The National Security Council (NSC) (

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: ''Rāṣṭrīya Surakṣā Pariṣad'') of India is an executive government agency tasked with advising the Prime Minister's Office on matters of national security and strategic interest. It was established by the former Prime Minister of India

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

on 19 November 1998, with

Brajesh Mishra Brajesh Chandra Mishra (29 September 1928 – 28 September 2012) was an Indian diplomat from the Indian Foreign Service and politician, best known for serving as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's principal secretary and National Security ...

as the first

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

. Prior to the formation of the NSC, these activities were overseen by the

Principal Secretary The Principal Secretary is a senior government official in various Commonwealth countries. * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the President of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Ind ...

to the preceding

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Members

Besides the

(NSA), Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Deputy National Security Advisors, the Ministers of

Defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

, External Affairs,

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

Finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

of the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, and the Vice Chairman of the

NITI Aayog The NITI Aayog (; abbreviation for National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and fostering cooperative ...

are members of the National Security Council. PM can chair the meeting of NSC (for eg - PM chaired the meeting of NSC Post Pulwama to discuss heightened tension with Pakistan). Other members may be invited to attend its monthly meetings, as and when it is required.

Organisational structure

The NSC is the apex body of the three-tiered structure of the national security management system in India. The three tiers are the Strategic Policy Group, the National Security Advisory Board and a secretariat from the Joint Intelligence Committee.

Strategic Policy Group

The Strategic Policy Group is the first level of the three tier structure of the National Security Council. It forms the nucleus of the decision-making apparatus of the NSC.

Ajit Doval is the chairman of the group and it consists of the following members: * Vice Chairman Niti Aayog

Suman Bery Suman may refer to: Given name * Suman (actor), Indian actor * Suman Adhikary (born 1985), Indian director of Bengali films * Suman Bala (born 1981), Indian field hockey player * Suman Chakraborty, Indian engineer * Suman Deodhar (born 1930), I ...

* Cabinet Secretary ( Rajiv Gauba, IAS) * Chief of Defence Staff (

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Anil Chauhan General Anil Chauhan (born 18 May 1961) is a four-star general of the Indian Army, who is the current and 2nd Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces since 30 September 2022. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakw ...

) * Chief of the Army Staff (

Manoj Pande) * Chief of the Naval Staff (

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

R. Hari Kumar Admiral (India), Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar (born 12 April 1962) is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy. He is the 25th and current Chief of Naval Staff (India), Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Previously, he served as the Flag ...

) * Chief of the Air Staff (

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admi ...

Vivek Ram Chaudhari Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, is an air officer of the Indian Air Force. He currently serves as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). He took over as the 27th CAS succeeding Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on 30 September 2 ...

) * Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) (

Shaktikanta Das Shaktikanta Das (born 26 February 1957) is serving as the current & 25th List of Governors of Reserve Bank of India, governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He was earlier a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, FifteenthFinance Commi ...

) *

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

(

Vinay Mohan Kwatra Vinay Mohan Kwatra is an Indian diplomat of IFS cadre serving as the 34th and the current Foreign Secretary of India since May 2022, succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla. Previously, he has served as the Ambassador of India to France and Nepal. ...

, IFS) *

Defence Secretary A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...

(Giridhar Aramane, IAS) *

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...

( Ajay Kumar Bhalla, IAS) *

Finance Secretary The Finance Secretary () is the administrative head of the Ministry of Finance. This post is held by senior IAS officer of the rank of Secretary to Government of India. T. V. Somanathan is the incumbent Finance Secretary. As a Secretary to Go ...

(

T. V. Somanathan T. V. Somanathan (born 10 May 1965) is a 1987 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre. He is presently the Finance Secretary (India), Finance Secretary of India (Department of expenditure). Earlier he was Additiona ...

, IAS) *

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

(Research) (i.e. the head of the

Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (abbreviated R&AW; hi, ) is the foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, ...

) (

Samant Goel Samant Kumar Goel is an Indian civil servant working as an intelligence officer and is of the IPS cadre. He is the current Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (abbreviated R&AW; hi, ) is the foreign ...

