Object

Agni 2 (Indian ballistic missile — mentioned in S01E11 "Lord John Marbury")

Named in the Oval Office briefing, Agni 2 appears as an Indian intermediate-range ballistic missile — a long, cylindrical, multi-stage strategic rocket typically mounted on a road-mobile launcher. The script treats it as a hardened, military-grade delivery system capable of carrying a nuclear warhead; its mention contracts the room, drawing sharp, fearful reactions from Joe, Toby, Sam, Leo and Bartlet and converting technical data into immediate moral and political pressure.

2 appearances

Purpose

Deliver a strategic (intermediate-range) warhead — specifically presented as a vehicle for nuclear strike capability.

Significance

Agni 2 acts as the concrete trigger for crisis: Joe's sober accounting of the missile and India's fragile command-and-control converts abstract danger into urgent executive action, catalyzing Bartlet's decision to summon Lord John Marbury and exposing split priorities within the administration.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E11 · Lord John Marbury

Unreliable Arsenal — Chilling Assessment and the Marbury Gambit

Agni 2 is referenced as the longer-range counterpart to Agni 1, intensifying the strategic stakes and implying delivery systems capable of serious destruction—its mention accelerates urgency and constrains perceived options.

Before: Catalogued as part of India's missile inventory; present in intelligence reporting.

After: Still an active strategic threat; cited in the executive assessment driving the decision to call in outside expertise.

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S1E11 · Lord John Marbury

Summoning Lord John Marbury — An Unconventional Bolt Into Crisis

Agni 2 is invoked alongside Agni 1 to expand the perceived range and seriousness of India's missile capability, sharpening the briefing's stakes and underscoring unpredictability in escalation scenarios.

Before: Catalogued in intelligence archives and the DOD overview; not present physically in the Oval.

After: Continues to exist as a named strategic threat informing the administration's urgency and tactical discussions.

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