India’s nuclear doctrine was first enunciated following a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in January 2003 – over four and a half years after the May 1998 tests.

India’s nuclear weapons were meant only for self-defense, that India was not interested in arms racing, and encapsulating concepts such as “no first use” of nuclear weapons and their “non-use” against non-nuclear-weapon states.

Main Features of India’s Nuclear Policy:

• Building and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent.
• A “No First Use” posture; nuclear weapons to be used only “in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere”.
• Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be “massive” and designed to inflict “unacceptable damage”.
• Nuclear retaliatory attacks to be authorized only by civilian political leadership through the Nuclear Command Authority.
• Non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states.
• India to retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons in the event of a major attack against it with biological or chemical weapons.
• Continuance of strict controls on the export of nuclear and missile-related materials and technologies, participation in FMCT negotiations, continued moratorium on testing.
• Continued commitment to goal of nuclear weapon-free world, through global, verifiable and non-discriminatory disarmament.

Reason for calls to revisit the nuclear doctrine:

• The major factor behind the questioning of the Nuclear Doctrine stems from concerns about NFU. Dissatisfaction with our NFU posture is not new.
• Since an important element behind the call for revisiting our nuclear doctrine emanates from a lack of confidence in our deterrent and in our willingness to resort to the use of nuclear weapons in a massive second strike in response to an attack on us with tactical weapons, the same needs to be addressed by much more effective signaling and a demonstration that the government will do what it says and will not shy from making a robust response when necessary.