According to SIPRI, India has for the first time classified 12 nuclear warheads as "deployed," signalling a shift from its traditional practice of keeping warheads separate from delivery systems. The report says India now has about 190 nuclear warheads, compared to Pakistan's 170, and remains the world's fifth-largest military spender with USD 92.1 billion in defence expenditure in 2025.
According to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India has, for the first time, classified 12 nuclear warheads as "deployed," marking a notable development in its nuclear posture. The report suggests a departure from New Delhi's long-standing practice of storing nuclear warheads separately from their delivery systems.
SIPRI notes that India's nuclear arsenal is now considered operationally deployed rather than merely stockpiled. The move is said to involve the placement of ready-to-launch weapons in underground missile silos and aboard newer nuclear-powered submarines, indicating a higher level of operational readiness.
The report further states that the 12 warheads represent the first known instance of India either mating nuclear warheads with delivery systems or positioning them at bases with active operational forces.
India ranked as the world's fifth-largest military spender in 2025, allocating USD 92.1 billion to defence, according to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The report also highlighted the "unusually severe military crisis" between India and Pakistan in May 2025.
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