What India’s 12 “operationally deployed” nuclear warheads really mean

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has noted India’s increasing reliance on Agni series canister missiles. File

TThe Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published its annual yearbook in June. It classified for the first time 12 of India’s estimated stockpile of 190 nuclear warheads to be operationally deployed, i.e. placed with active military forces attached to launch systems and ready for use.

It sounds alarming – but the alarm itself may not be warranted. This is because India has neither crossed a strategic threshold nor abandoned its decades-old “no first use” policy.

Published – 30 Jun 2026 08:30 IST