China's test of a ballistic missile to knock down a satellite in space, apart from evoking widespread concern around the globe, has sent alarm bells ringing in India's defence and security establishment. Though it is believed that China's ASAT (anti-satellite) weapon system test on January 11 was meant to be a direct challenge to the overpowering US military dominance of space, it does have some implications for India, which has a robust space programme.
India's participation in the Galileo project, a satellite navigation system being developed by EU and European Space Agency, expected to rival the United States GPS (global positioning system), has run into the hard ground realities of security concerns. India fears that sharing of sensitive data may not be adequately firewalled from individuals and other nations participating in the enterprise.
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has approved the acquisition of an anti-ballistic missile system from the US, at an estimated over $1.5 billion, to be deployed at key sensitive installations and nuclear facilities.
India and Pakistan have imposed strict security at facilities that house their nuclear weapons, virtually eliminating the possibility of a nuclear theft, said a new US government-funded study.
India, for the first time, said that it would retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons if attacked with chemical or biological weapons by even non-nuclear adversaries.
China has proposed a treaty to ban weapons in outer space because of the imminent "danger" stemming from US missile defense plans. "All space-based weapons and all weapons attacking outer space targets from the earth are to be prohibited once and for all," Chinese Ambassador Hu Xiaodi told the 66-nation Conference on Disarmament.
Indian researchers are seeking to capitalize on India's wealth of intellectual and biological resources by becoming a leader in the nascent DNA chip industry.
China is aiming for a possible first manned space launch by 2001, the U.S. Department of defence says in a report to the Congress. The report says that exploitation of space, to include manned space operations, remains a high priority for China.
Experts warn that Japan is an easy target for cyber terrorists because of its lack of attention to information security policies.