic missile submarines which may have ranges of up to 6,000 kilometres. India also is working on longer-range weapons that could reach targets throughout China.
It is India’s perseverance and ambitions that have pushed the country to a global platform where the world watches India’s actions. This, at the same time has also pushed the global elites to ensure they have a nuclear cooperation in place when it comes to a nation like India.
Given that if we look around, India has got its nuclear cooperation in place almost with every world power.
While France was the first country to sign a civilian nuclear agreement with India in 2008, India and Russia have an agreement to build two VVER 1000 MW reactors in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
India and Australia too signed a civil nuclear agreement in 2014 that allows India to export uranium. India and Kazakhstan also had signed an agreement in 2011 to cooperate on peaceful uses of atomic energy and with Mongolia too India had signed a civil nuclear agreement for the supply of uranium in 2009.
Not only India’s nuclear cooperation agreements have helped it to expand its nuclear power capacity but has also helped its allies to create commercial opportunities for global businesses but it has immensely. It is such cooperation from around the world that speaks volumes about India’s increasing nuclear capability and an assertion of why the world sees India as a rising global nuclear power.
