India expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025, says SIPRI, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• India's nuclear arsenal expanded to approximately 190 warheads by early 2026, up from 180 in 2025, according to the SIPRI Yearbook 2026.
• The country is developing longer-range nuclear delivery systems to target China, while also addressing concerns regarding Pakistan.
• A May 2025 India-Pakistan military confrontation, termed "Operation Sindoor", involved Indian strikes on Pakistani air and missile bases.
• India and Pakistan integrated cyberoperations into active military conflict for the first time during this crisis.
• India maintained its position as the fifth-largest military spender globally in 2025, with an expenditure of $92.1 billion.
• India was the second-largest importer of major arms globally during the 2021-25 period, accounting for 8.2% of total imports.

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Detailed Insights:

• The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report highlights India's ongoing nuclear modernization programme.
• This modernization includes a focus on developing capabilities to reach targets across China, reflecting evolving strategic priorities.
• The May 2025 confrontation between India and Pakistan was described as an "unusually severe military crisis".
• Despite heightened tensions during Operation Sindoor, both nuclear-armed nations reportedly took measures to prevent further escalation.
• The use of cyberoperations in the India-Pakistan crisis signifies a new dimension in modern warfare and deterrence in South Asia.
• India's military expenditure of $92.1 billion in 2025 represented an 8.9% increase over the previous year.
• Globally, all nine nuclear-armed states are modernizing their arsenals, increasingly viewing nuclear weapons as instruments of national power.
• The five largest arms importers from 2021-25 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan, collectively accounting for 35% of global imports.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Nuclear Arsenal: A country's total inventory of nuclear weapons, including warheads and delivery systems.
• Nuclear Modernization Programme: Ongoing efforts by nuclear-armed states to upgrade their nuclear weapons, delivery systems, and related infrastructure.
• Deterrence: The strategy of discouraging an attack by threatening retaliation with devastating consequences, often involving nuclear weapons.
• Cyberoperations: The use of computer networks to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy information or systems, or to assure information or system integrity.