text: UK-based Janes Defense Weekly, citing satellite imagery sources, revealed India has quietly launched its third Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. The submarine, known simply as S4, was launched on November 23 and is currently being fitted with its command-and-control systems. The S4 submarine appears to be a larger version of the original Arihant-class, estimated at 7,000 tons and 125.4 meters versus the 111.6 meters of the 6,000-ton Arihants. The larger size allows the submarine to double its nuclear ballistic missile payload with eight launch tubes for ballistic missiles with a range of 3500 km. Ballistic missile submarines make up one part of India’s three-tier nuclear deterrent force. Russia’s involvement in designing the SSBNs and miniaturizing their reactors have long been an open, though downplayed secret amongst naval, atomic, and strategic community personnel. Arihant’s launch ceremony in July 2009 was the first time it was publicly acknowledged through the presence of the Russian naval design team and their country’s then ambassador V.I. Trubnikov.(AC: China’s latest carrier strike group exercise demonstrates its ability to conduct integrated day and night carrier operations within a carrier-based strike group. This exercise, taking place in and around Japanese waters, sends a message to Japan and the U.S. that China is not deterred by the U.S. strategy of “integrated deterrence.” Night carrier operations are an advanced warfighting capability that China now appears to have mastered. Its ability to project power deep into the Pacific and across the first island chain with carrier strike packages fleshes out China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) threat in the Pacific. India’s launch of a third, and larger, nuclear ballistic missile submarine is essentially a flex on China and presents the initial building of a dilemma for Beijing. With India on its far Western border equipped with a fully functional nuclear triad, along with a new 30,000 strong Mountain Strike Force in Ladakh, China must now concern itself with potential aggressors on two fronts. This is most likely a coincidental congruence of national interests within the QUAD security alliance, but could be a potent counter to Beijing’s ambitions vis-à-vis Taiwan. – M.M.)LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT INTSUMFar Left Activity Rollup & Outlook