List of National Security Advisors (NSA) of India
The National Security Adviser (NSA) position in India is one of the most powerful bureaucratic job roles in the Indian government. The NSA role was created in November 1998 and it is common for people appointed as NSA to be drawn from the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) or the Indian Police Service (IPS) depending on the Prime Minister’s choice.
An Overview of National Security Adviser (NSA)
The NSA is the senior official of the National Security Council (NSC) of India and the principal adviser to the Prime Minister on matters of national and international security policy. The NSA performs a critical role as principal advisor to the Prime Minister, and is responsible for establishing the security architecture of India. The present NSA is Ajit Doval. The NSA comes ranked at number seven in the order of precedence in India, and has the status of a Cabinet Minister.
An Historical Perspective of NSA
The position of NSA was programmed into the Indian political-system by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in November 1998. The main responsibility of the NSA is oversight of the country’s security mechanisms and providing strategic guidance to the Prime Minister.
List of National Security Advisors in India
Check the list of National Security Advisors in India from the first NSA, Brajesh Mishra to current NSA, Ajit Doval.
| Name | Tenure |
| Brajesh Mishra | November 1998 to 22 May 2004 |
| J N Dixit | 23 May 2004 to 03 Jan 2005 |
| M K Narayanan | 03 Jan 2005 to 23 Jan 2010 |
| Shivshankar Menon | 24 Jan 2010 to 28 May 2014 |
| Ajit Doval | 30 May 2014 to Present |
Process of Appointment of National Security Advisors
The National Security Advisor (NSA) is appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), led by the Prime Minister of India. It gives weight to the selection of the NSA against the long-term strategic goals of the country and those of the Prime Minister.
Roles
- Advisory Role: The NSA advises the Prime Minister on all issues related to threats to external and internal security. This involves evaluating and interpreting intelligence reports and presenting it to the Prime Minister.
- Intelligence Coordination: The NSA also receives all intelligence information and is tasked with the synthesis and analysis of intelligence before advising the Prime Minister. This is necessary to ensure he or she has the best possible aggregation of the threat landscape at any given time.
- Special Envoy: The NSA frequently functions as the Prime Minister’s special envoy on all strategic and sensitive issues, more particularly with China, Pakistan, and Israel. The involvement of the NSA in these high stakes matters is a significant verification of the importance of the role.
- Diplomatic duties: The NSA accompanies the Prime Minister on bilateral or state and official visits and during key discussions and negotiations where points of contention carry security implications for India.