National Security Advisor (India)
Executive officer of the Indian National Security Council
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The National Security Advisor (NSA) is the senior official on the National Security Council of the Republic of India, and the chief advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India on national security policy and international affairs. Ajit Doval is the current NSA, serving since May 2014. The NSA is assigned the rank of a Union Cabinet Minister[1] and ranks seventh in the Indian Order of Precedence.[2]
- Defence Planning Committee (Chairperson)
- Strategic Policy Group (Chairperson)
- National Security Council (Secretary)
| National Security Advisor of India | |
|---|---|
| Rāṣṭrīya Surakṣā Parāmarśadātā | |
| |
 | |
| National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) | |
| Type | National Security Advisor |
| Status | Chief advisor to the Prime Minister of India on national security policy and international affairs |
| Abbreviation | NSA |
| Member of |
|
| Residence | Bungalow 5, Janpath Road, New Delhi |
| Seat | Seva Teerth New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Appointer | Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) |
| Term length | No fixed tenure is imposed on the office but term can be extended. |
| Inaugural holder | Brajesh Mishra, IFS |
| Formation | 19 November 1999 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Deputy |
|
| Salary | ₹162,500 (US$1,700) (monthly) |
History
Brajesh Mishra, then Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, was appointed as the first National Security Advisor of India. The post was created on 19 November 1998 by then government headed by Atal Bihari vajpayee.[3] In 2004, a new government headed by Manmohan Singh was formed at the centre. This government separated the office of NSA into foreign headed by former Foreign Secretary J.N. Dixit and internal headed by former Director, IB M.K. Narayanan.[4] After the death of Dixit in 2005, the office was again fused and Narayanan became the full-time NSA.[5] He was then succeeded by former Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon in 2010.[6] In 2014, following the election of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister, Ajit Doval, former Director of the Intelligence Bureau, was appointed as the NSA.
Office of the NSA
| Position | Officer | Service |
|---|---|---|
| National Security Advisor (NSA) |
Ajit Doval | IPS (Retired) |
| Additional National Security Advisor (Addl. NSA) |
Rajinder Khanna | RAS (Retired) |
| Deputy National Security Advisors (Dy. NSA) |
T. V. Ravichandran | IPS (Retired) |
| Pavan Kapoor | IFS | |
| Anish Dayal Singh | IPS (Retired) |
Role
The post of the NSA has high vested powers, and as such it is a highly prominent and powerful office in the Government of India. All NSAs appointed since the inception of the post in 1998 belong to the either Indian Foreign Service or to the Indian Police Service, and serve at the discretion of the Prime Minister of India.
The National Security Advisor (NSA) is tasked with regularly advising the Prime Minister of India on all matters relating to internal and external threats and opportunities to India, and oversees strategic and sensitive issues on behalf of the Prime Minister. The NSA of India also serves as the Prime Minister's Special Interlocutor with China as well as the envoy to Pakistan and Israel on security affairs.
The NSA receives all intelligence (R&AW, IB, NTRO, DIA, NIA) reports and co-ordinates them to present before the Prime Minister. NSA is assisted by the Deputy National Security Advisors (Deputy NSAs). Currently, retired IPS officer Dattatray Padsalgikar, former R&AW chief Rajinder Khanna and retired IFS officer Pankaj Saran[7] serve as Deputy National Security Advisors.[8][9] The Strategic Policy Group (SPG) is the main mechanism for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of inputs in forming national security policies. The group members include the NITI Aayog vice chairman, the cabinet secretary, the three military chiefs, the Reserve Bank of India governor, the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Finance Secretary, and the Defence Secretary.[10]
In June, 2019 NSA Ajit Doval was elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister with a second 5-year term.[11] On 10 June 2024, he began his third term, again with the rank of Cabinet Minister.[12] The position is "coterminous with the term of the Prime Minister, or until further orders, whichever is earlier".[12]
List of National Security Advisors
| No | Name | Portrait | Term of office | Previous Post(s) held | Prime Minister | Additional NSA | Deputy NSA(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brajesh Mishra,[a] IFS | .jpg) |
19 November 1998 | 22 May 2004 | 5 years, 185 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | (Post created) | ||
| 2 | J. N. Dixit, IFS | .jpg) |
23 May 2004 | 3 January 2005 | 225 days | Foreign Secretary | Manmohan Singh |
| |
| 3 | M. K. Narayanan, IPS |  |
3 January 2005 | 23 January 2010 | 5 years, 20 days | Director, Intelligence Bureau |
| ||
| 4 | Shivshankar Menon,[6] IFS | .jpg) |
24 January 2010 | 26 May 2014 | 4 years, 143 days | Foreign Secretary | |||
| 5 | Ajit Doval, IPS |  |
30 May 2014 | Incumbent
(Period Co-terminus with term of Prime Minister) |
11 years, 341 days | Director, Intelligence Bureau | Narendra Modi | Rajinder Khanna (15 July 2024 – Incumbent) |
|
See also
Notes
- Concurrently served as the 9th Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India.