India's Space Program: An Israeli Perspective on Regional Security

Abstract

This article outlines and analyzes the developments of the Indian space program, which is heading towards national security space systems, and does so from an Israeli perspective, focusing on the implications for the Asian region. The first section outlines the Israeli-Indian relationship, including the impetus for collaboration, and stresses the elements that cause India and Israel to see eye-to-eye in many issues of national security and world affairs. The second part discusses the Indian space program and aspirations from an Israeli perspective. The third and last part provides a few recommendations that we believe could allow greater for sustainability in the space environment, and stability in the international community in general and the Asian region in particular. We suggest a new non-proliferation treaty concerning space technology and activity that would officially form a “space club.” This act would create the norms and rules of behavior needed to ensure worldwide use of space for peaceful uses.

Notes

1. Martin Sherman, “India and Israel Forge a Solid Strategic Alliance,” The Jerusalem Post, February 28, 2003. Accessible via http://www.pakdef.info/foru m/archive/index.php/t-7911.html

2. For more information, please visit the website of the Indian Embassy in Israel. Accessible via http://www.indembassy.co.il/

3. Russia (U.S.S.R.) 1957, the United States 1958, France 1965, Japan 1970, China 1970, Britain 1971, India 1980, and Israel 1988.

4. Data was obtained from the online site of the CIA World Fact-book: “India,” (last updated Dec. 9, 2010). Accessible via http://https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html;and “Israel” (last updated December 7, 2010). Accessible via https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html

5. Harsh V. Pant, “India-Israel Partnership: Convergence and Constraints”, Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Vol. 8, No. 4 (December 2004), p. 63.

6. Israel's first Premier, David Ben-Gurion, and India's first Premier, Jawaharlal Nehru, shared the philosophy that through serious national investment in science and technology fast development, national security, and welfare are achievable.

7. In June 2010, on a visit to Israel by an Indian delegation of high-tech businessmen, India's ambassador to Israel, Navtej Sarna, said, “This cooperation in hi-tech is an example of how complementarities can be maximized, how the tremendous growth of India's IT and telecom and the immense innovation of Israeli hi-tech industry can be advantageous to the people of both countries. It's a win-win situation.” In: “Israeli, Indian High-Tech Industries to Collaborate,” Ynetnews (June 20, 2010). Accessible via http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3907185,00.html

8. P. R. Kumaraswamy, “India and Israel Evolving Strategic Partnership,” Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, September 1998. Accessible via http://www.biu.ac.il/Besa/publications/40pub.html

9. In 2000, they set up a joint working group on counter-terrorism in order to strengthen cooperation. See Pant, “India-Israel Partnership: Convergence,” p. 62.

10. Pant, “India-Israel Partnership: Convergence,” p. 62.

11. In these attacks 175 people were murdered and a Jewish Chabad center was also attacked, causing the murder of six Israeli citizens. In February 2010, on an official visit to Israel by Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, Israeli President Shimon Peres said to Minister Sharma when offering cooperation in the fight against terror that “India's security is as important to Israel as its own.” “India, Israel vow to enhance cooperation in combating terror,” Indian Express (February 19, 2010). Accessible via http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-israel-vow-to-enhance-cooperation-in/581802/

12. For a list of the bilateral agreements and high level visits see the website of the Indian Embassy in Israel, see http://www.indembassy.co.il

13. Pant, “India-Israel Partnership: Convergence,” p. 63–64. In 2006, India purchased US$900 million in arms from Israel. Arieh Egozi, “Israel arms sales to India top USD 900 million a year,” YNetNews.com, (October 4, 2006). Accessible via http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3310835,00.html

14. Pant, “India-Israel Partnership: Convergence,” p. 60.

15. Futron Space Competitiveness Index, (2009), p. 47.

16. The task force was headed by Mr. Menachem Greenblum, Director General Ministry of Science and Technology and Prof. Isaac Ben Israel, then Chairman of the Israeli Space Agency.

17. Deganit Paikowsky, and Ram Levi, “Space as a National Project – An Israeli Space Program for a Sustainable Israeli Space Industry, Presidential Task-Force for Space Activity Final Report,” (Jerusalem: Israel Ministry of Science and Technology, June 2010), in Hebrew.

