Statement I : India used the Minimum Credible Deterrent argument to develop its nuclear weapon system arguing that it had such a threat from China. Pakistan in turn used the same argument against India when it developed its own nuclear weapons.
Statement II : The Minimum Credible Deterrent refers to a notion according to which nuclear weapons become necessary for a country when it has a clear nuclear threat.
Both the statements are individually true and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I
Both the statements are individually true but statement II is not the correct explanation of statement I
Statement I is true but statement II is false
Statement I is false but statement II is true
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2011
Both Statement I and Statement II are individually true, and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I. Statement I describes the historical application of the Minimum Credible Deterrent argument by India and Pakistan in the context of their nuclear weapons programs. Statement II provides a definition of the Minimum Credible Deterrent, explaining that nuclear weapons become necessary for a country when it faces a clear nuclear threat. This definition precisely explains *why* India and Pakistan would employ such an argument – they perceived nuclear threats (India from China, Pakistan from India) and therefore argued that a nuclear capability was necessary as a deterrent.
Minimum Credible Deterrent is a strategic posture where a state possesses just enough nuclear capability to deter an attack, particularly a nuclear attack, by threatening unacceptable retaliation. It emphasizes the ‘minimum’ requirement to deter, rather than seeking nuclear superiority or parity in numbers.