Rajesh Kumar: Indian Nuclear Strategy and Lessons from the May Crisis

Описание: Retired Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, former Commander-in-Chief of India’s Strategic Forces Command, joins South Asia program director Elizabeth Threlkeld for a conversation on how India can maintain nuclear deterrence against its two main adversaries without altering its nuclear doctrine, regional security dynamics in Southern Asia, and lessons learned from the May 2025 India-Pakistan crisis.

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OUTLINE
00:00 Intro
2:50 Indian Nuclear Doctrine
9:20 No First Use Policy
15:00 Indian Nuclear Posture
19:27 Chinese Nuclear Expansion
26:50 New Technologies as an Equalizer
32:06 Arsenal Expansion vs. Modernization
35:19 Pakistan-China Collusion
38:33 Balance of Air Forces
43:00 China’s Role in the 2025 Crisis
44:37 Nuclear Dimension of the 2025 Crisis?
52:42 Future Escalation Risks
58:50 Confidence-Building Measures and Diplomacy

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Full Guest Biography: Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar was the 11th commander-in-chief of Strategic Forces Command, the tri-service command responsible for managing and administering all of India’s strategic forces, including its nuclear stockpile. Air Marshal Kumar commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in 1982 and retired in 2021. He recently co-authored the book Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India's New Normal.”

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*** Disclaimer: This show is part of Strategic Learning’s mission to bring in voices from across the region and beyond, offering a wide range of perspectives on key concepts and current events. Our guests share their own views, and we know that you may see things differently. Our aim is simply to share thoughtful analysis from people who’ve spent time wrestling with these issues — and to give you more to think about as you explore them in your own way.  Strategic Learning’s intention is to provide an analytical toolkit for further study of these complex issues, and we encourage you to use what you learn in this video to come to your own conclusions.

Date recorded: February 18, 2026