18. Ora Coren, “Reaching for the Stars – A new space race, fueled more by profit than by national pride, has begun, and Israel wants in,” Haaretz, August 5, 2010. Available at http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/reaching-for-the-stars-1.306093

19. For a comprehensive overview of the Indian approach to space for national empowerment see: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, and Sivathanu Pillai, Envisioning an Empowered Nation–Technology for Societal Transformation (New-Delhi: Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing Company, 2004).

20. Futron Space Competitiveness Index, (2009), p. 46.

21. Michael J. Sheehan, The International Politics of Space (London: Routledge, 2007), p. 156.

22. Nair was chairman of ISRO in the years 2003–09.

23. “India: New Space Agency Chief Favors Devoting Resources to Research, Development,” The Hindu, September 23, 2003. Accessible via http://www.hinduonnet.com/

24. K. S. Jayaraman, “Profile of Gopalan Madhavan Nair, Chairman of ISRO,” Space News, (January 26, 2004), p. 22.

25. For a detailed information on the Indian approach to national security space activity, doctrine and motivation see K. K. Nair, Space-The Frontiers of Modern Defense (New-Delhi: Knowledge World in association with the Center for Air-Power Studies,2006).

26. Gene V. Milowicki, and Joan Johnson-Freese, “Strategic Choices: Examining the United States Military Response to the Chinese Anti-Satellite Test,” Astropolitics (2008), Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 5.

27. For an interesting work on this issue, see Avital Moyal, The Relation between Space Independence and Unconventional Weapons, Working Paper (Tel-Aviv: Tel-Aviv University Press, 2009), in Hebrew.

28. Deganit Paikowsky, “Clubs of Power: Why Do Nation-States Join the ‘Space Club’?,” 2009, (Ph.D. Dissertation submitted to the Senate of Tel Aviv University), in English.

29. For more information on the history of the Israeli space program and the motivation of Israel to embark on an indigenous capability, see: Deganit Paikowsky, “The Israeli Space Effort: Logic and Motivations,” article presented at the International Astronautical Congress, (2009), Korea.

30. For a detailed description of the history of the Indian space program in the context of the development of the capability to launch objects into space, see Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's autobiography: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari, Wings of Fire (Hyderabad, India: Universities Press, 1999).

31. A voluntary association of countries, which share the goals of non-proliferation of unmanned delivery systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. It was originally established in 1987 by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Italy, Germany, and France. Today, 34 countries are members of the MTCR.

32. Kartik Bommakanti, “Satellite Integration and Multiple Independently Retargetable Reentry Vehicles Technology: Indian-United States Civilian space Cooperation,” Astropolitics Vol.7, No. 1 (January- April 2009), p. 11.

33. For further reading see Kalam, and Tiwari, Wings of Fire, pp. 101–106; Bommakanti, “Satellite Integration and Multiple Independently,” p. 20.

34. Bommakanti, “Satellite Integration and Multiple Independently,” p. 20.

35. Of the thirteen Israeli satellites put in orbit, five of them are commercial satellites (Amos and Eros series) and one is a student satellite.

36. The Israel Space Agency is developing together with CNES the VENUS micro-satellite. SpaceCom and IAI are developing another communication satellite of the AMOS series.

37. An important example is the case of Iran's satellite jamming activity against BBC broadcasts, which was widely criticized and condemned by leading European Union countries and the UN-ITU. Michael Theodoulou, “Tehran Told to End Satellite Jamming,” The National (March 22, 2010), Accessible via http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100322/FOREIGN/703219849/1002/FOREIGN

38. These two incidents were the 2007 Chinese experiment and the 2008 American action of destroying its own satellite.

39. For a definition and discussion of the nature of the space club see Paikowsky, “Clubs of Power” and Deganit Paikowsky, “The Space Club: Space Politics and Policies,” article presented at the International Astronautical Congress (2009), Korea.

40. Gene Milowicki and Joan Johnson-Freese, “Strategic Choices,” p. 5.

41. The Democratic Peace Theory is based on the Philosophical Idea of Immanuel Kant in his book Perpetual Peace (1795). Kant argues that constitutional republics are less likely to go to war unless for self-defense, because most people will disagree. In the discipline of international relations, this idea has been examined since the 1960s and even empirically tested by several scholars in the 1990s, for example: Ray, 1998; Maoz, 1997; etc.