New Delhi: One week after the nation saw the tragic terror attack in the Kashmir valley, in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, the central government took a big step towards strengthening the country’s strategic thinking and security framework. The government reportedly reconstituted the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) on Wednesday, appointing former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Alok Joshi as its chairman. The step is part of the Centre’s larger effort to leverage the experience and knowledge of senior retired officials from diverse defence, intelligence, and diplomatic careers.
The redesigned board, to be operated under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), will consist of seven members, with a balance of civil and military leadership. In addition to Alok Joshi, the new NSAB consists of a number of veteran officers from India’s military, intelligence, police, and diplomatic services.
Some of the defence representatives include Air Marshal P M Sinha (Retd), who served previously as Western Air Commander; Lieutenant General A K Singh (Retd), previous Southern Army Commander; and Rear Admiral Monty Khanna (Retd), ushering in some strategic experience of the Indian Navy. The police forces are represented by Rajiv Ranjan Verma (Retd), a retired Indian Police Service officer with operational expertise, and Manmohan Singh (Retd), another veteran IPS officer with rich experience in internal security administration.
B Venkatesh Varma (Retd), an Indian Foreign Service veteran diplomat and India’s ex-Ambassador to Russia, rounds out the seven-member commission. His diplomatic experience will be a crucial asset, especially in the age of complicated global geopolitical realignments.
The NSAB serves a key advisory function within the National Security Council system, making independent and strategic recommendations to the government regarding security and foreign policy matters. It usually operates in coordination with the National Security Advisor (NSA) and other branches of the national security complex. Through the appointment of these senior experts, the government aims to enhance long-term national security planning, drawing on the views of battlefield experience, intelligence operations, diplomatic talks, and domestic security frameworks. The newly constituted NSAB will be tasked with offering strong and multi-faceted policy guidance to steer these complex currents.