Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai Appointed Military Advisor to NSCS, Strengthens Top Security Setup

Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai , who previously served as the Indian Army’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) during Operation Sindoor, has been appointed as the Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), according to sources.

He is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) and is expected to assume the new role shortly. He will succeed Gen N S Raja Subramani, who has taken over as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

The National Security Council Secretariat functions as the apex body supporting national security policymaking and strategic coordination in India. It works under the leadership of the National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, and serves as a key institutional mechanism for integrating military, intelligence, and diplomatic inputs into national security decisions.

In his earlier role as DGMO, Lt Gen Ghai played a key operational and coordination role alongside counterparts in the Indian Air Force and Navy during Operation Sindoor , a retaliatory action launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The operation, carried out on May 7 last year, involved airstrikes on nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reportedly eliminating over 100 terrorists.

As Military Advisor to the NSCS, Lt Gen Ghai is expected to contribute to strengthening inter-service coordination and providing strategic military inputs to India’s higher defence and security architecture, particularly at a time of evolving regional security challenges.