Nuclear Agreement

India has a largely indigenous nuclear power programme. The Indian government is committed to growing its nuclear power capacity as part of its massive infrastructure development programme. At the start of 2018 six reactors were under construction in India, with a combined capacity of 4.4 GWe. Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant and materials, which hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009.

Recent Developments

US to Exit INF Treaty

The US government has announced to withdraw from the U.S.-Russian Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

What is the INF Treaty: The treaty was signed in December 1987 by the US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. It prohibited the United States and the Soviet Union from possessing, testing and deploying ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles of ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles). Despite its name, the INF Treaty covers all types of ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles — whether their payload is conventional or nuclear.

India enters Wassenaar Arrangement

  • Elite export control regime Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) have decided to admit India as its new member. The decision was taken at the two-day plenary meeting of the grouping in Vienna.
    • Since its civil nuclear deal with the U.S., India has been trying to get into export control regimes such as the NSG, the MTCR, the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement that regulate the conventional, nuclear, biological and chemicals weapons and technologies.
    • The Wassenaar Arrangement plays a significant role in promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.
    • It is expected to raise India’s stature in the field of non-proliferation besides helping it acquire critical technologies.
  • Wassenaar Arrangement: The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies is a multilateral export control regime (MECR) with 42 participating States including many former Comecon (Warsaw Pact) countries.

World Nuke Counts

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on June 18, 2018 the findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2018, which assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security. Among the key findings: All the nuclear weapon-possessing states are developing new nuclear weapon systems and modernizing their existing systems.

Decrease in the Number of Weapons

  • lAt the start of 2018 nine states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)—possessed approximately 14,465 nuclear weapons. This marked a decrease from the approximately 14,935 nuclear weapons that SIPRI estimated these states possessed at the beginning of 2017.
  • lPakistan now has 140-150 nuclear warheads as compared to 130-140 of India, with China hovering around 280.
  • lThe US and Russia are in a different league altogether with 6,450 and 6,850 nuclear warheads respectively, together accounting for 92 per cent of the 14,465 nuclear weapons around the globe.

Nuclear Weapon Race in South Asia and India's Response

  • Pakistan has deliberately kept its nuclear policy ambiguous to deter India from undertaking any conventional military action despite repeated provocations, even as it fast supplements its enriched uranium-based nuclear programme with a weapons-grade plutonium one through the four heavy water reactors at the Khushab nuclear complex with help from China.
  • Pakistan also often brandishes its 70-km range Nasr (Hatf-IX) nuclear missiles as an effective battlefield counter to India's "Cold Start" strategy of swift, high-voltage conventional strikes into enemy territory. "For India, nuclear weapons are not war-fighting weapons.
  • China, with its rapid military modernization and expanding nuclear and missile arsenals remains a major worry for India.
  • Towards this end, it is estimated that India, which has a largely plutonium-based nuclear weapons programme, would like to achieve a stockpile of around 200 warheads in the decade ahead.

Reason for the Decrease

  • The decrease in the overall number of nuclear weapons in the world is due mainly to Russia and the United States—which together still account for nearly 92 per cent of all nuclear weapons—further reducing their strategic nuclear forces pursuant to the implementation of the 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START).

New Nuclear Weapons Continue to be Made

  • SIPRI notes that despite making limited reductions to their nuclear forces, both Russia and the United States have long-term programs under way to replace and modernize their nuclear warheads, missile and aircraft delivery systems, and nuclear weapon production facilities.

US Withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced America’s immediate withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal with Iran, following through on a threat the US president made as part of his 2016 election campaign.

  • In 2015, six countries led by the U.S. signed up to a landmark deal with Iran. Known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of certain western sanctions.

Facts about India’s Nuclear Journey

  • The country tested its first nuclear device in May 1974, and remains outside both the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
  • However, India has a facility-specific safeguards agreement in place with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) allowing it to participate in global civilian nuclear technology commerce.
  • India has a sizable and growing nuclear arsenal, primarily because of decades of conflict with neighboring Pakistan, which also possesses nuclear weapons.
  • 2008 Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver permits nuclear trade even though it is not an NPT member.
  • The US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran signed the deal, alongside the EU. The UN Security Council endorsed the deal.
  • The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, inspects sites in Iran and has repeatedly assessed that Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement.

Nuclear Policy of India

  • India’s nuclear doctrine was first enunciated following a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in January 2003.
  • Having made good on the promise to move India away from nuclear ambiguity since the Pokhran test of 1974, Vajpayee unilaterally committed to two important stabilizing measures: an informal moratorium on further nuclear tests and a commitment to “No First Use” (NFU) of nuclear weapons. Both have become sacrosanct in India’s thinking about nuclear weapons despite occasional rumblings otherwise.
  • Ignoring questions about India’s thermonuclear capability—one of the five weapons tested in 1998 was, ostensibly, a fusion bomb that fizzled—India has not resumed nuclear testing despite not being a party to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
  • Building and maintaining a Credible Minimum Deterrent and Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be “massive” and designed to inflict “unacceptable damage”.
  • India will continue to support the global initiative to create a nuclear free world and will push forward the idea of discrimination free nuclear disarmament.

