For the first time, India has “deployed” 12 nuclear warheads in peacetime, signalling a major shift in its nuclear strategy, as per the latest assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
In its Yearbook 2026 report that came out on Monday, the top arms-tracking organisation revealed a major departure from a long-standing policy wherein nuclear warheads and delivery systems were kept in separate storage.
The report highlights that New Delhi now possesses a total nuclear arsenal of 190 warheads, up from 180 a year earlier. Among them, 12 are assessed to be deployed – marking the first time when SIPRI has classified any part of India’s nuclear arsenal as operationally deployed and not entirely stockpiled.
“It has long been assumed that India stores its nuclear warheads separately from its deployed launchers during peacetime. However, the country’s recent moves towards placing missiles in canisters and conducting sea-based deterrence patrols suggest that India could be shifting in the direction of mating some of its warheads with their launchers in peacetime,” read the report.
It added, “Based on this assessment, SIPRI estimates that, as of January 2026, India may have started to deploy a small number of nuclear warheads on a single SSBN conducting occasional deterrence patrols”.
SIPRI states that India is believed to have “once again slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025 and continued development of new types of nuclear delivery systems.”
“The modernisation programme is increasingly focused on developing long-range weapons capable of reaching targets throughout China, although planning also continues to be focused on India’s long-standing rivalry with Pakistan,” it added.
As for Pakistan, the report states that its nuclear warhead stockpile is believed to have remained stable at around 170 warheads as of January 2026. However, it continued to develop its nascent nuclear triad during 2025, it added.
“While Pakistan’s land and air capabilities are well established, its sea-based capabilities are still in the development and testing phase,” read the report.
Moreover, it has been stated that nine countries — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — together possessed about 12,187 nuclear weapons. Out of them, 9,745 were in military stockpiles and considered potentially operationally available.