The National Security Council (NSC) of India is an executive government body tasked with advising the prime Minister of India on matters of national security and foreign policy. It was established by the former prime minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 19 November 1998,with Brajesh Mishra as the first National Security Advisor.
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is a diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of the Republic of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vikram Misri is the 35th and the current Foreign Secretary.
Lakshmi N. Menon was an Indian freedom fighter and politician. She was Minister of State from 1962 to 1966. As delegate she held a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948 at the adotion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Shivshankar Menon is an Indian diplomat,who served as National Security Adviser of India under Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. He had previously served as the Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. Prior to that he was Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan,and Sri Lanka and ambassador to China and Israel. He is currently Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. He is also Visiting Professor of International Relations at Ashoka University.
India has enjoyed close bilateral ties with the Russian Federation,formerly the USSR,since the independence of India in 1947. During the Cold War,India and the USSR formed a strong and strategic relationship;this diplomatic unity was further strengthened with both nations’shared military ideals,as well as their overall economic policies. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union,Russia kept the same close ties to India;in international terms,both nations share a special relationship. Russia and India,both,consider their mutual affinity to be a "special and privileged strategic partnership". Their governments support the creation of a multipolar world order in which both nations are "poles".
Ruchira Kamboj is a retired Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1987 batch,who last served as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2022 to May 2024 until her retirement. She has previously served as High Commissioner of India to South Africa,first female Indian Ambassador to Bhutan and Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO,Paris.
Nirupama Menon Rao is a retired civil servant of 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service cadre who served as India's Foreign Secretary from 2009 to 2011,as well as being India's Ambassador to the United States,China and Sri Lanka during her career.
Gautam Mukhopadhaya has been Ambassador of India to Syria,Afghanistan,and Myanmar. He has also worked in the United Nations Headquarters in New York as a Consultant on Social Development and has been a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Hardeep Singh Puri is an Indian politician and former diplomat who is serving as 33rd Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas since 2021.
Kanwal Sibal is a career diplomat who retired as Foreign Secretary to the Government of India. In 2017,The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri award for his distinguished services in the field of Public Affairs.
Pavan K. Varma is an Indian diplomat,politician,and author who served as an ambassador to Bhutan and Cyprus.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar,better known as S. Jaishankar,is an Indian diplomat,politician and author,who is serving as the 30th Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India since 31 May 2019. He is the longest serving Minister of External Affairs since Jawaharlal Nehru,who held the position during his entire 17 years as Prime Minister. Jaishankar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha. He previously served as the Foreign Secretary of India from 2015 to 2018.
Syed Akbaruddin is a retired Indian diplomat from 1985 batch of the Indian Foreign Service and served as India's permanent representative at the United Nations at New York from January 2016 to April 2020. He had previously served as official spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs from January 2012 to April 2015 and was Indian representative at IAEA from 2006 to 2011. He is currently serving as the dean of Kautilya School of Public Policy.
Amrit Lugun is a retired IFS officer,who served as the Ambassador of India to Greece.
Saurabh Kumar is an Indian diplomat currently serving as Ambassador of India to European Union. He was previously the Indian Ambassador of India to Myanmar and to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Pankaj Saran is a former Indian civil servant of the Indian Foreign Service cadre. He was the Deputy National Security Adviser of India.
T. S. Tirumurti is a retired Indian civil servant (Ambassador) of the Indian Foreign Service cadre. His diplomatic career spanned 37 years (1985-2022). He served as the Secretary to Government of India and later as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in New York when India became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 8th time. He was also the President of the UN Security Council for August 2021.
The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army,Indian Navy,Indian Air Force,Ministry of External Affairs,Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Finance. The IDS is headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff along with Deputy Chiefs of Integrated Defence Staff. On December 24,2019,the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) established the post of Chief of Defence Staff,a four-star general,a tri-service Chief,that shall lead the defence forces as well as play the role of head of the Department of Military Affairs. The body advises and assists the Chief of Defence Staff.
Vallilath Madhathil Madhavan Nair was an Indian civil servant and diplomat. He was the last living former officer of both the Indian Civil Service and the Indian Political Service.
