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India has declared that its nuclear triad, stated in its nuclear doctrine, is operational after indigenous ballistic missile nuclear submarine INS Arihant recently achieved a milestone by conducting its first deterrence patrol.

The submarine recently returned from its first deterrence patrol, completing the establishment of the country’s survivable nuclear triad. INS Arihant is now capable of prowling the deep seas carrying ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads.

This places India in the league of the few countries that can design, construct and operate ship submersible ballistic nuclear (SSBN).

Given India’s stated position of ‘No-First-Use’ (NFU) in launching nuclear weapons, the ship submersible ballistic nuclear (SSBN) is the most dependable platform for a second-strike. Because they are powered by nuclear reactors, these submarines can stay underwater indefinitely without the adversary detecting it. The other two platforms — land-based and air-launched are far easier to detect.

Arihant was commissioned into service in August 2016. It has a displacement of 6000 tonnes and is powered by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor with enriched uranium.