Book launch, defence minister, controversy. Repeat.
India's defence ministers could consider rote-learning their nuclear doctrine

What is the virtue of a proportionate response? – President Josiah Bartlet, The West Wing, Season 01, Episode 03

Last week, India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the launch of a new book by noted authority on strategic affairs, Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retired), called Sharpening the Arsenal | India’s Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy.

But some remarks made by the defence minister created a minor kerfuffle on social media.

.@nsitharaman can you confirm that you said “proportionate response”? If so this is a MAJOR climb down from our official doctrine of massive retaliation https://t.co/LypOBsesWw please clarify @MEAIndia @PMOIndia @narendramodi https://t.co/Y6jxrZc0to

— Yusuf Unjhawala 🇮🇳 (@YusufDFI) March 15, 2018

Taken literally, the defence minister’s words could have signified a change in India’s nuclear deterrence policy, which is structured around No First Use followed by ‘massive retaliation’ as Second Strike in response to any nuclear attack on India. There is no question of a proportionate response. And although the context is very different, the point made by fictional U.S. President Josiah Bartlet played by Martin Sheen in one episode of the hit television series The West Wing in the video above explains the idea very well.

However – no harm, no foul. Brigadier Kanwal clarified the context of her remarks, tweeting:

The RM clearly upheld and reaffirmed the basic features of India’s nuclear doctrine (CMD, NFU, MR) though in her own words. Hence, no, the doctrine has not changed. https://t.co/jyAdwVCVU7

— Gurmeet Kanwal (@gurmeetkanwal) March 15, 2018

Interestingly, this is not the first time a launch event for one of Brigadier Kanwal’s books has created a fuss. In November 2016, at the launch of his book The New Arthashastra: A security strategy for India former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said, “I wonder why we say that we don’t use nuclear weapons first. It doesn’t mean that India has to use nukes, but why rule out. This is my thinking. Some may say that Parrikar says nuclear doctrine has changed, it has not changed in any government policy.”

The defence ministry walked this statement back immediately, saying, “What Defence Minister Parrikar said was his personal opinion and not official position. What he said was that India being a responsible power should not get into first use debate.”