INDIAN PERSPECTIVES ON REGIONAL SPACE SECURITY Maj Gen Dipankar Banerjee (Retd) Director & Head Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies New Delhi, India

BACKDROP Two excellent presentations on India ISRO Lochan – Space policy Meeting the challenges of the socio-economic concerns of the nation – civilian use perspective and focus. Nair – A common security perspective & military dynamics My Talk – Regional Security with space connotations

MILITARIZATION OF SPACE MILITARIZATION OF SPACE The inevitability of militarization The rapid scaling up of military dependence Burgeoning civilian applications The challenge to prevent weaponization - Is weaponization inevitable? - May lead to -Dominance by some -An arms race -Asymmetric response by others

CHANGING CONTOURS OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CHANGING CONTOURS OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY The changing nature of threats The threat from global warming US Pre-eminence as the sole superpower The rise of China The emergence of non-state actors

CHARACTERISTICS OF ASIA 60 percent of world population and growing High economic potential and growth Favorable demographics Lacks a continent wide security architecture or forum Growing regional organizations some with security connotations

REGIONAL SECURITY More stable than ever in history. Yet, - Japan-China relations cause for concern - China-India borders unresolved - West Asia and resurgence of militant Islam - Consequence of failures in Iraq and Afghanistan - And China’s ASAT Test - Is there a space race in Asia?

Future historians may well see Beijing's use of a missile to destroy an old weather satellite as having more lasting global impact than the Iraq war. IHT, January 21, 2007 AND CHINA’S ASAT TEST

QUESTIONS Why now? What objective or motive? Lead to a new space command? Who was responsible for decision & is that important? Why delay in announcement? What next?

IMPLICATIONS AND RESPONSE GloballyRegionally On PAROS and CD Would implications be opposite of what China intended?

INDIAN POSITION “ India has created a growing infrastructure, …. for the utilisation of space technology and assets in space for … diverse sectors……... India is, therefore, committed to the peaceful pursuit of space technology and to preserve outer space……. exclusively for peaceful uses. We share the concerns about the dangers of deployment of weapons in the outer space and believe that this will not be in our collective interest. Statement by Shri Jayant Prasad, PRI to CD, Geneva Feb 02, 2006 After the Test Joint Statement PM Manmohan Singh and President Putin calling for a “weapons free outer space”. 16 Jan 2007

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