National Security Advisor (India)

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 and ranks seventh in the Indian Order of Precedence.

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. 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. After the death of Dixit in 2005, the office was again fused and Narayanan became the full-time NSA. He was then succeeded by former Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon in 2010. 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 AdditionalNational Security Advisor(Addl. NSA) Rajinder Khanna IPS DeputyNational Security Advisors(Dy. NSA) T. V. Ravichandran IPS Pavan Kapoor IFS Anish Dayal Singh IPSNational Cybersecurity Coordinator(NCSC) Navin Kumar IPSMilitary AdvisorLt. Gen Rajiv GhaiIndian ArmyNational Maritime Security Coordinator(NMSC)Vice AdmiralBiswajit DasguptaIndian Navy

Role The post of the NSA has vested powers, and as such it is a 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 serve as Deputy National Security Advisors. 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.

In June, 2019 NSA Ajit Doval was elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister with a second 5-year term. On 10 June 2024, he began his third term, again with the rank of Cabinet Minister. The position is "coterminous with the term of the Prime Minister, or until further orders, whichever is earlier".

List of National Security Advisors No Name Portrait Term of office Previous Post(s) held Prime MinisterAdditional NSADeputy NSA(s) 1 Brajesh Mishra, IFS 19 November 1998 22 May 2004Permanent Representative to United Nations Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee(Post created) Satish Chandra 2 J. N. Dixit, IFS 23 May 2004 3 January 2005Foreign Secretary Manmohan Singh Vijay K. Nambiar (2004 - 2006) 3 M. K. Narayanan, IPS 3 January 2005 23 January 2010 Director, Intelligence Bureau Leela K. Ponappa (May 2007 - October 2009) Shekhar Dutt (27 July 2007 - 2009) Alok Prasad (October 2009 - January 2011) 4 Shivshankar Menon, IFS 24 January 2010 26 May 2014Foreign Secretary Vijaya Latha Reddy (March 2011 - March 2013) Nehchal Sandhu (21 March 2013 - 31 July 2014) 5 Ajit Doval, IPS 30 May 2014 Incumbent (Period Co-terminus with term of Prime Minister) Director, Intelligence Bureau Narendra ModiRajinder Khanna (15 July 2024 – Incumbent) Arvind Gupta (5 August 2014 - 5 August 2017) Pankaj Saran (29 May 2018 - 31 December 2021) R. N. Ravi (5 October 2018 - 31 July 2019) Rajinder Khanna (2 January 2018 – 14 July 2024) Dattatray Padsalgikar (29 October 2019 – 31 October 2023) Vikram Misri (1 Jan 2022–14 July 2024) Pankaj Kumar Singh (18 January 2023 – 31 January 2025 ) T. V. Ravichandran (15 July 2024 – Incumbent) Pavan Kapoor (15 July 2024 – Incumbent) Anish Dayal Singh (25 August 2025 – Incumbent)

National Security Advisor (India)

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