China could potentially have as many ICBMs as U.S. or Russia by turn of decade: SIPRI

Q. What is SIPRI Yearbook?

·    Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s Yearbook  provides an overview of developments in international security, weapons and technology, military expenditure, arms production and the arms trade, and armed conflicts and conflict management, along with efforts to control conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Q. Important Findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2023:

·      The key finding in SIPRI Yearbook 2023 is that the number of operational nuclear weapons started to rise as countries’ long-term force modernisation and expansion plans progressed.

·      The size of China’s nuclear arsenal increased from 350 warheads in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023, and it is expected to keep growing. China has started a significant expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

Q. India’s arsenal expanding

·        India and Pakistan appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenal. Both countries introduced and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery system in 2022. “While Pakistan remains the main focus of India’s nuclear deterrent, India appears to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons, including those capable of reaching targets across China.”

·     According to SIPRI estimates, the nuclear arsenals of India grew from 160 in 2022 to 164 in 2023 and that of Pakistan from 165 to 170.

·      India, which has a no-first-use policy for use of nuclear weapons and has completed its nuclear triad with the fielding of two ballistic missile nuclear submarines, is in the process of upgrading its ballistic missiles.

·    While a submarine-launched intermediate range ballistic missile is under development, a new generation ballistic missile, ‘Agni Prime’, with a range between 1,000 km-2,000 km, is close to being inducted, which will replace older Agni missiles in this range. India has also inducted Agni-5, which a range of over 5,000 km.

Stockpile count