India's evolving strategic posture in the Indian Ocean is increasingly shaped by Continuous at Sea Deterrence, which seeks to ensure the permanent deployment of at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) for an assured second-strike capability. While India promotes this development as part of "credible minimum deterrence", the expansion of its nuclear capabilities suggests a shift toward a more assertive and potentially escalatory counterforce posture. This transformation has significant implications for global strategic stability within the complex security matrix of South Asia.

India's SSBN programme was formally launched under the ATV project, with collaboration between the Indian Navy, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and the Defence Research and Development Organ

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