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Strategic Forces Command (SFC)

India's nuclear command and control system was placed under a new Strategic Forces Command (SFC) structure by June 2002. As recommended by the Arun Singh Committee, an army strategic rocket command (ASRC) to handle surface-based nuclear weapons was also formed. An elaborate command and control structure for handling India's nuclear arsenal has been worked out. The nuclear forces chief reports to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) [until the Chief of Defence Staff is appointed]. The final authority on decisions regarding nuclear weapons is the cabinet committee on security.

Strategic Forced Command (SFC), also sometimes known as Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India’s nuclear National Command Authority (NCA which is responsible for command and control decisions regarding India’s nuclear weapons program).

It was created on January 4, 2003 by an executive order of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is responsible for the management and administration of the country’s tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.

It is the responsibility of the Strategic Forces Command to operationalize the orders of the NCA under the leadership of a Commander-in-Chief who is a Senior Officer. It has the sole responsibility of initiating the process of delivering nuclear weapons and warheads, after acquiring clear approval from the NCA. The SFC manages and administers all strategic forces by exercising complete command and control over nuclear assets, and producing all contingency plans as needed to fulfill the required tasks. Since its inception, the SFC’s command, control and communication systems have been firmly established, and the command has attained a high state of operational readiness.

The Right to Information Act, 2005 mandates timely response to citizen’s requests for government information. It is an initiative taken by the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to provide a – RTI Portal Gateway to the citizens for quick search of information. Information on the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile and any details on their testing have been put out of the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act except for information pertaining to corruption or human rights allegations.

It is headed by a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal. The first commander-in-chief of SFC was Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana. Lt Gen Amit Sharma, VSM was promoted from Army Commander and appointed Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Force Command on 13 June 2014. Born on July 4, 1956 in Mumbai, Lieutenant General Sharma received commission in 45 cavalry in December 1976. Over the past several years, he has held positions of teaching in all operational areas, including many deductions, staff and anti-terrorism sectors. During the initial years of service, he worked as an employee director of the ADC of the Governor of Bihar, General Staff Officer (Grade-1) of an Armored Division and the prestigious Army War College, Mhow. Afterwards, he has achieved a unique distinction by serving Colonel Administration of an Infantry Division in Jammu and Kashmir, Colonel General Staff of a Mountain Division in Eastern Region and Brigadier General Staff of a Strike Corps.

Lieutenant General Amit Sharma had served as the Director of Integrated Defense Staff at the headquarters of the Long Term Army Structure and at Attache, Indian Embassy. He worked in Paris where he had the responsibility to co-operate with France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg with the army and the navy. He commanded the Armored Regiment, an independent armored brigade in the Western Desert, an infantry division in the Strike Corps and the Strike Corps in the Southern Theater.

By June 1994, India's 333 Missile Group in Secundrabad (in South India) had acquired six Prithvi missiles. By 2002 it was reported that between 100 and 120 Prithvi SRMBs had been produced, with India having a production target of 20 Agni 2 IRBMs by the end of 2001. It was said that India could build a total of five Agni missiles each year. Other reports in 2002 claimed that the production rate of the Agni-2 can be as high as 12-18 missile per year.

In 2002 press reports indicated that the Indian army would raise four Prithvi missile groups [the exsiting 222 and 333 groups, and new groups 444 and 555) with eighty missiles each. In addition, by one account, the Army planned to field 334 Group with Agni 1 and 335 Group with Agni-2.

In September 2003 it was reported that the Government had cleared the setting up of specialised regiments for intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM). The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, had also hinted at such an initiative while replying to questions in Parliament but the magazine, Force, carries a more detailed account.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had cleared the raising of the two Agni missile groups. Control on the shorter range IRBM, Agni-I with a range of 700 km, will vest with the Army's 334 rocket missile group and the medium range Agni-II with a range of 1,500 km will be handled by the 335 missile group. The control over the 700-km-range Agni A-I missile is expected to pass on to the 334th and 444th missile groups of the Indian Army. These groups along with the 335th missile group is likely to be entrusted with various Agni variants. No official confirmation is available about these two missile groups.

The Government had also cleared the raising of two new Prithvi groups for the Army, which would be named 444 and 555 missile groups. The Army had already deployed two Prithvi missile groups 222 and 333. While it was going ahead with the raising of new missile groups for the longer-range missiles, the creation of the additional short-range missile will await financial allocation by the Government.

As of 2011 Prithvi-1s were still in service with the 2 Prithvi Missile Groups (333 & 444) under the Army's 40 & 41 Artillery Divisions. Some sources suggested that the 350km-range Prithvi-2 missile had no takers except the DRDO. It was not in the operational inventory of the Strategic Forces Command.

As of 2017, four Prithvi missile groups (222, 333, 444, and 555) were reported to be in service. As soon as the Agni-I regiments are fully operational and the missiles had been produced in the required numbers, it would be possible to retire the Prithvi missiles from service with India’s nuclear forces. There is no move in India to build silos for India’s strategic missiles.