National Security Advisor in India

The National Security Council is an important body in India with a powerful responsibility: providing advice, monitoring and assessing developments and keeping the government abreast of current strategic affairs that bear upon India’s security.

As a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security, it is responsible for meeting at least once a week to discuss internal and external issues relating to the national security council of india. The NSC has eleven members, including the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chairs it, and its members include senior government officials, military commanders, intelligence chiefs and foreign diplomats. 

National Security council In India

The National Security Council of India is a high-level agency established in 1998 by the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Prime Minister heads the NSC, and the NSA is its Secretary. The headquarters of NSC is in New Delhi, and the current NSA is Ajit Doval.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee established India’s National Security Council (NSC) on 19 November 1998. The Council is tasked with advising the Prime Minister’s Office on national security and strategic interest matters. Before its formation, such activities were overseen by the Principal Secretary to the preceding Prime Minister.

India’s National Security Council (NSC) is the executive agency responsible for advising the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on national security and strategic interest issues. Established in 1963, it has served as an advisory body to the PM on national security, foreign policy, international relations and strategic affairs. This “think tank of India’s most senior decision makers” helps bring together the views of Indian civilians and professionals with those of the political leadership.

History 

The National Security Council of India (NSC) was established in 1998. It is chaired by the Prime Minister and includes the National Security Advisor, the three Service Chiefs, the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Defence Secretary, and such other members as he may deem fit. The Council was formed after a committee was set up in 1996 to examine India’s security system. This committee was headed by K Subrahmanyam, an eminent defence analyst who had served on several government bodies.

 The NSC is responsible for advising the Prime Minister on national security and strategic interest matters. It ensures coordination between ministries and departments to bring about synergy in policy-making. For example, when India conducted nuclear tests in 1998, the NSC played a key role in coordinating various actions among all concerned ministries and departments. It also has expertise from the outside government through its secretariat, which plays an advisory role to its members.

Members in NSC

The Kargil Review Committee established it as an independent unit in 1998 to advise the National Security Advisor (NSA). Its principal function is to advise the Prime Minister’s Office on all aspects of national security, including domestic, foreign, economic, military, intelligence, and environmental issues. The current NSA is Ajit Kumar Doval. Besides the NSA, other members of the NSC include the Deputy National Security Advisors, Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Home Affairs and Finance of the Government of India, and the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog. In addition to these members, other officials may be invited to attend monthly meetings based on their requirements.

Role of the National Security Advisor

The National Security Advisor of India is a senior official in the executive branch of the Government of India who serves as the chief advisor to the Prime Minister of India on national security policy and strategic affairs.

All NSAs appointed since the inception of the post in 1998 belong to the Indian Foreign Service or 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 on all matters relating to internal and external threats and opportunities to India. Part of the NSA’s portfolio of work involves overseeing 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 and the envoy to Pakistan and Israel on security affairs.

Deputy national security advisor in India

Vikram Misri has been appointed deputy national security adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat. He will report directly to National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and handle all strategic communication for the NSCS. Misri is a 1987 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service.

He has served as India’s ambassador to China since 2016, and before that, he was consul general in Shanghai from 2012 to 2016. Before that, he served as the joint Secretary of East Asia at the Ministry of External Affairs.

Misri will be involved in policy planning on internal and external security issues in his new role, including border management and cyber-security.

Conclusion

The NSC has emerged as a powerful institution that provides an enabling environment for both the state and the citizens by taking decisions and formulating a coherent security strategy. The council members are empowered to examine all internal and external dimensions of issues being deliberated upon and play a leading role in defining the broad courses of action to be taken by the Union Government. Successive NSCs have been very effective in providing support to governance, furthering national security interests and contributing to economic growth and development. With appropriate leadership and an informed population, India could provide its citizens with a more secure future.