Command system for nuke arsenal set up

8220;A system is already in place and the Prime Minister is its heads,8221; he stated in an informal chat with the media during Vajpayee8217;s visit to Hyderabad and Puttaparthi over the weekend.

The clarification appears to have been prompted by the impression that the government had failed to take the necessary follow-up measures after crossing the nuclear rubicund with the May 11 tests. The impression was reinforced by reports that the command and control system vital for structured weaponisation would be set up only after the NSC spelt out its contours.

Mishra stressed that the Council8217;s primary task was to undertake along term strategic defence review which will project threat perceptions over the next 10 to 15 years. The Council8217;s role was to plan for the future and the command and control system was for exigencies such as war, he said.

Refusing to elaborate any further on the system, Mishra said that the details would be formally announced when the government felt the time was right, probably after the strategic defence review was completed. He said it would take 8220;some months8221; for the review to be completed.

The review will cover not only external threats but the entire gamut of security issues including economic, subversion, narcotics and terrorism, both internally and externally sponsored, Mishra said.

He defended his appointment as the National Security Advisor to the government by emphasising that he has been doing this job 8220;defacto8221; for the past eight months. Responding to criticism that as Principal Secretary he did not have enough time to devote to security issues, Mishra said that N K Singh had beenappointed Secretary in the PMO to ease his workload. Singh deals with all economic matters, he added.

The government hopes to announce the formation of the NSC advisory body within a few days. It will consist of 24 to 30 people from outside the government who are experts on security matters.

The advisory panel will interact with the strategic policy group for the strategic review which will form the basis for a national security policy.

The third wing of the NSC is the Joint Intelligence Committee JIC which has to be totally revamped for its new role. According to Mishra, the new JIC will have two wings 8211; one for intelligence analysis and another to make recommendations to the strategic policy group.

The functional details, such as the form of interaction between the three wings, are yet to be worked out by the Council but Mishra said he hoped it would be completed soon.