National Security Advisor (India)

National Security Advisor of India
Emblem of India
Incumbent Ajit Doval
Residence	New Delhi, India
Appointer	Prime Minister of India
Inaugural holder	Brajesh Mishra
Formation	1998
Deputy	Deputy National Security Advisor

The National Security Advisor (NSA) is the chief executive of the National Security Council (NSC), and the primary advisor to the Prime Minister of India on national and international security. It is the National Security Advisor to whom intelligence agencies such as the Research and Analysis Wing and Intelligence Bureau report, rather than directly to the Prime Minister. Due to such vested powers, NSA is a prominent and powerful office in the bureaucracy. All the NSAs appointed since the inception of the post belong to the Indian Foreign Service except M K Narayanan and the incumbent, Ajit Doval, who belong to the Indian Police Service.

The National Security Advisor (NSA) is tasked with regularly advising the Prime Minister on all matters relating to internal and external threats to the country, and oversees strategic issues. The NSA of India also serves as the Prime Minister's Special Interlocutor on border issues with China, and frequently accompanies the Prime Minister on Foreign State visits.

The directors of R&AW and IB technically report to the NSA rather than the Prime Minister directly. The NSA receives all intelligence reports and co-ordinates them to present before the Prime Minister. NSA is assisted by a Deputy NSA. Former Indian Foreign Service officer Dr Arvind Gupta currently serves as deputy National Security Advisor, succeeding Indian Police Service officer Nehchal Sandhu.

Brajesh Mishra was appointed the first National Security Advisor of India. The post was created on 19 November 1998 by the Government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

List of National Security Advisors

No	Name	Portrait	Term of office		Previous service cadre	Prime Minister
1	Brajesh Mishra		November 1998	May 2004	Indian Foreign Service	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
2	J N Dixit		May 2004	January 2005	Indian Foreign Service	Manmohan Singh
3	M K Narayanan		January 2005	January 2011	Indian Police Service
4	Shivshankar Menon[1]		January 2011	May 2014	Indian Foreign Service
5	Ajit Doval[2]		May 2014	Incumbent	Indian Police Service	Narendra Modi

See also

• National Security Council

References

1. "Menon is next NSA". The Hindu. 21 January 2010.
2. "Doval named Modi's security advisor". Daily Mail. 27 May 2014.