March 22, 2017
India’s no-first-use doctrine secures us while stabilising the region.
![](https://cdn.blot.im/blog_bf874f607a0b497face3a11ef5d1b9ac/_image_cache/7e87384f-9e9a-426e-a0fc-89276c50be4d.png)
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn on Medium.
Here are some assessments with regard to India’s nuclear weapons policy:
- There is no such thing as a tactical nuclear weapon. Whatever the yield, whatever the target, the use of a nuclear weapon is always strategic.
- The promise of massive retaliation in response to a nuclear strike is valid for all types of nuclear weapons against all types of targets.
- There is no difference between counter-value and counter-force targets in the India-Pakistan context.
- Deterrence depends on our perception of what the adversary believes is unacceptable damage. The number of warheads and their explosive capacity is a means of achieving the effect. This changes with time and thus necessitates periodic review of capacity and posture.
- Ambiguity on the meaning and interpretations of the terms in the nuclear doctrine is part of the deterrence.
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