Suchak Patel asked: Does NPT, CTBT and NSG rules have any role pertaining to the AUKUS deal?

Rajiv Nayan replies: The NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) does not prohibit the development of nuclear submarines or the transfer of nuclear materials used as propellants in naval reactors/nuclear submarines. The CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) is not relevant for nuclear submarines or related materials. The NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) guidelines do have restrictions for enriched materials and facilities for the purpose. However, NSG is a control and not a prohibition body.

Please also refer to the following MP-IDSA publication:

Rajiv Nayan, “The Nuclear Submarine Deal of the New Troika”, MP-IDSA Comment, 29 September 2021.

Posted on 1 November 2021

Views expressed are of the expert and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or the Government of India.