It is the date when india revealed itself to be one of the top nations in the. The pokhran ii tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by india at the indian armys pokhran test range in may 1998. It first highlights the impact the indian tests had on thinking at the global level. Vajpayee was subdued and he now wanted something very quick. How the cia was fooled by india during pokhran ii indian. Pokhran test 1998 pdf nuclear tests on may 11 and, 1998 were an epochal event that propelled it into the ranks of the nuclear weapon states. Pokhran ii and beyond emerging indian nuclear posture dtic. First was to validate new designs to ensure the credibility of the nuclear deterrent as the data set from the 1974 test was limited. The pokhran test range, a key component of indias nuclear programme, is located in the municipality. Why india tested nuclear weapons in 1998 the diplomat. A year down the line, the government plans to celebrate may 11 as resurgent india day.
The development of peaceful nuclear explosion technology is an integral part of that policy. The two nuclear tests conducted by india on 11 and may 1998 took the world by surprise. On april 6, 1998, pakistan test fired ghauri missile which has the penetration range of 1500 km while that of indias agni is 2500 km. Twenty years ago, on 11 may, 1998, india created history by conducting its second set of nuclear tests operation shakti in the indian armys pokhran test range. After the test in 1998, indias minister of home affairs 19982004, lal krishna. How india fooled cia before operation shakti 18 may 1974. Second was to declare that india was now a nuclear weapon state and modify the terms of our engagement with other states accordingly. Considering the numerous test preparations that had been detected over the past three. Pokhran nuclear test 1998 archives the fact research. The indian nuclear test site is located 45 km northwest of pokhran town and 4 km north of khetolai village. Facts about the 1998 pokhran ii nuclear tests which paved. Pdf indias nuclear posture after pokhran ii researchgate. Strategists will assess the gains and losses of pokhran ii.
Most observers wondered at the indian perception of her security. This chapter deals with the consequences of the indian nuclear tests of 1998. Us intelligence and indias nuclear tests every crs report. Journals online in pdf or html form in the institutional repository of the institution. The decision was taken considering the winds might carry the radiation to inhabited lands or. The test range was built by the indian army corps of engineers and is under the control of indian army. The pokhranii tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by india at the indian armys pokhran test range in may 1998. Us detected indian nuclear test buildup at pokhran in 1995 the set of classified documents released by nsa sheds light on the intelligence watch over the indian test site. The inability to detect indias intentions is the biggest failure of our intelligence gathering agencies in the past 10 years or more, he said. Pokhran nuclear test was delayed by over six hours on may 11, 1998, due to unfavorable wind direction.
Pokhran ii how india fooled cia and tested its nuclear. In contrast to the ussoviet dialogue after pokhran i, which led to. It first highlights the impact the indian tests had on thinking at the global level because there is considerable confusion in international strategic assessments about indias strategic motives. Prime minister atal behari vajpayee, thursday 14 may 1998. But atal bihari vajpayee and the bharatiya janata party bjp retaking the premiership in the 1998 general elections is indeed the most compelling explanation for. The successful pokhran ii nuclear tests put india on the map as a nuclear superpower and hence, a force to be reckoned. A blast from the past on national technology day, as we remember the 20th anniversary of indias 2nd set of nuclear tests at pokhran watch the full story her.