CBRN event in India on Tue 9th June 2026

In its Yearbook 2026 released on Monday, SIPRI reported that India now possesses a total nuclear arsenal of 190 warheads, up from 180 a year earlier. Of these, 12 are assessed to be deployed, marking the first time the global arms watchdog has classified any part of India's nuclear arsenal as operationally deployed rather than entirely stockpiled. 190 Nukes: India's Nuclear Lead Over Pakistan Is Rewriting South Asia's Nuclear Arms Balance The finding represents a departure from India's long-standing practice of storing nuclear warheads separately from delivery systems such as ballistic missiles during peacetime, according to SIPRI. "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," SIPRI said in its report.According to SIPRI's estimates, India had no deployed nuclear warheads in its previous annual assessments. The latest report lists India with 12 deployed warheads and 178 stored warheads, bringing its total military stockpile to 190 warheads as of January 2026.