In its latest report, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – an independent international think tank based in Solna, Sweden, dedicated to researching conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament – has mentioned that India has made a significant change in its nuclear weapons policy. As per the report, the South Asian nation has deployed 12 nuclear warheads in a rare first, a major shift from its previous policy of keeping all warheads and delivery systems separated in peacetime. However, India’s overarching No First Use doctrine remains unchanged.

According to SIPRI, a portion of India’s nuclear arsenal (estimated at 190 warheads total) has been classified as actively deployed rather than just stockpiled. The deployed warheads are believed to be integrated with nuclear-powered submarines, like the INS Arihant and the INS Arighaat, which can undertake extended deterrence patrols. The deployment of ready-to-use nuclear weapons in underground silos and mating them on nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) certainly marks a distinct shift in India’s nuclear operational readiness. It moves deterrents from a de-mated state to a high-readiness posture for immediate retaliation.

According to the SIPRI Yearbook 2026, India’s nuclear arsenal grew from approximately 180 to 190 warheads in 2025. This expansion highlights a broader trend of modernisation and an increased reliance on nuclear deterrents. The think tank has further mentioned that India’s nuclear arsenal is managed under a strategic nuclear command structure, comprising long-range aircraft, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and an expanding fleet of SSBNs.

The report has stated that the nine nuclear-armed countries in the world – the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel – possessed an estimated 12,187 nuclear warheads at the start of 2026. Of this total, roughly 9,745 warheads are in active military stockpiles and considered available for potential operational use. While Russia has 5,459 to 5,580 warheads, the US has 5,044 to 5,177, China 500 to 620, France 290, the UK 225, India 180 to 190, Pakistan 170, Israel 90 and North Korea has 50 warheads.

It may be noted that India has always maintained an official No First Use doctrine, pledging that nuclear weapons will only be used in retaliation to a nuclear attack. Formally adopted after the 1998 tests and enshrined in its 2003 doctrine, the policy is central to India’s strategy of Credible Minimum Deterrence. While any permitted retaliatory strike is designed to be massive and inflict unacceptable damage to the adversary, New Delhi commits to not using nuclear weapons against states that do not possess them.

Meanwhile, SIPRI has warned of a new phase of global nuclear competition, with major powers increasingly relying on nuclear deterrence amid escalating geopolitical tensions and weakening arms-control agreements.

Meanwhile,

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das