Saraswat Didn’t Seek Permission to Test A-SAT: Former NSA Menon

This comes after VK Saraswat claimed that the UPA government denied permission to conduct anti-satellite test.

Former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon on Friday, 29 March, said that former Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO) chief VK Saraswat "never asked for permission for an A-SAT test."

This comes after Saraswat claimed that the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government refused to give permission to conduct an anti-satellite test.

“This is the first I have ever heard of it. Saraswat never asked me for permission for an A-SAT test,” said Menon, speaking to The Wire. He added that while Saraswat made informal presentation, he did not seek sanctions or approval.

In an interview with the The Economic Times on Thursday, 28 March, he said:

“I remember making presentations to ministers and even the NSA but the necessary clearance never came. No reason was given, there was just silence.”

Saraswat’s Flip-Flop

However, in an interview to India Today in 2012, Saraswat explained why he was “not in favour of testing” India’s A-SAT capabilities:

“We don’t want to weaponise space but the building blocks should be in place. Because you may come to a time when you may need it. Today, I can say that all the building blocks (for an A-SAT weapon) are in place. A little fine-tuning may be required but we will do that electronically. We will not do a physical test (actual destruction of a satellite) because of the risk of space debris affecting other satellites.”

According to an article published by The Indian Express in 2012, former DRDO chief Saraswat stressed that an A-SAT system needs strong boost capabilities in the range of 800 km in space, which the Agni-V missiles have already demonstrated. Saraswat stated that India has proven guidance capability, rigorously tested in a series of anti-ballistic missile tests.

Saraswat was made a member of the NITI Aayog by the Narendra Modi government, following his retirement as head of DRDO in 2013.

India joined a special club of nations capable of destroying satellites in space on Wednesday, 27 March; the only other nations capable of this feat is the United States of America, Russia and China.

In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the operation ‘Mission Shakti’ and stated that this is an important step towards securing India.

(With inputs from The Wire, The Economic Times, The Indian Express)