Abstract
Tactical Nuclear Weapons or TNW as seen through the Cold
War lens are weapons with lesser yields or shorter ranges as
compared to strategic weapons meant for counter value and
counter force targets. During the East-West conflict these
weapons were located in advance positions for use on the
European battlefield to deter or counter a Soviet invasion. To
rival these, the Soviets developed a whole range of their own
TNW. Some of these weapons are still deployed in Europe
and form part of the non-deployed arsenals of US and
Russian nuclear forces.
Ever since Pakistan introduced the battlefield range
Nasr/Hatf IX ballistic missile a few years ago, it has been
criticized for triggering a new arms race in the region.
Pakistan‟s security establishment regards all kinds of nuclear
weapons as guarantors against a growing existential threat.
Initially it was argued that the term TNW did not necessarily
hold true in the context of the South Asian subcontinent,
where all nuclear weapons irrespective of ranges or yields are
basically weapons of deterrence but, subsequently, it was
argued that these missiles were part of the concept of Full
Spectrum Deterrence. Under this arrangement, the TNW
covered the immediate battlefield to deter the short sharp
thrusts at multiple points below the perceived nuclear
threshold within the framework of the Cold Start Doctrine
(CSD). Combined together, a mix of short and long range
missiles is also expected to find a chink in the Indian Ballistic
Missile Defense Shield (BMDS) system.
This paper examines in an objective manner the
Pakistani motivations to pursue this developmental strategy
and why it will persist with it.
Dr. Tughral Yamin. (2015) Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNW) – The Pakistani Perspective, IPRI Journal, Volume-15, Issue-2.
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