| ID | 127136 |
| Title Proper | Deadly or impotent? |
| Other Title Information | nuclear command and control in Pakistan |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Miraglia, Sebastien |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article examines the nuclear command and control (C2) system implemented in Pakistan since 1998, and discusses its potential consequences for the risk of inadvertent or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons. I argue that troubled civil-military relations and Pakistan's doctrine of 'asymmetric escalation' account for the creation of a command and control system with different characteristics during peacetime and military crises. Although the key characteristics of Pakistan's nuclear C2 system allow relatively safe nuclear operations during peacetime, operational deployment of nuclear weapons during military standoffs is likely to include only rudimentary protections against inadvertent or unauthorised nuclear release. The implication of this study is that any shift from peacetime to wartime command and control procedures is likely to further destabilise Indo-Pakistani relations during the early stages of a diplomatic or military standoff, and introduce a non-trivial risk of accidental escalation to the nuclear level. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol.36, No.6; December 2013: p.841-866 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol.36, No.6; December 2013: p.841-866 |
| Key Words | Nuclear Weapons ; Pakistan ; Command and Control ; Nuclear Command - Pakistan ; Nuclear Control - Pakistan ; National Command Authority |