Batch cycle-002. Model 0.1.0, graph 0.2.0, parameters 0.1.0. 30 simulations, seeds 1 to 30; probes on 10. Every figure is a distribution over simulations of a structural model with seed parameter values; it shows what the model implies under these settings, not what will happen. Other nations are frozen at their 2026 ratings. No reconstructed historical data is used in this experiment.
Headline
India played 30 rounds from 1996 under the scripted method, with scripted events, 30 times. Its capability index moved from 8.92 to a median of 5.92 (−3.00), with 90 per cent of simulations between 5.89 and 5.95 [experiment_objectives].
Starting position
In 1996 the nation ranks 59 on the index against the frozen field, holds 0 of nine domains at Tier 1 and has a tier rank of 48. Its base income is 236 credits a year, calibrated so that its 2026 position is affordable with headroom for investment.
What was decided
A simulation spent a median of 640 credits on moves. The five groups that took most were Nuclear Deterrence (build, 108 credits, 16.9 per cent); Strategic Strike & Missile Defence (build, 91 credits, 14.2 per cent); Force Generation & Mobilisation (build, 68 credits, 10.6 per cent); Communications & Digital Infrastructure (build, 56 credits, 8.7 per cent); Air Power (build, 48 credits, 7.5 per cent) [experiment_decisions_by_group]. By mode: build 100 per cent [experiment_decisions_by_group]. Concentration of spending (HHI) had a median of 0.093, and the most repeated action appeared in 40 per cent of rounds.
The leading domain by period: rounds 1 to 5, National Security; rounds 6 to 10, National Security; rounds 11 to 15, National Security; rounds 16 to 20, Human Capital; rounds 21 to 25, Strategic Infrastructure [experiment_spend_by_period].
What the world did
A median simulation saw 11 shocks and 1 upside events. The most damaging per firing were S10 (30 firings in 30 simulations, −44.1 points each); S03 (30 firings in 30 simulations, −23.8 points each); S07 (60 firings in 30 simulations, −23.7 points each) [experiment_shocks]. Upside events fired 30 times across all simulations [experiment_shocks].
The groups that lost most to shocks, per simulation: Fiscal Capacity & Public Finance −6.77; Trade Facilitation & Logistics −6.74; Investment Attraction & Projection −5.10; Monetary & Currency Capability −5.09 [experiment_shock_damage_by_group].
The edges that carried most change through the graph, per simulation: Fiscal Capacity & Public Finance to Force Generation & Mobilisation (−1.31 points); Fiscal Capacity & Public Finance to Social Infrastructure (−1.10 points); Fiscal Capacity & Public Finance to Transport Infrastructure (−0.73 points) [experiment_propagation_by_edge].
Where it ended
At 2026 the median rank is 99 (5th to 95th percentile 97 to 101), the median count of Tier 1 domains 0 (0 to 0) and the median tier rank 49; the resilient score, the mean score sum over simulations, is 439 [experiment_objectives].
Why
Without shocks the index ends +4.136 higher on average, so the shocks cost about 4.136 index points [experiment_probe_attribution].
Holding instead of following this method changes the index by −0.211: that is the method's worth against doing nothing [experiment_probe_attribution].
Removing any single one of the five largest actions changes the index by between −0.002 and +0.003, for example 1998 build Nuclear Deterrence (12 credits) [experiment_probe_attribution]. The largest actions by credits come late, when income is highest, and are rarely the most valuable.
Removing the largest shock of a simulation raises the index by +0.830 on average [experiment_probe_attribution].
The replay probe reproduces the simulations exactly (index change 0.000000), so the attributions are clean [experiment_probe_attribution].
Surprises
The simulation furthest from the median (seed 17) ends +0.05 from it, with 11 shocks and 1 upside events [experiment_outlier_simulations].
Comparison
This is the baseline (hold) experiment, or there is none for this nation in the batch.
Against history: from a reconstructed index of 8.92 the model ends at 5.92, where the 2026 ratings put it at 12.61. Group scores miss by 6.60 points on average, against 3.76 for assuming nothing changed (skill −0.75); the change in each domain has the right sign in 0 per cent of domains. Furthest below history: trade and investment (−8.55); furthest above: human capital (−3.05) [experiment_against_history]. The starting position is reconstructed, so part of the error is the reconstruction's.