It feels something out of a spy movie when the best mountaineers are contacted by CIA for a secret mission to attach a mysterious device to the Nanda Devi Mountain (Highest in India). For this they are trained for months about how to handle that device without exposing themselves or disturbing the highly classified material inside. With this the climbers are provided with a catchy amount of US $1000 per month till the mission is completed.

In 1960s the CIA, in collaboration with India’s Intelligence Bureau carried out this ‘Operation Hat.’ The mission involved placing seven 5 kg plutonium capsules and surveillance equipment on Nanda Devi. It was to keep a tap on Chinese nuclear developments after their tests in 1964. 

In October 1965, a group of 18 US and Indian climbers carried a System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) generator with seven plutonium capsules weighing 5kg and an antenna for transmission to Nanda Devi at 25,643ft. It was to monitor Chinese nuclear developments after its first nuclear tests.

However, the mission drastically failed when Indian leader of the expedition, Manmohan Singh Kohli ordered retreat of his men because of a blizzard, while leaving the plutonium device there in the mountains. It was a disaster in the making when many expeditions went to retrieve that device atop Nanda Devi and returned empty handed.

In 1967, a new set of device was placed at neighboring mountain at 22500ft.  It was retrieved a year later when the device was found melting its way under snow because of the heat generated by the nuclear powered generator.

This mission was not made public until it appeared in international media in 1978. Later, in 2000, samples were taken from the headwaters of the Ganges and some of them did contain radioactive traces.

India and the US turned a blind eye towards the nuclear catastrophe in the making because of the lost plutonium device which could result in endangering Indian citizens. In Feb 2021, the locals of the district Uttarakhand (home to Nanda Devi) were hit by severe floods due to glaciers and rocks of the mountain breaking, resulting in 200 deaths. The locals believe that this flood was not the result of climate change, rather, the result of nuclear device buried in the mountains. It is also possible that the SNAP device could be hand pocketed for making of a dirty bomb able to destroy many cities. Contrary to this, many in the CIA believed that India stole nuclear material from the device to use in its own nuclear weapons program.

The aforementioned incident shows the stained Indian nuclear legacy, which, otherwise is ignored by the Western powers. India is still termed as a responsible nuclear weapon state and blessed with thirteen plus nuclear deals. India has also been given membership of three out of four export control cartels. It is so because India is used as a bulwark against China’s so-called expansionism. As the US does not have enough capabilities to engage China both in Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific, India is blessed to be the regional policeman. Hence, the US has termed India as a net Security provider in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). 

Such exceptional treatment of India due to vested interests of the US to counter China is fueling Indian hegemonic designs. India already has a strategy of full spectrum dominance in play by acquiring conventional, as well as, limited nuclear use options. It is to dominate all levels of escalation ladder. Considering Indian naval nuclear modernization as well as intelligence gathering through international agreements, India may be tempted to take any military misadventure against Pakistan in the maritime domain. 

Presently, India is collaborating with the US through agreements including Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). India is also a member of the Quadrilateral Alliance (Japan, India, Australia and the US).

Independent scholars believe that, in the light of these agreements, the US will exchange fifteen thousand military personnel to be stationed in India as well as Indian personnel sent to the US. This physical US tri-service presence in India and the IOR will drastically change dynamics of any future war in the region. 

In the Quad Axis, India is a client state aiming to gather intelligence sharing and naval assistance. If the need arises, India will not fight a war for the US against China. Stephen Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta term this as ‘arming without aiming’ of the US which will continue in the future as well.

However, such defense cooperation of the US with India has a tendency to create a neo-military industrial complex in India. It will also fuel future conflicts between Pakistan and India. It is high time that the Biden administration must try to constrain India for revising the global and regional order and become at threat to American security in the future. 

Espionage operations have been important tools for statecraft for centuries. The aforementioned history suggests that the US has increased both the scope and sophistication of such efforts.

Presently, there are complex inter-state relations of China, US, India and Pakistan mainly marred with trust deficit. Considering such a scenario involving nuclear armed states, in the future, there could be one such unsuccessful intelligence war operation, which could put the whole region into jeopardy. Hence, it is high time that the US creates an example for smaller nuclear weapon states by opting for dialogue with China. It will not only increase trust between the two, but also conserve global peace.