No First Use Policy (NFU)

Definition

A declared nuclear posture under which a State commits not to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict, reserving them only for retaliation against a nuclear (or, in India's stated formulation, a major chemical or biological) attack on it or its forces.

Key points

• India declared a No First Use posture in its draft nuclear doctrine of 1999 and reaffirmed it in the official doctrine reviewed in 2003 by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
• India's stance pairs NFU with "credible minimum deterrence" and with "massive retaliation" designed to inflict unacceptable damage if it is attacked with nuclear weapons.
• The 2003 review added that India retains the option of nuclear retaliation in the event of a major attack against India or its forces by chemical or biological weapons, a qualified widening of the original purely nuclear trigger.
• NFU implies an assured second-strike capability (the ability to retaliate after absorbing a first strike), which India pursues through a survivable triad of land, air and sea-based forces under the Strategic Forces Command.
• Among nuclear-armed States, India and China have historically declared NFU; Pakistan has not, while others maintain various postures. Senior Indian officials have at times said NFU could be revisited depending on circumstances, but the declared doctrine remains NFU; verify the latest.

Why it matters for CAPF

NFU is a foundational element of India's nuclear doctrine; the 1999 draft, the 2003 review, the chemical and biological caveat, and the pairing with credible minimum deterrence are standard strategic-affairs facts.

Common confusion

NFU is a use posture, not a pledge to disarm; India keeps a capable arsenal. It is not the same as credible minimum deterrence (the size and survivability principle) but the two are complementary parts of the same doctrine.

Related concepts

concept credible minimum deterrence, concept second strike capability, concept strategic forces command, concept nuclear non proliferation treaty

Parent note

indias space and missile programme