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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
India believed to have 'slightly expanded' nuclear arsenal in 2024: Report
Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states, including India and Pakistan, continued intensive nuclear modernisation programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions, according to a report by a global think-tank. India is believed to have once again "slightly expanded" its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a statement. Pakistan also continued to develop new delivery systems and "accumulate fissile material" in 2024, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade, it said. The think-tank on Monday launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security in SIPRI Yearbook 2025. The statement on the release of its yearbook also makes a reference to the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. The four-day military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war. The SIPRI Yearbook provided a country-wise assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. "Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states -- the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel --continued intensive nuclear modernisation programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions," the statement said. Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,241 warheads in January 2025, about 9,614 were in "military stockpiles for potential use", it claimed. "India is believed to have once again slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery system," it said. "India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which can be transported with mated warheads, may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational," the think-tank claimed. In early 2025 tensions between India and Pakistan briefly spilled over into armed conflict, it said. The combination of strikes and third-party disinformation "risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis," Matt Korda, Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Associate Director for the Nuclear Information Project at FAS (Federation of American Scientists), was quoted as saying in the statement. "This should act as a stark warning for states seeking to increase their reliance on nuclear weapons," he said. The think-tank further said since the end of the Cold War, the gradual dismantlement of retired warheads by Russia and the USA has normally outstripped the deployment of new warheads, resulting in an overall year-on-year decrease in the global inventory of nuclear weapons. "This trend is likely to be reversed in the coming years, as the pace of dismantlement is slowing, while the deployment of new nuclear weapons is accelerating," it cautioned. Key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2025 are that a "dangerous new nuclear arms race" is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are "severely weakened," it claimed. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scroll.in
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
India has more nuclear warheads than Pakistan, China far ahead: Global arms watchdog
Although India has a slight edge over Pakistan in terms of the number of nuclear warheads, it is far behind China, said the global arms watchdog Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, on Monday. According to the organisation's assessment, India has 180 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170. China is estimated to have 600 nuclear warheads as of January. Of these, 24 are deployed warheads, which means that they are either placed on missiles or are located at bases with operational forces. Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. Of these, Russia, with 5,459 warheads, and the United States, with 5,177, have the largest total nuclear inventories. India is believed to have slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continues to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems, SIPRI said in its yearbook on Monday. 'India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which can be transported with mated warheads, may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational,' it said. The organisation made a note of last month's four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. In this context, Matt Korda, the associate senior researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, said: 'The combination of strikes on nuclear-related military infrastructure and third-party disinformation risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis. This should act as a stark warning for states seeking to increase their reliance on nuclear weapons.' Indian officials, including Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan, have maintained that during the conflict in May, neither side came close to considering the use of nuclear weapons, The Times of India reported. Nevertheless, Korda remarked: 'As the recent flare-up of hostilities in India and Pakistan amply demonstrated, nuclear weapons do not prevent conflict. They also come with immense risks of escalation and catastrophic miscalculation – particularly when disinformation is rife – and may end up making a country's population less safe, not more.' The SIPRI report said that China's nuclear stockpile is growing faster than that of any other country. 'By January 2025, China had completed or was close to completing around 350 new ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] silos in three large desert fields in the north of the country and three mountainous areas in the east,' it said.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Global nuclear risks build up: Here's the list of top 9 countries with nuclear arms in 2025
A 'dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened,' the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) stated in its Yearbook 2025, as almost all the nine nuclear-armed states continued intensive nuclear modernization programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions. In its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security, SIPRI revealed India to be possessing 180 nuclear stored warheads as of January 2025, while Pakistan has an estimated 170. Meanwhile, China has 600 nuclear warheads as of January 2025, of which 24 are deployed warheads or those placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces. Nuclear-armed states around the world The nine nuclear-armed states include the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel. The Yearbook highlights that of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,241 warheads in January 2025, about 9,614 were in military stockpiles for potential usage. An estimated 3,912 of these warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft and the rest were kept in central storage, as per the SIPRI report. Around 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles. Mostly all of these warheads belonged to Russia or the USA. Both these countries together possess around 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons, the report noted. Here's the list of top 9 countries currently possessing nuclear weapons: The list concludes the total inventory, which includes both stockpiled and retired warheads, to be 12, 241, in 2025. Here, military stockpile refers to all deployed warheads as well as warheads in central storage that could potentially be deployed. Whereas, retired warheads include those that have been retired from the military stockpile but have not yet been dismantled. Besides the top 9 nations, there lies potential for more states in East Asia, Europe, and Middle East to develop their own nuclear weapons in the near future. Hans M. Kristensen, Associate Senior Fellow with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), said: 'The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted since the end of the cold war, is coming to an end.' 'Instead, we see a clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric and the abandonment of arms control agreements,' Kristensen added.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
India has more nukes than Pakistan, China far ahead: SIPRI report
India has more nuclear warheads than Pakistan, even as China has over three times more warheads than what India has, the latest Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) yearbook released Monday stated. As per the SIPRI yearbook 2025, India has 180 nuclear stored warheads as of January 2025, while Pakistan has an estimated 170. China has 600 nuclear warheads as of January 2025, of which 24 are deployed warheads or those placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces. The report said that India is believed to have once again slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems. It said India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which can be transported with mated warheads, may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational. It added that Pakistan also continued to develop new delivery systems and accumulate fissile material in 2024, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade. It also briefly referred to India's launch of Operation Sindoor. 'The combination of strikes on nuclear-related military infrastructure and third-party disinformation risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis,' said Matt Korda, Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme. The SIPRI report also said Russia and the US have the largest military stockpile of the nine nuclear forces at 5,459 and 5,177, respectively, including retired warheads. It said Russia, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea deploy dual-capable missiles and all are believed to be modernising these capabilities. 'Up until the mid 2000s, only France, Russia, the UK and the USA deployed missiles with multiple warheads. Since then, China has developed two missiles to carry multiple warheads, while India, Pakistan and North Korea are all currently pursuing this capability,' it said. Talking about India's growing stockpile of nuclear weapons, it said these weapons were assigned to a maturing nuclear triad of aircraft, land-based missiles and SSBNs. 'It has long been assumed that India stores its nuclear warheads separate 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,' the report said. It added that although Pakistan remains the focus of India's nuclear deterrent, India appears to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons capable of reaching targets throughout China. It also said that 162 states were recipients of major arms in 2020-24 and the five largest arms recipients were Ukraine, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which together accounted for 35 per cent of total arms imports.