, IPS) * Director General of Defence Intelligence Agency (

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

GAV Reddy) * Director of the Intelligence Bureau (

Tapan deka Tapan Kumar Deka commonly known as Tapan Deka (born 25 February 1963) is the 28th Director of Intelligence Bureau of India. Deka is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer (Himachal Pradesh cadre) of the 1988 (41RR), Deka was empanelled as Direct ...

, IPS) *

Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes The Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is the senior-most IRS (IT) civil servant in the Government of India. The Chairperson of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is the Special Secretary to the Government of India and also cad ...

(Pramod Chandra Mody, IRS (IT)) *

(Defence Production) (Giridhar Aramane, IAS) * Scientific Advisor to the Raksha Mantri and Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (Dr.

G. Satheesh Reddy G. Satheesh Reddy is the Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri, which spearheads India's indigenous development of defence systems and technologies. He guides the development of major programmes on missiles and strategic systems, fighter aircra ...

) *

(

Atomic Energy Atomic energy or energy of atoms is energy carried by atoms. The term originated in 1903 when Ernest Rutherford began to speak of the possibility of atomic energy. Isaac Asimov, ''Atom: Journey Across the Sub-Atomic Cosmos'', New York:1992 Plume, ...

) (Dr. K. N. Vyas) *

(

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consi ...

) and ''

ex-officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

Indian Space Research Organization The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

(ISRO) (Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath) The Strategic Policy Group undertakes the ''Strategic Defence Review'', a blueprint of short and long term security threats, as well as possible policy options on a priority basis.

National Security Advisory Board

The brainchild of the first National Security Advisor (NSA),

, a former member of Indian Foreign Service. The National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) consists of a group of eminent national security experts outside of the government. Members are usually senior retired officials, civilian as well as military, academics and distinguished members of civil society drawn from and having expertise in Internal and External Security, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Science & Technology and Economic Affairs. The first NSAB, constituted in December 1998, headed by the late

K. Subrahmanyam Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam (19 January 1929 – 2 February 2011) was a prominent international strategic affairs analyst, journalist and former Indian civil servant. Considered a proponent of '' Realpolitik'', Subrahmanyam was an influential v ...

produced a draft

Nuclear Doctrine Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrines and strategies for the production and use of nuclear weapons. As a sub-branch of military strategy, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends. In add ...

for the country in 2001, a Strategic Defence Review in 2002 and a National Security Review in 2007. The board meets at least once a month, and more frequently as required. It provides a long-term prognosis and analysis to the NSC and recommends solutions and address policy issues referred to it. Initially the Board was constituted for one year, but since 2004-06, the Board has been reconstituted for two years. The tenure of the previous NSAB, headed by former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, ended in January 2015. It had 14 members. The new board has been re-constituted in July 2018, with P. S. Raghavan, former Indian Ambassador to Russia (2014–16), as its head. It has a tenure of two years.

Joint Intelligence Committee

The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) of the

analyses intelligence data from the Intelligence Bureau,

and the Directorates of

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

and

Air Intelligence The Directorate General Air Intelligence, known as "Air Intelligence" and its acronym "AI", ( ur, ) is the intelligence arm of the Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours ...

and thus analyses both domestic and foreign intelligence. The JIC has its own Secretariat that works under the Cabinet Secretariat.

Cyber Security

National Cyber Security Strategy is formulated by the Office of National Cyber Security Coordinator at the National Security Council Secretariat. The National Security Council and National Information Board headed by National Security Adviser are at working under the cyber security surveillance helping in framing India’s cyber security policy. It aims to protect the cyber space including critical information infrastructure from attack, damage, misuse and economic espionage. In 2014 the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre under the National Technical Research Organisation mandated the protection of critical information infrastructure. In 2015, the Office of National Cyber Security Coordinator was created to advice the Prime Minister on strategic cyber security issues. In the case of nodal entity, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) is playing a crucial role under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MEITY). On 15 June 2021, the Government of India launched the Trusted Telecom Portal signalling the coming into effect of the National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS). Consequently, with effect from 15 June 2021 the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) are mandatorily required to connect in their networks only those new devices which are designated as ''Trusted Products'' from ''Trusted Sources''.

References

External links

Official website of the National Security Advisory BoardTrusted Telecom Portal - National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector

Center for Contemporary Conflict - Indian Internal Security and Intelligence Organization

FAS - Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence

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