What Agni-V MIRV Test Says About India’s Strategic Timing: Challenge Of Surprise Element

Agni-V test not only highlights India’s technological prowess, but also its timing, as pertains to events before and just after the test, including Chinese maritime movements in IOR.

The successful test of the multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicle Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile highlights India’s technological prowess. ( Image Source :PTI )

Historically, it has been a challenge for India to become a nuclear-capable state as it has always faced international sanctions and scrutiny. International politics and security scholar Raju G.C. Thomas has written that, in May 1999, India’s decision to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was part of a broader missile development programme. The April 1999 Agni-II test was perhaps the first instance India signalled its capability to strike deep within China. There have