Strategic Shifts: India’s Nuclear Security in the Evolving Global Landscape

Nuclear weapons and the threat posed by them remain a central and complex issue in international security. The changing nature of great power politics, the return of interstate warfare and technological advances have altered the nuclear scenario. Moreover, the ideas of deterrence have been replaced by nuclear escalation. These developments have exacerbated the global threat perception.

As a nuclear power, India faces strategic challenges and opportunities in an increasingly multipolar global order, including the emergence of new nuclear states and non-state actors. India has been steadily modernising its forces by strengthening its second-strike capabilities. In alignment with its stated ‘no-first-use’ policy, India remains in favour of the role of nuclear weapons primarily for deterrence purposes. In this context, the May edition of ORF’s National Security Dialogue will concentrate on India’s nuclear policy, its place within the nuclear order in South Asia and how it balances deterrence dynamics while modernising its nuclear arsenal.