Airborne Command: The Key to Nuclear Deterrence

In a world of evolving strategic threats, maintaining a robust nuclear command authority is crucial for deterrence.

Lt Gen (Dr) Prakash Menon (retd), Director of the Strategic Studies Programme at the Takshashila Institution and former military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat, advocates for a solution to ensure survivability: the airborne command post.

The Challenge of Fixed Installations​

Advances in satellite-based geospatial monitoring have significantly reduced the effectiveness of concealing underground facilities.

Traditionally housing strategic command centers, these installations are now increasingly vulnerable to detection and targeted strikes.

Disrupting a fixed facility's communication channels jeopardizes the command and control essential for nuclear deterrence.

The Airborne Advantage​

An airborne command post addresses this problem through inherent mobility and survivability. Unbound by a fixed location, these platforms strategically navigate vast airspace, evading detection and potential attacks.

Further enhancing security, the use of decoys and other countermeasures creates operational uncertainty for adversaries.

Endurance Considerations​

While airborne platforms naturally have limits based on fuel capacity, aerial refueling mitigates this constraint and ensures operational readiness. The benefits of increased survivability and flexibility far outweigh fuel limitations.

Lt Gen Menon proposes a dual-pronged approach: a traditional underground chain of command complemented by an airborne one, creating robust redundancy.

Safeguarding Nuclear Command Authority​

The core purpose of an airborne command post is to ensure the survivability of the nuclear command authority.

This additional layer of protection in a complex geopolitical landscape strengthens deterrence stability.

An airborne facility resists adversary efforts to undermine or disrupt the command structure needed for effective nuclear response.

 

[Rational Guy]

India needs nuclear doomsday airborne command ASAP like USAF Looking Glass which can also give the command to launch nuclear weapons in case of a first strike on us by the enemy. We also need to build a deep underground bunmer below Rastrapathi Bhavan, like 500-600 meters underground which can house PM, President, key generals etc in case of attack/crisis

 

[Sandeep]

While what he says makes sense the problem is that the plane will have to keep flying which makes it expensive to operate and would rarely have time to land just to make it useful and keep a airborne command post.

The best option is to develop, a deep ground command centre underground but over ground it should be disguised as something else as it seems that's the best way to go.

 

[WarTech]

While what he says makes sense the problem is that the plane will have to keep flying which makes it expensive to operate and would rarely have time to land just to make it useful and keep a airborne command post.

The best option is to develop, a deep ground command centre underground but over ground it should be disguised as something else as it seems that's the best way to go.

Expensive? Are you for real? Who gives a sh!1 about money when half of your country is a nuclear wasteland.
An airborne command centre, as the name suggests, remains airborne to do it's work. So which genius will decide to land it to 'make it useful'.
Constructing anything can be easily observed from space, especially when you remove large amount of soil. If you try to disguise it as something else even if something suspicious is going on, they would always keep an eye.
So none of your words make sense.

 

[WarTech]

India needs nuclear doomsday airborne command ASAP like USAF Looking Glass which can also give the command to launch nuclear weapons in case of a first strike on us by the enemy. We also need to build a deep underground bunmer below Rastrapathi Bhavan, like 500-600 meters underground which can house PM, President, key generals etc in case of attack/crisis

While they can create a bunker, it would be a very costly affair and everybody would know it.
A better option would have been building it when you were constructing the above structure, like when they made the new parliament.
Well, beggars can't be choosers.

 

[Sandeep]

Expensive? Are you for real? Who gives a sh!1 about money when half of your country is a nuclear wasteland.
An airborne command centre, as the name suggests, remains airborne to do it's work. So which genius will decide to land it to 'make it useful'.
Constructing anything can be easily observed from space, especially when you remove large amount of soil. If you try to disguise it as something else even if something suspicious is going on, they would always keep an eye.
So none of your words make sense.

No constructing something visible from space isn’t guaranteed at all and it’s very difficult. You can be constructing anything and you can say and call it whatever you want and people won’t realise. How do you think we managed to hide from the world about our underground nuclear test? People were digging down there and most people didn’t realise what it was for and were given a vague answer. So it’s possible to camouflage things very well.

Also airborne command needs to land and refuel at some stage right? Also people operating on there still need to land and rotate their shift right? The plane still needs to land and go through maintenance and service right? Also someone can easily fire a missile and take it out. So it’s not an ideal or guaranteed help but has more problems than solutions. Underground is more reliable and better protected. We have our indigenous air defence shield operational anyway so they can intercept any incoming nuclear missiles.