India’s advancing missile defense capabilities have sparked concerns from the Institute of Strategic Studies, a research tank with headquarters in Pakistan. According to the paper, these capabilities represent a serious danger to both Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence and regional security. The S-400 air defense system-equipped Phase I missile defense system that India has deployed along its borders with Pakistan and China is highlighted in the paper.
The S-400 air defence is capable of detecting objects up to 600 kilometers away. As a result, it gives India to detect and nullify arial threats from Pakistan deep in Pakistani territory.
The Pakistan Army is even more worried about the situation as India is focussing on the development of sophisticated radars with longer ranges, which may make it possible to intercept the Hatf, Ghauri, and Shaheen missiles of Pakistan.
The think tank claims that India’s claims of a 99.8% kill probability are overstated, even if no missile defense system is perfect. On the other hand, the installation of such systems may give rise to a false sense of security, which might encourage India to take a more assertive stance and raise the possibility of nuclear war.
The study also emphasizes how India may use its military space program, development of hypersonic missiles, acquisition of conventional and nuclear weapons, and missile defense capabilities to carry out a counterforce preemptive strategy against Pakistan. This would worsen Pakistan’s security predicament while greatly enhancing India’s capacity for precision strikes.
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Pakistan is reportedly looking into a number of options to counter India’s expanding missile defense capabilities, such as expanding the range of delivery systems it uses, creating cutting-edge technologies to breach missile defense systems, and implementing tactics like mobility, dispersion, and camouflage to increase the survivability of its nuclear forces.
The necessity for Pakistan to carefully consider its strategic alternatives in response to India’s developing capabilities and to take the required steps to protect its national security is emphasized in the report’s conclusion.
