The Agni-2 test, therefore, is not about any competition with Pakistan, or even with China. Quite simply, after the bombing of Yugoslavia, there is no alternative left for nations which wish to preserve their independence.

The point is sometimes made that a poor country like India cannot afford to spend large sums on defence. This argument is usually countered by pointing out that, apart from patriotic motives, spending on security is akin to insurance, and is meant to save the economy from ruin from enemy attack.

But there is stronger justification. Military spending is usually spending on acquiring the latest technology, and there are spin-off benefits. The USA hasspent billions on defence research, and the technology developed by military R&D, at public expense, has then been made available for civilian use. Civil aviation, for instance, has greatly benefited by military research applied to commercial airliners.

Boeing, one of the USA's export giants, has gained immensely from public subsidies through defence grants. Operations research was developed as a means of finding the best way to route ships during World War-2 from America to Europe. The Internet was originally meant for communication between research personnel working on defence projects. The same pattern prevails in computers and electronics, automation and biotechnology. The connection between missile technology and satellite launch capability is clear, and countries like Russia and China have harnessed the military technology to become cheap centres for commercial satellite launches. India could join this club very profitably.