By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The existence of Indian nuclear armed ballistic missile submarines is something of critical value to the Pentagon’s Indo-Pacific strategy and overall deterrence posture. As the US Navy’s Columbia-class submarines come closer to existence, the presence of similar-kinds of Indian submarines could only increase pressure on China and greatly fortify any deterrence posture. This is critical at the moment given the pace at which China is accelerating the size and pace of production of its nuclear arsenal. Not only this, but China is also building newer, longer-range JL-3 submarine-launched nuclear missiles capable of traveling unprecedented ranges of 4,000 miles. This increasingly places more parts of the continental US at great risk of a Chinese nuclear submarine attack.
Indian Fleet of Nuclear Submarines
This is likely a key reason why the US Navy was glad to see the Indian Navy recover from an unwanted incident many years ago. An Indian nuclear-armed submarine called the INS Arihant. In 2018, a crewmember left the hatch open and flooded the propulsion system, something which derailed the submarine’s operations for 10 months. The boat was back on deterrence patrol in November of 2018, according to an essay from NTI called Indian Nuclear Submarine Capabilities
The return of the Arihant was quite significant for India as it began the progression of what is now a small emerging fleet of Indian ballistic missile, nuclear-armed submarines. The Indian Navy plans to build and ultimately deploy a fleet of four nuclear armed ballistic missile submarines, three of which will fire K-4 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) able to reach ranges out to 3,500km.
These missiles are capable of holding targets in mainland China at risk from the Indian Ocean. The addition of Indian nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines could prove critical to deterring China in the Indo-Pacific, specifically given that the US Navy has yet to deploy its new Columbia-class submarines. The US Navy’s Ohio-class nuclear-armed submarines have already served well beyond their anticipated service life, so the Navy is fast-tracking its new fleet of cutting-edge Columbia-class boats.
The presence of a stronger allied undersea deterrent takes on increasing significance in light of China’s nuclear weapons expansion. In recent years, the People’s Liberation Army has not only expanded its undersea nuclear weapons but also added hundreds of missile silos across mainland China with the intention of massively increasing its arsenal of ICBMs. Therefore, holding major Chinese targets at risk from multiple angles with nuclear-armed submarines quietly lurking in secret, yet highly advantageous positions might help prevent China from thinking it could survive launching any kind of massive “bolt out of the blue” missile salvo.
Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in /lComparative Literature from Columbia University
