Deputy National Security Adviser & former R&AW chief Rajinder Khanna made additional NSA

Deputy National Security Adviser & former R&AW chief Rajinder Khanna made additional NSA

New Delhi: Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) Rajinder Khanna, an ex-chief of India’s external intelligence agency R&AW, was promoted and appointed additional NSA Tuesday.

This is the first time someone has been appointed additional NSA, a post that always existed but remained vacant, said government sources.

Khanna, a 1978-batch Research and Analysis Wing Service (RAS) officer, served as the R&AW chief from December 2014 to December 2016.

Before that, he also led the operations desk in the R&AW and is known to be an expert on Pakistan and terrorism.

Khanna was appointed deputy NSA in January 2018 and headed the T&I section, i.e., the Technology and Intelligence section.

Asked why he was appointed the additional NSA, sources said it was to ensure continuity in the national security structure.

With Khanna appointed additional NSA, two vacancies for deputy NSAs have opened up — his position and the position of Vikram Misri, who was appointed foreign secretary last month.

The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with NSA Ajit Doval acting as its secretary, and it is the apex body on all internal and external security-related matters.

Doval has had three deputy chiefs under him. Besides Khanna and Misri, there is also retired IPS officer Pankaj Singh, who looks after internal security.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)