India’s successful test-firing of the Agni-5 missile, hailed as a milestone in the country’s military muscle, may be one such step. This nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile can carry a nuclear warhead. Its range covers every part of China, representing a major leap forward during a period of heightened geopolitical friction in the region. The test held in Odisha, India’s eastern coastal state, successfully validated all the operational and technical parameters.
India has successfully test-fired Agni-5 long-range missile to bolster its […] This shift is deeply aimed at regional adversaries such as China and Pakistan. India and China come from a thousand years of really quite intense historical rivalry. The year’s deadly border clash in 2020 underscored how fragile their relationship has grown. This missile test further solidifies India’s status as the preeminent regional power in South Asia, just as competing external influences try to increase their clout in the area.
India is a member of the Quad security alliance with the United States, Australia and Japan. Together, this trilateral security partnership will continue to pursue the advancement of stability and security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has entered a new era of visionary and determined leadership. Later this month, he will visit China for the first time since 2018. This visit comes right on the heels of Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last October. The two leaders agreed to a number of bilateral issues at a recent summit in Russia.
The geopolitical backdrop to this missile test adds a layer of complexity. India is under pressure not just from China, but from Pakistan – which is armed with nuclear weapons. In May, relations between the two countries reached a breaking point. Militants killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, provoking them closer to conflict.
Additionally, India finds itself buffeted by the stormy seas of global trade and geoeconomic politics, made ever-stormier by former President Donald Trump’s tariff war. The US is poised to double new import tariffs on India from 25% to 50% by August 27 if New Delhi does not alter its crude supplier arrangements. This looming economic pressure complicates India’s strategic calculus even further.
Since the late 2000s, the Agni-5 missile has been a key pillar in India’s expanding military capabilities, in an increasingly fraught subcontinent. That kind of dual message—successful new technology and deterrent to adversaries—is one of the things that can make a successful test truly significant. India’s military improvements will prove decisive in determining the trajectory of its foreign policy and defense posture. As regional dynamics shift, these advances will be more and more crucial.