Nuclear Agreement with Nations

Nuclear Agreement with Russia

  • Russia has an ongoing agreement of 1988 vintage with India regarding establishing of two 1000 MW reactors (water-cooled water-moderated light water power reactors) at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu.
  • Russia has assisted in India's efforts to design a nuclear plant for its nuclear submarine. Russia has assisted in India's efforts to design a nuclear plant for its nuclear submarine.
  • On December 22, 2015, during Prime Minister's visit to Russia, a Joint Programme of Action for Localization of Manufacturing in India for Russian-designed Nuclear Power Plants was signed. A minimum of 12 reactor units will be built with Russian collaboration.

Nuclear Agreement with USA

  • The 123 Agreement signed between the United States of America and the Republic of India is known as the U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement or Indo-US nuclear deal.
  • The framework for this agreement was a July 18, 2005, joint statement by then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then U.S. President George W. Bush, under which India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and to place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and, in exchange, the United States agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.
  • The Agreement would end technology denial regimes against India that have been in place for three decades and end India's nuclear isolation. It will open the doors for India to have civil nuclear cooperation as an equal partner with the USA and the rest of the world. It will enable us to meet the twin challenges of energy security and environmental sustainability. Recently, USA and India has agreed to construct six nuclear reactors by US company Westinghouse in India. This will add significant capacity to India's nuclear installations.

Nuclear Agreement with France

  • France was the first country to sign a civilian nuclear agreement with India on 30 September 2008 after the complete waiver provided by the NSG.
  • The agreement, which could open the way to deals for state-backed French nuclear technology group Areva, was signed following a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the French President (Nicolas Sarkozy).
  • During the December 2010 visit of the French President, to India, framework agreements were signed for the setting upto third-generation EPR reactors of 1650 MW each at Jaitapur, Maharashtra by the French company Areva.

Nuclear Agreement with other Countries

  • In 2014, India and Australia signed a civil nuclear agreement which allows the export of uranium to India. Australia is the third largest producer of uranium in the world. The agreement allows supply of uranium for peaceful generation of power for civil use in India.
  • India and Mongolia signed a crucial civil nuclear agreement on 15 June 2009 for supply of Uranium to India, making it the fifth nation in the world to seal a civil nuclear pact with India. India and Canada signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2010 which when all steps are taken, will provide access for Canada's nuclear industry to India's expanding nuclear market and also fuel for India's reactors. Canada is one of the world's largest exporters of uranium and Canada's heavy water nuclear technology is marketed abroad with CANDU-type units operating in India, Pakistan, Argentina, South Korea, Romania and China.
  • Other countries with which India signed agreement on supply of nuclear fuel include Kazakhstan, while South Korea signed an agreement to help build the nuclear reactors in India.

Nuclear Treaties & Agreements

Treaty & Agreements

Date

Descriptions

African Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty

April 11, 1996

This treaty, also known as the Treaty of Pelindaba, ensures the denuclearization of Africa.

Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

October 21, 1994

This framework between the United States and the DPRK resolves the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula by replacing the DPRK’s graphite moderated reactors and related facilities with other alternative energy arrangements.

Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)

September 24, 1996

This is a legally binding global ban on all nuclear explosive testing.

Convention on Cluster Munitions

December 3, 2008

This treaty, through prohibition and a framework for action, addresses the humanitarian consequences of civilians by cluster munitions.

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

December 8, 1987

This treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union requires destruction of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with certain ranges, and associated equipment within three years of the Treaty entering into force.

International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC)

November 25, 2002

This code is an agreement between states on how they should conduct their missile trade and bolsters efforts to curb ballistic missile proliferation.

Latin America Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Tlatelolco)

February 14, 1967

This treaty prohibits Latin American states from not only acquiring and possessing nuclear weapons, but also from allowing the storage or deployment of nuclear weapons on their territories by other states.

Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT)

August 5, 1963

This prohibits nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, under water, and in any other environment if the explosions cause radioactive debris to be present outside the territory of a responsible state.

Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR

April 16, 1987

This limits the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems used for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks by encouraging its 35 member states to restrict their exports of technologies capable of delivering any type of WMD.

New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

April 8, 2010

A treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States with central standards on further reduction and limitation of offensive arms to be met by February 5, 2018.

Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)

July 1, 1968

This treaty is the basis of international cooperation on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons by promoting disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty (PNET)

May 28, 1976

This treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union prohibits peaceful nuclear explosions not covered by the Threshold Test Ban Treaty, and verifies all data exchanges and visits to sites of explosions through national technical means.

Seabed Arms Control Treaty

February 11, 1971

This treaty sought to prevent the introduction of international conflict and nuclear weapons in areas already free of them.

South Pacific Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga)

August 6, 1985

This prohibits the manufacture, possession, or control of nuclear explosives, the dumping of radioactive wastes at sea within the defined zone, and the testing or stationing nuclear explosive devices within state territories.

Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT)

May 24, 2002

This treaty required the United States and the Russian Federation to reduce their deployed strategic nuclear forces. It took effect and expired on Dec. 31, 2012. Both could then change the size of their deployed strategic nuclear forces.

Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT)

July 3, 1974

This treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union established a nuclear threshold through the prohibition of the testing of new or existing nuclear weapons with a yield exceeding 150 kilotons.

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

July 17, 2017

This treaty prohibits the use, threat of use, development, production, manufacturing, acquisition, possession, stockpiling, transfer, stationing and installment of nuclear weapons or assistance with any prohibited activities.

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