Delegate for: India Committee: First General Assembly

Topic: The Question of Missile Shield Defence

India's position on missile defence is a direct reaction to the regional pressures it faces from both China and Pakistan. Its intention is to further develop its own capabilities to ensure security from increasingly lethal arsenal of short and medium range missiles arrayed along its borders. India does however recognise the need to temper the spread of ABM's and other shield systems to obviate the rising of multilateral tensions, both in its own region and in an international context. The United States' circumvention of the ABM treaty of 1972 in Europe (in addition to its establishment of the STI), and its' further extrapolation of ABM systems East Asia have precipitated an escalation of ballistic technology from China and its satellites. Chinese surges in the establishment of a comprehensive shield have threatened Indian security by fermenting further nuclear imbalance between the two nations. India's successful launch of the Agni-V missile earlier this year was a step towards redressing the balance. India sees the PRC's concerns over the offensive nature of the US's NMD system as a dominant factor in the emerging arms race over shield capabilities and therefore as a high priority of the Committee in the interests of stymieing any further escalation of the issue. It is a major concern, not only for India in regards to destabilising regional military imbalances, but also internationally in the foregrounding of a conflict nexus in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The second of India's core focuses on the Committee is the tangential field of Anti-Satellite Missiles and extra-terrestrial militarisation. India's ratification of the OST affirms its commitment to a demilitarised Outer Space and its fervent wish that space remains the common heritage of mankind. The potentiality for ASM systems that arises out of advances in ABM technology and a 'Celestial Theatre' of conflict flies in the face of this near unilaterally agreed-upon principle. Proposed Reforms to the Topic:

Resolution limiting proliferation of ABM systems to a level sufficient to protect against the actions of rogue states but not the actions of rational actors, with an aim to remove ABM's from state-on-state conflict paradigms. Commitment to traditional deterrence doctrines through the devolution of perceived 'safety nets' like ABM's. Development of more concrete and focused diplomatic channels in the field of nuclear activity between nations with UN supervision with a view to more expedience in resolution of disputes and the stemming of potential arms races.

Ratification of a New Space Treaty with greater and more specific mention of ABM and ASM systems and reaffirmation of space as a solely collaborative endeavour.