New Delhi: Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai is set to take over as military advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), bringing a serving operational commander into one of the country’s most important national security roles.
Rajiv Ghai, who currently serves as deputy chief of Army staff (Strategy), came into the public spotlight during Operation Sindoor while heading the Army’s military operations directorate. He will take over the assignment from General NS Raja Subramani, who was recently appointed chief of defence staff (CDS).
The appointment is notable because the NSCS military advisor’s position has traditionally been filled by retired senior officers. Gen Ghai will be the first serving lieutenant general to hold the post since the military wing was reactivated in 2018. He is also among the youngest-ranking officers to be entrusted with the responsibility.
Working within the national security architecture led by NSA Ajit Doval, Rajiv Ghai will be responsible for providing military perspectives on emerging security challenges, assisting in strategic policy discussions and facilitating coordination between the armed forces and civilian decision-makers.
An officer of the Kumaon Regiment, Lt Gen Ghai was commissioned into the Army in 1989 and has built extensive operational experience across multiple theatres. His service record includes deployments in Jammu & Kashmir, the northeast and along sensitive border regions. He has also represented India in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Over the years, he has commanded troops at every major level, from battalion and brigade formations to division and corps headquarters. Before moving to army headquarters, he led the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, overseeing counter-terrorism and border security operations in the Kashmir valley.
With over a year of service remaining before retirement, Lt Gen Ghai’s move to the NSCS places an experienced field commander at the centre of India’s strategic decision-making process at a time of evolving regional and global security challenges.