The Print
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
‘Strikes on nuclear infrastructure, disinformation nearly sparked nuclear crisis during Op Sindoor'
'This should act as a stark warning for states seeking to increase their reliance on nuclear weapons,' he added. 'The combination of strikes on nuclear-related military infrastructure and third-party disinformation risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis,' said Matt Korda, Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Associate Director for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. New Delhi: Referring to the hostilities between India and Pakistan earlier last month during Operation Sindoor, the latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has cautioned that disinformation and strikes on nuclear-related military infrastructure nearly triggered a serious escalation. SIPRI released its 2025 annual report on the state of armaments, disarmament and international security on Monday, warning that a new and potentially more dangerous nuclear arms race is emerging, even as existing arms control frameworks continue to weaken. The report highlights AI as both a potential advantage and a major risk. Its ability to process vast datasets rapidly could compress crisis decision-making timelines, increasing the risk of miscommunication, miscalculation or even accidental conflict. According to SIPRI, India is estimated to have approximately 180 nuclear warheads as of January 2025, a slight increase over the previous year. These are distributed across a maturing nuclear triad comprising land-based missiles, aircraft and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). It further believes that India's recent move toward deploying canisterised missiles and undertaking sea-based deterrent patrols may indicate the country's fresh shift towards mating some nuclear warheads with their launchers even during peacetime. The assessment believes that India's Prithvi short-range missile is 'dual-capable' and acknowledges that in March 2024, India conducted the first flight test of its multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) equipped Agni-V under Mission Divyastra. Meanwhile, as per the report, Pakistan's estimated nuclear arsenal remains stagnant at around 170 warheads, though 'there is a continued development of new delivery systems and accumulation of fissile material, suggesting a potential expansion over the coming decade,' it reads. 'It is developing two versions of the Ra'ad (Hatf-8) air-launched cruise missile, though neither has yet entered service. Its Mirage III and possibly Mirage V aircraft currently serve as delivery platforms, with growing indications that the JF-17 may take over the nuclear delivery role in the future,' it reads. 'All of Pakistan's missiles, including the Nasr (Hatf-9), are believed to be dual-capable.' However, it adds that there is no certainty on whether all missile bases in Pakistan have been assigned nuclear roles. As per the assessment, while Pakistan continues to be the central focus of India's nuclear posture, it points to a growing emphasis in India on longer-range capabilities, particularly those aimed at covering targets across China. SIPRI identifies China as 'undergoing the most significant nuclear expansion' among all the nuclear-armed states. 'Its stockpile is estimated to have increased from 500 to 600 warheads in 2024, with at least 132 warheads thought to be assigned to launchers still being loaded'. The annual assessment further believes that China's DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile is a key dual-capable system offering flexibility in switching between conventional and nuclear payloads and adds, 'the CH-AS-X-13 air-launched ballistic missile, reportedly carried by H-6N bombers, to be nuclear-capable.' As of January 2025, SIPRI estimates that the nine nuclear-armed countries–the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel–together possess approximately 12,241 nuclear warheads. 'Of these, about 9,614 are potentially operationally available, and roughly 3,912 are deployed with military forces, and approximately 2,100 warheads are believed to be maintained at high operational alert on ballistic missiles,' it says. Although the total number of nuclear weapons worldwide continues to decline due to the dismantling of retired warheads by the United States and Russia, the report warns that the number of warheads in active military stockpiles is beginning to rise. It adds that the annual pace of dismantling has slowed and may soon be overtaken by the rate at which new warheads are being added to global arsenals. 'The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted till the end of the Cold War, is coming to an end,' said Hans M. Kristensen, Associate Senior Fellow with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme. 'Instead, we see a clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric and the abandonment of arms control agreements.' On the future of security, stability and nuclear challenge The latest SIPRI's report further underlines that the arms race today is more likely to be 'qualitative rather than quantitative', driven by rapid developments in cyber warfare, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum sensing and space technologies. Quantum technologies, the report says, are likely to disrupt current cryptographic standards and enable novel forms of global surveillance. 'Until now, nuclear-powered submarines were considered virtually undetectable due to the vastness of the ocean,' the report notes. 'But quantum detection could challenge that assumption, potentially introducing new sources of instability.' Development of nuclear missile defence is also flagged as a concern by the assessment. 'If it works, it acts as an anti-nuclear shield, removing the fear of retaliation and thus undermining deterrence,' the report warns. The weakening of arms control agreements remains a key concern in the report. The report notes that the New START treaty, the last remaining strategic arms control accord between the United States and Russia, is set to expire in early 2026. It adds that there are currently no ongoing negotiations to renew or replace it. 'There are no signs that either side is interested in a successor treaty.' 'The signs are that a new arms race is gearing up that carries much more risk and uncertainty than the last one,' said Dan Smith, SIPRI Director. 'The rapid development and application of technologies in AI, cyber, missile defence, space and quantum are radically redefining deterrence and creating new sources of instability.' (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: China outspends India on defence in 2024, shows SIPRI report. Pakistan far behind
